by Duncan Pile
Taurnil attacked again, and amazingly, the Darkman fell into a retreat, blocking Taurnil’s whirling staff on its blades. Blue flames ran up the bony protrusions and flickered over its hands and forearms, causing it obvious pain. Gaspi dared to hope that Taurnil had its measure. The demon-bane powers of the staff were clearly damaging it, the Darkman growling in anger as it fended off the fiery blows.
The demon’s frustration boiled over and, braving the pain of the flames, it grabbed Taurnil’s staff mid-swing and tried to wrest it from his grasp. Blue fire coursed down its length, surging over the demon until it was entirely enveloped. Gaspi held his breath, hoping beyond hope that the enchantment he’d placed on the staff was up to the task. He gripped Lydia by the shoulder, willing Taurnil on, but his hopes were dashed in a single moment when the staff flew out of Taurnil’s hand and went spinning away across the floor. It hit the flagstones and bounced noisily into the shadows, its flame gone without a trace. Taurnil’s eyes widened as the Darkman’s clawed hand thrust out and closed around his throat.
“Attack!” Gaspi yelled. It was time to kill or be killed. He summoned power, and on either side of him Lydia and Rimulth drew on elemental power. The fire and air spirits rose into the air, screeching their hatred of the demon as their bond-mates called on their primal force. Talmo nocked an arrow and drew it back, aiming for the Darkman’s back. Heath and Baard leapt towards the demon, weapons raised. Gaspi readied his strike, but never had a chance to release it.
White light exploded behind him, flooding the room with its glare. Every last one of them turned towards it, including the Darkman, and saw Emmy standing by the altar, her arms raised to heaven, her fingers splayed. Light blazed all around her, but most intensely in her hands, where its brilliance was impossible to look upon. With a tortured cry, she thrust the gathered power at the Darkman. A blinding bolt shot across the room and collided with its chest, and the demon flew across the room and smashed into the wall, steam rising from the point of impact. It fell to the ground, its shoulders heaving, its head bowed. Emmy had sunk to her knees. Light still shone from her, but casting that spell had clearly cost her dearly.
Quick as the wind, the Darkman was up and running straight for her, poison-drenched weapons ready to deal death. Taurnil threw himself in its way, only to be brutally bashed aside. Everyone attacked it at once, but it barrelled through them without even slowing. It leapt into the air, a dart of death flying right at Emmy’s heart. Gaspi cried out, and at the very last moment she looked up and thrust out shaking hands.
Light shot from her palms, caught the Darkman in mid-leap and threw it across the room once more. Emmy’s cry of anguish was unbearable. It sounded like she was tearing herself apart, but the Darkman was worse off. Steam hissed from every inch of its skin. It rose to its knees and lifted its head, making an animal keening noise that grated on Gaspi’s ears. Agonised, it turned its head to consider Emmy once more. She was on her knees again, forehead to the ground, but she was not unconscious. The elementals flanked her, glowing with their own power. Lilly’s healing energies were flowing into Emmy but she didn’t respond.
The Darkman sprang into motion once again, murder blazing in its blood-red eyes. Gaspi threw a strike at it, and those that could threw themselves in its path, but it didn’t even get halfway across the room. Emmy, risen to her knees, attacked it with one last blazing streak of light. Her screams filled the chamber but she held on, the light intensifying around the Darkman’s lean form, outlining it in a sun-bright nimbus of healing power. The Darkman staggered, writhed, spun and tried to flee, but the light intensified, stealing its strength as pain it could never have imagined assaulted it. It fell to its knees, arms outthrust. Its bony protrusions quivered and it threw back its head, opening its mouth and releasing a final broken roar. It imploded, gone in a single moment, its body transformed to drifting ash.
The light disappeared and Emmy collapsed.
“Emmy!” Gaspi cried, rushing to her side. She was white as a sheet, dripping in sweat. Lilly reached out to him, flooding him with elemental power, and his lips gave voice to a healing chant. He pressed his hand over her heart as power flowed through him in a torrent. Lilly was giving it all she had, but Emmy’s heart was beating like a bird’s beneath his hand, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. He could feel her life teetering in the balance; any moment she might topple off into darkness. She stayed like that for another, unendurably long moment and then fell back into the light. Her heart rate slowed and steadied, and her breath came more evenly. At last, Lilly’s power ebbed and then ceased flowing altogether. “Emmy, are you okay?” he asked, filled with worry.
Her roving pupils struggled to lock onto his face and finally sharpened as she focussed. She moaned and fell against him. He held her as tight as he dare. “Emmy, you did it. You killed the Darkman.”
“Then Zlekic and Zaric are free,” she said, her hands tightening in his shirt.
“Yes, they are free,” Heath said.
“And so is Balkrist,” Talmo said, speaking with rare, unchecked emotion.
Forty-three
Baard returned moments later, horrified to learn what had happened in his absence, and even news of the Darkman’s defeat was unimportant in the light of his concern for Sabu. The blademaster was badly wounded. The Darkman’s death meant his soul was safe, but no-one knew what its poison would do, even after the demon was destroyed.
“We need to get you to Helioport,” Baard said, lifting Sabu up with uncharacteristic gentleness and propping him up against his pack.
“We still have to get the fragments yet,” Gaspi said. He held Emmy protectively, reluctant to ask anything of her, but she stirred at his words, rising from his embrace on unsteady legs.
