The Jake Thomas Trilogy: Book 02 - Sword of Light (29 page)

“I know, but now is not the time for polite niceties.”  Dominic said, shaking the blood from his sword.  He pointed to the battle in the stands.  “We have work to do.”

Moshanna nodded and followed Dominic as they raced back towards the queen’s box where the fighting was raging.

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Jake gripped his cloak tighter around him, his breath making a pale mist as he climbed the rocky trail.  He held Dontas’ reins, keeping an eye on Hailyn leading her horse ahead of him.  With a light snow on the ground, the horses were having trouble keeping their footing on the slippery rocks.  They were making their way towards what looked like a ruined castle, perched in the mountains above, its dark towers in stark contrast to the white dusting of snow that hung to them.

As they reached the top of the incline, Hailyn moved forward enough for Jake and the horses to press in next to her.  The lion slipped under the horses, its presence familiar now, and crouched next to Hailyn.  Jake saw her reach out and gently stroke its head while she surveyed the narrow pass that ran up towards the ruins.

“I don’t think the horses can go any further, Jake.”  She said as she turned towards him, snow covering her hood.  “The path is too steep.”

Jake considered the ravine and agreed with her assessment.  Looking around, he saw a small area nearby with a rocky overhang, partially sheltered from the weather.  “We can leave the horses there.”  He replied, pointing.

She nodded, leading her horse over to the area.  Jake followed, with Dontas and the packhorse behind him.  After they had laid out some feed for the horses, they did a quick check of their equipment and supplies.  Jake pulled out his helm and put it on, the metal cold against his head.  When he finished checking his armor and weapons, he slung a small bag of food and water over his shoulder.  He waited until Hailyn indicated that she was ready.

As they started for the pass, the lion followed them.  “No, Daca.”  Hailyn told the cat.  “Stay here.”  The lion regarded her with those large yellow eyes, not moving.  She made a shooing motion with her hand, but the lion simply waited.  She tried to pull the animal back towards the horses, but it drew away from her grasp.  She leaned down and tried to push it back, but it simply licked her face when she was close.

Jake smiled slightly as he watched them.  Over the five days it took them to cross that cold desert valley, Hailyn had been feeding the lion strips of the salted fish that Turlic had supplied them with and now the lion stayed close to her.  Jake was fine with that, since he knew of her love for animals and the fact that he couldn’t stomach the fish.  It had seemed like forever before he was able to get that taste out of his mouth after he tried it.

It was on the second day when Hailyn had decided to name the lion.  They had set up camp, angling a blanket between two rocks the block the wind, and were sitting and talking when the cat came over.  It lay down next to her, its purring a constant rumble.

“Daca.”  She said, gently stroking the lion’s head.

“What?”  Jake asked.

“I was just thinking back on a dog I had when I was a little girl.”  She said with a smile, her eyes far away.  “It was a wonderful dog, friendly and obedient.  The dog’s name was Daca.”  She looked down fondly at the cat.  “I think I will call him Daca.”  Jake had just smiled and shook his head, amused.

The trip itself had not been amusing.  It had been rough going, with seemingly permanent gray clouds blocking the sun and a constant icy wind blowing down from the mountains.  The wind stirred and swirled the fine dirt that coated the valley floor, getting it into everything.  Despite the hardships and Jake’s misgivings, Hailyn was confident that they were getting closer.

“I can feel it, Jake.”  She told him confidently one night, rubbing the bracelet.  “It is growing stronger.”

The constant pulling had led to the mountains and then into the rocky crags where they found themselves.  It was only this morning, when the gray clouds retreated up the mountains just far enough, that they saw the ruins.  They were large, made of a dark stone, built against the side of the mountain.  The wall was falling down in places, but looked to be mostly intact.  They could not see any entrances, so they would have to climb to it and find a way in.

“I think he plans to stay with you, Hailyn.”  Jake said, moving over and wrapping an arm around her.  He could see that she was unhappy, but she finally nodded.

