The Book of Deacon: Book 02 - The Great Convergence (44 page)

As powerful as her eyes were, the black form
of the hawk against the black sky remained virtually
indistinguishable. Her ears twitched as she tuned out everything
else. They were far more sensitive than her eyes. She was just
barely able to hear the rustle of wind past the beast. At the last
moment she raised her club, bracing it with both hands, clenching
her teeth, and shutting her eyes. Her motion was well timed. The
beast had aimed a strike with its lethal tail directly at her
heart. The force was enough to drive the fist-sized head of the
tail entirely through the weapon, stopping just a whisper from its
target. Now the creature madly flapped its wings, attempting to
escape. Ivy gripped the weapon tightly, swinging it out and beating
it on the ground. The experimental beast was swung helplessly
through the air before being hammered against the ground.

The huge cat-like creation roared toward
Lain. He carefully judged its speed. The distance between them
quickly closed. Finally he dove to the side. The tremendous beast
was more agile than the creature that it owed its size and horns,
but only just. By the time he regained a firm footing, the beast
was already upon him. A hasty swipe of his sword cost the creature
one of its horns, but a powerful blow with its claws slipped
beneath the attack and raked his abdomen. He pulled away, but the
claws still left their mark. A second slice of Lain's weapon found
the predator's throat. He retreated after the strike. The stricken
creature writhed briefly on the ground before becoming
motionless.

Ivy stood once more, planting a foot on the
ruined hawk and tearing her weapon free along with a fair amount of
the beast's tail. She sniffed at the barb that had nearly reached
her heart. The smell of the potent toxin was intense and burned her
nose. She turned to Lain. The experience had been enough to knock
the cobwebs from her head. She was keenly aware of her
surroundings, and of the severity of their situation. Moreover, she
remembered what she had come here to do. To prove to Lain and Ether
that she was strong enough to stay. She fought aside the constant
burn of fear in her stomach and faced the massive beast that
remained.

Now that there was no roof to limit the
monster it had risen to its full height, lifting itself on the
dozen stout snakes as though they were legs. It moved with
deceiving speed, as even when all legs remained on the ground, the
slithering of the limbs allowed it to glide along. Its target was
the petrified body of Ether. With great bounding steps Ivy rushed
to the beast. Lain circled around attempting to find the proper
method do attack, but with a dozen pairs of eyes, there was no
sneaking up on it. Ivy was not similarly concerned, and paid for it
almost immediately. When she was in striking range, three of the
limbs shot toward her. Before she could react, two had constricted
her, squeezing her enough to force the weapon from her hand. They
brought her swiftly to the clacking beak that was hidden behind the
many legs.

Lain swept in. Snakes he had dealt with. He
could read their movements. He knew when, how, and where they would
strike. All senses alive and alert, he moved in. The attacks were
swift and numerous. Lain dodged each as narrowly as he could. It
was best to stay close. In that way the beast could not attack
without threatening to strike itself. When he reached the base of
the limbs that clutched Ivy he sliced neatly through them. They
dropped to the ground followed by an unnaturally small amount of
blood. The wound where they had been connected closed quickly. The
snakes writhed in pain enough for Ivy to escape, but they did not
die. The core of the massive creature dropped down in an attempt to
snatch up the escaping morsel, but instead sliced into one of its
own severed limbs.

Ivy scrambled to safety, the piercing blue
aura betraying the fear that had managed to surge back to the
forefront. She snatched up the club from the ground as one of the
other liberated snakes pursued her. She forced herself to face it,
and offered a weak attack. Her state of mind robbed the strike of
any accuracy, it barely grazed the beast, but it was enough. The
needle sharp tip of the hawk's tail delivered just a drop of its
lethal venom to the creature. It jerked and convulsed, twisting and
hissing in pain as though jabbed with a hot poker. As Ivy realized
what had happened, the blue aura began to fade, a devious smile
coming to her face.

