Terry W. Ervin (53 page)

I staggered across the road, clutching my throbbing chest. I’d been through this before; I knew he’d wounded my heart and what it meant. I’d planted the bomb and could have given up, except for Lilly. She wouldn’t leave without me and would die in the explosion too.

I wouldn’t make it far with a wounded heart. Ignoring the pain I trotted to the next building and cut down the alley before lying down against the base of wall in the weeds. I concentrated, but couldn’t focus. The jeering goblin calls were growing closer and battling the sorcerer had taken the fight out of me. Thinking of Lilly standing in the water waiting for me, and Roos holding the road for us in vain, sparked my drive. Chanting again, I found the energy ribbons and diverted a strand, sending it into my heart.

The pain receded some more, and breathing became easier. Then, orange light danced on the walls. I held my breath. A pair of goblins stood in the crossway looking down the narrow paths for me. One yelled past me to another torch-bearing goblin on the east-west road. “Da dub. Goll!” And with a wave, three spear-wielding goblins followed the torch-bearing one east.

I could only manage to reach and direct another small, thin magical ribbon into my heart. I wasn’t healed, but I wouldn’t die. Not before reaching Lilly. I got to my feet and trotted south, not bothering to check the pocket watch.

I crossed three streets while angling southeast before an undulating wail sounded throughout the stronghold; it had to be an alarm. I was in the midst of the warehouse district and didn’t bother to look before emerging from between buildings and crossing roads. The area hadn’t had many goblins or ogres wandering about earlier.

While emerging from a pair of warehouses, deep, staccato dog barks echoed. My chest pounded as I trotted, sword in hand. I couldn’t move faster without pushing my heart too hard. Then I saw light reflecting off the stream’s oily surface, even as I smelled it. Looking over my shoulder, a pair of distant goblins standing under a glowing globe spotted me and unleashed two of the furry, blunt-faced guard dogs to chase me down.

I made it to the stream and turned right, far enough away to avoid the slick bank. Above the siren, the bark of dogs in pursuit grew nearer. The palisade was only fifty yards away. The bomb had to be armed by now.

“Run, Lilly! Run!” I shouted between breaths. I didn’t see her but knew she was there, somewhere. “Get to Roos!” I was near exhaustion and rather than being run down, I turned to face the dogs. Breathing heavily I held my short sword ready and braced myself.

Snarling with fangs bared, the lead dog bounded toward me and leapt for my throat. I hacked and caught it in the face. My blade bit deep and turned its jaws aside, but the attack dog’s momentum knocked me to the ground as it tumbled over top of me.

I scrambled to my feet to face the second dog when a furry form shot from the water. I knew it was Lilly. She and the attack dog spun and tumbled in a flurry of snarls, squeals and snapping jaws. They were moving too fast for me to help. The first, bloody-faced dog staggered to its feet and dropped. When I turned back, Lilly had her jaws clamped tight on her foe’s jugular. With a savage head shake, Lilly tore away its throat, killing it.

The two goblins who’d released the dogs were shouting and closing on us. Lilly stood on her haunches, looking from the goblins to me. Her dark eyes stared into mine and with a twitch of her head, signaled for me to follow.

I thought about telling her to go without me, but knew better and followed her to the palisade. Fifty yards to the east along the base of the wooden wall, a patrol of eight goblins raced towards us.

Lilly stopped near the water’s edge, squealed and patted her paws on her shoulders. I sheathed my sword and grabbed on to the fur near her shoulders. It was too oily to grip, so I wiped my leather gauntlets on my armor and reached around her shoulders and locked my hands in front of her chest. Just as I held my breath she dove into the depths of the stream, and with feet and tail, propelled us through the water. A tip of wood snagged my armor, but I held tight as she carried us under the palisade and to the surface on the other side.

Lilly kept to the stream for another twenty yards until it became too shallow. We made it to shore, covered slick in the grimy, foul smelling water. It stung and burned my eyes, but I got to my feet and began moving along the road.

Lilly shook off behind me. I pulled off my right leather gauntlet, turned it inside out and used it to wipe around my eyes. The siren, while alerting the stronghold, was so loud that it also interfered with the enemy’s ability to coordinate. That wouldn’t last.

