by Brad Clark
“Nikki needs our help,” Conner said.
“You need this out, first. You cannot help her with a spear in your shoulder.”
“If you cut it right at my shoulder, you could pull it through.”
Glaerion touched the spear and shook his head. “The spear is ancient oak, hardened to be tougher than stone. There’s no chance that any of our weapons could cut it. At least not easily. No, there is only one way.” Glaerion’s voice lowered and became somber. He put a hand on Conner’s right shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I will be useless after this. You must find a way to kill it. You have it within in you.”
Without waiting for Conner to respond, Glaerion grasped the spear on either side of Conner’s body. He pulled up on the spear as words came out of his mouth. Conner screamed in pain as the sword pressed against flesh and bone. With Conner squirming, it took all of Glaerion’s strength to hold tightly onto the spear. When the last of the spell was spoken, a pulse of energy flashed through his body, and a deadly weakness came over him.
But the spell had been cast, and the spear faded from sight as the power of the spell changed it from a solid mass to air. With his hands still grasping what constituted the spear, Glaerion stood up, pulling the spear out of Conner’s body. The moment the spear was free, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.
Conner felt no more pain than he had when the spear was in his body. He had hoped he would feel less pain, but the damage had already been done, and his body was reminding him that he had been impaled by a spear. He dropped to Glaerion’s side to be sure the Elf was still breathing. The last time Glaerion had cast this spell, he had been unconscious for a very long time. Glaerion was right. Conner and Nikki would have to kill the creature without Glaerion’s help.
Conner’s left side was useless. He could move his arm a little, but whatever damage the spear had done made it useless for a fight. All he had was his right arm, which still held one of his swords. He wished he had a shield. Even if he didn’t like fighting with one, he could have strapped it to his left arm and been able to make some use of the wounded half of his body.
Nikki was barely staying alive. She had several deep cuts on her arms and legs. Even with her Sak’Hurai skills, she was losing the fight. Any other warrior would have been killed long ago. It was a testament to her skill and strength that she was able to stay alive as long as she did.
Conner moved forward, and the creature ignored him. Even when his sword struck deep into its body, it still ignored him. He pulled out his sword to plunge it back in, but before he could do so, the wound healed itself. With a quick slash, he aimed for the creature’s head, but it was too tall to make a clean swipe, and it noticed his attack too soon and was able to dodge away.
It turned away from Nikki and towards him. In one hand it held his sword, and in the other, it held onto the battle-ax. With a quick glance, it looked over at Glaerion, where the spear was laying on the ground.
Conner knew before it moved what its intentions were. Conner leaped towards Glaerion, tossing his sword aside and grasping the long shaft of the spear. Almost at the same time, Malkalith had jumped at the spear and reached to grab it. There was almost a desperation to the creature’s actions as it released both Conner’s sword and the battle-ax to grab the spear.
Conner was quicker. His left shoulder screamed in pain, but he ignored it as he grabbed the spear and rolled away from the creature. It let out a loud roar of anger and frustration as Conner dodged away from its grasp. It charged at Conner, hands outstretched, face twisted in anger.
Conner’s left hand was now useless. There was no way he could hold the spear with two hands and fight with it. It was too long and awkward to fight with one hand, so he tucked the shaft of the spear tight against his right side, holding the spear parallel to the ground. It was how Karmon Knights were taught to fight with spears on horseback. He had not trained much with a spear, but he had done just enough to know what to do. With a ferocious scream of his own, he charged at Malkalith.
With a quick twist of the spear, Conner was able to slip the razor-sharp tip past Malkalith’s arms and drive it directly into its chest. He did not hesitate or stop. Conner kept pushing forward until the spear was all the way through the creature’s body, striking where he hoped its heart was.
With a loud, painful scream, Malkalith grasped the shaft of the spear and tossed Conner to the side. The creature pulled and pulled, but the tip of the spear had gone all the way through his body, and it would take much more strength than the creature had to pull it back through his body. Taking the shaft in its hands, he snapped it in two pieces, tossing one of the halves of the shaft at Conner. Malkalith tried to reach around its back and pull the spear out, but its arms weren’t long enough, and he could not reach the tip. With furious frustration, it clawed at its back as it tried to pull the spear out, but it could not reach it.
Then it dropped to a knee. Nikki was behind it, finishing a sword slice that sliced through leg muscle and tendon. Although it healed quickly, it didn’t heal as fast as Nikki’s slices. It turned to try and grab at Nikki, but she sprang away. Still, on its knees, Malkalith spun around to catch her, its back now turned to Conner.
Conner’s sword was on the ground just a few feet from him, and he did not hesitate. Ignoring the pain that threatened to cause him to faint, he grabbed his sword and sprinted to the creature before it could recognize that he was there. It did, but it was too late.
