The Elf King (67 page)

W
hite fire spewed from Shadox’s fingers as he raced alongside
Tane, working their way to the front of the assault.
Takers
that had swept in
from the backside of the army all fell victim to their wrath,
burned by Shadox, destroyed by Tane. Together they wiped the area
clean, killing wave after wave, as
Takers
flooded towards them. Shadox
gave Tane direction with his sword, teaching him how to understand
it better, how to unlock the potential. Tane caught on quickly that
the power was directly related to him. Each time he pressed deeper,
pushing himself, pushing the limits of the magic, destroying dozens
at a time.

Running hard now, he saw a
cluster of dark forms heading for them. Tane brought up his sword,
screaming in defiance. The sword lit, shot out into the
Takers
, pulling the
life-source from them. Empty husks fell to the ground. A thin dark
spool of air seeped from them, disappearing into his sword. It was
something Tane was comfortable with now.

The land ahead of them was
full of bodies: dead ones, dying ones, and those in combat. The air
was lit in streaking colors and explosions. White fire raced away
in arcs, red fire shooting back by the hundreds. Tane swallowed
hard. The front of the storm was at his doorstep.

“
There!” Shadox shouted,
pointing ahead to the right where a swarm of dark figures were
emerging towards them. He led Tane towards them, his own magic
flaring from his hands.

Tane raced forward, his
sword glowing in crimson coils.
Takers
met them head on, their red
beams of fiery destruction blazing in the air between them. But
Tane’s sword absorbed it all. Shadox fire burst into them then,
instantly burning them into showers of ash and smoke. Tane’s sword
shot a light back into the
Takers
, a light that smothered them
and withdrew their life, pulling it back into the blade with
it.

Dozens of yards away, Ankar
Rie saw and watched in confusion. Terill Estrial stood next to him,
turning to see what the other was distracted by. “Who is
that?”

Then Ankar knew.
“Shadox!”

His feet were moving
instantly, rushing over to his friend. Terill followed quickly,
realizing that Ankar was right. Also knowing then who the other
must be. They had found the sword, he thought.

“
Shadox!” Ankar Rie shouted
as he came towards the sorcerer. Ankar’s face was coated in sweat,
his cloak smudged with dark stains.

Shadox greeted them with a
nod, introducing Tane at once. “Ankar Rie, Lord Terill Estrial,
this is Tane Andelline, King of Cillitran.”

Ankar and Tane shook hands,
followed by Terill. “How do we stand?” Tane asked, unsure as what
to say. The other two marveled at his sword.

Terill spoke, “We’ve lost a
lot of Elves and Men. And we are unsure how deep the enemy lines
are. The east flank has fallen. The west holds, for now. For every
one of us, there seems to be a dozen of them.”

“
They are as deep as the
night is dark,” Shadox said, his face hard, his stare cold. “But
the night comes to an end. And with it so do they.”

“
Look!” Ankar shouted,
facing skyward. Something dark was descending down towards them at
a rapid pace. Ankar’s head cocked questionably, his fingers
glowing.

But Terill stepped before
him. “Wait!”

In a blur, Xtalt landed
before them, Slina dismounting at once. She carried something in
both hands; it was large and covered by a dark blanket. Carefully,
she set it in the grass next to Terill’s feet. “I was
careful.”

Terill smiled. “You were,
indeed.” Terill turned to the others around him as he reached for
the blanket. “Behold, men of Cillitran and Illken Dor. A new aid to
our cause.”

They circled around Terill
with curious looks. The Elf Lord withdrew the blanket with one
quick motion. A box was underneath, one made of magic, sparkling
black. Terill touched it once, speaking a few quick phrases in the
Elven language that the others did not understand, then stepped
away. The sides to the box unfolded and black images flew up into
the night. They shot like a blur, each darker than the sky they
ascended to. Terill waved his hand, motioning for the ground next
to him. The black images landed instantly.

“
What are those?” Tane
asked out loud.

Terill’s smile was a
cautious one. “Blooders, Tane Andelline. Birds of magic. Subdued by
the Dark Elves. Transformed into something else. Things of this
nature we keep hidden away until we can change them, or dispose of
them. These birds are dangerous. They have an appetite for the
flesh.”

Tane grimaced. In the
night, it was hard to see the details of the birds. But he could
tell right away that they were not normal. They were the size of
his fists, with long pointed beaks that shined in the flickering of
the burning catapults. Their feathers were made of something else,
but from his angle, he could not tell what it was.

“
They are metal?” Ankar
pointed out, rather than asking.

Terill nodded. “A liquid
metal coats them, inside and out. They are nearly indestructible.”
Terill noticed the grim look on Ankar’s face. “The Dark Elves
changed a lot of things, sorcerer. Fortunately, we have found and
gained control over these before they were set loose.”

“
How fortunate indeed,”
added Shadox. “How will they aid us?”

Terill spoke in Elven again
and the birds, about two dozen of them, disappeared into the sky.
“They will attack the demons. They can withstand much, and can fly
at great speeds. They will be almost unseen. They will tear into
the monsters and eat them alive before their presence is even
known.”

A giant explosion erupted
ahead of them where a mass of
Takers
broke through one of the
Elven lines of defense. They flooded everywhere, racing towards the
group. Shadox and Ankar turned immediately, sending a series of
their magic bolts searing into the charging threat. Red fire burned
back in waves. They attacked from all sides, emerging out of the
night as if a piece of the darkness itself had taken form. Tane
held his sword high, absorbing the red fire. But there were too
many.

