Soul of Skulls (Book 6) (27 page)

"Then what shall we do?" said Riothamus. "For all your prowess, the two of you are not invincible. Two hundred Aegonar warriors and three wizards are beyond our combined skills."

"Might be," murmured Mazael. "If we fought fairly."

He gazed at the village for a moment, his eyes roaming over the prisoners. There were at least four hundred men, maybe five hundred, no doubt captured from the armsmen and militia of the local lords and knights. 

Five hundred prisoners guarded by two hundred made for some interesting possibilities. 

"Riothamus," said Mazael, "could you handle those seidjar?"

"Most likely," said Riothamus, "if I have gauged their strength correctly. Though I cannot kill them."

"No need for that," said Mazael. "There are ways to neutralize a man without killing him. This is what we are going to do."

Molly and Riothamus leaned close to listen. 

###

A few hours later the sun set, and Molly prepared herself. 

Her Demonsouled blood sang within her. Since settling at Castle Cravenlock, she had fought in numerous battles. But she was an assassin, not a warrior, and as much as she struggled to contain her Demonsouled nature, she was still an assassin.

And she was good at it.

"Ready?" said Riothamus. 

Molly nodded, and Riothamus lifted a hand. Blue light glimmered around his fingertips, and Molly's vision swam with gray mist. When it cleared she could see in the dark much more clearly than before. 

"It won't last long," said Riothamus. "But it will give you an edge over the Aegonar."

Molly nodded, peering down at the village and the bonfire in the square. "Something's got them riled up." The Aegonar warriors seemed on edge, and bands of them patrolled the edge of the village.

"I suspect," said Mazael, "the Aegonar who escaped our little fight have made their way to Eben's Hold, and reported that enemies are loose in the countryside." He grinned, his eyes glinting as they reflecting the bonfire. "Just as well. A little panic and confusion will aid us."

"And I, Father," said Molly, drawing her weapons, "am very good at sowing confusion and panic." 

She stepped into the shadows.

Molly reappeared atop the roof of a house and looked around. The Aegonar below her spoke in low voices, but no one had noticed her yet.

No one ever looked up.

She squinted at the crude platform atop the nearest watchtower.

A quick stride through the shadows took her there, the village spread out beneath her. The Aegonar sentry stood before her, leaning on the railing, hand raised to cover a yawn. 

Molly slammed a hand over his mouth and cut his throat. After a moment his struggles subsided, and Molly leaned him against the railing. Anyone who looked up would only see a dark silhouette. Sooner or later someone might notice the blood, but by then the Aegonar would have bigger problems. 

She strode back into the shadows, reappeared on another rooftop, and examined the second watchtower. A moment later she killed the second sentry, leaving his corpse propped against the tower's railing. 

Which meant no one would see her next move. 

Molly walked the shadows to the bonfire in the center of the village's square. A quick tug, and she pulled a burning brand from the flames. Before any of the nearby Aegonar spotted her, she fell back into the shadows and reappeared atop the manor house. The fortified house had been built of stone, with narrow windows and reinforced doors, but the roof and interior had been built constructed from wooden timbers. 

Molly hurried along the roof, setting fires here and there, and then walked the shadows to the bedroom on the house's second floor. It had its own fireplace, already lit, and an enormous bed. No doubt it had once belonged to whatever knight or lord had held Eben's Rest. 

Molly tugged the blankets from the bed and dumped them into the fireplace, letting them trail across the wooden floor. The blankets went up at once, the fire spreading into the floorboards. Molly strode back into the shadows, reappeared atop the roof to make sure the fire was spreading, and then walked the shadows back to the northern watchtower. 

Within moments the flames erupted from the house, and cries of alarm went up from the Aegonar warriors.

Molly settled in to wait. 

###

"There," said Mazael, watching as the flames rose from the manor house. "Molly's quite the force of destruction when she sets her mind to it."

"You're sure about this?" said Riothamus.

"Yes," said Mazael. "Watch the other seidjar. If they try to interfere, stop them." 

Riothamus nodded and set himself, the Guardian's staff in his right hand. Mazael drew Lion and descended the hill, unconcerned about the fire's light reflecting off his blade or dragon's scale armor. He saw the Aegonar patrols rushing back into the village, swords drawn.

