The Last Refuge (The Tomewright Compendium Book 1)

by L. A. Blackburn

  Bena immediately threw his axe just before bodily sailing himself across the platform toward the giant. But this giant proved more agile than most and rocked back on his heels to avoid the axe while taking Bena’s blow on his chin. Though stunned by a blow that would have shattered the skull of a lesser opponent. He didn’t fall and quickly recovered.

  “Is that it,” Zan smiled.

  The giant grabbed an unsuspecting guard nearby and hurled him at Bena who was caught by surprise at this sudden tactic. Throwing his arms up, he blocked the on-coming body, but was knocked to the deck of the execution tower. He quickly took advantage, scampering to his fallen opponent and putting a boot across his neck.

  “That’s just where I like you, under my boot,” said the giant.

  Bena pulled a knife and sank it up to the hilt in the giant’s ankle, causing no small amount of howling and swearing. Abruptly, the giant took a knee to Bena’s chest with such force the boards beneath them splintered, gave way and dropped the giant-killer through the opening. Bena snagged a loose board with his fingertips, but that last blow broke several ribs and he found it hard to maintain his hold. Zan looked down on him through the hole in the platform with a triumphant look on his face. Bena could hear the rushing water of the upper Arnon far below. The turbulent river threw itself violently against the sides of the castle before hurling itself over the Falls of Forever in the dark abyss below.

  “Father!” Sapha called to him.

  He looked toward her and saw her terror stricken face, pleading him to hold on. Zan turned with delight toward her, giving Bena the chance he needed. He threw an arm upward, grabbing Zan’s leg and heaved until the giant pitched backward toward the opening, halting his fall momentarily by catching his elbows on the edge of the broken platform.

  “Sapha, I’m proud of you,” he gasped through the pain.

  Then, with incredible exertion, he braced his legs against the underside of the platform and pulled Zan through the hole sending them both tumbling into the raging Arnon below. Sapha called his name as her tear-soaked eyes searched the driving waters below.

  “Well, that was interesting,” quipped Malkandia. “Now for the second part of the play. Ahaziz, if you would?”

  The corrupt Venger nodded, took a torch from a nearby sconce and casually walked toward the chained captives to set them ablaze. Sapha struggled against her chains, but they proved too strong for her weakened condition.

  With a calm resolve, Hanoch appeared on the damaged platform, wearing an expression still as death.

  “Ahaziz,” said Hanoch with a tone of accusation, as he turned to face his opponent.

  “I’m insulted,” the man jibed. “The Branch thinks so little of me that they send a childish dog.”

  “The head-master sends his word, demon-lover,” said Hanoch. “Ma’weth.”

  At this, Ahaziz’s eyes narrow to small slits as his lips stretch flat and white over his teeth, ending in a hideous smile as he approaches Hanoch with snakelike smoothness. They nod to each other in the mutual understanding of their order as they begin a dance of death. The sounds of clanging swords down below played a slow tune as they circled each other on the platform. Ahaziz moves forward, arm outstretched with his fingers forward as Hanoch copied him. There is a sudden flick of Ahaziz’s hand, and with blinding speed Hanoch is struck on mouth, sending a small trickle of blood down his lip to his chin. Hanoch shakes off the blow, but barely avoids Ahaziz’s follow-up as the demon-user quickly spins, sending a kick that tears part of Hanoch’s shirt away. The young Venger’s muscles bunched and rippled beneath his pale skin as he counters with his own kick, moving so fast the eye could barely follow, but Ahaziz slapped it away as someone swatting a child’s naughty hand. Hanoch dropped to the floor and spun backward with his leg outstretched, sweeping Ahaziz’s feet from under him and sending the demon-user flying backward in the air. And yet, the former Venger threw his feet over his head, moving to a flip and landing on his feet unharmed. Immediately launching a counter-attack, Ahaziz hurled a left roundhouse that caught Hanoch on his right cheek, spinning the young fighter around to meet a well timed right kick to his ribs which hit with a resounding crack. Hanoch doubled over and crumpled to the platform gasping for breath. Holding his side, Hanoch coughed speckles of blood on the floor as he tried to catch his wind. He turned to see Isha in her hiding place, staring back at him through a break in the line of guards. He immediately knew she meant to help him, but this was his fight, his assignment, so he shook his head at her. Isha understood. This was a Venger death-match. It was his to fight, win or lose, and no one had the right to interfere. It remained one of the few codes that all Branches shared. The smell of the wine and oil that the guards doused on them began to bring the prisoners back to consciousness. Isha saw Hanoch’s eyes dart back-and-forth between her and the prisoners, giving her the signal she needed. Hanoch pretended to be a weaker opponent to lengthen the fight, and his deception worked. The guards were completely focused on the fight in front of them, turning their attention away from the prisoners and giving Isha time to set them free. Quickly, she slid behind the guards, making her way to Elhan first. Their backs were to her, so cutting his bonds posed no problem, but the chains on their hands were another issue. Sapha saw her and almost called out. Isha quickly motioned for silence as she swiftly cut Sapha’s bonds.

