dark faerie 06 - ever dead (18 page)

***

They headed off down the hill, jumping between trees and scrub so as not to be seen by the enemy. Their initial target was a copse of trees a hundred feet away from the glowing circle at the top of the next hill.

Howie remained beside Hank the whole way, mirroring every step and jog. It helped that Howie was unencumbered with worrying about hiding…or having obstacles in his way for that matter…he simply walked through them. If only Hank had such abilities, it would be a lot of help in these kinds of situations.

The far side of the valley was very steep and now also slick from the downpour, slowing their progress and rapidly using up their energy reserves.

After ten minutes of brutal climbing, they finally crested the hill. They were
all
out of breath, even Benton, who would
never
admit that a hurdle was too much to handle. He too had to drop to one knee as he worked to get enough air in his lungs. The air was thin, used up in the expenditure of power. It was like the alliance circle was sucking up the oxygen just to feed their intent. This would have to end quickly or the air would turn into a vacuum in no time.

“Come on bro, we’re up,” Howie grinned as he held out his hand toward Hank once again. Shaking his head, Hank grabbed Howie’s hand and pulled himself up. Howie may have been an apparition, but he felt real to Hank.

“This is going to be a pain in the ass if you never get tired,” Hank grinned.

Howie shrugged, “What can I say, it ain’t easy being cheesy.”

In spite of the looming danger, Hank had to giggle a little. His brother didn’t lack a sense of humor. At least they weren’t too different in that way.

Turning around, he saw that the others had now caught their breath and were starting to stand, readying themselves for battle.

Dulci approached Hank determinedly. “Are you ready?”

He nodded…the seriousness of the situation returning. Dulci suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, causing a completely different kind of spell to course through his veins.

“Good luck,” Dulci whispered before stepping back and drawing her sword.

“Spread out,” she ordered, watching as the men moved to various trees along the edge of the copse. Finding a tree for herself, she then turned toward Hank and nodded, gripping her short sword and looking gorgeous at the same time.

“You ready?” Hank mumbled to Howie as they both took up the exact stance.

“Been ready for decades,” Howie mumbled back, “Let’s do this!”

Their plan was simple…although
more
than difficult to execute.

The others would concentrate on breaking the Alliance Circle, while Hank and Howie concentrated on taking down Pironin.

Hank hoped it was easier than it sounded.

Without warning, Hank and Howie both leaped into the air, spinning around completely before landing on one knee. Simultaneously they brought the staffs gripped in their right hands down hard in front of them, the rounded end striking the ground with a grand, sonic
BOOM
!

A twenty-foot wide sheet of ice made its way quickly across the ground, crackling toward the circle and pushing angrily towards the enemy. The gathered beings were concentrating on their magic, thinking themselves safe from attack and didn’t hear the approaching freeze. They were distracted and oblivious.

It would be their dismal downfall.

The ice quickly enveloped the circle, freezing everyone solid where they stood.

“Attack!” Benton screamed as the small force made its way at a run toward the frozen figures.

Hank knew that the ice would not hold the magical beings for long, but he hoped it would long enough for at least some of them to be destroyed immediately. Benton reached the circle first, slicing through an ugly elf with his flaming sword. Soap and Nautilus weren’t far behind as they too took out their initial targets, a witch each.

The moment the warriors touched the frozen statue-like beings, their bodies shattered into thousands of icy shards, exploding into the air. Even so, the ice beneath them was breaking up and would soon lose its deathly grip on the circle members.

Dulci approached the back of another elf just as he freed himself from the ice. Turning on her quickly, he was reaching to draw his sword when Dulci sliced through his arm, disabling him as he let out a roar of anger and pain. Dark red blood spewed from his stump, his scream deafening. Luci took the opportunity to jump at the elf’s face, knocking him to the ground and silencing his wails.

Nautilus, who was the closest to Dulci then turned his sword on the disabled elf…running him through in one swift movement. The elf stilled as the last breath hissed out of his mouth, his body no longer stirring with life.

