Eclipsing the Darkness (The Dragon Chronicles Book 5) (35 page)

He shot lightning from his staff that streaked straight toward the Corruptor. Malthor chuckled, dodging the spell and firing another burst of red plasma. Farouk rolled again, this time landing on solid ground as the last of the undead passed him. A jet of flame from Erenoth enveloped the sorcerer as he approached, but Malthor simply walked straight through it, unaffected. Farouk rolled onto his back, defenseless. His sword and staff were several feet away, and the dark form of the Corruptor was fast approaching.

Malthor held out his hand, firing another spell that encased Erenoth in a web of silvery strands. The priest struggled to break free, breathing flame at the magical shroud. It held fast, and the priest collapsed to the ground helpless.

“My revenge will come swiftly, Farouk,” the Corruptor cackled. “You needn’t worry about dying a painful death. The pain will come later, when you are in my domain.”

The Corruptor raised his arms again, chanting furiously. His face contorted into a rictus grin, exposing his rotting teeth and blackened tongue. Farouk’s heart thumped in his chest as he watched his doom close in.

Farouk closed his eyes, accepting of his fate. He had made a mistake thinking he could destroy the sorcerer on his own. He was no longer the swordsman he was in the past, and now, he would no longer be a druid.

The Corruptor’s chanting stopped abruptly, replaced by the sound of choking and gagging. Farouk opened his eyes, seeing the sorcerer’s face stretched in agony. A blade was driven through his back, and protruded through his chest. Farouk rolled toward his sword, snatching it up, and crouching ready to strike.

The blade was withdrawn from Malthor’s body with a sickening, flesh-grinding sound. The Corruptor stumbled forward, turning to face his attacker. Farouk struggled to see who it was, but the shadows obscured his view. All he could see was a glowing blade striking off the Corruptor’s foul head.

Farouk stood as the sorcerer’s body collapsed to the ground. Then, the collective sound of thousands of animated corpses collapsing drew his attention. The entire undead army, without its puppet master, was finished. Farouk chuckled as he heard the massive roars of victory from the assembled armies.

Malthor’s body melted into nothingness, his soul drawn into the blade that had beheaded him. Hamal stood over him, scowling in disgust as he watched the dark flesh rot before his very eyes. Erenoth cursed from nearby as he cut himself free with his blades. Again, Farouk chuckled.

“Who was that?” Hamal asked.

“The Corruptor,” Farouk replied, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “A servant of the Lifegiver.”

“Not anymore,” Hamal said, smiling.

“Thank you for saving me, my friend,” Farouk said. “His presence had a strange effect on my magic.”

“I felt compelled to destroy him. He did not belong here somehow.”

“What has happened at Khem?” Farouk asked, changing the subject.

“I killed Atuzoth, the Gatekeeper. At least, something that looked like him.”

Farouk nodded. “What of Eamon? When was the last time you saw him?”

“He was headed into the pyramid with Traegus and Faeraon. I stayed behind to battle the beast.”

“Come then, my king,” Farouk said respectfully. “Your people have returned to us.”

Indeed, as Hamal turned to the approaching army, the Jindala among them fell to their knees. Hamal looked upon them proudly; glad to see that the spell over them had been broken.

“Their hate is gone,” he said, smiling. “They no longer bear the countenance of darkness.”

He went to them, touching their bowed heads as he passed. Farouk watched him with awe, also glad to see that the people of Khem had found their rightful king. Hamal was a man who would rule fairly, and justly. Farouk would be proud to see him on the throne of Khem.

“
Hail King Ardumak!
” he shouted. “
The Son of Imbra!”

Chapter Thirty One

Eamon watched the Lifegiver’s vile form rise from the darkness. The dark gray, alien body glistened in the flickering light that filled the chamber, highlighting the skeletal, chitinous shell that encased him. He appeared as a massive defiler; exceedingly tall, long-limbed, and bearing the sharp horns and talons of some insectoid demon. His armored carapace was a sickly grayish color, marbled with veins of black and pale violet. Four long, segmented, and spiny tentacles sprouted from his back, ending in sharp, curved spikes that gleamed like steel.

The Lifegiver turned his terrifying head toward Eamon. His face was corpse-like, with hollow, black eyes, and a fanged, lipless maw that was clenched shut in a horrid rictus grin. Thick saliva dripped from the narrow teeth, splattering outward as the Lifegiver breathed.

