by James Wisher
Rain stiffened. Did he know about them? Should she say something?
He must have noted her reaction. “Don’t worry; I bear the young knight no ill will. Tahlia and I were bound to marry and have a child before my birth. It was never about love, only duty. It’s been hard for her, living here amongst mortals. If she found someone she can love I wish her all the happiness in the world.”
Rain sighed. “You should tell Col. I think he’s afraid you’ll find out and order his execution.”
Jarod chuckled. “If I did that I suspect Tahlia would blast me to ash. Look.”
The king’s voice had turned grim and he pointed beyond where the soldiers mustered. Rain shaded her eyes and gasped. The beastmen were in sight, row upon row of them quick marching toward a force that now looked far too small to stop them. Rain trembled at the sight. She tried to get herself under control and failed.
“Why do they keep coming? We’ve killed so many yet they won’t stop.”
“They can’t stop,” the king said. “Beastmen are created beings. The darkcasters made them in the old times to serve as troops in their armies. Their nature requires them to obey anyone capable of wielding Dark power. The creatures are nothing more than pawns without a choice in how they die.”
“It almost sounds like you pity them.”
“I do, to a certain degree, but that won’t stop me from doing all I can to defeat them. Which isn’t much at this point. They’ve stopped.”
He was right; the beastman army had come to a halt some distance from their army. Probably to catch their breath considering how far they ran. She somehow doubted they planned to surrender. A figure at the front of the army stepped forward and darkness seemed to gather around him.
“The Black Prince,” Jarod said. It was the first time she’d heard him angry.
A light streaked through the sky toward the gathered armies. Rain squinted again, trying to figure out what horror they’d have to deal with now. It almost looked like a person.
“Tahlia,” Jarod whispered.
Rain looked closer. “No, it’s Col, and he’s got wings.”
Col tucked his impossible wings and dove toward the ground. For a moment Rain allowed herself hope.
* * *
The ground raced to meet Col at an alarming rate. He felt Tahlia’s amusement and an instant before they would have splattered her wings snapped open, beat once, and he landed light as a feather fifteen feet in front of the Black Prince.
Col grinned. As entrances went this one would be hard to top.
He drew his sword and leveled it at the Black Prince. “Rematch time. Ready to join your master in hell?”
The black-armored figure laughed, a cold, hollow sound devoid of humor. “I humbled you once. What makes you think you’ll have better luck this time?”
“Call it intuition. Let’s go.”
Col leapt forward and Tahlia beat her wings, powering him into his opponent.
Their swords crashed together with enough force to cause a breeze. The Black Prince skidded back a couple feet, but his arm never wavered.
The massive sword went back a few inches then surged forward, lifting Col off the ground and sending him flying back. He landed in time to see the black sword slash through the air, sending a wave of Dark energy rippling toward him.
Instinct or perhaps Tahlia’s mental urging caused Col to mirror the movement and a wave of Light energy shot out.
The opposing powers came together with a crack like thunder and jagged shards of power flew in all directions, snarling and popping when they hit the ground.
That was impressive, and it seemed now they were even; the question was how Col would get the edge.
Speed seemed to work in the library; now that he had more room to maneuver it should work even better. He darted in again and when the Black Prince swung at him he spun and avoided the huge sword which sunk a foot into the ground. He completed a full rotation and slashed a great gash in his opponent’s breastplate. Blood dripped from Col’s sword.
He hadn’t missed the flesh underneath this time.
“That hurt? I bet it’s been a while since someone sliced you.”
The Black Prince growled like one of the beastmen and threw his free hand forward. A pulse of power shot toward Col.
Tahlia’s wings snapped shut around him and the power flowed over him like water. When her wings opened his opponent took a step back.
He looked afraid, a little anyway.
Snarls and grunts ran through the beastmen and Col hoped they’d lost a little faith in their leader. If they hadn’t they would when he laid the bleeding stump of his head at their feet.
Col raced back at him and their swords clashed again and again, somehow the giant blade kept up with Col’s lighter weapon. He clenched his jaw and pushed hard, abandoning all defenses to make one more strike. Sparks flew from the enchanted blades. The black sword creased his cheek when one desperate dodge wasn’t quite fast enough. The royal sword bit in return, laying open the Black Prince’s arm, shoulder, and abdomen.
