The Destiny of Amalah (103 page)

Kenaz took a few seconds to recover and then he brought his hands behind his head, flipped his legs up and back and then flipped himself up off the floor on to his feet and then turned and faced Häkan picking up his sword on the way up.

‘I underestimated you,’ Kenaz said admitting his error.

‘I know you did,’ Häkan said staring at the young man.

‘I won’t do it again,’ Kenaz said rushing toward Häkan.

The two men began to fight again, what Kenaz had in strength and power, Häkan made up with age, skill and experience. The two men fought relentlessly clashing their swords and exchanging blows as they brawled; neither one of giving into the other and Callan and Waldon did the same.

Waldon was massive compared to Callan and he towered over her, but she used his height to her own advantage and managed to throw him to the ground a few times, winding him as he hit the ground, but Waldon was fit, resilient and quick and so, he either defended himself from the floor, sprung to his feet quickly or pulled Callan Knight down to the floor after him.

As the four fought many of the guard and dark army looked on out of the corner of their eye to watch them, trying to have their own fight at the same time. The four fight ferociously and with such natural and raw talent that it drew attention from everyone who passed them by, but the four paid no attention to the onlookers; they simply carried on in their own fight. As the guard and army looked on, they were greatly relieved that they did not have to fight any of the four, because they knew that they would never have stood a chance against them.

Callan Knight was fighting for her life and for the lives of everyone in Mantor, Amalah and all the nations and so she fought with all of her heart, might and skill. The blows that she reigned down on Waldon were fast and powerful and the blows he delivered to her were shockingly powerful and extremely painful but she knew she had to stay on her feet; she knew what was at stake and she knew that if she fell to the ground and stayed there; he would surely finish her off.

The two of them still had their swords and Callan knew it was going to be an even longer fight if they kept them and so the second she broke free from Waldon, she stood back from him and paused for a few seconds; she looked him in the eye and then lowered her sword besides her and then threw it to the side, where it landed a few feet from her.

‘This way we finish this,’ she said, still staring at him. ‘One way or another, we finish it.’

‘Fine with me,’ Waldon said forcefully, as he threw his sword to the side of him and it too landed a few feet away from him.

The two ran towards each other and Waldon swung a right, which Callan dodged by ducking; while she was ducking she retaliated with two left hooks to Waldon’s side and followed through with a right to his face. Waldon’s head flung backwards but he caught Callan’s right arm in his left and yanked it down, before delivering a backhander with his right and swinging his right back again, striking her in the face once again; he still had hold of her right hand and he twisted it upwards, making her scream in agony before he took the palm of his right hand and rammed it into her solar plexus, sending her flying across the floor. She landed on the ground a blooded and battered mess and for a while, she could feel her blood on her face, in her nose and in her mouth. She grimaced in agony, trying to move, but she could not, so she lay on the ground – a hostage to her own body.

She spied Waldon walking slowly and confidently towards her, smiling menacingly as he moved. She gritted her teeth and took in short sharp breaths and she closed her eyes for a second at a time. Waldon was fast approaching now and in her mind, she screamed at her body, ordering it to get up or do something now that Waldon’s reach was imminent.

Callan rolled over and got on all fours and as Waldon reached her, she kicked out her right leg and it landed just above his ankle forcing him to lift his leg up in pain and limp slightly. Callan then lifted her body and knelt upwards; Waldon attempted to kick her on the left side of her head but Callan was too quick for him, this time, she blocked his leg with both arms before slamming it back down to the ground and then she elbowed the inside of his left leg just above the knee, before delivering a right to his groin.

She blocked his punches twice and then carried out the same combination again before she rolled backwards and away from him and got to her feet. This time, she breathed as deeply and as slowly as she could, taking in as much oxygen to her lungs, blood and muscles as was humanly possible.

She stood with her knees bent and her hands rested on them and slightly hunched over keeping one eye on Waldon and the other eye ahead and when she looked dead, ahead she saw Hassan lurking in the trees looking at her. She stared at him and ever so slightly and nodded her head subtly so as not to alert Waldon. Hassan nodded at her and Callan blinked very slowly at Hassan and they knew that each had understood the other.

Callan took her hands away from her knees and stood up tall, the two warriors came together again and they fought with the same ferocity as when they had started. Waldon swung a right and slapped it away with her left as she moved to his outside; she covered his arm with her right and then punched with her left, another left and then a powerful right. The two of them spent the next few seconds blocking and punching, fast and furiously and then Callan got the upper hand on Waldon and this time, she was determined not to lose it.

She gave two left hooks to the face blocking his left at the same time before she delivered a right and when Waldon doubled over, she brought her knee up to his chest repeatedly and then to finish him off, she brought both fists down hard on his back making him crash to the ground.

As Waldon crashed hard to the ground, Hassan was at Callan’s side in seconds; he took out a large flagon from his waist and opened it: He immediately poured the contents, which consisted of crushed diamonds and rubies and mixed in with the blood of a deer. He poured the contents over Waldon and as it covered him a red mist began to appear. Waldon was aware of the liquid being poured on him and began to rise to carry on fighting and as he did Callan and Hassan stepped back from him and Hassan began his incantation.

‘Stones of the earth, blood of life bind this being this very night,
blood of might and stone of power, hold this being and all his power;
‘Bind him,’ Hassan said powerfully.
‘Bind him,’ Hassan said again his voice rising even more.
‘Bind him,’ he said powerfully for the third and final time.

As Hassan performed his spell, Waldon felt the red liquid increase and rush around him and lock him in a grip. The grip tightened as each second passed and Waldon shouted no repeatedly in objection. The red liquid had now become red mist and it encircled Waldon from the neck down, holding him in its grip and Waldon was unable to do anything.

