The Spirit of Revenge (23 page)

The other Knights looked up in horror at Malecai, their leader lay slain at their feet. They threw their swords up and with a cry of vengeance, charged toward the Warriors.

The Warriors raised their weapons and Malecai led them sprinting towards the Knights.

One of the Knights shot a column of fire at him and he rushed forward undeterred, and at the last moment threw his hand up, sending an invisible force crashing into the inferno. The two forces clashed and sent a clap of air across the hilltop.

The Knight threw a burst of ivory lightning that seared through the air towards its target. Malecai struck the oncoming light and tore through it, sprinting toward his opponent. He slammed his blade into the Iscara, lightning flying from the collision. They held their swords in a lock for a moment and pushed against the other.

They broke their block and jumped backwards before slashing at each other, their blades ripping through the rain. Steel flew as a blur, the two men darting about and striking at the other with inhuman speed.

Cain rushed towards one of the Knights and evaded a surge of wind. He leapt forward and swung his sword with full strength.

The Knight dodged the strike and jumped forward, spinning clear over Cain. The Knight twirled and slashed at Cain. Cain barely threw his sword up in time to block the surprise attack, stumbling back before catching himself.

The Knight landed before Cain and threw his arm out, sending a blast of air that tackled into him and shot him over the hill.

Adriel notched an arrow and let loose a well-aimed volley at one of the men. The arrows sped through the rain and shattered into pieces before the Knight. Adriel’s eyes lit up in shock as the Knight rushed forward unhindered, sword raised to strike her down.

She quickly spun as the man tumbled past her. She pulled her sword from its sheath as she twirled and thrust it blindly at the man. The blade rebound off his thick armor and as she recovered from the failed blow, he strafed and swung at her.

Adriel dashed to the side, barely evading the strike. She then jumped and double kicked, pushing off his chest before back flipping.

He recovered from the blow and sent her flying with a powerful burst of wind. He jumped to his feet and raised his hands in the air before slamming them to the ground with a cry.

The muddy ground around him flew into the air, a wide area of stone and earth rising from the hilltop. He jumped into the air, the massive chunks of earth shooting about him. He flew several yards over the Barrows before throwing down the debris at his opponent.

Adriel nimbly evaded the earth and rubble as she sprinted through the gauntlet. She jumped and landed on a broken column before bounding off. She landed on another as it flew through the air, and leaping off, she descended over her opponent.

The Knight deflected her sword and grabbed her by the arm and spun, tossing her across the hill. She crashed in a pile of rubble and her sword flew from her hand, imbedding itself in the foot of a statue beside her.

Aaron twirled his saber above his head as one of the Knights charged at him.

Their swords met and they collided into each other, swords ringing viciously as they twirled their swords from the block and swung again.

The Knight blocked a blow to the head and threw the recoiling blade towards Aaron’s stomach. Aaron jumped back to evade the strike and the sword narrowly missed his gut.

The man thrust his hand forward as his blade missed its mark, sending a plume of ivory flames bursting from his hand. Aaron fell to his knees and tumbled through the mud, evading the inferno. He jumped up from the roll and pushed off the ground with tremendous momentum, flying towards the Knight.

The man brought his sword up and swiped Aaron’s blade aside in mid air. Both of their swords flew to the side from the powerful strike, now both of them weaponless.

As his blade left his hands, the man jumped backwards, dodging Aaron’s mid air tackle. The man back flipped and landed lightly as Aaron crashed heavily into the mud.

The man threw his arm to the side and their swords flew straight at him. He grabbed both of the weapons and held them to his sides.

Suddenly, a torrent of ivory flames arose and swirled fierce about him as he charged at his downed opponent.

Joshua lumbered towards one of the Knights, their weapons soon crashing with a shrill ring of steel. Their weapons danced with violent speed, sparks searing from every powerful blow. They exchanged blow after blow, struggling to overpower the other.

The Knight staggered under an overhead strike, and as Joshua swung again, the man sent him shooting back with a surge of wind.

