Gorin reached down and gripped the handle. He pulled it from the mud and held it high above his head. Both sides of the battle had gone silent, wondering what had just happened. Gorin scanned the Medoran ranks briefly, and then turned to the army of Bhoors behind him.
"Bhoors! Advance!"
The entire Bhoor army immediately fell into orderly lines. All of their eyes had gone wide and fierce, and a haunting look came upon their faces. They all faced the Medoran shields and began marching in perfect unison towards them. It was choreographed with such precision that it appeared to be a dream and not reality. Every man moved at the exact same speed, and every footprint left behind was filled with the foot of the man that followed.
Gorin swung the golden war hammer at any soldier within range. Their feet came out from under them and they tumbled through the air smashing into their fellow soldiers. The Bhoors crashed into the phalanx and pushed it back. Medoran spears stabbed over the top of the shields over and over, but there were just too many Bhoors to kill. The dead fell to the ground and the Bhoors behind them stepped right over them, advancing no matter the cost.
The Medorans dug their heels in, but the weight of the advancing army was far too great. Medorans toppled backwards as the line of shields began to splinter and break up. Other soldiers rushed in to try to repair the line, but most of them failed to reach it before Bhoors crossed over. Once behind the shields, they rhythmically dispatched all the Medorans surrounding them before finally being brought down.
But Gorin and Gewin didn't care. All they cared about was stabbing through the phalanx and breaking through the front line. Once they were beyond the shields, they hammered and slashed their way through the rest of the Medorans on their rampage towards Brinn.
Chapter 41
The black haze surrounding the doorway to the void began to dissipate and Rommus could just barely make out the colossal statues at the far end of the cave. The eerie green light from the glowing underground river flooded the cavern with ghostly luminosity. Shadows were muted by a still mist that hovered carelessly near the cave floor.
The statues had been turned around somehow, and no longer faced the entrance to the cave. Once again they faced them as they approached; glaring at them with their chiseled faces. Between the statues was that shade of a being—the keeper of the gateway to the void. Dark shadows twisted and writhed to give him form as light from inside him fought to escape its shadowy prison.
Terrible wings sprung from his back. They were made of the same otherworldly shadow that the rest of him was made of, resembling the wings of a bat. He flapped them and took to the air, flitting about between the statues but never taking his attention away from the approaching intruders.
Song and Rommus made numerous attempts to call out to Demeos and disarm the situation. Their efforts to avoid any sort of conflict were coldly ignored, as Demeos gave no reply. He moved about violently, sometimes disappearing and reappearing in other places.
Song was blinded for a moment by crimson light when Rommus called forth his armor. "Do you have a plan, Rommus?"
"Nope."
"Well what do we do?"
"I don't know. Remember that he said the guardians cannot see you; but Demeos can. I can only assume that those statues are the guardians."
Song repositioned his pack on his back. "If that's the case, how do we fight stone? You don't even have a sword."
"I don't think a sword would do much damage to any of the three things over there. I think we should split up. I don't want you getting hurt when one of those things comes for me."
Song nodded and then jogged off to the side. He saw Demeos take note of his position, but the creature of darkness focused most of his attention on Rommus. While Song would never underestimate the intelligence of such an ancient being, Rommus did look different than when he had first encountered Demeos. He was now covered in red armor with gold accents all over, and Demeos might very well mistake him for some other escapee from the void.
Rommus broke into a run, probably trying to get passed Demeos before he could attack. But Demeos was much faster, and he rose up above one of the massive statues, slamming into the back of its neck. When he did so, the rocky creature rumbled to life. Its eyes lit with the same unnatural light that was within Demeos, and when its mouth opened to roar, the light beamed from the gaping maw as well.
One statue remained silent and still as the soul of Demeos inhabited the other. Thick arms of stone swung for Rommus. He was able to jump and avoid the attack, but he had lost his balance and fell to the cave floor. Demeos then brought down a fist onto Rommus as he lay there on his back. Song winced at the sight, thinking Rommus was surely killed by the blow.
But when the fist was pulled away, the stone beast shrieked. Rommus stood, shaking his head to clear it. He was unscathed, and not a single dent or scrape marred his perfect red armor. He once again fought to run passed the living statue, and this time, after faking one direction and turning hard to the other, he was able to run between the creature's legs and get behind it.
Demeos poured out of the top of the statue's neck, leaving it there frozen in stone. He flew to the other Statue-which was closer to Rommus—and brought that statue to life. Demeos raked the stone claws across the stone floor, sending chips of rock and dust up into the air. Rommus was pelted with the spray of stone, and instinctively raised his arms to protect his face. Demeos took advantage of the distraction he had caused, and smacked Rommus hard with the palm of the other hand. Rommus soared through the air, crashing into spikes of stalagmites nearer to the other statue.
Once again Demeos fled from the statue he possessed and entered the other one. Rommus ran for the still statue and tried to climb up one of the legs. Demeos blasted the still statue with a powerful punch, shattering the stone leg and part of the torso. The heavy sculpture toppled over, shattering into large boulders and shaking the entire cavern.