Mazael strode to the meadow with the prisoners. Most of the guards had left to deal with the fire, but the seidjar remained, scowling at the gray-haired man in the wizard's coat. Mazael picked up his pace. If he could get to the seidjar and kill the Aegonar priest with one solid blow...

The seidjar whirled, eyes wide beneath his serpent diadem, and began casting a spell. Mazael broke into a sprint, and a ripple of surprise went through the prisoners. 

The seidjar raised a hand, and a serpent of purple light burst from his fingers and plunged into Mazael's chest, passing through his armor as if it did not exist. Mazael screamed in pain, stumbling as the ghostly serpent's coils wrapped tight around his heart, draining life and heat from him...

But his Demonsouled blood exploded in rage, filling his heart with power, and Mazael surged forward. The seidjar's blinked in surprise, hands coming up for another spell, but Mazael plunged Lion into his foe's chest. The Aegonar wizard sagged, eyes bulging, and Mazael kicked the dead man from his blade. 

The prisoners stared at him, shocked. 

The man in the black wizard's coat rose, dusting off his sleeves with offended dignity. "I thank you, sir knight." He glared at the dead seidjar. "That miscreant kept my powers at bay with his barbarous arts. A crude method, but effective."

"Ha!" said another prisoner, a younger man with curly brown hair. "His magic was simply stronger than yours." 

"Who are you?" said Mazael, pulling a dagger from the seidjar's belt and handing it to the black-coated wizard.

The wizard went to work cutting the ropes binding the prisoners. "I am Maurus, a master wizard of the wizards' brotherhood, and this insolent rogue is Sir Philip Montigard. We are both in the service of Prince Everard of Barellion, and came north with Sir Hugh Chalsain to guard Castle Stormsea and its villages from the runedead."

"Instead," said Montigard, grunting as he stood, "we encountered the Aegonar." 

"Is Sir Hugh among you?" said Mazael. A son of the Prince might prove useful in gaining Everard's help against the Aegonar, especially once the Prince knew that Malaric had allied himself with the San-keth. 

"Unfortunately, no," said Maurus. "The Aegonar ambushed us at Prince's Rest, a village a day and a half journey's northwest of here. By the time we cut our way free, the Aegonar had taken Sir Hugh prisoner."

"We pursued them," said Montigard, "and found ourselves surrounded this morning, and had no choice but to surrender. The Aegonar brought us here with some other prisoners they had taken - local militia, mostly." He spat. "I suspect they planned to offer us up as a sacrifice to the serpent god. A poor choice - I would make an unpleasant meal." 

"This not a joking matter!" snapped Maurus. He turned back to Mazael. "Sir knight, I assume your men are responsible for the fire that drew off the Aegonar guards? You have our thanks. Might we know your name?"

"I am no one you need remember," said Mazael. "I have my own business. I seek to kill a particular San-keth cleric, an archpriest of great power. Have you seen him with the Aegonar?"

Maurus and Montigard exchanged a look. 

"No," said Maurus. "For all that the Aegonar babble about Sepharivaim, we have seen no San-keth among them. But the Aegonar speak of someone named the Herald of Sepharivaim traveling with their High King. That Herald might be the one you..."

Shouts of alarm rang up from the village.

The Aegonar had discovered the escape.

###

Molly tensed, her weapons ready. 

The Aegonar realized the fire had been only a diversion, and began running for their prisoners. A dozen different men bellowed orders, but most of the Aegonar headed for the meadow. Molly watched them, looking for their leader.

###

Montigard and Maurus and a score of other men shouted at once.

"Silence!" roared Mazael, and they stared at him. "Form up! A shield wall, facing the Aegonar! Now, you fools! Now!" 

He had been commanding men in battle for a long time, and perhaps the sheer rage in his voice drove them to obey. The men hastened into a shield wall, swords and spears at the ready.

A boiling mass of enraged Aegonar poured from the village.

"You, you, you!" said Mazael, pointing. "Get the weapons to the rest of the men. You, you! Make sure everyone is cut loose! Move!"

He turned to face the Aegonar, shield on his left arm, Lion ready in his right. 

