"Bad guess."
"I always asked your mother where she had been and she would always dodge my questions. It wasn't until she got pregnant that she settled down."
"You never found out where she went?"
"She would always travel to the west and go into the forest. I guessed that she had another man for a while; I even confronted her with that. But she made me take it back. She couldn't believe that I would accuse her of such a thing."
"Did she have another man?"
"I don't think so. But she was a mysterious woman. She could have been anywhere and not even my best men could track her."
"Do you think she knew what the beasts were? Do you think this was because of her?"
"I think she knew what they were, but I don't think that this is because of her. I think that this is about this," TecDemon said as he held up his medallion.
CHAPTER FOUR
The duke mounted the brown sturdy horse and grabbed the reins tight. "It looks like you're about to get your adventure," his father said. TecDemon turned back and gave his father a sly smile. He tilted his head up and looked at the early rising sun. His hand stroked gently the neck of the brave creature that would carry him deep into the western forests.
"I knew this day would come, just not under these circumstances," TecDemon replied.
"Take care, son. I hope you find her."
"I will. Believe me, I will," he shook the reins once and placed his heel into the horse's side. It broke into a full gallop west. With the rising sun upon his back TecDemon took in a deep breath and sighed. "I will," he thought to himself. "I will."
The day passed and the sun began to set. The duke decided to stop and rest for the night. He tied his horse to a nearby tree, unrolled his blanket, then he started searching for firewood. By the time the fire was blazing the sun had disappeared completely. The overcast night blocked the stars. The fire light bounced from tree to tree but quickly lost in the fight with the darkness no more than twenty feet from its source.
TecDemon didn't enjoy the bread and dried meat that his father had provided him. He missed his meals at the castle, with Karla and Siruce. He had had such a wonderful cook, too. With not much to do but think of all the things he had already thought through once, TecDemon chose to go on to sleep.
The fire was mere embers when he was awoken by a loud crack nearby. He was on his feet with his sword drawn in seconds. At the edge of the dying light stood a boy-sized creature that was covered with soft black hairs. It had sharp red eyes and two leathery-clawed hands. It stalked lightly and reared back on its two legs ready to pounce.
TecDemon recognized it as a Corloth, a young Corloth as the adults were generally about five feet tall. They occasionally wander into town after dark and try to steal food. Some of them had been known to learn man's language although most of them only spoke their own tribal dialects.
"It's okay," TecDemon said in the creature's language.
After a moment the Corloth stood up and walked closer to TecDemon, who had lowered his blade. He looked around the area cautiously and then spoke back.
"Who are you?"
"TecDemon, Duke of Teclessa. Who are you?"
"Rider. Rider of trees," the creature was becoming less timid but still appeared edgy. It jumped back as TecDemon placed his sword in its scabbard.
"It's okay, it's okay, I was putting it away. Where is your tribe?" TecDemon asked as he settled down near the glowing ashes and motioned for Rider to do the same.
"They all sent on the journey."
"Who sent them on the journey?" TecDemon was a bit familiar that some tribes considered death the journey from form to form.
"Nathawk."
"Nathawk? A Corloth?"
"Not Corloth, man, elf, troll, none. It a thing like I not seen." TecDemon leaned a bit closer. "Giant beast. Ugly. Much anger."
"Where? Where are the Nathawk?"
"There," he said motioning to the sky.
The duke's horse began to neigh and panic wildly. A sudden screech from above set Rider on his feet running into the trees. TecDemon was too concerned with the well-known source of the sound to stop him. He pulled his sword, and watched as the great monster descended and set itself a few feet from the duke. TecDemon leaned back on his legs with bent knees ready to attack.
The beast glared at him deviously. "Looking for me? Well, Demon, it seems you have found me. But now what will you do? Attack me again and hope for an old man to rescue you? I doubt that will happen."
TecDemon already felt himself becoming locked in the trance that before had made his attack fumble. The medallion warmed his chest.
"I think by now you should be able to guess that this is nothing personal against you, we hate all of your greedy kind. Petty thieves. It frankly turns my stomach. Now if you will just surrender your weapon and come quietly we might consider letting you live out your life in a stone cell, else you'll just have to die," the beast paused, expectantly. The duke stood unmoving, in thought.
"What did we do to you? The men of my lands are peaceful and,”
The great monster interrupted angrily, "Not your people! Your blood, you kin, those damned to be your kind will now be damned by us. You who are of Demon nature will have to run forever to avoid our wrath!"
The medallion was a white fire now glowing noticeably through the blue fabric of TecDemon's shirt. He looked down at it and then back to the giant who had a new look upon his face, nothing near fear, just hesitation.
