An instant warmth flooded Fil’s body and immediately his eyes felt heavy and his mind began to drift. The last thing he heard before everything went black was, “Good luck.”
* * *
Suddenly piercing howls and screeches snapped Jonas from his meditation. He was sitting on grass with his legs crossed before him. But it was no ordinary grass. It was black and it had a decaying scent to it. He looked around at his dark and ominous surroundings. Black rock jutted up from the ground all around him and the strange dark grass covered the ground in patches all around the stone. In the distance he could see bigger walls of rock with dark caves that looked like the open maws of fanged dragons. A dull red light lit the horizon casting shadows all around him.
He had no reference of time and space. The last thing he remembered was being in a dark void, sitting casually above a sphere of white light, his inner self. Now he was sitting on black grass in a dark realm not of his making.
The howls sounded closer.
Jonas stood and noticed that he still wore his silver armor and carried his twin blades. Each one glowed with a white light and they hummed in his hands, eager to do what they were made for. He looked behind him and noticed in the distance the mouth of a cave. But this cave was different than the rest. A white light shone brightly inside the mouth, like a beacon of hope, drawing Jonas to it. Maybe that was his inner self. Some part of him knew that he should go there.
So that is where he went.
As Fil’s eyes opened he immediately stumbled forward as he tried to gain his bearings. An iron grip grabbed his arm and kept him from falling.
“Your balance will come in a second,” Kiln said.
Fil’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw Kiln in front of him wearing bronze armor made of interlocking bands that glowed as if they were heated from the inside. He carried a long sword in his right hand and the razor sharp edge was lined with a subtle gold light.
Allindrian was there too. Light armor had replaced her ranger’s cloak, and it was like no armor he had ever seen. It was made of small leaf-like scales which glowed softly green. She had an arrow nocked and her searching eyes scanned the new terrain.
Fil righted himself quickly and looked around their surroundings. It felt strange, and sounded strange as well, almost like they were under water. Sounds were muffled and the atmosphere had a heavy oppressive feeling. The ground was covered in patches of black grass and most of the land that he could see was scattered with black craggy rocks with large walls of the same material in the distance. It was very dark and the only light came from a distant horizon of soft muted reds.
“Where do we go?” Fil asked.
“We need to find that light,” Allindrian replied without looking at them, her vigilant gaze searching their new surroundings for any threats.
Howls erupted in the near distance causing Fil to reach for his sword. But there was no weapon at his hip. He was wearing the same clothes that he had on when the elves sent him to this dark place.
“Arm yourself, we need to move,” Kiln said as he turned away from Fil to look for any approaching enemy.
“How do…”
“Just think it,” Kiln interrupted.
So he closed his eyes and mentally pictured himself in silver plate armor. He wanted a shield and a short sword as well as a long heavy spear with an eighteen inch silver tip. When he opened his eyes, they were there, and they felt as real as anything else. The armor was light, not nearly as heavy as plate armor should be. Its mirror-like finish should not have been as bright as it was since there was no light to reflect off of it. But it sparkled like fish scales in the summer sun. The long spear he was holding had a wicked razor sharp point. But he held it with ease and the familiar feel of the long weapon gave him more confidence.
“It suits you,” Kiln said.
“I hear something,” Allindrian said, her tone alerting both warriors to possible danger.
Then they heard a series of screeches followed by strange flapping sounds. Kiln and Fil stood alert with weapons in hand as they looked around them. But it was Allindrian who saw them first.
Her bow came up so fast that neither warrior saw the movement. But they did see the green flash of light as the glowing arrow zipped into the night. They followed the flight and that is when they saw the dark shapes zoom down on them from above. Allindrian’s arrow took one in the chest, somersaulting it backwards into the night. She had three more arrows in flight before she yelled, “run!”
Kiln ran for a stand of rocks that would offer them some cover, a series of tall stone structures that might provide some protection from attacks from above. Without thinking, Fil followed on Kiln’s heels.