  Suddenly, Malkandia saw the movement behind the guards and called out.

  “Guards! Kill the prisoners,” shouted Malkandia.

  Her orders fell on deaf ears as any attempt to approach the prisoners ended with one of Isha’s knives jutting from their necks.

  Quickly, Isha grabbed the pin that held Sapha’s right hand, pulling with all her might until it released its hold on with a slow creaking sound. With her arm free, Sapha went to work on her other pins and then liberated Elhan as Isha fought off the guards. Once freed, Elhan quickly took a guard in hand, snapping his neck like a dried twig while taking the man’s weapons for his own. Now armed, they were far from the helpless prisoners that Malkandia came to see perish in screaming fire.

  “You filthy dog! You played me,” gasped Ahaziz as Hanoch’s plan began to unfold in his mind.

  Still kneeling on the floor, the young Venger allowed himself the luxury of one show of emotion as he stood up and smiled.

  “Hakkor awaits, demon-user,” said Hanoch.

  With a sudden flash of movement, his hand shot out and back quicker than a viper’s strike, hitting Ahaziz in the throat so fast that the impact shook the demon-user for a moment.

  A look of startled confusion came over Ahaziz’s face as he gripped his neck and struggled to speak. It was then he realized his throat was crushed, and soon he would die. He sank to his knees, gripping at the air in Hanoch’s direction, but the blue tint growing in his face told the tale. Then, his eyes rolled back in his head as he fell on his face and surrendered to death. Ahaziz’s death gave Hanoch just enough time to move toward Isha, but was halted in mid-stride. Arching his back, he reached behind him, turning to show the handle of Conner’s dagger planted between his shoulders. By some dark art, Conner caught Hanoch off-guard long enough to strike, and now, he fell to the platform badly wounded. Enraged, Isha leapt toward Conner, knife in hand and red murder in her heart. But as though on cue, the door to the castle opened and a contingent of guards came pouring onto the platform, surrounding Elhan and the others and quickly overcoming Isha, pinning her to the platform under a pile of enormous arms. Malkandia approached her and took the knife from her hand while Isha glared up at her with contempt.

  “Harlot,” spat Isha.

  “That’s regent’s consort to you, beast,” retorted Malkandia as she kicked Isha viciously in the abdomen. “It seems we have a stand-off of a sort.”

  Sapha knew that she and Elhan could take the guard but she could do little holding Jackabo to her shoulder with one arm and brandishing a sword in the other. Then a voice from below rang clear like rolling thunder over the sound of battle a
nd the fighting seemed to freeze in time.

  “Conner,” Nathan’s voice held in the air like the chime of an enormous bell.

  For a moment, something akin to fear ran itself across Conner’ face and this did not go unnoticed by Malkandia. But, true to form, the dark mage gathered his confidence and readily met Nathan’s challenge as he glared down on his opponent from the platform.

  “What is it, boy, I’m busy. Can’t you see there’s an execution,” scoffed Conner.

  In spite of his outward manner, something about Nathan’s voice gave him an inward uneasiness.

  “I’d like to make a trade,” offered Nathan.

  “You have nothing to trade,” declared Conner.

  “Me for them,” he continued.

  Conner eyed him suspiciously, trying to determine if Nathan told the truth or not. Over the years, he perfected the art of detecting a lie because he told so many of them himself, but for the first time, he couldn’t read him. Something wasn’t right – wasn’t normal. Nevertheless, Conner nodded. He ascended the hundred foot tall platform stopping just half way to the top.

