Asgoleth the Warrior - By Bill Kirkwood Page 0,43

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