CHAPTER 29
Later, when Range reflected on this day, he would remember it as the beginning of the end.
Sterlin and Nicodemus went into town earlier that morning.They took the items acquired during the journey. They were gone almost all day and sold everything but the old rug from the sunken home.
Rolin, Remmy, Range, Taelon and Cortibis sat on a wooden table outside of Garon’s home when they arrived.
The day was warmer and the sun had come out for an early winter visit.
“I am telling you, he conjured demons,” Range said.
“If that is true…never have I heard of a mage being a follower of Lo. Completely probable, of course, but…unnatural,” Garon said.
“He uses godmagic and terranmagic?” Range asked.
“You said he had an Osaban with him, correct?” Garon asked.
“Maybe. He had one working with him.I think,” Range said.
“I think the mage has a disciple of Lo. He is the one who conjured your demons, I think.”
“Why would a mage work with an Osaban priest?” Range asked.
“A better question I think: how did the mage locate Bellatrix?” Garon said.
“How?” Range asked.
Garon shrugged and smiled.”I do not know. But this mage is making very evil friends. Perhaps he has done something unspeakable to obtain the location of the Sword.”
“Unspeakable?” Range asked.
Garon shrugged again.”If a man is rabid like a dog in his quest, he may do things that seem very odd. Does not a rabid dog bite its owner?”
“You’ve lost me,” Range said.
“Me too,” Nicky said.
“I was lost when the old man started talking,” Remmy said.
Garon smiled, causing his nose to dip, and his lips to disappear.”It is simple: This mage wants the three Swords. There are only three beings in existence who could locate the Swords. Actually four, but we will leave the fourth one until later.”
Taelon nodded. Range wondered what he knew. He would lend the man his own tongue for a while just to see what he had to say.
“Go on,” Range said.
“You’re finally waking me up,” the prince said.
“You need more than just a waking up, I think.” Garon said.
“He needs a good turn over my knee,” Cortibis said.
“Can we continue?” Range asked.
Garon nodded.”Three beings–entities perhaps.These are the only three having the ability and raw power to locate the Swords.”
“What beings?” Range asked. The old man rambled sometimes.
“You know them already, I think.One is your god, Ooln. Two is Saddig himself, but in his exile to the land, his powers are not what they were. Were he still in Godhome, he could locate his Swords with a thought, and call them to him, if he desired their presence.”
“Okay, great. Who’s the third?” Cortibis asked.
“Lo.”
Was it cooler outside?Was the evil god listening for his name and here now?Range pulled his tunic tighter, wishing for his overcoat. He looked at his companions, especially Nicky.Nicky stared back with fear and a solid look that Range could not quite place. Was it conviction? Fear? He could not decide.
“Lo has the power to locate the Swords?”Nicky asked.
“In this land his power is second only to Ooln,” Garon said.
“Somehow Lazerek and this priest have used the power of Lo to locate Bellatrix,” Range said.The thought chilled him to the core.If a priest of Lo was involved, how many others were? Lo had many sects and they sometimes worked together.
“It appears so, I think,” Garon said.
“If someone uses the power of Lo, don’t they have to give something up in return?” Nicky asked.
“They do,” Garon said.
“Why would the followers of Lo assist Lazerek in claiming the Swords? What does it benefit them?” Range asked.
“The Swords are the most potent talismans in the land. If a person had them he would be unstoppable.The followers of Lo are a power-hungry group. Think on that,” Garon said.
“Still, something is missing,” Range said. He could not put his finger on it. Something else was out there and it was just out reach, like a tankard of ale always jerked back, just as you were about to grab it.
“What?” Nicky asked.
Range shrugged and sighed.”I don’t know. There is something else out there and we are not seeing it.This priest and Lazerek are working together to locate the Swords.”
“Perhaps it is just the two of them,” Sterlin said.”And no one else.”
Range nodded.”Perhaps.”But he did not truly believe it.Something itched in the back of his mind and he could not scratch it.
“Whatever it is chewing you on the inside, you must think on it more,” Garon said.
“What?” the prince asked. He looked about, perplexed.
“I will. It just seems odd to me. If this is all it takes to locate the Swords, why didn’t someone do it a long time ago?” Range asked
“Perhaps Lazerek located something no one else has.He is very powerful, I think,” Garon said.
