Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [107]
A huge bolt of lightning shattered the dry afternoon air. It struck one of the assassins in the back then leaped toward another-and another and another. The electricity reached out like the fingers on a skeletal hand, touching at least half a dozen enemies and striking them senseless. When the spell ended, two of the assassins fell down dead. The others staggered a bit, wisps of steam floating off their shoulders and arms.
The sound of galloping horses echoed out of the courtyard and into the field, followed by the appearance of fifty men, half in armor, half in robes. All wore the jade green and royal blue that could mean only one thing-Lord Purdun of Duhlnarim, the Baron of Ahlarkhem had arrived.
"Guardsmen," shouted Putdun, "save our king!"
Suddenly the odds had been evened.
The two men had saved each other countless times. Now Purdun had arrived with his elite guard and most of his court mages to protect his friend.
The wizards of Duhlnarim were not a force to be taken lightly. Though there were few of them, they were mighty on the field of battle indeed. Their magic filled the air with crackling energy and dangerous pitfalls for the enemy.
"That way, men!" shouted King Korox. "Meet them halfway!"
Korox forced his way past the Magistrates guarding him, stepping into the fray and leading a charge toward the newly arrived cavahy. His sword bit through cloth and magical wards. His fist came down like the gavel of justice, slamming aside the wicked and the unlawful. His actions spoke louder than his words, and the Crusader King found his place at the head of his troops once again.
Meanwhile, Lord Purdun and his elite guard closed from the other side, using the height of their mounts as an advantage. They charged the line of assassins, pinning them between the barding of their horses and the blades of the Magistrates.
The cavalry slammed into the attackers and bowled them over backward. Swords met swords. Hooves collided with chests. And bolts of magical energy sailed into the fray, knocking the minions of the underworld from their feet.
Blood spilled. Men died. Ridets fell from their mounts, and the battle raged on.
Then a foul wind blew up from the valley. It shook the dead grass, rattled the brittle leaves, and brought with it the stench of rotting meat.
"The beasts have arrived!"
Xeries's horde of twisted monstrosities fell upon the fighting men and women of Erlkazar. They bit the heads from assassin and Magistrate alike. They tote into the flesh beneath plates of metal armor. They traded blows with the strong and the quick.
In the distance, the Obsidian Ridge began to move, slipping away from the valley and out over Shalane Lake. Its shadow lifted from Llorbauth, revealing the dead, cracked land it had left behind.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Evelyne sat on the floor, waiting.
Her cell was in the middle of a lava tube. A magical barrier had been placed over the opening, and a pair of guards had been stationed in front. They had looked in on her every few moments. Why, she hadn't a clue. She was stuck inside a tiny little hole inside a much larger hole, inside a huge floating volcano.
"Where do they think I'm gonna go?" Her voice had returned to her once she was no longer inside Xeries's chamber.
But then the guards had just left. There was no ceremony, no sound or alarm, no indication of why. One moment they were there, and the next they were gone.
"Guess they got tired of waiting for me to do something." She tossed a chip of obsidian against the wall and watched it shatter to the floor.
Picking up another piece of the stone, she hurled it at the same spot. When it hit, the whole wall started to shake. Chips of obsidian rained down from the ceiling, and the floor undulated from side to side.
"What the…?"
Evelyne leaped to her feet and was neatly thrown back to the floor. "It's moving."
The entire citadel was shifting back and forth. This wasn't the same hum and vibration that seemed to permeate everything inside the volcano. That was still there, but now