Kingdom's Quest (21 page)

The creature looked like something straight from the Isle of Sedah. Its head was triangular, with two long horns protruding above its eyes back toward its spine. A shorter horn rose from the crest of its nose and arched rearward as well. Long, sharp teeth protruded from its upper and lower jaws. Its neck was slightly longer than a horse's, and its body was scaled like a snake's. It walked on all four legs but stood on its hind two to strike at its prey and to breathe fire. The hind legs were powerful, with large talons that gripped the ground for leverage, and the forelimbs were nearly as strong, but the talons here were longer and sharper. A connecting skin ran from the forelimbs to partway down the body. When the beast rose up, it seemed to double in size as it spread its limbs apart. The tail ended in a spade with numerous sharp horns that flicked left and right as it walked and hunted.

Gavinaugh retreated behind a spire and took a deep breath. The Tarmuwth stood taller than he and looked to weigh four times as much. It was an ominous sight. Only now did he realize that the ground around him was scattered with fragments of half-eaten bones. The thought of
Keanna in this place gave him great anguish, and his only thought was to free her from such an evil prison … if she was still alive.

Gavinaugh dodged behind different spires, hoping the creature would lose track of him. He began to circle about the beast and wondered at its capability to see and smell. He found a vantage point and watched as the creature licked at the air with its forked tongue, smelling for its prey. It screeched again, and Gavinaugh tried to cover his ears. He was breathing so hard that he took a moment to settle himself. He surveyed the area to plot his next course, and just as he was about to sprint to the next spire, he spotted a clearing in the distance. On the far side was a tattered figure in white held by thick ropes to a massive towering spire.

Gavinaugh knew that Devinoux must be near. He silently maneuvered farther away from the Tarmuwth and slowly made his way behind the spire Keanna was tied to. After each movement he waited and listened. He cautiously crept to the front of the spire. When Keanna caught her first glimpse of him, she inhaled in quiet exclamation.

“Gavinaugh!” she whispered. Her voice conveyed a sense of renewed hope, and the sound of it strengthened his heart. He sheathed his sword and drew his long-knife. Her arms were stretched wide and held in place by a rope tied to iron anchors high in the spire.

“Where is he?” Gavinaugh asked as he cut one of the ropes holding her arms.

“I'm not sure. He's not far, though. He—
Gavinaugh!
” she yelled as a sword screamed toward his head. He dropped the knife, turned, and
brought his strong arm to the shield to bear the force of Devinoux's sword. Gavinaugh was off balance, and the blow sent him reeling to the ground. Devinoux covered him immediately and brought another cut on him from above. Gavinaugh deflected again with the shield and was able to draw his sword.

With one arm free, Keanna reached up to untie her other arm, but the knot was too tight to loosen with only one hand. She reached for the knife that lay at her feet, but it was just beyond her reach. She strained at the rope that still held her arm and could barely touch the hilt of the knife with her free hand. A horrific screech filled the air as the Tarmuwth dragon became aware of the ruckus.

Gavinaugh thwarted two more slices from Devinoux, and the warrior cursed as Gavinaugh regained his feet and took a defensive posture. The Shadow Warrior paused in his attack. He swung his sword from side to side as if to taunt Gavinaugh. Here in his stronghold, Devinoux looked even mightier than before. A mass of rippling muscles encased his frame from neck to feet. But it was the dark, steely eyes that unnerved Gavinaugh the most. They were windows into the soul of a monster. When he had faced Devinoux's sword before, Gavinaugh was his plaything. He wondered if the training of the Prince had truly elevated his level of mastery enough to be able to contend with such a powerful and evil foe.

“I knew you would play the fool and come for her. Here in my domain no one will come to save you. Now I will finish what I started years ago!” The Shadow Warrior's voice was full of hatred and loathing. “The Prince thinks He has made a knight of you, but I see in your eyes that you are but a cowardly knave. And this wench you are trying to save is nothing more than a slave for me and meat for my dragon.” He laughed loudly and with such arrogance that Gavinaugh felt the anger rise within him.

