The Mists of Sorrow: The Morcyth Saga Book Seven (52 page)

“I’m not sure,” he replies. Not taking his
eyes off the mist he adds, “Thought I saw something.”

From behind them Scar pipes up and says,
“Could have been your imagination. This sort of stuff can do that
to a man.”

“Maybe,” he says in a tone which tells the
others he doesn’t think that’s what it was.

James continues staring into the fog but
fails to see anything. “I don’t think there’s anything out there,”
he says. Rarely though is Jiron wrong about something like
this.

Aaaah!!!

Then suddenly Stig cries out as one of the
hell hounds leaps from out of the mist and slams into his horse.
The creature’s claws rake the side of the horse, ripping and
tearing as it bowls them both over. Stig leaps from the saddle and
hits the ground hard. Rolling, he comes up and faces the creature
with mace and shield ready.

The creature looks up at him and charges
just as Brother Willim throws something in the air. A tangle of
vines bursts into being and ensnares the creature.

Light blazes forth as Miko holds aloft the
Star and speaks in a language none can understand. The mist rolls
backward until a wide clearing devoid of mist surrounds them.
Another of the creatures is revealed when the mist rolls back. A
beam of light surges from the Star and strikes the second creature.
Rearing back, the creature lets out a primal scream of pain as the
light from the Star lances through it.

The first creature struggles against the
vines holding it. Smoke rises as the heat of the creature chars the
constricting vines. In little time, the creature breaks free and
leaps. James spies the creature leaping for Stig and lets the magic
flow. A barrier forms around the creature in mid leap. Stig dodges
to the side as the barrier encased creature hits the ground right
where he had been standing.

Increasing the magic to the barrier, James
changes its nature and turns it quickly colder. Inside, the
creature struggles against the barrier but is unable to break free.
Then, just as he had many times before, James begins shrinking the
barrier in on the creature until its life force goes out and the
barrier implodes.

By this time, Miko has the second creature
all but destroyed. The light from the Star is still searing into
it, extinguishing its life. Soon, the creature collapses completely
and erupts in a cloud of noxious black smoke, leaving a charred
area upon the ground where it was destroyed.

Jiron scans the area for more of the
creatures then hollers, “Everyone okay?”

“I’m fine,” replies Stig. He walks over to
his horse only to find what he already knew. It’s dead. The side
where the creature attacked it has been ripped to shreds.

To Miko, Jiron asks, “Can you continue to
keep the mist at bay?”

“Not a problem,” he replies.

Jiron then glances to James and says,
“Seeing as how they know we’re here already and all.”

Nodding, James says, “Good thinking. Better
pick up the pace a bit from here on out.”

“Are we sure we’re still going in the right
direction?” asks Aleya. “I can no longer tell which way is
which.”

Miko points off into the mists and says,
“It’s that way.”

“How can you tell?” asks Potbelly.

“Ever since we entered the mist, I have felt
something,” he explains. “I wasn’t sure what it was until just now.
It’s the temple. It feels like a disease.”

“Then you take the lead from here,” Jiron
says. “I haven’t been sure for awhile if we were even going in the
right direction.”

With a nod, Miko takes the lead and they
continue on.

Stig mounts behind Shorty, he being the
lightest of the group. Thus their combined weight will tire his
horse less than if Stig rode with another.

Aleya stares at the charred spot on the
ground where the creature Miko killed fell. She swallows hard and
steels her nerves as she follows along with the others. If she
still had her bow and arrows, she would definitely feel better.

Miko continues to maintain their island
within the mist through the magic of the Star. Able to see more
than a couple feet in front of them takes the edge off the dread
that had filled them since entering the Mists. It’s still absolute
quiet other than the noise that they and their horses make which
lends an eerie feel to the whole thing.

“If that’s all we are going to have to
face,” begins Potbelly, “we should be able to make it to the
temple.”

“What are the odds on that though?” counters
Scar as he gazes to the wall of mist, first to one side then the
other. “There’s bound to be more of them out there.”

“Not to mention warrior priests,” adds
Potbelly. “If there’s any place that would have them, it would be
here.”