  “Release my friends first,” he insisted.

  “You’ve got nothing to bargain with here,” Conner grinned as he motioned the guards to go after him, but as they descended, a faint light flashed in his eyes that made them stop in their tracks. Instead, Nathan ascended the stairs himself as the guards parted the way, so fearful of touching him that they fell over each other to make a path. The fear that gripped them wasn’t of pain or suffering, but something far more powerful – fear of the unknown. Conner watched him advance to the platform with rueful suspicion. He had no idea what enchantment he wielded that made his guards quake, but knew it wouldn’t be enough. When he reached the top, he cast a quick glance over to Isha who still lay pinned to the platform by guards.

  “Let her up,” he ordered.

  Malkandia took the opportunity to examine him, casually strolled up to Nathan and surveyed him as she approached until turning her attention to Conner.

  “I like her fine where she’s at,” laughed Conner. “But I do want to thank you for adding yourself to the execution list today. It saves me quite a bit of trouble.”

  “Is this the whelp you’ve been going on about?” she asked as she glided by the young seer, circling him as a shark before the strike. “He doesn’t seem like much to me.”

  “He’s persistent. I’ll give him that,” said Conner. “So, Nathan, do you have anything to say before you die?”

  “You’re going to fail,” quipped Nathan. “Again.”

  “What would you know, brat,” spat Conner motioning to a nearby guard who went to Nathan and hit him in the face hard enough to knock him to the railing. He turned a defiant face toward Conner and smiled with bloody lips.

  “Now Dodie,” shouted Nathan.

  Conner’s expression turned quickly from triumph to fear, then to panic, as several small explosions echoed from below them, suddenly the execution platform began to rock and sway tossing several guards over the edge to land on the rocky earth below.

  “Grab something solid,” shouted Nathan as he went to the nearest rail, wrapped his arms around it, and held on for dear life.

  Immediately, the platform, which was attached to the castle on one side, tilted toward the earth, swinging like a trap door and dumping its human contents onto the flint-like ground far below. Dodie ignited several tomes on the supporting poles of the platform and exploded them, causing the wooden stage to drunkenly toss and turn. After the first blast, Malkandia bolted to the open doorway of the castle and made a hasty retreat followed quickly by Conner. The blast took the guards by surprise and the lurching platform threw them over the railing into the raging Arnon below. Isha grabbed the wounded Hanoch and dug her sharp nails into what wood remained as it heaved under her feet. Nathan moved toward the doorway just in time to see Conner’s shadowed form disappear behind the portal, followed by the clanking sound of the lock being set. Sapha and Elhan managed to temporarily halt their fall by gripping the railing, but even that didn’t last as it began to break into sections and fall away.

  “Elhan, take Jackabo,” called Sapha as the warden took the limp form and she climbed to the doorway.

  It had barely enough room for her to put a foot on the entryway, but she managed to get a strong grip on the metal bindings of the wood. Then, pulling with all her might, she bent her frame against the load. The door was strong and made to withstand a siege, but this was no ordinary attack. Sapha’s heart still ran hot with fiery rage from the torture she endured and the injury to Jackabo. The door began to bow in the center and groaned with pain as the metal bands that protected it began to snap and buckle until finally giving way under the onslaught, cracking and splintering into large chunks that came loose in her hands. Sapha shouted to the others as she and Isha held at lurching pieces of the platform, trying to hold on long enough for an escape through the newly open doorway. The remnants of the platform began tearing itself loose from the castle under its own weight as the stairway that connected it to the ground groaned and then fell to the earth like a giant tree, splintering into a hundred pieces. Elhan tied himself to Jackabo with some loose rope and threw the end to Sapha who quickly let go of the platform, grabbed the rope and pulled them up toward the door. Below, only a few feet of platform remained, but even that had already begun to fall apart. Nathan saw cracks forming in the wood beneath him that split the remaining platform in two. Elhan quickly extended his excess rope to Nathan just before the split section fell away. Nathan grabbed the rope and swung free, but the added weight almost pulled Sapha from the doorway. Wind blew around them, tugging and pulling at their clothes, testing them at every turn.

  “Can you hold them?” said Isha staring into the twisted face of Sapha.

  “Go,” said Sapha with strain. “Hurry.”

