***
Rose was shaking in terror as she clung desperately to Logan, her eyes following the movement of the pitch black beasts that were emerging from the trees all around them.
“I will keep you safe sister,” the knight said to her, “but you will have to let go of my sword arm if I am to do any damage to these foul creatures.”
Rose quickly let go of Logan’s arm and chose rather to get a hold on Jer, who was also trembling at the sight of the wolf pack. Arrows were already snapping off from Jirah’s bow and with each shot, a black beast would fall to its death. In minutes the angry pack of snarling wolves were running around them in a circle and gaining momentum for an attack. Each one stood at least three feet high except for a very large one that seemed to be the pack’s leader. To everyone’s surprise, the vile beast spoke to them in a deep, menacing tone.
“You think to hide from me in the darkness of this forest Gaost? You are a bigger fool than I thought.”
Not one to be shaken easily, the Cleric answered back, “I see you have resorted to inhabiting the wild beasts now Belial. It must frustrate you terribly to have lost your mind’s eye.”
“That weak woman you call a priestess may have set me back for a moment, but there is no escape from me Cleric,” Belial growled back. “I have eyes everywhere and today these wild beasts will feast on her soft flesh.”
The thought of ravenous wolves tearing at her body made Rose shudder with terror even more and she dropped to her knees, still holding Jer close to her in protection.
The threat given by the Fallen One did not scare the stoic Knight of the Thorn though. Rather it spurred his massive swords into action, and with a loud shout of defiance, Logan was soon hacking the beasts all around him into ribbons. Seeing that the big man was their biggest threat, all of the wolves quickly moved in to attack Logan in rush.
Rose shifted her worry from her own safety and held her breath at the thought of losing this gallant man.
Jer looked up to her serious face to see her eyes closed in prayer and her lips moving lightly in a soft whisper. He looked around to see Gaost and Jirah moving in around Logan to do what they could to offer protection, but there was little they could do to help with the weapons they had. The young boy looked over to the knight and was filled with awe as he watched the big man in action. He had never seen a man with skills like Logan possessed. It was a terrible sight to behold the spraying of so much blood and he plugged his ears at the sickening sounds the swords made as they crunched the bones of the vile beasts. Jer thought his eyes may be playing tricks on him, because the mighty blades of Logan were beginning to glow slightly. All questions of the strange phenomena were soon answered as the shiny steel burst with a brilliant white light.
Logan stopped swinging for only a moment to consider what was happening, then continued his flurry of swings, pressing in closer to the massive wolf inhabited by the mind of Belial. The remainder of the fight seemed to move forward in slow motion as each deft stroke from the two-sided edges dealt a killing blow. With an agonizing scream, Logan dropped one glowing blade straight down onto the head of the giant black wolf and cleaved it in half from top to bottom. The handful of smaller animals remaining, froze in place at the sight of this great swing. The light emanating from Logan’s swords burst out from his entire body, and the stunned companions covered their eyes at its brilliance.
A moment later, the air was calm, and everyone looked up quickly to see the great man standing alone in the center of the tree grove with only the charred remains of the angry pack laying at his feet.
“Logan!” Rose cried out in worry as she rushed over to the tottering man.
Jirah came with her and the two ladies did what they could to help him sit down against a tree to recover.
“That was amazing!” Jer exclaimed. “I never knew that a knight could do those kinda things.” The big man was still catching his breath so he did nothing but shake his head in response.
“I am confident that Logan has never wielded glowing swords before this attack Jer,” Goast answered. “Once again the prayers of our dear Rose have turned the tide against the enemy.”
“I never even saw what happened,” Rose said in response. “I had my eyes closed the whole time.”
Jirah, who was moving throughout the area recovering arrows, explained what she had seen. “It was the same great white light that burst from Gaost when we were attacked in the fens.”
“I have never felt the mighty power of Ya in that way before,” Logan interjected. “I felt as if I could march on the gates of Belial’s mighty tower and raze it to the ground.”
No more words were spoken amongst the group for a good number of minutes as they all considered what had just happened.
The mind of Rose was confronted with a troubling reality. When she prayed to Ya in a time great of need, amazing things could take place. She had moved away from being a powerless slave to being a mighty conduit of the Eternal Ya himself. She did not want to take this type of power for granted and she considered how important it would be for her in the future to be careful in her prayers.
It was Gaost who finally broke the silence. “When you are feeling up to it, we must move on Logan.”
“I am strong enough to travel brother, I just needed a moment to gather my thoughts and offer a prayer of thanks to Ya.”
With that, the shaken group gathered up their things and followed Jirah as she led them on through the forest.
The Staff of Ramah Page 25