“Quiet!” insists Jiron. “Keep your eyes open
and your mouths shut.”

Staying quiet, the riders continue to forge
their way through the mist and closer to the temple. After riding
for a ways, James whispers to Miko, “How much further is it?”

“I’m not sure,” he replies. “The feeling
continues to grow as we draw nearer, but I’m unable to determine
how close it may be.”

Then the tingling of magic being worked
comes to him. “Magic!” James exclaims as he comes to a stop and
throws a barrier around them.

“Where?” asks Jiron as he and the others
come to a stop.

“I feel it too,” says Brother Willim and a
green glow suddenly surrounds him.

“Is it strong?” asks Shorty.

“Very,” replies James.

Coming to a stop, they remain there for a
short time within James’ protective barrier and still nothing
materializes. Then out of the mist before them appear two forms,
both heavily armored.

“Warrior priests!” cries out Brother
Willim.

They raise their hands in unison and a wave
of dark magic rolls toward the barrier. More felt than seen, James
braces for the impact. When the dark magic strikes the barrier,
James cries out as a shockwave travels back along the magic stream
to him. It hits him like a lightning bolt and knocks him off his
horse. The barrier winks out.

“James!” cries Stig as he vaults off his
horse and comes to his aid.

The light from the Star increases tenfold as
a beam lances outwards from it toward the two warrior priests. It
strikes one of them, causing him to stagger. Where the beam struck
the warrior priest, a sizzling hole gapes in the man’s armor, but
the man himself appears unaffected. Leaping from his horse, Miko
holds aloft the Star as he draws his sword and moves to engage the
two warrior priests.

“Miko no!” cries out Jiron. There’s no way
he’ll be able to handle two. The last time he faced off against
only one he barely survived.

Just then, another of the hell hounds darts
from the mist straight toward where James is lying on the ground.
Stig hears him coming. Getting up from where he had knelt at James’
side, he turns and braces for the attack. Even before the hell
hound closes with him he feels the heat radiating off of it.
Striking out with his mace, Stig connects with the creature’s
shoulder and excruciating pain burns his hand as the creature’s
heat is absorbed by the metal of the mace. Then a split second
later one of its forepaws strikes his shield and throws him a dozen
yards away.

James regains his senses just as Stig is
being swiped aside and sees the creature turn its attention back to
him. Leaping for him, the creature opens its maw to rip out his
throat and is suddenly entrapped by another of James’ shields.
Rolling aside, James gets out of the way before the entrapped
creature hits the ground right where he had lain.

As he begins shrinking the shield onto the
creature, a flash of white light draws his attention over to where
Miko is battling one of the warrior priests. The other one is
currently entangled in a mass of vines as Brother Willim lays into
it with his staff. Jiron is there giving Miko and Brother Willim
what help he can. A stab here, a slash there, he’s connecting but
his attacks are not being nearly effective enough.

Bam!

An explosion knocks the vines away from the
warrior priest that was entrapped. Now free, he begins laying into
Brother Willim with incredible ferocity and skill. Jiron, when he
tries to get in a blow is knocked backward just like someone
swatting a fly.

With the green glow surrounding him, Brother
Willim’s staff is a blur as he counters and blocks the warrior
priest’s attacks. But that is the limit he’s able to do as he faces
the full force of a warrior priest’s skill. His mind is so set on
blocking the blindingly fast attacks that he’s unable to do aught
else.

Scar and Potbelly have reached Stig’s side
and are helping him. Aleya and Shorty along with Reilin and
Perrilin stand by the horses, feeling helpless in this battle.

James works to implode the shield encasing
the hell hound when he sees another emerge from the mist and turn
its gaze on those standing with the horses. He casts another shield
around that one which causes such a drain that he’s no longer able
to quickly shrink the shield around the first one. Its progress is
now down to about a tenth of the rate that it was before.

Miko fortunately is holding his own against
his opponent and if anything is getting the upper hand. Along with
attacks with his sword, the Star in his hand lashes out with bursts
of light that strike the warrior priest with devastating results.
The man’s armor now shows holes in several places and a few are
even beginning to ooze blood.

