The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1) (38 page)

Lawrence and his father stood back to back, swinging and protecting each other as Sangres continued to rage toward them in a seemingly unending wave. Lawrence knew that he had to get to Phillip and Razzius; he figured that was the only way that they could truly defeat this army.

After they cut down another advancing wave, Lawrence turned to Jerreth. “Father, we have to make our way into the castle. It is there that we will find Razzius Grimm, the man who is behind all of this.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Jerreth swung, cutting down another Sangre momentarily, which Lawrence stepped in to finish off with his enchanted blade. “Let’s move!”

Jerreth broke away from Lawrence and sprinted toward the castle. Lawrence followed closely as he glimpsed Kastor and Galvan battling in the courtyard.

***

The two sorcerers were slinging all types of sorceries back and forth as they headed into the expansive courtyard of the castle. Valpherinox rolled and roared, spraying fire across the city streets, incinerating more and more Sangres. Galvan saw a line of enslaved Knights as he came out into the massive expanse. They were shackled and bound together; their Sangre Brute overmasters working them to the bone. Galvan waved his hands across the enslaved group; they became unshackled and the chains that bonded them clanged to the ground. He again waved his hands and the pick axes and shovels they held ignited in a hot flame.

“Citizens and Knights of Haile! Face your captors and bring them to justice! Those monsters are weak to your enchanted weapons. Take your vengeance, now!” Galvan yelled.

The large line of Knights wasted no time, rushing the Brutes and taking cuts and jabs at their legs. The magical fires from their weapons engulfed them instantly. The Sangres were no match for the Knights who were now armed with the enchanted weaponry. The Knights and citizens yelled bloodcurdling screams in the air as they sliced and diced their oppressors into oblivion. Galvan turned his attention to Kastor who arrived just in time to see the Knights bring a Brute crashing to the ground in a fiery blaze.

“This way, men. Now’s our chance!” Bryce Maxwell shouted. He pointed at a group of Sangres and led the charge into battle. “Grab a weapon and let’s kill ‘em!” He swung his flaming pickaxe with murderous intent, incinerating three Sangres with a single blow. The flaming pickaxe cut through each Sangre easily, leaving wilting, fiery masses in its wake.

Suddenly, Bryce spotted a familiar face off to the east side of the courtyard. He recognized the man immediately.

“Cranos, what the hell are you doing here?!” Bryce shouted. “Can’t you see the city is under attack? We don’t need any trouble from the likes of you!”

“You mistake me for a miscreant, Bryce. Today I am here to lend a hand to my son and his city!” Cranos turned to the mob of bandits that was following him and commanded, “Come on, men, defend the Knights’ position!”

The bandits soon joined the Knights in the battle to reclaim Haile. Galvan watched as all around them the Sangres fell to the freed Knights’ and bandits’ now enchanted weaponry.

“They are but ants to us, Galvan; you must see this.” Kastor’s diabolical voice cut the air. “That little girlfriend of yours, the people in this city, all of them are nothing more than tools to serve us. We are the Gods of these lands. Come with me; let’s rule them together.” Kastor’s offer hung in the air like the aroma from a toxic plant.

Galvan didn’t even think on it, he simply reached into his pocket. Kastor raised an eyebrow, and a shield, as he was expecting a weapon. Galvan instead pulled out a pipe, which he lit from a flame that he conjured instantaneously. He took a long puff off of the pipe.

Kastor continued his rant. “You mean to tell me that you would side with them? I can’t believe you would cast out your own kind!”

“Your words will never sway me, Kastor Char; their corrupt hatred is wasted on me. You will never turn my position; I side with the people of Haile. I stand against you! I always have!” Galvan exhaled a thick plume of smoke. The pleasing scent calmed his anxious nerves.

“Then you will die, Galvan!” Kastor snarled. “Prepare yourself for the end! Black Arcanus!” A grotesque, monstrous shadow formed from his being. Its eyes radiated a deep yellow and the very sight of this ghastly abomination frightened Galvan. The haunting memory of his battle with Kastor years ago, and the way it had ended, still burned in his mind.

