The leader stood where he’d been all along, watching as his minions rode their hell-spawned mounts over the railing and toward the mist below. I suspected their job was to ensure Uriah was dead.
I cursed. If the fall hadn’t killed him, he was definitely injured.
I ran toward the edge of the platform, knowing he was likely dead. If he wasn’t, these bastards were going to have to go through me to finish the job. Hell, they were going to have to go through me anyway. I’d kill every goddamned one of them I could.
I raised my staff and took aim at one of the mages who was piggy-back riding a skinny one over the rails. I had little doubt that he had his magic shield up and I wouldn’t be strong enough to break it. However, his demon mount didn’t have the same protections. As soon as the creature leapt from the balcony, I hit it in the chest with a blast of energy, slamming it back against rails. There was a satisfying crunch followed by a sharp cry as the mage was sandwiched between the demon and the balcony. He lost his grip on his ride and fell away toward the floor below, screaming.
I flashed a grin at their leader then jumped over the edge and disappeared into the fog as well.
Chapter 24
Using a little bit of magic, I softened my landing. It wouldn’t pay to sprain an ankle with dark mages and demons about.
I was immediately blinded in gray. Looking down, I couldn’t see past my own waist line.
But I could hear. There was a mass of growls and shrieks from the demons, but much worse than that, were the haunting screams of the dying. A part of me was glad I couldn’t see what was happening around me. Each cry only served to strengthen my resolve. I wanted blood.
Focusing on the task at hand, I kept my voice low and said, “Uriah.”
I waited, hoping I might get a response. The seconds dragged on.
A white hand shot toward my face through the mist.
Acting purely on instinct, I raised my sword in front of my face. The demon impaled its hand on my blade, right between its two middle fingers. It still might have caught me in the eye with its black talons, if not for the fact they began turning to soup the moment Drnywyn broke the skin. The two nearest fingers fell away entirely, while the remaining went limp and mushy.
The demon howled.
I still couldn’t see it, but I suspected its body was still on the other end of its arm. Drynwyn took the shape of a longsword and I jabbed it forward. I drove my sword home and jerked the blade upward. The demon’s howl became a gargle, then it shut up.
I noticed something else then. Something very interesting. Where I’d struck with my sword, the fog was dissipating. It was like the white flames of my ancient sword were burning through the unnatural mist.
I encouraged Drynwyn to burn even brighter. As bright as it could, until I couldn’t even see the blade through the flames. The gray began to reel backward then, dissolving around me. Wherever I moved my sword, the fog burned away and didn’t return.
I considered dancing in circles but thought better of it. For one, I’d get dizzy, and there was a chance I’d accidentally decapitate some poor schmuck who stepped in the way.
Instead, I held my sword out in front of me and started forward through the mist. With each step I moved Drynwyn from side to side, like a kid pretending his flashlight is a light saber. The fog cleared in front of me, leaving a clear trail behind me.
All around was the thrumming tune of madness. People screaming. Demons howling. An occasional gun shot. At least there were a few people capable of fighting back, though I remembered how useful Hamish’s gun had been against the demons earlier.
Reaching out with my mind, I called Axel.
“Hey, dude,” he replied. It was so casual he could’ve been sitting on the couch watching cartoons.
Still, a sense of relief swept through me. He was alive. That was something.
“Which side of the bubble are you on?” I asked.
“The less friendly side,” he replied. “It’s awfully hard to see in here.”
Damn. If he’d been on the outside, I could’ve sent him for help. Real help. Instead, he was trapped in Thunder Dome with me. Double Damn. I was reasonably confident I was going to end up demon food, but I’d at least hoped Axel get word to the Cabal so they could wreak vengeance on the dark mages. That wasn’t going to happen. I had to find him.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“How should I know? I can’t see shit. I think we’re still on the dance floor.”
“Is Vittoria with you?”
“Of course.”
“Anyone else?”
“No,” he said, then added, “I haven’t seen your lady friend, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“It’s not,” I replied, only half lying.
He called me on it just the same. “Of course you are. You like her. I can tell.”
“This really isn’t the time, Axel. Save it. I need to find Uriah first. He’s their primary target. Then I need to find the other Knights. There were a few close by that were serving as his bodyguards. If they’re still alive I need to find them. If we’re going to have any chance at all, we need to stand together.”
“Cool,” he replied. “We’ll come find you, then.”
“No, Axel. Stay put. Did you see the demons?”
“Well, yeah,” he replied. “That’s why I’m coming to find you. I told you that you needed backup. Those things are wicked scary.”
“Axel, that’s exactly why you shouldn’t come looking for me.”
“You aren’t making sense.”
“Just take Vittoria and see if you can find the edge of the dome. That’ll make it easier for me to find you. Plus, maybe the Knights on the outside will find a way to bring it down and you can escape.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I don’t need you to like it, Axel. I just need you to do it. If there’s a way out, take it. We need to let the Cabal know what’s happened here.”
“Yeah, sure, Wyatt,” he said with a hurt tone.
