The Awakened Book Two (15 page)

Without seeing, Kael sensed movement to his right and instantly dropped his head. The whistle of a passing axe blade sounded in his ear, immediately followed by a jolt, as something rammed into his horse. He struggled to keep his grip and managed a glance behind after regaining his seating. In the midst of the confrontation, the retreating Syvak warlord plowed through the
Leoran
cavalry. He was almost standing in the saddle of his enormous steed, cutting a path through the soldiers with a long, double-bladed battle axe. He swung the weapon with a two handed stroke from side to side. One after another, the
Leoran
riders fell before this monster, while his massive horse charged forward without any direction from the reigns. Two of the warlord’s Captains followed in the wake of their General and the three burst out of the fray and into the open land, veering northeast to avoid the
Leoran
archers in the forest.

Kael looked to the east and caught sight of Dacien leading the other unit. He lifted his sword into the air and Dacien returned the gesture. Kael immediately spun his horse around and dug his heels into the steed’s flanks. Immediately, he was thrown into motion. Moving low in the saddle, he reached down and pulled a spear from the body of a dead barbarian. Sheathing this in a thong built into the saddle, he steered toward a less dense part of the battle and broke into a full run. After clearing the struggle, he headed toward the northern forest.

“I need a bow,” he yelled to a nearby archer. And just as he reached the archer, the man un-slung his quiver and held both up in the air. Kael grabbed the bundle in passing and made a mental note to find the man and thank him later.

The sounds of warfare quickly faded into the distance as Kael entered the forest. Although he raced at top speed in pursuit of the barbarian leader, all was eerily silent. The cool autumn air rushed past his face and the morning sunlight filtered through the trees, throwing a sparkling light into his eyes. Under different circumstances, this would have been an enjoyable ride.

A familiar feeling now took over, a calm but intense awareness that he had become accustomed to over the years. Every tree and every leaf on every tree could be felt, as though they were extensions of Kael’s own body. And there, only twenty yards ahead, was something that felt out of place. As he neared in proximity, his sense grew more accurate. And then there was movement.

Instinctively, Kael dove to the left, moving his body out of the path of danger, clinging to the side of his saddle with all his might. From behind a tree, an axe cut through the air where his abdomen used to be and glanced off of his right leg, still exposed atop the saddle. Kael winced as the steel bit into his flesh, but managed to retain his grip. Pulling himself upright with one swift movement, Kael spurred his horse on, knowing that he had to keep up his speed in order to catch the warlord.

A brief glance over his shoulder confirmed that it was one of the barbarian’s Captains that stayed behind for the ambush. The man, stunned by his inability to dispatch such an easy target, paused for a second before taking up the chase.

The forest opened into a wide meadow and Kael could see the other two men hundreds of yards ahead. As soon as they noticed their enemy hadn’t been stopped by the ambush, the second Captain veered off course and circled around, charging back to face Kael. The leader continued north, disappearing behind a rising knoll.

Kael let go of the reins and set an arrow to the bow string. As his horse continued forward, Kael rose in his saddle and twisted around, drawing his bow on the Captain behind him.

A warrior must always retain his grip on the reins!

The words of an old mentor came to his mind, and with them, a rising anger. Kael loosened his stance to take up the surging of his steed and closed his eyes, feeling the path of the arrow. And when he found a connection between himself and his target, he loosed his arrow.

One… two… three… four
, he counted in his head, before the Captain pitched backward with an arrow sprouting from his neck. And just that quick, the anger left him, and only the intensity of the present was left.

Turning back around, he quickly surmised that the second Captain was now too close to draw another arrow. With the bow in his left hand, he pulled the spear from its sheath with his right.

The charging enemy pulled his axe free and leaned forward in his saddle, preparing for the impending clash.

Kael held the spear under his arm, letting the barbarian see the lance and draw his own conclusions. Within seconds they were upon each other.

