Ben!
His friend was in the fight of his life. Half underneath the sacrificial altar, he kicked and screamed at the flaming giant. “Get off me! Get off me!”
Summoning his strength, Bayzog shot across the room like a wild berserker. With the tip of his staff lowered like a lance, he drove into the back of the burning Bletver.
Crack!
The triant’s back arched, and his arms flung wide. Dripping hunks of flaming flesh, he teetered, swayed, and fell backward.
Wham!
In a moan of defeat, the triant’s flesh boiled its last and died.
Ben rolled over and over on the floor, yelling, “Get it out! Get it out!”
Springing to his friend, Bayzog covered the man with his robes and patted him out. Ben had boils and burns all over him. His face was a mask of pain.
“Will you die?” Bayzog asked.
“And miss all this suffering?” Ben coughed and grimaced. “I’ll live.”
On the other side of the slab, the battle in the phantom’s blackness yet raged. The wurmers dove in, only to be tossed out again. A stone giant hammered at something with its fists. Another giant turned, and its gaze fell on Bayzog. It came.
CHAPTER 39
Inside the wurmer’s jaws, Nath took matters into his own hands. He braced himself between the clenching jaws and shoved back. “Yuuurgh!”
The beast shook its head. Its throat muscles swallowed, and its tongue rolled under Nath’s feet.
“You can’t swallow me unless you kill me!” Nath buried his claws deep in the soft flesh of the wurmer’s mouth. He pushed harder.
The creature gagged and spat Nath out.
Cahack!
Free falling through the air, all he could see was the wurmer’s face. “Oof!”
He was back on the bridge, covered in slime and with the wind knocked out of him.
Above, the wurmer’s wings flapped, and it barreled through the sky, letting loose a mighty shriek. “Reeeeeeek!”
Nath sprang to his feet and dashed toward the temple entrance.
The wurmer swooped, landing in front of the gateway to cut him off.
Not slowing, Nath drew Fang and churned forward, giving the blade a single command. “Fang, destroy!”
A radiant burst of energy exploded from the wurmer’s mouth.
Nath plowed straight through the searing heat and buried Fang hilt deep in the wurmer’s body.
The wurmer exploded.
Boom!
Scales, flesh, and claws scattered through the air and rained down on the bridge.
No longer on his feet, Nath brushed a hunk of wurmer flesh from his shoulder and wiped some soft grit from his eyes. He studied the shimmering blade and felt the throbbing in his hand. He and Fang were one at last.
A clamor filled his ears. Springing to his feet, Nath rushed through the smoldering wurmer lumps into the temple.
Bayzog was standing over Ben with his staff raised over his head. A citrine dome of energy covered them in a sizzling glaze. Lording over the dome, a stone giant hammered at it two fists at a time. Bayzog was staggering on his feet, and the shield was blinking in and out.
Waving his arms, Nath yelled, “Over here, giant!”
But the monstrous man continued his focused assault on the dome.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
Closing the gap between him and the giant, Nath angled for its leg and chopped high. “Destroy, Fang! Destroy!” The great blade bit deep into the giant’s knee, drawing forth an angry cry. But there was no explosion. No boom. Just a giant that wanted to kill him.
The raging humanoid clutched at Nath and screamed, “Die!”
Nath turned his hips into the swing of his sword and sheared the giant’s hand off at the wrist.
It let out an awful howl so loud that Nath’s teeth tickled.
“EEEEAAAAAAUUUGHHHHHH!”
Not backing off, Nath seized the moment and pressed his attack on the bewildered giant.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
Clutching at its wounds, the giant collapsed on its knees and died. Still upright, its limbs transformed into stone with a fast then slowing crackle. It was a statue now, a memory of a monster that lost its final battle.
Nath rushed over to his friends. Ben was a horrible sight, and Bayzog’s face looked sickly. “Are you well?”
“Dragon, it’s you!” Ben exclaimed. He hitched his chin over his shoulder at the blackness that still whirled around the room, fighting someone else. “Then who’s that?”
Giving Ben a hand up, Nath said, “My father, Balzurth.” He started forward, eager to rip his father out of the raging darkness and enemies that surrounded him.