Eamon stepped back as the dark eyes focused on him. He felt the Serpent’s Tongue pulse as the power of the Dragon beckoned him, calling on him to ignore his fear. Though he heard the call, his mind was frozen, and his courage seemed chained up within. He was terrified.

The powerful tentacles rose up, swirling around the Lifegiver’s head as his frightening form crouched to attack. His maw opened wide, stretching to an impossible width that could swallow a man. The long, needle-like fangs were menacing, and gleaming with venom that dripped as he hissed. Eamon’s skin crawled as he beheld Absu’s horrible form. His heart began pounding, and his grip tightened around the hard leather wrappings of his sword. From somewhere, deep inside, he felt the urge to move.

A blast of magic struck the Lifegiver from behind, bringing Eamon out of his daze. Absu screeched in rage, spinning around and whipping a tentacle at Traegus. The wizard dodged, firing another blast of magic that whizzed right by the monster’s head. Eamon and Faeraon went into action, rushing toward the skeletal legs.

Two tentacles whipped around the Lifegiver’s back, speeding toward the two attackers. Faeraon and Eamon dodged them as the sharp talons smashed into the floor, shattering the stone. Eamon rolled to his feet, leaping into the air and spinning into a downward slash. The tentacle withdrew, whipping upward to avoid the blade.

Faeraon rushed forward, sliding on the floor to slash at the other tentacle, his blade barely making a scratch as it connected with the talon. He, too, rolled to his feet, rushing through the Lifegiver’s legs and chopping into the hard chitin shell, and rolling away. The Lifegiver howled as the open wound spewed strange, black fluid that splattered on the floor. His bellowing screech shook the chamber, causing the attackers to stumble.

Traegus regained his footing and rushed around the perimeter to avoid the continuous barrage of whip-like attacks. The Lifegiver’s talons slammed into the stone repeatedly, just behind the wizard’s heels. He changed direction suddenly, using his staff to vault down to the lower floor, spinning as he landed, and throwing a massive wave of ethereal fire at the Lifegiver. The magic drove Absu back, stumbling. The creature lost its footing, the chitinous claws scraping the stone to regain purchase.

Eamon charged, shifting into a blinding attack as he saw the nearest tentacle rear back to attack the wizard once more. He shot forward with incredible speed, slashing his blade at the armored weapon, severing its tip. Again, the Lifegiver shrieked, snapping at the empty air in frustration. He turned his attention to Eamon and charged, slamming his clawed hands into the floor. Eamon dodged as the claws crushed the stone and the giant maw snapped shut. He could feel the wind from the powerful bite at his back, and spun to deliver a thrust. Absu’s head whipped to the side to dodge the blow, and his right claw swiped the air. Eamon spun and shifted forward again, severing one finger in mid-swipe.

Absu countered with a swipe of his other claw, knocking Eamon against the far wall. He crashed against the hard stone, cracking it with his weight, and groaning as he fell to the ground. The impact had knocked his breath away, and his vision swirled as he tried to focus. Fortunately, his armor had taken the brunt of the attack, and he managed to stand just in time to dodge the whipping spike that smashed into the wall behind him. He chopped downward as the spike impacted, severing it behind the base, and cleaving off another segment with a fierce growl.

He turned to rejoin his friends, preparing to leap the distance, when he was startled by a shrill, monstrous cry behind him. He spun around to see the talon transform as it worked its way out of the wall. Eight spindly legs had sprouted from the talon’s stump, pulling with them a horrid, deformed mouth that snapped and growled like a rabid wolf. It pulled itself free, dropping to the floor, and skittered toward him. The severed talon had become its tail; sharp and deadly like a macabre scorpion’s stinger.

The creature lunged, missing Eamon as he rolled away. He kept low as he regained his footing, waiting for the creature to attack again. When it struck with its tail, Eamon slid to the side, thrusting downward with an overhead attack, impaling the creature to the floor. He willed the gauntlet of his other hand to form blades, and jabbed repeatedly, splattering the aberration into a sickening pool of slime and chitin.

Pulling his sword from the black stone, Eamon left the remains behind, returning to join his friends.

