by Carey Corp
“A Clydesdale. They’re native to this area, but tha’ creature is somethin’ else . . .” His voice dropped off and he shook his head in horrified awe. “ ’Tis at least twenty-five hands tall.”
“Seven feet at the shoulder,” Duncan clarified as he stepped up beside his brother.
Kenna looped her arm through mine and handed me the spyglass. “And I wouldn’t compare that thing to the majestic Clydesdales in the beer commercials, at least not anymore . . .”
I raised the small telescope, and when I found the horse and rider I gasped out loud. The animal’s flesh was the sickly black, brown, and purple of a deep bruise. Large shards of hide hung off its bones in bloody chunks. It stamped and turned to expose a gaping hole in its side, and I could see its ribs and pulpy organs beneath. I shifted the glass up to the rider, and it was Addie’s face that gave me the biggest shock; the skin on the right side had completely disintegrated, bones and tendons exposed from eye socket to jawbone, while the other half still held the beauty of a surgically enhanced trophy wife. Why hadn’t she healed herself after the explosion?
Then, as if she could see me, she stared straight down the lens of my telescope and mouthed the words, “It’s over.”
In a move so quick I could barely see her hands, she formed a ball of purple flame and hurled it in our direction.
“Take cover!” I screeched.
Jamie grabbed my hand and we dropped, sliding down the grassy hill, just as the sky exploded.
CHAPTER 40
Jamie
The violet ball struck with a boom that vibrated the ground beneath us. Vee squeezed my hand as we looked up at the point of impact. Because of Mackenna’s gift, I could see the purple ooze of the witch’s magic melting the white shimmer of our protection buffer. The disintegration was slow, as if Vee and Kenna’s barrier fought against Addie’s spell.
We have to stop it. Veronica let go of my hand and rushed to Mackenna’s side. “I don’t know how. The rings—”
“We can do this, Ken. Just like in the castle gardens when we took out the skellies force field. We have to believe.” Mackenna nodded and they raised their joined fists to the sky and began to call on the Protector’s strength.
Protect our people, we ask. Defeat the witch’s magic and repair the shield that you so graciously granted us, Vee’s voice whispered through my head. The girl’s eyes remained closed and suddenly the strength of their will smashed into my mind, almost dropping me to my knees as I felt their belief, their resounding faith.
The rings sparked, shooting white flame that pushed back the purple darkness. The crystalline dome sealed once more and the lasses lowered their arms. But the moment the white beam from the Rings of Aontacht disconnected, violet sparks began eating another hole in the protection.
Veronica and Mackenna linked hands again, and this time my brother and I joined them. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, white-hot fire burst from the rings. Raising our consciousness together, the shield began to rebuild itself once again. This time, the lasses didn’t move, but kept their hands linked and raised.
At first, it seemed to work, but then another purple globe hurtled down, this one breaking into smaller orbs before smashing into the dome. Each hole grew larger by the second. The power of the rings was unable to keep up, and soon both sputtered and winked out.
“No!” Vee cried. “Kenna, try again!”
But the rings did not spark again. And the purple continued to eat away at our shield.
Duncan put his hand over the lasses’ joined fingers and gently pushed their arms down. “One of the most important aspects o’ bein’ a soldier is knowin’ when you’re bested. Knowin’ when to retreat.”
The girls’ eyes met and with a solemn nod, they let go.
I pulled Vee tight to my chest. “We need to go and warn the others. You and Mackenna head west and raise the alarm. Duncan and I will go east and north.”
Releasing Veronica took herculean effort, but I’d accepted that we couldn’t stay together through this fight. She’d proven she could take care of herself. I glanced up; the holes had met in the middle and the purple sparks were making their way down the sides of the shield. We had little time. With one last squeeze, I let her go and we all took off at a sprint.
Duncan and I ran in the same direction. Before splitting up, we agreed to meet at the horse paddock.
I reached Lachlan and the Rosetti twins perched in a tree first. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I cried, “Sound the alarm!”
Fabrizio’s shaggy head leaned down from a branch. “What’s happening?”