“He is powerful,” Range said.”But even his power, teamed with the power of the priest, seems to not be enough.Something else is nagging me.”
Garon bowed slightly, his rotund figure looking odd.”Now, we must decide what to do about the Sword.”
“True,” Range agreed, glad to be on a different subject. He needed to dig deeper into his own recesses.
“Where is it?”Garon asked.
“In your home.”
“Fetch it.”
Range left to retrieve the Sword.Sterlin and Nicodemus produced durries they had obtained in the town.
When Range came back outside, Sterlin and Rolin were sitting on the rug.The rug was floating in the air, about knee height.
“What is this?”Range asked.
Rolin hopped from the rug and turned to him. His face was pale.”I told you about my people sending me.”
“Yes?”
“In their vision, the man I was to find came flying.I thought the passage symbolic.”
Range shrugged him off and moved toward the rug. It hovered for a moment and then dropped to the ground with a muted thump.
“What happened to it?” he asked.
“I released it from my control,” Garon said.
“What?”Range asked.
“The rug is simple, it almost has a personality. You must first touch it, and get to know how it ‘feels’ and then you simply give it a command silently, in your head. It can only have a few masters so you must decide who will control it. Too many masters and the rug will get confused.”
“So I must touch it, and then I can control it? Where does such a great magic come from?”
Garon pulled a pipe from thin air and began to light it with flame hovering above his finger.”They are rare.You see the magician who wants a flying rug must weave it. Every strand and every fiber must be put in with the same amount of power from the same person.Some say that you must also bind the spirit of a Calon faerie. The making takes many, many moons to complete, and most do not have the fortitude nor the ambition to complete one.”
“I wish to control it,” Range said.
“Then simply touch its tassels and began to know the rug.”
Range put his bundle in Rolin’s hands and bent to touch the rug. How does one get to know a rug? He could hear something, but not with his ears, like the tinkling of bells in his mind.He let go of the tassels and the tinkling continued, but not as strong. Almost as if it wasn’t there, but if he concentrated he could hear it.
“Do you hear it?” Garon asked with a smile.
“Yes, like bells.”
“Can anyone control it?” Range asked.
“Yes but like I said, if too many people attempt to use the rug, it will crash. Very sad.”
“All right,” Range said, still touching the rug.
“Now, giv
e it a command via your thoughts and watch it fly,” Garon said.
Range was uncertain on how to give a rug a command in his mind. He didn’t know the language.
Fly, he thought.The rug shot up into the air and began climbing rapidly into the sky.The men leaped back and watched it.
“Where is it going?”Cortibis asked, hooding his eyes with a cupped hand.
“Range, tell it to hover above the land only a few hands high,” Garon said.”Otherwise it will continue to rise. The rug is fast, but not smart.”
Suddenly the rug dropped almost thumping on the ground, stopping at their shoulders.
“Excellent!” Nicodemus yelled in excitement.
“Tremendous!”Sterlin chimed.
“How fast does it go?” Range asked.
“Very. Depends on the maker of the rug,” Garon said. He puffed lazily on his pipe.
“Can we sit on it, while it flies?”Cortibis asked.
“Who would want to?” Sterlin asked.
“That is its purpose, Sterlin,” Garon said, rubbing his hand on the material.
“How is that possible?” Range asked.
“It is part of the magic,” Garon said.
“How does it work?” Cortibis asked.
“The magic gives you a solid grip to the rug almost like paste. If it inverted, you would probably fall off, but it can turn at different angles.” He demonstrated by knifing his hand through the air.”It is very simple, I think. Would you like to go for a ride?”
Nicodemus hopped on.
Suddenly the carpet lifted off the ground.Nicodemus sat atop it.He did not sink down into the rug. It was almost as if it had a wooden board holding it up from underneath.He floated about the clearing where Garon’s home was, slowly. The shag on the rug was long enough to get a good hold. It presently lowered to the ground.
“Excellent!”Sterlin yelled, applauding.
Range looked at the rug with a thought in his mind.”This rug could sit eight people.”
“Ten if you placed two in the middle, huddled up,” Garon said.
“What is on your mind?”Cortibis asked.
“I was thinking this could be used for travel, instead of horses.”
“True,” Garon agreed.”That is its primary function.”