And as he did, he saw a flare of purple light in the village as the remaining seidjar began casting a spell.

###

"Seidjar!" screamed an Aegonar warrior in ornate armor. "Work your arts! The rest of you, get the prisoners before..."

Molly jumped over the watchtower's railing, dropping into the shadows. 

She reappeared behind the Aegonar commander and drove her sword into a gap in his armor. The Aegonar fell to his knees with a bellow of agony, and the nearby warriors turned. The seidjar spun, the purple flames around their hands brightening. 

Molly smiled, waved, and stepped into the shadows. 

She reappeared in the midst of the charging Aegonar, and her sword flashed out, hamstringing one of the warriors. Before the others even noticed she slipped back into the shadows, reappearing a dozen yards away to strike at another man. 

Her Demonsouled blood thrummed within her, and she gave herself to the fight.

###

Riothamus saw the flare of purple light as the seidjar began their spells, felt the surge of their magical power. They were strong, and he suspected they had considerable skill.

But they could not match the raw power of the Guardian's staff.

The seidjar raised their hands, purple light flaring, and Riothamus cast a spell.

A wall of gray mist billowed up as the seidjar conjured a giant serpent of purple flame. Riothamus swept the staff before him, and the mist hardened into a wall of ice. The serpent struck it, and both the serpent into the ice shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. 

The seidjar began casting spells at him, but Riothamus swept the staff before him again. The fragments of ice dissolved into swirling gray mist that poured over the seidjar, and the Aegonar wizards collapsed to their knees, coughing and hacking. 

Then the mist vanished, and they toppled to the ground, asleep.

###

"Hold!" shouted Mazael as the Aegonar charged. "Hold, damn you!"

The men shifted, their armor creaking.

But they did not run. 

The ragged Aegonar charge crashed into the shield wall. 

Mazael attacked the nearest Aegonar, and a blow from Lion creased the warrior's helm and sent him tumbling to the ground. Another Aegonar bellowed and came at him, and Mazael caught the blow on his shield, twisted, and slammed Lion's pommel into the man's face. The Aegonar stumbled, and Mazael killed him with a single blow. 

The Aegonar struggled against the shield wall as Mazael killed and killed. He saw flickers of darkness, caught glimpses of Molly as she danced through the Aegonar. Montigard shouted encouragement to the struggling men, wielding his sword with vigorous strokes. Maurus cast a spell, and a pool of gray mist swirled in the midst of the melee. Misshapen spirit-beasts sprang from the mist, creatures that looked like wolves with spikes on their spines and legs, and the beasts tore into the Aegonar with ghastly shrieks. 

An Aegonar axe slammed into Mazael's chest. The golden dragon scales turned the blade, but the sheer force of the blow cracked several ribs. He staggered back with a growl of pain and caught the next blow on his shield, splinters flying from the wood. The Aegonar brought back his axe for another strike, and Mazael surged forward with a bellow of rage.

The Aegonar fell to the ground, blood leaking from his torn throat. 

The crimson haze of Demonsouled rage fell upon Mazael, and he tore through the Aegonar, killing with every blow. Time and time again they struck him, but his armor stopped their weapons, and his Demonsouled blood healed his torn flesh and cracked bones. He laughed as he slew, the madness of battle filling him, and Lion felt like a living thing in his hand...

And then there were no more foes left to slay.

Most of the Aegonar lay slain upon the meadow. The rest fled to the west, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Darkness swirled, and Molly appeared besides Mazael, her blades and armor spattered with blood, her eyes shining with the same eagerness he felt. He wanted to chase down the Aegonar and kill every last one of them...

Instead he forced himself to shout, "Hold! I said hold! Run after them and they'll tear you to pieces!" 

The liberated knights, armsmen, and militiamen stopped. Some lay dead upon the ground, but not nearly as many as the Aegonar. The enemy would be back, though. Mazael had to lead the men to a new location, to secure supplies. Or he could hit the Aegonar again, and vanish into the countryside when they struck back...

He blinked. He was thinking like a lord, but these were not his men. He had no right to command them...

"The golden knight!" someone shouted. "Victory for the golden knight!"

Mazael blinked and looked down at himself.

At his armor of golden dragon scales.