“Be careful.”
Her laughter filled his mind. “This isn’t where I die.”
Ƨäʈūr, let that be true.
He turned his attention back to Cinolth and stalked forward with Brinzhär Dädh at the ready.
† † †
Facing Cinolth would do nothing but get her killed, so Rayah shadowed Alderan, uncertain of what she should do. To her left, Rakzar hurled one of his double-edged battle axes at Pravus and rushed forward. Urza followed Rakzar, her knives in her hands and ready for action. Pravus deflected Rakzar’s thrown axe with a pair of glowing red glaives. Rayah mind couldn’t process where they’d come from. In one moment Pravus’s hands were empty and in the next he held the glaives.
It didn’t matter. The move had given Rakzar and Urza time to close the distance. Rakzar swung his second axe, but Pravus easily blocked the blow and countered with a strike of his own, sending Rakzar reeling backward.
Urza slashed at Pravus with her knives and Rakzar joined back in with his battle axe swinging, but neither of them landed a single blow. Somehow, Pravus sensed their attacks before they happened and fought with inhuman speed.
Pravus landed a blow that sliced right through Rakzar’s leather breastplate. Crimson trickled from the gash.
Alderan yelled at her. “Don’t just stand there, Rayah! Go help them subdue Pravus.”
Subdue him? How?
The dirt was soft underfoot. She could take him out for good.
Along with Aria.
Rayah dove into the ground and flew through the dirt toward Pravus. She had but one thought as she approached Pravus from underground.
Whatever I do to him will affect Aria.
By the time she reached the spot where Pravus stood, Urza and Rakzar had yet to land a single blow against Pravus, and each of them had sustained several deep gashes. From her vantage, none of their wounds looked to be life-threatening, but it was only a matter of time before that changed.
Unless I do something.
Rayah reached up, grabbed Pravus’s ankles, and pulled him down into the dirt.
† † †
Aria dodged the old woman’s attack and turned just in time to see Pravus get swallowed by the ground. She hurled another fireball at the old woman and then two more at the gnolls who’d been attacking Pravus. Her shots missed the targets, but Murtag and Karraar had stepped in and engaged the two gnolls.
She teleported to the spot where Pravus had disappeared and doubled over. Her lungs burned with fire, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Her first thought was of her baby. Perhaps being pregnant had weakened her. But then the truth hit her.
Pravus is suffocating!
So was she, and she needed to act quick. Although she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she knew Alderan’s wretched girlfriend was responsible for pulling Pravus down into the dirt. The miserable little dryte still hid underground somewhere.
Maybe she’s holding Pravus down.
Alderan would be furious if he knew the little wretch had tried to kill her, and she’d be certain to let him know once the dust settled.
If she survives.
Aria bent down and placed her hands on the ground. Drawing upon her mezhik, she conjured roots that dug deep into the dirt and wrapped around Pravus’s arms and legs. The ground trembled as she commanded the roots to pull Pravus back up. The ground erupted like a volcano, spewing dirt skyward. Pravus gasped for air when his head broke through the surface. Aria shared his need for air and gulped it down.
Assisted by the roots, Pravus crawled out of the hole and lay flat on the ground on his back. The dryte still hadn’t surfaced, and Aria knew of a way to make it more difficult.
Letting the roots die off, Aria pumped more mezhik into the ground and turned the top layer of dirt into stone. The effect spread a good hundred yards in every direction.
† † †
Nardus had no time to assess the battlefield and prayed everyone would be ready to do their part when the moment arrived. Brinzhär Dädh sang as he whipped it through the air, slashing at Cinolth arms, legs, and wings and blocking Cinolth’s deadly claws and teeth with an accuracy he’d never attain wielding another sword.
Diving to the side, Nardus narrowly escaped Cinolth’s fist as it quaked the ground in his wake. The call was close, but Nardus had anticipated it and the opening he knew it would present. He hadn’t been wrong.
Cinolth raised his right arm to strike again.
Nardus drew all the energy from the metal bracelet on his wrist and called upon his mezhik.
The air crackled and popped as a concussive wave of energy rippled across the valley.
Cinolth stood before him, frozen in time with his maw twisted with rage. His right arm hung in the air, positioned perfectly for Alderan.
Every last enemy within two hundred yards had become living statues too.
“Now!” yelled Nardus.
Time ticked away too quickly, his energy draining at an alarming rate.
No more than a handful of seconds remained.
Alderan grunted as he drew his bow string and took aim.
Nardus’s vision shook from the strain of holding back time.
Take the shot, son.
† † †
Wrik streaked across the valley, his eyes focused on his target. Cinolth and the others hadn’t moved in nearly ten seconds. He pushed himself harder. Faster.
Alderan saw him coming, but it didn’t matter. The boy could do nothing even if he wanted to.
Wrik closed in on Aria. With his hands held beneath his chin, he hurled three consecutive fireballs at her back from fifty feet away. The quick releases created the desired illusion. The fireballs looked like a column of fire spewed from a dragon’s mouth. No one would ever know the difference or suspect otherwise.
No time remained for him to see the strikes hit their mark if he wanted a chance to escape. He banked hard and headed south, his revenge for her sending the shade complete.
