Asgoleth the Warrior

chapter THIRTEEN

Demos smiled as the bloodied and battered figure of the barbarian stumbled back out into the light of day. The savage looked weary unto death but Demos cared nothing for that. All of his attention was focused on the glowing jewel the Calthian held in his hand.

Excitement coursed through him at the sight of the gem. There lay the key to power beyond his dreams and it was now his for the taking. He strode forward so quickly that his guards had to run to keep up with him and in mere moments he stood in front of the swaying, blood smeared barbarian.

‘The gem, savage!’ he snapped. ‘Give it to me.’

Asgoleth raised his head and looked him in the eye then slowly raised his hand. The Heart of Ra gleamed and shone in the light of day and all eyes were upon it, except for those of Amira. She stood, staring vacantly into space and for the moment she was unwatched. It was time to put his plan into action.

Asgoleth drew back his arm and hurled the gem straight into the tyrants face. Demos had seen the determination in Asgoleth's eyes and threw up his arm just in time to deflect the gem as it hurtled towards him. The move saved his skull from being crushed but he screamed as the bones in his arm snapped under the impact of the blow. In his haste to seize the gem he had neglected to erect his protective shield and now he was paying the price in pain for his lapse. He leapt swiftly back, away from the barbarian and Asgoleth took full advantage of the confusion he had caused among the tyrants guards.

As soon as the gem had flown from his fingers he ripped his dagger free of its sheath and leapt to the attack. Once, twice, three times his blade flashed and three Akonites fell dying to the stony ground. He snatched a sword from a falling warrior and pushed the body roughly away. He grinned as the body fell heavily upon Demos causing the broken bones in his arm to grate painfully together. Demos cried out and Asgoleth laughed as he ran on. This would teach the Akonite wizard that just because a man looked bloody and beaten it did not mean that he was.

He charged on, invincible in his blood caked savagery. His sword and dagger ruthlessly cut down those that tried to bar his way until at last he reached Amira. For a brief moment he considered putting an end to her misery then discarded the idea. He had vowed to rescue her and he would do so. There was however, no possibility of allowing her to fall back into Akonite hands. If he had to he would slay her to prevent it. He hoped that that would not be necessary.

Barely breaking his stride he scooped up her unresisting body in his strong arms and threw her over his shoulder. Behind him he could hear curses of pain and yells of fury as Demos and his men began to recover from his sudden savage attack.

Arrows began to whistle past his ears as he ran but the archers were still shaken by the violence of his attack and the deadly missiles sped by to shatter harmlessly among the broken tumbled rocks. Then he too was among the rocks and for the moment out of sight of his enemies.

That would not last for long though; already he could hear pounding footsteps approach and he knew that if he was caught he would certainly die. He glanced to his left and saw a narrow crevice between the boulders and pushed Amira in ahead of him.

‘Be silent now if you value your life Amira. We can stay hidden here until they pass.’

She made no reply, merely stood there quietly with that terrible vacancy in her eyes. He looked at her in concern and wondered if her ordeal at the hands of Demos had irretrievably broken her mind. Then he stiffened as he heard voices approach and turned his full attention to the mouth of the crevice. With luck the Akonites would not spot it for what it was and think it only a deeper shadow among the rocks. He held his weapons ready for battle and waited.

An Akonite voice snarled,

‘Where is the dog? If we fail to capture him lord demos will have our heads.’

Another voice answered,

‘Fear not, my friend he can’t have gotten far burdened as he is with that Torran slut. We will find him soon.’

The footsteps passed by his hiding place and Asgoleth grinned coldly. He would let them go by then follow and slay them silently. With luck they would be carrying their water bottles. He had not given any thought to securing provisions when he had attacked. His only thought had been to free Amira and escape. Well now he would remedy his lack of foresight.

He glided forward to the attack, sword ready to do its bloody work when, to his utter amazement, Amira cried out,

‘Akonites, he is here!’

Asgoleth glared at her in surprise and anger then he saw that she had not betrayed him voluntarily. Her eyes, empty of life and vitality told him that she was spell caught; a helpless puppet under the control of Demos. Even as he realised this she lunged towards him, her long nails reaching out rake his eyes out.

He gripped both her wrists in one hand, holding her easily at bay but she continued to cry out to the Akonites while she kicked and bit at him. He heard them coming and knew that he would need both hands free to fight them. Reluctantly he drew back his fist and hit her with just enough force to knock her out. For a moment recognition and shock flared in her eyes then she slumped against him and sank to the ground.

He snarled in fury as he let her gently down. These damned Akonites were going to pay a heavy price for making him do that. He yelled his wild Calthian war cry and leapt forth to deal death.