“By the name of the Prince I bear this sword! By His strength and His might, you will fall this day!” Gavinaugh proclaimed and attacked
the Shadow Warrior with the might of the Prince. Their swords flew with the speed of lightning and exploded with the sound of thunder as each countered and attacked time after time. Gavinaugh saw alarm momentarily cross his adversary's face.

Another screech blasted through the air—much closer this time.

Devinoux was a formidable foe, one of Lucius's top warriors. Gavinaugh did not underestimate his skill or his ruthlessness, for he had discerned what kind of warrior he was. The fight raged on and the dragon came closer. Gavinaugh felt the walls of defeat closing in upon him. The swords flashed again and Devinoux withdrew slightly. He lowered his sword and began to laugh. Gavinaugh wondered at his response until he heard the terrifying screech of the Tarmuwth just behind him.

Gavinaugh was now caught between the deadly sword of a mighty Shadow Warrior and the ripping claws of a fire-breathing dragon. He looked back at Devinoux, whose laughter suddenly became a gasp. Devinoux's eyes grew wide, and his face reddened in fury. As Devinoux turned to face a new foe, Gavinaugh saw that his own long-knife was protruding from the warrior's back. Devinoux raised his sword to strike at his assailant, but Gavinaugh seized the moment and plunged his sword deep into the warrior's chest. Devinoux fell to his knees, clutching at the knife that protruded from his back. Keanna stood behind him.

“I will never be your slave again. I belong to the Prince!” she said, and the warrior fell to the ground dead.

Gavinaugh turned to see the Tarmuwth rise up on its hind legs and spread its front limbs wide. In this position, the beast was a picture of absolute terror, and it took all Gavinaugh had not to collapse in fear. The stomach of the dragon convulsed, and Gavinaugh dove toward Keanna. He pulled her to the ground and sheltered her with the shield at the last instant before they were engulfed in a furnace of flames. The fringes of Keanna's dress caught fire, but there was little time to tend to it until they found cover. As soon as the encompassing flame was gone,
Gavinaugh grabbed Keanna's hand, and they ran to a nearby spire, where they extinguished her dress. Gavinaugh looked back at the Tarmuwth and saw that the body of the Shadow Warrior was aflame. The smell of burning flesh began to permeate the area. The dragon was coming toward them.

Gavinaugh leaned against the coarse texture of the spire and wondered how he could possibly save Keanna from such a beast. He took a moment to look at her and was amazed, for in spite of the terror, he saw new life in her eyes. He cocked his head slightly to one side as he wondered at the transformation.

“He found me, Gavinaugh. In the depths of this wretched place, He found me. My heart belongs to the Prince—and to you!” She kissed his cheek.

Just then the Tarmuwth shrieked. It was only a moment before it would be upon them. Gavinaugh had faced the blades of hundreds of men, but this was different, and he worried that he might fail Keanna here in the beginning moments of her newfound life.

He heard the guttural growls of the beast just on the far side of the spire.

“I need to get behind it somehow,” he said.

“Give me the shield,” she said and began to take it from him.

“What are you doing?”

“I am giving you the opportunity to save me, my brave knight,” she said. With that, she darted into the open with the shield before he could stop her. She yelled at the Tarmuwth, and Gavinaugh's heart sank into his stomach. The dragon came to her on all fours, then raised itself up to strike. Gavinaugh quickly circled around the spire and advanced on the dragon from the rear. The beast convulsed, and Gavinaugh drew back his sword beneath the outstretched forelimb of the creature. He called upon every ounce of his strength as he executed a slice that tore into the belly of the Tarmuwth.