My gaze flicked up to see the dome almost halfway gone. “The shield’s comin’ down.”
Farther up the tree, Luciano raised a cow bell above his head. He rang it back and forth with a resonating gong.
I moved on, going from group to group, and the bells quickly multiplied until their clangs drowned out the skeleton’s march. When I reached the horse paddock, I retrieved my shield and mounted Crusoe. Duncan arrived right behind me, grabbing his own shield from the dirt. “Did ye see the lasses?”
“Nay.” He shook his head, frowning as he entered the pen and mounted the horse I’d prepared for him.
Reaching out with my mind, I said, Verranica, the shield’s almost down. Where are you?
For three heartbeats there was no answer, and then, Protection . . . Over . . . Cave . . . children.
“They’re puttin’ a shield up ta protect the children in the tunnel,” I told Duncan. “The connection must be shaky, because they’re usin’ the rings.”
Duncan opened his mouth to respond, but an explosion cut off his words. I jerked around to see that the shield had fallen. The clash of steel meeting steel reached us before another bomb detonated, this one close enough to shake the leaves from the trees. With a nod to my brother, I galloped out of the corral and toward the border. At the sight of Addie’s approaching army, we pulled up at the edge of the forest.
Eyes glowing with an ethereal violet light, hundreds of skeletons marched in mechanical unison, their feet ringing out a symphony of death. Tremors coursed through my body, wave after wave of tightly leashed adrenaline causing my muscles to vibrate in anticipation. Some carried swords, some small knives, some were weaponless except for their bony-sharp fingers and teeth. The bitter taste of dread coated my tongue as the rhythmic clacking drew closer, vibrating in my chest.
I glanced at Duncan and he met my gaze with grim determination mixed with a deep dread that twisted a knot in my gut. Nothing gave me courage faster than when I saw my brother afraid.
Shaking the numbness from my hands, I pushed down my own fear and tucked it deep inside. Then, recalling a scene from the movie I’d watched with Veronica where an elf and a dwarf made sport of how many monsters they could kill, I drew my sword and flashed a cocky grin. “Bet I can take down more skellies than you can, mo wee bráthair.”
His mouth curled as he unsheathed his own weapon. “I’ll take that bet.”
With a battle cry, we galloped out to meet the skeletons. I swung my sword and slashed at the first creature, cutting through its spiny neck. It collapsed in a pile of lifeless bones. Somehow, the shield around the skeletons had fallen. Perhaps the witch couldn’t hold their protection while decimating ours. Or maybe the elixir had weakened her permanently. I could only hope.
All suppositions left my head as I blocked a blade with my shield and then smashed it into the creature’s skull, exploding it to dust. Swinging to my right and to my left, I sliced heads from necks while keeping a rough count.
One creature climbed up my saddle and sank its claw-like fingers into my leg. I elbowed it in the head and it flew backward, knocking several of its mates off their feet.
The sound of Duncan fighting not far from my side was heartening, and as I swung my sword in a wide arc, taking out at least five at once, I called, “Tha’ makes twenty-five! How about you?”
“Closer ta thirty!”
I grinned
and booted one in the face as it climbed up Crusoe’s neck. My brother was nothing if not efficient. I swung and slashed and kicked and punched until my arms ached. Unfortunately, the creatures just kept coming. Looking up to see how many were left was not an option. I had to hold out hope that we could make a dent in their numbers.
Duncan’s voice sounded strained as he shouted, “Tha’s fifty!”
Pain pierced my back and I pulled a dagger, whipping my hand back and driving the blade into the face of a creature attempting to stab my kidney. Then I rammed my sword into its gullet and sent it flying.
“Fifty-one!” I bellowed. But I knew I’d only knocked it down temporarily.
Exhaustion set in as minutes or hours passed. I couldn’t tell. The only thing that kept me going was knowing we were holding this line of monsters back from the camp. Grasping the reins, I swung to the side and met the sword of a skeleton, but he feigned and drove his blade into Crusoe’s flank. My horse was so well trained that his only reaction was a wheeze and side step.