An Akonite warrior cried out in alarm as the maddened barbarian erupted from the shadows like some devil out of hell. He raised his sword but it was too late. His cry was abruptly cut off as the Calthian's blade smashed through his throat. The blade was ripped free and the man fell dying to the ground. His companions hesitated to confront this fiend from the shadows and their hesitation was a fatal mistake.

He saw that three warriors faced him and he did not wait for them to close with him. Instead charged straight into their midst, sword and dagger licking out hungrily. Even as he landed among them one of the Akonites were already falling with the barbarians dagger sheathed in his heart tearing the blade from the barbarians grip as he fell. The remaining two raised their swords and ran in from either side, hoping that one would be able to strike while the other kept the savage engaged in combat.

Asgoleth snarled and faced the man on his right. The warrior slashed at the young Calthian's head but Asgoleth's sword came up swiftly to parry the blow. The blades met with a resounding clang that drew sparks from the steel and the Akonite grunted as his stroke was halted by the strength of the barbarians arm. Then Asgoleth, instead of pulling back for another stroke, exerted all his strength and shoved the man’s own sword hilt back into his enemies face with crushing force. Bones snapped under that terrible blow and the man crashed to the ground his face a bloody ruin.

Asgoleth had no time to exult in his enemies fall there was yet another foe to be dealt with. He spun around to face the man and was just in time to avoid a vicious stab. With a snarl on his lips he brought his own sword around in a savagely powerful slash and his foes head leapt from his shoulders atop a spray of blood. The body fell and Asgoleth sprang back ready to face fresh enemies. He could hear their cries as they looked for him but as yet none had appeared. He took advantage of the respite to retrieve his dagger and relieve his fallen enemies of their water skins, then he ran back to where Amira lay.

He found her staggering out of the crevice and she gasped as she saw him. She opened her mouth to speak and Asgoleth growled in horror as the voice of Demos emerged from her lips.

‘So you still live pig! Well, no matter, my men will soon find you and kill you but before they do I want you to look upon the mountain. I want you to see the power that you have given into my hands in exchange for your princess. Look barbarian, look at the power I now command.’

Amira's eyes cleared as Demos relaxed his hold upon her mind. She sobbed and staggered and Asgoleth put his arm about her slim waist to support her.

‘Oh Asgoleth, what is happening to me?’

Before he could answer a loud humming noise filled the air and they both turned their gaze upon the mountain. They watched a brilliant spear of red light reach out and strike the flank of the mountain and where it touched, the stone began to melt and run like water.

Under the assault of the terrible weapon the mountain began to collapse in a gigantic avalanche. Tumbling rocks and stones filled the air with a deafening roar and a huge cloud of dust filled the air. Asgoleth and Amira were thrown off their feet as the ground shook and trembled under the impact of millions of tons of falling rock.

Asgoleth held her to him, protecting her as best he could within his arms from the stones that bounced through the air all around them. At last the rumbling died away and a dusty silence filled the land. He climbed to his feet and stared in awe at the destruction Demos had wrought. Of the mountain, only a tumbled hill of broken, jagged, rocks remained and the young barbarian shuddered. With such power at his command Demos was invincible. He tried to imagine the fate of any army that went up against such a weapon and he shuddered again at the images his mind brought forth. Mortal men could not withstand such hellish sorcery.

He felt a thrill of superstitious unease run through him as he considered the thought that Demos was indeed an inhuman monster. Such a one would not hesitate to use such power against his enemies. Cities, no matter how well defended and fortified, would fall easily before him. Whole armies would be reduced to ash. The world would fall beneath the sway of the tyrant and nothing good or wholesome would survive. Only a bleak and dreadful future lay ahead with all men everywhere the slaves of Demos the Sorcerer.

‘It shall not be!’

The words rang from his lips loud and defiant as he glared at the ruined mountain.

‘By Ragnar's beard I swear. It shall not be.’

A cruel, mocking laugh from Amira directed his attention away from the destruction and onto her. Her eyes glittered with malevolent glee and he knew that once more Demos had taken possession of her mind. Again his hateful voice emanated from her beautiful lips.

‘Brave words fool but words cannot stop me. You have seen my power. Soon I shall be the master of an empire such as the world has never seen. You will have nowhere to hide then barbarian. Surrender to me now and I will grant you a quick death as a reward for bringing me the Heart of Ra. Continue to defy me and your death will be long and slow and hideously painful. Come to me barbarian. Come to me now.’

Mocking laughter rose from her lips and Asgoleth snarled and raised his fist to strike out at his enemy. Just in time he realised that the blow would only hurt Amira, not Demos and he held his hand. Demos spoke through her once more.

‘Well done barbarian, you must not hurt your pretty princess. Even though she can become my eyes and ears at any time I choose and betray you to me. Take her and run barbarian. Try to avoid my soldiers while she calls out to them. Let’s see how far you will get before you decide she must be slain to save your own worthless skin. Go barbarian, Run!’

