The beast roared again and continued its charge. As it reached for Alaric, he danced his horse out of the path, and lashed out with his own steel shod foot. The kick took the Silverback in the temple, dazing it momentarily. Alaric took the opportunity to pull his sword and move back. He was dimly aware that the other two Silverbacks had turned their attention back to the castle walls. That meant that Kahji was not fighting.
As soon as he realized the implications, Kahji blasted into the stunned Silverback from the side. Fire and frost warred for dominance as the two struggled and snarled. Bursts of flame were met with blasts of ice. Crystalline blades melted under elemental fury. They bit and clawed and gouged. The two enemies fought like no one else was around.
Alaric sat mesmerized by the battle. He had seen Kahji in a fury before, but he had never seen him so unaware of his surroundings. Further, he had never seen Kahji fight a single enemy for so long. Seconds stretched into minutes. Alaric was not even aware when he saw his chance; it nearly passed him by.
The great Frost Fiend swiped Kahji with a massive backhanded blow, throwing the giant Igni backwards. The Silverback took a moment to square up to his opponent, and began stalking in. Swirling vortexes of ice began to coalesce around its hands.
Alaric shook himself; he might not get another chance like this. Once more he spurred his horse to leap forward. As it did, he leaned far over in his saddle, and brought his blade up, around, and down. With not only his weight, but his horse’s, behind the blow, Alaric’s blade slid six inches deep into the Silverback’s spine. The beast arched its back and screamed. That scream echoed from the throats of thousands of Frost Fiends. As the Silverback burst into an explosion of crystal shards, so did those Frost Fiends it had been leading.
The detonation threw even the other Frost Fiends to the ground. It smashed stones in the wall, and hurled defenders down to the ground as well. For a moment the world stood still.
The other two Silverbacks turned toward them and acknowledged their existence for the first time. As they brought their attention to bear on the duo, the Frost Fiends seemed to melt back from the walls and form a tight ring around this new combat. It seemed the entire world focused on the four combatants.
CHAPTER 40
This was the first time Alaric had been able to examine the Silverbacks up close. When he’d been held prisoner, he had not been this close to them, and when had had been this close previously, the needs of combat had prevented him from studying them.
The smaller of the two Silverbacks looked like a large Frost Fiend. It appeared to have been chiseled out of ice crystals. Its fur appeared to be spun of deep blue ice and its skin and claws seemed to be smooth, as though cut and polished.
The larger one, the one called Rajack, bore little resemblance beyond his blue color. In fact, he looked exactly like an Igni would if he had been dyed in shades of blue. His skin was the same pebbled texture as Kahji’s, and his fur rippled with hues of blue and white. Other Frost Fiends’ tusks jutted out from their lower jaws; Rajack’s seemed merely to be slightly longer canine teeth, just like the Ignis’. He heard Kahji catch his breath in surprise.
“So it is true,” Kahji’s guttural voice broke the silence, “You are Rajack. The Betrayer. The Corrupter. I thought you were a legend.”
Rajack began laughing. Alaric was amazed at how similar Rajack and Kahji looked, once you could look past their coloration. Their eyes were the same, so were many of their markings. Before he could make his guess, it was confirmed for him.
“My cousin has been telling you tales, Kahji, son of Vrothin. You would think he would remember his older cousin better. Though perhaps not, he was but a cub when his father exiled me. Yes, I am real. Unfortunately for your father, you will not be able to warn him of my return.”
Alaric was barely able to process what he had just heard. The original Frost Fiends had been Igni. He could not even begin to guess what had happened, though the terms “corrupter” and “betrayer” gave some hints. The business about his return sounded ominous, however.
With more surety than he really felt, Alaric addressed the corrupted Igni, “Rajack, I am Alaric, son of Boores, and prince of this castle. I give you this one chance to withdraw from this field and never return. If you refuse, the Igni will not have to worry about your return, because it will end here. So choose now your course and choose it wisely. Quit this field and live, or fight me and die. One way or the other let this be decided. Now.”
