by John Corwin
The ceiling swarmed with movement. The gurgling, wheezing sound grew to a susurrus. Camouflaged Nazdal revealed themselves, clambered down the walls, and moved across the floor towards the arch. Their red eyes glowed with hunger and bloodlust. The urge to drop a load vanished as my sphincter shrank to the size of a molecule.
Maloreck appeared at the head of the pack. He was big as a lion. Raw muscle showed through parts of his skin, and drool still hung from his gaping jaw. Unfortunately, it seemed the worse a Nazdal looked, the healthier they actually were. "She knew you would return." His chest heaved with a heaving laugh. "You are brave to come with such a small pack."
"Maloreck, join my pack," I said, extending a hand. I heard Mom begin singing in the background. Stall for time. "Together, we will make the mightiest tribe ever." My words sounded incredibly lame, but I didn't know what else to say under the circumstances.
"You have not proven you can beat the bright one." He took a step forward, long yellowed claws clacking against the stone. "I am still hers to command unless you defeat her."
"I haven't had time to challenge her to a duel," I said. "Maybe we can wait a few minutes and see if she shows up."
"She comes as she wills," he replied, taking another step forward. "Her underling told us to kill any who came into this room." Wet gurgling, like sick cats trying to purr, grew louder as Nazdal closed in from all sides.
"There must be at least a hundred," Dad whispered in my ear. "Unless Alysea opens the portal, there's not much I can do."
I reached through the window in my soul and found all the power I could muster. I summoned orbs of burning Murk and Brilliance in each hand, and faced my palms toward the encroaching creatures as if I might give them a bear hug. "I am greater than the bright one," I said in as loud a voice as possible. "I will destroy any who step closer."
Mom's voice rose in pitch before diving deeper in a series of notes so quick I could hardly follow. I felt a tremor in the air, a vibration touching my back, and sensed what lay on the other side of the nexus.
Seraphina. Home.
I shook off the feeling. That place wasn't my home. Eden was.
"You look strong," Maloreck gurgled. "But appearance is not always truth."
"Take one more step and you'll find out the truth," I said, plastering a fierce grin on my face, and hoping it really looked fierce and not stupid. I have to protect Mom at all costs.
Two smaller Nazdal advanced past Maloreck. One dropped its lower jaw almost to the floor, making its mouth wide enough to swallow a dog whole. It and its companion crawled forward.
I wasn't sure if they were independent thinkers or testing the waters for their boss. At this point, it didn't matter. I had to act or look weak. Pushing as much power into the Brilliance as I could, I shot a white hot beam at the closest interloper and sliced its lower jaw clean off. It let out a scream that could have peeled the polish off a woman's fingernails. Its buddy leapt at me. I spun and roundhoused it out of the air, sending it crashing and skidding through its comrades.
Maloreck crunched down on the neck of the screaming Nazdal, and the room went silent except for the purr-gurgles from the horde around us. His lids went heavy with pleasure as he drank in the life force of the fallen.
Crap. Killing these things would only feed Maloreck. I wondered if there was an upper limit to what he could hold, or if I'd have to deal with a titanic version of him in the near future. I looked him in the eyes. "Do I need to kill more?"
Maloreck wheezed out a laugh. "Always."
Mom's singing continued behind me. I hoped she didn't have much longer to go, because things were about to get real. There was only one thing I could do, and I'd have to do it fast to keep us from being overrun with Nazdal.
The arch sat at the center of the huge chamber. As with most arches, a silver circle surrounded it. When the arch was activated, it formed a closed magical circuit designed to keep magic from escaping. But circles could be used for a lot of things, especially when they were made from silver.
Most of the Nazdal still remained outside the silver circle. Only Maloreck and a dozen or so of his underlings were inside it. A plan formed in my mind. Before more Nazdal entered the circle, I acted, shooting a wall of murk in front of me, pushing away the Nazdal in my path. Before they could react, I darted forward, bit my thumb hard enough to draw blood, and pressed it down on the silver band. With an act of will, I created a physical barrier with the circle to keep the rest of the enemies out.
Maloreck leapt outside the circle before it flashed closed, leaving his buddies trapped inside with me, Dad, Elyssa, and Mom.
