“Oh, Xander!”
Dexter heard Jenna’s tone but he didn’t dare turn to look. He used his blade to knock aside the clutching claws of another demon and tried to counter attack. The demon was too quick, slashing out at him again before he could press the attack. He managed to thwart the second strike with the edge of his blade, severing two of the talons on the demon’s hand. Blood sprayed from the wound, landing on his pants just below his knee. In moments he felt it burn as it chewed away at his skin.
The molten demon rose to its feet and pushed towards Xander and Jenna. Dexter cursed, then had to jump back to avoid a second attacker that leapt at him. A line of fire split the back of his shirt and skin on his shoulder. He stumbled back, swinging his sword desperately. The demons cackled as they jumped back and forth, toying with him. More were coming as they roused themselves from the stupor Xander’s magic had caused.
“Jenna, watch out!” Dexter cried, seeing the massive demon bearing down on her while she knelt above Xander. Jenna looked up and drew her short sword, then stood above the fallen wizard. “Jenna!”
“Xander’s gone!” she spat out. “We’ve lost too much—I’m not going to give in anymore!”
Dexter ground his teeth in rage and started forward. A sting of agony in the back of his leg dropped him to one knee. He twisted his head around, wondering how one of the gray bastards had gotten behind him. He swung his sword, the magical blood severing the demon’s leg and sending it rolling away from him. He paid for the strike with a pair of slices across his side from the talons of another demon.
“Might be on to something,” Dexter muttered through teeth clenched in pain. He forced himself to his feet, focusing on making the torn muscle in his leg behave.
Another roar seemed to shake the very cavern they were in. It was louder and closer this time. Very close. The demons turned away from him, distracted by the noise. Dexter stumbled, his focus momentarily lost. When he picked himself back up the demons around him were gone, rushing towards the tunnel to the dungeons above.
Dexter turned to look at his wife. Jenna still stood defiant, but her only opponent was the molten demon that had already turned away from her. Deep holes with slowly cooling molten rock marked the places where it had stepped, and a large puddle of cooling magma showed where Xander’s spell had knocked it down.
Jenna lunged forward, stabbing with her short sword at its back. Her sword slipped between rocks in the hide of the creature, piercing into the glowing magma within. She pulled back and stared at the shortened blade of her weapon. Instead of a proper tip molten steel dripped down the hilt. She cast it aside as the heat was conducted up the hilt into her hand.
“Watch out!” Dexter cried too late.
Jenna started to raise her head but the demon’s arm caught her in the side and sent her flying through the air several feet until she crashed near him. The initial explosion of air from her lungs was followed by her gasping and crying out as flames burst out from her shirt and began to spread.
Dexter threw himself at her, crashing the first time he tried to put weight on his left leg. He pulled himself along the ground ignoring the pain in his body. When he reached Jenna she was screaming and trying to pull her flaming shirt off. Dexter pulled his dagger free and grabbed her, then began to saw at the cloth heedless of the fire biting into his hands.
Another roar announced the arrival of the newest threat. Dexter heard the sound of battle and fresh magical explosions, but his only focus was on Jenna. He ripped the shirt free and threw it away where it continued to burn until nothing remained. Jenna rolled on the ground, free of the flames but showing patches of skin that were red in some places and cracked open and bleeding in others.
Dexter gathered her up, still fighting back the sting in his fingers, and held his wife tightly in his arms. “Rosh!” Jenna whispered.
“Rosh is gone,” Dexter replied softly. Had the pain been so bad she was seeing things now? Granted, he’d seen Kragor’s ghost when almost no one else could, but Rosh wasn’t dead. Nothing could kill that man. Well, these demons could, but nothing short of them.
“No!” Jenna said, shivering in his arms. “Rosh’s here!”
Dexter turned, fearful of what he might see. A contingent of fresh demons anxious to flay the flesh from their bones then burn them alive? Instead he saw a gray demon fly through the air, it’s upper body separating from its lower body. It was dispersed in a puff of smoke before it would have hit the wall of the cavern.