“It would be mightily cramped on long journeys, and what about rain?” Cortibis asked.
“It would help greatly by traveling over trees and hills, and not having to go around or through them,” Range said.
“So, where are we going?”Nicky asked Range.
Range turned to Rolin, still holding the Sword. He removed the outer blankets from the Sword and carefully extracted it.Glimmering in the winter air, it seemed to have a life of its own.Range turned toward Garon who eyed the sword with awe. The scabbard’s unpolluted platinum, etched with intricate runes and shapes glimmered. The solid gold hilt crafted with precisely spaced ridges for gripping glimmered as if it were ethereal and not part of this existence. A solid golden ball served as the pommel, smooth and scar-free. The guard flayed out and both ends terminated in a perfect red ruby. Attached to the handle was a thickly woven red sash, which had been wrapped around the scabbard. Range pulled the Sword free, holding it with the gray cloth. The blade was impossibly sharp and the fuller was encrusted with glowing rubies that appeared to be alive.
“Tell me, Garon, where am I going?” Range asked.
Garon stared at the sword for a moment.”This is the Warrior’s Sword,” he said.”Bellatrix.”
“Yes.Entrusted to my family for six generations now,” Range said.
“What would you do, Range?Would you take the Sword and hide it someplace?Would you give it to someone else to carry its burden?Would you give it to a king to do as he would?Would you give it to a mage and let him work out its magics?”
Range shook his head.”I don’t know.” He knew he didn’t want the Sword.
“The Sword is being hunted by a rogue mage for not the most altruistic of reasons.What will he do when he finds you? Nothing good, I think.”
“Perhaps kill me and get on with his hunt for the other two Swords,” Range said.
“What if he already has the other two Swords?” Garon asked.
Range felt like someone had smacked him across the face with a board. That had not occurred to him. If the mage had even one of the other Swords he could locate the third.But once again, why did this concern him?“That would be disastrous.Lazerek has hunted me from my hometown, and is responsible for the death of my daughter and friend. Why does he want the Swords?”
“Power? Dominion? Glory? Who knows why anyone seeks the Swords.”
“But if he does have the Swords, he will be unstoppable. Able to impose his will on all.”
“Truly.Now tell me what you propose to do?” Garon asked. The rest of the party sat and watched.
“I do not know if this mage has the other two Swords.Perhaps he has none,” Range said.
“If he had one already, then what? He will have two. With two you can locate the third. The land will quake with fear.”
Range paced back and forth.The sun was beginning to hide behind the almost barren trees surrounding Garon’s property, casting cold, menace-filled shadows onto the hard ground.
“If you let this mage get the Sword then you will doom us all,” Remillion said.”Kings will have no way to stop him. He will rule the land.”
Range ignored the Prince.
“We do not know for certain if the mage has any of Swords,” Nicodemus reminded.
Range continued to pace.
“Range, what are you thinking?” Garon asked.
Range stopped pacing and turned toward the group.
“I do not know. If I run, he will eventually catch me. If I stay he will find me. He has already found the Sword once. If I hide it he will locate it. Don’t forget he killed my daughter. I owe him for that.”
Garon said,”I thought it was an Osaban priest who killed Zoë? Range, you are seeking revenge on this mage for what he has done?Ooln’s creed strictly forbids revenge.”
“The mage sent him.Mages think they are the final rule in this land, but they are not.They too must answer to the gods. This Lazerek will answer for his transgressions,” Range said.
“Yeah for the pretender!”Remillion yelled.”You tell that mage how it is. At least, until you actually meet him and he fries you like a piece of battered fish.”
“I don’t follow you. What is your plan?”Nicodemus asked.
“I can no more battle a mage than move a mountain.I have no way to counter his power. The only magician I know is Garon.”
“And my skills are lacking for this task,” Garon assured him.
“Shall we set a trap for this mage and slay him before he is aware of our plan?”Nicodemus asked.
“That would be foolhardy,” Range said, remembering the look the mage had given him at the inn.
“Have you ever drawn the Sword?”Garon asked.
Range said shocked.“It is not my right.”
“Whose then?” Garon asked, taking a long puff on his pipe.
“I am only to guard the Sword.I guess it is meant to stay hidden forever.Saddig will know if the sword is drawn and come looking for it.”
