The Cavalier Trilogy: Book 02 - The Rise of Malbeck

by Jason McWhirter

  “Ul anthar Luminos!” she yelled, shooting her left fist forward. Instantly a bright ball of light rocketed from her hand, hitting the demon in the face. The light was harmless, but it flared so brightly that the hound stopped, dropping its head low to shield its eyes. That’s when Allindrian ran forward, jumping high and through the light. She came down sword first on top of the demon’s back. The sharp spines on its back cut into her hamstrings as she straddled the beast, but her sword managed to slide through the demon’s ribs, sinking to the hilt in the beast’s muscled body. Her elven blade hummed with joy as it sought the demon’s death.

  Roaring violently, the beast bucked its powerful body, tossing Allindrian into the air. Yet she managed to hold onto her blade as black blood erupted from the creature’s deadly wound. The beast threw her four paces away and she landed hard in a patch of grass.

  Kromm, engaged in his own struggle, ducked under one swipe of a claw, while moving quickly to his left to narrowly avoid the second. The demon’s speed was astonishing and Kromm felt the power of each blow as it skimmed by him. Then, to his dread, a second beast joined its comrade. The newcomer growled, and bared its fangs, dripping blood and spittle that stained the ground. Kromm backed up slowly as the beasts circled him, toying with their prey.

  “So it ends like this,” Kromm growled, ready to fight to the death. But as soon as he contemplated his own death, he thought of his family, and his kingdom. He couldn’t die here. Refusing to accept that possibility, he felt a surge of power and determination rise up in him, fueled by anger so intense it nearly consumed him. Just the thought of his wife and son being without him caused his sword arm to shake with uncontrolled rage. These feelings erupted within him, invigorating his tired muscles with renewed strength. He stood up straighter, his eyes glowing from the surge of energy now coursing through his body.

  The demons growled, hesitating, sensing the change in their prey. Kromm, flexing his muscles, roared with a fury he couldn’t control. The ground shook and the demons froze as the power of his anger hit them in a blast of sound. His body coursed with so much adrenaline that he felt as if he would burst into flames. He threw himself toward one beast, swinging his sword down with intense fury. The hound attempted to deflect the sword with its claws. This time Kromm struck the strongest blow, and his sword powered through the demon’s strike cutting through skin and flesh. Kromm then reversed the strike, bringing his blade across the demon’s head. The beast howled as Kromm’s blade sliced across its eyes.

  Then, the second demon hound struck him from the side. It felt as if he had been struck by a dragon’s tail, forcing the wind from his lungs as he landed on his back with the demon on top of him. Kromm felt the crushing weight of the hound as the beast tore its back legs into Kromm’s thighs. His greaves and thigh plates protected him somewhat but they were not enough. Its claws raked his legs, creating deep valleys of bleeding flesh down his legs.

  The king roared in defiance and pain, releasing his sword and bringing both hands up to catch the descending jaws of the creature. It was like catching a rock thrown from a giant. Both hands closed on the demon’s throat as he fought with all his strength to fend off the black fangs that hungered for his flesh.

  The demon’s eyes flared with uncertainty as it struggled against the man’s surprising strength. But Kromm knew it was useless. The beast was too strong. Bleeding profusely from his shredded legs, he felt the beast’s front claws puncture his armor on his shoulders. Images of his wife and son flashed before his eyes.

  Allindrian, struggling to get up, gasped as she tried to regain her breathe. Her shoulder pounded and she could barely hold onto her sword. She switched hands with her blade looking up to see the wounded demon slowly walk towards her. She could not believe the creature was still alive. That blow should’ve killed it. But the beast had learned a lesson. The hound was slowly advancing on her now, obviously wary of the dangerous half-elf.

  Allindrian had no idea how the rest of the group was faring, and she did not risk a glance to find out. The hound was so quick that one glance would be all it needed to end the fight. Gripping her sword tightly with her left hand she focused on her training, concentrating on the dance and the movements that had kept her alive for so many years.