Just then Galvan felt Jameson wiggle his way up onto his sleeve. “Remember your training,” the hedgehog coached.

Galvan smiled with renewed confidence. “You’re right, Jameson…I almost forgot my lessons.” Galvan paused for a moment then looked down and said, “Thank you, my friend.”

The hedgehog smiled and then shouted, “Master, watch out!”

Galvan sidestepped just in time to watch the shadowy form glide past him, missing him completely. Galvan turned to Kastor and said, “Watch carefully, I’m going to show you the difference between us!”

The shadow turned around and zipped back toward Galvan. As it neared him, Galvan raised a hand and the creature stopped in its tracks, its eyes locked on him. Galvan leaned over and whispered something to the shadowy beast. The creature now looked at Kastor and charged at him in a furious rage. Kastor watched in shock as his own sorcery turned against him. He threw several dark sorceries at his own creation, finally extinguishing his insolent demon.

The sounds of the Knights destroying the Sangres echoed throughout the huge courtyard as Kastor and Galvan faced off once more. Kastor began to laugh menacingly as the skies darkened and a procession of black clouds covered the city. The dark master prepared his next attack. The darkened skies wept lightning and cried thunder. Kastor’s laugh turned more maniacal now. He held his hands to the dark skies and cried, “Where life prospers, I feast eternal!”

He reached up into the dark abyss that he had conjured and pulled down his trusty scythe with his bony, withered hands. He gripped the weapon so tightly that his knuckles whitened. He cried out suddenly, “I’m going to kill you, Galvan, just like I did the rest of them. When I’m finished, the Everglen will be but a memory!” His dark eyes glared menacingly as he stared at Galvan, trying to read his thoughts.

Galvan looked down and whispered something to Jameson, who poked his head back out of Galvan’s pocket. “My master has asked me to inform you that he is no longer speaking to you. He finds your very presence revolting, your very existence repulsive!”

Kastor looked on in irritated anger, watching as a small smile came across Galvan’s face. Was Galvin toying with him? “That smile…that damned smile! I will make it go away! When I’m finished with you, you won’t ever smile again!” He ran toward Galvan, his scythe poised for a death blow. Kastor took a huge swing at his opponent and screamed, “Die, Galvan!”

Everything moved in slow motion as Galvan watched the blade near his face. Galvan held up his left index finger and watched as the tip of the blade connected with his fingertip.

Crack!

Kastor looked on in shock as the blade of his scythe shattered like glass into a hundred pieces. The fragments of the blade slowly fell to the ground, clinging and clanging as they hit the cobblestone. Kastor stumbled backwards and fell to the ground with a look of dismay on his face. He struggled to compose himself.

“How?! How did you do that?” he cried. “Where did you learn sorcery that strong?”

Galvan just smiled.

“My previous master trained him; he taught him all he knew,” Jameson said, holding up a finger to accentuate his point. “He imparted on him one thousand years of wisdom! My master was preparing Galvan to defeat you!”

Kastor mumbled to himself, “One thousand years…? Then your master must have been…”

“Correct, my master was in fact the legendary Mason Hex!” Jameson squealed. The rodent’s voice changed suddenly to the deep, wise one of the old sage. “So you see, my little turtledove, you cannot win!” Jameson continued, this time in his regular voice, “Renounce your powers and walk away, Kastor, or we will be forced to kill you!”

Kastor became infuriated at the thought of Galvan controlling his fate and began to throw everything he could conjure at his opponent. Dark flames, sinister bolts, and black spread bursts flew toward Galvan who watched as they bounced off of his Impenetrus shield.

Galvan grinned. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out another pipe loaded with twag. He lit it off of a simple fire source that he brought into existence and took a long drag. Galvan’s inattentive attitude toward Kastor’s onslaught of spells enraged the dark sorcerer even more.

“Don’t ignore me!” he fumed, motioning to the sky, holding both of his hands up as a gigantic ball of dark flame and ash broke through the clouds. The giant black meteor was headed right for Galvan and the surrounding Knights.