Conner swung with all his might, driving the blade of his sword through the creature’s neck, separating its head from its body. A heartbeat later, the body dropped to the ground. The head continued to roll for some distance. Pain and fatigue took over, and Conner dropped to his knees first and then to the ground.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Conner’s left arm was wrapped tightly against his body so that he could not use it as each time he tried, pain exploded up through his arm and down his entire left side. The wound in his shoulder was plugged with strips of cloth to keep the bleeding at bay. There was more damage to his shoulder than just torn skin. Bones, muscles, and ligaments were all ripped apart, making his left arm useless. He tried not to think about the damage to his arm, as it only made him feel worse about his wounds. He had prided himself on his ability to fight, but now he would be limited to the use of only one arm. He knew his skills were best suited to fighting with two swords, as the Sak’Hurai fought. The adrenaline that had driven him in the fight was now gone and left him drained and dragging. Rather than feeling elated at defeating the creature, the loss of Ryshak and the innocent Dwarves rested heavy on his heart and mind.
He looked over at Nikki, who was having her wounds wrapped by Glaerion. She had several open gashes, but a tight bandage would seal the cuts and slices caused by Ryshak and the creature. He caught her gaze and their eyes locked. There was defeat in her eyes, a sadness that seemed far deeper than what it should have been. They were victorious in defeating the seemingly invincible creature, but there was clear sorrow on her face. She moved slowly to stand up. All the energy that she had was expended in the fight, and she had barely enough to stand. Her eyes drifted to the Spear of Salvation, which was laying in two pieces near the body of the creature.
Conner’s eyes followed her gaze to the Spear, and a great weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. Despite all the death around them, the goal that they had quested for was finally in their grasp. Final victory was still far away, but they were now one step closer. With the Spear of Salvation in hand, they now had the means to defeat the Deceiver.
Glaerion started to protest as Nikki took a step towards the two pieces of the Spear, but something in Conner told him that Nikki should be the one to carry it. He knew that Glaerion thought only an Elf should carry it, as its power could be too great for any other. He put a hand on Glaerion’s shoulder, and when the Elf turned to look at Conner, Conner gave a slight shake of his head.
Glearion’s eyes narrowed, and he shrugged off Conner’s gri
p. “Nikki, I should be the one to carry it. It is too powerful for anyone else.”
Nikki had already reached down and picked up the two pieces of the Spear, and she continued to ignore Glaerion’s demand as she looked over the broken shaft. The wood was smooth and worn as if it had been carried for thousands of years by thousands of men. She expected to feel something miraculous as she touched the pieces. She had no idea what it would be, but she envisioned a feeling of electricity or some sort of sensation of power to overwhelm her. She felt nothing.
“Am I supposed to feel something?”
A feeling of relief swept over Glaerion. His biggest fear was that its power would immediately come over her and she would start casting random spells. Without knowing anything about the power of the Spear, he had to expect that anything was possible.
“You are Hurai and immune to the effects of magic,” Conner said. “Maybe we can’t feel the power like an Elf or someone else might.”
“But I should be able to cast a spell with it, right? Shouldn’t I feel something?”
“It may require training to use,” Glaerion said. “We cannot just expect that any of us would be able to just pick it up and start casting spells. Let me try.” He stepped towards her and held out his hands.
Nikki looked from her hands, which held the Spear, to his hands, which were open and waiting for her to hand them over. She hesitated, wondering if she gave him the pieces, would he give them back. She did not want to give him the Spear, but if she did not know how to use it, then it would be worthless in her hands. Maybe Glaerion could teach her how to use it. Reluctantly, she held out the two pieces for Glaerion to take.
Glaerion took them gently, expecting to feel the warmth of the Web of Magic to tell him that the weapon was imbued with magic. Unlike the Ark of Life, which was a powerful weapon that directly touched the Web of Magic, weapons enchanted with magic could be touched by Elves without harming the bearer. To his surprise, it was hard and cold as if it were just any cheap spear.
“Anything?” Conner asked.
Glaerion shook his head. “Maybe the shaft is a part of the spell which gives it its power and being broken, it can no longer touch the Web of Magic.”
Conner let out a sigh of frustration. For a moment, it was as if his heart stopped and then it began pounding hard. He couldn’t breathe as all the hope that filled his heart was now gone. All that they had persevered through and all that they had fought for was lost. Finding the Spear of Salvation had been their one and only chance to defeat the Deceiver and he had never once thought that they would not find it. Even knowing that it was but a legend had not deterred his confidence. After his hopes were raised with knowing that they had it in their grasp, they were now completely obliterated with the Spear not being able to cast spells like the legends had told.
“We can fix it,” Nikki asked softly. “Right?”
Glearion’s voice was soft and low, carrying the same despair that Conner felt. “If the Spear was enchanted with a spell, and the shaft of the spear was a part of the spell, then the breaking of the shaft could have broken the spell. The spear is sharp and will cut through almost anything, but if it was a special magical spear, then whatever power it had is now gone.”
Conner felt emotion begin to overtake him and he did his best to not let his disappointment show. His head spun, and he felt as if he were about to topple over. He had thought little about failure, for he knew in his heart what failure meant. Now, though, that failure was standing right before him, and it was an oppressive weight on his soul.
Glaerion looked over at Conner and could see the despair on his friend’s face. “The war is far from over, and we cannot let one battle determine the outcome of the war.”
“But it was our only chance,” Conner said, painfully croaking out the words.