It was better than facing all of them at once. I heard gurgling growls and looked into the eyes of the trapped Nazdal. Metal flashed, and one of the creature's heads bounced onto the floor. I leapt back, hit the floor, and rolled as another dove at me. Elyssa skewered the next attacker, but its body slammed into her and pinned her to the floor. Without the open arch, she didn't have the extra strength to save her.
Dad raced over and pulled the dead weight off her. Three more Nazdal raced for them. I channeled Murk in both hands and threw up an invisible wall. The creatures slammed into it with bone-breaking impact. That, however, didn't stop them. They felt their way along the barrier, jaws hanging open, their clusters of jacked-up teeth glistening with drool. The first one around the edge of the barrier shot out the weakening red mist.
Dad got the body off Elyssa, but not before the poison found them. I tried to conjure a breeze, but was too flustered to manage anything more than a puff of air. The trio of Nazdal leapt for them, claws extended. I ran and dove, crashing into Dad and Elyssa, and carrying them out of harm's way. By the time I rolled onto my back, a Nazdal leapt on my chest. I caught its open jaws inches from my face. Its tongue ran along my face. Another Nazdal chomped down on my foot. I screamed.
I heard hacking, and saw Elyssa throwing up. I couldn't turn my head far enough to see Dad. I clenched my teeth and growled. Anger burned through my veins. "Die," I hissed, and channeled Brilliance into my hands. The Nazdal's flesh smoked, steamed, and burned. It gurgled horribly. I roared and filled my hands with destruction. The white light enveloped the creature's head. Its body shuddered and collapsed on my chest.
The other two Nazdal were tearing at my legs. Only the Nightingale armor had saved them from being shredded. I sat up, aimed a palm at each of them, and sent twin beams spearing into their heads. Brains and other gunk boiled from their noses and mouths. The stench made my eyes water.
I turned and saw the rest of the trapped Nazdal encircling Mom. They lunged at her, but their claws drew azure sparks from the air around her. She must have thrown up a shield.
Dad and Elyssa were still barfing, but all the nearby attackers were dead. Nazdal outside the circle threw their bodies against it and bounced off. The closed circle would hold off physical and magical attacks for now, but even a magic circle bound by silver wouldn't hold against so many bodies for long.
Somehow, Mom was still singing away, despite the horrors intent on breaking through her shield. I could only imagine the concentration it took to do both things at once. I drew on the aether around me. Despite the sheer volume of magical energy building in the enclosed container, it was like sucking the ocean through a straw. I took aim, and sliced the arm off one attacker. The other four turned toward me. One made a heaving motion as if it was about to spew the crippling red mist. I speared it in the chest, dropping it. The others fought over its body, each one apparently trying to take the life essence for themselves. I took advantage of the infighting and smoked another Nazdal. Elyssa ran past, still coughing, and slashed at an attacker. It intercepted her blade with a claw.
"Careful!" I shouted, but she was already in the heat of battle, spinning, ducking, and lancing her sword through the Nazdal's throat. It spurted blood and crashed to the floor.
"I have it!" Mom shouted. She waved a hand, and the arch hummed.
I felt the physical barrier I'd thrown up
around the arch blink off as the arch reset the magical containment circle. An instant later, the silver circle flashed, closing itself to magical energy. When it reset, it removed the barrier, replacing it with one that would only stop magical energy, not physical bodies. The Nazdal had already realized this and were crossing inside the circle in droves. Neat rows of Templars appeared through the portal in the middle of the arch.
Strength roared into me. Elyssa straightened, and her coughing stopped.
The clacking of claws and gurgling of Nazdal throats grew closer as the small army swarmed toward us. Elyssa held an arm straight up and slashed it forward. With a roaring battle cry, the Templar force rushed through the portal. We leapt out of the way, joining Mom at the side of the arch.
Mom took in a long breath. "That was exhausting."
Dad appeared at her side, and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Alysea, are you okay?"
She smiled up at him. "I'm much better now."
"Rest up," I said. "We'll take it from here."
Elyssa's full lips spread into a wicked smile. "Let's show these nasty effers not to mess with us."