† † †
Alderan’s eyes grew wide. “No!” he screamed.
Thunder rumbled in his ears. Slow. Methodical. A heartbeat. His heartbeat.
Aria stood right in the path of the flames. She didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
Save Aria. Save Aria.
Alderan could think of nothing else. Couldn’t piece together where the little dragon had come from or why it attacked Aria. It didn’t make sense. Didn’t matter.
Save Aria.
The feel of his recurve bow in his hand and the texture of the bowstring against his fingers faded.
Save Aria.
The world shifted beneath his feet.
In a flash, he stood with his back to Aria. Felt her presence. Stared right at the dragon’s fire. Had no time to do anything else.
At least I have the amulet.
The strength of the blast surprised him. Three successive punches right to the center of his chest. He’d expected it to pass around him like Cinolth’s fire had minutes before, but it didn’t.
The blast sent him reeling backward several steps, knocking him into Aria. His breath caught in his throat, and his lungs seized up. He staggered forward, dazed, and dropped to his knees. He looked down at his chest; cauterized flesh surrounded a gaping hole about eight inches in diameter that nearly went straight through him. The fringes around the hole continued to burn and blacken.
Damn that hurt.
Pain scorched his flesh like brushfire, but it didn’t last long. Tears bled from his eyes and blurred his vision. His arms fell limp at his sides and twitched unnaturally.
Did I at least save Aria?
Alderan turned his head, or rather willed it to turn, but it didn’t respond. All of his pain, both physical and mental, subsided, and an inner calm settled his mind. He imagined himself sitting in front of a warm fire on a blustery day.
He sent his thoughts to Rayah. “I’m sorry, my love. Forgive me.
You were always my only love.”
Alderan collapsed face-first on the ground. He knew Rayah had screamed his name, but the sound of her voice came to him in a whisper.
Rayah’s voiced crashed into his mind, an ocean wave on a rocky shore. “Don’t you leave me, Alderan Somneri!”
Alderan lost all feeling in his body, and the remaining light faded from his vision. He gave in to the darkness, and it pulled him down into death where he knew the pain could not follow.
“Goodbye…”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Rayah flew through the dirt until she located a soft spot and shot up out of the ground and into the air. She spun around and faced the direction where Alderan lay face-down on the ground.
“Alderan!” she screamed.
Pain ripped through her chest. Tore her heart apart. She cried out, the bond she shared with Alderan severed.
The ground smacked her hard. Jarred her. She tried to move. Tried to crawl toward Alderan but couldn’t.
Had she been shot with something? Or had she just fallen from the sky?
She didn’t know. Couldn’t think.
The darkness pulled her into its arms and devoured her.
† † †
Aria staggered forward and dropped to a knee. The fresh stench of singed hair and burnt flesh livened the air. She couldn’t recall what’d set her off balance, but Nardus yelled for Shardan even as he engaged with Cinolth.
Something felt different. Strange. Wrong. She couldn’t place its source. She pulled herself to her feet and turned around. A body lay face-down a few feet in front of her.
She recognized the hair. The clothes. Her heart knocked so hard in her chest she stumbled forward.
“It can’t be him,” she whispered.
She wouldn’t allow it. Couldn’t stomach the thought. But she must be certain.
Gingerly, she wedged her foot underneath the body.
Her pulse soared.
Deafened her.
She hesitated. Didn’t want to know anymore.
Turned the body over anyway.
Alderan stared up at her.
Dead eyes.
Lifeless.
Nausea overwhelmed her. She turned to the side and retched but nothing came forth.
A hole the size of the world split her heart in two. Rended her soul.
Pravus stood next to her. Consoled her. She tried to push him away, but he pointed at the sky.
“Little dragon,” he said.
What in Ƨäʈūr’s name did that even mean?
She didn’t know. Didn’t care.
Hadn’t prepared herself for his death.
How could she have? In what scenario would such an outcome have ever occurred?
Pravus stalked away, fireballs flying from his palms.
Little dragon.
She forced her gaze skyward.
† † †
Pravus’s hands blistered with heat by the time he stopped conjuring fireballs. His chest heaved, and his legs fought to hold his weight. Only one shot had met its target, and just so as the little dragon continued to flap its wings as it flew away.
Out of breath, Pravus located Karraar with his mind and spoke through the link. “Stop what you’re doing and capture that damned dragon!” Karraar didn’t respond, but he saw Karraar and several other gnolls take off toward the south.
Alderan’s death had taken him by surprise. Not because he hadn’t expected it, and not because of the way it happened, but because of the way it affected him. He cared nothing for the boy and would’ve relished Alderan’s demise, but it had come with a surprising twist. A blow to the gut. Severed his bond with Aria.
But it didn’t make sense. He had nothing to do with Alderan’s death, so why had it severed the bond? Words of the prophecy turned in his mind.
…cannot be broken except by one who shares the same blood…
As Aria’s twin, Alderan shared her blood. As he interpreted it, killing Alderan would sever the bond.
…bound together for eternity…unless the one who shares the same blood breaks the union through self-sacrifice.
