HereAfter- Dragons Rising by Derek Rhys

Author:Derek Rhys [Rhys, Derek]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Raith Rescue

“Keep back, you mongrels!” The air crackled with heat and lightning. Ozone filled Nash’s nose, then scorched flesh and fountains of blood. “Nzbtraug, heal that man!”

Nash could hear feet running towards him in the water, then muttering in a guttural tongue. Hands grabbed him by the head and waist and he felt his wounds closing and energy feeding back into him. In moments, he was perfectly healed.

Before he could thank the mystery healer, they had fled back the way they came.

Kaela was standing on the river bank, eyes wide, watching. Nash stood up, sword at the ready, but found he had no need of it.

A man clad all in black, riding on the back of an armored horse, rounded about the Ehcky, a dark gauntlet raised in the air, holding a ball of violet energy sizzling and fizzing.

Raith. It had to be. But why had he ordered Nash to be healed? After their last encounter, it seemed fairly obvious that he would rather kill anyone who was in his way.

Nash couldn’t focus on thinking through the motivations of an apparent madman when the madman was putting on such an incredible show.

The Ehcky charged at him in their typical, near-sonic way, and at the moment they seemed to collide, a shock of energy would snap out of the ball of energy and slam the beast into the ground, a raw, gaping hole blasting their insides out.

The Ychyg had apparently been knocked back, stunned, sometime before Nash started watching and was only now finding its bearing. It stood, massive, monstrous, evil-looking to its core, like some Hadean thing ripped from the pages of Dante’s nightmares.

Raith’s dark cowl rippled as he noticed the thing rising. His head dipped and, even though his face was impossible to see under the heavy, draped cloth, it seemed clear that he was smiling. His left arm dropped to the sword hanging at his side and drew it out in a reverse grip, tossing it high and snatching it out of the air with his other, magically-charged hand. Energy erupted from his palm, channeling up the blade.

The Ychyg charged—Nash could barely sight its movement. Raith swung, blade carving crosswise from the creature’s shoulder down to its hip. The top half sloughed off the bottom into the water with a splash.

Raith got in a few more kills with the sword, dropping Ehcky left and right, but the energy fizzled and he backed off. “Gjvtraug, advance! Drgtraug, hold! Destroy them, you mongrels!” From the forest’s edge, a horde of rotting corpses charged the last few Ehcky as Raith made his way over to Nash.

Kaela came running up. “Nash! Are you—are you okay?” She stopped short of embracing him and laid her hands against his shoulders.

“Yeah, surprisingly enough.”

“I spared your pathetic lives,” seethed Raith. “What have you for me in return?”

Kaela withdrew a sack of coins and handed it to Raith. She looked at Nash expectantly.

“What are you doing that for,” asked Nash.

“Didn’t you get the prompt?” she asked.

“No.

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