He sprinted toward Joshua and leapt into the air. He swung his sword and the blade recoiled uselessly off Joshua’s helmet. Joshua slammed heavily into the mud; his helmet now lying beyond his reach.

Silas rushed past Joshua and stabbed his Sitar into the ground, and using the momentum, threw himself straight into an astonished Knight.

The man jumped back and Silas missed his mark, the Sitar’s blades tearing through the mud. The Knight lurched forward and sent forth great waves of light from the blurs of his hands.

Silas weaved about in place, swiping the lethal darts from the air with swift spinning blades.

The man then fell over him, his sword colliding into the hardwood handle of the Sitar.

Silas pushed back as the Iscara fought to overpower him, the two locked in a stalemate. Silas broke the lock and swung his Sitar, sending the man jumping back to evade the four pronged blades.

He thrust his weapon forward and the Knight retaliated with an overhead strike. Their blades met and the sword caught instantly in the Sitar’s curved blades.

Silas swung his weapon and tossed the sword across the hill. He swung again and the man jumped back, sliding through the mud now unarmed. The Knight thrust his hand out and a blast of lightning shot from his open palm.

Silas stabbed his weapon forward and the Sitar’s blades wrapped around the blast. He tossed the lightning over his shoulder, dissipating in the air as he smirked at his opponent.

The Knight sent a blast of air flying towards him, and Silas raised his Sitar above his head and slammed the flare of wind into the earth. The force of the recoil sent him sailing into the air as the surprised Knight then threw a second wave of wind at his opponent.

Silas swung his weapon again and sent the gale rebounding into its caster. The wind crashed into the Knight and tossed him into the air.

Silas landed lightly in the mud and the Knight flailed helplessly above as he descended directly over his opponent. Silas thrust his Sitar over his head and the man fell over the weapon, impaled on its mighty blades.

The Iscara howled in anguish as the blades wrenched their way through his back and out his chest, a geyser of blood exploding from his skewered body.

Silas held him over his head a moment before slamming the man into the ground. He pulled the Sitar out and brought the weapon down to finish him, screaming with murderous triumph.

Malecai ripped his sword from the ground and swung it into his opponent. Their blades met with a flash of steel and the two began a skillful pirouette of steel.

Malecai jumped back to dodge a lunge from his enemy and he glided across the mud away from his opponent.

He threw out a hand and the man was suddenly pulled towards him, levitating swiftly over the ground against his will. Malecai then jumped through the air and slammed a booted foot into the man’s face. The man shot back and landed on his feet.

The man swung his sword, a blade of light sent lashing from the weapon. Malecai turned and ran up the length of a statue as the blast whipped by below him. As he reached the statue’s chest, he bound off and swung his sword at it. With a blast of light, the statue split in half.

He then swung around the statue and threw out a hand, imploding it with an earsplitting boom. Thousands of stone chunks flew at the alarmed Knight.

The man charged forward and jumped into the air, leaping deftly off the stones. Swiftly ascending, he bound off stone after stone before shooting into the air at Malecai.

Malecai grabbed his broadsword with both hands and held it over his head, and with a vicious cry, slammed it down on the Knight. The man rocketed back from the blow, slamming painfully into the earth yards below.

Malecai dropped from the air and landed amid the rubble as it crashed into the mud. He scanned the shadows with apprehension.

The man then leapt at him from the shadows. He stabbed his blade forward and Malecai barely threw his sword up in time to defend himself from the strike. He deflected the blade and rounded it for a second blow.

The man disappeared in a plume of smoke and his sword missed its target. Malecai lowered his head and stood still. The rain pelted his face, cold and stinging against his skin. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, listening to the faint breath that parted his lips.

The Knight suddenly appeared behind him with a swirl of shadows.

Malecai spun as the man lunged from behind. He threw out his hand and grabbed the man’s sword. The sword’s steel edge cut fruitlessly into his clenched palm. He tightened his grip around the weapon as the man began to panic, fighting desperately to pull it free.

Malecai leered and reached forward, resting a hand against the man’s chest. With unnatural ease, he pushed and sent the man shooting back.

