Flight

by Jason Cheek

  “Excipite itaque domi Catulus!” (Welcome home Whelp!)

  Looking farther out, I saw another Priestess of Loviatar standing before me, with a small bloody Werewolf dangling by the throat in her outstretched arm. Another small Werewolf, in human form, lay bleeding at her clawed feet. Behind her stood another barbed demon, this one holding two corpses in its outstretched muscular arms. One fist held the remains of a mangled Werewolf, while the other held a headless demon.

  Howling in rage, I lunged for the priestess.

  TTTHHHUUUMMMBBB

  The burning green flames flared into the air, throwing me back into the center of the circle as the runes inscribed on the rock plateau burned blood red. Around me, I saw Scourge begin to surround the plateau where I stood. The hissing laughter of the priestess reverberated around the alcove as she held the captive child out for me to see.

  “Me specta Paladinus, quam tu dum cernit inops dolorem obstabat!” (Watch me Paladin, as I feast on their suffering while you are helpless to stop me!)

  Closing her eyes in triumph, the priestess’s voice began bellowing out across the alcove as I bowed my head, letting my Werewolf’s rage flow through me. Raising the sword made from my Grandsire’s tinnearlian blade before me, I prayed to Ukko as the holy symbol on my chest began to burn.

  “Cumque conplesset solveret sum vobis, adducis contritum corpus Tuonela in catenis ubi ego immolabo vobis cor Loviatar!” (When I am finished breaking you, I will drag your broken body to Tuonela in chains where I will sacrifice your heart to Loviatar!)

  Power burned through my veins as I focused my heart, my soul, the very core of my being into the blade in my hands as the runes flared to life with a blinding blue light.

  “Finis uno lapsu ruit Klavikian et ponam certamina cum deum occiderit Shadowfang!” (In one fell swoop I will bring an end to the Klavikian and Shadowfang races while killing a God!)

  The priestess had ignored me during her tirade, until now. Suddenly, her eyes shot open as she gasped in horror.

  “Quod non potest!” (That is not possible!)

  Although all dungeons were warded with runes of power, there were no stories of any powerful magic breaking through a circle of power. This type of thaumaturgy was used to summon powerful otherworldly beings, but from everything I’d ever learned. It was considered impossible to break a circle of power, while trapped from inside. Ignoring everything I’d learned, I focused on one truth that had always guided my life. The simple fact of the matter was I believed, with all of my heart and soul, that nothing was impossible!

  Where there was the Will, there was a way!

  Throwing my head back, I howled out my prayer at the top of my lungs, plunging the glowing blade into the green fiery circle that bound me.

  “Ukko Far til mitt folk, høre meg i min tid med stor nød og låne meg din makt!” (Ukko Father of my people, hear me in my greatest time of need and lend me your power!)

  The entire plateau lit up with coruscating green and blue lighting as arcane power met divine energy. Howling, I poured all of my power against the circle. Tears began streaming down my cheeks as the green flames still held back my holy light. The circle had weakened as it flexed outwards. I could feel it was at the point of breaking, but alone I simply didn’t have enough power, not without communing to Ukko.

  All of a sudden, I remembered where I stood. The entire plateau was a portal to Earth! Reaching out with all of my heart and soul, I sent my prayers across the void, reaching out to Ukko through the gateway beneath my feet.

  I felt my God answer as, a moment later, all of Ukko’s followers on Earth began filling me with their energy. Howling out in triumphant rage, I felt my blade burst through the fiery green flames of the circle!

  KKKAAABBBOOOOOOMMM

  Falling to my knees at the center of the explosion, I screamed as the fire burnt through me. The pain was overwhelming as holy power healed me as quickly the green fire seared my flesh away. A second later, the circle of power erupted outwards in as an explosion of green flames and blue light, sweeping across the plateau in a boiling wave of fire. Hitting the walls that made up Winter Fangs Heart, the fireball flared into the heavens before slowly dying off.

  Looking up from my knees, I watched the priestess stagger back into the Werewolf hanging from the demon’s clawed fist, when suddenly I felt another Werewolf touch my mind. In disbelief, I watched the bloody Werewolf’s head raise up behind the priestess as Moonglow’s thoughts weakly came to me.