In the middle of the chaos, I’d just implied I didn’t want his help. Nothing was further from the truth, but it was also true that I wanted him to get out safely. If I somehow managed to miraculously survive, I’d have to make up for his butt hurt. Now wasn’t the time. “Listen, if you see anyone else take them with you.”
“You mean if I see your lady friend, right?”
“I mean if you see anyone. Just be careful, all right?”
“I’m always careful.”
“And try to stay quiet.”
“Dude, I’m like the best person you know at sneaking.”
I didn’t bother to reply.
I continued onward, moving in a wide circle to clear the area around where I expected to find Uriah’s body. I walked for several seconds until I heard a demon cry a short distance away. The sound was less menacing, and more like the creature was in pain. I headed in that direction.
A few steps later I caught the faintest hint of a glowing blue light. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but as I drew closer, I realized the blue glow was in the outline of a man.
It was Uriah.
I caught a glimpse of a black from racing toward his back in the fog and I hit it with a quick burst of raw energy, knocking it off course. If I was mistaken, then I’d just blasted some poor fool off their feet. On the other hand, if I was right then I might’ve saved Uriah’s life.
I darted toward where the dark form had landed and found I’d hit a wolf-scorpion. As it tried to rise, I slashed Drynwyn across its haunches and drove it back to the floor. My next swing took off its head.
I moved to Uriah then and found him facing off with one of the spider-centipede-men like we’d faced before. With the visibility so low, the creature had the advantage of striking with the spider legs on its back. The attacks were quick and it was all Uriah could do to protect himself from each unexpected strike.
My arrival ruined the demon’s tactical advantage. Seeing this, it whir
led on me and began making smoochy faces in my direction.
Uriah seized the opportunity to attack. He rushed in and severed two of the creature’s spider arms in a single swipe. It whipped back toward him and I darted in with a wide slash, taking an additional two spider arms and nearly severing its human arm at the elbow. I ducked as it lashed out at me with one of its remaining spider legs. I slashed low with my blade, striking it across the centipede exoskeleton. Black fluid seeped from the laceration.
The demon’s cry was a miserable thing, but it would find no mercy from us.
Uriah charged forward and rammed his sword into the creature’s ribs, burying it to the hilt. I brought my own sword down at an angle, slicing it from shoulder to abdomen. My sword clanked against Uriah’s as the blades met inside the demon.
The demon melted into a pile of goo.
“Wyatt,” Uriah said between breaths. “I thought you for dead.”
“Hey, you’re the one who got voted off the island,” I said, trying to catch my own breath. “Glad to see you’re still standing.”
“Fucking aye,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow.
“So, uh, why are you glowing?”
“Oh, right,” he said, glancing down at the soft blue hue around his body. As it faded away, he said, “It’s a bit of a secret. One of the blessings granted to us Knights. I told you we weren’t without some magic of our own.”
“Is it a shield?”
“Yes,” he said, nodding. “Not quite like the shields you mages create, though. It protects my whole body to some degree, but I can only maintain it for a few minutes and it can only absorb so much damage. The older we get and the more we practice, we can strengthen it some and expand how long it lasts.”
“That’s how you survived the fall without injury?”
“Yeah, when I know I’m in imminent danger it kicks on. I can summon it as well, but usually it’s more like a reflex. Like cringing when you know you’re about to get hit.”
“I see. I didn’t notice it when we faced off with the demons before.”
“I didn’t summon it, then,” he said, shrugging. “Like I said, it doesn’t last long so I only call upon it in the most dire of circumstances. I was close earlier but didn’t quite get there. This time I activated it on reflex when I fell. I kept it up while I was dealing with this lot.”
“Well, sounds handy.”
He nodded. “Now, I get to ask you a question. How are you clearing the fog?”
“Drynwyn,” I said, holding up my flaming sword. I moved the blade closer to the mist and showed him how it seemed to burn right through it.
“Hmm,” he said, rubbing his chin. “That gives me an idea.”
“I hope it’s a good one,” I replied, glancing around the perimeter of our little clearing. “And I hope it involves a way to kill a butt load of demons really fast.”
“It’s not that good of an idea,” he admitted. “But I think I know how to clear the fog.”
“How?” I asked, moving around the edge and burning away more of the gray.
“Do you think you can protect me for a minute or so?”
I thought about it for a few seconds and finally landed on a shrug. “Maybe. It just depends how many demons and dark mages try to kill you in that minute. You’re their primary target and its clear they can see through the fog better than we can, but their vision must not be perfect, otherwise we’d already have the horde on us. So, if we’re really lucky, maybe none of them will find us. If we’re unlucky, they all will.”
“I think this may be our best chance.”
“Then I’ll do my best. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to have that prayer you suggested earlier. If it works, you’ll get to see another of our blessings first hand.”
“So, you’re going to pray the fog away,” I said as I moved back toward him. My hope was that I’d widened the clear space around us enough that none of the demons could catch us off guard.
