King Of The North (Book 3) (30 page)

Farouk, having absorbed four more Defilers, felt his power grow even more. He could now see further into the Universe around him, and his abilities to move between dimensions had come into being. Satisfied that he had gained enough strength to perform his next task, he summoned his teleportation spell and disappeared.

Azim could have sworn he saw his brother through the chaos of battle. He shrugged the thought away, turning his attention back to the fight. He had procured another scimitar during the battle, and was now fighting two handed once again. Even without the Sword of Sulemain, the Knight was a deadly foe.

Daryth had moved further in to join the Rangers in the back. He found Jhayla there, battling the sorcerers that fired spells at her from both sides. The other Rangers faced the Jindala officers, who were much more skilled than the bulk of the enemy force. Daryth drew his bow, firing an arrow at the sorcerer behind his friend. The freakish man fell instantly, and Daryth shouldered his bow to join the melee.

“Nice to see you again,” Jhayla called as she battled the remaining sorcerer.

“How long until the city is cleared?” Daryth asked.

“Adder will light the beacons when the time is right,” she replied, dealing a final finishing strike at the sorcerer’s gut. The mage fell to his knees, and Jhayla crossed her blades on either side of his neck, severing his head in one quick motion.

“Nice!” Daryth said.

The Ranger chuckled as she disappeared into battle once more.

Brynn arrived at the rear of the battle, clapping Daryth on the shoulder as he passed. The Ranger Knight acknowledged him with a nod, glad to have his brother with him. They assumed their usual fighting stance, ducking in and out of each other’s way, trading foes, and finishing off each other’s opponents.

“What happened to the Defilers?” Daryth asked, kicking a soldier into Brynn’s path.

“Farouk destroyed them,” Brynn replied, slashing the soldier across the chest.

“Farouk!?” Daryth exclaimed. “What was he doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Brynn replied. “But he looks different.

Daryth, not understanding Brynn’s words, went back to the battle. He guessed that the Druid had completed his task and had come to help. It was a good thought. The Knights could use all the help they could get.

Eamon saw the Cloud Warriors swoop out from above the tree line. The seven dragons dove into the battle, firing jets of flame at the gatherings of Jindala soldiers. When they had cleared a space, they landed and allowed the seven priests upon their backs to disembark.

“Welcome Khalid,” Eamon called. The priest held out his swords in greeting, turning to join the battle.

Eamon scanned the battlefield for his Knights. If he had understood Adder correctly, the signal fire would be lit soon, and the assault on the castle could begin. He held the Serpent’s Tongue into the air and called out to them, as they would need to be together for Traegus to snatch them up from the battle.

One by one, the Knights collected around him. First, Angen and Wrothgaar barreled into view, knocking the smaller Jindala warriors senseless as they came. Azim appeared next with a spinning leap. Brianna, having been near Eamon the whole time, appeared next to him. Finally, Brynn and Daryth appeared.

“Knights,” he said. “Prepare yourselves.”

The Knights gathered together as Eamon held his sword into the air again to signal Traegus.

The Lich, having watched the battle from the mines nearby, teleported to the cliffs near the castle. He held his staff into the air, summoning his magic to bring the Knights to him. They appeared in formation in front of him, toward the edge of the cliff.

Eamon nodded his thanks to the Lich as he took cover from the archers who began to fire. Adder’s Rangers fired back as ordered, clearing them from the wall in a matter of minutes. Traegus, unaffected by missile attacks, remained in place, awaiting the lighting of the beacon.

Instead of seeing the beacons lit, the Knights saw Adder climbing up the side of the tower. As they looked closer, they saw that a detachment of soldiers had ascended the stairs to find and eliminate the intruder.

Adder was climbing around the west side of the tower without any equipment. The Knights watched him with apprehension, cringing every time he lost his grip.

“What is he doing?” Angen shouted. “Is he crazy?”

“Yes,” Daryth answered, smiling. “Yes, he is.”

Eamon grinned. He had faith in Adder’s abilities to climb, but waited to make sure he was ascending the tower to light the beacon, and not just to escape. The Ranger continued his climb, and finally flipped over the railing of the landing and snatched the torch that burned in a sconce nearby.

Adder lifted the torch into the air and plunged it into the bundled stack of limbs. The beacon went up immediately, and the Knights rushed to return to their position behind Traegus, facing the cliff.

