Part 63 (2/2)
” Thank you, my friend,” Sam replied. ”Brandor owes you a debt.” The king looked up. ”Shalee, hop down and stay with me. I need your help.”
Shalee floated to the ground and then patted the feathers on Goss' neck. ”Be careful.”
Goss took to the sky.
Sam tossed his torch to the ground. ”I need you to use your power on my eyes. I need to be able to see through the darkness.”
”Why?”
”Just do it, please!” Once Shalee's magic took effect, Sam lifted his bow and began firing arrows into the night.
By the next morning, the bears and the Minotaur had torn apart Kepler's undead army. Hundreds of skeletons had been tossed into three large piles. Each skull was furious, cursing and calling out orders for their arms and legs to work their way from their respective piles back to their torsos. The s.h.i.+fting of the piles caused a frightful clattering as the bones b.u.mped against one another. Despite the noise, the Minotaur and bears enjoyed the spectacle as they picked the wriggling arms and legs off the ground and tossed them to the top of the pile. Every moment this happened, a much stronger curse filled the air from the head of the skeleton that owned the bones.
The Peak of Bailem had come and gone, and the moment had arrived for the General Absolute to create his legacy-or solidify his pa.s.sing.
Michael lifted his sword horizontal to the ground and pointed it at the Barbarian King despite his exhaustion. ”You and I can settle the outcome of this war!”
Michael's plate armor was battered. His blue eyes were bloodshot, and it took every last ounce of his strength to stand in front of the Barbarian King and call him out.
Senchae dismounted, his hard, leather armor covered in blood, and moved to a position in front of Michael. The barbarian stood more than a pace taller than the General Absolute and outweighed Michael by 300 pounds. Though a large man, the general appeared diminutive next to the Barbarian King.
The horn of the Barbarian General sounded. Both armies stopped fighting and turned their attention toward the two men.
Senchae was the first to speak. ”I admire your courage, swine. I'd like to know the name of the man I intend to end.”
It took everything within Michael to claim his bravery. ”Knowing my name seems insignificant. When you're dead, that memory will be unnecessary. But if it appeases Your Highness, I am Michael, the General Absolute to the Kingdom of Brandor.”
The men of Brandor who had gathered cheered at their general's response.
Senchae waited for the noise to die. ”You seek a fool's death. After today, you will no longer have a tongue. You will be unable to address a king by name. Tonight, my officers will feast on the meat of my best bull once it has been cooked over the flames from your bones.”
Senchae lifted his heavy blade. His army stomped their feet as the men from both sides cheered.
With s.h.i.+eld in one hand and sword in the other, Michael engaged, rolling forward, and slicing at one of Senchae's legs. The king lifted his foot and smiled as the blade pa.s.sed beneath it.
”You have a quickness about you, but it won't do you any good. Nothing will spare your life.”
Michael thumped his sword against his s.h.i.+eld. ”I won't miss again.”
”There won't be an 'again.'” The barbarian lunged forward and smashed his two-handed sword into Michael's s.h.i.+eld. The force sent the general backward to the ground. Senchae followed this a.s.sault by kicking Michael on the right side of his chest as the general tried to recover. The force of the impact lifted Michael off the ground.
The leader of Brandor's army cried out as he heard two of his ribs crack.
Senchae backed off. ”To think, once you have pa.s.sed, I'll be in command of your army. Your men will serve me.”
Michael gathered his last bit of strength and lunged toward Senchae with his blade extended. The barbarian stepped to the side, grabbed Michael's wrist, and lifted him into the air. The king squeezed until the general was forced to drop his blade.
Michael tried to hit Senchae with his s.h.i.+eld, but the Barbarian King simply dropped his sword and caught its edge with his hand. Pulling it free from Michael's grip, Senchae threw it to the ground.
After securing the General Absolute by the throat, Bloodvain pulled Michael close. Spittle from the barbarian's speech landed on Michael's face. ”You're weak. You've failed your army and brought shame to Brandor.”
Senchae threw the leader of Brandor's army against what was left of a tree that had burned throughout the night. The general fell to the ground, spitting blood into the ash that surrounded him.
The Barbarian King moved to stand above Michael. ”I never thought a pile of garesh from the south would have this much heart. It's a shame you must be ended, but all garesh must be disposed of.”
The Barbarian King retrieved his blade and raised it high above his head, but before the heavy, metal blade began its descent, the tip of an arrow exited the front of Senchae's throat. The Barbarian King's eyes glossed over as he gasped for air. He stumbled backward and then fell to his knees and grasped his throat.
Michael pulled himself to his feet and lifted his blade. He buried it into the Barbarian King's chest, skewering his heart. The general screamed, ”Attack!”
Brandor's army reacted, fueled with renewed vigor. Their blades moved with swift conviction as the battle resumed.
From across the battlefield, Sam lowered his bow to his side. He grasped Kael, summoned the blade's extended fire and then charged down the mound of lava stone into the chaos.
It was not until Early Bailem the next Peak that Sam found Soresym. The last thing Sam imagined he would ever see would be hundreds of skeleton arms inching along the ground as they tried to reunite with their torsos. To his delight, he saw nine piles being watched over by both Minotaur and bears-three for their heads, another three for their torsos, and the remaining three for their arms and legs.
The separated limbs were being tossed back onto their respective pile, again and again, as they tirelessly tried to reunite with their torsos. The skulls were becoming more frustrated, and they screamed yet another curse with each failed attempt.
The Bear and Minotaur Kings met with Sam, along with Soresym. Sam was the first to speak as Soresym translated his words. ”My Lords, it appears there has been a grievous misunderstanding.”
Groth responded, ”Why did you attack the Scorpion King's island?”
Sam took a deep breath and explained. After a few moments, the shock of the Crystal Moon's disappearance settled in.
Horace spoke. ”If we can help in any way, we're at your service.”
”We are as well,” Groth added.
Sam thought a bit. ”It looks like we have some bones to deal with. Any idea on what we should do? We can't leave them here.”
Soresym agreed. ”We need to separate their parts to ensure they'll never be able to rejoin. I know of no other way to stop them. If they're allowed to unite, they'll attack Brandor as ordered by Kepler. They won't stop until this has been accomplished.”
Sam unsheathed his blade. ”Kael, do you how to destroy these things?”
Kael responded, ”I do. Fire.”
”It's that simple?”
”Simple if you know the answer. Put my blade into the piles and command my flame. I'll do the rest.”
Sam moved to the first pile. Soon, all nine piles were ablaze. The sounds of the skulls' screams were h.e.l.lish as the temperature rose. One by one, each skull cracked, releasing the soul that had been trapped inside it. The soul ascended into the atmosphere until it was out of sight. It was not long before every spirit had found its way to the pages of the Book of Immortality.
Sam tossed an inanimate arm onto the fire and then turned to Soresym. ”We need to find Kepler. He's responsible for this. Will you ask the griffins to take to the air to search for him? I want to ensure his evil is stopped from running free throughout Southern Grayham.”
The griffin nodded. ”You should order the army north into barbarian territory. Bring Southern Grayham under one monarchy.”
Sam agreed. ”I shall do that. But first, we have snakes to deal with.”
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