Darkwalker on Moonshae - Douglas Niles [164]
“Stop, spawn of the Beast!” The voice rang harshly through the clearing, and Robyn turned to see a plump old woman scurry from the mist. There was nothing pleasant or kind about her voice, however.
“Now, see if you can stand against the power of the goddess!”
Genna Moonsinger held her finger before her, pointing at the breast of the Bloodrider. She called upon the power of the goddess, asking for the use of her most baneful spell. A crackling beam of light sizzled from her finger, into and through the body of the Bloodrider, only to disappear into the night beyond.
Laric’s hollow, liquid laugh was frightful in its supreme arrogance. “You seek to slay me, druid – but you cannot slay that which is already dead!”
With a snarl, he leaped forward, but Genna stepped back quickly and uttered another casting, raising the power of the goddess’s own body into a tool of the druid.
The ground below Laric’s feet shifted and roiled, and the Rider tripped. Rolling across the heaving turf, he leaped to his feet and snarled at the shape of a creature, vaguely humanlike but composed of the elemental materials of the earth itself, that rose from the ground. It rose with a ripping sound, smelling strongly of moist dirt, and lashed out with an earthen fist, trying to crush the ghoulish figure.
With incredible agility, Laric jumped aside and managed to hack a great chunk of dirt from the earth elemental. Genna, concentrating, commanded her creature to attack. Another clublike fist sprouted from a different spot on the creature’s trunk, and this one smashed into Laric’s chest.
The Bloodrider sailed backward, crashing into Robyn’s stone and slumping to the ground. But in a second, Laric sprang to his feet again. He charged the elemental and marked a dazzling series of slashes with his sword. Each blow struck off a piece of the creature, until shortly it collapsed into motionless, mundane rubble.
Still snarling, Laric turned his deathshead gaze upon Genna Moonsinger, Slowly the Rider advanced, extending a gruesome claw as Genna stumbled backward.
Suddenly, the druid tripped upon a hummock of grass and fell.
Robyn gasped, and at the same moment felt the grip of tiny claws upon her leg. She looked down to see Newt scamper up and perch beside her. He remained visible for several seconds.
“You poor thing,” she whispered. One of his butterfly – like wings had been severed, and he moved tortuously because of a long gash in his neck.
“Why do you not help them?” queried the dragon, tilting his head toward the fight. Genna had rolled away from the Rider, but could not get to her feet before Laric closed in again.
“My hands,” replied Robyn, turning her back to reveal her bound wrists. Newt looked positively enlightened and in an instant had set upon the thongs, chewing energetically.
Across the clearing, Kamerynn grunted painfully as the black stallion once again crashed into his unprotected flank. Newt paused in his task and squinted solemnly at the fight, sudden tears welling in his eyes. “I can’t do it!” he sobbed. “My magic is broken!”
“Hurry and untie me,” urged Robyn. “And there’s still hope.”
Again the unicorn cried out in pain, and then Laric’s howl of triumph rose above all. He leaped toward the Great Druid, dropping his sword in his eagerness to sink his claws into her flesh. As he grabbed her, however, he found himself holding a coiling viper. The snake’s wedged head darted forward to bury long fangs in the rotted flesh of Laric’s arm.
“Bah,” cried the Rider, disdainfully throwing the serpent to the ground. He swept up his sword, aiming a killing blow. Suddenly, the confident chanting of Robyn’s voice carried toward him.
And then the Bloodrider cried in pain and dropped the weapon, which glowed red, then white, before turning liquid and running into the ground. With Newt clapping in glee, Robyn rose from the stone and faced the Bloodrider, meeting his hate-filled gaze with her own look of pride and determination.
For an instant, the little faerie dragon disappeared. Then