from within. His mind is beginning to lose its battle with consciousness, he knows it’s simply a matter of seconds before he’s gone. Using his powers in one last surge, he gathers the hail on the ground outside and creates his last spell before passing out.
Jiron is there by his friend when he feels him slump into unconsciousness. Making sure he’s okay, he gets to his feet and goes to the barrier to listen. As he draws near, the ice shrouded barrier shatters as the second creature smashes through.
Covered in ice, acrid steam rising from it in a cloud, the creature bursts through with a growl. Knocked backward by the creature, Jiron hits the ground but rolls quickly back to his feet. The creature swings its head from side to side as it contemplates James and Jiron. Making its choice, it emits a growl which sends shivers of fear through him and launches itself at Jiron.
Moving quickly, he races to a nearby boulder and jumps upward, landing upon it. Not taking the time to look backward, he then takes two steps and jumps again, this time grabbing a tree limb and swinging up just as the creature leaps to grab him. He can feel the heat from the creature as it passes just below him.
Coming to rest on top of the limb, he watches as the creature paces along the ground below. It seems as if the creature is trying to figure out the best way to get him down. Not in immediate danger of dying, he glances back and sees James lying there amid the melting remains of the ice which had coated the exterior of the barrier.
His eyes widen is amazement when he notices two objects lying not three feet from the shattered edge of the barrier. He rubs his eyes to make sure they’re not playing tricks on him. Sure enough, lying there in the ice are two knives entirely made of ice. How they came to be there he doesn’t know, probably James when he knew he was about to pass out.
With the creature pacing beneath him, he can’t just hop down and rush over there. He takes in his surroundings and notices where the ground drops away just to the right side of the tree. Moving from limb to limb, he makes his way over and sees that the drop-off goes down about twenty feet or so. Making up his mind as to his course of action, he makes his way back to the far side of the tree, the creature pacing beneath him the whole time.
Getting into position, he takes a deep calming breath as he takes hold of the branch he’s standing upon. He watches the creature in its pacing and waits until it’s in a good position for what he plans, then he swings down like a gymnast and sails through the air toward where the drop-off lies.
The creature immediately surges in pursuit as he hits the ground running. Praying this works, he takes several steps and jumps to grab a limb overhanging the edge of the drop-off. Swinging up onto the branch, he just escapes being caught by the creature as it jumps after him and sails over the edge of the drop-off.
Not taking the time to congratulate himself, he immediately drops down to the ground and races for the ice knives lying on the ground over by James. Before he even reaches them he hears a growl behind him and glances back to find the creature has already regained the top and is coming after him.
He redoubles his speed. It’s a race to see if he can reach the knives before the creature reaches him. When he draws close he dives for them, takes one in each hand and then rolls back to his feet facing the approaching creature.
No sooner is he back on his feet than the creature is upon him. Lashing out with a paw, the creature tries to connect with his midsection. He deftly deflects the attack with one of the ice knives which elicits a roar of pain from the creature when the knife connects. “You didn’t like that did you?” Jiron asks as the creature looks at him with malevolent hate.
The knives are extremely cold but not so as he can’t hold onto them. After seeing the reaction the creature had to the touch of the knife, he launches into an attack, his confidence once more restored in his ability to hold his own. Striking out at the creature, he connects with one knife and scores a long sizzling line across one of its forelegs.
Snarling in pain and anger, the creature advances upon him incredibly fast. Jiron concentrates on defense and counters every attack the creature makes. After several passes and scoring numerous hits upon it, he suddenly realizes that his knives are smaller than they had been. They’re melting! The heat of the creature is causing them to melt with every strike. He needs to finish this soon or he won’t have any weapon left with which to fight.
He backs a little to plan his attack and kicks up some of the hail still peppered across the ground. It does little to slow the creature. Suddenly the creature leaps at him and he swerves to the right but not before receiving a long scrape along one arm. Burning pain erupts from the red welts forming along the cut as the heat of the creature burns him.
Taking the fight to it, he launches into a series of blows which the creature deflects but not without receiving wounds from the knives. Finally seeing the opening he’s been waiting for, he closes the distance rapidly and plunges one of the knives into the chest of the creature.
Bellowing in pain, it staggers to the side and then he plunges the other knife though where the neck and the shoulders meet. Stepping back, he watches the creature thrash about upon the ground until it finally comes to rest. Then it erupts into a cloud of noxious black smoke just as the other had. When the smoke clears, the two ice knives are gone.
Breathing hard from the fight, he makes his way back to where James is lying. Sitting down next to him, he rests his head on his knees. Glancing to his friend he wonders just how long he’ll be out this time.
He closes his eyes for just a moment before a nearby noise brings him suddenly alert. Opening his eyes, he turns to find a man in robes approaching and a dozen soldiers of the Empire behind him. Three have crossbows leveled at him.
“That was quite impressive,” the Empire’s mage tells him as he continues to draw near. “Don’t know how you defeated the Guardian’s set against you.” Glancing to James lying comatose on the ground beside him, the mage turns to the soldiers and says, “Take them.”
Unable to do anything with the crossbowmen there, he does nothing as they tie his arms behind his back.
Chapter Twenty Two
After they tie him securely, he’s put into the back of a nearby wagon along with the comatose James. The mage takes a seat in the front of the wagon with one of the soldiers next to him taking the reins. One soldier and crossbowman climb into the back of the wagon with their prisoners, the others mount awaiting horses. Then the soldier driving the wagon flicks the reins and the wagon begins rolling. Moving onto the road, they head down it toward the Madoc side.
Sitting in the back of the wagon as it rolls along, bumps making his position decidedly uncomfortable, Jiron keeps an eye on James. Other than the predicament they’re in, he seems okay. The soldiers and mage are silent as they roll along which suits him just fine. He tries to work the knot of his bonds loose but the soldier in the back with him notices and shakes his head. Seeing the implied threat in the man’s eyes, he stops.
They roll for another several hours before turning off the road. They follow a path which is little more than a game trail for another twenty minutes before arriving at a clearing where a camp has already been set up.
More soldiers are there as well as many slaves. How they managed to get all this here without being detected is something Jiron isn’t likely to find out anytime soon. Several tents dot the clearing as well as three other wagons. As they roll to a stop the mage gets down and says something to one of the soldiers before disappearing inside the largest tent which sits in the center of the clearing.
The soldier comes over to the side of the wagon and says to Jiron, “Come on down.”
Doing the best he can with his wrists tied behind him, he rises in the back of the wagon. Putting one foot on the edge he hops over to the ground below. The soldier and crossbowman in the back pick up James.
“This way,” the soldier says as he turns and leads him over to another smaller tent to the side. The two carrying James follow.
The other people in the camp pause in what they’re doing to stare at the new arrivals. Whispered mutterings can be heard throughout the clearing. As they approach the tent, one soldier holds open the flap as he and James are put inside. Then they proceed to remove all their items but the clothes on their backs.
Shortly after that a civilian and a slave enter and come over to where James is lying on the ground. The man
