The Reborn King (Book Six) (36 page)

He lowered the Sword of Truth and pointed it directly at Gewey. Before he could move away, a ray of pure white light shot out and struck him in the center of his chest. At once, Gewey felt the
flow
within him beginning to drain away. He drew in more, but it left him just as quickly as it came. After only a few seconds he realized that the
sword
was not simply draining away the
flow
he was channeling, it was stealing the power within his spirit…all of it.

He began falling toward the swirling mass below. He tried to resist, but the harder he fought, the weaker he was becoming.

He is not a god
. It was the voice of Gerath once again.
Remember that
.

Spurred by the voice, Gewey clenched his fists tightly together and released a primal roar. All the remaining force and power he possessed shot forth, instantly engulfing the Dark Knight.

Aremiel screamed in agony. “No!” he bellowed, the volume of his voice louder than a thousand trumpets. The light from the
sword
was already receding.

Gewey halted his decent, but his head was reeling. He could barely see his enemy, and the
flow
within him was still drastically weakened.

He thought to ascend higher. That might give him the time he needed to recover. But before he could do this, the sky above turned red and a blast of heat seared into his exposed skin. His eyes cleared just in time to see a massive ball of fire streaking toward him. Instinctively, he used the
flow
of the air to part the flames. Even so, his hands and face began to blister as the inferno rushed past. He gritted his teeth and pushed the pain away.

His strength was returning, but not fast enough to save him from a second ball of fire, twice as large as the first. Again he tried to part the flames, but this time the power of the Dark Knight was too great.

He screamed in agony as the fire began to roast him alive. He tried desperately to push it away, but he was trapped within a burning hell.

The Dark Knight began to laugh maniacally. “Yes! Now do you understand? Do you see it? This was always going to happen. The
other gods knew it…and they sent you to the slaughter anyway. Beg for mercy and swear to serve me and I will release you from your torment.”

Gewey’s will was breaking. No human could have endured so much. The stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils, and he could feel pieces of himself dropping off.

It is only flesh
, echoed the voice of Gerath.
Nothing more
.

“But the pain!” he wailed. “I can’t bear it.”

No! I must not yield
, he told himself, making a last effort at resistance. But he knew he was at the very limit of what he could endure. In desperation, he began healing his own ruined skin. The pain lessened a little.

The Dark Knight sensed what he was doing and quickly increased the flames intensity to the limit of his own strength. Gewey’s clothing had long since burned away, and now his sword was beginning to melt.

He redoubled his efforts to heal, and in moments found that he could outpace the damage being done.
It is only flesh
. The words repeated in his mind again and again. He could see it now. How uncomplicated the flesh was…yet how miraculous. He marveled at its creation, nearly forgetting that a nightmare was raging all around him.

He looked down as his naked form and laughed. “This won’t do.” He used the earth below to create a suit of armor. Just as it was complete, the flames vanished. He looked up at his enemy and released a blast of air that sent him tumbling from the sky. His descent halted only a few feet above the vortex.

The Dark Knight glared. “You think you are winning? This fight has only just begun.”

With these words, the ground immediately beyond the vortex erupted, sending hundreds of rock hard little balls of earth shooting toward Gewey. He responded by raising a shield of swirling wind that dispersed all but a few of the missiles. The ones that did make it through crashed into his chest and legs, but his armor absorbed most of the impact.

Though the air was almost completely dry, he was still able to extract enough moisture to form a wave of tiny, razor-sharp ice crystals. He hurled these at the Dark Knight, but a blast of flames melted them when only a few feet away from their target.

Before the Dark Knight could counter, Gewey followed this with a blast of air that struck his foe's breastplate with unbelievable velocity. His body was sent flying for nearly a mile before hitting the earth. Sand flew everywhere as he continued to slide across the ground for fifty yards before stopping, leaving a deep trench in his wake.

He scrambled to raise himself off the ground, but a gesture from Gewey had sandy tentacles reaching up and gripping his ankles. He swiped at them with his sword, but they reformed as fast as he could sever them. Relentlessly, they pulled him down into the earth until he was completely buried. Gewey hurried to solidify the sands and turn them to rock. He then sent waves of heat to roast his enemy in an oven of stone.

For a brief few seconds he thought that he had won, and a feeling of elation lifted his heart. But then the earth began to shake with terrible violence. Gewey called on everything he had to keep the ground intact, but the Dark Knight overpowered him. A colossal explosion sent them both, together with huge chunks of semi-molten rock, hurtling a hundred feet or more into the air.

Free again, Aremiel glared at him with hate-filled eyes. Gewey could see his burned flesh already rapidly healing. There was a large dent in his breastplate, and black smoke was rising from the smoldering cloth beneath his armor.

With a feral cry, Aremiel raised the
sword
aloft. A cyclone of sand rose up from the earth and began to expand. Gewey readied himself for another barrage of missiles, but they did not come. Instead, the Dark Knight stepped into the tempest. Gewey tried to send a spear of fire into its heart, and growled with frustration when the flames vanished as soon as they touched the storm's outer surface. As he moved closer, a bolt of lightning shot forth. His earthen armor absorbed most of its energy, though its light momentarily blinded him.

His vision quickly returned, but the Dark Knight was already upon him. Gewey ducked just a fraction of a second before the Sword of Truth would have taken his head. A gauntleted fist then smashed into his jaw. He tumbled across the sky until he was once again hovering above the ever expanding vortex.

