Redemption Of The Sacred Land (Book 3) (23 page)

“Can you do that again?” Morgoran called to him. He had taken a sword from one of the skeletons, and he was trying to hack at another. Dorenn pointed
Dranmalin
at the attacker, and it released the fire again, destroying it.

“Is that dragon’s fire?” Ianthill said. “How are you able to control it?”

Dorenn knew through his connection with
Dranmalin
that it was a form of dragon’s fire, but a lesser form. There was a much stronger version. “It’s dragon’s fire, aye, but it’s not the dragon’s fire you are thinking.” He cut down another attacking skeleton.

Dorenn checked on Seandara. She was using her new bow, creating an arrow every time she drew back the bow string. Skeletons were falling left and right at a distance in front of her. She was doing fine.

Bren was to his left, wielding his magical dragon fang and dragon claw. He looked Dorenn’s way for a brief moment, and Dorenn saw that his eyes, too, were as the dragon. Dragon knights connected to their swords in the same way he connected with
Dranmalin
. He briefly wondered if Tatrice knew how to do that, and then he went back to cutting down the enemy skeletons.

Dorenn marveled at the skill and precision that he and his companions had. It was amazing to think of how well they were doing. Then he saw it, a huge skeleton three times the size of any one skeleton they were fighting. It ran up to the party, swinging two monumental battle axes. Dorenn’s dragon vision saw great plumes of purple rolling off it; it was almost certainly pure evil.

“Well, to thunder with that!” Gondrial said. “I’m wielding!”

Suddenly, Dorenn felt essence from all around him flowing. Apparently the others were drawing it in as well. He thought about it, too, but before he could, one of the axes swung into him. He parried with
Dranmalin
, and a shield of fire blocked the brunt of the blow. He sailed backward from the concussion of the blow.
Dranmalin
sang out as it flew from his hands and stuck into the ground nearby.

Gondrial, Morgoran, and Lady Shey were all using blackfire to try and stop it, but it didn’t seem to do much damage to it. Ianthill was casting a shield of light to protect them.
Where are Vesperin or Fayne when I need them?
Dorenn thought.
They would be able to defeat this evil.

Bren went up to it and made his attack, but the beast of a skeleton hit him hard with one swing, knocking him off as a bull would swat a fly with its tail. Rennon wisely stood back from the fight, surveying the skeleton for a possible weakness. Or so Dorenn wanted to believe.

“Its evil protects it,” Morgoran cried. “I don’t think we have what it takes to defeat it.”

Seandara took a knee and aimed her bow at the evil being. Lady Shey bathed each arrow in a bright light as soon as they left her bow. A barrage of ten arrows struck the skeleton in the head and penetrated it. It screamed an unearthly howl and redoubled its efforts to get at her.

“I think you just made it even angrier,” Gondrial said.

Dorenn searched his knowledge, what he could remember of the knowledge of all the wielders that had come before him, and came up with nothing. No one he knew of had ever fought a titan such as this before. Then he saw a spot in the titan’s armor just below the arm. Every time it lifted its arm to swing at Ianthill’s shield, he saw it—a black heart beating with evil.

He got up and ran to Seandara. Ianthill was battered down. He was about to lose the shield. “Seandara, the next time it raises its arm, there is a gap in the armor. There is a heart in there. Can you shoot it?”

“Aye,” she said. The titan raised its arm for a blow to Ianthill’s shield, and Seandara loosed her arrow. Shey cast the light spell on it. Dorenn drew in essence and guided it true. It went right through the gap in the armor and through the black heart. The titan exploded, throwing the two axes into the air. They landed blade down in the ground. The titan skeleton was no more, and the other skeletons that remained fell to the ground with it.

Bren pushed himself up and sheathed his swords. “Brilliant move!”

Ianthill collapsed onto the ground. He was all right, just exhausted. Morgoran and Shey went to sit beside him. Gondrial went to the skeleton of the king and held his hands over the amulet. Dorenn could see the essence entering him. After a few moments, Gondrial took the amulet off the corpse and put it around his neck. “I’ll take that!” he said.

“Are you sure that wasn’t evil?” Shey asked him.

“I checked it. It is magical but not evil. At any rate, it’s mine now!” he said.

“We will take a short rest, and then we need to continue on to Salderwick,” Morgoran said. “Be alert. Don’t think we are out of danger. There are dangers here that make that titan look like a kitten.”

“Why did you say that?” Gondrial said. “I didn’t bring anything to drink, and I could use one about now!”

Bren took a flask out of his pack and tossed it to Gondrial. “Here.”

Gondrial took a swig and almost choked. “Ah, that’s stout.”

“It’s Moonshadow wine from Draegodor,” Bren said.

“Aye, it is,” Gondrial said.

“That’s enough,” Lady Shey said. “Give the flask back. I don’t need you drunk.” Gondrial took another long swig and tossed the flask back to Bren.

“The road to Salderwick awaits,” Morgoran said. “We best make our way.”

Dorenn went to help Lady Shey, who was helping Ianthill stand. He glanced back at Seandara, and he felt something inside him jump at the sight of her. He didn’t expect that.

They moved on from Fornorth and headed across a plain covered with low-hanging clouds and a feeling of doom. The dark, rainless skies contributed to the growing feeling of the evil of the land. Before dark, they reached an ominous forest. Morgoran called it Darbridge Forest. At its center was a city among the trees called Oakhaven. They planned to camp there for the night.

