The knights had no bows. Ranged combat wasn't considered honorable in battle. The small rocks continued to ping off their suits of armor. The distraction was proving costly as well as the occasional injury. Some of Aleena's men had bows and those bows turned the tide for a while. She pulled her forces back and set them to picking off the goblins.
The battle had raged back and forth for the day and well into the night before the enemy withdrew. Sir Amos knew better than to trust the respite and kept his men ready. They repulsed each attack that came, but the cost in exhaustion and blood was not lost on them.
The next morning as the sun crested the mountains to the east and shone into the valley, Sir Amos called upon the holy light to strike down their foes. With his sword blazing so brightly the blade burst into flames, he led the charge and routed the first of their gathered foes. The assault was short-lived when more ogres and a handful of giants arrived.
They'd fought through the day, losing ground slowly until Sir Amos had decreed that they would retreat no farther. A wide valley lay before them that they'd been driven across quickly by the superior numbers of the foes. They spent the night and most of the next day fighting in a ravine with steep walls that rose from the valley to lead back to the initial camp they'd overrun.
Sarya's forces were having trouble budging them, but it was only a matter of time. The knights were exhausted and had lost too many. Three recruits remained and a like number of squires. Aleena had six men able to fight and two more wounded and near death. Of the twenty-three knights who ventured into the mountains, thirteen still drew breath and fought on.
Now the giants had gotten involved. Rocks the size {OF WHAT } hurled from catapults crashed above them and dropped on them. The day was drawing to a close and they all hoped that with dusk the giants would stop bombarding them.
She used
her shield to block the tired thrust of a spear and then she stepped into it and hacked the spear in half before reversing her cut and tearing into the mercenary's chest and shoulder. He fell back and so did she. Aleena knew better than to leave her line behind.
Just in time, an ogre came charging from her right and swung his club at her. She ducked under the club but it caught the top of her shield and it ripped it out of her arm. The straps that held it to her forearm snapped as the shield was flung away.
Durak jammed his sword into the ogre’s hip as it ran past them. The ogre turned and tried to stop but the wounded leg wouldn't support it, causing it to tumble. Two of Aleena's men fell on it with swords and stabbed the massive warrior until he lay dead at their feet.
There was no reprieve; as soon as the ogre fell, goblins leapt over it and were followed by men advancing more carefully. As the daylight grew darker, she made out the silhouettes of more ogres advancing against her place on the right-hand side of the ravine.
"Damn!" Durak cried as a dead goblin fell and broke his blade. "That's my second sword!"
"Hurry, in my pack there's a mace," she told him. He moved behind her while she swatted aside the crude axe that swung for the back of his leg. Their armor was incredible but far from impervious. From the back and sides, there were many weak spots that a sword or spear could slip through. A club swung by an ogre or one of the giant-hurled rocks hit hard enough that the armor wouldn't if it was in front or behind.
A rock smashed into Aleena's shoulder, knocking her forward and causing her to cry out. She felt an eager goblin leap onto her back and start slamming his sword into the plate of armor on her back. She struggled to rise up but another goblin dazed her with a strike to her helm. Aleena fell to the side and had enough sense to roll. The goblin on her back fell off and she stared up at another goblin with a spear. He raised it up and was about to thrust it down at her when a massive sword swept across and cut him in half.
A few more swings of the blade gave Celos enough room to reach down and grab her and shake her. "You hurt?"
Aleena shook her head. "No, just dazed."
"Then get your arse back on the line!" he shouted while pulling her up.
Aleena pushed herself up to help him and looked for her helm. She couldn't see it amongst the rocks and dead bodies but she did spot her dropped sword. That was one thing she could say: Lady Patrina's sword had been just about the only positive experience of her first campaign. It had excelled where other weapons had failed. She hadn't even had to bother with sharpening the amazing weapon. She grabbed it up and felt reassured by its presence in her hand.