Lain fought his way away from the beast. A
pair of attacks had done little more than release two more snakes.
Ending them, he retreated to a safe distance to consider a new
strategy. Ivy, it seemed, had learned nothing from her last attack,
as she again was rushing headlong toward the creature. He followed,
preparing to release her from the grip that would inevitably result
from her foolhardy attack. When the first of the snakes lunged at
her, she fluidly stepped to the side and hammered the tip of the
tail deep into the serpent. The effect of the full dose of the
venom was horrifying. As Ivy pulled her weapon away, snapping off
the lethal tip of the tail inside the snake, she averted her eyes.
The very flesh of the beast seemed to blacken and shrivel. Web-like
lines of black wound along the beast's body, following the veins
that swiftly delivered the poison to the core of the creature.
Within the space of a few heartbeats the entirety of the creature
was convulsing and crying out in a chorus of agonized hissing.

When the beast was finally still, Ivy
surveyed the aftermath. The monstrosity looked ruined, as if
centuries of decay had reduced it to a mass of sinew and bone. Her
face made it clear that she was not certain how to feel about her
achievement. She looked to Lain, who approached her.

"I . . . I did it, Lain! Ether is okay! And I
killed that . . . that
thing
! You don't need to protect me!
I don't need to go . . . " Ivy said, trailing off.

She looked about with rapidly increasing
desperation. As she did, a barely audible noise from above drew
Lain's attention. It was a minute rustle, like the swoop of an owl.
Lain trained his eyes on the apparent source of the sound. A stir
in the rising smoke confirmed that there was a threat. Ivy suddenly
grabbed Lain's shoulder and turned him to face her.

"Where is Myranda? She escaped, didn't she?
She followed us, didn't she?! TELL ME SHE DIDN'T DIE!" Ivy
pleaded.

Lain was silent. Ivy dropped to her knees
facing the burning pit that served as the final resting place for
her friend. As before, sadness did not have any of the effect that
her other emotions had. There was no one near who was weak or
compassionate enough to have the emotion forced upon them. The poor
creature began to sob as Lain resumed his cautious monitoring of
the sky above.

"She . . . can't be dead. SHE SWORE TO ME SHE
WOULD FOLLOW. Myranda wouldn't lie. She wouldn't make a promise she
couldn't keep. And it's all his fault," Ivy said, leaping to her
feet.

She was obviously fatigued. Wisps of red
flickered about her as her weary soul reacted to the anger that was
steadily building. Her eyes locked onto the sky above the fiery pit
with far more certainty than Lain's. With teeth bared, she reared
back and hurled her club. The weapon disappeared into the darkness
before audibly colliding with something and plummeting back to the
pit below. Slowly, a peculiar form descended into the orange glow
above the pit. It was Demont, riding a dragoyle unlike any they had
yet encountered. It was smaller, and more lithe in appearance. The
wings were feathered instead of leathery dragon wings. The neck was
longer and thinner, leading to a head that seemed to be a cross
between the skull of an eagle and the skull of a dragon. It was
clear that he was suffering greatly from the wounds he had
received. His breathing was labored.

"Your survival . . . concerns me. Your
ability to locate me . . . is all the more troubling," he said. "At
the risk of . . . angering my associates . . . I may have to take .
. . a slightly more direct role . . . in your demise . . . KILL
HIM!"

The words burned at her mind. She turned
suddenly and awkwardly toward Lain. She felt herself moving toward
him. He held his weapon loosely, but defensively. He didn't want to
raise the blade to her. A hatred greater than she had ever felt
burned inside of her. She came to a halt. With great effort, she
turned her eyes to the figure in the sky. She fought back into
control of her body. Demont looked on with a stern face.

"It seems . . . your soul is stronger . . .
than the body. Very well . . . we shall control . . . the soul,
then," he said.

His fingers wrapped about the gem that hung
from his neck. Instantly Ivy dropped to the ground, limp.

"Rise," Demont commanded.

Ivy obeyed on a fundamental level. Her body
rose like a marionette on strings until it was level with Demont,
high above the field.

"Face me," he ordered.

She obeyed.

"Show me anger," he demanded.

The red wisps of light began to flow weakly
again as her face twisted into a look of profound fury.

"More. MORE! I don't care if you have nothing
left . . . FIND IT," he ordered, tightening his fist around the
gem.