Lilly bounded off the road into some brush. I followed. Once there she started groaning and I knew that she was changing back to her human form. I looked back over the brush, and spotted some goblins running along the platform inside of the palisade, scanning the road and terrain for us.

I checked the pocket watch. “Five minutes until the bomb explodes,” I warned Lilly. “Goblins and ogres are coming out of the gates!”

Lilly faced away from me, on her hands and knees. The fur on her back was being absorbed into her skin. Her ears reformed while sliding into place on the side of her head. Exhaling deeply she grabbed her shirt and threw it on. Not bothering to button it she said, “Let’s go.” She grabbed her dagger and other equipment bundled in her tattered vest before dashing from cover onto the road. Wincing, knowing the pain running would inflict, I followed.

“I hope the Crusader cleared the path,” she said.

“I hope we can out run those ogres.”

Repeated cracks of gunfire sounded ahead. It was Roos and his weapons.

Lilly and I looked back. The goblins had slowed, but the two ogres urged them on with fists and threats.

“There’s a black-robed man among them,” warned Lilly, looking back at me. “Hurry up!”

“I can’t,” I said, trying to keep pace. “Sorcerer wounded my heart.”

She slowed. “Is that him following?”

“I doubt it,” I said. “Unless…he’s on…horseback.” A few paces later I added between breaths, my chest beginning to tighten and burn again, “Necro…mancer.”

“Shut up!” shouted Lilly. “Don’t talk, just run! Or they’ll catch us.”

She had to know that they were going to catch us.

I stumbled and dropped my sword. Lilly snatched it up and caught me under her shoulder before I fell. “You’re a healer,” she said. “Heal yourself.”

The pain again began to spread across my chest and into my left arm. I couldn’t keep running. “Leave me.”

“No,” Lilly said, hauling me over her shoulder. “Heal yourself.” She continued running. Faster than I’d been trotting, but not by much. “Do it!” Fear accented her grunting demand.

I craned my neck to see a small gap had grown between the ogres and the following necromancer and goblins. The big brutes saw no reason to hurry. We were easy prey.

“Goblins coming down the hill,” Lilly warned. “Where’s Roos?” She knew he was still a quarter mile away.

“They’ll kill you.”

“Shut up and heal yourself.”

“I’ll try,” I said, closing my eyes to concentrate.

Just as I finished speaking, the night sky lit up for a fraction of a second. A rumbling heat blast slammed into Lilly, knocking us forward and to the ground. I clamped my hands over my ears and huddled close to Lilly. The ground shook as if a hundred horses were stampeding past.

I don’t know how long it continued. Certainly not very long. If we were on the ground, the ogres were down too. I shut out the chaos and sought the ribbons of energy. They were there, but rippling and frayed. I reached out to one anyway, directing it into my chest. The ribbon split off from the stream with relative ease, and it was infused with many times more energy than any I’d ever dared call upon.

Pain drained away, from my chest first, then to my arms and jaw. I took a deep, pain-free breath.

Lilly grabbed my arm. “All I see is spots, Flank Hawk, but I think they’re fading.”

I looked up at Lilly kneeling over me. “I’m better too.” I stood and pulled Lilly to her feet. North, where the stronghold once stood, fires burned. A slow breeze drifted past us, feeding the mushrooming cloud that darkened the starry sky above the flames.

Fallen trees covered the hillsides while rockslides encroached on the road, blocking it in some places. The ogres and goblins were getting up and looking back at the devastation. The black-robed necromancer pointed at us and shouted, “Magga dubs!”

I grabbed my sword from Lilly and took her hand. “Come on.”

“I can’t see, yet.”

I sheathed my sword. Pulling her along, I said, “Just stick with me. They’re coming again.”

“You’re better,” she said, running alongside me. “I knew you could do it.”

“Rocks are blocking the road ahead.”

“I see them now.”

We scrambled over the mound and ran on. The devastation wrought by the bomb fell off quickly and we passed fewer toppled trees and smaller rockslides as we fled. The ogres’ size enabled them to climb over the obstacles more easily and with each stride they gained on us.