The massive Frost Fiend threw his head back and laughed. Alaric allowed himself to believe he felt how David did facing the giant Goliath. Certainly no rational man would expect him to face this beast and survive.
“The wisdom of the wise I have made foolish,” he muttered to himself. “God alone knows what I would have done if you had actually surrendered.”
Once more he spurred his warhorse forward. As it leaped, he was met in mid-air by the second Silverback. Frost Fiend, knight, and horse fell in a heap. Alaric was able to keep his head enough to scramble up to his feet. Neither he nor the Silverback gave any attention to the fallen horse.
Even the smaller Silverback towered over Alaric. It must have stood at least seven feet at the shoulder. Alaric backed up so he did not have to crane his neck to look at its face. With it fully in view, he could better judge its movements. He watched its face; though he could not read it well, he hoped it would be enough that he could judge its tactics.
When it leaped, he rolled away. His shield and sword met its flashing claws, keeping them away from his body. He backed and circled to his left. He did not want to let the beast maneuver him, but neither was he ready to stay within the reach of those razor-sharp talons.
Once more it leaped; once more he rolled away. Claws met steel and sparks flew. Alaric dropped to one knee, and then dove forward into a roll. The maneuver took the Frost Fiend by surprise, and he knocked it to the ground.
They both scrambled up, but now Alaric was more certain of his opponent. Before it could set its feet, he lunged forward with a thrust. The monster blocked it easily, only to have his shield smash it in the face. It stumbled back and roared as much in outrage as in pain.
While it was still off-balance, he leaped forward again. Once more he thrust, causing the Silverback to parry the blow. Once more he turned with the parry, and smashed his shield into its face.
“Slow learner, aren’t you?” he called.
It roared again. Before he could press his advantage, it leaped at him. This time he did not fall back. As it soared through the air, he dropped to a knee. As it drew even with him, he stood and lifted his shield over his head. Steel collided with frozen flesh. Alaric felt his arm go numb, but the Frost Fiend fell to the ground, senseless.
Alaric wasted no time. He covered the distance in a flash and struck with his sword. The Silverback recovered much faster than he had expected, and was already turning to defend itself. The sword proved the faster, but only just. The blade started to cut into its torso, caught what must have been a rib, and merely traveled along the length and back out.
The Frost Fiend went crazy. It was all Alaric could do to defend himself for the next several seconds. The Silverback became a veritable cloud of claws and teeth. Blows rained in from every conceivable direction. Alaric’s sword and shield spun on instinct.
The seconds turned into a minute. One minute turned into two. Alaric realized that his best option was simply to play defensively. At some point, the beast would tire; when that happened, Alaric needed to be ready to strike.
Finally, he saw his opportunity. The Silverback paused, murder still in its eyes. Before it could get its feet back under itself, and before it could even fully focus on him, Alaric’s arm flashed forward. The tip of the sword entered under the monster’s chin, and slid up into its head.
It jerked up and away from him, yanking the blade from his hand. It staggered backward with its maw open in a silent scream. The Silverback’s throat might have been unable to make sound, but those
Frost Fiends tied to it could. Their collective roar once more preceded a mass detonation. Shards of ice flew. The concussion threw men and monsters alike to the ground.
Alaric regained his feet and shook his head to clear it. Above the din, he heard the cheers from the walls. He did not allow himself to become distracted by the celebration; Rajack was still there.
He turned his attention to where Rajack and Kahji had been locked in combat. The concussion had thrown both of them to the ground as well. Rajack gained his feet first and pounced. Alaric could only shout a warning as the Frost Fiend slammed into the massive Igni. Kahji tried to roll out of the way, but had been unable to shake off the stunning effect of the blast fast enough. Rajack’s clawed hands flashed down, and blood erupted.
Rajack threw his head back and roared. He beat his chest in celebration as Kahji lay there unmoving. Alaric could not even scream a denial. He could not believe the suddenness with which Kahji had been defeated.