She turned and saw Durak was fighting with her two mercenaries but they were near to being overwhelmed. One of the men had his arm gashed by a sword and he fell back from the strike. He switched hands but his skill with his left hand was obvious a moment later when the same sword wielded by one of Sarya's mercenaries cut along his side. He cried out from the strike and had his sword knocked free from his hand. The enemy soldier grabbed his metal-studded leather shirt and yanked him away from Durak and the other man.
Aleena launched herself back into the fight with a fury. She kicked a goblin, knocking him down, and then drove her other boot into his skull. Feeling a satisfying crunch, she kept going and parried away two strikes before arriving in time to run the enemy human through from behind as he was about to deliver a killing blow. She yanked her blade free and then gave him the same fate he'd planned for his victim.
Aleena grabbed the man under his arm with her left hand and helped him to his feet. He was bleeding and his eyes were wide enough she thought they might fall out of his face if she tipped him forward. "Come on," she growled at him. "You're not done yet."
Aleena dragged him back behind the faltering line and shouted for a priest. When she saw one look her way, she pointed down at the man resting on the ground and then hurried back to the line. "Another half hour, that's all," Aleena whispered to herself. Their enemy had fallen back after the sun had fully set the night before. She prayed they would do the same tonight. And if they didn't, she'd just keep telling herself another half an hour until there were no more hours left.
Chapter 26
Alto followed the tunnel as it spiraled in an ever-rising curve. There were several openings on his left-hand side, many large enough for him to fit through. He looked through them as he climbed higher and higher and what he saw frightened him enough to stop him in his tracks.
Braziers were spread about seemingly at random on the floor of an enormous room. He knew there must have been an arcane reason for their placement but it was a pattern that he couldn't understand. The braziers seemed to gather around two areas. The object contained in the area closer to him was a massive statue of the creature of legend, a dragon. The silver metal gleamed with reddish light from the flames below.
The other group of flaming pedestals surrounded a creature as massive as the statue but she looked far less regal laying on the floor. Even laying supine, Alto's breath was taken away for a long moment. Sarya lay watching a group of men who were chanting and waving as they stood around her. He counted five of the wizards or priests or whatever they were. Four of them were dressed in dark red robes, the color of blood. The fifth stood near Sarya's head and wore black.
"It is time," a great voice boomed through the chamber. Alto shrank back and pressed himself against the far wall of the passage.
The black-robed man bowed and spoke to her. "Great Sarya, the equinox is yet days away. We should wait so we have the proper alignment."
Sarya's head rose from the floor and stared down at him. "The dead flock to me, filling this web with power. You will have enough with the maiden's sacrifice. Begin the ritual!"
"Yes, great one."
Alto gasped when he recognized the voice of the black-robed mage. He leaned closer and saw that it was Fizzulthorp, the man he'd once held in his grasp. If he'd have killed him then he could have avoided so much hassle. His family's death. Patrina's capture. Caitlyn's agony. Even the death of hundreds if not thousands of men, if what Sarya said was true. All because he didn't kill the wizard
when he had him. Alto dropped his gaze and found himself gazing at the sword at his side that he'd gone through so much for.
"No." Alto shook the thought from his head. If not Fizzulthorp, then another wizard. One of the other four gathered, perhaps. He looked up and stared at the wizards and the dragon again, only this time he looked closely at Sarya.
She'd already let her head come down to rest on the ground again. He focused as he stared at her and saw how aged and weathered she looked. The hard leather skin was dirty and cracked. Her wings were torn in places and in others he saw open and oozing sores. Thork was right: Sarya was dying.
He turned and looked at the silver dragon statue. He wondered how long it would take to perform the ritual. Sarya said there'd be enough power as soon as the maiden was sacrificed. His eyes widened as he fought past the fear that had blinded him moments ago. Patrina was the maiden! Alto clenched his teeth and shook his head. "There will be no sacrifice," he vowed in a whisper. He turned and started up the ramp, trying to move as fast as he could without making noise and alerting Sarya and her wizards to his presence.
