Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (115 page)

“Yes, Sire!”

Shalee kissed Sam again. “Thank you.”

As the griffin ascended into the night, Shalee lifted Precious above her head. Her voice was strong as she commanded meteors of fire to rain from the sky. The tents scattered throughout the barbarian camp exploded as the griffins and hippogriffs released the lava rock.

Panic filled the camp as the men of the north scattered for their lives. Bodies fell lifeless, burned, and crushed.

Senchae looked toward the darkness. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, he shouted for his general. “Order the army to attack Brandor’s camp. We need to merge the armies so the griffins will be ineffective. Set the trees on fire to light the battlefield.”

High above, Goss observed the barbarians’ movements. He turned his eagle head to look over his shoulder to inform the queen.

Shalee teleported. When she reappeared, she was standing next to Sam. “The barbarians are headed this way. They didn’t retreat like we thought they would. They’ll be here soon. You need to prepare.”

Sam shouted to his legion leaders. “Prepare the army! We attack now!”

“Yes, Sire!”

Shalee called the legion leaders to her. After touching their shoulders, she explained, “Have each of your men touch you. Once they do, their eyes will be able to see in the darkness. This should give you the advantage.”

“Yes, My Queen.”

As the legion leaders ran off, Sam placed his hand on Shalee’s shoulder. “That’s a nifty trick.”

Shalee smiled. “I know, I’m a bit of a freak, huh?” The queen vanished.

It was just before the height of midnight when the cry was given. “Charge!” the legion leaders shouted as they ordered the army into battle.

From the king’s hip, Kael screamed with glee, his sharp edges begging for action. When the king did not unsheathe the blade, Kael quieted once he realized that Sam would not be entering the fight.

The king turned and ascended a large mound of lava stone to keep watch.

Shalee had hitched a ride on Goss’ back, sending her fireballs into the advancing barbarians. More than 300 bodies were torn apart before Senchae’s army collided with Brandor’s.

Swords, maces, war hammers, shields, and bodies plowed into one another as blood saturated the earth. The griffins, along with the hippogriffs, once again descended upon the rear of the barbarian horde, smashing them like grapes. But soon the fight became too tight, and the winged warriors had to pull back.

Not long after, Goss landed next to Sam. “We can no longer assist. The rest is up to your army. My kind is too large to fight in close. This form of combat would hurt your men as much as the barbarians. We will take to the skies and keep watch. If an opportunity presents itself, we will seize it.”

“ Thank you, my friend,” Sam replied. “Brandor owes you a debt.” The king looked up. “Shalee, hop down and stay with me. I need your help.”

Shalee floated to the ground and then patted the feathers on Goss’ neck. “Be careful.”

Goss took to the sky.

Sam tossed his torch to the ground. “I need you to use your power on my eyes. I need to be able to see through the darkness.”

“Why?”

“Just do it, please!” Once Shalee’s magic took effect, Sam lifted his bow and began firing arrows into the night.

By the next morning, the bears and the Minotaur had torn apart Kepler’s undead army. Hundreds of skeletons had been tossed into three large piles. Each skull was furious, cursing and calling out orders for their arms and legs to work their way from their respective piles back to their torsos. The shifting of the piles caused a frightful clattering as the bones bumped against one another. Despite the noise, the Minotaur and bears enjoyed the spectacle as they picked the wriggling arms and legs off the ground and tossed them to the top of the pile. Every moment this happened, a much stronger curse filled the air from the head of the skeleton that owned the bones.

The Peak of Bailem had come and gone, and the moment had arrived for the General Absolute to create his legacy—or solidify his passing.

Michael lifted his sword horizontal to the ground and pointed it at the Barbarian King despite his exhaustion. “You and I can settle the outcome of this war!”

Michael’s plate armor was battered. His blue eyes were bloodshot, and it took every last ounce of his strength to stand in front of the Barbarian King and call him out.

Senchae dismounted, his hard, leather armor covered in blood, and moved to a position in front of Michael. The barbarian stood more than a pace taller than the General Absolute and outweighed Michael by 300 pounds. Though a large man, the general appeared diminutive next to the Barbarian King.

The horn of the Barbarian General sounded. Both armies stopped fighting and turned their attention toward the two men.

Senchae was the first to speak. “I admire your courage, swine. I’d like to know the name of the man I intend to end.”

It took everything within Michael to claim his bravery. “Knowing my name seems insignificant. When you’re dead, that memory will be unnecessary. But if it appeases Your Highness, I am Michael, the General Absolute to the Kingdom of Brandor.”