“Is it meant to stay hidden? How do you know?The god Saddig will know when the Sword is drawn, but he will not know where it is.”
“My instructions were to keep it hidden and to not tell anyone but you. I have no other knowledge on the Sword. You know this. You are my counsel.”
“I am your counsel. You are defined by what happened to you in the past and cannot break free?”
“It certainly appears so.”
Remmy sat down on the wooden bench lining the front of Garon’s house.”Can we go inside? It’s cold out here!”
They ignored him.He propped his head in his hands and looked like a sad lot. They had untied him that morning, and the prince agreed to stay with them until they left Garon’s home.
&nbs
p; “Your past defines who you are now.You cannot somehow break out of the lot that life has thrown at you? You are determined by your past?” Garon asked.
Range chewed on that for a moment before responding,”I think our past has a great bearing on our present.I do not believe that my past dictates my present.”
“Some people believe that we are nothing more than products of what has happened to us.Therefore we are simply people who are molded into who we are and what we are by the outer forces that govern our world and ultimately we are not responsible for our actions.”
“I do not believe that,” Range said.
“So you think that you could tear your self away from the direction your life is going in?”
“I think that I am my own self, and although my past has much to do with my present, it is still I who make the choices I make.”
Garon smiled.”And choices you make are based on what has happened to you.Your choices are not free, they are determined by your past.”
“I cannot believe that.”
“So I ask again. Can you break from the path that has been set before you, and trod a new one?”
“From what you have told me, I cannot. My decisions will be based upon things that have happened to me in my past, so my decisions are always tainted.But what if I consciously decide to take a different route?What if I know that I am going west and decide to go north?”
Garon laughed.”Then you are proving the theory!”
“How so?”
“By changing your mind to go north instead of east, you are making a conscious decision to go a different direction then you were planning.You only decided to make that conscious decision after I told you that your decisions are scripted. So you are thereby fulfilling the theory by making a decision based upon something that has happened to you or that you learned in your past.”He chuckled.
“That could keep you spinning for a long while,” Range said.
“Truly, and do you know who subscribes to that idea?”
“Tell me.”
“The Praeceptors at the Akilade are taught this line of thinking from the first day they are accepted in the school.They believe this to the bone of their existence.”
“So this mage thinks that everything I do, I am doing because of what has already happened to me?”
“Or some such nonsense.”
“You do not follow this path?”Range asked.
“Do not misunderstand. I fully believe in this idea. I do not think one single decision that you make is not determined by something that has happened to you.But I believe you are living life of your own volition.”
“Then I must do something he doesn’t anticipate.”
“But he will anticipate you doing something he does not anticipate.”
“Why? He does not know that I know of his theory. This can only go so long.”
Garon smiled.”Then pull the Sword from its scabbard. And take a different path.”
Range looked into his hands at the forgotten Sword of Saddig. It hummed with power.
“Let us travel down a new path,” Range’s voice was a harbinger of hope and promise.
His colleagues watched in amazement.The sun had just dipped below the horizon and they were standing in a vague darkness. Stars began to twinkle in the night sky.The air was becoming unbearably cold.
Range gripped the hilt and removed the Sword silently from its scabbard.The blade seemed to glow on its own, the crimson sash blackly dancing around in the slight breeze.The night sang with the power of the Sword as Range inspected its glory.Light seemed to emanate from somewhere within the metal, but as he tried to focus on it, it would escape.He raised the Sword above his head for all to see.
The power emanating from the Sword was too great.
“That is the true working of a god,” Cortibis whispered.
“It has been kissed by Ooln,” Garon reminded. He did not take his eyes from the masterpiece.
“Aye, the hand of the father,” Nicodemus said.
Range lowered the sword and inspected it again. Power flowed out of the Sword and into him. It felt as if he was plunging his arm into a vat of warm water, then the power covered him.
His arms were thin air and solid steel.
“Come,” Garon said.He waved his arms in the air and the torches at each end of the area came to life, throwing the yard into an orange light.”Let us test the Warrior’s Sword!”Remmy gathered himself up to one of the torches.
Garon walked to Range.”Who is the best fighter among your men?”
Everyone looked at Rolin.
“Rolin,” Range said.
Garon turned to Rolin.”I want you to test Range now that he wields Bellatrix.”