The farther up the passage he got, the more quickly he moved. The holes in the side disappeared, leaving him with no way of knowing what was happening below. It also gave him an excuse to move as fast as the plate armor would let him. It took several minutes but Alto finally emerged onto the windy rim of the long dormant volcano. With his back to the icy wind, he gasped until his lungs stopped hurting and he felt his heart might not burst. He turned into the wind and squinted against it, and then saw Patrina bound to a silver beam driven into the rocks. The chains that ran from the beam to her hands were fashioned of the same silver.
Alto opened his mouth to cry out to her but the wind sucked his breath from him and stole his voice. He clenched his teeth and growled. It was just as well. The wind might carry his voice to those below. He turned and looked at the rim of the crater until he found a path that Patrina's captors must have used.
Alto crossed the path as fast as he could without risking being blown back into the crater. When he arrived at Patrina's side, he feared for her well-being. She had a simple robe on, nothing more. How could she survive the wind and the cold? Then she lifted her head and saw his legs. She kept lifting until her eyes rose to take in all of him.
Alto's mouth opened but no words came out. Her face was raw from the wind and her lips chapped and bleeding. He looked up and saw how raw the skin on her wrists beneath the silver manacles was. She'd tried to escape but couldn't, even using her own blood as lubricant.
Her lips moved but Alto couldn't make out the words above the wind. He dropped to his knees and took off his gauntlets before reaching and taking her cheeks in his hands. He gasped; her skin was so warm he thought she'd be on fire. He looked up at the manacles again and realized it was blisters on her wrists.
"It took you long enough," she repeated in his ear.
Alto kissed her. He couldn't stop himself and didn't think to try. He just needed to press his lips to hers. It didn't matter that they were raw and bloody. When the kiss ended, her strength failed her. Her head dropped and a rattling sigh escaped her lips.
Alto picked her up and cradled her head close to his. "I can die now," she whispered in his ear."
"No, you can't," Alto told her. "I won't let you."
Alto felt her tears against his cheeks. "I have to. You have to kill me. I can't do it myself. I tried."
"No! Never!" Alto shook his head and backed away to stare at her.
"If they sacrifice me, Sarya will be complete." Patrina's voice became stronger as she saw Alto shaking his head in denial. "They need a maiden."
"I'll cut you loose," Alto said as he rose to his feet and drew his sword.
"You can't," Patrina said but her words were too late. Alto swung his spiritblade at the chains with all his might. The magical dwarven steel would be stronger than silver; it had to be!
The shock from the impact went far beyond the physical. Alto staggered and fell to his knees. He gasped for breath and felt like he'd just had his spine grabbed and twisted. Every inch of his body tingled. He raised his sword up and looked at it. Where he'd struck the chain there was a notch in the blade of his perfect sword. Alto looked up at the chain and saw it was unmarred.
"Please Alto, kill me and save our people," Patrina cried.
He shook his head. "I can't. I'll die first."
"There's been enough death. You're not that selfish. End it with mine."
Alto turned and looked at the crater. Sarya was down there. Sarya, the one behind it all. "I'll kill her," Alto said. He turned back to Patrina and nodded. "I'll kill Sarya. That will end it!"
"Alto!" Patrina cried as he rose. "Please, don't do this!"
"I'll come back for you. You'll see. Believe me!"
Patrina's head slumped down and her body shuddered as he turned away. Alto rushed back across the path and went down the ramp. He didn't slow until he passed the first of the holes in the wall. The ritual was underway.
Alto moved faster, trusting the droning chant of the wizards to cover the sound he made. It wasn't until he reached the level of the floor of the caldera that he saw the red-robed wizard in the passage ahead of him.
"We've been waiting for you," the wizard said.
Alto charged. The wizard's eyes grew wide and he raised his hands to throw up a spell but not in time. Alto's shield smashed the wizard's hands into the air and crashed into the man's chest and face. Alto's sword slipped under, piercing skin, organ, and bone. He ripped his blade free while pushing again with his shield, eviscerating the wizard and leaving his corpse on the ground.
