26. Rourk
Chapter twenty-six
Rourk
M y mind races with thoughts of what I think I’ve just seen. A familiar face. Someone from the Oathlands, here in The Kingdom. I saw a young girl on the other side of the alley, being ushered by two adults. Could it really have been little Tabetha? She had gone missing a few weeks ago and her father, Captain Tryphon, had been worried about her. Could she have somehow found her way to The Kingdom?
I burst out of the alley and check the next street to see no one is there. Broken rubble is strewn about, but there are no civilians or enemies here. The building next to me has a staircase winding its way up to the roof, so I head up for a better view of the surrounding streets. Maybe I can see where Tabetha has gone.
The rooftop feels particularly high up as the ground lowers on one side to the inclining levels of the city below. I check every side but don’t see Tabetha anywhere. Perhaps it had been my imagination, but I was sure I had seen her.
Then I catch a glimpse of the young girl and the two adults crossing a street. It’s a quick glimpse but I see Tabetha clearly. It really is her. Same curly brown hair and button nose. Same dark eyes that match her father’s. I lose sight of them when they turn around the corner of the building.
I want to go to her, but a flash of magic takes all my attention.
A figure is on the roof of a far-off building, its dark form is shrouded in pulses of black magic. Several Kingdom Guards are battling the armored figure, who must be at least seven feet tall. The armor is thick and robust, full of sharp edges and spikes, and gives the figure a powerfully imposing, monstrous frame. It’s hard to see everything through the darkness, but nearby flames and flashes of magic highlight him clearly. I know instantly that this person must be Thanek, the Dark King of Old.
He was once a man, but now he is beyond the realm of my understanding. I wonder if he has been re-animated by some ancient magic, or if he has gained mastery of the magic he wields. Bursts of black light explode over the rooftop, knocking back the guards and throwing them through the air like dolls. Thanek’s arms are glowing with the same inky black light. Strangely, it reminds me of the golden light that covers Galene’s arms when she wields her magic.
As I consider my route to reach Thanek, the roof jolts suddenly as something large lands on it. One of the hulking man-like beasts is across from me, its forearms and shins covered in thick black fur. This one is over nine feet tall, with a long, heavy vest that wavers about it like a cape. It raises a double-edged spear as it approaches me, its pig snout snarling. Half of its face is scarred and rotten, and the long vest is heavily worn and falling apart. The faint blue light emanating from its eyes tells me of the sorcery controlling it.
I ready the longsword and prepare to face this beast. A splash of golden light hits the furred beast’s back and causes it to stumble.
My brows rise at the sight of Galene on the roof, behind the enemy. She must have followed me to the roof.
“Get away,” I yell to her.
“No,” she yells back. “I’m with you.”
That floods my heart with joy and terror in equal measures. If anything happens to Galene… If she gets hurt… I can’t think about that. I need to focus.
I meet the giant beast and my sword clashes with its spear in a succession of attacks. Each block jars my bones and shifts me back several inches. The hulking beast is a surprisingly formidable foe, like nothing I’ve faced before. Both skilled and ferocious, with the keen intelligence of a seasoned soldier.
Flashes of golden light crash into the beast, knocking it back and sideways. They cause minor damage, but they give me a chance to strike blows that find their mark. I slice through the beast several times, but it doesn’t slow down.
I need to keep my distance to stay safe, but I also have to get close enough to use my sword. When a cube of light cracks into the beast’s head, stunning it for a second, I rush in and unload a combination of attacks. It isn’t until I sense the spear swinging to my back that I know I’ve left myself exposed to an attack. But as the spear comes, a square of light appears and blocks it, inches from me .
I dive away from the next swinging spear attack, thankful to have Galene there with me. The spear crashes down onto the roof as I leap away.
The beast growls at Galene and stomps toward her, raising its spear. She steps back, looking at him with wide-eyed fear.
“Hey!” I yell at the beast, trying to get its attention.
It raises the spear and brings it crashing down into Galene, who dives away in time to avoid being skewed. I reach the beast and plunge the sword into its lower back. It rears back, howling into the dark sky. I manage to withdraw the sword and avoid a fierce backhand as it spins around.
I clear the space between us and then rush forward again. Galene’s arms are shrouded in golden light. She gives me a quick nod.
I jump into the air and a square of light appears at my feet. I push off the light to leap higher, avoiding a spear strike as I push off another step of light and soar over the beast. It looks up as I fall toward it and plunge the sword into its head.
The beast stumbles and falters, dropping the spear. I push off it and land on the roof as it drops, causing the edge of the roof to crack and crumble. The roof collapses on one side and the beast falls with it, becoming lost in the crumbling debris.
I breathe a sigh of relief and share an elated smile with Galene. She comes over to me, but staggers when the crumbling roof continues to spread. Galene screams as she too falls out of sight amid the rising dust and smoke. A guttural cry of fear bursts from me. I sprint to the edge of the broken roof to see her summoning a bed of light to catch herself halfway down, easing her fall. She falls the rest of the way when the light gradually vanishes. She must be at least 6 floors down now, on the street below.
“Galene!” I call, a frisson of fear sending shivers through me. Please be unharmed. She’s so far away that I don’t know how quickly I can reach her.
“I’m okay,” she calls back, though her voice is strained. Dust settles around her. “Just some scrapes.”
“Stay there,” I yell down. “I’ll come and get you.”
“No. You keep going. I’ll find my way to the others.”
I don’t want to waste time arguing, so I nod. “Stay safe.”
“You too,” she says. Even from this distance, I can feel the intensity of her blue eyes reaching into my soul.
A group of Shanti are battling skeletal soldiers in the next street, so I know Galene won’t be on her own for long. From this view, I can see the breadth of the devastation across the city, and the smoke from the raging fires billowing into the night sky. Screams of terror and pain fill the air.
I wonder if we’ve come too late. If The Kingdom is already lost. But we need to keep fighting while we can. As long as we draw breath.
I notice Aldus has separated from the others. He is entering a dark alley, one level up from the rest of the fighters. I frown, feeling like he’s up to something. Something not good.
I make my way to the alley.