Two of the lesser demons remained. One leapt up at a black leather clad woman who looked every bit as demonic as the creatures they’d faced. She stretched her arm out to intercept it, magical energy that looked like dark blue lightning capturing the demon in midair. It writhed in her grasp until she thrust her sword into the unholy beast and returned it to hell.
The other demon struck at Tasha, landing attack after attack on her but failing to breech her armor. It wasn’t until Tasha kicked out blindly and caught it as it attacked her that she was able to press the advantage. She swept her sword across, severing most of its foot. Thus hobbled she was able to pursue it and jam her sword into its chest. The demon howled in agony before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
All that remained was the demon with three mouths. It advanced upon the three of them, centering on the massive creature between Tasha and the dark angel. “Where’s Rosh, behind the giant?”
“He. Is. Giant!” Jenna chattered.
Dexter looked again. He cursed, realizing his wounded wife was right. Rosh stepped forward and punched the equally massive demon in the chest. Flames burst from his fingers, making Rosh snarl, but they faded just as quickly. The demon stepped back, staggered by the blow.
The demon’s arms swung forward, one trying to smash Rosh’s skull in while the other jabbed the mandibles into his side. Rosh ducked the first blow and ignored the agony of the second. He took his sword in both hands overhead, then reversed the grip and drove it down into the chest of the demon.
It fell back, arms waving to try and dislodge the mortal blow. It roared, the sound of its death knell so loud and painful it made Dexter squeeze his eyes shut. He cradled Jenna, trying to protect her head from what sounded like an avalanche of rock and lava.
When Dexter dared to open his eyes again he realized it was quiet in the room. He looked around, blinking through the soot and the wetness of his own tears that blurred his eyes. “Rosh?” He croaked.
“Think this makes us even.”
Dexter stared up at the huge man that approached him. Dexter realized he was grinning and fresh tears were threatening to run down his race. “Didn’t see this coming,” Dexter said. “Damn grateful to you though.”
“That’s a good start.” A smile found its way onto Rosh’s face. It faded as he saw Dexter’s wife limp in his arms. “She gonna be okay?”
“I think so. She passed out. She’s been burned badly, but I think she’ll make it.”
Rosh grunted. He turned to look over at where Tasha was kneeling above Xander’s inert form. “Bookworm?”
“He’s alive!” Tasha called out. “Barely. He won’t last long though, he’s lucky he’s unconscious.”
“She always this cheerful?”
Dexter frowned at the warrior’s macabre humor.
“Help us Rosh, I can’t get them all out of here and we have to find Rolxoth and stop him.”
“Heard about your daughter,” Rosh said.
Dexter stared back at him. “Will you help?”
“Turns out I got a son. Willa and I,” Rosh shrugged it away as though it wasn’t important. “Yeah, I’ll help.”
“I’ll carry Jenna, can you get Xander?”
Rosh laughed. “Can you even walk?”
Dexter frowned. “Don’t have much of a choice.”
“Volera, grab the wizard. Don’t think of ‘helping him’ without Dex saying so.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Master?” Dexter mouthed the words to his former
deckhand.
Rosh shrugged again. “Later. Got more important things than gossiping right now.”
Dexter nodded. “Aye, we do. Take Jenna, please. Tasha, can you help me?”
Tasha flipped the visor up on her helmet. She hurried over and offered her hand. When a hand alone wasn’t enough, Tasha slipped under his arm and all but carried him.
“You plan on storming the castle like that? You’re mostly dead!” Rosh said.
“Don’t see that I got much choice. Would you do any different?”
Rosh looked at the burnt woman in his arms then back to Dexter. He nodded slowly. “Some things never change.”
Dexter grimaced as he tried to put weight on his left leg. He looked at Rosh and offered a grim smile. “Glad to see some things do.”
Chapter 12
The flight back up to the offices of the city guard went without incident. Dexter noted the various scenes of slaughter throughout, including the grisly demise of prisoners that were trapped in their cells.
“Need to find a healer,” Dexter said once they’d made it to the top level. “Leave Xander and Jenna here, I’ll guard them.”