Pain mixed with her expression and her eyes
took on a powerful golden glow. Finally the full might of her
vicious transformation spilled over. The first true outburst of its
kind to be witnessed by Demont, it threw his mount backward with
its force. When the beast he rode steadied itself, the display of
power his creation managed brought a smile to his face.

"The mortal soul may yet be a worthy
plaything," he conceded.

His smile was quickly wiped away when a blade
burst through the neck of the beast he rode. During the moment of
distraction, Lain had hurled his sword. The dragoyle's wings
flapped a few times involuntarily before it crashed to the ground
at the edge of the fiery pit. Still alive, fingers still clutching
the crystal, the battered General pulled himself from the pile of
rubble that had been his mount. He dragged himself away. As Lain
drew near, he screamed an order to the still enthralled Ivy.

"WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE CREATURES, YOU DO NOT
SEE CHOSEN, YOU SEE DEMONS! KILL THEM BOTH!" He cried.

As she streaked to her task, he removed a gem
from his pocket and shattered it on the frozen earth. A portal
similar to the one that had brought him here opened. Ivy launched
herself at Lain. He rolled to the side and she gouged a deep trench
into the earth where he had stood. He sprinted to the slowly
crawling General, but he disappeared through the portal moments
before Lain could reach him. Ivy turned her attentions briefly to
the stone form of Ether. She rose high into the air and rocketed at
the motionless form, shattering it with enough force to cause the
pair of them and a fair piece of the field to collapse into the
burning pit. A moment later she emerged, crying in pain and
clutching her chest, the mark meting out its punishment. When the
pain subsided, she turned toward Lain. He pulled his weapon and
made ready for the clash, knowing full well it was a fight he could
not win.

In a blinding streak of red light, Ivy
attacked Lain. With the skill and precision of a lifetime warrior
he blocked the attack, but the force was too much. The sword was
broken in two, and Lain was hurled backward. Ivy recoiled in pain,
the mark on her chest glowing brilliantly through her ragged
clothing. Lain climbed painfully to his feet. Blood leaked from a
dozen old wounds and a dozen new ones. His sword was out of reach.
Ivy hung ominously above the ground, her gaze locked on Lain.
Behind her, the raging flames seemed to darken. The fire was dying
out.

"Ivy. You do not want to do this," Lain
said.

Ivy lowered to the ground. It was unclear if
she was tiring, or if there was some other reason. Her arms were at
her sides, fists clenched tight. Lain stood firm as she approached.
Her eyes looked upon a friend, but her soul beheld something else.
Filtered through the suggestion of the General, the images reached
her burning mind as twisted monstrosities. She felt nothing but the
need to destroy them.

"Look at me. Listen to me. Smell me. I am not
your enemy," he stated.

Soon she was nose to nose with him. The raw
energy pouring off of her burned at Lain, but he didn't so much as
raise a hand. It would do no good. The brilliant orbs of light that
were her eyes peered deeply into his own as if they were testing
his resolve. Flickers of truth fought through to her mind. She
tested the air with her nose. She knew the scent. Her aura was
beginning to dim, and the slightest hint of recognition was dawning
on her face. She slowly raised a hand to touch his face. From the
pit there was suddenly a low cracking sound. All eyes shifted to
the source. Floating above the pit, drawing in the last of the
flames, was Ether. The brilliance and intensity of the flame that
made up her body was reminiscent of her first appearance, and every
bit a match for the fiery red aura that surrounded Ivy. She held
above her head a massive, flaming, blackened piece of wood. It was
formerly the door of the fort.

"Get away from him you BEAST!" she cried.

"Ether, no!" Lain warned, far too late.

The huge projectile sailed through the air.
Lain dove aside and was showered by burning embers and ash as it
collided with Ivy. Before the debris finished falling, Ether
continued her assault. The symbol on her forehead burned even more
brightly than the flame, but whatever pain it caused did not show
past the anger on her face. She hurled herself at Ivy, raining
blows upon her. Tumbling to the ground, Ivy absorbed a massive
amount of punishment. Suddenly she exploded skyward, directly
through the form of Ether. The flames scattered and reformed. Ivy
shrieked as she peaked in her flight, the mark taking its toll
swiftly. Ether shifted to wind and summoned an intense gale
straight upwards. Ivy was pushed further and further up.