“You really believe that?” Glaerion replied, raising his voice with anger. “You and Elissa came to our land and convinced us Elves, enemies of Humans, to follow you into battle to fight a war that we knew nothing about. We trusted you and followed you. You carried the passion of your people and taught me how to live again and believe in something. Even with the Spear working as we want it to, we might lose. Maybe the One God will allow the Deceiver to take over the world, but I will fight until the end with whatever weapon I have.” He held up his bare hands. “Even if this is all I have left, I will still fight.”
Nikki also saw the despair in Conner, but she could not feel the same anger Glaerion felt. She knew that Conner was still young and although highly skilled, he was still not experienced in the world. His training had been short and unlike hers, which lasted nearly her entire life. Her voice was soft and carried compassion. “There is nothing about you that is Hurai, Conner. You don’t look like us, don’t speak like us, and certainly don’t act like us. But you fight like us. Even better than us. We don’t need the power of the Spear to destroy the Deceiver. I know we can defeat the Deceiver. I believe with all my heart that the One God will put before us the means to send the Deceiver back to the hell that he came from. You will lead us there, Conner. Your strength and determination will lead us to victory.”
“I do not feel strong right now,” Conner said, his voice shaking with weariness and frustration. “I am weak. I don’t know why you keep following me. I am unworthy.
“You are so much stronger than you believe. You are not on this path alone. You have me on your side.” She looked at Glaerion and caught his eye. “You have all of us on your side. The Elves have already joined you and my people will as well. With all the Sak’Hurai will joining us in battle no army in the entire universe can stop us!”
A smile crept onto Conner’s face. The hopelessness was still gnawing at his soul, but being among friends kept it at bay. With a sarcastic tone, he said, “You have not seen the power of the Deceiver.”
With a straight face, Nikki quickly retorted, “And he has not seen the power of the Sak’Hurai!”
Although he was still annoyed at Conner for so quickly falling into despair, Glaerion realized that his tone of voice had been too strong, and he softened it. “Princess Nikki is right. We are fighting this war together. Not just Humans, but Elves as well.”
“We have wasted so much time on this quest,” Conner muttered. “We should have just left with the ship for Karmon.”
Movement down the stone path caught Glaerion’s attention. He looked over to see Hemli walking down the path towards them. “The Spear of Salvation may yet be fixed,” Glaerion said. “And besides, if we would not have come here, we would not have found the Dwarves.”
“The Dwarves?” Conner replied with a shake of his head. “They are weak, and there are so few of them.”
“Do not be so harsh on them. The Dwarves were enslaved and held captive by that creature. They were living a life of painful despair, and we brought them out of it. Whether there is one good warrior among them or a thousand, it was worth it to free them.”
Nikki did not hold back her anger towards the Dwarves and snapped, “They were cowards to let their own be sacrificed.”
“They were desperate,” Glearion said. “Do not hold that against them.”
“They let Ryshak be killed.”
Glaerion shook his head. “No, it was I who killed Ryshak. Do not judge them until you have walked their path. It is easy for us to stand over them and tell them what they should have done. However, in their shoes, maybe you would have done the same thing.”
Hemli stopped a few paces from them. He stood taller, and his eyes were clearer than what they remembered. It also seemed his thin beard wasn’t quite as thin as it was before.
“The creature is dead,” Nikki said, crossing her arms and looking down at Hemli with a scowl.
Hemli’s voice cracked as he said, “I know. I saw.”
“You ran from the fight!” Nikki shouted. “You are a coward!”
Hemli’s eyes dropped to the ground. “I know. I am ashamed. I had never seen the creature before, and I panicke
d. We are not warriors like you are. We are just simple folk who are trying to survive.”
“As we all are,” Glaerion said. “We are all just trying to survive in our own way. We cannot remake the past, but we can forge ourselves a new future. I, of all of us, know that firsthand. The past between Human and Elf made us enemies, but our future is for our races to be friends. We must choose to move forward from this moment and join to fight against our enemy. All of us. Even you and your people.”
Hemli looked up with wide, fearful eyes. “You wish us to join in your fight against a god? There is not a soldier among us!”
Conner saw the despair in Hemli’s eyes and realized that it was the same look that he had felt just moments ago and it made him embarrassed to feel that way. He chose to fight against the Deceiver, and he could not back away from that choice. The hopelessness that had enveloped him was beginning to wane. With his moment of weakness passing, the strength that had driven him this far was returning. His voice was once again strong and full of confidence. “We killed the creature. We can do the same with the Deceiver.
Hemli looked at the broken spear shaft in Nikki’s hands. “Is that the Spear of Salvation that you came for? It is broken.”
“The Spear can be mended,” Conner replied, glancing at Glaerion with a hopeful look. “We have traveled long and far to get here, and it has not been in vain. We will return to our kingdom with the Spear of Salvation and with any of your people that are willing to fight at our side.”
Hemli looked away from Conner to the body of the creature that had cursed and enslaved them. With a soft voice, Hemli said, “You did kill the creature.”
“It was immortal, and we killed it,” Conner said, a smile coming to his face. He was reinvigorated and could feel positive energy returning his strength. “We can do the same to the Deceiver.”