Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,140
veins, giving him strength unimagined. He might lack the strength to carry out his task, but the Hamr was not to be denied.
Amar Kit’han studied his enemies. Disappointment in finding Bahr alive after so many failed opportunities filled his heart with rage. “Kodan, stop the Giant! He must not succeed!”
The Dae’shan set aside their differences in the face of greater danger. They split to opposite sides of the chamber and attacked. Kodan Bak aimed directly for Rekka. She was easily the most dangerous of the group. Her slightly curved sword angled up to attack him. The Dae’shan was void of emotion as he deftly avoided her swing and knocked her to the ground. Dorl jerked to a halt and swung to confront Kodan, forgetting his charge to defend Groge. Having no other choice, Nothol did the same while screaming for the Giant to destroy the Stone and end this.
Kodan lifted a foot off of the floor and spread his hands. Pure darkness radiated from his robes. He lashed out with both hands. Dorl Theed saw death approaching and was frozen in place. He dropped his sword as the bolts of power barreled towards his chest. His mouth dropped open in silent scream a moment before he was crudely slammed into the ground.
The blast caught Nothol in the stomach as he shoved his best friend out of the way. Intense pain gripped him but he couldn’t cry out. Nothol Coll clutched at his stomach even as he began to shrink. Darkness spread across his lower body. His veins were aflame. One by one his nails popped off. His eyelids melted as his hair burned to cinder. He managed to look at his two friends one final time before he melted from the waist down and died.
“Nothol!” Dorl screamed.
“Dead. Your friend is dead as soon you will be,’ Kodan hissed. He drifted closer to finish them off.
Bolts of magic struck his head and shoulder. The robes were shredded. Chunks of what little mortal remains he had were ripped from his corpse. The Dae’shan turned to face his attacker, stunned to find the blind wizard continuing to unleash his power. Already under strength from dueling Amar, Kodan was blown back by repeated blows. Unable to defend himself, Kodan was pummeled to his knees.
Anienam stalked to his prey like a jungle predator. An unearthly glow poured from his eyes. He reached out with his left hand and plunged it into Kodan’s hood. Anienam cried out in pain as he touched the necrotic flesh of the Dae’shan. Chanting spells that were all but forgotten since the Mage Wars, Anienam Keiss funneled his magic into what remained of Kodan Bak. The Dae’shan withered and died. His corpse collapsed in a pile of ashes. The last wizard leaned against the wall and hobbled after Groge. The Giant was his priority.
On the opposite side of the chamber the battle took a decidedly different path. Only moments after Amar realized his enemies had arrived, Maleela took the opportunity to attack her father. Her sword whistled through the air en route to slashing into Badron’s right bicep. He roared in pain. Blood fountained from the wound. He narrowly avoided losing the arm completely by deflecting Maleela’s second blow.
“You pathetic child,” he sneered after regaining composure. “I should have left you in the woods to die after you killed your mother.”
Years of pent-up anguish and suppressed rage flared to life. Maleela leveled her sword and shouted, “I didn’t kill her!”
Badron laughed in her face. “It doesn’t matter, for I am going to kill you.”
“Not if I kill you first,” she replied and lunged.
Badron parried her swing and sidestepped the next. Older, tiring quicker, the king decided to let Maleela exhaust herself before making his move. Youthful vigor was no substitute for age and experience. She continued to attack wildly. Her blows were poorly timed and often off center. She was a novice and showed it on every strike. Fresh pain numbed his arm. Badron knew that if he didn’t finish this quickly there was the very real possibility he would bleed out.
He took a step back in preparation of driving his sword deep into her stomach but slipped on a piece of the ceiling. He crashed into the ground hard, breaking more than one rib in the process. Maleela glared down on him with unadulterated hatred. Two decades of confusion had boiled down to a final second before she killed him. Her sword fell.