The Cavalier (62 page)

......And he awoke with a jolt, his eyes wide and his body fully awake. He leaped out of bed and noticed that he was already wearing his armor and both his swords were strapped at his side. He didn’t stand around pondering how that happened but ran out of his tent, yelling for Taleen as he went. “Taleen, to the king’s chamber!”

Jonas was long gone as Taleen awoke quickly, grabbing her sword next to her. She was already wearing her chain mail shirt but she didn’t bother taking the time to put on her plate mail.

Jonas raced towards the king’s tent and noticed the guards at the entrance were all lying on the ground. He didn’t stop to see if they were hurt or just spelled, barreling through the drape that covered the entrance and calling on his light simultaneously. He drew both his blades so quickly that it looked as if they leaped into his hands. His light bathed the entire interior and nothing of darkness could escape the magic.

A tall figure stood over the king’s bed and the man turned as Jonas’s light filled the room. It was Prince Nelstrom and he was holding a bloody dagger.

But Jonas’s light wasn’t touching the prince. He was surrounded by a shadow that seemed to pulse around him, just like Jonas’s light, but dark and heavy with evil. Jonas’s light hit the darkness and was repelled.

Prince Nelstrom’s eyes were glowing red and his features seemed to grow and elongate, until he was two heads taller than Jonas with long legs and arms. The fingers holding the knife grew as well, becoming long and tipped with short talons. His features were still that of the prince, but different, demonic in appearance. The bloody dagger in his hand slowly grew in length until it became the same long sword that he always wore at his side.

“It is too late, cavalier,” hissed Prince Nelstrom, spitting out the last word like it was poison. “The king is dead.”

“But you still live, something I will remedy shortly,” Jonas growled, stepping further into the room, his twin blades glowing faintly, as if they were waiting to explode into action.
 

“I’m afraid that killing me will not be that easy. Do you know what I am?” The prince asked, advancing slowly towards Jonas. His long arms and legs carried him smoothly a few steps closer.

Jonas noticed that he was wearing the exact armor and clothes of Prince Nelstrom. It had somehow grown and stretched to fit his new size.

“You are a man who sold his soul to the Forsworn. You are weak. You are nothing,” Jonas responded.

The prince laughed as he started to circle Jonas, his aura of darkness still holding back Jonas’s light. “I am much more than that. Right now your cavalier friend and many others are trying to get into this tent. But they can’t. I have magically sealed it off. It is just you and me, something for which I have been patiently waiting.”

“As have I, traitor,” Jonas whispered through clenched teeth. He willed his mind into the state of Ty’erm and readied himself for battle. All his senses were sharp and his finely honed muscles twitched, eager to spring forth and crush the murderous traitor. The king was a great man, and now he was dead, killed by his own corrupted son, at least that is what Prince Nelstrom believed. Jonas knew that Prince Nelstrom did not know that his real father was actually Kiln.

Again the prince laughed, refocusing Jonas’s attention. “I have more power than ever. My Lord Malbeck has shared with me some of the power of the Shan Cemar. That is why you could not detect me, cavalier. We have new power, power that was hidden for many years, but it is ours now and you cannot stop us. I am Malbeck’s right hand, the hammer that will crush Finarth so that I may rule this land in his name and the power of the Forsworn will cover the lands.”

“Your heart is now dark and corrupted with the stench of the Forsworn. They hold no power over me,” replied Jonas sternly, flaring his light again, trying to break through the prince’s defenses, but to no avail.

“Oh but they do. They have been watching you for a long time; even before you were born they were watching you.”

“What are you talking about?” Jonas demanded.

The demon prince laughed again. “Do you know what happened to your father?”

“He left us when I was born. He did not want a cripple as a son,” Jonas said, a little bit shaken by the direction of the conversation.

“You were a cripple because the Forsworn made you so. Gould the tormentor had known about you before you were even born. Your mother was poisoned during her pregnancy hoping to kill her and you.”
 