He turned and stepped onto the floor of the dragon's lair. One of the red-robed wizards turned and looked at him and then did a double take when he saw blood dripping from Alto's sword. He raised his hands and began to chant.
Alto ran again but didn't reach the wizard in time. Smoky tendrils shouted out from a brazier and wrapped around his legs, tripping him up and making him fall. Alto used his shield to absorb the impact and then struggled to kick his feet free.
"At last we meet." Sarya's voice rolled over him, her presence pressing against him like a great blanket. "I grew tired of the dreams."
Alto stopped struggling and stared up at the dragon. She'd lifted her head and fixed her cold reptilian eyes on him. She'd been in the visions with him. Did that mean that his family and Beck had been part of the other ones? Did they know he'd seen him? Had his parents truly talked to him when he'd spoken to Saint Jarook?
"It would have been perfect had you killed the girl," Sarya spoke. "Then we only needed your sacrifice to be complete. It was too much to hope I could get you to kill each other."
"Kill each other?" Alto managed to stammer. He found if he tried hard enough he could speak and move. It helped if Sarya let her gaze drift away from him, too. Something about her eyes made him feel helpless.
"The ultimate sacrifice. Virginal lovers who spill each other's blood. My ascension would have been uncontestable."
It was a trick! They'd tricked Patrina and made her believe they had to kill her, but what they'd hoped for was that she'd talk him into doing it. Alto felt the familiar rush of red heat sweep through him, pushing away the malaise induced by the dragon's presence. Unlike before, the rage wasn't influenced by an outside source. This time it was Alto's untainted fury that rose within him.
He swung his sword down and cut through the etheric ropes around his legs. He rolled to his feet and saw the wizard who had bound him scowl and begin to chant. Alto was closer this time. Close enough to make sure his lips didn't get the breath they needed to finish his spell.
"Don't stop!" Sarya told the mages.
Alto kept running towards the red-robed wizard between him and Fizzulthorp. The man stuttered in his casting and turned when Alto was too close to ignore. His hands flew to his pocket and he pulled out a powder but it fell from lifeless fingers as Alto's sword severed his hand. He smashed the wizard's face
with his shield and left the man unconscious and bleeding on the floor.
Fizzulthorp was next in line but he stood at least thirty feet away. Alto watched Sarya rear her head back with open jaws. Alto broke into a sprint, running as fast as he could in his heavy armor. The plate fit well and allowed him more agility than he'd expected. He altered his course and ran behind Fizzulthorp. Flames licked at his heels warmed him beyond reason. Alto lifted his shield in hopes it would spare him. Flames swept over it and licked at him until he heard a scream and the flames stopped.
Alto turned and saw Fizzulthorp rolling and writhing on the floor while he burned. Alto grinned and kept running. The final wizard stopped casting, causing Sarya to howl and reach out at him. Before he could finish his spell that Alto had no hope of blocking, Sarya's claws pierced through him from back to front and lifted the dying man off the ground.
She raised him to her mouth and bit down on him, tearing him slowly in half before tossing his jerking legs away. Alto took note that several of Sarya's teeth were missing. As the dead wizard's lower torso crashed into the ground near him, he saw another one of her teeth sticking out of what remained of his belly.
Alto ran to the wall while Sarya climbed to her feet. She moved slowly, each step painful. He leapt and grabbed on to a hole in the wall and then pulled himself in.
"Run and hide, puny man, it doesn't matter! The ritual is all but complete. I will kill her and finish it myself!"
"I thought you needed to kill me too? Virgin lovers," Alto said as he moved between the holes in the wall and tracked her progress towards him. He had no idea how to get to her so he could strike her. She was old and slow to move, but her hands seemed quick enough. Then there were her flames.
"You only need to die; it doesn't matter how," she snarled before he heard her inhale again.
Alto ran up the path while flames blasted against the rock wall and shot through the holes. Superheated air rushed past him, making him gasp and causing steam to rise from a mystical shield around him. Alto almost laughed as he realized Kar's spell had saved him. Twice now, in fact.
Silver Dragon Page 30