“We are ready,” Eamon said.

Traegus raised his staff, summoning a vortex of blue flame at the edge of the cliff. It grew in size, until it was large enough to encapsulate all of the Knights. Traegus pounded the base of his staff onto the ground, and the portal opened.

The Knights could see the city on the other side, and the sight of the remaining city guards backing away as the strange, fiery hole opened up before them.

“Good luck, my friends,” Traegus said as they passed. “The Dragon is with you.”

Eamon and his Knights leaped into the portal, disappearing as it closed behind them. Traegus turned to the forest as Aeli appeared from behind the trees. She had watched the Knights go through the portal, and knew that Farouk was in there in the castle somewhere, too.

She smiled as she approached, and Traegus felt the power that she now held within her. She was now a true Druid, and a part of his circle. With he, Maedoc, and Aeli as the third, the triad was now complete. The communions with the Great Mother could resume.

“Are you ready to commune with Her, my friend?” he asked.

“I am,” Aeli replied.

Traegus held out his hand. “Then we will go now. I have summoned Maedoc, and he will meet us at your tower.”

“My tower?” Aeli repeated.

“Why, yes.” Traegus replied. “You are the Great Druid of Eirenoch. Jodocus’ home is yours. Or would you rather stay in your tiny cottage?”

“No,” she replied, laughing. “I would love to move north.”

Traegus joined her laughter as she took his hand. “Then, my dear,” he said. “Let’s see you home.”

Chapter Twenty Two

The Jindala guards met the Knights as they appeared through the portal. Eamon and his companions were upon them immediately, and cut them down before they had a chance to counter. Now inside, the Knights put their attack into action.

Eamon would take the center path, leading his Knights to the castle. The Knights themselves would follow in a staggered formation, confronting any intercepting guards before they could hinder the Onyx Dragon’s progress. He must reach the castle as quickly as possible, before
The Prophet was able to escape.

The remaining Jindala charged in a last ditch effort to thwart the attack. There were a dozen of them, stern-faced and determined. The Knights howled their battle cries as they met, and the sounds of their fighting echoed in the streets.

The Prophet looked down at the courtyard from her tower, seeing the Onyx Dragon and his Knights in their final attempt at defending their Kingdom. She had never thought that they would get this far. The Devourer was supposed to sap the strength of
The Dragon, and prevent the Knights from realizing their full potential. With the Devourer’s defeat at the hands of the accursed Druid, The Lifegiver’s plans for domination had been ruined.

There was no reason for her to stay.

Eogan was of no use to her anymore. She had no desire to be Queen of half of a Kingdom. He was on his own. She would leave him behind, return to her master, and hand him the Sword of Sulemain personally.

The Enkhatar had performed well, she thought, having brought her the prized artifact. With it, she could awaken Sulemain himself, and enslave him to
The Lifegiver’s will. With the former Prophet of Imbra at his command, The Lifegiver would be unstoppable.

Eirenoch was of no consequence.

She turned to gather her things, calling upon her handmaidens to do so as well. However, a strange man stood in her chambers, his face grave and expressionless. He was a Jindala man, she noticed, but he did not wear a Jindala’s clothing. He was dressed in earthen robes, and smelled of dirt and travel.

“Who are you?” she hissed.

Farouk stepped toward her, holding his staff out in front of him.

“I am the Grand Druid,” he replied, stepping closer.

Though she was afraid, The Prophet made no move to escape. She was curious. “You have joined a lost cause,” she said. “The Great Mother will fall, and this world will die.”

“Perhaps,” Farouk replied. “But not by
The Lifegiver’s hand.”

The Prophet growled with rage, casting a repulsion spell at the Druid. Farouk blocked the spell with his staff, but was
shot a short way back with the impact. He released a blast of Earth energy to counter, striking her square in the chest. Though visibly shaken, she appeared to have staved it off.

“Your powers are strong, Druid,” she said, impressed. “But your kind is of no help to this world. The Lifegiver wields Universal power. Your power comes from the Earth. You are nothing.”

“You underestimate the power of those from whom I have learned,” Farouk warned. “I wield much more than the Great Mother’s power.”

“Then perhaps we shall battle in the future,”
The Prophet said. “I look forward to it.”

With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared. Farouk knew it would happen, so he was not surprised. Besides, she was not the reason he was here. The Great Mother had asked a favor of him.