We turned and watched as Templars crashed into the much smaller force of Nazdal. It was time I put an end to Maloreck before he grew any bigger.
Chapter 37
Maloreck tore into the Templars.
His huge clawed hands tossed them to the side like sacks of feathers. Elyssa engaged the first Nazdal leaping our way. She dispatched it with two quick slashes from her swords. Another dropped from the ceiling above, claws extended. I incinerated it with a blast of Brilliance. Ashes rained down.
Elyssa gave me a look of surprise before diving into a fray to save another beleaguered Templar fending off two Nazdal. Before I could charge in after her, another group of the creatures pounced from the side. I ducked, rolled, and grabbed the one closest to me. Its back faced me thanks to the missed lunge. I twisted its head savagely and heard bones crack. The next one slashed at my legs. Its claw connected and knocked me off my feet, though the armor once again saved me from a nasty wound. Without wasting a moment, it pounced on my back. I felt teeth stab into the armor around my neck.
Even though the armor saved me from severe bite wounds it couldn't stop the pressure. I gasped as my air supply cut off. I pushed hard against the ground with my hands. We flipped backward. I felt the Nazdal's body shudder with the impact as its back hit the floor. The attacker's grip around my neck loosened. I reached back with my hands, gripped its disgusting slimy mouth, and yanked hard as I could. I heard a scream. Felt its jaw crack and break. I rolled free and watched the injured Nazdal squirming, its lower jaw hanging loose, blood pouring from tears in its flesh.
With a savage stomp to the head, I ended its suffering and turned to look for Elyssa. She was lost in the crowd of black-clad Templars. Swords flashed, and claws slashed. One side of the Templar formation still held. They held shiny black shields with the Templar symbol emblazoned on it while those behind stabbed encroaching Nazdal with swords.
I looked left. Maloreck swiped a Templar and the man crashed into me, bowling me over. I shook my head, clearing the fog, and dragged the dazed man out of the fray. A Templar with a healer symbol on her uniform took the man from me and pulled him to the back of the line. Another wave of Templars came through, these bearing staffs. They took up positions behind the shield line and blasted the Nazdal with beams of light every color of the rainbow. Flesh charred and smoked. The enemy screamed and died.
It looked like we had things well in hand, except for Maloreck. I swore the creature had grown even larger, thanks to the deaths of his comrades. One of the Templar Arcanes blasted him with a spear of light. It had little effect on the huge Nazdal. He sprayed a cloud of red mist, and the Templars in front of him fell back, choking and gasping for air.
I saw more crimson poison falling around me and looked up. Nazdal on the ceiling had joined their leader, huffing clouds of the stuff down on the Templars below.
"Up there!" I shouted to the Arcanes. "Kill the ones up there!"
Arcanes looked up and redirected their deadly spells on the creatures above. Bodies rained down as they raked the ceiling with searing light. I dodged away as a Nazdal crashed on the floor where I'd been standing, the crunch of bones audible even over the battle. I generated a ball of Murk in my hands and imagined it gusting like wind across the room. The wave of ultraviolet whooshed overhead, carrying red poison with it and clearing the air.
My efforts weren't enough to clear the battlefront where Maloreck waged war, a pile of Templar and Nazdal bodies at his feet. He didn't seem to care who he killed as his body stretched and grew.
How large can that bastard grow?
I couldn't ignore him any longer.
I rushed through the sea of bodies, dodging swords, claws, and flying bodies. Only the surefooted Nightingale armor kept me from slipping in the puddles of blood all over the floor. I noticed several Templars with wounds visible through tears in their armor. The material hardened to prevent punctures, but apparently had its limits. Maloreck's huge arm reared back for the death blow on a fallen Templar. The man's mask was in tatters, and blood streamed from his wounds. Even so, he stared defiantly at the beast, holding his sword in an offensive posture that might allow him one last strike.
I dove. Grabbed Maloreck's arm, and twisted. I heard a loud crack. The beast roared. Spun to face me.
"You have come at last," he said, eyes glowing with bloodlust. "I would test myself against the strongest."
"What's one plus one?" I asked.
He looked puzzled. "I do not understand."
"It's two, you moron. You just failed the test."