The duke took his chance to attack but did not spring forward; he stepped back and let the expected club swing by. He dropped to the ground in a roll and gave a low slash at the beast's great legs, but the monster was already in motion and circling to gain the better ground. TecDemon came to his feet and gave a slight glare at the panting beast.
The monster lunged at him and again he rolled back. TecDemon rolled through the embers of his dying fire and he felt the blaze kindle his arm. Up on his feet and away from the fire in a lighting dash, he turned and looked over the frenzied situation. Almost instinctively he reached into his boot and pulled out the lightweight steel dagger that had been unused for so long. He gripped the smooth blade and took a careful look through one eye as the grotesque monster stepped before the fire.
The duke's arm launched the deadly projectile at full force, his aim had been for the heart, but the beast’s arm by mere chance intercepted the knife. The giant looked a moment at his dark red blood dripping from his impaled wrist. He plucked the knife out with his other hand and hurled it furiously at the duke, but the duke was gone.
The giant monster turned to guard his blind spot, nothing. With a terrible screech, the monster lunged at a stirring bush; he fell upon it with no success. He climbed back on his feet as quickly as his giant frame would allow. He scanned constantly the dark forest. "Where are you? Come out and fight me, Demon!"
His words came slow, his stomach ached. The monster's head tilted down to see the blood red tip of the steel blade that resided now through his chest. He fell to his knees, gripping hopelessly at the sharp point.
TecDemon stood staring at the rough, rigid scales that wove into armor across this evil giant's back. He took and step back and withdrew his sword from the monster's bloody torso. The duke stabbed his sword into the ground and walked up next to the prostrate beast.
"I would hope that now that this has been resolved you might point me in the direction of my wife."
The monster hacked and strained. "Will her grave appease your morbid fascination?" Blood began to drip from his mouth. "And your unborn within her? The Demon line has ended. We will hunt you, as we hunted your mother when she betrayed us. My death makes my tribe strong with rage." his muscled tensed slightly as the blood from his back began to drip from his side to the ground, the creature was almost dead. "The Nathawk kind will swallow your," cough, "power."
CHAPTER FIVE
He missed the cool fog of his home, but it had been many moons now. His thick skin
made the desert heat that much more unbearable, and the night that much more welcome. Through the cover of moonlight he spied upon the distant fire circle.
Among the three shadows he could make out only a few key details. But it was one in particular that he had already discerned. The beast with the split talon, severed just two months ago by the same blade that was now tightly at the duke’s back.
TecDemon drew two arrows from his quiver. He knocked them both firmly against the drawstring and rose from the bush. He narrowly crept each careful step through the rough sand. He moved between the brambles where he could and stayed close to the ground everywhere else.
When he drew just outside the ring of firelight he steadied the bow. He trained his eyes onto his unaware targets. One beast hovered by the fire tending a pan. Another stood over his bedroll, kicking out the matt. The third was already asleep.
TecDemon’s precision was outdone only by his power. The arrows penetrated the two standing Nathawks. Before the first could hit the ground the duke was ready and hovering over the sleeping beast.
“Awake!” His yell was followed by his boot.
The monster tore at him and knocked the blade from his hands. TecDemon gripped the beasts wrists and pushed away with all of his might. The monster laughed feeling the feebleness in the human’s arms. He thrashed up but the man held strong. His eyes alight.
The monster saw the sword just behind him. TecDemon’s eyes followed and connected to the blade as well. He dove for the sword. The Nathawk knew this move and speared his talons right in between to impale the weakling once and for all.
TecDemon didn’t need the sword. He had drawn the beast off-guard and intercepted the wild spearing claw. His forearms swelled as he lobbed the monster directly into the fire pit.
The flames exploded. The Nathawk rolled away slapping out the cinders. TecDemon stepped directly toward it; his chest searing with the white hot fire of the medallion. The monster noticed too the amulet’s brilliance.
“Where is she?”
“We killed her, Demon. She is dead.”
“You lie.”
The beast chuckled as it stood. “You were made out to be some real monster, you know that?”
“Who are you?”
“I would have thought after all this time you’d know me Demon. Isn’t it me who you’ve wanted this whole time?”
“Omix.”
“That’s right. Omix Wind. The master of the night and leader of the Nathawk.”
“I know you have her. I choked the truth out of several of your kin.”
“Don’t you want to know the truth first?”
“What truth?” TecDemon was just outside the creature’s reach. Omix appeared completely unprepared for his attack.
“If I die tonight I would be the last to know. I almost thought you’d find it by now, but that magic has a dark side.”