 

  With her last burst of life, Moonglow’s jaws chomped through the priestess’s neck, killing her instantly.

 

  Her prayer answered, Moonglow died in peace as Frostbrand dropped to the ground gasping for breath next to her sister. A moment later, the priestess’s lifeless body slid from Moonglow’s deadly jaws to land at the demon’s feet. Flinging both corpses away, the barbed demon threw its head back roaring in laughter at its freedom.

  In agony, I pushed myself to my feet, forcing my body to respond. Everything hurt! My energy reserves had run out towards the end of the explosion, and I still had burnt pieces of flesh hanging from my face. Already, I could feel my Werewolf’s accelerated healing ability kicking in, but, dissimilar to Wolverine’s in movies, it would be hours before I was fully recovered. Hours that I didn’t have!

  Rushing forward, I ran to the Werewolf pups lying on the ground. Kneeling down, I gently gathered the girls into my arms, whispering soothingly as they clutched my neck wailing.

 

 

  The intensity of their grief was a mirror of my own. Pushing what little energy I had left into them, I hugged the girls to my chest tightly. Giving them the only answer I had, the purpose that had driven my entire life.

 

  I watched the demon’s massive head as it scanned the alcove, and the Scourge staggering back to their feet, before its red eyes came to rest on me. Protectively, I pushed the girls behind me.

 

  I felt their grief and pain turning into purposeful rage as I faced the demon. Exhausted, I held the Katana before me with two hands as I met the creature’s baleful gaze.

  Suddenly, Stonewalker’s memories came flooding back to me as I realized I recognized this monster! A deep growl began reverberating deep in my breast as fresh fury washed my pain away.

  “I know you demon spawn, and I will send you back to the Abyss like your brethren!”

  The demon’s guttural voice answered me back in a croaking laugh.

  “You are used up, Paladin of Ukko! There is nothing left of your power! First, I will feast on your young, and then, l will rip your soul out, and present it to my master.”

  Suddenly, raw power began flowing into me through my legs as, instantaneously, a golden glow surrounded me. My injuries began to disappear as my healing energy began flowing through me automatically. A second later, the same healing energy spread out to Frostbrand and Starfire.

  In shock, I felt the girls touch my mind and soul deeper than anything I’d ever experienced before. I felt what they felt. They knew what I knew. In that moment of sharing, we were truly as one.

  For the first time in my life, I was not alone!

  They were giving me everything they had, and in return I would do what they could not. I would destroy their mother’s killers! I felt the girls collapse to the ground in exhaustion as the runes in my blade began to glow with a bright blue light. Although exhausted, the girl’s consciousness stayed with me. Together, burning with righteous rage, we watched the demon suddenly turn and run for the exit that was blocked by the Scourge.

  Demons agreed to serve, in other worlds, to collect soul energy from those they killed, which they brought back to the Abyss. Either, the demon could fight me, and be send back immediately with the soul energy that it had, o
r it could kill as many Scourge as possible, before I sent it back to the Abyss.

  It had chosen the later.

  There was a massive Tuonellian sitting astride a grongor yelling orders at the Scourge, but it didn’t help. Some stopped to fight, while others tried to run away. Either way, it was a blood bath. Gray bodies flew through the air as the demon tore through the Scourge like a buzz saw in its haste to kill as many of the creatures as possible, before it met my holy wrath.

  Using my Acelerar aura, I chased after the demon with the girls following inside my mind. In the close quarters of Winter Heart, the demon didn’t have to chase after individual Scourge. Instead, it barreled through the bunched up creatures before the exit like a battering ram of death. With grim satisfaction, I watched Scourge die by the dozens with each sweep of the demon’s massive barbed arms.

  The few Scourge that did manage to escape from Winter Fang Rocks leaped from the mountain to their deaths, rather than face the demon’s hunger. With all of the carnage, I didn’t catch up to the demon until the approach to Winter Fang Spine. I reached the first steps just as the Tuonellian Commander and its grongor leaped from the mountain. Like the Scourge, the Tuonellian had decided to take its chances with the drop rather than face the monster alone.