As her most trusted servant, he was happy to oblige.

Eogan sat upon the stairs of the throne room, awaiting the Onyx Dragon’s arrival. Facing him in battle was his destiny. Once he defeated his cousin, he could rightfully take his place as King of Eirenoch. The people would have to accept his ascension, as he was the rightful heir.

Behind him, he could hear his mother stirring upon the throne. Soon, she would be deposed, and he would take her place. She was worthless as a Queen, and as a wife. He would dispose of her when it was appropriate.

“Eogan,” she called out to him. “Come to me, my son.”

He ignored her, his eyes trained on the approaching Knights. It was time, he decided, and he was ready.

The Onyx Dragon must die.

The Knights were nearing the castle, and the Jindala were still coming. There were more guards left than Eamon had realized, and those that had remained were far more skilled than the average Jindala soldier. The twenty that descended the main entry stairs of the castle appeared to be the elite among them.

They were dressed in black tunics, with steel armor, and chainmail hoods. Upon their heads were steel crowns adorned with cobra heads and blades that curved outward. They were fiercely armed, each with a large kopesh that would be enchanted by
The Lifegiver’s power.

The Knights stopped in a line at the front of the stairs, each in a stance that beckoned the elite warriors to make the first move. The guards accepted.

They came at the Knights with the fury of their dark master. Their enchanted blades were lightning fast, and the Knights had to back away to dodge their attacks.

“Bastards!” Angen shouted as he charged them. The large man, swung his sword with a speed that matched theirs. He struck twice in rapid succession, each swing blocked by his foe’s kopesh with a loud clang of steel.

The other Knights chose their targets and charged as well. Eamon attacked with a diagonal slash, knocking away his foe’s sword and kicking him in the groin. The attack was useless, however. The Jindala had no reaction and instead countered with an upward swing. Eamon ducked, rolling onto his side while slashing up. His blade connected with the guard’s gut, laying him open.

The guard clutched his open belly in horror. An axe thunked into his chest, finishing him off as Eamon rolled back onto his feet. Wrothgaar pulled out his weapon and spun around to direct his next attack at the guard next to him. He chopped downward, shattering the guard’s kopesh as he held it up to block. The axe split the guard’s face in two and he dropped like a stone. Wrothgaar howled the name of his god in glee.

Daryth slashed from side to side, alternating his attack angles. The guard he faced back up continuously in an effort to block and counter. But the Knight was too quick. His blade finally sliced into the guard’s wrist, disarming him. As the Jindala dropped his blade to clutch his wrist, Daryth finished him off with a slash to the throat.

Brianna spun her blades with deadly speed. Her foes, both of them, attempted to coordinate their attacks to smash the tiny woman to pieces. They were no match for her quick attacks. As one of the guard’s attacked with a downward strike, she stepped on his blade and connected a spin kick to his jaw. She then spun around behind him, grappling her arm around his neck to kick the other guard in the face. In the same motion, she spun and grappled the other guard’s neck, throwing one of her blades at the first guard. It stuck into his chest as he turned toward her, causing him to gasp and drop his blade.

Brianna quickly leaped back to him, grasping the protruding blade and pulling it out. She spun back to the other guard, slashing both blades in a cross attack that laid open his throat.

Brynn had three guards around him, each one attacking from a different angle. He managed to dodge all of their attacks and counter, but his attacks were blocked as well. Then, Azim spun into view, taking out one of the guards from behind. As the others turned to react, Brynn took his chance and made a quick double attack. His first attack disarmed his target, and the second strike caught the guard beneath the ribs. Brynn pressed his sword into the wound as he followed through, and the guard was done for.

Azim finished off his other foe with a cross attack of his two scimitars. As he looked up from his opponent’s body, he saw that Eamon had finished off his own. He called to his Lord to continue on.

“Go, Eamon!” he shouted, engaging another guard. “Take the throne!”

Eamon, realizing that his Knights had the remainder of the guards engaged, broke off and continued on to the palace entrance. Brianna, also finishing off her foes, followed.

Adder raced away from the beacon tower  followed by several Jindala guards. He was using the rooftops of the city’s buildings to escape, but it seemed to him that the pursuing guards could very well have been thieves at one time or another.

He just couldn’t seem to shake them.