But Bayzog held Nath fast. “Wait. That phantom will steal your powers. It’s absorbing your father’s powers now.” The Elderwood Staff’s gem winked with new fire. “I can stop it, but not if I’m interrupted.”
“But Bayzog,” Ben said, “the phantom almost killed you before.”
“I wasn’t ready for it then. Now that I have the staff and know what I’m up against, I am.”
“What do you need?” Nath said, glancing over at the fracas.
“Just stay close and don’t let anything interrupt me.” Gripping the staff in both hands, the wizard planted one end of it firmly on the stone floor and raised his face to the ceiling.
Nath slipped Dragon Claw out of the bottom of Fang’s hilt and handed it over to Ben. The silvery blade swirled with a mix of red and purple within.
Marveling, Ben said, “It lives.”
The Elderwood Staff flared up in a white wash of light. Its brilliance lit up the entire chamber, driving the shadows and darkness away as the rising sun does to the night. Bayzog’s white-knuckled hands were glued to the shaft. His eyes were white as snow. His mouth hung open, but somehow his voice was calling in a deep Elvish form of ancient song.
Above them in a swirling storm, the white gathered and took form. A white phantom-like creature grew with a distinct head and hulking shoulders. It pulsed and drifted toward the blackness. Then, like a snapping bowstring, it attacked.
A shrill whine shattered the clamor of battle. The night and the day had collided. The phantoms went at it with a howl.
The flock of wingless wurmers was quick to find new prey. The mindless creatures fixed their eyes on new blood: Nath and Ben. Slithering over the floor, they advanced with startling speed.
“Have at them, Ben!” Nath decapitated the first wurmer that came into his path.
Ben buried Dragon Claw in another’s skull.
Pushed to the limit, Nath struck as hard and fast as he could. Anticipating every mindless move, he hacked the swarm of wurmers one by one, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop them from clawing down Bayzog—who controlled the fighting white phantom above.
And Dragon Claw or not, Ben was overwhelmed.
“Get behind me, Ben! Just guard Bayzog!”
Splintering bone, teeth, and scales with his own might added to Fang’s, Nath battled down the horde. Desperate for another plan, he gave Fang another order. “Repel, Fang! Repel!” He hoped a sonic wave would toss the slithering legions away. Between scale-rending swings, he banged the tip of the blade on the floor.
Ting.
Nothing.
A wurmer burst through the opening in Nath’s defense and bit into his leg.
“Argh!” Nath cried. He beat the thing in the head with Fang’s pommel, but its jaws were locked on his leg. He was practically immobile.
“Dragon!” Ben called. “I can’t hold them off any longer! And look!”
Another storm giant was coming up from the recesses of the temple, headed right for them. Its coal-black eyes were intent on smashing Bayzog. The bestial man with skin of stone did something clever and unexpected. It picked up a wurmer and slung it straight at Bayzog.
Locked to the stone by the jaws of the wurmer, all Nath could do was watch the scaly missile soar.
CHAPTER 40
Instinct. Survival.
Nath didn’t know what, but for some reason Ben flicked Dragon Claw at the flying wurmer.
On impact, the scaly creature exploded into shards of ice.
“Ben!” Nath yelled, just as two wurmers tore into his defenseless friend. “No!”
The giant reached down to scoop Nath up.
Nath cocked Fang back to swing. “You’ll pay, giant!”
A huge projectile smote the giant in the skull with a thunderclap.
Kraaang!
The enormous man’s knees buckled under its body, and it fell face first on the slab.
“Brenwar!” Nath shouted.
Storming into the temple on horseback came Brenwar, with Sasha and Laylana close behind. “Don’t be fighting giants without me! You owe me!”
The three warriors ran roughshod into the wurmers. Fiery missiles streaked from Sasha’s fingers, puncturing one wurmer after another. Laylana’s elven steel cleaved wurmer after wurmer in twain. Brenwar, powered by the gauntlets, punched with bone-snapping effect.