“We have been given permission,” she said. She approached the altar and lifted a finger, light blossoming at its tip as she extended it. The moment it touched the stone, the tree shattered into hundreds of pieces, which fell in a pile at her feet. There was no dust; just a pile of evenly-sized, diamond shaped fragments of glistening white stone.
“Pick it all up,” she said, and everyone who could do so ascended the steps and scooped the fragments into pockets and packs.
“Baard, are you still staying?” Gaspi asked, when it was done.
“Yes laddie,” the giant said, eyeing Sabu with concern. “Look after ’im.”
“I will,” Gaspi said. “Everyone, gather round Sabu.” The group clustered around the wounded blademaster. Gaspi looked around, making sure no-one was left out of the circle. He placed his free hand on Sabu’s shoulder, withdrew the amulet from round his neck and channelled power into it. “Return to Helioport!”
…
It was terrible. The worst it had ever been. Somehow he’d gotten through it, but his body and mind were so distressed by the effects of transportation that he could barely function. The first thought that came to him was that he wasn’t in the Observatory – not unless Hephistole had carpeted it in cool, wet grass! He groaned quietly, unable to move a muscle. Surely it wasn’t possible to feel this bad. Had something gone wrong?
“Gaspi!” a familiar voice called, followed by the sound of galloping hooves. A horse whinnied and the hooves came to a stop. He heard the sound of feet hitting the ground, and footsteps hurrying towards him. “Gaspi!” the voice called again, much nearer this time, but he couldn’t even lift his head. The speaker dropped to his knees right by his head and peered worriedly into his face.
“Jaim,” Gaspi murmured.
“Thank God you’re alive!” Jaim said. “Voltan’s amulet was destroyed – the distance was too great – so Hephistole sent me riding north to try and close the gap. Looks like it worked.”
“Can’t talk yet,” Gaspi groaned. “Give me…a moment.”
Jaim didn’t respond, but rose to his feet and went from person to person, checking they were alive. By the time he was done, Gaspi felt a little better, but not much. With an effort, he flopped onto his back and stared a
t the sky, concentrating on breathing.
After a while, he felt like he could move without being sick. With a weak gesture, he summoned the air spirit. It hopped over, bedraggled and disconsolate. “Jaim, give it your section of the amulet,” Gaspi said. Jaim handed it to the air spirit, which took it weakly in its beak, but then dropped it to the floor. The air spirit was in bad shape too. They’d all just have to wait a little time, at least until their strength had recovered.
“Let me know when you can fly.” The air spirit gave a faint cry and flopped to the ground.
It was a good half hour before any of them could move around at all. Gaspi kept testing his magical resources to see if he could draw on a reserve of power. If he could harness his powers, he’d call down rain, which would enable Lilly to transform and heal them all, but it was no good. His strength had been entirely depleted by the terrible effects of the transportation. He hadn’t enough power to summon a globe light! As soon as he was able, Gaspi got to his hands and knees and crawled over to join Emmy, who was curled up on the ground with a disconsolate looking Lilly.
“How do you feel?” he asked, full of concern. She smiled at him faintly but didn’t answer, and he knew it was as much as she could manage. He smoothed the hair back from her face and kissed her cheek, desperately hoping that whatever damage had been done to her was reversible.
Jaim wanted to know about the quest but Gaspi didn’t want to tell him anything, at least until he’d spoken to Hephistole and Voltan. They deserved to be the first to hear that the Darkman had been destroyed. He did explain to Jaim that Sabu and Emmy were in the most urgent need, and needed to get to the infirmary as soon as possible. The only one of them in good shape was Loreill, who had transformed the moment they arrived. The presence of trees and grass enabled him to take his natural form, relieving him instantly of weariness and the gut-wrenching after-effects of long distance transportation, but he wasn’t able to help anyone else. An earth elemental dealt with plants and trees, but was not able to heal living creatures.
After another half hour or so, the air spirit summoned the strength to take off, but it didn’t take the amulet straight away. Instead, it flew up into the winds, high enough to transform, and when it came back down again as a hawk, it was fully restored.
“Helioport, quick as you can!” Gaspi said. It gave a piercing cry, picked the amulet up in its beak and was off like a shot, winging its way southwards. It would arrive in a few hours’ time, and they would be able to transport directly to the city.
Emmy’s hand found his and she gave it a little squeeze. “We did it,” she said, barely above a whisper. “We completed the quest.”
“Yes we did,” Gaspi responded, smiling at her in encouragement, but in his heart of hearts, he didn’t feel much like celebrating. The twins had given their lives so that the quest could succeed, and who knew how the battle with the Darkman had affected Emmy? The memory of her anguished screams as she used healing to destroy the demon made him shudder. As for Sabu, the Darkman’s poison was coursing through his veins; if they couldn’t find a way to heal him, he might still lose his life. While they waited, he thought wearily about the dangers they’d come through. They’d fought off Gaaks, destroyed a Bloodstone, snuck through thousands of ogres, escaped a dragon, killed the Gunthaak, defeated the Darkman and finally collected the fragments of the altar they’d gone to find in the first place. They’d finished the quest, but the price had been terrible, and there was still such a long way to go. Whatever they’d achieved so far, the worst was yet to come; the battle with their greatest enemy, Shirukai Sestin, was yet to come.