FIREFANGED

Chapter 14 (Royal blood)

Malevolence marred the northern horizon as we neared the end of our journey. We were ten miles from what my map claimed was the City of Bastian, with plenty of early afternoon light left to guide us. The pass ahead of us would eventually open into a broad valley that held the elven city. The pass itself might seem like a decent track if one was a mountain goat. As for us, it was an opportunity to walk, shuffle, crawl, climb, and wend our way forward, and, by the looks of things, we were passing through a demon-filled backdoor to get there.

The demonic came and went in the rocky hills before us. There had to be quite a few infested caves ringing the valley, and I was wondering if we shouldn't just delve into one to see what trouble could be found. With my senses peeled, Gunner played the goat and Hicks played the hunter as we scrambled onward through the hazy afternoon. With each step forward, the picture became more challenging.

One, I signaled.

Our first demon was less than a mile ahead of us. It was loud, vibrating with unbridled rage.

We had to remove it before going any further—no sense in leaving any devils alive behind us if we could help it. I drew my fang-blade and motioned both of my companions to follow more closely behind me.

We reached a small gully in the mountainside with several tall boulders strewn all about. The demon was there somewhere; I could feel it but not yet see it. We completely circled the ravine and the rocks. Still, no visible sign, and I didn't sense any movement either. The ditch must lead to a cave. We slid into the gully and spotted an opening on the upper end. Our demon had to be waiting within.

I inched forward into the darkness of the cave, giving my eyes a chance to adjust, and there, just off to the right, was a friendly wolf-man from Hell.

It didn't move but rather shifted upright and turned to face me. The beast seemed to hesitate as I took another step forward, and it did the unthinkable. It bowed to me in submission. Odd that. I planted my fang into the top of its head, drawing out a stream of black smoke and wretched howl as the monster writhed on the cave's rough floor.

Gunner and Hicks had come in behind me and were now covering their nose and ears at the unholy eruption. My axe took off the beast's head to shut it up. None of us were sure how far sound would carry in these hills or if the echoes would confuse our enemy. The cave was shallow and empty except for the black cloud of corruption and the fresh carcass.

We resumed our trek northward angling deeper into the pass. Our eagerness to outrun the coming darkness and the anticipation of reaching our goal drove us forward.

Dusk approached as I marched toward the next demon's location. It had much the same vibe as the gully cave and was generally in line with our destination. This one was outside. Planted like a boulder on the side of the mountain, the wolf-headed fiend waited for us to approach. I swapped from my knife to my axe and put our goat, Gunner, to the front with his shield and light axe. Hicks and I lagged a few yards behind and to either side of him, relying on our elven talismans to remain unnoticed.

Twenty paces from the beast, Gunner had had enough of its statue-still presence. He howled and the demon reacted, launching itself into charge on all fours with its head aimed low.

My anger boiled at the sight, but I held back, watching the violent impact as the demon smashed into Gunner's shield.

The young man didn't flinch. He staggered back a few steps trying to keep his balance, keeping his shield at the ready and putting himself directly between Hicks and me. The snarling beast grasped Gunner's shield, yanking it downward with one claw while attacking wildly with the other. A split second later, Hicks' axe took it in the side of the neck, shearing most of its head away and slamming it to the ground. Gunner kicked at the fallen beast away, sending it tumbling down the hillside to our right.