“It will be dangerous for him.”  She said worriedly.  “But since I can’t force him to move, I guess I will just have to watch out for him.”

“Let’s go.”  Jake said gently and started for the pass.

The ravine was a rough passage, with the rocky slope steep and slippery, the rock walls jagged.  Shortly after they began, they were forced to use the walls for support, their boots slipping as they slowly climbed.  Daca did not have their problems, the cat’s claws giving it traction.

It took them longer than expected to reach the ruins, as the wind seemed to funnel down the pass, blowing directly in their faces, while they struggled to maintain their grip as they climbed.  They exited exhausted onto the large rock shelf where the ruins had been built.

The air was growing dark as night fell over the mountains, obscuring their view of the ruins.  They found a large boulder that mostly blocked the wind and sat down behind it to rest.  Jake pulled out the bag of food and water, dividing their rations.  They ate slowly, allowing their bodies to regain strength.  After they consumed their rations, they leaned back against the boulder and talked.

“It is here.”  Hailyn said quietly.  “I know it is.  We just need to find a way in.”

“The place is probably crawling with demons.”  Jake said apprehensively.  “We should try to stay low-profile for as long as possible.  I don’t want to have to fight the whole lot of them, if we can sneak in.”

“I agree, but I doubt that we can get very far without notice.”  She replied.

“I know, but let’s try.”  Jake said.  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.  “If things go wrong, I want you to run.  Run and keep running until you are safe.”

She smiled at him, touching his face.  “That is a nice sentiment, but I am a cleric of the One, so I cannot run in the face of evil.  We have to have faith that the One will see us through.”

“I hope you are right.”  He said as he stood.  He helped her to her feet.  “Are you ready?  We might as well get started.”

She nodded her head, then reached up and pulled his face close to hers.  “I am glad that we are together, Jake.  If we meet our end, I want you to know that I love you.”

The words took Jake by surprise, but he knew what he had been feeling for her was the same.  “I love you too, Hailyn.”  He leaned forward and kissed her.  They pulled each other close and held each other for a long while.  Finally, they reluctantly broke their embrace.  They gazed into each other’s eyes, relishing the moment, aware that it may be for the last time.

Still holding her hand, Jake started for the ruins, Daca right next to them.  They hurried towards the wall, watching for any sign of movement, but they reached the wall unnoticed.  Jake released Hailyn’s hand and drew his sword.  With Daca moving out front, they made their way down the dark
stone wall, looking for a way in.

Suddenly, Daca stopped and begun to growl, a low rumble, as the lion’s body became tense and alert.  Jake pushed Hailyn against the wall and crept forward.  He slid past Daca, trying to see what had disturbed the cat.  The darkness of the night limited his vision, so he continued to move forward slowly.  After a few steps, he suddenly felt a chill completely different than the cold that surrounded him.

Only a few feet in front of him, there was a soft grinding of stone as a hidden door opened.  Jake could just make out the shadowy shape of an Imp.  The demon stepped out from the wall and onto the rock shelf in front of him.

Once Jake sensed that the demon was alone, he gathered his courage and charged it.  The demon seemed to hear Jake at the last moment, spinning in his direction, but Jake’s sword was already in motion.  He felt the sword tug as it severed the demon’s head from its shoulders.  The Imp dropped to the ground, its dark blood visible against the white snow.

Jake cautiously looked in the doorway, seeing only faint torchlight.  He kicked the demon’s head off the shelf, pushing the body after it.  Daca and Hailyn came up to the entrance as Jake stuck his head in, glancing quickly down the long hall on the other side, but it was empty.

He slipped inside, Daca right behind him, followed by Hailyn.  He pushed the stone door shut, then looked at Hailyn.

“This way.”  She whispered, pointing down the hall to their right.  They moved quickly and as quietly as possible.  They went down the hall, their tension heightened as they waited to run into their enemies.  As they cautiously approached an opening on the left, Jake slowed, and then stopped.

After he glanced in, seeing a set of stairs heading up, he started forward and motioned for Hailyn to follow.