As Hassan worked his magic, members of the dark army wanted to free one of their masters and so they went to his aid, but the guard were well organised and as they approached, they were taken out by Ellora, the other archers and members of the guard. Anyone who got near to Hassan was taken care of by Callan Knight, who by now had recovered much of her strength.

When Hassan had finished, he stared at Waldon for a few seconds, checking to make sure that he was truly bound and when he was satisfied that he was, he turned to Callan and nodded.

‘It is done,’ Hassan said.

‘Good,’ Callan replied.

Häkan and Kenaz were still fighting but both of them had seen what had happened to Waldon.

‘You see,’ Häkan said. ‘You are not invincible and you will all succumb to the same fate,’ Häkan told Kenaz.

‘I doubt it,’ Kenaz replied. ‘But even if we do, you will not live to see it.’

Häkan ignored Kenaz’s words and continued to fight but as they continued, Kenaz suddenly took Häkan’s sword from him. Häkan prepared to fight hand to hand with Kenaz but Kenaz had no interest in fighting hand to hand, he was only interested in killing Häkan and when the older man was sword-less; Kenaz grabbed him hard, by the throat with one hand and the shoulder at the other and pushed him back even harder. Häkan was on his tip toes as he was being pushed back and he did all he could do to free himself from Kenaz’s vice like grip but his efforts were futile and in seconds Kenaz slammed him into a tree and pinned him there.

Callan Knight saw Häkan was in trouble and she ran to his side as fast as she could with her sword at the ready. As she ran, she saw Imogen and at least ten of the guard come from the north of the forest and ran towards her, she knew they were also running towards Häkan and Kenaz and as she ran a few more steps; she knew that neither she nor Imogen and the others, would reach Häkan and Kenaz in time. Kenaz looked Häkan in the eyes and Häkan looked back at Kenaz defiantly.

‘You put up a good fight Häkan, you really did, but now it’s over and I have a war to win,’ Kenaz said, as he took his dagger from his waist.

‘You won’t win,’ Häkan spat.

‘You’ll never know,’ Kenaz replied, as he drove his dagger through Häkan’s chest and then removed it.

Kenaz let go of Häkan and Häkan slumped to the floor and Kenaz watched him. Kenaz did not even have time to turn around, as the ten guards with Imogen arrived and they threw a massive net that they had been carrying over Kenaz. The net was incredibly heavy and Kenaz fell to the ground almost instantly. The guard then went about securing their second prized prisoner; they took their iron splints and secured the edges of the net to them before they hammered the splints far into the ground with their sledgehammers. As the guard set to work securing Kenaz, Imogen stepped forward and poured the same liquid that Hassan had used onto Kenaz and she too began the same incantation:

‘Stone of the earth, blood of life, bind this being this very night,
blood of might and stone of power, hold this being and all his power;
Bind him,’ Imogen said in an immensely powerful voice.
‘Bind him,’ she said again raising her voice.
‘Bind him,’ she said for the final time with all the power she could muster.

Kenaz was going to suffer the same fate as Waldon and as the spell began to take it’s effect, Kenaz also fought it and his fight was just as futile as Waldon’s had been – more so, for if the spell had not kept him in place, the net would have.

As Imogen and the guard took hold of Kenaz, Callan reached Häkan’s side and she dropped down to her knees and held onto him.

‘Häkan,’ she said tearfully.

‘It’s alright Callan,’ Häkan said bravely. ‘I am done now, do not remain here and weep for me,’ he said weakly. ‘Live and fight and then live. Ama…’ Häkan said, before he took one last breath of air and died with Callan by his side.

The tears fell freely down Callan’s face when she saw that Häkan had gone and although she knew she had to get up, she could not. She did not want to leave Häkan alone and she did not want to face or bring about any more death and so for a while, she remained at Häkan’s side letting the tears flow.

Garrick had been fighting hard ever since he had arrived back on his own side of the battle. He had been separated from most of the guard but now he was near to where Häkan, Callan and Imogen were. As he continued to fight and retreat, he suddenly caught sight of Callan Knight kneeling on the floor over what he knew was a dead body. Garrick did not know who it was but he vowed to get to Callan and help her. Most of the dark army were now past his position and Garrick fought hard to rid himself of the soldiers, who he was now fighting.

When he was clear, he ran towards Callan as fast as he could, knocking out everyone and everything that stood in his way and as he drew closer he saw that the man lying on the floor was Häkan. Garrick ran even faster, hoping that when he reached them he would be mistaken but when he reached Callan, he saw that he had not been mistaken. Garrick dropped down to his knees besides Häkan and opposite Callan and then he checked over his friend. He knew that there was nothing he could do but he wanted to check – he had to – he needed to be sure that there was nothing more that he could do.

‘Häkan,’ Garrick choked.

‘I couldn’t save him,’ Callan said, horribly distraught. ‘I’m sorry Garrick, I tried to get here sooner, but… but I was too and Kenaz, he… I’m sorry,’ she said again.

Garrick looked at Callan and then Häkan and back at Callan before he spoke:

‘This is no fault of yours Callan, he did not die by your hand; he died at the hands of Kenaz.’

‘I don’t know if I can go on fighting,’ Callan said tearfully.

‘You have to,’ Garrick told her.

‘People are dying and I can’t help or save them. Look at Häkan.’

‘I see him.’

‘I should have been here,’ she said blaming herself.

‘Callan Knight, I know your pain. I met Häkan long before you were even born and I was still younger than you are now. His death cuts me deeper than you could ever know, but I cannot and will not lie down and die with him or give up the fight,’ Garrick said.

‘But Garrick...’

‘If you stay here, next to him, his death would have been for nothing. Don’t let his death have been for nothing.’

Garrick looked at his friend one last time; he placed his hand on his forehead and smiled a small and sad smile.