Even though the boulders blocked the exit, Song's heart rose as he saw this happen. He wasn't sure if that was what Rommus had intended to happen, but now at least he could only be attacked by one statue and not both. Song figured that since Demeos used the statues to attack, he was probably unable to attack himself. It seemed that Demeos was more of a soul or a spirit than a real entity, and he required these statues to physically protect his gateway.
The jaws opened and a bright beam of light showered Rommus with some kind of damaging energy. Song could feel the heat from the blast all the way over on the other side of the cave. The air wobbled and waved like the heat of the summer sun above the cobblestone streets of Brinn. He gasped at the sight, thinking that Rommus's exposed arms would surely be baked off of his bones.
But the armor protected him. Even his exposed areas like his arms and neck seemed unscathed. He again shook his head to clear it, and then jumped up the pile of rubble that was once a dangerous statue. He skipped from stone to stone as he tried to clear the pile and escape.
But Demeos refused to allow him exit. He once again abandoned the statue he haunted, and slammed his wispy soul into the pile of boulders Rommus climbed. Like a scene from a nightmare, the boulders grinded and popped into position, reforming the terrible guardian statue that had just been brought down. Rommus was trapped high on its back, and he had to fight to hold on. Song watched helplessly as he tried to come up with a way to help.
Rommus reached up in the air and screamed, mimicking what he saw Arius do to pull down lightning from above. He managed only to look foolish, as no lightning obeyed his command. Instead, a powerful stone fist came down upon him, crushing him against the floor. The other massive hand gripped his torso and picked him up, and then Demeos stomped down the path towards the bridge.
Song ran behind to see what Demeos intended to do. He watched the roaring stone monster drag Rommus along the floor as it walked on all fours. When they reached the bridge, Demeos did not try to cross it, but instead shuffled off to the side of it near the edge of the water. He plunged the giant fist
holding Rommus under the water, and the flowing light beneath the water intensified.
Whatever magic was in the water, it apparently was disrupted by the event. There were bright, violent flashes and beams escaping to the cave ceiling where it burned the rock. Molten stone dripped from the ceiling and solidified when it fell to the water. This made more light escape the water, causing even more energy to escape.
Song was terrified that the armor of Arius would not protect Rommus from drowning, but he couldn't think of any way to stop the gigantic creature or even think of a way to get its attention. Demeos could obviously see Song, but while he was inside the statues Song was invisible to him. It was a gift that Song had recently discovered, but at that moment he considered it a curse. He needed to get the attention of Demeos if he was going to have any chance at saving Rommus.
Demeos roared through the stone mouth and suddenly Song had an idea. Demeos might not be able to see Song through those eyes of rock, but perhaps he could hear him. He yelled as loud as he could, and to his surprise, Demeos paused. He cocked the dusty, chiseled head to listen, and he scanned the bridge and the area on the other side of the river. He still held Rommus under water, but at least Song had gotten his attention.
Song's yells echoed in the cavern, which probably made determining his location difficult for Demeos. He resorted to quieter yelling, and tapping stones on some of the stalagmites. Demeos looked concerned, understanding that another person was there somewhere in the cave. With Rommus still under water, he left the statue and his great wings carried him over to face Song.
"Demeos! It's Rommus you have there, not some creature from the void. It's me, the rider of the light. Don't you remember us? You just allowed us passage into the void."
"I allow passage into the void, for I am not charged with protecting the world of the void. My duty is to eliminate all things that come out of the void. None shall ever pass."
"Please, Demeos, we are trying to save the world you are trying to protect. We must be allowed to leave here."
"None shall ever pass," Demeos repeated.
Song extended his arms towards the still statue holding Rommus under water. He tried with all his might to call forth the same magic that had helped him to fight Uritus, but no power sprang forth from him. Tears began to blur his vision as he realized that Rommus had probably already drowned. He couldn't understand why he had the power to bring down a statue to harm Uritus, but he didn't have the power to bring down a statue to save Rommus. It just wasn't fair. Demeos stared down at him, choking out a maniacal laugh.
Then there was a bright flash of red under water. Song assumed that Rommus was still alive, and the red flash had something to do with his armor. Song's soul was lifted when he saw Rommus's face come to the surface to take a breath. His armor was gone, except for the vambraces on his arms, and this allowed him to wiggle free of the tight grip of the statue while Demeos was occupied with Song.
But Demeos noticed Rommus immediately. He flew over and entered the statue once again, and clawed for the running Rommus. Being exhausted from nearly drowning, Rommus was barely able to move out of the way. He ducked behind the pillars of stalagmites as he tried to evade Demeos. But Demeos just brushed the stalagmites aside like dry leaves; cracking and shattering them with every swipe of the massive stone hands.
Then suddenly an idea surged through Song. He broke into a run towards the uninhabited statue, tripping over rocks as he did so. He thrust his hand into his pocket and searched for the jewel. He didn't know how to even use the thing, or if his plan would work at all, but he could think of no other options.