Alaric’s mind flashed back to an inexplicably frozen battlefield on the Firemarch. Images of that ambush flashed in his mind. Fire burst in his eyes, and he threw himself at the monstrous Frost Fiend.
His blade had been shattered when the other Silverback had exploded. He was ripped from head to toe with small cuts and gashes. He did not even notice; he responded with pure savagery.
Like a bullet from an arquebus, he slammed into Rajack. They both fell to the ground, but Alaric bounced to his feet like some kind of acrobat. With no weapon except his shield, he slammed his left arm into Rajack’s head once, twice, three times. As the shield swung in a fourth time, it was met by a massive paw. The blows had not even slowed the giant Frost Fiend.
With a negligent seeming slap, Rajack knocked Alaric’s shield away. Alaric twisted with the blow to reduce its force, but he felt the strain in his shoulder. He could not keep this up for long.
Regaining his feet, Rajack launched into an offensive of his own. Alaric found himself once more fighting purely defensively, merely hoping to survive the next few moments. Every blow against the shield felt like a smithy’s hammer. Frost began to coat his shield and armor, and Alaric’s breath began crystalizing in the air.
Rajack stalked in, savoring his inevitable victory. A smile played across the monster’s face. Faster than the eye could follow, it swung its massive paw in that same backhanded swipe that had ended the promising life of Morgan the Bear. Alaric just managed to get his shield in the way, and twist with the blow. He felt his already strained shoulder pop and snap. The arm fell to his side, limp, while stars danced in his vision and his shoulder felt like it had caught fire.
He kept consciousness by force of will alone. He continued to stare defiantly at this, his true enemy, while his mind furiously worked on finding some way to win the day. Buying time, he scrambled and jumped, twisted and rolled, doing anything he could do to keep away from those deadly blows.
He could not keep it up forever. He had already fought for more than an hour; his stamina was running out. He’d received more minor wounds than he could count, lost his weapon, and now lost his shield.
“Please, Lord God,” he breathed the prayer, “protect us, your children, from these, our enemies.”
Even as he said it, he saw that massive paw swinging in once more. Alaric dropped below it, only to meet Rajack’s feet coming from the other direction. The attack was one he had seen the Igni practice; it was one he should have been expecting.
He flew a dozen feet as the air exploded out of his lungs. He hit the ground rolling and disoriented. Seeing no other choice, he continued his roll until his brain could catch up with events. After a few moments, he judged he was far enough from Rajack to risk trying to regain his feet. He continued his roll just enough to turn it into a crouch and launch himself to his feet.
Once standing, he was able to take stock of the position. Despite his confident manner, Rajack was obviously surprised to see Alaric still alive, let alone mobile. Perhaps twenty feet separated the combatants. Alaric knew the corrupted Igni could cover that in a flash; he needed a plan.
Rajack did not give him time to come up with one. The strength in the monster’s legs was enormous; from a standing start it launched itself at him, covering the distance without once touching the ground.
Alaric tried to back-pedal, but found the ground under him slippery and treacherous. As he started to move backwards, he slipped and fell. The accident also saved his life; Rajack passed through the air where Alaric had just been. The fall kept him out of the great Silverback’s reach.
Then his brain caught up with where he was. Slippery, frozen ground meant he was standing where the last Silverback had died. A desperate plan formed itself in his mind. He knelt in the freezing mud.
Rajack recovered quickly and pivoted. Seeing Alaric’s position, he hesitated briefly then launched himself again. Before he could reconsider, Alaric rushed up to meet the flying Frost Fiend. His right arm came up and around, the remains of his sword gripped tightly. Shattered steel met flesh as he buried the three inches of blade in Rajack’s chest. As the two tumbled to the ground, Alaric kept enough presence of mind to maintain his hold on the sword. It was not much of a weapon, but it was all he had.
Alaric stood, ready to face his opponent. He knew he had wounded the Frost Fiend gravely. Perhaps it would be enough to force his withdrawal. Rajack looked at Alaric with murderous intent, began to crouch, and found himself unable to move. He had not even noticed the blow.