“You lie,” spat Jonas, gripping his swords tighter. Jonas used his powers to weave the energy around him into an invisible shield. His powers were growing stronger and it only took him a couple of seconds to spin the molecules around him into a translucent shield of energy.

But Jonas knew that he had to use his powers sparingly, for the headaches that came with their use could incapacitate him, something that would be his doom when facing a foe like the one before him.

The demon prince snickered knowingly. “We had assumed your mother would die, killing you along with her, but she was much stronger of spirit than we thought. She was sickened; however, the poison deformed you. Your father was strong of body, but not of spirit. Gould used his servants to force him to leave and then they took him as Gould’s slave.”

“You mean my father did not leave us on his own accord?” Jonas asked shocked.

“Correct, and we thought you as good as dead, a mistake which I’m here to remedy.”

“You should have killed me then, I will not be so easy to defeat now. My heart is pure. You cannot corrupt me with your seeping blackness.”

“When the Forsworn realized that you were still alive, they had Malbeck the Dark One, my master and their sword on this plane of existence, order your death.”

“But the High One sent Airos to protect the town and me,” replied Jonas as he thought about Airos’s sudden arrival. “But Airos did not know exactly who I was, only that he needed to help fight off the threat that attacked my town. His death helped me survive and I believe now that Shyann shielded me on that dark night.” Realization of Airos’s sacrifice and the simmering plot to destroy his family hit him like an ogre’s fist. “But why me?” Jonas asked more to himself than anything.

The demon prince spat on the ground and hissed. “You already answered that question. You are IshMian, a rare power that threatens my masters. More importantly, your heart is pure and incorruptible; a rarity in men and a potential threat to the powers of darkness, but it is a weakness, cavalier, for you cannot truly accept the power of the Forsworn. ”

Now it was Jonas’s turn to laugh. “Power? They hold no power! They only exist because they feed off of the weaknesses of men. Your Forsworn are parasites that have no power of their own,” Jonas countered, swinging his swords left and right.

The demon prince crouched, hissing angrily like a snake, his long blade bursting in red flames. Then he whispered a few words and orange flames suddenly burst from his left hand. Jonas stood his ground as the flames slammed into his mental barrier and rushed to either side of him. He smiled as the flame’s heat did not touch him. The fire subsided, revealing Jonas unharmed, holding his swords at his side.

Jonas used his mind to send the translucent shield forward like a battering ram. The energy wall hit the demon prince hard, slamming him against the back of the tent. Strangely, when he hit the tent wall it looked like he had crashed into stone. Whatever magic the demon had used to seal the tent turned the walls into something hard and unbreakable.

Jonas quickly charged forward as the demon prince smashed into the wall. Releasing the energy of the shield he used his leading blade to hastily block the demon’s fire sword, but his second blade scored a hit on the demon’s leg, causing a deep cut across its thigh. Nelstrom hissed and kicked his leg out impossibly fast. His powerful foot struck Jonas in the abdomen and sent him reeling backwards.

Kiln had taught Jonas many things, one of which was how to deflect the power of a blow by not fighting against it. And Jonas’s agility almost equaled Kiln’s, allowing him to move like an acrobat. So Jonas went with the blow, leaping backwards at the last moment, deflecting some of the power of the strike. He rolled backwards over his head and came to his feet quickly.

The prince wasted no time and attacked him furiously with his fire blade. The struggle became a blur of blades as the two master swordsmen used all the skills they had. They spun and danced, their magic blades leaving traces of fire and blue light as they whirled through the air. The demon’s long arms and legs allowed him an advantage, but Jonas’s skill with two blades allowed him to keep the demon’s steel away from his flesh.
 

The demon prince pushed Jonas close to a wall, hoping to pin him against it, but Jonas sensed the wall’s presence and frantically fought to keep from being cornered. Nelstrom’s foot struck out again, so fast that Jonas could not avoid it, striking him in the thigh, the power of the kick forcing him to stumble backwards.