Once more his mocking laughter rang out and pealed off the surrounding rocks. The noise would alert every Akonite to his position and he acted swiftly. He ripped the remains of her gown from her body and used a wadded up ball of cloth as a gag. Then he quickly tore the remainder of the gown into strips which he used to bind her arms and legs. Silenced and helpless she looked utterly pathetic and he felt an unusual stir of pity. Then he saw that malevolent glitter in her eyes and he hardened his heart. To save them both he must subject her to this indignity but he vowed that he would make Demos pay for it. He would save her and he would destroy Demos and the gods help any man who tried to stop him.

He scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder then began to glide smoothly among the jumbled rocks carrying his burden easily. All around him he could hear the Akonite soldiers as they searched for him. They tried to move silently but they were city bred men and they betrayed their presence to his wilderness bred senses with every step they took.

He stopped abruptly listening and scenting the air. There were men ahead of him and a cold mirthless smile touched his lips. It was time for the hunted to become the hunter. He moved forward again, his keen ears picking up the rasp of their leather harness and the soft clink of their weapons; His keener nostrils pinpointing their position by their unwashed stench. With deadly intent he closed in upon them and there was no mercy in his eyes.

Amira began to kick and wriggle in a frenzy as Demos tried to use her to warn his men. Asgoleth knew that soon even city men’s ears would pick up the noise of her struggles and he grunted and dropped her to the ground. Stones began to fly and clatter noisily as she kicked furiously where she lay. The barbarian waited until he heard the Akonites approach then he grinned at Amira and moved stealthily away until he blended into the shadows among the rocks and was lost to sight.

Too late Demos realised that the savage was using the girl as bait. He caused her to cease her struggling but it was too late, the Akonites were upon her. From his rocky perch Asgoleth looked down upon the scene and grinned as he saw a young Akonite officer upon a fine stallion draw his steed to a halt and looked down at Amira. His men stopped too, looking warily all around them. They knew that the man they hunted was deadly dangerous.

‘Spread out and find him men.’ The officer snapped. ‘He must be nearby. He would not go off and leave the wench. Find him and bring him to me.’

He watched as his men scurried to obey his command. They moved among the rocks poking and prying with sword and spear point at every shadow. He cast a look around himself but saw nothing then his eye fell upon the writhing girl on the ground and he frowned. She was glaring wild eyed at him and nodding her head frantically. He stared at her for a long moment then his eyes too flew wide as he realised that she was trying to warn him of danger behind him.

He twisted around in his saddle raising his sword to strike and saw the form of the barbarian rising up from the rocks like a ghost from the earth. The savage was grinning as he threw a large heavy rock with all of his mighty strength behind it. The officers cry was abruptly silenced as the crude, heavy missile smashed into him. Helmet and breastplate crumpled under that terrible impact and blood and brains sprayed through the air as the man crashed to the ground and lay still.

Asgoleth leapt into the saddle of the rearing horse, exerting all of his great strength on the reins to ruthlessly bring the animal quickly under his control. Then he turned the beasts head and charged at his enemies. The Akonites were taken by surprise despite their alertness. Asgoleth's sword rose and fell and with each blow an enemy died. The rearing horse flailed its iron shod hooves through the air and helmets and skulls fractured under the crushing blows.

The Akonites, their officer slain, began to panic under the relentless assault of the blood smeared demon who had appeared so suddenly and terribly among them. One by one they turned and fled and as they did so Asgoleth gave vent to his wild and chilling war cry to encourage them on their way. Among the stones it rang and echoed and all who heard it shuddered to their very souls.

One Akonite, braver than the rest, tried to dislodge Asgoleth from the saddle by grabbing hold of the stallions neck in an attempt to force the beast to its knees but Asgoleth leaned forward with a snarl on his lips and smashed the hilt of his sword into the side of the man’s head. The warrior cried out and his eyes flew wide with fear as he lost his grip and fell beneath those deadly iron shod hooves. The weight of horse and rider came down upon him and his cries ceased abruptly as death reached out and took him.

Asgoleth wrenched the horse back to its feet and headed back to where Amira still wriggled upon the ground. He leaned down from the saddle as he passed and lifted her easily across his saddle bow in one graceful movement.

No more enemies came against him and he rode victoriously away from the scene of the battle. Amira's eyes blazed with red fury as Demos glared through them at his enemy. Asgoleth grinned down into those eyes and said,

‘Perhaps you are not quite as all powerful as you think you are Demos Eh?’

Amira’s body wriggled and squirmed but she could do nothing else as she was held fast by the young barbarian and finally the red glow faded from her eyes as Demos relinquished control of her and allowed her to fall into a swoon. Asgoleth frowned down at her and again vowed to make the tyrant pay for her suffering. Then he turned the horses head towards distant Torr. That was where the final battle would be fought and he had much to do before that day came.