Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li - Brian Pratt [142]
Suddenly, the enemy force is lit up as red lines flare between the orbs. The men begin crying out, all thoughts of attack forgotten. They see one soldier run and accidentally run across one of the lines. After he passes the line, he stumbles for a moment and then the top half of his body slides off the lower. The red line had cut him in two. Unable to move, caught within the boundaries of the lines, the bulk of the army comes to a standstill.
The arrows from Commander Eathan’s men begin taking a terrible toll.
As the balls move, so too do the lines. Jiron watches in fascination as two lines come together and the men trapped between them are agonizingly cut in half before his eyes.
James is slumped over his horse as he tries to hold onto consciousness long enough to complete what he’s got to do. He gives one last surge of power as he brings the balls together in the middle of the group of men. Every last one of them is cut in half, their cries abruptly silenced. Then he passes out and the balls disappear.
A cry goes up from Commander Eathan’s men as they surge forward to attack the remaining enemy soldiers who hadn’t been caught between James’ lines of death. Arrows fall as they rush forward to close with them.
The enemy turns tail and retreats, but is soon overtaken by a hundred horsemen that strike them down as they run. Some stand and fight, but don’t last long.
Jiron sees the commander waving at them. He waves back and then says, “Let’s go. We’ve got to get him someplace safe for a while.”
“What’s wrong with him?” asks Fifer as he comes over to the unconscious James.
“It’s what happens when he does too much magic,” he explains. “If he uses too much, he passes out and it takes some time before he can even do simple things again.”
“Oh,” he says.
They move down the road and quickly catch up with the wagons bearing the wounded and the men escorting them. “How far to Colton?” Jiron asks one of the soldiers.
“About an hour,” he replies. “It’s not too far.”
“Thanks,” he replies as they pull away, leaving the wounded behind.
Chapter Twenty Four
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By the time the town of Colton appears ahead of them, James has regained consciousness, although the dilly of a headache makes him wish he was still out cold. The scene before them reminds James of an anthill he’d stuck a stick into long ago, people are swarming everywhere.
Carts and wagons, along with a multitude of people are making their way to the north along the road. As they approach the town, a rider comes out to meet them.
“Is Lord Pytherian still here?” James asks when the rider nears.
“Who are you?” the man replies.
“Name’s James,” he says. “These are my companions, we’ve just come from Commander Eathan.”
Shaking his head, the man says, “He left some time ago for Lythylla. Captain Kurk is in charge of the evacuation.”
James laughs in spite of his headache, and says “Where can I find ‘Captain Kirk’?” His friends exchange glances, thinking maybe he’s getting a little too light headed.
“You can find the Captain over at the Seasoned Ham,” the man replies, slightly annoyed at the way James is acting. He points into town, “You’ll find it further in.”
Still grinning, James holds up his right hand, spreads his fingers and says, “Live long and prosper.”
“Uh, you too,” the man replies. As James and the others ride away, the man continues watching them, and just shakes his head.
Once past the first buildings, Jiron says to James, “What was all that about?”
James glances over at him and begins to grin, “I couldn’t even begin to explain it to you.” And then he starts laughing once more. His friends look at him, worried.
Down the street they find several soldiers who are helping a store owner with packing a wagon. James pauses a moment as he asks one of the soldiers, “Where’s the Seasoned Ham?”
The soldier points further down the road and says, “Go down two more streets, then turn right. It’ll be the fourth building on your right.”
“Thanks,” says James as he gets his horse moving in the right