Rommus ran in the same basic direction. He had found his way back to the path, leaving Demeos swatting at stalagmites and stalactites to clear the way before him. It allowed Rommus to put a little distance between him and Demeos, although Demeos would soon close that gap.
"Back into the void!" Rommus yelled.
"No! I have an idea. Get to the other statue."
Rommus nodded and turned toward the other statue. Chunks of rock showered them from the destruction Demeos was causing. In a moment Demeos would either be free, or change statues once again. Song had to hurry before Demeos thought to do that.
"Help me up, Rommus."
Rommus hoisted him and then looked back at the other pursuing statue. "What are you doing? This is going to get you killed."
"I'll be fine," Song said as he climbed up. "Let him see you near this statue. Remember me, Rommus. I will remember you."
Before Rommus had a chance to answer, the soul of Demeos poured into the statue Song sat upon. Its eyes blazed with light as it tore through the cavern after Rommus. Song held on as tightly as he could with both arms, fearing that if he let go to reach into his pocket he would fall off and his idea would fail. But he dug the claws of his gauntlet into a wide crack in the living rock. He risked injury or death to reach into his pocket and retrieved the star of Tachion.
He gripped the statue as hard as he could as he imagined a time in distant history. A blinding white flash of light filled his vision, even though his eyes were tightly closed.
Chapter 42
The light of the orb went out and Gewin put it back in his pack. "The fool believes he can hide from us."
"They do not know that we possess the eye of Indahinar. It is a secret we must keep even after we end the Tirinius bloodline. It will be useful when we are finally able to take our seat at the throne of mankind."
"You need not fear me offering up that secret, brother. Did you see exactly where the elder Tirinius is hiding? Do we have enough details?"
"He is in this city. All of the buildings look similar to me, but he is in the large building set into the mountain. It should not be hard to find it."
The twins marched up into Brinn, towards the mountain at its center. They assumed that the mountain they saw in the orb was probably the mountain rising above the buildings. They had discarded their cloaks since they were soaked with blood. They no longer cared to hide their appearance; they only cared about reaching Tannis and killing him. When they encountered Medorans on the streets that did not run away, they sliced them down with their curved knives. Gorin rested the hammer of Maeris on his shoulder, and Gewin had the sword of Arius at his hip. They didn't use the weapons of the gods on the Medoran citizens, reserving the honor for those more worthy of a fight.
Stunned women and children fell to their blades. Their appearance obviously frightened them and paralyzed them with the fear. It was almost comical to the twins to have their prey freeze in position and wait to be killed. The twins sang their grunting song in unison as they butchered the innocent. They took the opportunity to work the blood of the fallen into a frothy lather to smear into their long braids of hair.
Soldiers were not much harder to bring down. They had armor to protect them from being slashed or stabbed, but the twins would just crush their helmets into their skulls, or Gorin would smash them with the hammer of Maeris. Gewin kept the golden sword Archenarius at his hip, not wanting to risk the slim chance of it being dropped and stolen.
Onward they marched, growling their song and killing to its rhythm. Their march of terror eventually emptied the streets, leaving none left to kill. Horrified screams of the living gave way to agonizing screams of the dying behind them. They shot frowns at each other when they realized that there were no Medorans left to kill. But looking up the hill to the large building set into the mountain brought snarling smiles back to their faces.
Guards in more ornate armor poured out of the open doors and waited at the top of the steps. Each soldier at the front overlapped his large shield with the soldier next to him and leveled his spear, forming a phalanx. The twins grumbled as they approached the steps, knowing a phalanx would be more difficult to penetrate than just walking through swinging swords. The fact that they would have to fight up the stairs would make it even harder.
They bounded up the marble steps and pushed their weight into the line. Spears ripped their
skin but they ignored the pain. Other spears shot out from under the shields, cutting their feet and legs, but it did little to slow them as they pushed against the line. There was little that the twins' weapons could do to break the phalanx, so they relied on their incredible strength. They pushed with all their might, ignoring the annoying sting of spear and sword.
Gewin grabbed the edge of a shield and began rolling the metal backwards with his powerful hands. The stunned soldier could not believe his eyes, and suddenly could do nothing but stare. Seeing the weak point in the line, both twins pushed, peeling away the metal shields at the same time. The soldiers behind, however, were not so easily stunned. They pushed back hard, solidifying the line and thrusting their spears out passed the stunned soldiers at the front line. Over and over spears entered their purple skin, and it began to be very painful. The twins became enraged.
Gorin backed up and swung the hammer. It dented a shield and sent one of the soldiers rolling backwards into his men. Before Gorin could swing again, another soldier filled the gap, but the hammer fell on him too, and created another hole in the line. The Medorans were persistent, but eventually the twins knew they could break the line.
"Enough," came a voice from the doorway.
Everyone froze, including the twins. Gorin looked to see who could have given the confusing order to cease fighting. Behind all the soldiers in glinting armor stood a man in tattered black robes. He had his arms held up, prompting the Medorans to stop what they were doing. None of them were sure if they should obey the order, and they just stood rigid and still.
Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) Page 27