Rolin nodded and pulled off the extra clothing he was wearing.His bulging muscles looked ready for a fight.He fetched his staff and moved toward Range.
“Do not attack Range with fervor. For his is a lethal weapon now and it thirsts for the clamor of battle,” Garon said.The old man watched with interest.
Range approached Rolin.
Suddenly Rolin rolled and swept to the left, swinging his staff out to trip Range. Range caught the staff on the sword and flicked it away like a buzzing gnat.Rolin was fast, he immediately spun around with another angled hack at Range’s midsection, but it too was blocked.
“Now, Range, press Rolin and make him defend himself. But be careful!The Blade has been asleep for a long time.Pray that it does not call Saddig himself.” That was a truly horrific thought.
Range began to take the offensive.He was a flurry of steel and sinew. Rolin was assaulted at every turn and steadily beaten back.A few times he was almost decapitated.Range inadvertently cut him on the arms and once across the back as he tried to rein in the power of the Sword. He could feel the power singing in his ears and almost taking full control of his every move.He was on fire. He was cold as ice. He was unstoppable.
The spectators watched in awe.
“Now the rest of you, join in!”Garon said laughing.
They did not move.
Garon laughed.
“Okay, I think that is enough,” he yelled to Range who stopped wailing on Rolin’s staff.
Rolin stood; his breath was evident in the night air and steam floated from his glistening baldhead. His topknot hung like a horse’s tail.
Range was not breathing hard. He felt wonderful, full of vigor.
“Never have I been unable to turn the tide and take the offensive,” Rolin said through labored breaths.
Garon let out a guffaw,”My Zmarly friend, Range was holding back so as not to kill you. He was not even putting all his strength.He was having more trouble, not hurting you than he was doing battle with you.”He laughed again.
Range was shocked. He still felt like he could go forever.
“You do not understand the power of this Sword, I think.Bellatrix enables the wielder to unlimited physical resources, and unmatched fighting prowess.Range could have taken on all six of you and not breathed hard. No one knows to what extent, or how many fighters he could embattle before it would be too many, but it is a good number. However, once he puts the Sword down, his fatigue returns.He will feel the utter weariness of his battles.If he fought for three days, non-stop and then put the sword down, he would probably be dead from fatigue.If he battled one day, then he would pass out as soon as he let go of the Sword and would be out for about a day.The body seeks recompense.”
Range sheathed the Sword.He looked at Garon,”I feel fine.”
“Put the Sword on the ground.”
Range obeyed.
Instantly he felt an intense fatigue sweep through him.He almost stumbled, but Rolin held him up. It was if someone had put their hand on the top of his head and sucked out all his energy.
“As you use the Sword more, you will get more acclimated to it and its effects will not wear on you so.Your friend Rolin is in much better condition than you right now, and he was defending against you.”
“So
if he held onto the Sword for the rest of his life, then he would never need to sleep,” Cortibis said.
“But the Sword would be dangling over his entire life.”
“Let us go inside!”Remillion pleaded. He was practically hugging the fire Garon had created.
“Inside for a warm cup of spiced wine,” Garon said.
They made their way in. Range picked up the Sword and Rolin rolled up the flying rug and brought it inside.
Garon busied himself in the kitchen, preparing the warm drinks.Remmy assisted.Range thought it was odd to see the prince help anyone.He knew he would have to let the prince go, but he was not even certain of what he was going to do with himself. He couldn’t simply release the prince; he must make sure he was safe.
Moments later Garon brought out wine for everyone. It was just hot enough to burn, but the men did not care.All but Taelon gulped it down.
“So Range, what are we going to do now?”Nicodemus asked.
“We cannot fight the mage.We do not have enough magic and he has too many men with him.A pitched battle of seven against one hundred would be foolhardy.”
“I can fight as well. I am not a boy.” Remmy stood in protest.
“Sit down, boy,” Cortibis snapped.
“You sit down, commoner!Remember your station.This concerns my kingdom as much as anyone else.”
“I will take you out into the back right now and flog you silly. Now sit down and be quiet!”
“I will not be quiet!” the prince said.
Cortibis stood up and moved toward the prince.
“Hold,” Range said.
Cortibis turned to him.
“Prince Remillion, sit down. Or we shall all flog you.”