He leaped onto the side of a taller building, climbing up to its roof and turning back toward the castle. The guards stayed close behind. He leaped over chimneys and vents, vaulting from one roof to another. Still, the guards kept up with him.

“Damn it!” he exclaimed.

He was tiring fast, having already used a lot of his energy to climb the tower. Desperate, he stopped and turned, drawing his blade.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s get it over with.”

The guards licked their lips as they approached, eager to dispatch the annoying little thief. Adder backed away, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash what little energy he had left.

Daryth finished off his last opponent as a smaller group of guards joined the battle. He heard the commotion above, and looked to see Adder being approached by at least six guards. How he had managed to get in this situation  was beyond the Knight, but nothing Adder accomplished had ever surprised him. Wordlessly, he drew his bow and took aim.

His arrows took down the first two guards. Adder, seeing Daryth below, let out an audible squeal and turned to resume his escape. Daryth rushed to the side of the nearest building, leaping onto its buttress to climb onto the roof. He took one last look at his brothers to make sure they had everything under control. Brianna was missing, he noted, but Azim, Angen, Wrothgaar, and Brynn seemed to be having no problems standing against the guards.

He turned back to his climbing, working his way onto the rooftop. He raced to the next taller building, climbing its side as well. He looked down on the pursuit, staying parallel to Adder as the Ranger attempted to escape.

Daryth continued firing as he ran, taking down two more guards. Now, Adder was left with two pursuers. But, as he turned, he stumbled over a loose roof tile and tumbled backward.

“Adder!” Daryth shouted as he watched his friend tumble over the side of the roof. He caught hold of the tiles on the edge and hung securely. It was apparent, however, that he was too weak to do anything but avoid falling.

Daryth looked around desperately for some means of saving his friend. He saw a rope stretched between the rooftop he was on, and a taller building that was nearby. Thinking quickly he bent down to grasp the rope, and with the other hand, sliced it free with his dagger.

Holding the rope, he dropped from the roof, pushing off to guide himself in Adder’s direction. He flung his dagger at the two guards that taunted the Ranger from the edge of the roof. It buried itself in one of the guard’s chests. Daryth kicked the other guard off the roof, pushing away from him to redirect himself.

Reaching the peak of his swing, he grabbed Adder with his legs on the return. The two of them were now headed straight for the side of a nearby building. Adder, having been weakened by the pursuit, went limp, sliding through Daryth’s legs. Adder reached out just in time to grab hold of Daryth’s foot as they slammed into the side of the building.

Daryth cracked the stucco with his body, hitting with such an impact that his wind was knocked out. He let out a grunt, and felt Adder lose his grip. He looked down, realizing that the Ranger had crashed through a window and had been flung into the room inside.

Daryth breathed a sigh of relief, slowly sliding down to end of the rope to peer inside. Adder was laying on the floor of a storage room. The table he had crashed into was in pieces, and the Ranger was covered in glass and other objects that had fallen onto him as he landed.

Daryth climbed inside, going to Adder’s side. The Ranger opened his eyes and looked at him.

“Are you alright?” Daryth asked.

“Fine,” Adder replied. “But I think I would rather have hit the side of the building.”
Daryth chuckled, helping the Ranger to his feet.

Adder brushed himself off, stopping to catch his breath. “We should find the Queen,” he said. “Or perhaps
The Prophet. One of them. Either of them.”

“I think you should rest, my friend,” Daryth said.

Adder nodded, sitting down on the floor. It was apparent that his part in the battle was over. He had done well, Daryth thought. Eamon would be proud.

Eamon entered the castle with Brianna in tow. As he looked further in, he saw The Prophet’s handmaidens gathered in front of the entrance to the throne room. They were armed with strange weapons that Eamon had never seen; sickle shaped blades on the end of long, spiked chains.

He stopped, holding the Serpent’s Tongue out before him. He approached slowly, his face a mask of hatred and determination. They parted, spreading out into the room. Behind them, a young man appeared.

He was dressed in black leather clothing, with plates of platinum armor that bore blades and spikes of an ebony material. His face was half covered by an ebony mask that was decorated with platinum runes. He was blonde, with one visible eye that seemed very familiar to Eamon. Though he knew he had never this boy before, he knew that this was Eogan, his own cousin. He looked nothing like his mother, Eamon realized, but looked more like…