Kiln, hearing flapping just above him, dove forward at the last second. He felt a gust of wind pass over him and in a blink he had rolled and come to his feet.
A beast the size of a man was standing ten paces in front of him blocking the entrance into the stone shelter. It had the body of a man with long arms ending in sharp clawed talons. Its legs bent backwards and it stood on horse-like hooves. Its entire body was the color of dried blood and its deep set eyes bore into Kiln like red embers. Bat-like leather wings were spread wide as the demon growled, exposing yellow fangs as sharp as a hunting cat’s. Its head was shaped like that of a dog and its neck was covered in a greasy black mane.
Suddenly a long silver spear slammed into the beast’s chest, flinging the monster backwards. Fil then sprinted up to Kiln as the body of the beast evaporated into a mist.
“Nice throw,” Kiln said with a smile.
Fil lifted up his hand and his spear appeared there, called back by his will. He returned Kiln’s smile as they both ran into the narrow opening created by two tall rock spires.
Allindrian sprinted towards them, firing her bow at the same time, arms and legs synchronized in an incredible blur of speed. Scores of bat demons had fallen to her arrows by the time she made it to the cover of the stones.
“What now?” Fil asked.
“Follow me,” she said as she moved past them into the maze created by the many tall rock structures. Black shapes flew above them and their frustrated screeches continued as Allindrian guided them at a slow jog. They continued to scan the top of the rock structures expecting at any moment for a winged beast to come at them. But none did. The openings between the rocks above them were too narrow for their wide wing span. They were safe from the threat above, at least for the time being.
A few moments later they turned a corner and saw a small opening ahead of them. They all stopped abruptly, shocked by what they saw. Standing before them was Jonas, chained against a rock wall, his naked torso covered with slashes of red as if he had been whipped. Ripped and torn breeches covered his legs and his feet were bare and covered with bloody scabs. His face was a mask of sorrow and pain, but it lit up momentarily as he saw them enter the clearing.
“Are you real? Am I dreaming again?” Jonas asked softly, his voice a hoarse whisper.
“Jonas!” Fil said as he ran toward his friend. “What happened?”
“They won, my friend. I could not do it on my own,” he said as tears spilled from his eyes. “They beat me. Shyann left me. Everyone left me.” Tears were now pouring freely down his cheeks.
Fil grabbed the iron bands wrapped around Jonas’s bloody wrists and looked for a way to free him. The solid chain was attached to iron pegs driven into the stone and Fil could find no weakness anywhere.
“I don’t like this,” Allindrian whispered to Kiln as she nocked another arrow. “It doesn’t feel right.”
“I agree,” Kiln replied. “Fil, back away from Jonas.”
Fil turned towards them. “What!” His tone was angry. “Come and help me.”
“Yeah, Kiln, come and help me,” Jonas whispered. This time his voice had changed. It was menacing and a low rumble, well beyond what a human could make.
Fil slowly turned around just as Jonas’s body blurred into the shape of Malbeck himself. None
of them knew of course what Malbeck looked like. To them they were gazing upon a hideous demon. His muscled torso was still bare and he looked like he was chiseled out of the very stone around him. But his skin tone was light blue and his hair was short and jet black. The chains were gone as well and that was the last thing that Fil noticed before the form of Malbeck lunged forward and grasped his neck with a clawed hand, his muscular arm lifting him easily off the ground. His spear dropped to the ground as he struggled for air, black talons sinking into his skin on the back of his neck.
It all happened in a blur and even the Blade Singer, who could fire an arrow with lightning speed, held her shot as she did not know the thing’s power and speed, afraid that it could successfully use Fil’s body as a shield. The clearing was small, but large enough for Allindrian and Kiln to fan out as they flanked the demon.
“Welcome to my new home,” it spat as it lifted Fil higher, turning him towards the dangerous ranger, always keeping the struggling warrior between them.
“I don’t think so,” Kiln said.
