Curse of The Seventh Sword: The Gauntlet of Feona (9 page)

“How many?”

The shooter remained silent.

“How many?!” 
Sam yelled angrily.

The shooter forced a victorious smile.  Upon seeing the smile,
Sam pierced the shooter’s left palm with his sword, drawing out a pained scream from the shooter, who twisted violently in agony.

“How… many?  What spell is this and who is the caster?”

“Arrrgghhhhh!!! 50 strong!”  Came the agonized reply.

“50…”
Sam repeated as if to believe the number. 

“What is their class?  Tell me!”

The shooter chuckled. “Death… and undertaker.”  Sam’s grip on him lessened as he contemplated in shock.  The shooter was happily laughing now amidst the pain.

“There is also one reap
er class with them… I’m sure you know who that is…”

An enraged
Sam knocked the shooter unconscious with the guard of his sword.  Sam got up and was off in a hurry towards the gates of Wind Haven. 
What spell and who is the caster? 
He never got those answers but there was very little time.  He needed to warn the others and he needed to do it fast.

The clang of metal right behind Davydd’s neck startled both him and Vannera, but it was the fusillade of arrows into the group of Wind Haven villagers that really set off an eruption of fear and hysteria, as innocent villagers fell to their deaths after getting impaled by some of the arrows.  Davydd turned around to face the direction of the clang of metals he had just heard.  Slowly but surely, Leo’s figure materialized into visibility, as did another man’s figure.  The man’s sword position and swing belied his initial intentions – to kill Davydd – and Leo’s sword had prevented what would have been certain death.  The man clashing swords with Leo wore silver coated battle armor with the caped insignia of the kingdom of Angweleth falling down his back. His dark hair was slicked back and fell down to his neck.  He turned to look at Davydd, and for a brief second the expression of utter shock on his face, was unmistakable.  However, it was for a brief second and soon, it was replaced by a rather menacing smile. 

“So this was the reason for your disappearance
Baximus!”  Sidion yelled out. 

“Your child and wife die and you find
yourself a replacement.  You betrayed me.  You betrayed your king!  And to add insult to injury, you hid such a secret from me, but right under my nose.”  With those last few words, Sidion who had been looking around rested his brown eyes back on Davydd.  They now had a cold and menacing glimmer to them.  The tip of a sword blade rested on the back of Sidion’s neck.  Davydd could see that behind Sidion, the wielder of the blade was none other than Ovar.

“You were never my king to begin with.  And it is with great shame that I adm
it to being momentarily swayed to betray the man I had looked up to, my entire life.”

Sidion shook his head somberly. 

“Then I hope that you find that man somewhere in the land of the dead when you get there.”  At that moment, Trudor’s blade was swinging in fast towards Ovar’s neck from behind.  But yet again, another blade blocked the death class soldier’s swing.  Sam’s blade buckled under the force of Trudor’s swing but he managed to withstand it and push back.   Farok emerged from the darkness and took a swing at the unguarded Sam, but he never hit his target.  In an instant, Davydd, Vannera, Leo, Ovar and Sam, had been moved from their current location, to a few yards behind where the bonfire was.  Max and Matilom stood in front of the group, glaring at Sidion and his soldiers.  Sidion smiled and clapped his hands. 

“The current incarnations of the three guardians of Angweleth seem to be as formidable as ever.  You definitely have yourself a
frightening team Baximus.”  His gaze shifted back to Davydd. 

“But it seems your key stone is not ready.  Surrender yourselves.  Your little misadventure is over.”

“It seems we are being surrounded.”  Leo observed as Angwelethean soldiers climbed up top huts and buildings, some of them taking position and aiming at the group with their arrows, while others maliciously attacked other villagers who had been hiding in their homes.

“So what do we do now?” 
Davydd asked.  He looked at Ovar.  “Baximus?  Your name is Baximus?”

“Steady.” 
Sam said.  “Soon all hell will break lose here and you have to seize your moments to stay alive.  Master dare I say we retreat for now?”  Sam turned to look at Matilom.

