Mighty Hammer Down (54 page)

His breath caught in his throat. On a
hill not far away, he saw a flash of red in the sea of men.
Although he had never seen it in full, he knew that he was looking
at the armor of Arius, gleaming with a crimson sheen that lit the
field afire. It was a dazzling sight, and he almost turned away
from the fiery glory as the sun beamed off the armor. He smiled,
happy that Denura had made it to the battle.

Then his smile withered. He saw Tannis
Tirinius, then the girl. He felt his blood run cold as he realized
that the man wearing the Armor was not Denura, but Rommus. He stood
tall and proud on the hilltop, raising his sword above his head. It
caught the light of the sun, reflecting it into his eyes and making
him squint.

Then there was a menacing crack of
thunder, accompanied by thick veins of lightning that came out of
the clear skies above and licked at the golden blade that Rommus
held in the air. Immediately the ground shook with an awful
violence, opening up huge tears in the earth and sending nearly
everyone stumbling to the ground. When he got back on his feet, he
was amazed to see that the Medorans were all standing tall,
unaffected by the spectacle. If Rommus had learned to use his
power, he had to be stopped. Uritus wasted no more time and ran
towards him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Medoran Legions took the display
as a sign from the heavens. Even with the constant barrage from the
Thrahks, they fell into lines again and let out a battle cry that
stole the confidence of the Bhoors and put fear in their hearts.
Rommus was amazed that the Legions were so inspired by what they
had seen, and took the opportunity to charge into the enemy. They
were still greatly outnumbered, but the soldiers now had a mystical
inspiration burning inside them; a gift given to them by the god of
war.

"How did you do that?" Tannis asked as
he tore through the front line next to his son.

"I have no idea. It kind of just
happened on its own. There’s a lot to explain but right now isn’t
the time."

"Yes I guess what matters now is
killing those beasts."

Rommus chopped an arm off of a Bhoor,
killing him instantly with the sword’s magic. "Yes they are more
dangerous than the men, but all these men stand between us and
them."

One of the Thrahks picked up a soldier
and tore him in half. His screams were accented by the horrid
sounds of tendons ripping and the wet snap of bone. The other
beasts seemed to like the idea and began picking up soldiers;
maiming them and throwing their crippled bodies into the oncoming
Medorans. It was a frightening sight, and even the bravest of men
seemed to doubt their courage.

Suddenly the noise came again. Men all
over cringed and waited to be cooked alive by the terrible beams
that came from the monsters in the field. Even Rommus closed his
eyes and waited for death, but to his amazement, it was the Bhoors
who received the deadly blow. The smaller of the monsters had
turned around and was devastating the Bhoor army. The other beasts
turned around too, crisscrossing the enemy army with deadly rays of
incredible power. The rotting meat smell that had been in the air
was overpowered by the sickening stench of burnt human flesh. Even
the swords and shields were melted in the intense heat, burning and
boiling in bright orange pools on the battlefield.

"I guess Vohl got to one of those
things," Alana yelled as she stabbed yet another Bhoor.

"Yeah but why are the other ones
attacking the Bhoors too?"

"You’re asking me? How should I
know?"

"What are you two talking about?"
Tannis asked as he swung his sword.

Alana answered. "We have a friend who
claims he is able to control beasts like that. He must have reached
one."

As the Thrahks continued to devastate
the Bhoors, more and more of them panicked and ran for their lives.
The fight in them was gone, and now they wanted nothing but to
escape the horrible destruction that was crashing down upon them
from all angles. The whole scene was a fiery nightmare, and the
Medorans eventually slowed their attack when they saw the doom
raining down on their enemy. At one point the Bhoors made an
attempt to regain control of the Thrahks by sounding the horns
again, but this just seemed to enrage them. They continued their
rampage, chasing the multitudes of men as they retreated in
horror.

"Rommus look out!" Tannis
yelled.

It was too late. A wild flash of
purple flame filled his vision. There was a hot feeling all over
his body, but as he flexed his muscles to check his injuries he
could not detect any. He had been knocked to the ground, and above
him stood a dark figure, cloaked in tattered black robes. His face
was hidden like any Mage, but this man was different than any Mage
he had seen before. Aside from the feeling he felt tugging at his
soul, the Mage was different because he could obviously use
magic.

Tannis lunged at the man before Rommus
could stand. He could hear his sword ripping through the black
fabric, and he even saw the black blade coming out through the
chest, but the Mage just laughed. It didn’t seem like the blade was
piercing any flesh at all.

"I’ll deal with you later," the Mage
said as he held out a hand to Tannis. A dark cord of magic flowed
from his hand and into Tannis, causing his muscles to seize and his
body to fall like a statue in an earthquake. Alana immediately bent
and began pulling him away from danger.

Rommus was on his feet before he
realized it, swinging his sword at the Mage. The man brought a
sword up to block the swing, stinging Rommus’s hand with the
vibration. Many blows were exchanged, and the clash of swords
caught the ears of everyone around. With the battle essentially
over, the Medorans formed a wide circle to watch as the god of war
fought this Mage; or perhaps Inshae himself.

There were several times when the Mage
attempted to use magic on Rommus, and each time he could feel the
uncomfortable buzz of discomfort it created. At first it greatly
concerned him, but he soon realized that it did him no harm.
Unfortunately the Mage also seemed unaffected by the golden sword,
as Rommus could feel it slice deeply into the robes without even
making the man flinch. His muscles were burning, and he was
beginning to think that there would be no end to this
battle.

