The Shattered Land_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [60]
Distance was the first concern. The reptilian warrior was almost twice Daine’s height, with the reach to match. Daine charged forward, knocking the halberd’s point aside with a blow of his sword. The creature roared in fury, and Daine winced from the sound; the deadly blade swept forward in a stroke that could cut him in two.
Anger was what Daine was counting on. The wild swing was just what he’d expected, and he dropped down below it. Now the beast’s strength worked against it, and the force of the blow carried the halberd crashing past Daine and into the wall. Painfully aware of each passing second, Daine threw his energy into a lunge, praying that the creature kept its vitals in the same place as a man. He landed a solid blow in the creature’s gut, but now he realized that it was wearing a shirt of fine black chainmail, almost invisible against its scales.
Flame! When Daine’s sword emerged, the tip was covered with dark blood—but the strike was not as deep as Daine had hoped, and the fight was far from over. He raised both blades just in time to block the beast’s countering stroke, and the force of the blow almost knocked his sword from his hand.
In that instant, Daine let go of conscious thought, drawing on instinct and rage. Somehow he found the power to match the lizard warrior, pressing his sword against the halberd and holding it in place. Summoning every ounce of strength, he lashed out with his dagger, striking the halberd where the steel blade met the wooden haft. Wood was no match for Cannith-forged adamantine. The head of the halberd clattered to the floor of the passage, leaving the lizard holding a simple wooden pole.
Don’t expect one blow to win every fight.
Daine didn’t need his grandfather’s words to know this battle was far from over. The beast had lost its blade, but with its strength the haft alone was a weapon. It threw its full weight against Daine, and he fell back against the wall of the cavern, but now time was on his side. He could move more freely in the narrow cavern, and he ducked away from the creature’s brutish blows, darting in with thrust after thrust. The beast began to slow, blood flowing from a dozen wounds. Finally Daine saw an opening and slammed into the creature with all the force he could muster. It staggered and fell to the ground. Daine put a foot on its chest and raised his dagger for the finishing blow.
“STOP!”
What now? Daine felt the pressure of the mental command even as he recognized Lakashtai’s voice. Her power was certainly diminished; he could easily have resisted the order if he’d chosen to, but he froze, the point of his blade against the fallen warrior’s throat. It watched him silently.
“What have you done?” Lakashtai said, running down the passage from the portal.
She knelt beside the creature, laying a hand over one of its wounds. Her eyes glowed with emerald light and the beast relaxed, sinking back against the ground.
Daine’s heart sank. “Don’t tell me this is a friend of yours.”
She turned to glare at him, her eyes still burning. “I do not know him, but you of all people should know that people of power employ guardians.”
“And live in mansions!” Daine gestured at the rough walls of the passage. “I’m supposed to believe this is Master Hassalac’s manor?”
The light faded from Lakashtai’s eyes. She was silent for a moment, then looked away. “Yes … it seems that I am at fault in this. I should have told you what to expect; I sometimes forget the limitations of your lonely memory.”
“Fine. I think. Now what?”
Lakashtai turned back to the fallen beast. “I apologize for our actions,” she said softly, and even though Daine was beginning to recognize her powers he still felt a swell of sympathy. “My companion