“It won’t be that easy
Sam.  We eventually need to retreat, but we do have to fight in order to do so… The odds are against us and we are outnumbered.”

An arrow flew through the air and struck one of the soldiers on the roof
in the eye.  The soldier arched back from the force of the impact, and then his limp body slumped over the edge and fell to the ground with a thud.  A couple of villagers armed with battle axes, cutlasses, old rusted swords, shields, and a few bows and arrows came running out onto the roof tops and on the ground.  As they ran out, they attacked the soldiers with their weapons, besting a few of them with the element of surprise.  A man dressed in a top made of animal skin, with long unkempt graying black hair, black pants and grey thick boots made of animal skin joined Matilom and Max at the front.  He had a bow and arrow in his hand. 

“It would seem I took just a bit too long wizard.”  The man said, looking at Matilom.

“You did take your time Ergol.”  Matilom replied, while managing a wry smile.

“I’ve gathered the bravest men in W
ind Haven, just as you asked.  They are my most loyal, and have been instructed to lend all of their strength to your fight as they would to mine.”

“The words are comforting Ergol.  And you have arrive
d not a moment too soon.”  The wizard gestured his head towards Sidion and his men.

“
Soldiers!”  Sidion yelled.  “Kill anyone who puts up resistance, but that boy” He pointed to Davydd “and that man,” He pointed to Ovar “belong to me.”  The soldiers fanned out, as did the Wind Haven warriors Ergol had gathered, along with Matilom’s group.  Both groups clashed violently, seeking to end the other’s lives as quickly as possible.  The Angwelethean soldiers showed their battle prowess and mastery of the blade in the way they effortlessly cut down the less proficient but brave Wind Haven warriors.  It was an initial lesson in combat tactics as the shield and sword were used in a deadly combination of defense and fatal offense.  Soon the Wind Haven warriors realized that their best chance at taking on the Angwelethean soldiers, especially those with five skulls on their shoulder plates, was to team up against them.  The strategy worked and the tide of the battle was beginning to turn. 

“Are you ready
son?”  Baximus asked Davydd as he glared at Sidion.

“Yes.” 
Davydd said without much conviction.  This was not lost on Baximus, but there was no time to address that. 

“You remember what I’ve taught you thus far?”

“Yes.”  Davydd nodded.  Baximus tossed him a sword without taking his eyes off of Sidion.  Davydd caught the sheathed sword and stared at it for a little while.  It was much heavier than the wooden version he’d used for practice.  He unsheathed his sword and looked at Sidion, who had been staring at him. 

“It seems you only bear a physical resemblance to your father.  Your heart is not the
same.”  As he said this he began to jog towards Baximus and Davydd, putting his helmet on. 

“Follow my lead.” 
Baximus said as he began to move towards Sidion as well.  For a brief moment, Davydd stood in shock.  This was really happening.  If they lost this battle, they would die.  But that wasn’t what really bothered him.  He wasn’t sure if Baximus had noticed it, but he sounded different.  He sounded cold.  Gone was the kind-hearted blacksmith he had called ‘Father’ for all of his life.  Was this the ruthless warrior he was in some distance past?  Davydd heard the clash of swords, and snapped out of his thoughts.  He ran to Sidion’s side and swung but he was too slow.  Sidion, who had been engaging Baximus, caught Davydd out of the corner of his eye and lashed out with his right leg, which caught Davydd square in the chest.  Davydd was knocked off balance and fell to the floor.  He scrambled to get to his sword, which had fallen out of his hand during the fall.  Sidion side stepped an attack by Baximus, pivoting on his left foot and swinging in with his right hand.  Baximus switched from a forward thrust into a sideways slash, only to meet Sidion’s shield, which he had dropped behind him in the pivot, with his left hand.  Sidion completed his swing, but Baximus ducked underneath, and rolled out of harm’s way.  Sidion kept up the attack swinging upwards to catch Baximus at the base of his jaw with the sword tip, but the former reaper class soldier parried with his sheath and swept Sidion’s feet from under him.  Sidion fell with a thud to the ground and Baximus went in for the attack.  However Sidion fell into an immediate roll and blocked Baximus’s attacks by alternating between sword and shield as he rolled.  Suddenly he swiped up at Baximus.  The blade barely caught Baximus’s abdomen but was enough to rip open a non-fatal gash.  Baximus had barely stepped back in time.  He clutched at his wound and staggered back as Sidion rolled to his knees, pivoted towards Baximus and lunged forward, thrusting his sword.  A blade came in swinging at Sidion’s mid section and only the current king of Angweleth’s reflexes with the shield, prevented him from being severed from the waist down.  The force however knocked him off course and he fell a little distance from where Baximus had been standing.  Sidion turned to see that it was Davydd who had attacked him.  A trio of death class soldiers formed a human barrier between Sidion and the duo of Davydd and Baximus, thus preventing any chance of them taking advantage of his temporary defenseless state.  Sidion got to his feet quickly, sword still in hand. 

