Knights: Defenders of Ollanhar

  ***

  The Ghoul leaned close to Bekka, fangs moving toward her neck. A cold aura radiated from the creature that spoke of ancient stone crypts and dreadful isolation, of loss of hope and the doom of all living things. He had come to drain them of life and energy and leave only empty flesh--a man cursed by the Deep Shadow long ago and suspended in a state where he was neither alive nor dead but somewhere in between, a stalker of the innocent who loved to destroy life. His appearance was a mockery of who he had once been.

  Lannon drew his sword. "Behind you, Bekka!"

  Bekka drew her Flayer and whirled around. She took a step back in shock, as the creature gazed at her, its jaws snapping shut. Not one to hesitate for long, Bekka lashed out with her Flayer and cut a deep wound in the Ghoul's chest--an impressive strike driven by the power of Knightly sorcery.

  The Ghoul glanced down at the wound impassively, seemingly unaffected by it. Then it seized Bekka's Flayer and ripped it from her hand. It tossed the weapon aside. It's jaws opened wide again, and it lunged at her--again going for her neck. The move was so swift that Bekka had no time to dodge, and the Ghoul's hands clamped onto her shoulders, pulling her toward the gleaming fangs.

  Lannon froze the Ghoul, and then yanked Bekka away from it. While the creature was still suspended by the power of the Eye, Lannon sought to behead it. However, his blade encountered fierce, invisible resistance--as if the neck were shielded with dark sorcery. The wound was shallow, the blade glancing away.

  Lannon was disappointed in himself. His embarrassing strike wasn't even as accurate and forceful as Bekka's.

  Bekka dove for her Flayer, as Lannon again struck at his foe--this time trying to drive his blade through the Ghoul's heart. It was a mighty thrust, and he got deeper penetration this time--yet the Ghoul still seemed unfazed. It ripped Lannon's sword from his hand and tried in vain to snap it in two. When it realized it couldn't break the Dragon-bone blade, it hurled it away into the fog.

  Bekka rose with her burning Flayer and struck the Ghoul from behind, inflicting another deep wound. The Ghoul whirled around and seized her neck, pulling her close and biting into her shoulder. She cried out in agony as the curved fangs sank deep into her flesh. Bekka writhed about in sheer torment--a shocking sight for Lannon to behold. He could sense her precious life force being drained away, sending her into a panic as she fought to keep from being drained until she was a lifeless shell. He could sense the horror of her experience.

  Lannon wrapped his arm around the Ghoul's neck and squeezed until the fangs withdrew. He yanked the creature away from Bekka, and kept on squeezing. Bekka fell to the ground, apparently unconscious, as Lannon fought to maintain his hold. The Ghoul weakened under the pressure, but it was not a living creature and could not be strangled. At last, Lannon was forced to release his foe.

  As the Ghoul faced him, Lannon summoned his sword from the fog. He focused all of his energy into the blade and waited for his foe to make a move. Yet the Ghoul watched him with cunning eyes and kept its distance.

  The Ghoul whispered to Lannon in the tongue of the Deep Shadow that it was an ancient king who resided in a castle in the peaks. Ever since being cursed, it had killed many humans over the centuries--including Divine Knights. It came from high up in the Soddurn Mountains, where others of its kind lurked in stone crypts. It promised Lannon a quick death if he surrendered.

  They circled each other. Losing patience because of his desire to help Bekka, Lannon leapt in for the kill, but the Ghoul seized his sword again. For an instant, they fought for possession of the blade, and then Lannon's fingers slipped and again it was yanked from his clutches.

  The Ghoul tried to hurl the sword far away but Lannon was ready. He snagged the weapon as it flew through the air and called it back instantly to his hand. The Ghoul's eyes widened in shock at this display of skill.

  Once again Lannon focused the Eye into the blade and waited, and this time his foe lost patience and leapt toward him. Lannon struck a flawless blow to the Ghoul's neck, breaking through the barrier of dark magic and cutting deep into the tough flesh. The Ghoul staggered, black blood pouring from the wound.

  Lannon struck again, and this time the head came free.

  The Ghoul was slain--the dark reign of the ancient king at last ended--but Bekka had received a wound so terrible that the thought of it made Lannon shudder. This was more wretched than Faindan's curse--a wound that went to the very core of Bekka's being--and it was going to prove more difficult to overcome. He wasn't sure Dallsa could cure it.

  With a frustrated sigh, Lannon lifted Bekka and headed for camp.