Now he gaped at the hole in his chest. His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. The wound would not be immediately fatal. With time to examine it, Alaric realized it was fatal nonetheless. It might not kill the Frost Fiend now, but the Great Silverback, the one named Corrupter and Betrayer, was dead. Its body just had not caught up to the fact yet.
“No,” Rajack snarled, “I will not be defeated by an infant!”
Alaric raised his surprisingly effective weapon, ready for an attack. Instead, Rajack raised his face to the sky and cried out, “I name you Parakmi and call you Master!”
Immediately, the sky darkened. Clouds of unnatural green and purple flooded in from all directions. The earth shook, and the sun was blotted out. It seemed that the universe held its collective breath.
From those unnatural clouds came a hollow, thunderous voice, “I am Parakmi, Lord of Decay. My prison weakens, and you believe calling me master now will save you? Foolish Rajack, had you embraced me when I offered, I would save you now. Taste the reward for betrayal.”
A stroke of blinding white lightning flashed down from the clouds, engulfing the now terrified Silverback. Alaric was forced to shield his eyes, but he saw the form of Rajack quickly dissolve under that onslaught. When the stroke ended, and his eyes cleared, Alaric saw a smoking hole where Rajack had been standing. Numb and overwhelmed, he did not even think to prepare for the concussive wave from the exploding Frost Fiends. He was thrown to the ground once more. This time, he did not rise. As his vision began to fade, he whispered one more prayer, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
CHAPTER 41
The first sensation Alaric felt was one of movement. He’d expected to feel that, in honesty. However, the movement he’d expected to feel was an upward motion. Goes to show you can’t anticipate Heaven, he thought to himself. This motion was uneven and rough, he’d expected a smooth ascent into God’s arms. Then the pain hit him. I thought I had left that behind, too.
“He’s alive! Tell the Baron, he’s alive!”
“Alive? How?”
“I don’t know, but I just heard him groan. He’s alive, call the chiurgeon!”
I’m alive? That I truly did not expect.
As he regained more of his senses, he became aware that he must be alive. Even Hell, he imagined, could not hurt like he hurt. Something was bothering him, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. His thoughts were still too scattered, but some inner voice was screaming for attention.
The motion became much smoother, as
whoever was carrying him obviously began to take a little more care. He felt extra hands, and then felt himself lain on a stretcher. The motion was still uneven, but it no longer hurt quite so bad. He opened his eyes, but his vision was still blurred. At least his shoulder had gone numb.
Then it hit him, “Kahji!” he yelled as loud as he could, which was not very loud at all. Whoever was carrying the end of the stretcher by his head had to bend down.
“What was that, my lord?”
“Kahji. What of Kahji?” just the five words had taken all of his strength. No wonder they were amazed that he’d survived, obviously his wounds were most grave.
“You barely survived, and you’re worried about the Fire Ape?” the voice was both astonished and vaguely contemptuous. It achieved in ten words what probably would have taken a full day or more otherwise.
Alaric’s eyes snapped open and hardened like stone. The man, apparently a common laborer, looked astonished and shaken. Even in his obviously weak condition, Alaric did not even have to say anything. The man gulped and his mouth worked for a moment.
“My… My apologies, my Lord. I… I do not know the War Leader’s fate. The Igni found him about the time we found you. They have already returned to the castle.”
Alaric would have to be content with that. Despite his desires, his body demanded more rest. His eyes closed, his breathing became more shallow and even, and Alaric once more lost consciousness.
Alaric did not know how long he drifted in and out of consciousness. The next time he awoke, he was in a bed in a field hospital. He was able to stay awake for only a few moments. Then he woke in a bed; probably one of the barracks buildings converted to a better hospital than tents and cots.
Finally, he woke in his room. He felt very weak. The last time he could remember feeling this week was months ago, when he awoke in a room in the Citadel in Infierno. At least this time the bed wasn’t designed for someone eight feet tall. The light coming in from his window was cold and dim. He decided it was night time, but his body would not let him sleep.
Fire and Frost (Seven Realms Book 1) Page 25
