Sword of Light (37 page)

“What did you just do?”  Dominic demanded.

“I saw a glimpse of your future, Northman.”  The woman said.  “It is a gift I have, to see things that come true.  My people thought that it was a curse of the gods; that is why I was brought here.”  She sighed.  “My name is Kalisia.  I tell you this, as I will be traveling with you.”

“Why do you say that, girl?”  Dominic asked, surprised.

“I saw that, without me, you will fail, Northman.”  She said.  Dominic saw fear in her eyes.  “You must allow me to come.”

He looked over at Moshanna and Taric.  The cleric nodded, while Moshanna shrugged.  “If there is any truth in what she says, then it is better to bring her along.”  He said.

He turned back to Kalisia.  “My name is Dominic, girl.”  Dominic told her.  “We are heading into danger, but you may come with us.”

She nodded, but did not look particularly happy about it.

…

After they rejoined the others and continued on their journey, Dominic glanced back to see Kalisia, sitting behind Halana on her horse, being questioned about her gift by the clerics, all of them riding close and seemingly talking at once. 
Well, she wanted to come.
  He thought, bemused.

He troubled by her predication requiring her presence.  She was tight-lipped about what she saw.  She would only repeat that she was needed for success.  He did not like how she had a haunted look in her eyes when she said it.

What will be, will be.
  He told himself, pushing his concerns away.  He turned forward and focused on the surrounding terrain, watching for movement.  The rocky outcroppings and jagged boulders made for excellent ambush positions.

They rode on for the rest of the morning without incident, though light rocks that surrounded the road seemed to focus the heat, making it almost unbearable.  The simmering of the air as the heat rose from the ground began to obscure their view ahead, limited the distance they could see clearly.  So they were taken by surprise when they crested the final rise and found themselves overlooking the ruins of Parshalthia.

The ruins were spread out in a small valley directly ahead, the land dry and barren, the hills rearing over the ancient city.  It was not a large city, though it contained at least one hundred buildings.  The city streets, though dust covered, were plainly visible, preserved in the dry atmosphere of the desert.  The red and gray stone buildings were mostly standing, though some roofs had collapsed.

Near the center of the city lay a large building, tall with great stone columns visible in the front.  It was partially collapsed in the rear quarter, but mostly intact.  There appeared to be a single entrance behind the columns.

“If I were looking for a place to defend something, I think I would choose that building.”  Moshanna said to Dominic.  “It has strong walls and there appears to be only one way in, so that would naturally allow you to concentrate your might.”

“Maybe, but then again, it may be better to hide it in one of the outer buildings, somewhere your enemy could overlook.”  Dominic replied.

“Since we cannot risk dividing our force, it may be best for us to take a methodical approach.”  Moshanna suggested after a few moments.  “Start at the buildings closest to us and move towards the center, clearing them as we go.  It will take us more time, but we can make sure we don’t miss anything.”

Dominic looked down towards the city again.  He located a building at the nearest edge of the city, standing slightly apart, at the end of a dust-covered street.  There appeared to be what was once a stable next to the building.  The street itself ran across the city, with more buildings spaced out along its path

“I agree.”  Dominic said.  “We should begin.  The day is not going to get any cooler.”

At Dominic’s signal, they rode down to the building he selected and dismounted.

“We will start our search here.”  Dominic told the group.  “We will proceed on foot, so we can stay together, be better prepared to fight, and save us time from having to mount and dismount.”  He pointed to the nearby stable.  “We will clear the stable first and leave the horses.”

They went inside, the clerics glowing in power and inspected the building carefully.  Once cleared, they brought the horses inside, giving them some water.  They left, moving as quickly as possible to the next building.

At Dominic’s nod, two of Stonebuilder’s soldiers, handing their spears to the others, drew swords, then entered the building through the open doorway, Welsen right behind them.  After a tense minute or so, with the rest of the group anxiously waiting outside, they exited, shaking their heads.  Dominic motioned to the next building.

