Page 65 of The Lost Guard's Healer

A great wave of dark energy crashes through the alley, throwing us both off our feet. I land by the Grand General’s body, my head spinning and exhaustion gripping me. Thanek must be nearby. It feels like he is on a nearby rooftop. His power is almost palpable, like an invisible hand holding me down. The screams of many people ringing in the air, and the blasts of explosions, urge me to get up.

Aldus has recovered and is facing me as I stand. He must have more resilience to Thanek’s power, seeing as that same power courses through his blood. There’s no way I’m going to let him get by me.

“You wanted to learn all about us,” Aldus says. “But there’s still a lot you do not know.”

I prepare to block him when he tries to escape. I won’t let him get away to go free after what he’s done. He needs to be held accountable for his actions.

“You can’t beat me, Aldus,” I say.

A smug, knowing look appears on his face. He stands tall.

The ground shifts and trembles. At first, I think it’s an earthquake, but then I see that the crumbling ground is directed at my feet. Deep cracks shift and my boots become swallowed up by the rising stone that surrounds me, fastening around my shins. I try to move, but there’s no use. I’m stuck in place.

Aldus pushes past me before I realize he’s begun moving. He barges past me before I can I swing my sword at him, and runs around the corner. That leaves me firmly held by the rocky earth around my shins.

I groan, hating how much time this is going to cost me. I have to get back out there. I’m not used to dealing with all this magic.

I slam the butt of the sword hilt into the concrete, which does little to break my imprisonment. I strike again and again, chipping away.

So, Aldus had been the person with the ability to manipulate the earth. I hadn’t figured out who the Shanti villager had been with that power. He had kept that to himself to keep the advantage over others.

That doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that I get out of this damn stone. I strike with the blade and the hilt over and over until the earth cracks and I’m able to pull some chunks away. A few minutes later, I’ve managed to break enough to free my legs. Sweat drips from me as I push myself out of the rubble, taking a moment to catch my breath.

As I gather my strength, I look up at the sliver of sky between the two buildings. Window sills and outcrops litter the walls, giving me a way up. I don’t have the time to run around and look for a staircase.

I hook the sword hilt to my belt to free up both hands, and spring up to reach a window sill. I push off to the next wall and work my way up, ignoring the burning in my legs and finding purchase where I can. A crack in the wall becomes a handhold. It’s an arduous process, but I finally make my way up to the roof.

Panting and catching my breath, I see Thanek is two rooftops away. The curved spikes of his helmet, like branching antlers, give him a demonic form. He is throwing down blasts of black magic into the Kingdom Guards below. Shanti People are among them, being thrown about and falling under the debris crashing around them.

This is my chance to face Thanek. To face The Dark King of Old. A horror from the old world. Not only does he want to rule the world, but he means to find Galene and kill her. He must be stopped immediately.

I know I’m going to my death, but I have no other choice. I have to try, even if it’s the last thing I do.

Chapter twenty-eight

Rourk

Iknow I’m going to my doom as I run across the rooftop, about to battle a legendary enemy of the world.

When I reach the edge of the roof, I leap the short distance to the next roof and keep running. I catch sight of Galene’s white blouse in the small crowd on the street below. Her eyes are wide and fearful as she sees me heading for Thanek, but I have no time to speak to her. No time for anything but to keep heading to my doom. The Grand General’s hefty broadsword gives me little comfort.

There is a wider gap to the next building, where Thanek is battling Kingdom Guards. I pump my legs and leap out into the open air, spreading my arms out, and fall. I manage to reach the outer stairwell of the next house and slam into the metal railing, my breath bursting from me. I have to throw the broadsword through the railing to rest on the stairs while I hoist myself up and over the railing. My chest and side burns where I’d crashed into the railing, and my muscles flare with pain, but I retrieve the sword and rush up the stairs to the roof.

I think I hear someone, possibly Galene, calling to me, but I don’t dare stop and look back. My target is above me.

I reach the roof, panting heavily and desperately trying to catch my breath, to see Thanek dispatching the last of the Kingdom Guards. Several bodies in white armor are strewn about the roof.

Thanek’s spiked helmet turns to me and he pauses. He is an incredibly imposing figure and feels more like an otherworldly demon than anything resembling a person. I see no face within the dark depths of his helmet visor. Darkness swells around him, consuming the light. His bulging black armor makes him appear taller and bigger than any man I’ve ever seen. The overly large broadsword he carries in one gauntleted hand is etched with blood-red engravings, and is easily four times the size of my blade. His arms become engulfed in black flames as he takes a step toward me.

“You are foolish to face me,” says a voice through the darkness within his helmet. His haunting, gravelly voice feels like grinding rocks, and sounds like it’s coming from a distance and from many directions.

“I’ve never been very bright,” I respond as I ready my sword and begin slowly circling him as I approach, careful to step over the fallen bodies.

I must look like a strange sight to him. No armor, and no comrades. Just a man with a sword.

“All will surrender,” Thanek bellows, and throws an arm out.

A torrent of inky black energy shoots out at me. I dive away and the magic explodes on the roof, cracking the bricks. The thrumming heat of the magic rattles my bones, but I try to ignore it as I close in on him.

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