The men of Brandor who had gathered cheered at their general’s response.

Senchae waited for the noise to die. “You seek a fool’s death. After today, you will no longer have a tongue. You will be unable to address a king by name. Tonight, my officers will feast on the meat of my best bull once it has been cooked over the flames from your bones.”

Senchae lifted his heavy blade. His army stomped their feet as the men from both sides cheered.

With shield in one hand and sword in the other, Michael engaged, rolling forward, and slicing at one of Senchae’s legs. The king lifted his foot and smiled as the blade passed beneath it.

“You have a quickness about you, but it won’t do you any good. Nothing will spare your life.”

Michael thumped his sword against his shield. “I won’t miss again.”

“There won’t be an ‘again.’” The barbarian lunged forward and smashed his two-handed sword into Michael’s shield. The force sent the general backward to the ground. Senchae followed this assault by kicking Michael on the right side of his chest as the general tried to recover. The force of the impact lifted Michael off the ground.

The leader of Brandor’s army cried out as he heard two of his ribs crack.

Senchae backed off. “To think, once you have passed, I’ll be in command of your army. Your men will serve me.”

Michael gathered his last bit of strength and lunged toward Senchae with his blade extended. The barbarian stepped to the side, grabbed Michael’s wrist, and lifted him into the air. The king squeezed until the general was forced to drop his blade.

Michael tried to hit Senchae with his shield, but the Barbarian King simply dropped his sword and caught its edge with his hand. Pulling it free from Michael’s grip, Senchae threw it to the ground.

After securing the General Absolute by the throat, Bloodvain pulled Michael close. Spittle from the barbarian’s speech landed on Michael’s face. “You’re weak. You’ve failed your army and brought shame to Brandor.”

Senchae threw the leader of Brandor’s army against what was left of a tree that had burned throughout the night. The general fell to the ground, spitting blood into the ash that surrounded him.

The Barbarian King moved to stand above Michael. “I never thought a pile of garesh from the south would have this much heart. It’s a shame you must be ended, but all garesh must be disposed of.”

The Barbarian King retrieved his blade and raised it high above his head, but before the heavy, metal blade began its descent, the tip of an arrow exited the front of Senchae’s throat. The Barbarian King’s eyes glossed over as he gasped for air. He stumbled backward and then fell to his knees and grasped his throat.

Michael pulled himself to his feet and lifted his blade. He buried it into the Barbarian King’s chest, skewering his heart. The general screamed, “Attack!”

Brandor’s army reacted, fueled with renewed vigor. Their blades moved with swift conviction as the battle resumed.

From across the battlefield, Sam lowered his bow to his side. He grasped Kael, summoned the blade’s extended fire and then charged down the mound of lava stone into the chaos.

It was not until Early Bailem the next Peak that Sam found Soresym. The last thing Sam imagined he would ever see would be hundreds of skeleton arms inching along the ground as they tried to reunite with their torsos. To his delight, he saw nine piles being watched over by both Minotaur and bears—three for their heads, another three for their torsos, and the remaining three for their arms and legs.

The separated limbs were being tossed back onto their respective pile, again and again, as they tirelessly tried to reunite with their torsos. The skulls were becoming more frustrated, and they screamed yet another curse with each failed attempt.

The Bear and Minotaur Kings met with Sam, along with Soresym. Sam was the first to speak as Soresym translated his words. “My Lords, it appears there has been a grievous misunderstanding.”

Groth responded, “Why did you attack the Scorpion King’s island?”

Sam took a deep breath and explained. After a few moments, the shock of the Crystal Moon’s disappearance settled in.

Horace spoke. “If we can help in any way, we’re at your service.”

“We are as well,” Groth added.

Sam thought a bit. “It looks like we have some bones to deal with. Any idea on what we should do? We can’t leave them here.”

Soresym agreed. “We need to separate their parts to ensure they’ll never be able to rejoin. I know of no other way to stop them. If they’re allowed to unite, they’ll attack Brandor as ordered by Kepler. They won’t stop until this has been accomplished.”

Sam unsheathed his blade. “Kael, do you how to destroy these things?”

Kael responded, “I do. Fire.”

“It’s that simple?”

“Simple if you know the answer. Put my blade into the piles and command my flame. I’ll do the rest.”

Sam moved to the first pile. Soon, all nine piles were ablaze. The sounds of the skulls’ screams were hellish as the temperature rose. One by one, each skull cracked, releasing the soul that had been trapped inside it. The soul ascended into the atmosphere until it was out of sight. It was not long before every spirit had found its way to the pages of the Book of Immortality.