Dulci thanked Nautilus with a curt nod before her eyes widened in horror.

Noticing movement behind Nautilus, Dulci’s heart stopped when she saw a wizard behind him raise his arm, a ball of nasty-looking energy in his hand.

Disappearing with a flash, Dulci rematerialized in front of the wizard as a blinding ball of light, the explosive force simultaneously emanating out of the ball blowing all of them off their feet and onto the ground with the violent blast.

A dull ringing deafness filled the battlefield as every warrior struggled back to their feet, their ears dulled to the sound around them.

“Dulci!” Hank yelled out, having seen the oracle disappear in the flash. He’d also been blown off of his feet while running toward Pironin with all that he had. He’d also seen the powerful wizard untangle himself from the restraint of ice moments before in a flash of lightning.

Pushing himself off of the ground, Hank saw that Pironin was already on his feet and glaring at Hank and Howie. If the dual wizards before him surprised Pironin in any way he didn’t show it as he brought his staff up and pointed it at the twins menacingly.

A cool, maddening laugh emanating from his lips as he drew on the swirling energy overhead, sucking even more life-giving air from their surroundings.

Hank had only enough time to activate his aura shield before a pulse of red fire erupted out of the end of Pironin’s staff. Deflecting the pulse in the nick of time, Hank and Howie then spun in the air and brought the end of their staff back down hard on the earth with another explosion rippling through the ground and knocking down the combatants again.

All…except Pironin! He’d ridden through the wave much as Hank had without missing a beat.

The darkness of the magic hovering around them was slowly stealing all of the Seelie’s life forces, siphoning energy like a hungry black hole. Pironin knew this and his crazed laughter roared alongside the swirling howl of wind.

Glancing to his left, Hank could see that everyone was getting back up again, the sound of clanking swords filling the air once more. Not knowing what else to do, he took off at a run toward the powerful wizard, Howie beside him, his movements synchronous with those of Hank.

As one they then jumped from the ground, flying through the air and executing a side kick with a kiai shout! Although still several yards from the wrinkled wizard, a blue beam of energy erupted from their feet and slammed into the wizard.

Looking surprised for the first time, Pironin flew back several feet and landed hard on his back. Landing gracefully on their feet again, Hank and Howie continued running toward their now-downed opponent.

If they could both get to him before their fellow warriors were further drained and had nothing left to fight with, maybe…just maybe…an end would be near.

Before they could reach him however, Pironin jumped back up and slapped the end of his staff on the ground, causing a chasm to form in front of him before it zigzagged its way toward Hank and Howie. Earth collapsed into the pitch-black abyss that quickly chased towards them in an unrelenting pursuit.

Suddenly a beam of intense light emanated out of the crack in the earth as it slid between Hank and Howie.

The force of the energy split the tie of energy between the brothers, causing them to tumble away from the chasm in two directions, disconnected.

Hank felt the severing in his soul, his connection with his brother instantly disappearing. Momentarily fazed, he could only feel the weakness of his body…and another, much greater depletion.

It was like his heart had been ripped from his chest!

Opening his eyes, he found Pironin standing over him…his eyes gleaming with hatred and loathing.

Chapter 33

“You are not so impressive without your little brother…are you?” Pironin spat, his face a carved edifice of revulsion. “You are now merely another unimpressive spawn of Tamaki.”

“Your mother was much the same you know,” he sneered as he continued his rant through rotted teeth. “Disposing of her had been a simple thing in its execution, a mere twitch to the hand on the wheel of the car…your father’s I believe.”

Pironin leaned down; his face was now only inches from Hank as his putrid breath washed over Hank’s face. “Your whole family has been a waste of space on the world,” Pironin breathed disgustedly, “And I have taken great pleasure in squashing every one of you as one would an ant underfoot.”