Remillion thought for a moment.”I am a prince and this situation affects my people.”
“Range,” Garon interjected,”With the Sword in your grasp, you are protected from most magic, and you could easily defeat a hundred men, so long as they did not tumble upon you at once and knock you over. Although you are a great swordsman while wielding the Sword, you strength is only increased a small amount.”
“So what you are saying is that this counterfeit baron is unstoppable?”Remmy said.
“I am not saying he is unstoppable, only very difficult to stop.”
“So are we to continue running from this mage?” Sterlin asked.
“I see why he brought all of those men with him now,” Range mused.
“Yes, he knew you carried the Warrior Sword,” Garon said.”But maybe he does this for another reason.”
“Then we must do everything we can to keep it from him!”Sterlin said.
“Indeed, think what a mage with that Sword would be able to do,” Cortibis said, eyeing the prince.
Remmy gave him a look full of blades, but said nothing.
“Then we must then find some way to take the fight to this mage,” Range said.
Everyone fell silent trying to think of how to attack Lazerek.
Garon stood up to get some more wine.
“Why don’t you group of toad’s puss find the other two Swords yourself?” Remmy said under his breath.
No one said anything, but Rolin lifted his head and glanced at Sterlin, and Nicodemus stared at Range.It was clear that finding the other two Swords was an idea with some merit.
“We could, you know. If we found the God Sword or the Mage Sword, then we should be able to overcome Lazerek,” Sterlin said.
“Splendid words from the thief,” Remmy said.
Range turned the Sword over, inspecting it in the dim room.The firelight bounced eerily on the scabbard.
“Where do we begin to look?” Cortibis asked.
“Hold on,” Range said holding up his hands.”I did not say I was hunting for anything. I just want to go back to what is left of my family. I want no part of some adventure that will get us all killed.”
“Well then what—“
Suddenly Garon stood up, dropping his cup to the floor with a crash.“Intruders!Prepare for battle!”
The group of men was up and ready for battle before Garon finished.
“Quickly! Outside!We cannot stay in here like a cornered dogs!”Range ordered.”Remmy, stay inside!”
“But I—”
“Do it!”
Rolin kicked the front door open and led the company outside.
The torches Garon lit earlier had burned out, and the companions were met with a cold darkness.They tumbled out in a flurry of clanking metal and creaky leather.When they all got outside, they went still as stones, listening.A slight wind stirred but the night remained quiet.
Garon stepped outside and waved his arms.The torches sprang instantly to life, illuminating a circle of warriors strapped for battle.Their swords were drawn and their helmets were buckled, but their eyes were hidden in shadow.
“Did they come to borrow a cup of salt?” Nicky asked.
“These are Sicari,” Rolin pronounced to Range.
“How do you know?” Range asked.
“They are Sicari,” the Zmarly repeated.
“Is this the end?” Cortibis mused.
From what Range could see, they were clearly outmanned at least ten to one. And he could see the shadows of other men just outside the ring of light.
Range with the Sword, and Rolin would lead the attack and protect the others while they defended their flanks.
“Are we ready?” Range asked. His resolve was suddenly strengthened by the overwhelming odds. If this is what the mage wanted, then this is what he would get.
“Aye, let’s take the battle to them!”Rolin’s voice was steady despite the situation.
“Looks like they already brought it to us,” Nicky said.
“I guess you won’t let us talk about this?” Range asked the Sicari.
“Range, the mage wants to test the Sword,” Garon said from the doorway. Remmy was standing behind him, trying to look over his shoulder.
Range pulled the Sword of Saddig free from its scabbard.The light pulsed inside, ready for battle.”Then let’s test it. Everyone stay behind Rolin and me.”Range said. He had no illusions. They were all dead, but they would fight to the very end.The mage might win the Sword from him tonight, but Range would make him pay dearly for it.
Suddenly Range and Rolin struck. As they did, the Sicari moved in. The slaughter began.
Sterlin stayed back and shot arrows into the opposing forces.Nicodemus yelled some ancient battle cry and threw himself gleefully into the battle. Cortibis kept Range and Rolin clear from behind.Taelon attacked with a strange looking weapon.It was a short staff with a spike on the end.He blocked with the staff and stabbed with the spike.
