Pool of Twilight - James M. Ward [45]
There was no time to consider options.
Kern dove out of the saddle. He hit the grimy cobbles hard and rolled, ignoring the flash of pain in his shoulder. The crushing hooves of the onyx charger passed so close, flying sparks left pinprick burns on Kern's skin.
Breathless, he staggered to his feet. The charger's momentum had carried it to the opposite side of the square, but already the black knight was wheeling the massive horse around.
"Listle, ride for the tower!" he shouted. The elf had guided her mount behind the scant protection of the marble fountain.
"What? And leave you to have all the fun?" she shouted back.
Kern cursed under his breath. Why didn't she ever do anything he told her to do? The black knight lowered his lance again, ready for another charge. Kern looked wildly about for cover, but there was nothing close by to do him any good. He made a pathetically easy target, standing there in the middle of the empty square.
"You don't suppose this is just another one of Primul's tests?" he called out to the elf hopefully.
"No," Listle snapped. "I don't."
"I didn't think so," Kern gulped.
The black knight dug in his spurs again, his crimson eyes glowing murderously. Blood streamed darkly down the charger's flanks as it lunged forward; its hoofbeats rent the air.
Deliberately, Kern reached for the steel and silver hammer at his belt. He gripped it firmly in both hands and raised it above his head, planting his feet on the slimy street. If he tried to run, his foe would simply skewer him in the back. He tensed his muscles, waiting for the right moment to hurl his hammer.
"Kern, no!" Listle screamed.
Abruptly a wall of searing fire ignited before the knight. Even from a distance, Kern could feel the scorching heat.
"Take that!" Listle cried.
The onyx charger didn't so much as pause. It galloped straight through the blazing barrier. The magical wall burst apart in a spray of harmless sparks, revealing itself as an illusion. The knight did not flinch. He lowered the tip of his lance. The steed charged.
Kern tensed, waiting… waiting for the precise moment in which to hurl the warhammer.
He never got the chance.
A streak of lightning crackled out of nowhere, striking the black knight.
The midnight charger reared up on its hind legs with a terrible whinny. Tendrils of magical energy crept up the knight's armor, snaking into the visor's eye slit. The lance burst asunder. The knight clenched a fist, letting out a horrible scream.
Another bolt of magical lightning exploded against the black knight's breastplate. This time Kern could discern its source-it came from the shadowed mouth of an alley on the edge of the square.
The charger reared again, then suddenly dissipated in a cloud of acrid smoke. The knight crashed to the cobbles and lay still. The flaming plume atop his helm guttered and died out. A few last sparks of magical energy skittered across his armor.
Cautiously Kern approached the fallen knight. With the toe of his boot, he tapped the scorched breastplate. A thin wisp of yellow smoke drifted out of the visor's eye slit. That was all.
"I think he's dead," Kern said grimly, returning the magical hammer to his belt.
"Oh? And what gave you that bright idea?" Listle said in a wan attempt at a jest. She couldn't stop shivering.
"Oh, he's well and truly dead," a rich, musical voice interjected.
Kern and Listle turned in surprise. A woman stepped from the dim arch of an alleyway.
She was beautiful. Her eyes and hair were a deep, dark color that seemed to glow with radiance. Her skin had a smooth, coppery sheen to it, and her features were finely wrought, almost aristocratic. She was obviously a wizard of some sort, but the white full-length robe she wore was different from the shapeless utilitarian smocks kindly old sorcerers favored. The shimmering cloth was diaphanous and slightly translucent