Shadowblade (34 page)

“You are a mongrel and a thief! A servant! But if you join me, perhaps we can raise your status somewhat.”

“No,” answered Zach. “As you have your mission, I have mine. And Umber will not be pleased with this delay.”

Cerunnos did not answer, it seemed he was through trying to convince Zach to join him. Instead, the dreaded horns of Cerunnos flared to life and bolts of fire wound down the lengths of the twin horns and blasted flames at the impudent man. And when the flames had cleared the horned hunter was staring at the empty space where Zach had just been.

Zach was overcome with bizarre and conflicting sensations. At first he thought he was going to be cooked by the flames roaring from the Hunter’s horns. But he found his awareness of his physical being had shifted. He was no longer a physical being and, for a moment, he wondered if he had actually died just then. But he found that he could still see, in a strange sense, and feel as well. Only he felt as though he were much larger now, and stretched. And when he tried to focus his mind on himself he realized that he was now just a shadow of himself. A true shadow!

He looked at himself and saw nothing but shimmering blackness that blended in with the floor and walls. Time slowed and Zach saw the gout of flames coming. Instinctively he knew that flames could harm him in this form, despite his newfound powers. Zach easily flitted away from the fiery attack and raced around the chamber to a point behind the Horned Hunter.

While he managed to escape the flames, he did not escape the Hunter’s notice.

“A nice trick, human,” growled Cerunnos as he turned around to face the spot where Zach’s shadowy form now hovered. “But I, too, am a creature of Shadows and you cannot escape
my
sight!” Somehow Zach knew that creature spoke truly. He was in fact existing in two places at once, on the mortal realm of Llars and in the Shadow Realms where the dark lord Umber held dominion.

“Do you not serve Umber, Great Cerunnos?” asked Zach, though he had no mouth with which to form words. “Do we not all have the same goal? Why should we fight each other?”

“What’s your point?” demanded the Horned Hunter, now bearing a wicked spear in each hand. Zach had no doubt that any weapon wielded by this legendary warrior would most likely slay him. He did not relish the thought of his soul being tormented by Baelor for failing him so quickly. “Umber encourages us to fight amongst ourselves. Only the strongest survive amongst the Shadow Hunters, and I am too strong for you!”

Zach struggled to come up with a counter argument to stall for time. He knew that Cerunnos was right, Umber did not care what his followers did to each other. The Horned Hunter seemed to sense Zach’s resolve weakening and let out a great laugh. Then, he dropped into a fighting stance with his feet wide and body in a slight crouch. Zach knew the man would strike again.

“But why earn the displeasure of Umber by killing one of his valued servants?”

That seemed to give the creature pause and, for the moment, he did not advance on Zach’s shadowy form. Zach was neither afraid of Cerunnos, nor was he afraid of death. But he very rarely engaged in fights he had a chance of losing. This was one of those times where he felt it might be wiser to simply avoid the confrontation with the ancient warrior.

“Go on,” he whispered, shifting his feet eagerly. It was apparent that the Hunter wanted to fight, but he was unwilling to risk the ire of Umber without due cause.

“I am on a mission of great importance for Umber. I seek something sacred and holy to Zuhr that Umber wants me to find, something that will earn him great power and influence in the world.”

“You’re bluffing,” said Cerunnos, scathingly. “If you were on such a mission in my city, I would know.”

“Perhaps you are not as important as you think. Do as you will, Hunter,” replied Zach with seemingly little care. “
If
you defeat me, you will soon learn the taste of Umber’s displeasure.”

“Bah,” he spat. “I have survived centuries of strife and conflict among the Dark Disciples. If you die, you will be replaced.” With that the Hunter advanced on Zach’s shadow, and Zach promptly shifted around Cerunnos to avoid the lunging spear. But the great warrior anticipated Zach’s move and the tip of a spear slashed right through Zach’s shadowy form causing the man to gasp in tremendous pain. Nonetheless Zach would not allow himself to be bested without a fight and so he raced his shadow up toward the ceiling and out of view of the Horned Hunter.

Then, he willed himself to take human form again and fell from the ceiling. With
Morloth
extended in sword form, the cold steel tip of the dark magical blade punctured Cerunnos’ armor between the shoulder blades under the weight of Zach’s falling body. The Horned Hunter wailed and thrashed and Zach was thrown across the room where he hit the wall, hard. He came to his senses quickly, and willed the dagger back into his hand. When he closed his hand around the dagger’s handle, he was overcome with a sense of power flowing into him from the Hunter, it was the dagger stealing the Hunter’s energy and giving it to Zach. Though the transfer of power faded quickly as the angry warrior’s wound closed, the power that was within Zach remained and invigorated him.