“This?” TecDemon motioned at his pendant.
“Naturally. I swear to you as a member of my order that at least this is true.
“It was many generations ago. Great beasts of destruction reigned over the planet. But one by one, the people defeated them. A very twisted man set out to aide one of these creatures by empowering it in a human form. Only then would it be disguised to live forever avoid the people’s coming rage. The creature would live on to consume the world and everyone in it. We came to stop you.”
“Stop me? You took everything from me! Because of some legend with my necklace?”
“It was more than a legend. I was there when the previous wearer of that piece waged war on my people. My innocent people. Does the name Peros sound familiar?”
“No.”
“Does it travel through your dreams at night?”
TecDemon could only shudder at the nightmares he had experienced.
“You see them don’t you? You see the dark visions of the beast Peros? He’s out to consume you, and with you all of us. It was for this reason I came for you and for this reason you should surrender your life.”
The bleakness he feels in his heart when he wakes. “How do you?”
“It was my brother Demon. And it was your mother who came to us to save him. In his madness many were killed. It took much to stop him. Upon his death we lost the amulet. No one expected that she would have taken it.
TecDemon felt hollow in his heart, his mother a thief? It couldn’t be!
“There is more.” The beast’s eyes went wide. TecDemon almost lost his grip on his blade as Karla emerged from the darkness.
“You, how did you?” Omix lunged toward the girl. TecDemon was immediately upon his frame holding the beast around its throat. The monster pulled at him but TecDemon held firm. The two fell into the ground. Omix turned on the ground breaking loose the man’s grip.
“Karla!” TecDemon jumped up again chasing the beast that had now taken flight. He ran to her, putting his hand against her cheek. “I thought you lost!”
She could not speak before a rush of Nathawk’s charged out. Torches flared, as the beasts appeared from all around. Swords and clubs in hands, the monsters made a ring around the two. TecDemon stood strong with Karla at his side.
“Give up monster, we have you. Take your evil to the grave.” Omix landed in the circle and started toward them. The group all slowly closed the circle.
He looked at the group closing in and the massive beast in charge of them. His face stayed solid. He looked over his shoulder to the woman he had longed for these long years. The beasts he had hunted seeking her. The journey he had made to arrive here. How now he longed for those foggy days in the palace.
“There is more, TecDemon. These beasts seek the power of the medallion. They are no protectors!” Karla’s voice was shaking. “It has something in it more powerful than even the monster they speak of. I have heard them talk about it. There is a great power in that medallion.”
TecDemon clenched his fist. Light shot out from between his fingers, power crackled about his hands and blaze burned in his eyes. “I know.”
EPILOGE
For many years after the fall of Teclessa and the disappearance of the great duke that was rumored to have survived, a number of beasts were found throughout the world. All of them were much in the same condition, as the first, dead. No one knew where they had come from or who had killed them.
Duke Naisia who already had claim on most of the island of Norttl claimed the kingdom of Teclessa; no one seemed to really notice, as the lands were all but abandoned after the castle’s fall. A few of the survivors of the great attack on the castle gave their well-fabricated stories to the duke. Of these stories grew the legend that TecDemon had died at the window of his chamber protecting his love, Karla, from hideous winged beasts. Another of the myths was that the duke laid beneath the stone of the castle with his proud cape blowing in the wind.
All of these rumors were put into question when one of the horrible beasts was found, not yet dead from an assault from an unknown assailant. Its dying carcass was found two oceans from Norttl in the kingdom of Matan. A merchant traveler came across the giant in a narrow canyon road. He claims that the beast spoke to him as it lay in its own blood on the ground. His odd account was later recounted to one of Duke Naisia’s scribes:
"T'was not a man, nor anything likes I had seen. Maybe it was a young dragon, somethin' I've never really seen. Anyway, I figures it for dead and thought to picks it of a few valuables `fore the vultures set on him. I heard faint breathings and almost loses it all when he turned to look at me. But I being the brave man that I is questioned the monster. I says: "What happened to you, sir?" He gaves me a slight laugh and motioned me closer. I could see that he had something’s in his hand. I steps up to him and look down at the horrid wound right through his `eart, or at least I thinks it was his `eart. I grab the piece of torn blue fabric from his hand noticing a dabble of blood on it. And he says to me: "I got a piece of De
mon." At least I think that's what he said. Then, I seed him shudder at somethin' atop the canyon. I look up just in time to see a shadow of a man turn and run off. When I turned back to the beast, t'was dead."
MORE ON THE STORY
A Demon in the Knight Page 2