“No!” Red squeezed in on my vision as I lobbed off the creature’s head. Crusoe had been a gift from my parents for my thirteenth birthday; more like family than a horse. I slashed and hacked at the skeletons, until my legs and arms were covered in lacerations. But they kept coming. Crusoe, losing blood, faltered a step, and just as I was about to call the retreat, cries sounded behind us.
Someone yelled, “For Doon!” And a chorus of voices repeated the chant.
I turned to see a group of forty-some Destined, brandishing ropes and whips, rushing into the fray. Relief flooded me even as I felt my horse shudder. I bent forward and smashed my shield into a creature’s face before murmuring, “It’s okay, boy. I’ll get ye back to safety soon.”
The Destined’s weapons of choice took out the creatures more efficiently than our swords, and soon the forest was littered with skeleton parts. Once the newcomers had pushed Addie’s minions back, I dismounted and jumped to the ground. Hooking my shield onto my back, I leaned down to inspect Crusoe’s wound. It was long, but not too deep. If I got him help soon, he might survive it.
The skellies have breached the camp. Need reinforcements! Vee’s voice shouted in my head.
Before I could respond, Duncan shouted, “Jamie, to the camp!” And he took off at a gallop.
I rose and whipped around, sword ready to slash some skeleton bum, and froze. The thing that stood before me was flesh and blood, with gory bits of meat hanging from his arms and face, exposing bone and sinew beneath. Yet I still recognized who he had once been . . . Sean MacNally, risen from the dead, and back for vengeance.
CHAPTER 41
Duncan
Confident that Jamie would be right behind me, I raced toward Mackenna and the queen. Addie’s magic had completely disintegrated our shield. Without protection, hundreds of skellies overran the camp, destroying everything in their path.
Slowly, I picked my way through the enemy, slashing and chopping at their bones. In the middle of the chaos, I spied Queen Veronica throwing axes with deadly precision. At her back, in a blur of steel and auburn hair, Mackenna held her own against the skellie army. But my brother was missing.
Shutting out thoughts of losing Jamie again, I hacked my way forward, my attention divided between my own situation and the plight of Mackenna and Veronica. Beyond their line of sight and moving fast was a creature several hands larger than the other skellies. Perhaps it had been a giant in its former life.
Ignoring the fighting around it, the gigantic skellie locked onto Mackenna like a bull fixating on a red handkerchief. Terror gripped me as I considered what a creature like that could do to her, and for a moment, I froze . . . until Jamie’s voice reverberated in my head. You’re no’ scairt!
Fleshless hands clutched my foot, spurring me into action. As I booted away a skeleton that tried to unseat me from my mount, I watched the giant undead thing uproot a nearby tree. It brandished the stump with the roots in the air, like an improvised cat-o’-nine tails. In heavy, earth-shaking steps it continued its advance toward Mackenna, who, occupied with the skellies in her immediate vicinity, seemed quite oblivious to the approaching threat.
Spurring my horse into action, I galloped forward and called her name. For an instant, her eyes met mine as I hurtled past. About to charge the giant creature, my horse shied. It reared up on its hind legs, while bony fingers dug into my clothes, clawing at my skin. Unable to maintain control of my mount, the horse leapt one direction while I went the other. Before I could right myself, two dozen skellies surged and dragged me to the ground.
In that moment, I had no doubt I was about to die in a frenzy of claws and teeth—and, strangely, I was at peace with my lot. As long as I’d been able to save Mackenna from meeting a similar fate, my sacrifice would be well worth the cost.
Pain arched through my body as fangs tore at my face, neck, arms, and legs. Searing hot agony pierced my abdomen, caused by what I suspected might be a dagger. Whispering my good-byes as if my loved ones could hear, I said to Jamie and Veronica, “Rule with compassion and mercy.”
Then to Mackenna, “My heart will be yours forever.”
I longed to see my fiery red-haired lass so much that I imagined her reply. “Don’t you dare leave me, Duncan MacCrae!”
“I’m sorry, woman.”
“Stop apologizing, you infuriating ogre!” This time, the response was definitely not in my head.