  Then the demon attacked. Her agility kept her moving left and right, narrowly avoiding the deadly claws. Yet one claw finally caught her, slicing deep into the flesh of her thigh. As blood poured from the deadly wound, she stumbled to her knee. The beast charged forward, sensing the end of the fight.

  It was ironic, but her injury saved her life. The hound was as tall as a bull, so when it charged forward its snapping jaws just missed her head as she dropped to her knee. Spinning her blade with her left hand she rammed the razor sharp point up through the demon’s neck. The silver tip burst from the demon’s skull, killing it instantly. The huge creature landed heavily on Allindrian’s legs as she tried in vain to leap free, pinning her under its enormous weight.

  Kromm’s forearms trembled with the strain of keeping the beast’s jaws from his face. No other man could have held the beast at bay for so long. The demon’s red eyes narrowed, whether in confusion, or anger, the king could not tell. But he felt his arms weaken as the loss of blood began to take its toll. He knew his death was imminent. As he felt his weary arms began to let go, he closed his eyes, waiting for the moment when blackness would engulf him. But it didn’t come. Instead, he felt the demon hound jerk several times and then the weight was gone.

  The king’s eyes slowly opened. There, to his left, he saw two of the beasts. They seemed to be focused elsewhere, toward the tree line, toward two glowing warriors in silver armor. Maybe I did die he thought. It seemed he was looking at an illusion. Kromm tried to stand but his legs gave out on him. He looked down and all he saw was blood. Gritting his teeth he somehow found the strength to stand. He picked up his sword on wobbly legs and slowly stood up to his full height.

  He wasn’t dreaming; nor was he dead. There, over twenty paces away, were two cavaliers, surrounded by God Light, moving rapidly toward the beasts. Both were carrying bows, and in a blink of an eye, one arrow after another flew across the meadow, slamming into the demons.

  Kromm could see that the one hound he had cut across the eyes was having trouble seeing. It was shaking its head from side to side, vainly trying to focus. One eye was completely destroyed and the other was filling with black blood. As several of the magical arrows slammed into it, the blinded beast roared in fury as they penetrated its tough hide. The second demon roared, charging the two cavaliers even as the arrows were hammering into it.

  The king took advantage of the situation to glance around for Allindrian. He saw her across the clearing struggling under the body of a dead hound. Clenching his jaw in stubborn determination he found the strength to move. He pushed the fog of pain away, stepping one foot after another. The short distance to her seemed endless, as if it would take an eternity to cover. As he ambled towards her he left a trail of blood behind him. Crimson streaked the grass as it brushed against the mangled and torn flesh of his legs. His vision swam, but again he shook it off, forcing one leg in front of the other. He growled in defiance, willing the dizziness away, forcing the blackness of unconsciousness back with mental hammer blows as he slowly made his way to her.

  Straddling the beast’s head he wrapped his arms around it in a bear hug. He didn’t need to tell Allindrian what he was doing. He lifted with all his remaining strength. She only needed a few inches and he gave her that. She slid out from under the demon and Kromm dropped the beast’s massive head to the ground. There was a loud thump as its head hit the grass, followed by a second thump as Kromm’s body hit the ground behind it.

  Jonas’s heart pounded as he watched the enraged demon hound run at him with incredible speed. His arrows were hitting their mark but he couldn’t tell if they were doing much damage. The beast did not slow and he only had seconds before the hound would smash into him.

  At
the last moment Jonas dropped his bow and quickly drew one of his blades, which took on a blue glow as the demon was nearly upon him. He channeled Shyann’s energy into his other fist, forming a glowing ball of blue flame. When the beast was just five paces away he screamed and hurled the ball of flame forward, simultaneously diving to the side. Azure flames erupted, creating a loud whoosh as the fire sucked in the air around them. The demon howled as the God Fire seared its head, but still it did not stop its charge. As Jonas jumped to the side, the beast’s momentum carried it past him. Jonas then used his sideways movement to roll out of the way, and come to his feet, this time holding both glowing blades before him.

  Several arrows flew from the brush nearby, hitting the hound in its flank as it attempted to shake off the burning pain from Jonas’s fire. The arrows, unfortunately, were not magical, and they bounced harmlessly off the beast’s tough hide.

