by James Wisher
Healing energy flooded her side and arm, bring blessed relief to her burns. Her power was slowly returning, but there was no way she’d return to full strength without a long rest. Somehow she doubted she’d get it any time soon.
“What are we going to do?” Kat asked.
Lidia clenched her fist. “The only thing we can do. Fight.”
Chapter 38
The instant Jen cleared the keep gate she accelerated to warlord speed. Her maces crashed into the nearest crystal statue ten times in a second. Vibrations ran up the hafts and into her arms. She could be pounding granite blocks for all the impression she made on the demons.
She darted back, evading a rending slash, then back in to pound out another string of worthless attacks. Up and down the line the other warlords were having just as much luck as she was. They had the damn things outnumbered two to one, but it didn’t make any difference if their attacks didn’t do any damage.
After two more fruitless efforts Jen stepped back. Her opponent turned its attention to a closer warlord who found himself beset on two sides. She grimaced and battered the demon across the back of the head drawing its attention back to her. With quick, darting attacks Jen baited the construct away from the bulk of the battle.
When she’d drawn it a good twenty feet from the general melee Jen enhanced her vision as far as she could and really studied the crystal demon. It slashed at her, but Jen’s speed was more than enough to keep her safe while she examined its body. They had to have a weakness.
There! A thin line running around one of the crystal’s facets. It was so faint she couldn’t see it even with normally enhanced sight.
Jen ducked a slash, darted in, and hammered the line. A thin spiderweb of cracks formed before repairing themselves. So she could damage them after all. Now she just had to break them faster than they healed.
Jen struck the same spot once, twice, three times in rapid succession.
The cracks spread and grew wider.
She was doing it. Her maces struck over and over in the same place.
Chips flew and crimson light showed through the gaps.
Almost there. A chunk the size of her fist broke out and went flying. The head of her mace went through the opening.
The demon shuddered and exploded. Jen went sprawling across the dirt and rolled to her feet, a fierce grin on her face. She knew how to beat them now. They weren’t invincible, just really tough.
She sent soul force into her voice box and lungs then shouted as loud as she could. “Enhance your sight. Find the fracture lines. Strike the same point as hard and fast as you can.”
Jen’s enhanced voice rang out over the battlefield even louder than the sounds of fighting. She’d told them how, now all she could do is hope they had the strength to do what she said. And where was Marie-Bell? The paladin was nowhere to be seen.
She couldn’t worry about it. Jen chose another target and went to work.
Now that she knew what to look for, finding the fault line was really easy. She managed three solid hits before an attack from her left forced her to spin and batter a claw aside. She spun back and found all the damage she’d caused already restored.
Damn it! One on one she knew she could handle any of them, but with enemies on her flanks she couldn’t focus, not if she wanted to stay alive.
An explosion down the line told her someone had heard what she said. The very human scream that followed made her wince. Jen sometimes forgot that not all warlords were as fast as her. It was far too easy to get ripped to shreds if you made even the smallest mistake.
Another scream followed the first then Jen was too busy fending off a trio of statues to even think about landing a blow of her own, much less listen for the deaths of more comrades. This was impossible. Fighting so many at once left you vulnerable. They needed to separate them from the army and attack one on one.
“Skirmish line!” Jen shouted at full volume. “Don’t attack, just hold them back.”
It was a credit to their training that the warlords immediately moved to obey her command. Whether their commander was desperate or dead, no one countermanded her order.
Jen held her breath and watched. Slowly, with much shouting and smashing, shoving and shuffling, the warlords formed a line free of gaps with all the crystal demons in front of it. She waited half a minute before she felt certain they’d hold.
Now for phase two. “Center line, gap.”
Four warlords in the middle of the line stepped back and to the side; their heavy iron hammers never stopped moving. They batted aside claws and fanged mouths until a single construct had forced its way through the opening.
Jen charged in and began battering it before it could slash at the warlords’ exposed backs. “Close gap!” she shouted between blows.
The warlords shifted again, sealing the opening. Jen drew the construct a handful of steps from the line and began her attack. Her maces sounded like a mad drummer as she pounded its weak spot. A minute later it exploded. This time Jen had braced herself and didn’t end up on the ground.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead. Only a hundred or so to go.
Chapter 39
Morana floated, invisible, above the rear of her line. She felt the leader of the demons die and couldn’t have suppressed a smile if she’d wanted to. Even though they were supposed to be on the same side she was tired of the arrogant creature mocking her, laughing when he called her general. She still sensed plenty of demons out beyond the wall. The loss of the strongest didn’t doom the rest. The monsters only followed the dead one out of fear anyway. Now that they were in the fight they’d keep killing because they were demons and that’s what they did.
Her focus turned back to her own troops where it belonged. The crystal demons held their own nicely against a superior force of warlords. The elite warriors were fast and strong, but they couldn’t hurt her soldiers no mater how much they battered them. Every minute or two one of the warlords went down under the claws of a demon. It wouldn’t happen quickly, but eventually her servants would wear the warlords down and finish them off, assuming the speedy fighters didn’t decide to run for their lives.