“You cannot stop me from taking this young cavalier’s mind and body. It is too late,” the demon said, his baritone voice reverberating in the close confines of the stone walls.
Fil was struggling so hard to breathe that he momentarily forgot he still had his shield fastened to his arm. He lifted it and slammed the edge of the hardened steel into the demon’s neck. The demon roared and stumbled into the rock wall near them.
Allindrian saw her opening and she took it. A glowing green arrow hammered into the demon’s right shoulder, forcing it to drop Fil to the ground. The demon roared a second time, simultaneously lifting its left hand and sending crackling blue energy towards Allindrian.
It was close range and even Allindrian was not fast enough to avoid the attack. But she was quick enough to dodge the main bolt and was just grazed by the tracing energy of the shock wave. Rock erupted from the small explosion behind her and she came up rolling and instantly running, trying to shake off the pain from the burns she received on her left arm.
Fil, sitting below the demon, willed his short sword into his hand. In the same instant that the demon released the blue energy, he was jabbing upward with all his might, stabbing the demon in its stomach. The beast’s torso was just like a man’s and he was wearing black tight breeches made of some unknown animal skin.
The demon saw the attack at the last moment and pivoted slightly, causing the blade to sink into its muscled thigh. With a screech of pain it kicked out and connected solidly with Fil’s chest, sending him flying into the air to land in a heap five paces away.
In a blink Kiln had closed the distance, his gold sword flashing left and right so fast that the glowing blade left arcing traces of gold light. Devastating cuts appeared on the demon’s right thigh and left bicep forcing it back up against the wall.
Luckily for Allindrian, the demon was a good two heads taller than Kiln, and that height advantage gave the ranger a perfect shot. Her bowstring ‘twanged’ three times, three flashes of green light closing the short distance almost instantly. One arrow slammed into the demon’s right eye, burying itself to the fletching. The second arrow took the beast in its open mouth as it roared in pain. The third arrow slammed solidly into its forehead, and the force of the attack hammered the demon’s head into the stone wall, where it slumped to the ground and lay there unmoving. A few seconds later it evaporated into a thinning mist just as the bat-like creatures had.
Fil was struggling to gain his feet when Allindrian came to him and helped him up.
“Are you okay?” she asked with concern.
“Bruised ribs I think. I’m glad I had this armor on or they would be broken for sure,” Fil replied as he winced from the movement. “I’ll be fine. What was that?”
“I don’t know, but it certainly was not Jonas. Remember, everything here is manifested from Dykreel, therefore we can probably expect more surprises like that.”
“Let’s get moving. I don’t like sitting in one spot for too long,” Kiln said as he looked up into the dark sky. As if on cue a black shape flapped overhead and screeched a hungry warning.
“Follow me,” Allindrian said as she took a path to their right. They continued through the maze of rocks for half an hour before they came to what looked like an opening. From the shelter of the rocks they gazed down at a gradual descent of rolling hills covered with the same black grass. It went on for several miles at least before the rocks jutted up from the ground again.
“What now?” Fil asked.
“Look,” Allindrian said as she pointed to the right. Everyone followed her gaze and saw what had caught her eye. It was subtle and barely visible, but off in the distance, deep in the rocks beyond the grassy field, was a soft glowing white light.
“We go there,” Kiln said with determination.
It was a significant distance away and the shortest path there was across the open hills. Demons flew overhead circling their prey. But they had no choice. Jonas needed them and that was enough. Without a second thought Kiln ran ahead with Allindrian and Fil close behind him.
***
Jonas leaped back, barely avoiding the pincer-like appendage of the monster attacking him. Simultaneously he whipped his right blade down on the exposed arm, pivoted forward and skewered his left sword into the beast’s side. The pincer arm was severed at the elbow, and the howling monster disappeared in a puff of black mist.
He had only ventured several thousand paces before the demons had emerged from the darkness and attacked him without hesitation. He had been frantically fighting them ever since, gaining very little ground towards the white light.