Bloody and gasping, the two knights faced each other. The royal sword felt like a twenty-pound bar of lead in Col’s hand, how the Black Prince raised his huge blade was beyond Col’s comprehension.
Col wrapped both hands around the hilt and charged. This pass would end it one way or the other. He didn’t have enough strength for another attempt.
He focused on the gap in his opponent’s armor that he opened when they fought in the library. The great black sword swooped in toward his head. He ducked and felt it pass within a hair’s breadth of his skull. The swing left his opponent wide open.
Col screamed and swung with all his might. The royal sword sheared through armor and flesh and armor again, cutting the Black Prince in half.
Col staggered and spun around to face the silent beastmen. Tahlia’s wings flared, bathing him in brilliant white light. “Run!”
As though commanded by a god, the beastmen turned and fled, some trampling their smaller kin in their rush to escape the man that killed their master. Col stayed on his feet with nothing more than sheer willpower until the last monster fled over the horizon.
He fell to his knees, too exhausted to move. “I have to go now,” Tahlia said. “I will miss you, Col.”
“No, please don’t. I can’t lose you too.”
“I can’t stay in this world without a body and I don’t have strength enough to form a new one. Goodbye, my love.”
Tahlia’s essence flowed out of him, leaving him hollow and bereft. He looked up and saw her ghostly form in the air above him. He reached up and touched her insubstantial fingers an instant before she vanished. When darkness came to claim him he welcomed it.
* * *
Col groaned and opened his eyes. There were more groans all around him and the scent of blood and alcohol. He was either in a tavern in a really bad part of town or the infirmary. He turned his head and found Rain sleeping in a chair beside his cot. When he tried to sit up he found everything still hurt. Col grit his teeth and kept going until he reached a sitting position.
“Lay down,” Rain said. The creaking of the cot must have woken her. “The healer says it’s a wonder channeling all that power didn’t kill you.”
Col sighed. “She wouldn’t have let me die.”
“I’m sorry about Tahlia. King Jarod and I watched your battle from the second floor garden. After the beastmen fled the soldiers carried you back to the palace. They all wanted a chance to carry you. I suspect if those men had anything to say about it they would have you named a saint.”
Col laughed and found his chest hurt. “I’m no saint. I only hope Sir Geris can rest easy now that his murderer is dead. Maybe he’s with Tahlia. If he is I hope he doesn’t tell her any embarrassing stories about me.”
Rain rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure he wouldn’t.”
“Can you help me up?”
“You really should stay in bed.”
Col waved he
r off and swung his feet over the side of the cot. “I need to move around and get some fresh air. Let’s go to the garden. Where are my pants?”
He found his clothes under the cot and dressed. It was a measure of how out of it he was that he never thought about Rain watching him get dressed until he finished. “Ready?”
Rain shook her head and handed him a cane to lean on. “Fine, but if you get tired we’re coming straight back.”
Col hobbled through the overfull infirmary. Some of the wounded noticed him and reached out to touch his hand. He tried not to flinch away, but he found the attention uncomfortable. They left the infirmary and made their way through the halls to the garden doors. Servants bustled around; some offered Rain a quick curtsy, others stared at him.
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know what happened?”
“The story spread fast. You’re going to be a famous for a while.”
Col grimaced at the idea. Perhaps he could sneak out and hide in the city. They reached the garden door with a minimum of fuss and Col pushed it open. The cold slapped him awake and he welcomed it. Bright noon sun shone down on a thin layer of snow, and he shuffled over to the bench where he first spoke to Tahlia. He saw her in his mind’s eye as clearly as he saw Rain standing beside him. How long would it take him to get over her? He sighed, probably his whole life. He stood still for a moment and looked out over the peaceful city. They were all still alive thanks to Tahlia’s sacrifice.
“It’s freezing out here,” Rain said. “Let’s go back in. I’m not supposed to say anything, but they’re planning a feast in your honor.”
Col shook his head. “Maybe I can find some beastmen to fight instead.”
Rain laughed, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back toward the door.
About the Author
James E. Wisher is an author of fantasy and science fiction novels. This is his fifth book.
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Also by James E. Wisher
Death and Honor Book 1 of 2
Death and Honor Book 2 of 2
Children of Darkness
Children of the Void
Children of Junk