He regained his bearings just in time to see Aremiel streaking toward him. Gewey glanced at his warped sword and tossed it aside. Just as he did so, the familiar sound of bells and laughter filled his ears as the
flow
of the spirit wrapped itself around him. When the Dark Knight was only a few feet away, both of their spirits suddenly sprang forth and ascended even higher.

At last the two faced one another in their true forms. Gewey looked down. He could see their earthly bodies, frozen in time and space above the vortex, which had increased to more than a mile across.

The Dark Knight was now in gleaming silver armor, sword in hand and a jewel-laden crown atop his brow. His face was no longer of stone, rather it glowed brightly with his spiritual power. And yet for all his beauty, there was a dark force emanating from deep within his heart. It surrounded him with a vile aura that tarnished the purity that was once Aremiel, Knight of Amon Dähl.

Gewey was dressed in the simple garb of a farmer. His form and his sword glowed with a cool blue light. He looked at his enemy and shook his head sadly.

“Look at what you have become,” he said. “Your strength and majesty has putrefied and become diseased. Your spirit is corrupted.”

The Dark Knight sniffed. “And look at you. You are nothing more than a lowly peasant. That is what you have always been. How I could have considered you a threat is beyond reason. Such weakness cannot defeat me. Now I will cleanse the world. And I will begin by ridding it of you.”

As their swords clashed, the entire earth rumbled with such mighty force that both men were thrown back several yards. But the Dark Knight quickly renewed his attack.

Though Gewey was no match for his opponent in human form, here they were equals. Each combatant struck and parried, their weapons taking turns ruining spiritual flesh.

It soon became clear that the Dark Knight was growing frustrated. He had not faced an opponent able to withstand him in many years.

Eventually, he stepped back for a moment, a sinister grin on his face. “You should know that once you are gone, I will take great pleasure in flaying your wife and child alive. Their screams will fill my heart with joy.”

Gewey felt the rage within him building.
But
t
his is what he wants
, he thought.
He wants me to fight with blind fury
.

“Or perhaps I’ll spare them,” the Dark Knight continued. “I will make a slave of the boy and your wife into my concubine.” He grinned viciously. “I very much look forward to meeting them.”

“The only thing that you will be meeting is your Creator,” Gewey told him. His voice was calm and purposeful.

He stepped in, bringing his sword down in a sweeping arc that the Dark Knight was able to block without too much trouble. Undeterred, Gewey spun and struck out hard with his fist. This was more successful, and connected solidly with his opponent's jaw. The Dark Knight staggered back, but many years of experience controlled his movements. After shifting right, he thrust at Gewey's throat, forcing him to turn and step away.

With his enemy slightly off-balance, the Dark Knight pressed his advantage. In a series of calculated strikes, he maneuvered his way to Gewey’s right. A dagger appeared in his left hand just before he dived forward and rolled behind him.

Gewey’s eyes shot wide as the weapon plunged into his back. Pain racked his spiritual body. He spun around and tried to back away, but a fist smashed into his temple. This was quickly followed by a knee to his abdomen. In desperation, he swung his sword at the Dark Knight's legs. Though this made him step back for a moment, Gewey knew he was still losing the fight.

The pain was increasing from the deep wound, and this time he was not able to heal himself as he had done before. He somehow managed to defend against the next series of blows, but his strength was depleting…and the Dark Knight was clearly aware of this.

“It’s over,” he said triumphantly. “You are done.”

Gewey gritted his teeth as another wave of pain shot through him. “That’s not for you to say,” he roared defiantly.

The Dark Knight laughed with contempt before moving in for the finish. It was in that moment that Gewey saw it. His opponent's overconfidence had left an opening. He could see it clearly. But if he exploited this opportunity, it would also mean his own end. He would be leaving himself wide open, and they would die together. Was he prepared to make that sacrifice?

Thoughts of Kaylia and Jayden only weakened his courage, and the possibility of surrender flashed through his mind for the first time. He remembered the vision that Ayliazarah's essence had shown him. He had surrendered then, and it had cost him everything. He had sworn that it would never come to pass. Even so......

Have courage
, came a voice.

At first he thought it was Gerath again, then realized that there were two voices speaking in unison. He looked across and saw that the spiritual aspect of the Dark Knight was completely frozen, just like their physical bodies below.

Have faith
, said the voices.

“Father?” cried Gewey. “Where are you?”

We are here
, they replied.
Both of us
.

Two figures appeared between him and the Dark Knight. At first Gewey refused to believe what he was seeing. It was the familiar smile of Harman Stedding. Gerath was at his side, his hand resting on Harman’s shoulder.

“Have faith my son,” Harman said. “Be strong.”

“Father,” Gewey cried out again, now utterly convinced of their presence. He desperately wanted to embrace them both, but like the Dark Knight, he was unable to move. “Please forgive me. I have failed you. I tried to be brave, but my end has come and I am so afraid.”

Harman shook his head and sighed. “You have failed no one. Least of all me. Now though, you must face your true destiny. I know you are afraid. But be assured that we will be there with you all the way.”

“We will see you through this trial,” added Gerath. “We love you, my son. And now it is time to come home.”

As the two fathers faded, Gewey could feel their love penetrating his spirit.

“Yes,” he whispered. “It’s time.”

The Dark Knight’s form burst back into life. Gewey stepped forward. The opening was still there, and he no longer hesitated. Both men gasped as their swords plunged into each other's chest.

Instantly, their spirits evaporated and they were back in their physical bodies. Gewey could see the Sword of Truth protruding from his chest. At the same time, his sword hand had punched right through the Dark Knight's armor and pushed the man's heart out
on the other side. Blood dripped from both of their mouths, spilling down into the vortex directly below.