Nath locked his fingers into the jaws of the wurmer locked on his leg and began pulling them apart. Face reddening, arms bulging, he freed his leg and shoved the now dead but formerly vise-like clamp aside. Limping, he made his way over to Ben and hacked through the two wurmers attached to him.
“No, Ben, no,” Nath sobbed, cradling his friend in his arms. Ben’s face was marred in blood and burns. He’d never seen a man in such sad shape before. “Stay with me, Ben. Stay with me.”
“I’ve been through worse,” Ben said. He pawed at his side with a broken wrist. “Give me, give me the magic.” His eyes rolled up in his head.
Nath fumbled through the belt pouch, found a restoration potion, and poured it into Ben’s mouth. “Ben. Listen to me, Ben. You aren’t dying on me.”
Brenwar found his way to Nath’s side. “I think that’s the last of them.”
Above, the phantoms continued their battle of darkness and light. Howling and shrieking back and forth in a knot of mystic sheets, the ghosts raged.
Bayzog’s body trembled. His feeble frame seemed to be crushed under some unseen weight. The blackness of the phantom began to absorb the luminous white light.
Nath’s chest tightened. He could barely breathe. Ben was dying and Bayzog was fading. He felt helpless.
From the heap of dead wurmers piled up all around, Sasha appeared. As lovely as ever despite the dirt on her face and robes, she gracefully made her way over to her husband. With the gentleness of a dove, she locked her arms around his waist and whispered in his ear, “I’m here for you, my love.”
Bayzog straightened. The yellow in his eyes turned whiter than the snow on the peaks. The phantom he had summoned snaked out of the darkness. In an odd hand-over-hand movement, the white phantom reeled the black phantom in as if to swallow it whole. The black thing wailed and stretched. Its essence clawed at the air. Pawed for life. In two more tremendous gulps, the black phantom was gone and only a warm white ghostly light remained.
Bayzog collapsed into Sasha’s arms and the Elderwood Staff’s light went cold. The white phantom disappeared, and only the wavering torchlight illuminated the temple.
Weakly, Bayzog said, “Sasha, you’re well?”
Brushing his sweat-drenched locks from his eyes, she said, “Aye.”
“Dragon,” Ben said, still cradled in Nath’s arms. His color began to return and his heartbeat steadied. “I want to tell you something.”
“Absolutely, Ben. Anything.”
“I’m retiring.”
“Oh? Ha ha! It looks like you’re going to be fine after all.” Nath brought Ben up to a sitting position. “Wait here.”
Ben fell back down again, but Nath was on the move. He had to find his father. Brenwar followed right behind him, and as soon as they rounded the massive slab, they came across a startling sight.
CHAPTER 41
Rybek stood behind Balzurth, who was sitting on the temple floor. The Dragon King’s head was down on his chest. Haggard and drained, he breathed short, raspy breaths. Rybek had a chain wrapped around Balzurth’s neck, with his sword poised to pierce the dragon man’s heart through the back.
“Ah,” Rybek said. “It seems the true Nath Dragon has arrived. Such a joy. I’ve had no fun dealing with this imposter. Oh, it’s not what I want. It’s what Eckubahn wants, but I feel that today, we can both have what we want.” He tugged on the chain, choking Balzurth. “You see, Eckubahn wants him, and I want you. Your father, so clever and wise, hoped for me to send him to Eckubahn at full strength and give him a deadly surprise. He nearly pulled it off.”
“And how was that to happen without Eckubahn knowing?” Nath asked, buying his father time while he desperately looked for a way to free him.
Rybek dangled the amulet before them. “This will take you right to Eckubahn. Oh, he would be more than ready for the likes of you, but not Balzurth. No, I have a feeling Balzurth would destroy him. But now, with Balzurth in such a weakened condition, he’ll be ripe for the picking. A veritable sheep for the slaughter.”
“If you do that,” Nath warned, “there will be no escape for you. Look around. You’d be smart to use that amulet on yourself.” He stepped forward.
Rybek pushed his sword into Balzurth’s back, drawing forth a moan. “Nah ah ah. Stay right where you are. If anything smells like a trick, I’ll end him myself.”