Traegus had conjured a shield of magic around him to fend off the Lifegiver’s attacks. It was effective, but sputtered and sparked every time the talons struck it. Nevertheless, he used the protection to his advantage, kneeling down to gather strength for a more powerful spell. Faeraon kept Absu’s attention focused on him, dashing from one side of the chamber to the other, striking at the clawed feet as he passed.

Eamon leaped back down onto the lower floor, running to a position opposite the Alvar king. Absu focused on him, crouching down to bare his many fangs and release a deafening roar that forced Eamon to his knees. The Onyx Dragon held his sword out before him, gripping it with one hand on either end, fending off the dark energy that spewed from the Lifegiver’s maw. In his mind, the vile force arced around him, and when he opened his eyes, it was so. The Serpent’s Tongue had projected a half circle of protection in front of him, and the pain of the powerful sonic attack was gone.

See what you wish, not what you expect.

Farouk’s words echoed in his conscience. The druid had repeated Silka’s advice to him on several occasions, and now, it seemed, he understood its meaning. As Faeraon continued his attacks, and Traegus stood to pull magic from the Earth, Eamon molded the Serpent’s Tongue into the shape of a bow. He grinned as he saw the blade flatten and curve toward him, and another blade extend from the pommel. Stretching between the two ends was a cord of ethereal dragon fire.

He pulled back the cord, aiming the new bow at Absu’s open maw. A fiery arrow appeared as he reached the peak of his draw, and he loosed it; growling with the Dragon’s fury. The arrow struck, embedding itself in the Lifegiver’s throat. A fiery burst exploded in the creature’s mouth, sending it reeling back in agony. Absu thrashed his arms, spinning his remaining tentacles wildly as he staggered back.

Then, Traegus released his spell. A massive and spiraling ball of silver flame—with a tail like a comet—streaked at Absu, striking him with the fury of the Universe itself. Absu was thrown into the air with the force of a thousand bolts of lightning, cast into the far wall with enough impact to shatter the stone. The entire pyramid seemed to tremble, and large chunks of stone fell from the walls and ceiling of the chamber. Eamon and Faeraon dodged the debris as it crashed to the floor around them.

From the corner of his eyes, Eamon saw Traegus collapse.

“
Traegus!”
he shouted, torn between helping his friend and charging the stunned enemy.

“Finish him off,” Faeraon said, “I will help him.”

Eamon looked back once more as the Alvar king raced toward the fallen wizard. Absu fell to the floor, crashing down with a deep moan that jolted Eamon’s very mind. Dazed, he reached for the gem once more, holding it out before him in his open palm. It blazed with the magic of the djinn, the Firstborn, and the Earth itself. Eamon closed his fist, focusing the gem’s magic into one last burst of divine energy. As Absu pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, Eamon stared into his hollow eyes. He saw the dark realm within them, almost as if it were beckoning him to enter; pleading with him to join Absu in his fate.

“You are finished,” Eamon whispered.

With a cry to the Dragon, Eamon released the magic of the gem. Blinding green and orange bolts of Mother spirit blasted the Lifegiver, bursting into a nova of creative force. Absu screamed in agony as his armored carapace was shattered and disintegrated. He sparked and sputtered as the wisps of power devoured his defenses, flailing wildly in an attempt to escape.

As the power of the gem faded, Absu leaped into the air, catching on to the rim of the vault above. Eamon tossed the gem aside and followed the Lifegiver’s movement with his gaze. Although the entity was now vulnerable and weakened, Absu’s diminished form still glared with all the fury of the Abyss itself.

And then, the frightening maw seemed to grin.

Eamon stepped back, poised to counter as he the Lifegiver prepared to attack. But, instead, the Lifegiver’s flailing tentacles, now bare, but still deadly, whipped around and streaked straight toward Faeraon. The Alvar king, urging Traegus to his feet, was impaled from behind. Eamon’s heart sank as he saw the still sharp talon burst through Faeraon’s midsection. Faeraon groaned in pain, his breath stunted and stolen away by the devastating wound.

“
No!”
Eamon screamed.

Absu laughed as he turned back to face the Onyx Dragon. He dragged Faeraon into the air, chuckling wildly in a deep, echoing fashion as he flung the Alvar king to the floor. Faeraon impacted with great force, his blade and armor bouncing away as his broken body was dashed to the stone. Eamon could only stare wide-eyed as his friend rolled to a dead stop, the fading blue eyes staring at him; pleading and urging him to fulfill his destiny.