He then clenched his fist and pulled it back before throwing the Knight into the air.

Malecai jumped and flew into the air, the rain needles against his skin. He flew over the man and unclenched his fist, throwing his palm forward.

The man was sent tumbling across the hilltop before slamming over a downed column. A spray of debris flew as he landed on his back with a sickening crunch of bone.

Malecai descended over his downed opponent and stabbed his broadsword into the man with a murderous scream.

The massive sword tore through his entire body and stabbed violently into the stone face of the column beneath. A torrent of blood spewed forth and sprayed Malecai red with death.

Aaron jumped up from the ground, weaponless. He pulled a knife from his belt and held it desperately before him. He inhaled deeply and charged forward, plunging through the flames surrounding his opponent.

He came out the other side unharmed and tackled the Knight, knocking him off his feet. The knife flew from his hand as he slid to a stop in the mud beside his opponent.

The flames around the Iscara faded as he picked his swords off the ground and jumped to his feet.

Aaron clawed through the mud and dove over an overturned column. The Knight rushed towards him and swung a sword at him as Aaron climbed over the rubble.

The sword smashed into the column and Aaron slammed his boot into the man’s arm, knocking him away from his sword. He kicked the man in the face and jumped over him.

He crashed into the man and in one fluid movement, plunged his knife into his opponent’s face. The Iscara roared with pain, blood spewing from his skull. Aaron pulled the knife out and stabbed him several more times, blood spraying with every relentless thrust. The man’s body collapsed to the mud, soaked in its own blood.

Cain stood up in time as his opponent bore down on him. Their swords clashed with a shower of sparks. They spun and struck again, both weapons flying as they threw countless blows at the other.

The man jumped back and thrust his arms out, sending forth a massive wall of wind. The blast ripped earth and mud from the hill and crashed into Cain, sending him sailing through the air. As he landed, he stabbed his sword into the mud and the momentum swung him to his feet.

He pulled his sword from the ground and slid in a large ark around his opponent. The Knight charged at him and as Cain continued to slide around his opponent, he saw his opening.

He swung his sword low and struck the man in the legs, sending him off balance. Cain then slowed to a stop and approached the downed Knight. He spun his sword in his hand, pommel facing outward. He stepped beside the man and plunged his sword deep into the man’s back, the blade cutting through his spine. With a crack of bone, he pulled his weapon out.

He grabbed the lip of the man’s helmet and pulled it off before dropping it at his feet. The man looked up at him, blood dripping from his open mouth.

Cain grabbed the man by the hair and rested his sword against his neck. He looked helplessly up at his killer as Cain slit his throat. Blood gushed from the man’s neck as his body collapsed in the mud, twitching uncontrollably before falling dead in silence.

The remaining Knights saw their comrades fall one by one, almost simultaneously at the hands of their enemies. They reluctantly turned their backs on the Warriors and ran for their lives, disappearing into the night. The Warriors ran after them as they retreated down the hill, screaming with rage.

“Let them go,” Malecai called out to them. They stopped at the edge of the hilltop and looked down the slope as the three survivors slipped into the surrounding forests.

“We cannot allow their filth to desecrate this hallowed place.”

The body of Elijah suddenly let out a gasp. He raised a hand to the skies, weakly crying out for help.

Malecai walked over to Elijah and looked down his sword at the defenseless man. He pulled on Elijah’s body with his boot until he rested on his back, forced to look at Malecai.

“Have mercy…” Elijah whispered, barely discernable through the blood that gushed from his mouth.

Malecai lifted his sword. “Mercy…” He said before thrusting his sword straight into Elijah’s chest, the huge blade impaling itself through his body. Elijah lurched forward and let out a final breath before falling back to the earth, dead.

Malecai closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before pulling the sword out with a crunch of bone. “Mercy is for the deserving.”

He walked away from the Warriors and descended the hill. The others stared after him and sheathed their weapons. They followed him and left behind the bodies of the Iscara and the Barrows of Alon Heath.