"Gyevikxus."
The dragon erupted from the helmet with a savage roar. Even the undead knights stopped attacking and looked. But they didn't run. Those knights not already engaged in a fight attacked the dragon. Gye swept most of them aside with a single swipe of his long tail. That left more than half of the remaining knights sprawled on one side of the road.
Gye incinerated them with dragonfire.
The dragon charged over to help Tiana. Killum joined Rand in fighting a trio of zombie knights, while Fergus fought his way to Tiana's side. Gye proved a master at culling zombies away from the others and killing them.
Killum and Rand slowly sidestepped as they fought, working their way to Fergus and Tiana. The last five knights fought them. The undead weren't the least bit tired, while the four friends were struggling. Killum's sword arm felt like it was a hundred pounds.
"Duck!" Gye shouted.
The four friends all dropped flat on the ground. The dragon swept the undead knights away with his tail, and then flamed them to ashes.
"God, I love that dragon," Tiana said.
"I have to admit, he is a splendid specimen of dragonkind," Fergus said.
"He's a glory hog," Rand said. Gye looked at him. "Thanks, big guy!"
Killum looked up the road. "We have a problem."
"Not anymore," Rand said. "They're all dead."
"No, Asha," Tiana said. "They know we are here, so they probably know Asha is there. I think she's in trouble."
"Come here. I'll heal you," Killum said. He laid his hand on Rand's shoulder, and felt magic flow into the dwarf. Rand sucked in a deep breath, stood taller, and stopped panting. "Better?"
"Much better."
Killum quickly healed Tiana and Fergus of their minor wounds and exhaustion. His mana was getting low, so he hesitated healing his much greater wound. His health was so low it might eat up the rest of his mana, and there was still a fight ahead of them.
He checked out the zombie knights' undead horses.
Knight's battle steed. Undead.
"I'll ride Gye into battle," he said. He looked past them. "The zombie horses aren't attacking. Do you think you can ride them up to the castle?"
"No," Rand cried. "They are zombie horses."
"Killum is right," Gye said. "They are undead, but are still dumb horses. They will let you ride them, but be careful. They will try to bite you, and if bitten…"
"Great, I feel much better," Rand said.
"It's for Asha," Killum said. "She needs us. Mount up."
Chapter 37
Ka-Boom! Ka-Boom!
"Ugh," Asha groaned.
Each strike against her magical shield sapped a little mana and health. Lord Kathro's bolts were so powerful she felt the strikes in her bones, and she was slowly being forced backwards.
Does he have unlimited mana?
He held a long staff with a large red ruby. The staff was the source of his lightning bolts. So far, he hadn't used any other spells on her, but she was sure he had lots to choose from.
The powerful drow necromancer was throwing those super-charged bolts so fast the elven sorceress hadn't had a chance to counterattack. Worse, undead minions were running around looking for someone to attack. So far their addled brains hadn't figured out the enemy was invisible, much less her location.
Lord Kathro paused in his attack to direct his minions below. "She's invisible. Follow my lightning strikes to find her exact location and attack it."
She scowled up at the necromancer. Lord Kathro was an intimidating figure standing atop the towering keep. He was very tall, broad-shouldered, and looked physically powerful in a way to make a woman swoon. His long white hair whipped in the wind like a banner, but his glowing red eyes made her think of demons. Of things Dark and evil.
Asha cast her Bind at him. The necromancer paused, and then shook it off. He laughed.
"Nice try, elf. You're magic is pathetic," he said. He threw another bolt at her. "She's right there!"
His strike forced Asha to one knee. She was sweating, panting, really feeling the strain like never before. Undead orks, goblins, humans, and drows were charging toward her. They had her surrounded. There were no gaps to exploit, and even if there were Lord Kathro could see and counter her every move.
I have to get out of here, she thought, and leapt up and back. Her levitate spell kicked in, lifting her up to the top of the gatehouse. She threw a thunderbolt at the necromancer, who slapped it aside. How did he do that?
Ka-Boom!
Asha barely got her shield back up in time. The blast still knocked her down. As she tumbled back across the top of the gatehouse, the sorceress bowled over three zombies. All ork warriors.
Pulling one of her curved elven swords, Asha quickly beheaded one ork struggling to his feet, thrust her blade through the heart of a second, and lashed out with a foot to kick the third over the side. Then she had to bring her shield up to defend against Lord Kathro's continued attack.
"You're good, elf, but not good enough," he shouted down at her.
"And you're not actually badass enough to defeat me, necromancer!"
The sound of footsteps coming up the wooden stairs drew her attention to the hatch in the middle. She turned to defend against that attack, but then she saw Lord Kathro leap off the keep. He came crashing down atop the gatehouse, right next to her. Asha swung her sword at his throat, but Kathro parried it with an armored arm, before pounding a fist into her chest.
"Uggh!" she cried as she was smashed back and off the tower.
Asha fell all the way to the hard-packed ground. She landed flat on her back, knocking her breath out and leaving her dazed. The pain was intense and filled every square inch of her body. As blackness creeped in from all sides, she used the last of her strength and wits to call up her Healing spell.
Both extreme cold and heat flowed through her body, out to her very fingertips and toes. It washed the pain and fatigue away in a flash, leaving her fresh and restored. Her eyes popped open to find a ring of undead drow warriors were closing on her fast. Worse, she was visible to them.
The sorceress reactivated the Robes of Concealment, vanishing before their eyes. She rolled to the side and rose into a defensive stance. Sword in hand, Asha surveyed her situation quickly and attacked the closest foe. Smashing his spear aside, Asha took off his head with the backstroke. She pivoted on a foot, and thrust through the heart of the drow next to him. As they began dying, the other zombies figured out her location and turned toward her.
She dropped low, waiting for them to converge on her. At the last second Asha levitated up and threw a thunderbolt at Lord Kathro.