Once they reached Oakhaven, Dorenn recognized the wooden platforms as soon as Morgoran levitated them to one. Seandara’s reaction was all he needed to know that they had found the tree city of their nightmares. They had entered the city where Dorenn, in his many dreams, had seen Seandara fall out of his hands and through the branches, pulled down by evil black creatures.

Trendan, at last, found the tracks of the other party on the road. They seemed to lead toward the city of Fornorth. He pointed at the trail as soon as Sanmir had caught up with him. “There, those are the tracks of Dorenn’s party. It looks like they all made it; there are seven individuals.”

“That’s good news,” Sanmir said. “How far behind them are we?”

“I would say about half a day, judging by the age of the tracks.”

Veric looked ahead. “Can we catch them?”

“If they stopped for a brief rest and we don’t, we may be able to close the gap,” Trendan said. “They are moving understandably fast. The feeling of evil gets stronger with each step we take closer to the center of this island.”

“I should never have let you come here,” Kimala said to Fayne. “The corruption here is unbearable.”

“What happened here?” Vesperin asked.

Sanmir took a deep breath. “According to the stories of my people, the Amar started dabbling in dark forces to gain power and dominion, much like the Oracle is doing in your lands, only imagine hundreds of men as bent on domination as the Oracle. They awakened dark forces here and destroyed each other. The last remaining good men from this land traveled to Trigothia just before Lux Amarou’s descent into civil war.

“It’s a shame really,” Deylia said. “I bet this place was beautiful once.”

“Aye, it was. I remember traveling here as a boy. My father was a trader, and he would bring me here on some of his trips,” Sanmir said.

It was nearly nightfall when they reached Fornorth. Trendan rushed to the spot where the titan exploded and dropped its axes. “They fought here. Look some of the skeletons have been recently destroyed.”

Deylia absently walked up to one of the axes, she reached out to touch it.

“
NO
, don’t touch that axe!” Sanmir barked, but it was too late. As soon as she touched it, Deylia went limp and fell to the ground. Instinctively, Vesperin went to her aid. Sanmir rushed to intercept him. “No, Vesperin. It’s too late.” He was unable to stop Fayne, who also rushed to help the girl. As soon as she touched Deylia, Fayne, too, fell by Deylia’s side.

“No!” Kimala screamed. She started to go to her daughter, but Trendan grabbed ahold of her. She turned and began to hit him, but he would not let her go.

“What is that?” Vesperin said. Trendan saw a tear run down his face.

“It’s an evil weapon. None of us should touch anything on the ground around here,” Veric said. “Whatever wielded that weapon was evil beyond imagine. If it was defeated, its evil stayed with its possessions.”

“Are they dead?” Trendan knew it was bold to ask, but he needed to know.

“Dead to us,” Veric stated coldly. “We need to keep moving.”

“Maybe I can cast something from my goddess to save them,” Vesperin said. “I have to try at least.”

Sanmir nodded. “All right, but no touching. Can you use your magic from here?”

“I would advise against it,” Veric said.

Vesperin concentrated and channeled the life-giving force of Loracia. Trendan watched in horror as the energy rebounded on him and knocked him to the ground. He stood back up, and his eyes were pitch black. He reached for Sanmir, and in an instant, the sand elf collapsed.

“
RUN
!” Veric yelled at Trendan and Kimala. Trendan tried to pull Kimala along with him, but Vesperin was too near. In a howl, he leaped at Kimala and snatched ahold of her leg. Trendan let her go as her gaze turned from fear to an evil scowl. He ran right behind Veric. He took a chance to look back behind him briefly and saw that Fayne and Deylia were now up and running behind Vesperin. He stayed close to Veric, weaving in and out of the dead trees toward the ruined city of Fornorth. He could feel the tears running down his face, but he suppressed his emotions. His first priority now was survival. Maybe he could find a way to save his friends if he could just stay alive.

Trendan followed Veric out of Fornorth out into the plains. They ran for hours, not slowing until fatigue had at last taken its toll. Eventually, their pursuers stopped, or Trendan and Veric had simply outrun them and left them behind. They stopped to take a breath. Night was falling over the land now. Trendan could see in the dark with his half-elven eyes.

“Did we lose them?” Trendan asked Veric.

“I doubt it.” He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were yellow and unnatural. Trendan backed away from him. Had he been touched by one of them?

“Relax, I need to see in the dark as you do. This is a dragon knight ability.”

“Is there a way to save them?”

“I don’t think so. The evil of this land destroyed it. If there was a way around here to stop it, I should think someone would have used it to save everyone.”

“I don’t believe it. There has to be a way,” Trendan said.

“Even the clerics of life fell victim to it. What can we do?” He looked up at the darkening sky. “We need to continue on. I think there is a forest up ahead. There is a city among the trees there. Maybe we can rest up on the platforms. If we are still pursued, maybe they will not be able to get to us up there.”

“It’s nightfall, and I don’t see any other places around to camp. Maybe Dorenn and the rest stopped in this tree city as well,” Trendan said.

“It’s likely you are correct. Come on,” Veric started to jog down the road.

Trendan looked back behind him and saw only the darkened road. He turned back to Veric and ran to catch up to him.

Chapter 16: Dragon’s Fire

The full moon over the treetops brightened the platforms enough to see, allowing the party to set up camp for the night. Morgoran did not allow them to build a fire or use magic, so everyone had a meal of dried meat and cheese with some wine to wash it all down. It was a quick meal, and then everyone went off to secure their camp.

As soon as the others were settled, Dorenn made his way around the others to locate Seandara. “You recognize this place as well as I do, don’t you.”