The skellies covering me began to fall back. I first became aware of my legs being freed from attack. Then my torso. One of the monsters on my head, digging into my scalp, rolled away, leaving its bony fingers still embedded in my skin. With my sight restored, I saw that the creatures were not in retreat but under attack by someone wielding a staff—someone with cornflower blue nail polish.
The staff smashed into the remaining skellies covering my body. They split apart, scattering bones across the brush. Breathing a prayer of thanks, I blinked into the severe, bloodied face of Mackenna as she pointed her staff at my chest. “Can you move?”
“You came for me,” I breathed in a shaky voice.
“Always. We’re a team.” Her wide eyes flitted over my battered body. “You look awful. Can you get up?”
“I think so.” I reached for the end of the staff and held on with all my might as Mackenna hoisted me to my feet. Scared and trembling with shock, I took a deep breath, willing myself to regain my equilibrium. After another breath, I nodded and took the spare sword she offered me. “I’m all right.”
“Good. We need to get back to Vee.” She tipped her head toward where the queen was driving skellies back with a small axe. Before moving, her radiant eyes locked on mine. For a moment, time stood still as her lips twisted into a smile. “I’ll kiss you senseless later.”
CHAPTER 42
Jamie
The first time I’d killed Sean MacNally had been a mistake. I’d repented and accepted forgiveness for that sin. But it wasn’t until this moment that I realized I’d yet to forgive myself. As I watched my greatest sin rise up in front of me, I knew if I didn’t move on from what I’d done, I would die here.
“Fight me . . . man . . . on man . . . I will . . . kill ye . . . MacCrae.” The words garbled out of zombie Sean’s damaged mouth like his teeth were made of glass. If he had any teeth.
Darting my attention to the field, I watched the Destined knock down another row of skellies with the rope stretched between them. The second wave finished the creatures off with axes and scythes. And yet, the creatures kept coming.
As I turned back, zombie Sean raised a claymore and shield. “I’ll fight ye, if that’s what ye wish.” I twirled my sword around my hand and then caught the hilt. “But this ends here and now.”
Reaching for the shield on my back, I secured it to my left arm and bent my right elbow so my sword pointed at my adversary’s throat.
The monster roared, his half-decayed mouth opening unnaturally wide, and then he charged. I blocked his first strike with my
shield, but the power behind the blow forced me back a step. His strength had been supernaturally enhanced, just like the guards we’d encountered in the mountains.
Leaping forward, I struck. Our swords clashed together, the impact forcing mine out of my hand. I sprinted to the weapon, slid on my knees, and scooped it up. When I stood back up, Sean had only covered half the distance. Strong, but slow. That, I could handle.
He charged and smashed his shield into my sword hand. Pain raced up my fingers, but I managed not to let go. I parried and he countered, our swords tangling. Eye to eye with the monster, I struggled not to gag. He smelled of rotting meat and defecation. I shoved him away, but the creature didn’t budge.
Trying a bit of psychological warfare, I baited, “Adelaide must be verra angry wi’ ye.”
Sean’s bloodshot eyes widened a fraction.
“Ye’ve failed her so many times, and this one will be no different!” I slammed my shield into his head and freed my sword.
The monster stumbled back and then surged forward with a growl, his brain leaking out of his split skull. It went against all logic, but while physically strong, his body was frail. I sidestepped, spun, and sank my blade into his gut. He froze, but then a hideous grin split his decomposing face as he took hold of the blade and yanked it out of his stomach. His shield smacked into my shoulder before I could move, knocking me on the ground.
The thing lumbered toward me. “Addie . . . hat . . . hates . . . ye . . . kill . . . ye . . . kill.”
“Ye really shouldna try ta speak.” I scrambled backward until my shoulders bumped against a wide tree trunk. Biding my time, I let Sean close the gap between us. As he readied his weapon, I sprang to my feet and lunged, arching my sword over my head and bringing it down with all my strength. The blade sliced into the crook of his neck, but he batted the weapon away, dislodging the blade from his flesh. The wound would’ve stopped a mortal man. It appeared I’d have to take him apart piece by piece.