“Volera, can you help?” Rosh asked.
“Yes, but I can’t heal them.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dexter asked.
“She’s got a funny sense of what helping means,” Rosh explained. “Means she could take their pain away, maybe even give them some pleasure, but then they’d be dead and gone.”
“Sounds like a good way to go,” Dexter said, eyeing Volera up. She turned to face him, a smile growing on her face. Dexter shook his head and looked away from her. Something about her pulled at him. Just looking at her made him want to forget everything else, even the pain.
“You’re a strong willed man, Captain Silvercloud.”
“Thanks,” Dexter said, risking a quick glance at her. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her. She was beautiful, perfect in every way. It exhausted him forcing his eyes away from her.
“Volera, leave him alone,” Rosh growled.
Dexter didn’t look back at her but he felt an unexplained weight that had been pressing against him lift away. He blinked, noticing how much lighter the room seemed. “What is she?” Dexter mumbled.
“Been a long time, Cap,” Rosh said. His brow scrunched up in distaste but he shook it away. “Volera, come with me. We’ll find you a healer. Tasha, stay with them, anything comes by you’ll be all that’s stopping them.”
Tasha nodded and helped Dexter sit on a table that wasn’t covered in gore. Volera placed Xander on the floor and waited for Rosh to lay Jenna on the table next to Dexter. A moment later and they were out the open door and into the busy street.
“Tasha, the door,” Dexter said.
Tasha hurried over and picked up the fallen door. She placed it back against the jamb then pulled a chair against it to keep it propped up.
“They going to be able to get back in?” Dexter asked.
“Rosh can get in.”
Dexter studied the door then nodded. “Aye, I reckon he can. You spent some time with him—with them?”
“Aye, Captain. They’ve got their own ship, the three of them. Rosh, Volera, and his son, Koda.”
“Koda?” Dexter asked rhetorically. “His son?”
“His and Willa’s,” Tasha answered. “He said she was with child when she was lost to the void. Having that spark of life in her kept her alive until they were picked up by an elder ship.”
“Why didn’t they bring her back to us?”
Tasha held up her hands in defeat. “Rosh didn’t say. He might not know. I’d guess she wanted to start over. Too much pain and confusion behind her.”
“There was some mighty complicated negotiations going on with her and Rosh and Bekka.”
Tasha nodded. “Aye, sir, there was.”
Dexter took in a deep breath and let it out, wincing as it strained his many cuts. He refused to consider what might happen if Rosh couldn’t find a healer. He could barely stand, let alone walk or fight. And Rolxoth? It wasn’t just a normal fight he was headed for. It was easier to focus on something else. “What about Rosh? What’s he like these days?”
“I didn’t know him long before he left,” Tasha qualified her opinion. “But he seems more at peace. Less hostile.”
Remembering the roars he’d heard and the way Rosh had dealt with the demons, Dexter risked a chuckle. “Seemed plenty hostile to me.”
“Aye, he can fight and he’s…he’s something else.”
“That he is,” Dexter agreed. He was no less amazed at the size Rosh had grown to even though he hadn’t had time to properly appreciate it.
“He looks like the Rosh the legends of my world spoke of,” Tasha said, her voice dropping into an almost reverent tone.
“He ain’t never looked that big before,” Dexter promised. “Even back then he could pass for something normal. No mistaking him now. Unless maybe you make the mistake I almost did and wonder if that’s the creature that ate Rosh.”
Tasha laughed at the thought. Her good spirits faded quickly as she glanced about the carnage in the room. “Call out if you hear anything,” she said.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to try to gather up the bodies,” she said. “They deserve some respect.”
“Aye, but they’re dead. They don’t mind. I’d just as soon you stayed close by.”
Tasha frowned. “Aye, Captain.”
“What about Volera?” Dexter asked her. “What’s her story?”
“I don’t know,” Tasha admitted. “I’ve avoided her as much as I can. She creeps me out.”
Dexter laughed. “You sound like Jia. Volera’s nothing like Keshira though.”