Anger coursed though Hank at his words, red entering his vision even as bile crept up his throat. Thoughts of his parents’ needless death fed his need for revenge as he tried to raise his staff to strike at the wizard. In his weakened state however, his efforts were thwarted as Pironin merely brought his foot down on the staff.

Helplessness nipped at Hank’s being…was this to be the end? His family murdered…Faerie put in the hands of a psychopath…his whole life ended…like this?

“You are nothing to me,” Pironin shouted, his maniacal sneer seething with hatred, “Just another insect to be crushed underfoot.”

Grinning at his own analogy, Pironin raised the staff above his head menacingly. “I shall skewer you with my staff and place your head on my mantle as a trophy…a reminder of the once powerful Kyan clan that I have now, finally, defeated.”

As he brought down the staff down with a powerful stroke toward Hank’s chest, the staff was suddenly knocked aside, landing with a thud into the wet earth beside him.

“I’m his
older
brother asshole,” Howie spoke as he stepped into view, “And you done messed with the wrong family!”

Hank could feel the magic of his brother once again intermingling with his own, a rush coursing through his veins and filling him with unimaginable power.

Hank quickly lifted his legs into the air and smoothly flipped up to his feet. Energizing the aura shield, the brothers then swiped their staffs at Pironin’s head, sending him dodging as their staffs hit him and flung him the ground. Hank picked up Pironin’s staff before slowly walking over to the fallen wizard. He stood over the decrepit old man, who was dazed from the blunt strike to his head.

Dulci and the others joined Hank and Howie, circling the seemingly powerless wizard as they all looked down on him threateningly. When Pironin tried to move, Luci growled at him, the noise seeming to surprise the wizard as fear showed on his face for the first time.

“Get that devil beast away from me,” he sniveled. 

Everyone in the circle busted out laughing, enjoying a few moments of gayety before Nautilus dropped his sword toward the wizard’s chest.

“You have been soundly defeated wizard, and are now a prisoner of the Summer Seelie Court. It will go better for you if you have your army drop their arms that are raised against our queen,” Nautilus growled.

Glancing over at Dulci, Hank watched as she approached the fallen man, knowing she intended to bind his magic and make it unusable.

The sneer suddenly returned to Pironin’s face as a wicked laugh escaped his lips. As he glanced around the circle, his eyes darted back and forth quickly, reminding Hank of a snake or a weasel.

He wasn’t a large man by any standards, but the change now exhibited on his face had Hank tensing for another trick.

“You are thinking mighty high of yourselves at this moment, are you not?” Pironin shouted suddenly. “It is not, however, such an easy thing to do to ensnare a wizard.”

Turning to look directly at Hank, his face darkened measurably. “You know nothing of our magic and never will.” He continued to stare at Hank when, at last, he delivered his final threat.

“You are already dead!”

A sudden blinding light emanated from where the wizard lay, causing all in the circle to look away involuntarily. When they once again turned toward Pironin and focused through the blinding effects of the light…he was gone!

“Shit!” Benton yelled in frustration. “Where the hell did he go?”

Chapter 34

“What will you do now?” Dulci questioned as they shared tea in her cottage. Hank took a moment to enjoy the calming effect of the tea before answering, wondering if he could make this on the other side of the barrier.

However, he knew it would then lack her delicate magic touch, so he was pretty sure it wouldn’t ever be the same if he tried to make it without her.

“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. “I feel like I still have so much to learn…even though I have learned very much in a short time…thanks to you.”

Dulci grinned at Hank’s answer. Her blue ocean eyes sparkled, like sun reflecting on water. It made his insides tingle and his heart speed up.

“You don’t have to lay it on quite so thick little brother,” Howie said from beside him, his own teacup in hand. “She already likes you.” He then slurped up the remainder of his own tea.

His atrocious manners were definitely
not
a family trait.

Hank blushed with the realization that Dulci could hear what Howie had said. Turning toward her once again, he saw that she too was exhibiting some redness in her cheeks, but hid it well behind her cup of tea a she continued to sip slowly.