“Do you like it, Galvan? Tell me you like it! Please, show me your approval!” Kastor begged as the ashen sphere made its way toward them. Kastor looked on in excitement, waiting for Galvan’s response.

Galvan pointed his right index finger toward his approaching doom. “No!” he roared. His voice echoed through the streets as the meteor burst into a cloud of harmless ash. Galvan waved his hand and the rain of ash turned into beautiful golden and white butterflies that fluttered across the sky.

Kastor stared in disbelief. He fell to his knees. “Why? Why can’t I destroy you?”

Galvan’s look turned serious. “Because you are not worthy!” he exclaimed.

There was silence between the two, only the roars of Valpherinox and shouts of the Knights could be heard over their unspoken conversation. Galvan took a large drag on his pipe as Kastor began to smile and cackle demonically. His laugh echoed throughout the city.

“Be careful, Master, he is becoming desperate,” Jameson cautioned Galvan. “There’s no telling what he will try next.”

Kastor looked at Galvan, his eyes glowing with an intense hatred. “Galvan, I was just warming up! I can’t wait to watch you die at the hands of my most powerful sorcery! I’ve been practicing this forbidden art for years. It will be a pleasure to kill you with it. Prepare yourself, Galvan, lay witness to Eternity’s Hellgate, Door to the Void!”

Galvan exhaled a plume of smoke. An ethereal gate began to form in front of him. Its glowing, orange bars turned to gray iron as the sorcery became tangible and real. Kastor had conjured what was thought to be the most powerful and most dangerous dark sorcery of all. Rarely had the sorcerers of the Everglen ever acknowledged its existence. Galvan had thought that it was just a story they made up to try to scare young, apprenticing sorcerers from meddling with dark magic in the first place. Galvan inhaled again as spiritual arms and hands raced toward him from the gate.

Whoosh!

Galvan exhaled and disappeared into the smoke. The apparitions stopped moving, and Kastor stood puzzled.

“Now where did he go?” Kastor wondered aloud.

“Behind you,” Galvan’s voice sounded. He appeared momentarily and shoved Kastor from behind. He immediately disappeared again as Kastor whirled around looking for him. Galvan came out of the smoke behind Kastor again, this time placing his foot behind Kastor’s knee, causing him to fall.

“What’s the matter? Where’s your power now?” Galvan whispered in his ear.

Kastor swung his left hand and his entire body around trying to strike Galvan. He swung only through the thick smoke, toppled off balance, and landed on his back. Kastor lie on the ground thrashing and flailing about. He looked like a fish out of water as Galvan watched from a hovering plume of smoke.

“No! No! Stay away from me! Don’t you touch me! Nooooo!” Kastor howled, his body writhing and contorting to every gust of wind, to every stone, as though it were one of Galvan’s sorceries. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please stop! I won’t ever hurt anyone again! Please!”

Galvan appeared, standing over Kastor, looking down with disgust. Suddenly another Galvan appeared next to the original. Then another, and another. Kastor’s eyes went wide watching Galvan display his power. Soon a group of twenty Galvans and twenty Jamesons stood in a circle, surrounding the helpless Kastor.

“You disgust me!” they shouted in unison.

Kastor slowly made his way to his feet, taking caution not to move too suddenly. He turned his body full circle, looking at the identical crowd of his rival that surrounded him. He noticed a Jameson crawling its way out of one of their pockets.

“The council will now pass judgment on Kastor Char, wanted for murder and the destruction of our precious lands.”

Another Jameson poked his head up and said in a deep voice, “We have eye witness proof that Kastor Char is in fact responsible for the aforementioned crimes. We would like to ask the witness, Galvan Gabrielle, to confirm for the council that Kastor Char committed these acts.”

Each Galvan turned its head, and stared directly at Kastor. They pointed their finger at him in unison and spoke together, “Guilty!”

One of the Jamesons continued the trial, “What is the punishment for taking all of these lives and destroying our homes?”

Only one Galvan spoke this time, it was the real Galvan. “An eternity of suffering!” he shouted.