  Jonas calmed his beating heart, found his center, and transformed his mind into the state of Ty’erm. As the familiar iron wall dropped over his consciousness, he then charged the distracted beast. At least that was how he would describe the feeling. When he entered Ty’erm, all of his superfluous emotions disappeared, as if a wall were formed around them. There was no fear, no worry, just pure concentration. Totally focused on the task at hand, his instincts took over, his body moving with practiced precision, unhampered by the thought of death.

  Both blades struck true, slicing deep wounds across the hound’s muscled chest. The hound roared in pain, swinging its clawed arm in a deadly sweep so quickly that Jonas could not avoid the attack. The deadly claws raked the side of his helm, the tremendous force of the blow lifting him into the air, spinning him in a full circle and throwing him onto the grassy ground. He rolled, quickly regaining his footing, and trying to get his blades up to fend off any new attacks. His jaw ached but his helm had saved him again. The demon’s claws had not penetrated his magical armor.

  Jonas, suddenly hearing Fil’s roar, shook off his dizziness. “No!” Jonas screamed as he saw Fil charging from the brush. The demon pivoted toward this new attacker, shooting towards Fil with lightning speed. Fil was so surprised by the beast’s speed that he barely had time to lift his spear to meet the charge.

  The tip of his spear penetrated just under the demon’s eye, but there was nothing there but bone, and the razor sharp point snapped off under the force of the impact. Fil’s arm jerked violently, his spear torn from his hands. Then he felt the full weight of the hound smash into him, using its huge bony head like a battering ram. Fil heard the cracking of his ribs as he was tossed into the air and launched backwards. He landed hard, tumbling several times, as searing pain erupted in his side. But along with the pain, he also suddenly had trouble breathing, every intake of air accompanied by excruciating pain. It was a familiar feeling, one he had experienced recently when an ogre had broken several of his ribs at the battle of the Lindsor Bridge. But this was worse. Any attempt to breathe was a struggle, as if an anvil were sitting on his chest.

  Taleen’s light flared brightly as she fired another arrow into the injured hound. The beast had finally cleared the blood from its only good eye and its head jerked, bird-like, toward her, finally able to see the cause of its pain. Four arrows protruded from the demon’s hide but they did not seem to cause it much damage; they only made it angrier. Instantly the hound used its powerful hind legs, launching itself toward her. Taleen drew her sword as the beast shot forward with cat-like speed. She dove to the side as the demon hound lunged toward her, its front paws raised and its claws splayed wide and fully extended. One paw clipped her leg, cutting her across the back of her unprotected calf.

  She rolled, coming up quickly and using her sword to deflect the striking claws. Her magical blade cut into the demon’s legs as the beast sought to get in close and rip her apart.

  The hound stopped for a moment, roaring loudly. The sound was deafening, the magical onslaught striking Taleen like a hurricane wind. Her ears pounded and she ground her teeth in pain, the horrible sound shaking her to the bones. Doubling over she struggled to concentrate enough to pray to Bandris for help.

  She had almost shaken off the magical attack when she felt the weight of the demon hound crash into her. She felt something in her arm break as she flew onto her back, the demon hound landing on top of her, its crushing weight forcing the air from her lungs.

  Jonas, hearing Taleen scream, tore his eyes from Fil to his fellow cavalier. He trembled with fear for her as he watched the other demon hound land on top of her. He quickly glanced back to Fil seeing that Kilius, Jangar, and Myrell had emerged from the brush and were engaging the hound as Fil squirmed in pain on the ground.

  Returning his gaze to Taleen, he was filled with foreboding as her screams echoed in the clearing. He could not reach her quickly, nor could he use his God Fire as he would burn her along with the beast, so he brought forth his cognivant power, gathering the energy around him. He could see the energy in his mind’s eye collect and swirl in a whirlwind just in front of him. After a few seconds he threw the power across the clearing, focusing its impact on the beast’s thick side. It was like an invisible wall shooting across the clearing, and as it neared the beast Jonas concentrated all the energy to a spot on the beast’s side, a spot about as large as a warrior’s shield. The force of the strike slammed into the hound, breaking its ribs, lifting it into the air and launching it against the rock face twenty paces away.