  Before the monster could follow, I sliced through its legs, sending the creature to a sliding stop. Before it could flip over, I hacked its arms off with two lightning fast slashes. The demon’s barbed head turned its hate filled eyes to me as I paused with my Katana raised over my head for the killing stroke.

  “Ukko hjelp meg å frigjøre sjelene til folket mitt!” (Ukko help me free the souls of my people!)

  “The Lords of the Abyss will not forget this transgression!”

  The demon’s guttural voice bellowed in outrage as a ray of holy light shone down from the heavens onto its evil body. Slowly, the soul energy of my Mother’s people rose up from the creature’s body as they were released from their prison, until I was surrounded by a Ghostly Pack of glowing Werewolves. Wordlessly, I waited until the last soul was freed before replying to the demon’s threat.

  “You can let them know, this is only the beginning!” Before the demon could respond, my Katana sliced through its thick neck, sending it back to the Abyss.

  Turning around to face the Ghostly Pack, I saw one Werewolf step forward. I immediately recognized Moonglow’s silver wolf form, now fully healed. As her shadowy eyes bore into mine, it was as if she could see her daughters through the link I now shared with them. There was a shimmering in the air as suddenly Moonglow stood before me in her human form. She was shockingly beautiful in a savage wild way that took my breath away. For a moment, I felt her long arms tenderly wrap around me in a ghostly embrace as I felt Frostbrand’s and Starfire’s grief lessen through our link. Remembering my own mother, I closed my eyes as the tears froze on my face.

  With a howl of vengeance, she was gone. Looking skywards, I saw the Pack disappearing into the heavens.

  * * *

  Returning to Winter Fang Heart, I scooped up the girls into my arms as we hugged each other once more. Frostbrand was already healed and ready to go, but Starfire was another story.

  The gouge across her face from the barbed demon’s attack only partially accepted my healing energy. She’d had the injury for too long, which had given the demon’s poison time to settle into the wound and fester. Werewolves were strong, even the young. Between my healing energy and her Werewolf’s accelerated healing ability, there was no question that she would live, but the wound would scar her for life. I felt her small arms weakly wrap around my neck as I carried her in my arm. She was burning up with fever!

  Frostbrand’s small clawed hand gripped my shoulder tightly as the yapping howls of the Brokenfang Pack suddenly rang out across Winters Den. I felt, more than saw, the tears welling up in Frostbrand’s eyes as a second later the echoing screeches of Scourge answered back. Remembering how young she truly was, I hugged her tightly to my chest radiating courage and strength. Until, I felt her fear slowly subside as her little arms clutched me back. After a moment, I spoke to her calmly.

  “Can you show me the way out of the valley?”

 

  “I know you can.”

  Holding her tightly, I took one last look at the devastation of Winter Fang Heart, before scooping her up in my other arm as I began striding into the worsening storm.

  “It’s time for us to go.”

  As one, the girls answered me back.

 

  The End …

  About the Author

  Jason A. Cheek, author of The Last Paladin Series, lives currently in Gottingen, Germany due to his current job and lives with his Polish wife Anja and daughter Vanessa, along with their two dogs Rowin and Kanchin. Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Jason was born in 1970 and served in the Army during the Desert Storm War.

  Interested in martial arts, swords, archery, Dungeon & Dragons, the SCA and reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Jason became a Computer Gamer after leaving the service. Going to college while working as a waiter, he was self-taught in computers and networking, becoming a Systems Administrator several years later. During this time, he played many hours of first person shooters and strategy games at LAN parties or logged into Anarchy Online and World of Warcraft.

  Later on, Jason became interested in extreme sports and traveling. Finding a job that allowed him to travel around the world while working on computers, he taught himself German and Polish and met his wife Anja.

  Always interested in writing, Jason began his first novel called Flight, Book One of The Last Paladin Series, in 2013 and self-published the next year in 2014. Currently, Jason is working on the second novel of the series.

  Table of Contents

  INTO THE BREECH

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  About the Author