“Something like that,” Uriah said as he got down on his knees. He set the point of his sword against the floor in front of him so the pommel was at eye level. Glancing back at me, he said, “By the way, if this works, every demon will know exactly where to find us. You cool with that?”
I shrugged. Way I figured it, we were pretty much doomed either way. I didn’t like playing cat and mouse. I wanted to take the fight to the bastards.
Uriah closed his eyes and laid his forehead against the pommel of his sword. He mumbled as he prayed but I couldn’t make out the words.
I moved in a slow circle around him, constantly scanning the perimeter. And I listened.
When I’d first found Uriah, the wolf-scorpion was trying to attack him from behind. Perhaps it was dumb-luck or instinct, but the move had suggested some level of intelligence. Without knowing what pantheon these lesser demons hailed from, it was hard to say how smart they truly were, but my gut told me they weren’t just mindless beasts.
I expected the next attack would come from behind.
I was right.
My only warning was the soft pitter-patter of its feet as it closed in. I whirled around, slashing the stinger from its scorpion tail as it struck out at Uriah. I jerked the blade back down and slashed directly through the creature’s forehead, killing it.
Behind it came one of the skinny ones, but it didn’t immediately attack. Instead, it stood back and watched me with its featureless face.
By this point, I’d killed several from among its brood. Clearly it was smart enough to realize it didn’t want to tackle me one on one. I’ll admit, having a demon think twice about attacking you is a big confidence booster. Even it is a lesser demon.
The skinny one watched me for a moment longer, then it stepped back into the mist and disappeared.
I glanced around, unsure what to expect. Then I heard its cry and knew exactly what it was doing. I thought briefly of charging after it, but that would only leave Uriah unprotected.
It’s high pitched monkey screech sounded over the other screams and commotion. It was calling the rest of the horde in.
I sighed. It looked like they were all going to know exactly where we were regardless of if Uriah finished his prayer or not.
More of the demons picked up the cry and it sounded like they were getting closer. The terror filled screams of the living and the horrid screams of the dying fell away. The demons forgot about their other prey. It was all about killing us now.
It was me versus the whole demon horde.
Chapter 25
It got quiet. There was still a thrum of commotion, but the area directly around me was silent. Creepy silent. They were there, though. I could practically feel them surrounding my little oasis.
The adrenaline I’d been running on simmered and dissolved, leaving a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had to fight the urge to double over and puke. My skin felt clammy and I couldn’t stop myself from trembling. To this point, my mind hadn’t really had a chance to catch up with everything going on around me.
Finally, a humanoid shape appeared on the edge of the fog.
I readied myself and took a few steps closer.
It was a woman. Not a demon.
She took two baby steps toward me and out of the fog. She was a plump woman in a blood splattered black dress. Her face was unfamiliar, but even had I known her, I might not have recognized her for the crimson smear across her face. The widened whites of her eyes were a stark contrast to the red mess on her cheeks.
Despite the fact she was walking directly toward me, I wasn’t sure she actually noticed me. In fact, she seemed completely out of it. Lost, like a child separated from her mother.
I was about to call out to her when her eyes widened further and she opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. A tall shadow appeared in the fog behind her. One of the skinny ones.
There was a snapping, tearing sound and the black talons of the beast appeared out the front of her chest. The woman crumpled to
the ground and the demon stepped forward.
All hell broke loose.
They came from every direction all at once, pouring from the gray.
A wolf-scorpion tried to strike me from behind, but I was ready. I turned and batted my staff between its eyes. At the same time, I raised Drynwyn with my other hand, expecting a sneak attack from the skinny one as well. The demon didn’t disappoint, and my sword sliced its hand off at the wrist. I would’ve killed it then if not for the fact I was immediately forced on the defensive again.
It all became a blur as I danced around Uriah’s knelt form.
On some level, I must’ve known how hopelessly outnumbered I was, but I didn’t stop to think about it. If I’d spared a moment, they would’ve finished me.
I was all focus.
In the years I spent in self-exile, I spent some time studying Zen Bhuddism. There’s this whole idea around immersing yourself in the task you’re doing. Blocking out your emotions, pre-conceived notions, judgments, and random thoughts. About getting lost in the moment and just doing whatever it is you’re doing. Not thinking about doing it, just doing.
That’s where I was. I didn’t think about the fact I was outnumbered. I didn’t think about the fact I was tired or scared. I didn’t even think about the fact I was about to die. I just kept moving.
I’d block one attack, dodge the next, and strike back where I could. I can’t say how many of the bastards I killed. I didn’t think about that either.
Then the first of the mages appeared.
I caught a glimpse of him as he rode into the clearing on a wolf-scorpion. I raised my magical shield right as he fired a purple bolt of magic in my direction. It slammed against my defenses and forced me back a step.
Another wolf-scorpion took advantage and lashed out at me with its stinger. Somehow, I managed to bring my sword up in time to sever its tail off instead.
I fired a blast of raw energy at the mage’s mount, causing it to stumble backward. The rider managed to cling on.
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