  Jonas was already running towards Taleen when the demon, unbelievably, regained its footing. Reaching her, he looked down, blanching at what he saw. Though her armor had protected her vital mid-section, she was bleeding from numerous deep lacerations on her arms and legs. But it was the wound on her neck that terrified him. Taleen’s eyes, wide with shock and fear, stared beseechingly at Jonas as she frantically tried to cover the puncture wounds with her hands, a futile effort, as her blood continued to pulse through her fingertips.

  “No!” Jonas cried, bending down to heal her life threatening wound. But he did not have the time, the roar of the hound alerting him that the beast was nearly on him.

  Shaking with fear for Taleen and fury toward the demon hound, he had no time to think; his only concern was to kill the demon and to protect Taleen. His anger and fear coalesced in a hurricane of power. His scream echoed for miles as his body flexed tightly, every muscle tightening, bringing forth his cognivant force like a cracking whip. He drew such massive amounts of energy into the strike that the demon hound didn’t know what hit it.

  Instantly the force of the strike struck the demon from all directions and its body caved in like a smashed clay pot. There was a loud cracking noise as the demon’s body was crushed, leaving nothing but an amalgam of broken body parts in an emulsion of black blood.

  Jonas’s head reeled with pain from the use of such immense power, rendering him almost unconscious. But he could not let that happen or Taleen would die. He forced the pain away, the sight of her damaged body giving him renewed strength. He was near collapse, but her moans and the sound of her struggling to breath gave him enough energy to push away the blackness that was fighting to overwhelm him. He had to stay conscious, he had to help Taleen.

  While Jonas was struggling to maintain consciousness, Jangar and Kilius were engaged in a desperate struggle with the last demon. Jangar brought his blade down hard on the hound’s head as it swiped at Kilius who was frantically trying to deflect the blows. His blade hit hard but did little damage. The demon kicked out with its back leg so fast that Jangar could not react in time, the sharp claws slicing through his cheap armor and ripping three deep cuts across his chest. The impact of the blow sent him sprawling backwards.

  Kilius continued to swing his sword from left to right but the demon hound easily swatted it away, and before Kilius could bring the blade back to defend himself, the beast reared up on its hind legs, bringing both front paws down toward his face. Kilius jumped backwards away from the deadly claws, but not quickly enough. He felt t
he creature’s claws pierce the flesh in his face, ripping long deep cuts all the way down to his chest. His poorly made armor did little to protect him and he screamed in pain, falling backwards into the grass.

  Myrell struggled to get to her feet as she watched her brother fall away from the demon. She had taken a claw to the leg and the painful wound was bleeding badly.

  “Kilius!” she screamed as she saw him howling in pain on the ground.

  The demon, momentarily distracted from its prey, jerked its head in her direction. She stood, holding her sword defensively, a pitifully feeble posture for such a formidable foe, but it was all she could do. The demon growled, slowly moving towards her.

  Just then a tremendous roar came from the brush to their right. As Myrell turned toward the sound, she saw a rock the size of her head flying through the air and crashing into the demon. There was a sick crack as the rock struck the beast in its hind leg. The power of the throw spun the beast so that it was facing the brush from which the rock had come. A large form then came crashing through the brush charging the injured hound. Myrell’s eyes widened in surprise as she recognized Hagar the ogrillion. He must have been following them at a distance the entire time.

  Hagar barreled through the brush rushing the wounded hound with no hesitation. The demon hound tried to lift its body onto its hind legs to meet the charge with teeth and claw, but its back leg was broken and it didn’t respond. Hagar gave a tremendous roar as he kicked out his large foot. The hound’s front claw and Hagar’s foot came together with a crack. Bones broke and flesh was torn, but it was hard to tell who was injured more.

  Hagar then came in quick with both fists, crashing them down on the demon’s head. The force of the blows slammed the demon’s head down into the dirt. Frantically, the hound swiped its claws out toward the powerful ogrillion. One claw slashed deeply into Hagar’s calf causing the ogrillion to fall down on his knee.