Just before impact, Kael wrenched the reins to the left and spun the lance over his head, bringing it into a slashing motion. The Syvak, anticipating Kael’s attack to be a frontal stabbing motion, had already committed to his movements with his shield across his chest and a desperate swing for Kael’s midsection.

Kael, out of the man’s reach, extended his arm and spear, swinging over the barbarian’s attack to slash the side of his throat. The only flesh that wasn’t protected by chain mail yielded easily to the nine inch blade on the end of the spear. Kael didn’t even bother to look back, knowing instantly that his enemy was dead. He sheathed his lance once again and set another arrow to the bow, all the while maintaining his speed.

After topping the grassy knoll, Kael could see the warlord a hundred yards ahead. He had gained on the retreating enemy, apparently due to the breed of horse and its enormous rider. The tufts of hair around the animal’s hoofs were indicative of a northern breed meant for pulling large loads, not racing across open ground. Kael drew back his bow, but couldn’t get the same sense of accuracy that he had only seconds ago. He aimed high and loosed his bolt anyway, and wasn’t surprised when it glanced harmlessly off the Syvak’s chain mail seconds later. The giant barbarian didn’t even flinch as he charged into the nearby forest, disappearing behind the leaves.

Kael caught up quickly and dashed into the forest, his sleeker animal at an advantage in this terrain as well. Minutes later, he came upon a small cliff and followed the edge to the northwest. As the trees cleared, he caught sight of the warlord heading down a landslide of loose gravel and sand, descending quickly into the shallow canyon. Kael only had one second to decide.

Without hesitation, he drew his bow and released. The bolt struck the enemy’s horse in the right shoulder and the beast flinched, losing its footing. As it began to fall, the Syvak warlord rose in his saddle and jumped from the animal. Kael rode to the top of the landslide just in time to see the cloud of dust and the commotion of the animal struggling to regain its footing. Kael slowed his pace and descended carefully into the canyon in pursuit.

As the dust settled, Kael could see the warlord face-down in the wet sand. A small stream ran through the bottom of the canyon, only ankle deep in most places. The man’s horse had stopped at the bank on the far side of the canyon only fifteen yards away. Kael’s shot had been perfect, not enough to lame the animal, but just enough to make it lose its balance. With some care, the animal would be as good as new.

Kael discarded the bow, the last arrow having served its purpose. Pulling the lance from its sheath, he urged his horse forward. The Syvak leader was sprawled on the damp earth, a battle-axe slung across his back. Kael looked for a gap in the chain mail, finding it at the pit of his left arm. Aiming, he thrust his lance forward.

Suddenly, the barbarian spun over and caught the blade of the spear with his hand and pulled it free of Kael’s grasp.

The unexpected movement pulled Kael off of his balance and he fell forward out of his saddle. There was no way to recover, and though he tried to hit the ground in a roll, he wasn’t quick enough.

The barbarian’s foot crashed into his right side and Kael felt his ribs break.

Satisfied with his attack, the Syvak backed away to watch Kael suffer and struggle for air. It was the Syvak way to build fear into their prey before the kill. As Kael moved from the ground to his hands and knees, the giant reached slowly behind his head and pulled on a leather thong, releasing his battle-axe from its sheath. Slowly, methodically, the giant walked to his horse and retrieved his circular shield, knowing that Kael wasn’t going anywhere.

In contrast, Kael felt as though everything was happening much too fast. He struggled to catch his breath, only to find that his lung capacity was greatly reduced. Each breath invited a piercing pain through his abdomen, followed by muscle spasms that prevented him from satisfying his lungs’ need for air. Pushing through the pain, he managed to crawl over to his spear lying in the stream. Grabbing it, he rose to his feet and turned to confront the barbarian.

The Syvak stood a full head taller than Kael and was now holding his double-bladed axe in one hand and a giant shield in the other. Kael knew that he was disadvantaged against his opponent in almost every way, not to mention that he could hardly move without excruciating pain. He grabbed the spear with both hands and crouched into a defensive posture.