Tasha nodded her agreement. “Nothing at all. Rosh told me she was a demon, more powerful than the ones here, but he defeated her and she ended up bonded to him. He’s her Master now, from the looks of it, but he told me she’s not a demon anymore.”
Dexter frowned at the news. “How does one go from being a demon to not being one?”
Tasha threw her hands up.
“There’s something about her,” Dexter mused. “Something that don’t feel right. Oh, I mean it feels plenty right. Too right, if you know what I mean.”
“Aye.”
“Kind of like what Rosh said her idea of ‘help’ was.” Dexter turned to look at the burned body of his wife. He frowned as he watched her shivering. “Tasha, see if you can’t find some blankets or a cloak. Something clean.”
Tasha jerked into action, hurrying to find anything not spattered with blood. A cabinet near the wall held spare cloaks in it, though the cabinet itself had sticky droplets of blood drying on it. She brought it over and laid it across Jenna, taking care to keep from aggravating her burns.
“Thank the void she’s asleep,” Tasha said.
Dexter nodded, but found he had no more words to say. He shifted on the table, grimacing as fresh eruptions of agony radiated through his body. “How’s the ‘Hawk doing? Did Rosh leave Koda on his ship or on the Voidhawk?”
“On the Voidhawk,” Tasha answered without pause. She seemed glad for something to talk about. Standing in a room filled mostly with the dead or dying had her on edge. “It’s well, holding station where we met the Scimitar.”
Dexter’s eyes widened. He’d forgotten about the Scimitar and Lady Brendera. “We’d arranged for the elves to leave Port Freedom and give it back to the people here. Lady Brendera was working with Rolxoth, her cargo was mercenaries he planned to use to keep himself in power. If she’s still working with him, she knows where the ‘Hawk is!”
“The ‘Hawk can handle itself. It’s faster than the Scimitar and most anything big enough to threaten it here,” Tasha reassured him. “What happened next? When did these demons come?”
Dexter pursed his lips in frustration, thinking about how easily the ‘Hawk could be overrun with its skeleton crew. Even with Keshira on board –
she’d been overpowered before. They’d all been overpowered before. He pushed it away and focused on her question, knowing better than to worry about what he couldn’t fix. “Rolxoth dragged us down into that cave. He said Jia was down there, then opened up that portal and let those creatures through. Most of them ran up past us but a few remained. He left, heading for his new throne he said. You can see what they done and I’m sure they’ve done a lot more of it already.”
“We made port just before the Ora’s Bounty showed up,” Tasha said.
“Ha!” Dexter cried out. “It worked! Bet that gave them something to think about.”
Tasha smiled at the sudden life in him. “They launched their landing boats full of soldiers and the elves were making ready to defend against them. Others were scrambling to escape. We saw no sign of these demons until we made it to this place.”
Dexter’s face fell. If the Feds and the elves were fighting each other, nothing was stopping Rolxoth from seizing power and slaughtering anybody in his way. “Damn,” he muttered. “We’ve got to stop them from killing each other. There’s somebody else that needs killing a lot worse!”
Tasha nodded, then rushed over when Dexter pushed himself off the edge of the table and tried to stand. He succeeded, for a moment, then fell forward and only her arms kept him from slamming into the ground.
“Captain, you can’t even walk without help! You have to wait. Trust Rosh, he said he’d help!”
“Trust Rosh?” Dexter tasted the words. Rosh had tried to betray him once, then abandoned him another time. In between the man had sacrificed his life and seemingly come back from the dead, and now he was back again. Could he trust a man that unpredictable? It wasn’t a friendship they had, nor even a camaraderie. They had no similar sense of duty, as far as Dexter knew. What then was there that would make him trust Rosh?
“Aye, Trust Rosh,” a deep voice said before the door was pushed open. The chair held it for a moment after it began to slide, then a grunt preceded the chair shattering. The door slammed into the wall and fell forward onto the floor. “Seems everybody got invited to this party,” Rosh said as he stepped into the room.
Voidhawk - Lost Soul Page 15