“
Ankar, behind you!” Shadox
shouted to his friend as he saw a swarm of darkness rushing them
from behind.

Ankar turned, his hands
flaring his blue magic in endless streaks. He concentrated on those
closest, and there were many. Lord Estrial and Shadox stood beside
him, doing the same, as Tane’s sword shined red, absorbing
everything sent their way. From afar, screams and shouts warned
that more were coming as Elves and Men alike were trampled
over.
Takers
came
endlessly. Their sheer number alone would swallow any resistance.
And only in a matter of moments did it appear to be taking
place.

“
Fall back!” Terill
cried.

“
We can’t,” Ankar yelled
back. “There is no place to go!”

Then Tane screamed. He was
scared of dying. He was scared of failing. And the war seemed
impossible to win. As he stood in the reflection of the red heat
overhead, he could feel his anxiety pulsating within. It ran from
his chest and down to his toes, running through his arms and into
his fingers. He screamed violently from the sensation. The pain
seemed to gather in his hands, swelling up into the fingers he so
tightly held around the sword’s pommel. It took all the strength he
had just to keep the sword steady as more fire slammed into it.
Others around him were screaming, but their words were smeared with
the intense friction above him. He stared at the sword, watching
the magic coil and spark against it, and wished badly that it would
end. Tane could feel the stress throb and build up to the point
where he thought he would pass out.

“
Shadox!” Tane screamed.
The agony was something unexpected and new. Sweat trickled down his
face and back in thin streams. His body began to shake. He screamed
again, loud and terrible.

Then suddenly, the magic
within burst free. He could feel a burning race from his feet to
his chest then out of his hands as all of what he could see
vanished within a bright light. Tane staggered slightly, alone in
the center of the explosion, those around him cloaked in the
crimson light, watching the magic tear into the
Takers
and literally dissolve the
life in them. Tane screamed as the sensation passed through his
body, through the sword, and out into the night. The light of his
magic swept in an arch around him for half a mile.
Takers
evaporated
instantly. In a second, it was over.

Nothing around them moved
then, save for surviving Men and Elves that scrambled to regroup.
For the time being, there was no threat. The ground was singed and
smoking, layered in hot ash.

Exhausted, Tane dropped to
his knees. His body was tingling. Shadox and Ankar raced over to
him, kneeling down beside him. The others stood in awe.

“
What was that?” Tane was
shivering.

Ankar noticed that Tane’s
pupils sparkled like burning flames. He said nothing, watching the
fire fade, watching Tane’s eyes find his own. Unable to answer him,
they both turned to Shadox.

“
The magic is reacting to
your senses, Tane.” Shadox helped Tane stand, Ankar rising with
them. They all stood staring at the sword. “It is a part of you. It
is connected to your feelings.”

Tane kept his look of
bewilderment. “I was worried that we were all going to die. Then I
felt it...building inside me.”

Shadox smiled inwardly.
“Learn how to use it, Tane. Do not be afraid.”

Ankar Rie smiled, patting
Tane on the shoulder. His face was a mix of sweat and dirt.
“Whatever you were thinking, Tane, do it again.”

“
Issilix Delsoue!” Terill
shouted victoriously. “Come, Tane! Let the Fire of Blood be tasted
by them all!”

Terill moved away, racing
to join his Elves in combat. Ankar paused momentarily, giving a
reassuring nod to Tane before racing away to join Terill. Shadox
stared at Tane with his intense eyes. “Tane, focus. Steady your
mind. Command your talisman. Do not hesitate.”

Shadox stormed away,
rushing towards the nearest line of defense under attack. Tane
turned to Slina, who was mounting Xtalt.

“
Wait. Can you take me
up?”

Slina smiled.
“Hurry!”

She helped Tane up behind
her, making certain that he was strapped in tight, then whistled
for Xtalt to fly. Instantly they shot skyward, traveling much
faster than Tane anticipated. Within seconds they were cloud
level.

Tane looked down, seeing
the vast Plains stretch away before him. Though dark, much of it
was speckled in red dots.
Takers
. He was aware then of Slina
saying something, but he couldn’t understand. She pointed west, and
he followed. Then he saw it too. Shifting like a black snake, a
line of
Takers
pressed into the Lyyn Forest. The west flank had
fallen.

Spread out all across the
Shyl Plains under them, assorted lights flashed and burned. Magic
fought magic. Xtalt turned sharply then, and he understood what
Slina was saying. It was important that they return and tell Terill
about the west, that the Ailia Court was in danger. Turning back,
he spotted a similar line heading south, far to the east. Tane
swallowed hard. The line ran long enough to disappear in the
darkness. They would head for the southern cities, he knew.
Cillitran would be destroyed. Meadow after that.

“
No!” Slina yelled. “Look
out!”

Tane turned just in time to
see a light flash, a red beam streak from the ground towards them.
He held tight to his sword as it slammed into it. He raised his
weapon higher, as if to draw attention away from Xtalt as more red
beams were heading for them. He screamed for Slina to hold steady,
but she panicked. Xtalt sped drastically, weaving its way through
the sky. Tane’s sword absorbed several blasts, but now the enemy
knew where he was and how to reach him, and they poured it to him
without mercy. Looking down, all Tane could see was a wash of red
light.