Nath took a half step back. “You won’t win this if you stay, Rybek. Let my father go, or I’ll end you.”
“No, you won’t end me, Nath. The dwarf might, but you won’t. I know that about you.”
“You’ll die for all the innocent blood you’ve spilled one way or the other,” Nath said. “Let go of my father and live to fight another day.”
“That’s out of the question. Eckubahn would kill me,” Rybek said.
“Eckubahn won’t know what happened here,” Nath remarked.
Everyone in Nath’s party had flanked Rybek. There was nowhere for him to go. And it was quite possible that Brenwar would kill him. The way the dwarf’s hands twisted on Mortuun’s handle suggested he wouldn’t hold back.
“So you can take your chances with us,” Nath said, “or with your leader. If you are so cherished, then I’m certain he’ll need you later. Just do what your kind does: lie and curry his favor. You’ll find no favor with us.”
Rybek scanned all of their faces. He stepped back but kept the sword needling into Balzurth’s back. “Perhaps you’re right.” He gave his helmet an angry shake. “You played well today, Nath Dragon. It won’t happen again. Now back away.”
The party spread out.
Easing his sword away from Balzurth’s back, Rybek stepped away.
The tightness in Nath’s chest subsided. He’d won. His father was safe. There wasn’t anything Rybek could do to harm any of them now.
Sultans of Sulfur, that was close.
In the blink of an eye, Balzurth came to life. In a blur of motion, he twisted around and smacked the blade from Rybek’s grip with one hand and snatched the amulet with the other. Standing up at full height in a body of restored strength, the Dragon King said to an awestricken Rybek in a voice filled with raw power, “Justice for you. Vengeance for me.” He shoved the man to the floor.
“Father!” Nath cried out. “What are you doing?”
Balzurth turned. He’d transformed into a mirror image of Nath. “Playing possum.” He dropped the amulet over his neck and said, “I’m sorry, Son, but what must be done must be done.” He vanished.
Book 6, Flight of the Dragon, available August 2016! Click link or Pic!
About the Author
Craig Halloran resides with his family outside his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia. When he isn’t entertaining mankind, he is seeking adventure, working out, or watching sports. To learn more about him, go to: www.thedarkslayer.com.
Check out all of my great stories …
CLASH OF HEROES: Nath Dragon meets The Darkslayer
The Chronicles of Dra
gon Series
The Hero, the Sword and the Dragons (Book 1) Free eBook
Dragon Bones and Tombstones (Book 2)
Terror at the Temple (Book 3)
Clutch of the Cleric (Book 4)
Hunt for the Hero (Book 5)
Siege at the Settlements (Book 6)
Strife in the Sky (Book 7)
Fight and the Fury (Book 8)
War in the Winds (Book 9)
Finale (Book 10)
The Chronicles of Dragon: Series 2, Tail of the Dragon
Tail of the Dragon
Claws of the Dragon
Eyes of the Dragon
Scales of the Dragon
Trial of the Dragon
Teeth of the Dragon
The Darkslayer Series 1
Wrath of the Royals (Book 1) Free eBook
Blades in the Night (Book 2)
Underling Revenge (Book 3)
Danger and the Druid (Book 4)
Outrage in the Outlands (Book 5)
Chaos at the Castle (Book 6)
The Darkslayer: Bish and Bone, Series 2
Bish and Bone (Book 1) Free eBook
Black Blood (Book 2)
Red Death (Book 3)
Lethal Liaisons (Book 4)
Torment and Terror (Book 5)
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files
Smoke Rising (2015) Free ebook
I Smell Smoke (2015)
Where There’s Smoke (2015)
Smoke on the Water (2015)
Smoke and Mirrors (2015)
Up in Smoke
Smoke ’Em
Holy Smoke
Smoke Out
Zombie Impact Series
Zombie Day Care: Book 1 Free eBook
Zombie Rehab: Book 2
Zombie Warfare: Book 3
You can learn more about the Darkslayer and my other books deals and specials at:
Facebook – The Darkslayer Report by Craig
Eyes of the Dragon (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 4) (Tail of the Dragon) Page 13