Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [96]
One of the men running toward Corin easily outdistanced his two companions, and met the metal-armed warrior in the very center of the cavern. His fleetness of foot was rewarded with the honor of being the first to fall before Corin's twin blades.
The metal arm dealt the first blow, a lightning quick thrust to the midsection. The sword was true to the mark, gouging a deep wound in the guard's side. That alone might have been enough to finish him, but even as the first blade was inflicting potentially lethal damage, the second slashed at the guard's thigh. The edge of Fendel's enchanted sword, which Corin now wielded in his left hand, cut to the bone, severing the man's artery.
Corin went into a spin to keep his momentum moving forward as he wrenched the blades free and brought them both to bear again. The soldier collapsed. Beneath him, one of Corin's swords hacked at the dying man's chest as he fell, the other carving a ragged gash across his throat to insure only a corpse would hit the floor.
The other two men came into range and engaged Corin simultaneously. He easily fended off their initial thrusts, the twin blades allowing him to deflect their coordinated attacks. He turned the dual fury of his swords on the man to his left, using one weapon to open up the guard's defenses, allowing the other blade to strike unimpeded.
The merciless slaughter of his mates broke the third guard's morale. He dropped his sword and tried to run, but Corin hacked him down before he had taken three steps, the point of Fendel's sword slipping between the rings of his mail shirt with the screech of metal on metal. Stabbing an unarmed foe in the back didn't bother Corin in the least. The White Shields believed in an honorable code of conduct, but only a fool extended bis chivalry to the battlefield. Any enemy stupid enough to turn his back on an armed foe deserved to die.
During the brief but bloody battle, Corin had caught the heavy sounds of Fendel's hammer, pounding stakes in place to make sure the trapdoor stayed open. He glanced back at his companion to see the gnome had finished securing their escape route and was now darting about the room, moving from statue to statue, seeking out his young ward's petrified body among the stone silhouettes barely visible in the shadows of the torchlight.
Corin joined in the search. With reinforcements already on the way, their only hope was to find Lhasha and get out before the second wave of Xiliath's army reached the room. However, like Fendel, he could do little but run haphazardly from stone figure to stone figure, changing course only when he got close enough to recognize a particular statue was too tall or too wide to be Lhasha.
A deep, growling voice echoed from the roof and walls of the cavern, pulling Corin up short. "We meet again, White Shield!"
Graal stood in the archway of the main entrance, halfway across the room. He was flanked by four guards on either side. Immediately to his left was an ancient man in a gray robe, his white beard hanging down to his belt as he leaned heavily upon a staff to support his age-withered bones. Even from across the room, Corin could see a brightly glowing ring on the old mage's hand.
Corin knew he was overmatched, without even accounting for the mage's magic. His new-found skill with two weapons was no match for the overwhelming numbers ready to oppose him. From the hallway behind Graal he could hear the footsteps of many more soldiers approaching. Victory was impossible, but maybe he could buy Fendel some time, or at least keep the gnome from being noticed.
"Do you have the courage to face me alone," Corin taunted the towering orog, "or do you need your lackeys by your side to defeat me?"
The orog replied