Thud! A rock the size of my skull bounded past. I looked over my shoulder in time to see another rock arcing downward. I pushed Lilly aside, causing it to miss her by inches.

“We’ll have to fight them here.”

She pulled her dagger. “Two ogres? You don’t even have your spear.”

The ogres slowed to a trot, huge yellow-toothed grins hanging on their brutish faces. They hefted their clubs in anticipation.

“At least they’re not armored,” I said. “Go for the tendons behind the knees.”

“Gaaff, da grull haw,” said the one on the left facing me, twenty feet away.

“Goll grull haw awhk!” Lilly and I shouted back in unison, transforming their grins to snarling bellows.

Crack! The ogre on the right staggered back with blood gushing from its face.

“Take him, Lilly,” I urged, charging left to take advantage of Roos’ unexpected attack.

Lilly ignored the wounded ogre and followed me. I ducked under the ogre’s club as he swiped at me. I hacked at his shin and dove away. Lilly stabbed at its leg behind the knee.

The ogre swung his left fist in a backhand swipe, clipping Lilly in the shoulder. She spun and landed at the feet of the gunshot-wounded ogre. Stunned, Lilly was too slow to roll away before it stomped a heavy boot down, pinning her dagger hand to the road.

Lilly screamed, and I cried out her name. My foe swung again, nearly clubbing me while blocking my path to Lilly. The gunshot ogre lifted his other foot to crush Lilly as she writhed and punched, trying to get away.

Crack! Roos’ rifle spoke again, taking the gunshot ogre in the face a second time. It staggered back, away from Lilly. The Crusader charged forward chanting his battle call.

My ogre turned on the Crusader, knocking away the rifle before Roos could drive his bayonet home. The blow must’ve numbed Roos’ fingers, as he fumbled for his revolver while backing away.

I charged in and slashed deep into the ogre’s hamstring. Instead of backing away I sidestepped and thrust my sword’s point deep into the ogre’s thigh just above the knee. Crippled, the bellowing ogre fell, and I was upon it. I stabbed into its stomach, upward, tearing into lung, and jumped away from the bleeding ogre’s balled fist. I thrust my sword again, deep into its neck, taking the remaining fight out of the dying brute.

Roos dispatched the other ogre with his saber while I ran to Lilly. Her hand and arm below the elbow was crushed and bloody. For a second I thought she was dead instead of unconscious.

“Hawk,” called Roos. “The enemy!”

I looked up. Seventy-five yards away, surrounded by a half dozen goblins, stood the necromancer. With hands raised, he’d summoned from the hillside a horde of zombies in rotted clothes, at least fifteen of them. All bore rusted swords and shields emblazoned with a faded long-toothed tiger emblem. They shambled to join their summoner.

Roos tossed me his wool jacket. “Wrap her in that.”

I told Roos, “Shoot the necromancer.”

“My rifle is shattered and the enemy gathers beyond accurate revolver range.” He looked down. “It will not matter, friend Hawk. Souls are bound to these undead. They will descend upon us no matter.”

“Take Lilly,” I said. “I’ll slow them.”

“Nay, friend Hawk. ’Tis my fate at hand.”

I lifted Lilly and tried to hand her to him. “Save her.” I looked back to the gathering enemy. “Now!”

“Nay, Hawk. My vision of the enemy before the rising smoke and flame is at hand. As I told ye, my fate is to die for thee.”

I recalled prior to battling the giant, Roos saying his fate was to die for me. But he was wrong. We defeated the giant.

“The enemy is prepared, friend Hawk.”

“You can’t defeat them.”

“We cannot defeat them.” His determined gaze bore into me. “Like moths to a flame, I shall draw them unto me.”

The enemy advanced. Zombies shambled ahead of the goblins. I looked at Lilly, stirring in my arms.

“If ye do not go, friend, we all shall perish.”

“It’s not your place to stay,” I said.

“Ye are wrong, friend.” A look of concern came over his face as he looked at Lilly in my arms. “Carry our friend to safety. Worry not, friend Hawk. All is well with my soul.” With that he turned. Saber raised and revolver ready, he strode forward, singing. Vibrating power radiated from his voice, more so than I’d ever felt from him. Ten more zombies scrambled down from the hill to join their summoner.