The flame that had expelled from its mouth toward Keanna was
cut short as it screeched in pain. The large talons struck wildly at Gavinaugh, and one slashed across his thigh. Gavinaugh rolled away in gut-wrenching pain. The creature lowered itself to all fours. The beast's tail pounded down into the ground near where he lay, and Gavinaugh continued his roll to avoid its deadly spikes. Keanna ran to Gavinaugh and covered him with the shield just as the spade-shaped tail smashed into them. The shield flew from her arms and left them exposed to the dying thrashes of the injured dragon. The creature snapped at them with its powerful jaws, and Gavinaugh swiped back with his sword. Gavinaugh pushed Keanna away from the beast. He could barely stand because of the wound to his leg, but he tried to ready himself to strike again.

The tail swung once more at Gavinaugh. He ducked, but it was not enough. One of the spikes pierced deep into his side, and the impact sent him reeling toward a towering spire. His body slammed against its jagged edges, and he lost his grip on his sword. He nearly faded out of consciousness from the impact. The dragon writhed in pain but made its way toward Gavinaugh for the final kill. Keanna tried to come to him, but the wrathful beast was between them, and its tail was still whipping through the air. She looked for a weapon and saw the long-knife protruding from the burnt corpse of the Shadow Warrior. She ran and grabbed it.

Gavinaugh fought against the pain and searched for his sword as the dragon descended on him. Just as the Tarmuwth opened its jaws wide to crush him between its teeth, he found the hilt of his sword. The pain in his side was more than he could bear, but he knew that if he failed, Keanna would also die in the jaws of the dragon. He yelled and lunged at the heart of the beast with all his might, the tip of his sword leading the way. His sword plunged deep into the creature and found its mark. One final terrifying shriek emanated from the throat of the Tarmuwth. A moment later it fell to the ground on its side and became still in death.

Gavinaugh collapsed, and Keanna came to him. Her eyes revealed
her great concern. She used the knife to cut long pieces of cloth from her dress and tightly bandaged his side and the gash in his leg. But his blood quickly soaked through the bandage, and the severity of the wound was clear—Gavinaugh was struggling to breathe. Her efforts seemed futile.

He reached up and touched her soiled cheek. “I … love you, Keanna,” he said softly.

Tears welled up in her eyes as the gravity of the moment crushed down on her. “I love you, Gavinaugh. You can't leave me!”

She brought her face close to his.

“My sword,” he whispered and then coughed. He grimaced at the pain.

Keanna ran to the body of the Tarmuwth and withdrew his sword. She brought it to him and held the hilt of the sword so he could see it, but he wrapped his hand about hers.

“Now … you must … carry the sword,” he said with great difficulty.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Together, Gavinaugh … together we will carry the sword.”

He managed a weak smile. “The Prince will be with you.” His hand began to loosen about hers.

“No, Gavinaugh … 
No!
”

Keanna's head jerked as she heard men approaching, and soon Weston and Sandon were beside her.

“Help him, please, help him,” she pleaded.

At Porunth's command they had detached from the battle to come to Gavinaugh's aid. They looked at his wound, and their faces revealed their fear.

“Sandon, my pack,” Weston said, and Sandon quickly went to retrieve it. He put fresh bandages over Keanna's, but the blood continued to flow freely. There seemed little he could do, and Gavinaugh slipped closer to the pit of death.
“Gavinaugh!” Weston called, but his words were interrupted by the quick approach of another rider. A large cloaked warrior on a white horse was making his way through the spires to their position. He dismounted and came to them.

“The battle is over, and Porunth has sent me to help,” he said in a deep voice. Weston moved aside to allow the warrior access to Gavinaugh. Keanna looked hopefully into his eyes. The warrior reached beneath his cloak and produced a flask.

“He must drink this,” he said and brought the flask to Gavinaugh's lips.

Keanna grabbed the long-knife and slashed across the flask and the hand of the warrior. The flask spilled to the ground, along with the blood from the warrior's gash. He recoiled and screamed in pain as he backed away.

“What are you doing, Keanna?” Weston shouted.

The warrior looked at her with fury in his eyes and reached for his sword.