Suddenly Rommus remembered fighting
with the man who wore the armor of Arius. Perhaps the man was
granted some magical power that protected him against weapons, but
maybe Rommus could kill him with his bare hands like the other man.
He threw his sword, its point sticking into the blood-stained soil,
and dove for the man. The Mage swung his sword wildly, hitting the
armor in various places but doing no harm.

Rommus wrestled the man to the ground.
He was surprised to see that his face was covered in shadow even in
the bright rays of the sun, but he still reached into the hood to
find the man’s throat. What he felt inside was strange and
disorienting, and he had a hard time determining where the man’s
head was. He struggled, but no matter what Rommus did he could not
choke the man. His plan was disintegrating and he could not think
of what to do.

Then he felt something. It wasn’t a
face or a neck, but something else. He grabbed hold of the thing
and yanked it from the hood. In his palm was a small piece of gold,
carved to look like the rays of the sun over the rock that he and
Mirra called their own. At first he was confused how someone else
could have possessed such a similar item to the one he made for
her, but then waves of understanding began flooding his mind. This
was the very same pendant he made. He knew the man who struggled
beneath him.

The strange, comforting feeling began
to rise in his blood and a forgotten memory returned to him. He
suddenly remembered the day when he thought he was going to die in
the woods and somehow he overcame the horror; the day when the sky
went black and seemed to laugh at his pain. He felt the power
boiling inside him, and he knew that he could crush this man. His
eyes widened with rage, and the squirming Mage finally showed
genuine fear in his movements.

There was a purple flash that blinded
him. He shook his head to clear his vision, only to see that the
man was gone. He heard the soldiers surrounding him cheering for a
moment, thinking that he had killed the Mage. It took a few seconds
for him to see the black robes in the crowd, mounting a horse and
heading towards Burnhamheade.

Rommus stood and pointed. "Stop
him!"

The men did not hesitate, but rushed
in around the man. It did them no good however, for anyone who came
close fell dead instantly. Rommus thought to chase him, but he was
too far away, and his thoughts turned to his father when he saw
Alana hovering over him.

"Is he all right?"

Alana looked up at him. "He has been
moving some, but he hasn’t said anything yet. I think he’s coming
out of it; whatever it was. Who was that man? I have never seen a
Black Mage in Vindyrion."

Rommus looked at the pendant in his
hand and showed it to Alana. Her eyes showed him that she knew
exactly who the man was too. Her jaw went slack, and her eyes took
on a look of sadness and sympathy for him. Rommus didn’t feel a
need to even say the name, and instead he just shook his head at
the ground.

"This man is your father," came a
voice from behind him.

Rommus turned and met the eyes of
Vohl. "Yes he is. I suppose we do look a little alike. I see that
you got to one of those Thrahks."

"Yes. I got to the male. The females
follow the males, so I knew that the others would turn on the army
if I could reach him. I was very lucky," he said as he brushed some
dirt from his black overcoat.

"We were all very lucky," Alana said.
I’d say about half of the Medorans have been killed in this
battle."

"Yes it’s a shame. The Bhoors took a
great loss as well, but they are still a formidable force. I am
amazed that they retreated."

"I’m not amazed," came a groggy voice.
Tannis attempted to stand, and did so with Alana’s help. "You took
their beliefs and cast them into the wind. They saw another god on
the field that was not their own, and that struck them at their
hearts. Then those monsters started to destroy them. Any man would
run from such a thing.

"However, I am very displeased with
you Rommus. I do not agree with pretending you are a god; even if
it did win this battle. Look at all these soldiers on their knees
bowing to you, thinking you are Arius."

Rommus looked out at the thousands of
men surrounding him, falling to their knees in respect. "I don’t
agree with that sort of thing either, father. Let’s go into the
city. I have something to show you."

Chapter 37

The cool autumn breeze did its best to
sweep the streets of the leaves speckling the city with their fiery
colors. With all of his troubles, he had not really noticed the
seasons changing, and he was sorry to see summer go. Soon winter
would come to blanket the land in its icy silence, smothering crops
and happiness and slowing time for all those who longed for spring.
It was a price that everyone had to pay; wealthy and poor
alike.

After a full day of bloody battle, the
sun was finally sinking towards the western horizon, shedding the
last of its warming rays before allowing the moon to rule the
night. That same sun and moon and their eternal journeys were
attributed to Oderion, but Rommus knew better. He understood how
they worked, and he wondered if Oderion was gifted with that same
knowledge. Something in his soul told him that the gods did not
care to know such things.

"This is what you wanted to show me?"
Tannis asked. "A temple in Burnhamheade?"

Rommus pointed. "Turn around and look
between the columns."

He could not see his father’s
expression when he saw the shimmering images of distant lands
between the columns of the temple, but he could imagine what he was
thinking. It was still new in his own mind, and it was just as
incredible and unbelievable as the first time he saw it. He knew
that his father would take him more seriously if he showed him
something magical; he just hoped that he would believe
him.

Tannis turned around to face him.
"What trickery is this?"

"It is no trick, Master Tannis. These
are the portals of the gods," Vohl said.

Tannis began to speak, but Rommus
spoke first. "I want to give you something father." He reached in
his pocket and held out his hand. "This is just ordinary sand in
this velvet bag, but it means something to me. It’s something I
took to remind me of when I overcame a fear, but I want it to mean
something different to you.

"This sand is from the Land of the
Gods. I have crossed a bridge that was never meant to be crossed,
and I have become something that I should not be. The things I have
seen recently have changed me, and I don’t want the things you are
about to see to change you. Keep this sand and remember your
beliefs about the Land of the Gods and the gods who live there. You
are the man you are because of your beliefs. I don’t want you to
have to change them."