The demon prince saw his opening and swung his fire blade downward towards Jonas’s head. But Jonas, too, was fast and he quickly brought both blades up in a cross to block the powerful stroke. The power of the strike sent sparks everywhere, severely jolting Jonas’s strong arms. It felt like he had caught a falling boulder.

The blades held together and the prince stepped in close to Jonas’s face. Jonas used all his strength to hold the blade still as the demon leered down at him. He strained and gritted his teeth as the flaming steel inched closer.

As the demon’s head moved closer, he opened his fanged mouth, spitting burning flames at Jonas’s face. Jonas screamed as the fire seared him but he did not let go of his swords for he knew that the demon’s fire sword would cleave him in two. He felt his skin bubble and the pungent smell of his burnt hair assaulted his senses.

Jonas closed his eyes and drew on his cognivant powers again. Using these powers was always tricky. He had to balance the need against the power of his opponent and the energy he would expend in using it. Against a powerful opponent like the one he faced now, he risked incapacitating himself. But if there was a time to use those powers, it was now. He called on the energy around him and wrapped it around the demon prince. Instantly the flames went away and Jonas used his mind to lift the demon in the air and throw him across the room to smash again into the wall of the tent.

Jonas stumbled from the agony, trying to open his eyes. The pain was immense. He had been burned so badly that his eyes were sealed. His head pounded from the cognitive energy used to fling the powerful demon against the wall.

From a distance, Jonas heard the demon laugh as he struggled to maintain his balance. His heart beat quickly as he fought to get control of himself through the pain and fear. Jonas could heal himself but he didn’t know if he had time before the demon attacked again.

Then he heard Shyann’s voice in his head and all fear went away.
“Hold tight Jonas. Do not fear. I am here with you. Use your mind.”
 

Jonas’s mind cleared and all fear evaporated in a rush of energy. He opened up his mind and used his powers as a cognivant to see the area around him. In his mind’s eye he could make out the particles of everything around him, including the demon prince who was now just before him with his sword raised above his head. Everything shone with different hues of light but it was enough to give Jonas an idea of distance, size, and shape.

Prince Nelstrom smiled wickedly as he brought his fire blade down with all his strength at the blinded cavalier. But the blade struck the ground hard as Jonas had moved aside with impossible speed and agility.

The prince tried to get his blade up but the cavalier was too fast. As Jonas sidestepped the powerful swing, he swung his right hand blade down onto the exposed arm of the demon, slicing easily through its flesh. As the demon’s sword arm fell to the ground, he watched in horror as the cavalier spun like a dancer, the momentum of the spin sending his left sword whirling by his face, slicing through his throat. The prince’s neck parted easily on Jonas’s blade, and he stumbled backwards from the blow.

Jonas, his eyes still burned shut, saw the demon prince move backwards holding onto his slit throat with his one good arm. But he would not be so easily killed. In his mind’s eye, Jonas saw the demon work some dark magic. Two bolts of energy shot forth from the demon’s hand but the bolts did not hit the cavalier. Instead they landed on either side of him creating two huge spiders from the crackling energy. Jonas could not see the spiders perfectly but he could make out their shape and size. They were as big as a man, similar to the spider that Taleen had fought on the battlefield.

Both spiders instantly attacked him. They leaped with incredible speed and slammed into the invisible wall that Jonas had quickly formed with his mind. One landed heavily on its back while the other maintained its footing, sending long clawed legs into the barrier as it tried to reach the retreating cavalier.

Jonas asked for Shyann’s help and brought forth burning blue flames that erupted from his right sword. He pointed the blade at the spider that was attacking the invisible barrier and sent a column of flame into the hideous beast. He had to drop the wall to let the flames out and he hoped that the spider on its back would take a few moments to recover.

The flames struck the spider with a flash, quickly incinerating it. Its squeal of pain was quickly extinguished as it was transformed to a smoldering pile of ash.