Shades of the Past_ Book Six of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [63]
Two brothers have closed with the warrior priest and are laying upon him with their staves. His sword is out and easily blocks their attacks. A swarm of gnats appear in summons to one of the brothers and immediately moves to the warrior priest. They cloud his face and begin working their way into his armor.
Deflecting the staves, the warrior priest seems unaffected by the insects swarming him and crawling within his armor. Suddenly the ground again sprouts vines which work to entangle his legs. Between blows to deflect the staves, his sword strikes down and cuts away the vines holding him.
“Too long has your kind walked the earth,” Brother Willim says. “Death is your hallmark.”
Around the warrior priest, dozens of dark spheres appear. They begin zooming in and around him as they fly toward the brothers. Each one emits a small burst of energy when they draw near his enemies causing a red welt.
Brother Willim calls out in the language of his god and butterflies fill the air. Giant red and green butterflies begin targeting the black spheres. As each comes into contact with one of the spheres, both the sphere and the butterfly disappear until only a couple butterflies are left.
“Long have we been training to take down one such as you,” Brother Willim says. “Our brethren have fallen to yours for far too long. No longer!” He raises his hands to the sky and says, “Now, feel the wrath of the Hand of Asran!”
The staffers fighting him begin to glow with a greenish light as the power of their god infuses them. Striking out, the warrior priest gets inside the guard of one and runs him through, eliciting a cry as the man falls away only to be replaced by another.
Again, the ground beneath the warrior priest opens up. This time however, instead of the minor vines from before, these are likened to roots of an old oak tree. Thick, strong and massive, these grasp him in a vice-like grip that quickly immobilizes him. Striking down with his sword, the blade does little more than knick the outer bark.
Legs encased and immobile, his defensive capability is now drastically reduced. Blows from the two staffers land upon him more frequently and with increasing force.
Bam!
An outward explosion attempts to remove the vines from him but only succeeds in loosening them for a brief moment before they tighten once more.
A bright light is suddenly among them as Miko comes with the Star of Morcyth ablaze in his hand. Kneeling down beside the fallen priest of Asran, he begins healing his wound.
Whack!
The end of a staff strikes the warrior priest in the forehead and knocks the helm from his head.
Whack!
A strike to his hand causes his sword to fly through the air.
Whack!
Blood begins to flow from his nose as a staff takes him across the face.
“Now, we finish it!” cries Brother Willim.
The staffers back away from the warrior priest as Brother Willim calls upon his god. The roots holding the warrior priest begin writhing as a cry escapes the man’s throat. With a rip and a tear, the roots pull the warrior priest apart as arms and legs come away from the body. One long root wraps itself around the neck and with a quick pull, the head comes away.
As the roots drag the dismembered body of the warrior priest into the ground, a malignant presence can be felt as if some evil spirit walks the battlefield, then is gone. When the last of the warrior priest has been dragged beneath the surface, Brother Willim and the others relax. The flock of birds which had come to their aid begins to disperse as well and men are once again upon the walls.
Coming to his fallen brother, he asks Miko, “Will he live?”
Looking up at him, Miko nods. “Yes. He will need rest for a day or two but he should be alright.”
“Praise Asran,” one of the brothers says.
Over where James passed