“Wait.”  Hailyn said quietly, grabbing his hand.  She closed her eyes, her brows scrunching as she concentrated.  After a moment or two, she opened her eyes.  “We have to go up.”

Jake nodded and started to climb the stairs.  The stairs were in a narrow hall, carved into the black stone, without any torches lit.  They climbed in darkness, the faint light of the torches in the hallway behind them not bright enough to reach the stairs.  Soon, light appeared ahead of them, outlining an opening at the top of the stairs.

Sweating in spite of the cold, Jake glanced out and quickly jerked back.  Down the hall on the left were three Imps, standing together and talking.  He looked back at Hailyn.  He held up three fingers, and then pointed in the direction of the demons.  He saw her nod her understanding.

Taking a deep breath, Jake embraced his magic and leapt into the hall, sending a large blast of his fire racing towards the Imps.  They were unprepared for his attack, his magic raking across them.  One Imp simply exploded into ash, the other two sent writhing to the ground.  Before they could recover, he launched his power down the hall, destroying them, the sound of their demise echoing in the hall.

Turning he saw Hailyn behind him, glowing brightly.  She pointed down the hall, away from where the Imps were.  Jake nodded and she started forward, Daca next to her.  Jake brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for more demons.  He was sure that someone probably heard the noise from the fight.

As he looked around, he noticed that there were openings near the roofline.  He did not know what they were, but it was clear that they opened to the outside as he saw a few flakes of
snow drift in.

Another hallway crossed the one they were in.  Seemingly out of nowhere, a group of five Imps appeared.  The demons were surrounded by their dark power, responding to the sounds of Jake’s fight.  There was a brief second where the two groups simply stared at each other, both surprised to see the other standing there.

Hailyn reacted first, launching a blistering attack, her power shining brilliantly.  Her power crashed into the demons, ripping one apart and knocking the others away.  Jake followed her attack with one of his own.  The demons attempted to fight back, but could not stand against them.  They quickly destroyed the demons and began to move forward.

Before Jake could take more than a couple of steps, he was struck in the back by demons’ fire, knocking him down.  His magic protected him for the most part, but he did feel as if his back were suddenly sunburned.  He rolled with the blow, rising and launching his magic back.  More Imps were coming down the hallway.  Hailyn stepped up next to him and they fought together.

…

Bruce rode up to the ruins, following the secret path that only the demons knew.  Anale, the girl he kidnapped, rode on another horse behind him.  He had taken the horse from a passing traveler. 
He doesn’t need it anymore.
  He thought smugly. 
I made sure of that.

Bruce shivered as a gust of wind blew, pulling his cloak tight about him.  He was so ready for this little mission to be over.  Besides having to be on a horse for so long, he hated the cold. 
I just want to get the sword and head back to where it is warm.

He glanced up at the ruins and stiffened when he saw the flash of golden light through the old windows.  That could only mean clerics.  He started forward and was suddenly stunned by a brilliant burst of blue light in the windows.  There was only one person he knew of that had that type of magic.

Smiling, he pushed his horse into a run, Anale following as he had directed. 
This is the day I have been waiting for.
  He thought excitedly to himself.

…

Jake deflected the demon’s power in an explosion of light and sound and closed with it.  Despite the fact that the demon looked like a woman, Jake did not hesitate and drove his sword into its chest.  The demon screamed as Jake pulled his sword out, then blasted it with his power.  The demon flew back and burst into ash, the sound overlapping the other sounds of battle.

He turned and saw Hailyn defeat the other demon.  Daca was near her feet, licking at his wounds.  The lion had begun to attack the demons with Jake and Hailyn, his teeth and claws ripping into them.  Kneeling down, Hailyn reached out and healed the cat.

Hailyn and Jake had been fighting their way towards where Hailyn felt the sword was located.  The demons had been coming in waves; once they defeated a band, they were able to move closer to the sword, only to face another group.  He could feel a touch of weariness taking hold.  They needed to find the sword quickly.