Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Parallel Universe Publications
Published: 2021-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

A THOUSAND WORDS FOR DEATH

Pedro Iniguez

The slash at his belly burned like hellfire and in an agonizing instant, Eneko knew he’d suffered a mortal wound. Moments before, Azeri had morphed into a blue feathered falcon and darted toward the eastern sky.

The necromancer plucked the jewel-encrusted dagger from his belly and groaned, more so at himself than at his lover, the shapeshifting witchqueen of Zargol. How could he have let her slip by? He should’ve known better. She’d proven to be his deadliest adversary yet.

Eneko looked upon the battlefield. A wave of blue and-white tunics crashed into a mountain of ebony armour like ocean tides slamming against the cliffside. Amidst the pitch of clashing swords and clanging spears, he heard the throbbing in his head, the blood pumping faster as his heart worked twice as hard to keep him alive.

He discarded the knife and looked upon the speck in the sky. She’d been gifted power at an early age. Power that had warped her mind. When she’d realized her true potential, she’d returned to her homeland to claim the throne at the cost of thousands of lives. And that was only the beginning. He knew for the sake of the world, Azeri must not live.

The militias of Vela Nova fell upon the retreating legions of Zargol from the southern swamps of the Phyrian continent. Their ranks were a collection of goblin raiders and blood-thirsty barbarians.

The Vela Novans pressed southward, leaving him in the flanks of the dead or dying. At his feet, the blood from his wound pooled, creating thick clay.

‘Bone conjurer,’ a wounded pikeman said. ’We can press the attack further and drive our enemies into the swamps if you can resurrect the fallen at our feet!’

‘That’s not what I’m here to do,’ Eneko groaned.

‘Are you not a necromancer?’

‘I’m only here to advise on the movements of the witchqueen,’ Eneko replied. ‘And, if necessary, offer protection from her spells. Besides,’ he said, ’when the dead return, it is near impossible to control their actions. They may very well feast on what used to be their brethren.’

Eneko waved off the soldier and looked upon the sky. Before the speck vanished into the horizon, he impaled his staff into the ground. The crystal at the head of the staff radiated a purple aura. The familiar pinch of talons squeezed his right shoulder. He turned, looking upon Bela, perched in all her beauty. The raven met his gaze, her clouded white eyes nebulous, haunting. Her resurrection had changed her visage; no one or anything ever came back the same. She’d returned mostly unchanged: her memories, her instincts, all intact. The eyes were a small price, he figured. But a price there always was.

‘Bela,’ Eneko moaned, each word a fresh stab to his abdomen. ‘Pursue Azeri before she escapes. Lead me to her.’

The revenant bird flew across the sky and gave chase.

‘Sir!’ The shout came from his left. A Vela Novan infantryman approached his side. Eneko offered the man a sullen glare. The foot soldier took a step back.

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