But Jonas didn’t care. He had given up the idea that he would be freed from this prison inside himself. But he wouldn’t succumb without a fight. He would not bow down to Dykreel and the Forsworn. If they wanted his body then they would have to fight for it. And a fight he was giving them.
Fortunately for him, he did not seem to tire in this place. He could fight on forever unless he was killed. He sensed that if he died here, that his life force would be extinguished forever.
Jonas ran ten more paces before a vicious looking beast erupted from the ground in front of him. Black stone and dirt showered over Jonas, forcing him to cover his eyes and shuffle backward. He heard flapping behind him and knew that something was attacking from the air. Without thinking, he quickly ran towards the beast in front of him and dove between its powerful legs. As he dove, he held both swords out and angled back. The razor sharp blades sliced into the demon’s inner thighs as Jonas executed a perfect roll and came up running.
But he didn’t get very far before two flying demons landed on the ground before him. Their wings were spread wide and their long arms, ending in deadly talons, blocked all forward movement. Without stopping, Jonas pivoted around and launched a series of attacks on the already injured beast behind him.
The demon was the exact color of the stone that surrounded them…black. It had long powerful legs ending in short feet with thick black talons. Four arms protruded from a squat powerful torso, and its thick neck held up a cone shaped head, two curved horns jutting forward on either side. It looked like the thing had no neck as its giant head just melted into its muscled torso. The thing’s mouth was wide and filled with rows of needle-like teeth. Red sunken eyes bore into him and yellow spittle sprinkled the air as the beast hissed at Jonas. Jonas could see two long deep cuts across its legs, but the creature did not seem hampered by them.
Both swords flashed as Jonas again attacked. His first offensive moves were thwarted as the demon moved more quickly than expected for such a bulky creature. It blocked his swords with what looked like thick bony shields that covered two of his forearms, a hard exoskeleton that easily deflected Jonas’s attacks.
The strength of the creature’s unexpected blocks reverberated through Jonas’s swords and into his arms, momentarily stunning him and giving the demon just enough time to swing another arm in a vicio
us blow that took Jonas on the shoulder. The tremendous strength of the blow flung Jonas sideways, and he cartwheeled through the air, hitting the ground hard about five paces away.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” a voice materialized nearby as Jonas struggled to regain his footing. Standing in front of him was a man. He was of average height, with a strong athletic build, his long hair framing a chiseled angular face covered with fresh stubble. He wore simple hunter’s clothes, breeches, tunic, and a long cloak. He looked familiar to Jonas. Jonas glanced around him and noticed that the demons were still there, but holding back. “Do you know who I am?” the man asked.
Jonas shook his head as if the answer to the man’s question was there, and he was just trying to jostle it loose. He should know, he thought. For some reason he knew that he should know who the man was. Then it came to him in a flood of memories. “You’re my father,” he said as he lowered his sword tips toward the ground.
“Very good,” he said. “I’m glad you have not completely forgotten me.”
“I never knew you enough to forget you. What are you doing here?”
“Here?” the man asked as he used his arms to encompass the surroundings. “This is you. Of course I would be a part of you, after all, I am your father.”
“But why show yourself now?”
“I don’t want you to fight anymore. It is not that bad, Jonas. Look at me. I am whole. I am strong. You do not have to keep fighting. Give in and everything will find a way to work itself out. You have nothing to fear.
“But you are just a memory,” Jonas said, hesitantly.
“I am more than that, Jonas. When you were born, they took me. I became something much more, something powerful. Don’t you want that? It is better than the alternative.”
“Which is what?” Jonas asked as he glanced again at the demons around him. Several more flying beasts had now landed and they had formed a perimeter around him.
“To die…to disappear forever. Surely you would take power over death,” the man said as he stepped closer to Jonas. “You and I could be together. We could make up for all the time that we have lost. Doesn’t that sound better than eternal death?”
The Cavalier Trilogy: Book 03 - Glimmer in the Shadow Page 9