He threw the dagger at the Horned Hunter again, but the ancient warrior sidestepped and the missile only grazed his side. But the graze was enough to accomplish what Zach wanted and more of the Horned Hunter’s own power flowed into Zach. He felt himself growing stronger and the Hunter growing weaker. But even in a weakened state Zach knew the Horned Hunter was too strong.

The Hunter swung his sword, the blade alight with
darkfire,
Zach parried the blow with
Morloth
.

“You are going to die,
shadowling
!” taunted the Hunter. Zach’s earlier wounds from the Hunter’s devious weapon hurt badly. “You feel the power of a blade forged in the
darkfire
of the
shadowrealms!”

The Horned Hunter locked blades with
Morloth,
his superior strength forcing his own blade closer and closer to Zach’s face. Zach was in a difficult spot. He knew that if he turned himself into a shadow now, the Hunter would be free to strike at him with his blade while he changed shape. But if he didn’t do something soon, the Hunter would impale him with that deathly blade. It seemed he had no other choice.

Zach willed himself to take the form of a shadow and disappeared, but he did not escape before the Hunter’s sword passed through his nebulous form. The intensity of the attack was such that Zach could not hold his
shadowform
any longer and he found himself lying on the floor, breathing hard. The Horned Hunter approached the supine man, laughing with glee as he held his enchanted blade high above Zach’s midsection.

And as the downward stroke that could end his existence began, the door to his room burst open in a shower of splinters and debris.

Cerunnos was caught off guard by the sudden explosion and Zach used the distraction to his advantage as he struggled to roll away from his attacker. His wounds burned intensely, the pain caused his vision to blur and made breathing difficult. As he rolled away and to his feet a shadowy ball of energy flew across the room and blasted Cerunnos in the side, knocking the Horned Hunter from his feet. Zach moved to throw
Morloth
at his attacker but suddenly found himself frozen in place. Fear coursed through him now as he tried to discern what had interceded in his fight, and why.

Zach found that even though he could not move very well, his strength was slowly returning. As his vision cleared he saw a darkly beautiful woman enter the room through the debris of the broken door. She was wearing a silky gown of pure black, and her hair seemed perfectly poised upon her head with an array of jewels and pins. Silver bracelets and necklaces and a waist chain adorned her body and a heady perfume drifted through the air around her; the woman appeared as though she belonged in the ballroom of some king or noble.

“Tut, tut, Cerunnos,” the woman said condescendingly. “Why do you always find it necessary to intrude into my affairs?” Though her voice was sweet and relaxing, Zach was not fooled. Her deadly eyes glittered with intelligence and power and perhaps a touch of madness.

“Damn you, Witch!” hissed the Horned Hunter, angrily. “I didn’t know he was your play toy.”

“Didn’t he tell you?” she asked sweetly, hiking up the hem of her generously split dress to step over the piles of wood and debris and revealing a pair of stunning legs.

“No, Balzath.”

Balzath!
Zach wondered how this would turn out. He didn’t think the woman would be pleased with him for entangling himself in a fight with the Horned Hunter. But how could this woman be so powerful that even Cerunnos deferred to her? Could she be one of the Dark Lord’s Shadow Hunters too? Then she turned those eyes toward Zach and he felt his heart racing again. The woman was beautiful. More beautiful than any he had ever seen. Instinctively he understood that to this woman, beauty was a weapon to be used at every opportunity.

“Zach,” she purred. “Why do you toy with this
thing
when we have work to do?”

“Forgive me, Balzath,” he replied weakly. She seemed satisfied that Zach respected her and waved a finger at him as she whispered something that sounded very much like Tayban. Then, he found that he was free of whatever invisible bonds she had placed upon him.

“Cerunnos, go and play somewhere else. We have real work to do for the Dark Lord.”

“Yes, Mighty Balzath,” said the warrior. Zach was amazed that the woman’s condescending tone did not provoke the man, he assumed that was a testament to her power.

Zach watched in amazement as Cerunnos stood, brushed himself off, and disappeared into the shadows. Balzath turned and walked out of Zach’s apartment.

“Come along, pet” she said airily. “We must go and meet your new master, Shalthazar.”

Zach followed after, it seemed his fortunes were changing for the better after all.

C H A P T E R

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