A painful jolt ran through the ring and up her arm. So, they’d managed to destroy one of her demons. It had to happen at some point. She still had over a hundred left, more than enough to handle whatever threats presented themselves.
Another jolt brought a frown. The destruction of one could be chalked up to luck, but two in such a short time…She didn’t like the feel of that.
The enemy fighters shifted, forming a tight defensive line. A familiar female form stood behind them, barking orders. As she watched, an opening formed and one of her soldiers slipped through. It almost looked intentional, but why would they let an enemy get behind their line?
Her answer came a moment later when the female warlord lunged in and started battering her construct, drawing it away from the line. As Morana watched the warlord smashed her soldier apart until it eventually exploded.
She didn’t believe it. How could a single warlord defeat one of her crystal demons? If it had been the paladin Morana could have accepted it. The holy warrior had already destroyed one of her soldiers after all, but that one, using nothing but ordinary weapons? Impossible.
Impossible or not, another demon was separated and destroyed in the span of several minutes. The woman had obviously discovered some weakness both Morana and Connor had overlooked. She needed to kill the warlord before she did any more damage to the army. Morana doubted a single warlord could destroy over a hundred demons, but she might do enough damage that the plan would be delayed, giving the kingdom time to increase its defenses. That wasn’t an eventuality she wanted to explain to Connor.
Morana soared down, gathering hellfire as she descended. She’d burn the warlord to ash. The woman wouldn’t know what hit her.
A ball of roiling black flames streaked toward the warlord. Halfway there they splashed against a white shield. The paladin’s
hated voice said, “I’ve been waiting for you to show yourself.”
Morana spun and found the blond paladin seated on a white horse twenty feet away and thirty feet in the air. Her hammer glowed with white light and from the set of her jaw she looked ready for a fight. Morana was happy to oblige.
Chapter 40
From the moment Marie-Bell followed Jen out of the keep gate she knew what she had to do. The warlords could handle the crystal demons, hopefully. What they couldn’t deal with was the female warlock. She had to be here somewhere and when she showed herself Marie-Bell planned to be ready.
A conjured mount appeared and Marie-Bell wrapped both of them in invisibility before taking to the air. She couldn’t detect any sign of the warlock, but she’d show herself sooner or later. She was probably invisible, like Marie-Bell herself. She flew over the melee, wincing when one warlord after another fell under the claws of the crystal demons. As badly as she wanted to help there was only so much a single paladin could do. She might blow away one, maybe two of the constructs, then she’d be helpless for hours. No, better if she kept alert for the warlock.
A burst of corruption drew her attention to the battlefield. Jen had found a way to destroy the demons. She directed the warlords, making order out of the chaotic battle. Marie-Bell smiled at her friend’s leadership abilities. Jen was a natural, people followed her instinctively.
Another demon shattered. It wouldn’t be long now. The warlock couldn’t allow her troops to be wiped out.
Sure enough, less than a minute later, corrupt energy gathered in the sky above the battlefield. It seemed to come from nowhere, but when a black ball appeared and roared at Jen the warlock became visible as well.
Marie-Bell conjured a shield above Jen and the hellfire splashed against it. The warlock spun to face her. Marie-Bell tensed her jaw. It was time for her battle to begin.
The warlock agreed. Black serpents flowed from her hands, lengthening and growing thicker as more and more power ran into them.
First one then the other snapped at Marie-Bell. She bashed them aside, her holy energy smashing chunks out of them with every impact. The damage didn’t last.
Corrupt energy flowed and repaired the constructs as fast as she could hit them. The right-hand serpent darted in.
She brought her hammer around. An instant before it struck the serpent split, revealing a second head.
The one she targeted vanished in a cloud of sulfurous smoke, but the second clamped on to her leg. Her armor stopped its fangs from piercing her skin, but the pressure brought a snarl to her lips.
The second serpent dove in, taking advantage of her predicament. Marie-Bell ignored the one trying to gnaw through her armor and hammered the second with a burst of holy light. It was blown away in an instant. She ran a second pulse through her body and blew away the second serpent.
Marie-Bell charged the warlock. The slender woman wouldn’t last long once she brought her hammer to bear directly. A single blow would crush her to pulp.
The warlock fled, leading Marie-Bell a merry chase through the sky above the battlefield. A corner of Marie-Bell’s mind registered the deaths of warlords and the destruction of demons, far too many of the former for the number of the latter.
If she killed the one controlling them, maybe Marie-Bell could turn the tide. Unfortunately the warlock showed no sign of tiring as she evaded Marie-Bell’s attempts to close the distance. She couldn’t keep this up forever. Eventually the demons would overwhelm her allies and it wouldn’t matter if she killed the warlock or not.
Marie-Bell sent more power into her mount and put on a burst of speed. She covered the distance between her and the warlock in a blink.
Her hammer went back then hurtled forward.
The warlock spun and grabbed the haft, stopping her swing dead.
The pale witch sneered in her face. “Thought I was too weak to fight face to face, bitch?”
The warlock breathed a bout of hellfire in Marie-Bell’s face. She flinched away from the black flames. The warlock ripped her hammer from her grasp and flung it away.
