the evil priest’s chest so hard that he flew off his horse and was launched five paces backwards.
Jonas stumbled over, relieved to see that the priest was dead, his sword buried deep in his chest. He stumbled again as his head swirled from the pain of his exertions. Concentrating on the state of Ty’erm, his mind focused slightly, just enough to take in his surroundings.
Frantically he looked for Taleen and saw her fall onto her back as a huge spider fell upon her. Jonas couldn’t use his God Fire as he had no idea if it would consume Taleen as well. So he concentrated on the massive form of the spider and drew forth his mental powers one last time. He knew that if he exerted anymore mental energy that he very well could pass out. But he also knew that Taleen’s life may depend on his IshMian abilities.
Again, he focused on the particles that surround the spider’s bulbous abdomen and used them to squeeze the creature.
Taleen screamed again and that was all Jonas needed to bring forth all his mental power together on the bloated form of the spider. The pressure of the particles around the spider came together like a loud clap, and the creature’s abdomen exploded in a shower of blood and entrails.
Taleen felt another leg pierce her side just as the spider exploded all over her. She painfully scrambled out from underneath the gore and tried to stand, but her injured knee gave out on her.
Jonas stumbled toward her, nearly falling beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked, panting heavily.
“Yes, I’ll be fine,” she said, her teeth clenched in pain. “I just need to heal myself.”
Jonas nodded as speaking was too difficult. He focused all his remaining energy on standing up to protect her as she prayed. Swaying slightly, he dropped to his knee again to keep from falling. The use of his cognitive abilities combined with the exertion of using magic had weakened him severely.
The fighting coursed nearby but luckily no enemy ventured too close, afraid of attacking anyone who could defeat a Banthra.
After a few seconds Taleen stood up next to him, her wounds healed. “Now it’s your turn,” she said with concern. “You look burned and exhausted.”
“I am; I don’t think I have the energy to heal myself, my head feels like it’s going to explode.”
“Let me heal you and then we’ll see if we are needed elsewhere,” Taleen said, placing both hands on Jonas and asking Helikon for his power again.
In the meantime, a huge boarg had vaulted upon Dagrinal’s horse, wrapping all four limbs around the animal’s muscled neck. Clawed hands dug into exposed flesh as its long fangs searched for an opening in the horse’s armor. The boarg snapped its jaws again and again but couldn’t break through the horse’s armored chest. But it didn’t need to, for the weight of the boarg alone drove the horse to its knees, and Dagrinal didn’t wait to see if the boarg would finish off his warhorse. He leaped off the animal’s back and brought his sword down across the boargs right arm, which was firmly clenched around the horse’s body. His sword cut in deep and the boarg finally released its grip, rolling backwards off the animal. It roared in fury, swinging its huge head from side to side as if to shake off the pain. The enraged animal then barreled forward hoping to crush the human in its powerful arms.
Dagrinal whipped his blade back and forth, cutting several deep gashes into the advancing boarg. Still, its fury and pain propelled it forward. Just as it was about to leap on Dagrinal, however, several arrows took the animal in the side, one skewering its neck perfectly. The boarg pitched to its left and then fell over dead.
Dagrinal glanced to his left and saw two cavaliers galloping toward him on their magnificent mounts, both holding their long bows. Dagrinal smiled broadly as he recognized Jonas under the horned helm. He took a moment to look for his prince and saw Lord Baylin several paces away swing his blood coated battle axe through the neck of a dying boarg. The prince flipped his sweat soaked hair from his face, having lost his helm early on in the battle. When he spotted Dagrinal and the cavaliers, he maneuvered his steed quickly toward the trio as the battle continued around them.
“Well met, Jonas. It is good to see you,” Dagrinal said with a wide smile as