The Syvak rushed in swinging his axe in a flat arc. Kael jumped out of range, but was disappointed to see that the barbarian allowed the axe to continue its motion as it spun back around and over the man’s head. He never put his full weight behind the attack, and therefore never let his own momentum work against him.

Smart. This is going to be more difficult than I hoped.

The minutes passed in agony as the Syvak pushed Kael across the valley and up against the northeastern bank. Normally, it would have been Kael’s strategy to let the barbarian attack and expend his energy, but in Kael’s weakened condition, he was expending much more energy just to stay out of reach.

Suddenly, the Syvak attacked with a full force blow.

Kael moved instinctively, at the sharp protest of his body, and dodged the attack. The axe swung wide and Kael moved in, battering the barbarian’s knuckles with the shaft of the spear.

The Syvak dropped the axe, but quickly pulled his shield up to deflect Kael’s next jab, while moving inside of Kael’s effective weapon range.

The shield dropped just in time for Kael to see a massive fist crash into his face. He fell backward, but quickly rolled to the side, dodging the sound of splashing footsteps. Stumbling away from his enemy, Kael stalled to allow time for his vision to return.

The barbarian was now ten paces away and advancing slowly, more cautious of Kael’s abilities, even in his weakened state, though Kael didn’t share the man’s perception. A quick evaluation of his condition told him that he was in trouble. His nose was certainly broken. The ribs along his right side were crushed, and the leg wound from the forest ambush was bleeding heavily.

The Syvak continued to advance, shield raised, with nothing more than bruised knuckles.

Kael backed away from him, scanning the ground for something to use as a weapon, unsure of where his spear had gone. And there in the water, lay a bundle that had traveled with Kael for many years. He always kept it with him and it must have fallen in the initial struggle as he was pulled from his horse. Kael bent down and grabbed hold of the long, narrow wooden case. He opened it quickly and unwrapped its contents as he kept his eyes on the Syvak.

But the barbarian leader wasn’t foolish enough to allow his enemy the chance to produce another weapon. He rushed in immediately. Kael quickly pulled the ancient weapon free of its ceremonial wrappings and held it out in front of himself. The Syvak stopped his approach for a moment, then reconsidered when he saw the condition of Kael’s weapon.

Kael felt desperate as he held up the monstrosity of a sword. It was completely foreign looking to this region, with a narrow and curved blade, whose texture was mottled. The guard was elaborate, but looked fragile and the handle was wrapped with a rough thread for grip. In truth, the ceremonial sword was not intended to function as a weapon and was a gift given by an old friend. Kael felt horrible for allowing it to be used as such, but he was indeed desperate.

But the warlord had allowed this fight to last for too long and had grown impatient. At the sight of Kael’s ridiculous weapon, he lunged forward and swung his shield at Kael in a back-handed motion. Kael met this attack with a slash of his sword, burying it into the shield.

The barbarian cursed in pain and jerked the shield backward, taking Kael’s weapon with it.

Kael backed away in disbelief as the man dropped his shield with the embedded sword, blood pouring from a gash on his forearm. Something about this strange turn of events emboldened Kael and suddenly, his senses were heightened. He circled around to the west of the barbarian and backed away to plan his attack.

The Syvak saw what was happening and smiled, apparently pleased at the opportunity to kill this pest with his bare hands.

Bursting into motion, Kael surged through the shallow water and broke into a full run.

The barbarian grinned and lunged forward to meet Kael, dropping his head for a tackle.

Just before they met, Kael sprang from the ground into a pivoting flip and in one fluid motion, caught hold of the barbarian’s head and spun it backwards with a crunch as the skull separated from the spine. The flipping motion carried him over the top of the Syvak’s body as both men crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

Kael lay still for several minutes still tangled with the lifeless body of the Syvak warlord. All was silent except for the sound of running water and the rustle of leaves. Kael’s heart pounded while his breath came in ragged gasps. Slowly, he released his grip on the man’s face and rose to his feet. The pain in his ribs intensified and he knew that he had caused even greater damage to himself with this final attack.