They maintained this pattern as they made their way deeper into the city, alternating the entry team at each building.  The sun was directly overhead, its light brilliant against the earth, physically draining in its heat.  They were rapidly depleting their water supply, but continued on.

They had cleared nearly a quarter of the buildings when suddenly Halana stopped them.  “Do you feel that?”  She asked quietly, glancing at the other clerics.  The clerics exchanged looks with each other and nodded.

“I feel like there is something calling to me, faintly and in that direction.”  Welsen said, pointing towards the large building in the center of the city.  “I don’t know what it is, but I think we need to abandon our search of the buildings and find out.”  The other clerics nodded, looking to Dominic.

“I agree with you, Brother.”  He said after considering what was said.  “Our search is not bearing any fruit, so let’s follow your feelings.  We can always return to this building and continue, if needed.”

The group changed direction and headed towards the center building.  While the clerics said that the feeling was growing stronger, Dominic was more concerned about what would be ahead, possibly guarding whatever was attracting the clerics.

Kalisia moved up next to Dominic.  He looked at her curiously.  “We approach the place where you will need me.”  She said, eyes roaming from building to building.

The street suddenly widened into a large plaza surrounding the building that they sought.  They halted and looked around, seeking any hint of movement, but saw nothing.  Across the plaza, the building tall building reared above them.  There was an opening at the front, up a set of stone stairs and between the center columns, the doors long since gone, the room behind cloaked in shadow.

At Dominic’s signal, the group started across the plaza, moving rapidly, focused on their target.  They were almost to the base of the steps when a bolt of demon fire streaked in from a side street, catching them off guard and slammed into one of the soldiers, encasing him in its dark power.  He screamed once and collapsed into a smoldering heap before the clerics could even react.

“Move inside!”  Dominic yelled, as more dark magic began to rain down on them.  Dominic saw demons moving between buildings, along with their human followers.  The clerics were hard pressed to deflect all of the demons’ fire, their might slashing and flaring into the sky.

As they made it to the opening, the clerics sent their fire through the opening to clear it.  Dominic leaped through the opening, his sword ready, but the room beyond was empty.

The party moved to either side of the opening, the clerics next to the doorway to counter any demons.  Dominic glanced quickly outside and saw the demons surrounding the outside plaza.  They were trapped inside.

“We can hold them off for a while.”  Dominic said.  “There is only one way they can enter, so the clerics can concentrate their power.  However, we have limited water and food.  Eventually, we will need to fight our way clear, unless there is another way out.”

“I will search the rest of the building.”  Dominic continued.  “It appears to be empty, but we need to be sure there is no other way in or out.”  He held up his hand when Moshanna began to object.  “Your master has given me a gift.”  He said, tapping his sword.  “I know how to fight them and now have some protection if I encounter one.  We know of the ones outside; we need to keep our forces here.”  Moshanna frowned, but nodded his head.

“You are in command here, Moshanna.”  Dominic told the party as he began to move off.  “I will return as quickly as I can.”

As he started towards the rear of the room, Kalisia joined him.  “I must stay with you, Dominic.”  She said, sounding frightened.  “It is what I saw.”

He nodded.  “Stay behind me, then.”

They found a door against the back wall, hanging crookedly from a broken hinge.  Dominic pushed it out of the way, the remaining metal hinge squealing in protest, the sound echoing throughout the room.  When it was large enough to pass, he ducked through, and then held it for Kalisia.

There was enough light streaming in from cracks and other small openings along the roof that he could make out where they were going.  They were in a wide hallway that led to another set of doors at the end, with several openings along the way.  The air turned cooler as they headed deeper into the building, granting some relief from the overbearing heat.

Dominic checked each opening as they went, entering the dimly lit rooms, but only finding pieces of broken furniture covered in dust and faded paint on the walls.  Finally, they reached the door at the end of the hall.

Dominic reached over and lifted the handle on the latch.  It took a moment before the latch broke free, frozen by the long years.  He leaned against the door and pushed.  It took some effort, but he was able open it about halfway before it stuck.