  Isha understood and climbed up with athletic precision. She knew that Conner and Malkandia would return shortly with reinforcements and they wouldn’t have a chance if found in this situation. Isha held Hanoch’s cloak and pulled him toward the doorway as she climbed. Elhan, still tied to Jackabo, managed to arrive at the doorway and pull the unconscious rogue to safety at about the same time Isha crested the portal. Sapha released her hold on the rope just in time to see the remainder of the platform tear itself loose from the castle, taking large chunks of stone and metal tumbling to the ground below. Tired as they were, Nathan knew that Conner would be there at any moment. Jackabo lay still in Sapha’s arms as blood seeped from the wounds on his body. Nathan bent down, gently placing his hands over the injuries and when he removed them, the flesh was renewed like new.

  “Thank you,” said Sapha with tearful eyes.

  Looking down at Jackabo, Nathan noticed his ashen color, blue-tinted lips and that his flesh was cold to the touch. It broke his heart to think of all the sacrifice they had given to get this far – only to find that he was dead. Sapha still looked at the seer with expectation. Putting his hands on Jackabo’s head, Nathan prayed intently – but nothing happened.

  “We need to hurry,” insisted Elhan.

  “Lay Jackabo on the floor,” said Nathan. “I want to try something.”

  Sapha put the motionless man on the floor, giving him a soft kiss on the forehead before moving away. Nathan lay on top of Jackabo face-to-face, arm-to-arm and mouth-to-mouth, sending his partners into a surprised panic.

  “What are you doing?” blurted Sapha.

  She moved toward Nathan, but was quickly halted by Isha.

  “Let him be,” said Isha, placing a reassuring hand on Sapha’s arm. “He’s trying to heal him.”

  Little-by-little, the color returned to Jackabo’s cheeks and warmth came to his limbs. Sapha gasped in excited delight as her love began to faintly move once more. Suddenly, Jackabo’s eyes opened with startled recognition as he shoved Nathan off of his chest and sat upright, spitting and wiping his mouth.

  “What the devil are you doing?” shou
ted Jackabo.

  Nathan couldn’t help but laugh as the once motionless rogue got to his feet and moved away from him in confusion. Jackabo looked around and noticed everyone staring at him.

  “What!” he exclaimed.

  “Let’s go, I can hear the guards gathering,” said Elhan as he led the group up the corridor until they emerged into a semi-circular fountain area with doorways on every side.

  “What now?” asked Isha.

  She carefully eyed each door as the sound of heavy boots rang in the passages beyond. Nathan quickly chose the doorway on the left and passed through the portal without stopping. For a moment, Isha wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Go after him,” Elhan ordered her. “Before he gets himself killed.”

  With that, she darted after Nathan, leaving the others to their fate. Somehow, she knew she was bound to him. From the very first time she saw him, she knew. It took some time for her head to recognize what her heart was saying. Nathan moved with intent and purpose like he had never shown before, guided by some unseen force that tracked him right to Conner. Nathan knew that he would go for the book since they had upset his final plans. The mancer made the mistake of thinking he didn’t need it when he went to the execution, and now that Nathan had arrived, there remained one last curse to bring the destruction and control he craved. Conner moved at an incredible pace, and as Nathan suspected, headed for the staircase to his tower. But no matter the cost, Nathan aimed to see an end to his sorcery once and for all. The mancer’s robes flowed through the halls as he ran, giving him an almost mystical semblance of flight as he bolted up the stairways with Nathan a few yards behind him. Then, without warning, two enormous wolves appeared on the stairway, blocking his progress up the stairs and giving Conner the advantage of a lead as Nathan swore under his breath, watching the mancer disappear up the stairway.

  Thirty

  “Torn At The Fold…”

  The wolves stood on the stairway, snarling with blood-lust as foam dripped from their mouths, their bulging jaws snapping, flecking droplets of drool on the floor around them as they craned their heads for attack. And like the giants running wild in the city, the wolves were possessed and hesitated to approach him. With a touch, Nathan could send the malevolent blights out of the poor animals, freeing them from their oppression, but would probably take several wounds in the process. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then, suddenly, Isha jumped off his back in an unbelievable acrobatic maneuver, using him as a springboard to launch herself in the air toward the beasts with blades in each hand. She closed the distance so quickly the animals had no time to react, and then she drove her blades home in the tops of their skulls.