Pools of Darkness - James M Brown [59]
"We fight alone, ancient one. The living beings will not interfere." This last was directed at Ren.
The ranger nodded in agreement. "So be it, paladin." But Ren and Stolen continued destroying the horde of skeletons by bashing them with steel-shod hooves and Ren's magical blade.
Following their lead, Gamaliel waded into the still-kneeling masses of undead, cutting and chopping. No creatures would remain to attack if the knight lost.
Evaine created missiles of magical energy. Streams of green sparks spewed from her fingertips, killing over a dozen zombies at a time. The creatures did not fight, they knelt meekly, oblivious to their certain doom.
Miltiades, the mysterious knight, marched to the edge of the clearing to face the ghost warrior. The warrior of Tyr no longer chanted.
The knight's shield blazed with a blue glow; the symbol of Tyr engraved upon it glowed golden. Miltiades's war helmet hummed with a protective power all its own, bathing the knight in a foggy blue mist. An enormous sword-one that most men would have had to wield with two hands-was easily swung in one hand by the knight. The blade was etched end to end in runes.
The ghost warrior calmly sat astride his vaporous mount, his saber dripping black fire.
The knight of Tyr struck first. Rolling low, he cut the legs out from under the ghost horse. His sword blasted a shower of blue sparks as the blade severed the front legs of the mount. The beast fell forward and the ghost warrior tumbled to the ground, then rolled up on his feet. The horse vanished with a blood-curdling cry of pain.
"Puts us on more even footing, Zarl!"
"Though you are a paladin, you never were an honorable fighter, Miltiades. Let us finish this."
Blades crashed as the two swung and parried. Miltiades was engulfed in a blue aura that hummed when it touched the ghost's black mist. The battle was evenly matched. Neither landed a blow for long minutes.
The rest of the group found it difficult to keep their attention on the undead creatures that surrounded them. None had ever seen a battle like the fight between these two mysterious warriors. But the five companions finally succeeded in destroying the hundreds of undead in the graveyard. In minutes, bones and withered body parts lay ankle-deep all over the clearing. Ren, the druids, Gamaliel, and Evaine were all exhausted and gasping for breath after the massacre.
The five retreated to the opposite end of the clearing to watch the final battle. Evaine magically levitated herself and Gamaliel to the roof of one of the mausoleums to gain a better view.
The two enemies were beginning to land their blows. Every time the black blade struck, bits of ebony flame left the sword to strike the paladin or sizzle to the ground. Wherever the flames landed, the grass withered and the moist topsoil turned to dust.
Both combatants expended themselves fully, taking titanic swipes at each other with their enchanted blades. Both were remarkably skilled, but this battle was not one of finesse and swordplay. Each wanted the other dead with a fury. Every ounce of muscle and energy was poured into the battle.
Unencumbered by a physical body, the ghost warrior moved faster and faster, circling around the knight. The black flaming sword landed too often, ringing against the paladin's armor. Each strike seemed softened by the blue mist coming from the knight's war helmet. But the blue mist was fading; it grew thinner and thinner with every strike, as the protective energies of the helmet were eaten away by the flames of the black sword.
"He's going to lose! I'm casting a-"
"No!" Ren shouted, grabbing at Evaine's foot, which dangled over the side of the mausoleum. Gamaliel, even quicker, pounced off the structure to tower between the spellcaster and Ren. His big hands found Ren's neck. "You must never touch her!"
Evaine leaped off the crypt and yanked at Gamaliel. "You can't