A small fist struck Marie-Bell in the face, snapping her head back with enough force the blow might as well have come from an ogre.
How could such a tiny woman be so strong?
A second blow crashed into her armored torso. A rib snapped, drawing a pained gasp.
A third punch raced for her face. Marie-Bell charged her gauntleted fist with power and swung.
The impact sent her flying back, mount and all. When Marie-Bell got herself under control she found the warlock clutching the ruins of her hand. The fingers were twisted every way but straight.
Before her opponent could recover Marie-Bell blasted her again with focused holy energy. The stream of light hit a black wall. The two opposing energies swirled and fought before bursting in a shower of gray sparks.
The warlock dove toward the melee, disappearing amidst the churning statues. Marie-Bell muttered a very un-paladin-like curse and directed healing energy to her face, rib, and leg. The pain soon faded.
She flew towards Jen’s side of the line, pausing long enough to collect her hammer. No way the warlock would show herself again. And if she did attack Marie-Bell could still protect Jen while she smashed some statues.
Chapter 41
Damien.
He floated in comfort and warmth. A gentle peace filled every inch of his body. Nothing hurt. It seemed he couldn’t remember a time when nothing hurt.
Damien.
That was his name. Damien knew that voice, loved it. Why was the one he loved trying to pull him back to pain and violence? That didn’t seem right. She should join him. They could enjoy the peace together.
DAMIEN!
He blinked and stared at the stone ceiling. Green light stained everything, making the stone appear covered in moss. He still didn’t hurt as he floated in the warm water, that was a welcome surprise. Damien put his feet down and stood up. The water came just to his chest.
A horrible screeching, like nails on slate, filled the cavern. “What is that?”
I’ve been trying to tell you for the past half hour. The demon wolves have almost dug through the stone sealing the cavern.
Damien shook his head, trying to dislodge the last of his peaceful dream. Heaven’s mercy, it would have been nice to stay in the pool for a week or two. Lizzy lay on top of his clothes where he’d left her.
He turned his attention inward. His core was full and his soul force was flowing correctly. That was a relief. Damien climbed out of the pool, vaporized the water covering him with a burst of soul force, and restored his shield.
As he dressed he asked, “Is your soul force restored?”
Yeah, I’m good to go. Like I said, without a body I’m less susceptible than you to physical damage. Are you okay?
“Yes, the pool did wonders.” He picked Lizzy up and slipped her into his harness. “How long was I out?”
Time’s a little hazy down here, but I’d say a day and a half, maybe two.
“Heaven’s mercy! It felt like minutes, or an hour at most.”
The scratching got louder. Damien drew power and formed a spear of energy that floated at his shoulder. It felt good to use his power again. Not as good as it would feel to slice Lizzy through Connor’s neck, but still good.
A wolf’s head made of blue crystal broke through the rock pile. Damien hurled the spear at it. The spear skewered the wolf from nose to tail. The construct exploded in a burst of corruption. Damien smiled. How wonderfully satisfying, and if his restored senses weren’t lying to him, there were eight more out there to smash.
As if reading his mind another wolf appeared in the tunnel. It lunged out just in time for a golden hammer to crush it to bits.
Don’t hog all the fun.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Damien drew Lizzy, mingled their power, and slashed at the rubble pile. The blockage burst outward, scattering stone and constructs a hundred yards down the
tunnel. The remaining constructs scrambled to their feet just in time to get blasted with focused beams of gray flame. They all shattered, filling the tunnel with a sulfurous miasma. Blasting the things was like stepping on stink bugs.
“We’re all out of wolves.”
There’s still Connor.
“There certainly is.” Damien looked left and right. “Any idea how we get back to him?”
Chapter 42
Connor paused in his gathering of the meager energy provided by his remaining prisoners. All his hunters had died in rapid succession. He rubbed the Soul Burn Crystal as he thought and it gave off a few desultory sparks as if to show its disappointment with the meal he was providing. Clearly the demon wolves had found their prey, or more accurately their prey had found them. What Connor didn’t understand was how the boy had recovered so quickly. The crystal’s effects should have left him incapacitated for weeks. Perhaps the demon sword had recovered and he was using its power. Connor had no idea how the crystal would affect a spirit.
“Troubles, oh mighty warlock?” The imp in the mirror cackled.
Speaking of difficult to deal with spirits. He would have dearly loved to test the crystal on the mirror demon, but it was only a window into hell not a proper portal, and demonic energy wouldn’t serve his purposes anyway. He doubted he could draw so much as a drop of useful soul force out of the stupid creature.
“No, my prisoner is returning to surrender.”
“Ha! If that’s true I’ll never speak another word.”
That statement was enough to make Connor wish his jest had been true. But a jest it remained. There was no way Damien would allow himself to be captured again, and since Connor only had one urn he wouldn’t be able to overwhelm the boy. Pity to kill him; Connor would never find a power source as potent as Damien. Still, at least dead he would no longer be a threat, and there were sorcerers aplenty in the world. He’d just have to replace quality with quantity.