He couldn’t see the flaw. Didn’t understand it. Alderan hadn’t saved Aria from him. The attack against her had nothing to with him at all.
Then why?
He bent over and held his knees. He needed more energy and a source for it. Cyrus would be the perfect target, but he’d never get close enough to drain the man’s life. Not only that, Cyrus wouldn’t give it freely. However, several orcs were within earshot. He called one of them over and pulled the life from her bones.
† † †
Zerenity couldn’t believe her eyes. Aria stood over Alderan, seemingly dazed. Alderan didn’t move.
Panic drove her forward, but it didn’t slow her wit. She called upon her mezhik and cast a spell as she ran toward Aria.
Aria turned toward Zerenity, hands still at her sides. She never saw the tree spring up behind her. Didn’t even flinch until it had already snared her arms and legs. Her head cocked to the side, and she looked down at herself.
Zerenity had ƨäbräƨär in her hand and flung it at Aria. The collar spun through the air. Plunged into Aria’s neck and jerked her head back.
Rakzar raced past just as Zerenity reached Alderan. “Going to save Rayah,” he barked.
She nodded and knelt next to Alderan, but nothing could be done for him. Fire continued to consume him. It wouldn’t stop until nothing remained to burn.
She didn’t understand. Where was Ƨäʈūr in all this? How could the world be saved without a savior?
She shook with rage but didn’t know where to direct it. It ate her up inside. Consumed her.
The son she always wanted and never had lay dead before her.
She glanced back over her shoulder.
Met Nardus’s gaze. Strong. Intense.
Shook her head as tears streaked her face.
His face contorted with agony and rage, and an inhuman cry belted from his lips.
Chilled her to the core.
She echoed his cry with one of her own.
† † †
Nardus clenched his jaw. Sickness swirled in his gut, and rage filled his heart. His mind reeled back to the day Bradwr and the others had attacked him and his family. Rage had consumed him that day as well. He’d given in to it, and it had nearly destroyed his life.
This day will be different.
He roared again, raised Brinzhär Dädh above his head, and charged toward Pravus. “You’re gonna pay for Shardan’s death, you bastard!”
Pravus turned, his gaze steeled. Yet Nardus detected fear in his eyes. Understood its source.
His bond with Shanara has been severed.
That realization drove Nardus harder. Faster. He had no fear of ending her life when he took Pravus’s.
Nardus lunged forward, swinging Brinzhär Dädh with all his might, but his blade met glowing red steel and deflected away from Pravus. The unexpected counter caught Nardus off-guard, and his momentum caused him to stumble and skid to the ground. Pravus hadn’t held a weapon an instant before the strike.
An illusion.
Nardus rolled forward and back to his feet in a single move and turned to face Pravus once again.
A swirling, red fireball danced atop Pravus’s open palm. “I’m going to pay for it? No. I’ve dedicated my entire life to rebuilding my father’s kingdom, and it’s finally within my grasp, but now you threaten to take it away from me. I should’ve killed you the day you came back.”
Nardus spat on the ground. “And I should’ve listened to the dragon and killed you when I had the chance. I guess that makes us both fools.”
To Nardus’s right, Theyn had shifted back into her human form. She fended off three zhebəllin with a rusted blade. They worked together and surrounded her, but they were no match for her speed.
Cinolth’s roar shook the air, and his shadow flitted
between Nardus and Pravus and grew rapidly. Nardus dove sideways, and Cinolth quaked the ground as he landed where Nardus had stood a moment before.
Pravus backed away, and the fireball he held faded into nothing. He looked to Cinolth and snarled, “Cyrus is all yours, my friend.”
“You’re no friend of mine,” roared Cinolth.
Cinolth whipped his tail around and spewed a column of fire. Nardus shielded himself from the flames with a light shield, but Cinolth’s tail smacked Pravus square in the back of the head with one of its spikes. The spike drove right through Pravus’s head, its tip exiting through the middle of his forehead. Blood poured from the wound, covering Pravus’s face and saturating his robes. His body went limp and hung from Cinolth’s tail.
Nardus scrambled to his feet and backed away from Cinolth.
Cinolth reached back, jerked Pravus free from his tail spike with his clawed fingers, and bit Pravus clean in half. Then, he tossed Pravus’s bloodied, half-eaten body aside and snaked his head down toward Nardus. “Surrender now—” Blood and saliva dripped from his spiked chin, and a length of bone hung between two of his lower teeth. “—and I’ll make your death quick and painless.”
A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the valley, drawing Nardus’s and Cinolth’s attention.
The tree binding Aria burst into flames as molten silver dripped from her neck. She stalked forward, her gaze locked on Nardus.
The hairs on Nardus’s arms stood on end just before a bolt of lightning ripped down through his right shoulder and exited out through his right foot. The strike lifted him off his feet and threw him back fifteen paces. Smoke rose from the hole in his blackened shirt, and the smell of charred flesh filled his nostrils. He should’ve expected the strike but didn’t.
Aria screamed again, her hands stretched toward the sky. Fire and ice rained down from the heavens. Pummeled the ground and struck those that didn’t run for cover or shield themselves.
Rended Souls Page 60