“You.”  He pointed his sword at
Davydd and stepped forward as the soldiers parted to make way for him.  “You interest me greatly.  Why do you fight?  Can you give me a good reason for you to join this madness?”

Davydd was temporarily caught
off guard by the question.  He tried to regain his composure. 

“I fight… I fight for the future of… Terrianus.”

Sidion burst out into laughter. 

“You don’t even
sound convinced of that statement.  Not too long ago, you were living the life of a hunter and a thief.”  The king smiled at Davydd’s growing shock.  The fighting was also beginning to subside at this time as the warriors turned their attention to Davydd, Baximus and King Sidion. 

“Yes
Davydd” Sidion continued, “You are actually quite notorious in Gor.  You are willing to throw your life away for a cause you don’t believe in?  A man who has no cause to fight is bound to lose that fight.  See, you have no skill in wielding your sword and yet you are blessed with the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest swordsmen in all of Terrianus.  You have no will to be a part of this.”  Sidion nodded his head but it seemed to be to no one in particular.  Davydd wore a distant look on his face.  He was lost in his own thoughts but more importantly he felt a growing anger at himself because he actually agreed with King Sidion.  What was he really doing here?  For all he knew, what his father, Ovar – or was it Baximus? – had told him could have all been a lie.  Even if it was the truth, how come his mother hadn’t bothered to show up at least once in twenty-three years?  While lost in his thoughts, Davydd did not notice the sword swinging in ferociously behind him.  Just then, his body was shoved out of the way by Segmiatus, who had come rushing over.  The sword slammed into Segmiatus’s upper back, causing a deep gash.  Were it not for Segmiatus’s own forward motion and the jump, he would have been decapitated.  Segmiatus and Davydd both fell to the ground. The soldier made to attack, but was impaled by an unseen force.  Leo emerged out of invisibility, his sword piercing the soldier’s heart.  A distant look, and then a backward roll of his eyes, revealing the white, followed the soldier’s last expression of shock.  He fell to the ground dead. Segmiatus writhed in pain as Davydd scrambled up to examine him.

“Segmiatus!  Segmiatus!!”

“Remember… Davydd.”

“Se…”

“It’s okay… Davydd… ” Segmiatus laughed through his pain and when he saw Davydd’s confused look, he continued.

“It seems the gods
have
sent a fight your way… and now you know what support is… to fight for something… other than yourself… to live for an idea… Davydd… a belief and dream, you… you have to… fight.”

The words and the memories they evoked, struck a new found resolve in
Davydd.  Max opened up a portal to Segmiatus and emerging half way, lifted the wounded soldier up.

“I’ll tend to his wounds in a safe place.”  He said
giving Davydd a reassuring look and with that, both he and Segmiatus were gone.  Davydd turned his gaze to Sidion and for a brief second Sidion flinched.  The gaze was eerily familiar.

Baximus stepped forward to where
Davydd was, as Davydd got up.

“Are you
ready?”  He asked.

“Indeed.”  There was no lack of conviction in the word. 
Baximus couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Follow my lead then.”