Slipping through the door, he saw that they were in a large hall, faint light coming in places where the tumble of stone in the back corner opened to the sky.  Near the center of the hall, he saw what was once an ornate table, standing by itself, no chairs around it.  His eyes widened slightly when he saw that it shone faintly with light, separate from the light coming in.  He cautiously approached the table and reached out to touch it.  He felt a tingling warmth spread across his hand as he touched it.  He knew instinctively that the sword had once been there.  The only question now was if it was still in the city.

He started to turn towards Kalisia when he felt the familiar chill of the presence of a demon.  He quickly reached out and pulled her close, keeping her behind him as he slowly circled, scanning the room.  He detected movement back near the collapsed corner and spun to face it, sword ready.

“It is not here, foolish mortal.”  A deep, inhuman voice echoed across the room.  Dominic watched as the demon appeared.  He had never seen one like this one.  It was human-like, with reddish skin and a pair of black horns on its head.  “I congratulate you for finding this place.  I have not seen a mortal get this far.  My brothers outside usually deal with such interlopers.”

Dominic turned slightly, keeping his eyes on the demon, speaking quietly over his shoulder.  “When I attack, I want you to run back to the others to warn them.”  He told Kalisia.  “I will keep the demon off you while you flee.”  Without waiting for her reply, he leapt over the table and sprinted towards the demon.  “Go!”  He called out.

The demon was taken aback by Dominic’s sudden charge, but recovered, launching a bolt of demon fire as it moved towards him.  It stopped again when Dominic’s sword flared, the golden-white light throwing back the shadows as it broke apart the demon’s attack.

Dominic continued to advance, even as he caught sight, in that flash of light, of a twin of the demon he faced, moving to flank him.  He closed with the demon in front of him, his sword shattering the demon’s attacks.

The demon leaped back as Dominic swung his sword, the tip barely missing.  He sensed the other demon coming from behind, hearing the claws on its feet rattling against the stone floor as it ran towards him.  He spun and ducked, then brought the sword up.  The demon, surrounded in its dark power, twisted in its leap when it saw the sword in its path.  Dominic compensated for the move, standing and swinging the sword.  The demon screamed as the blade, aflame with light, sliced across its stomach, leaving a deep cut streaming dark blood.  It tumbled to the floor, writhing in pain.

Its twin surged forward, firing blasts of demon fire at Dominic as it tried to close the gap.  The sword flared again, but Dominic noticed that the light did not shine as brilliantly with each attack it defeated.  He grimly realized that the power of the sword was fading.

Trying to take advantage of whatever power remained, he moved, sliding sideways at the last possible moment, as the demon charged, claws extended.  He was able to slice across its ribs as he avoided the claws.  The demon cried out as the sword bit into its flesh, stumbling away.

Dominic did not wait, but ran towards the demon on the floor, stabbing downwards when he was close enough.  The sword slid into the demon, blazing again.  The demon screamed again as the light burned into it.  Dominic held it there, even as he watched the other demon turn back towards him.  Suddenly, the demon exploded into ash, knocking Dominic off his feet.

Before Dominic could rise, his ears ringing from the blast, the other demon was on him.  It slashed at his chest, its claws raking across his breastplate, but the metal resisted the blow.  Dominic swung the sword, clipping the demon on its lower leg.  The demon cursed and leapt back, sending a wave of dark fire at Dominic.

The sword flared again, but this time the magic did not completely protect him.  He felt the demon’s power burn him, his skin blistering where it touched.  Ignoring the pain, he closed with it, stabbing and finding a mark, the blade penetrating its side.

Bellowing, the demon swung its arm, catching Dominic on his breastplate and knocking him back towards the table, rolling across the floor.  As he tried to halt his momentum, the sword was dislodged from his hand.  He stopped and threw himself back towards the sword, knowing it was too late as he saw the demon, clutching its wounds, bring its other arm up, its dark power concentrating on its hand.

Suddenly, a bolt of weak green fire struck the demon.  Even as Dominic reached the sword, Kalisia ran past, her body glowing with her power.