Garon waved his arms working up a spell, when a flash of light shot out of the woods and knocked him from his feet.He fell to the ground and did not move.
The battle raged around Rolin and Range. The bodies were stacking up as they whirled through the group like a firestorm.Blood shot out in all directions as Range opened himself to the full fury of the Sword. Bellatrix was a blur in his hands, madly swinging and slicing with precise, deadly accuracy.
A few of the Sicari fought their way around toward the doorway where Sterlin stood. One of them managed to strike Sterlin with the flat of his blade, knocking him unconscious. Cortibis was overwhelmed by the flood of Sicari. A barrage of fists beat him to the ground where darkness overtook him.
Taelon bounced and hopped about like a hare, but his opponents were too great in number and he was soon overcome by a rush of men.
Nicky’s constant giggling was unnerving his opponents.None could touch him. And when the tide of men pressed toward him, he merely hopped on top of a few and let the tide run underneath him, stabbing down into the crowd, injuring as many men as possible.
“Come you wicked men! Speak to my sword!She is talkative and thirsty for a good listener!”He giggled again.”Range! Rolin!” He yelled over the pitch of the fray.”Is this not the ultimate battle?I can swing
in any direction and hit anything I wish, while my adversaries be on their guard to avoid slicing their own men!”
Range and Rolin were too involved to notice their friend’s battle-induced insanity.They were surrounded by a pile of bodies.Rolin was an unstoppable force, but he was nothing next to Range.
A force of men pushed toward Rolin, he killed the first three, but the momentum of the others drove the corpses forward, knocking him down. He fell and was covered by a tide of men.
Range did not notice—he was like death incarnate.Opponents fell before his Sword like wheat before a scythe.He was blindly letting the Sword work its magic and trying to kill as many men as he could.He knew it was only a matter of time before he must stop or risk dying from the exhaustion that would overtake him once he put Bellatrix down. He didn’t care. They would pay. The power running through his body was unsettling and if he were able to think about it, he would have been scared.
Out of the darkness three shapes emerged.
One of the shapes lifted its hand from within its robes and a ball of light shot out and slammed Nicodemus in the chest, picking him up into the air, and knocking him onto his back with a sickening thud.He lay motionless.
Range saw the ball of light, but was too busy killing to stop it.
The figure turned toward him, and another ball of white light streaked toward Range.
Range saw the light coming and lifted his Sword. The ball of light bounced off the Sword and into the crowd of Sicari, knocking them back.This gave Range a moment to regroup.When he looked around only Remmy remained standing, alone in the doorway of Garon’s home. The others in his group had been overcome.He spun toward the mage.
“Tell your men to back away, Lazerek or I will slay every single one of them.” He spoke with the conviction of the dead.
A frigid voice crept out from under the dark cowl,”Ah, very good, he knows my name.Your knowledge will avail you naught. Give me the Sword and I will let you live.”
“Come and take it if you can,” Range spewed back.
Lazerek waved his men to attack Range again.As the remaining Sicari encircled Range, he prepared to lash out again.Just as the Sicari were about to attack, Lazerek motioned strangely, and the ground began to churn up. The earth itself gripped Range’s feet. He swung the Sword at the earth, chipping away part of it, but it grew too fast and soon it was up to his waist.The Sicari swarmed.He knew this was it. He was about to meet Ooln.
“Do not kill him!”Gidas warned.Range was shocked by the man’s order.
They reluctantly acquiesced.Range swung the Sword, but the Sicari stood back.The ground swarmed up to his chest, covering his arms.He could not swing the Sword anymore.One of the Sicari knocked the Sword from his hand. He felt the rush of weariness wash over him. He was just about to pass out when the Sicari began to pummel him.
***
“Take all of them.”Lazerek said.
One of the men grabbed the Prince.”Sir what about this boy?”
Lazerek eyed Prince Remillion.”Ah, the Prince of Rommel. What a catch. Take him.”
“My father will have your head,” Remmy said.
Lazerek laughed.
“Sir, the old one is dead,” one of the Sicari said to Lazerek.
“Well don’t bring the dead ones. Must I tell you everything?”
Lazerek walked over to where Bellatrix lay on the ground.He stooped over and picked it up. He located the scabbard a few feet away, and caused it to fly into his grasp.
“At last,” he said to the Sword.”At last you are mine.”
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