Laughter boomed from his throat. He absentmindedly batted aside a charging Templar and lunged for me. I shot a blast of Brilliance at his chest. His flesh blackened, but seemed to heal just as quickly. I ducked beneath him and performed an evasive somersault, just like Elyssa had taught me. Maloreck landed in a group of Nazdal, sending his smaller minions scattering.
I noticed that several of them had grown larger and sensed if we didn't stop this fight, there would be a lot more like Maloreck beating the snot out of us. He lunged again. I funneled a solid wall of Murk and slammed him backward. He landed on all fours, claws digging gouges in the floor as I pushed with all my might, trying to crush him against a wall several feet behind him. He bellowed and pushed forward. The wave of magic began to warp and flow around him.
"Why won't you just go away?" I shouted. I felt sweat dribbling down my face and knew I couldn't press this attack much longer.
The beast's huge jaws widened in a malevolent sneer. "The lives I have reaped give me strength. They grant me magical resistance, young one."
It was time to switch to Plan B. I didn't actually have such a plan, but there was at least one more ace to play in my deck. I manifested into demon form. The armor bulged to accommodate muscles as they coiled around my frame. I felt my flesh swell against the fabric as my inner demon roared forth.
As usual, it made a power grab for my very mind, seeking to submit it to its pure bloodlust and ravenous desire to destroy and take everything. I felt weak from using so much raw magic and nearly lost control as my demon side surged for every last ounce of me. I grew until I rivaled Maloreck himself. I felt my tail lash behind me, felt it make contact with something attacking my rear and sweep it away.
The world began to fade. I fought back, straining to close the cage and keep my demon soul from consuming me. If it took me, no one would be safe from what followed.
Don't be so damned greedy!
With a final effort of will, I slammed it back into its cage and resumed control. I hardly had time to breathe a sigh of relief before Maloreck was on me. One of my huge hands caught his throat. My tail wrapped around a claw coming for my face, and my opposite hand gripped his other wrist. Maloreck hissed a cloud of red vapor.
I blew as hard as I could and sent it right back down his ugly throat. Then I reared my h
ead back and slammed him in the face with my horns.
Maloreck grunted, the first sound of pain I'd heard. He bellowed and snapped his jaws at my face. I held him at bay by his throat and squeezed, roaring so loudly it overcame the cacophony of battle. For a brief moment, everything went silent.
Maloreck laughed. It sounded like a man with third-degree pneumonia at the bottom of a pool of slime. "You are more impressive than I knew."
"Surrender or die," I said in a deep guttural voice. If I could beat this thing, maybe he would acknowledge me as his master. "Join me!"
"You have not defeated the bright one," he wheezed. "I cannot submit."
I squeezed his throat. "Then die." Something slammed against my back. I heard the phlegmy breath of a Nazdal at my throat. More bodies impacted me, throwing me forward. Maloreck snapped at my face. His teeth caught on the armor and tore it loose. I felt stabs of pain as more Nazdal on my back tore at the armor.
I threw Maloreck against the wall. He slammed into it, sending a crack up its face. I gripped the Nazdal on my neck and crushed its throat with a brutal squeeze. My tail gripped another by the arm and flung it at Maloreck as he gained his feet. He swatted his minion out of the way. More claws and bites stung my legs. I gripped two more of the disfigured attackers and smashed them together. Blood and gore spattered into my eyes.
Maloreck slammed into me while I was blinded. We rolled across the floor, tearing at each other with abandon. Chunks of his flesh tore loose as my clawed hands dug in. He didn't seem to feel the pain, his own claws tearing at my armor and stabbing into my toughened skin. Somehow, I stopped the roll while I was on top. I gripped his neck and slammed his head into the floor. He spat a stream of red liquid into my eyes. A bellow of pain erupted from my throat. I'd never been sprayed with pepper spray, but imagined it couldn't feel as bad as this. My eyes burned like a thousand suns.
Teeth like razor-sharp spikes clamped into my bicep. I swung my other fist blindly and missed. His jaw clamped down on my other arm. I tried to grab him but he slipped away before I made contact. His next attack stabbed savagely into my leg. This time, I tried to retreat, backing away. I felt the wall and knew I was trapped. I couldn't see, and the agony was overpowering.