Then out from the mist another hell hound
emerges near Miko. James sees it and before it has a chance to
attack, he creates a third shield to trap it. Now the drain of
magic is such that he’s totally unable to shrink the barriers even
a minute amount. In fact, the magic is being drained from his so
quickly that he’s not even sure how much longer he’ll be able to
maintain the three shields he’s currently holding.

As if that wasn’t enough, he feels a spike
in the tingling sensation. The ground starts to shake and groan as
cracks appear across its surface. Then with a mighty shake which
almost topples everyone, the ground splits open in a dozen places.
Man shaped creatures crawl from the earth. Four feet tall and the
color of fresh turned earth, they immediately move to attack
whoever is closest once they are free of the ground.

We can’t win this!
James
suddenly realizes.

As Scar and Potbelly face off against five
of the creatures, they hold them off of the unconscious Stig lying
between them. Shorty, Reilin and Aleya are facing off with another
two.

James sees one approaching him. They aren’t
moving very fast, sort of like the loping gait of the undead in the
first Night of the Living Dead movie. Taking a slug from out of his
belt, he uses as much magic as he can spare and launches it at the
thing.

Striking the creature in the center of the
chest, he’s surprised to see a large part of its midsection
dislodge and be thrust out its back. When the midsection hits the
ground, it breaks apart like dirt. Taking another slug, he launches
it, this time at the creature’s leg. It smashes into its upper
thigh and the section from its hip to its knee comes loose. Now
only on one leg, it topples to the side where it hits the ground
and breaks apart.

He glances over to where Scar and Potbelly
are using their swords against the creatures with little affect.
Their blades cut into them but do little damage. “Scar!” he yells.
“Use Stig’s mace! You have to bash them, not cut them.”

Scar glances over to him for a brief moment
and then sees the one that he took out with his slugs, lying
shattered on the ground. Seeing Stig’s mace on the ground at his
feet, he kicks out and pushes the nearest creature back. Then in
one fluid motion thrusts the sword in his right hand into the
ground, bends over and picks up the mace, then strikes out at the
closest creature. The mace strikes its shoulder.

He’s surprised to see the shoulder, along
with the arm attached to it, come off the creature. “Bash them!” he
cries out to the rest. “Cuts don’t hurt them!” Striking out with
the broadside of his sword, he connects with the creature’s head
and knocks it off. “Yeah!” he yells triumphantly as he begins
laying into the rest.

Potbelly begins using the broadside of his
sword and they soon have turned the creatures into a pile of
dirt.

“We aren’t going to win this!” James yells
to them. “We have to get out of here.”

They turn to see him standing there, legs
shaking from the exertion of maintaining three barriers. Scar nods,
then he and Potbelly go to help Reilin, Shorty and Perrilin where
they are having trouble with their opponents.

The warrior priest facing off with Miko is
showing mass damage to his armor and exposed skin. Miko himself has
several wounds running with blood which begin to heal over rapidly
as the magic of the Star works to preserve his life.

Brother Willim is not so fortunate. The
warrior priest he’s up against shows very little damage form the
battle and is still going strong. Jiron had to quit the battle with
the warrior priest in order to deal with one of the earth
creatures. But once he had it reduced to a pile of dirt he quickly
returned to help him.

When the last of the earth creatures falls,
James calls for the others to get into the saddle. That they have
to get out of here. Just then a blinding flash of light erupts from
the Star. Glancing that way, James sees Miko’s opponent fly
backward and hit the ground. Another flash of light strikes the
warrior priest where he lays on the ground. His body spasms, then
grows still. Looking around, Miko begins moving to help Brother
Willim and Jiron when Jiron hollers to him, “Help James!”

He turns and sees him there barely holding
onto the barriers encasing the hell hounds. Leaving Brother Willim
and Jiron to handle the remaining warrior priest, he makes his way
quickly to the nearest hell hound. Holding the Star aloft, Miko
envelopes the hell hound in a white glow. Between the glow and the
barrier, the creature’s life force within is quickly snuffed
out.