Free Champions of the Gods by Michael James Ploof Page B

useless,” she said, tucking it under her belt.
    “You should fall back to the—”
    “Bah! You fall back. I got undead to send to the hells! Come on, elf,” she said, taking up the charge once more.
    Dirk and Chief were still fighting the draquon overhead, keeping them busy enough to not attack the others. Krentz stood off to the side, shooting arrows as fast as she could. There were hundreds of undead soldiers coming at them, and more cresting the distant dunes. Dirk suddenly streaked across the sky and materialized before Krentz.
    “Dismiss me and call me back shortly!” he said.
    Krentz asked no questions, knowing what he had in mind.
    “Back to the spirit world, Dirk Blackthorn!”
    He disappeared, and Chief came to defend her.
    “Keep those undead off of me so that I can work the bow,” she told him.
    He gave a howl and streaked out to attack those undead who had targeted her.
    The front lines clashed with a clang of blades and shields. The undead ignored even fatal wounds, and the draquon began to dive into the group of defenders to pluck warriors from their ranks.
    Aurora put her spirit blade to work with devastating effect. She stood at the center of the horde, swinging her blade back and forth, felling all that came in contact with it. Her spirit wolf and panther tore through the invading army as well, ignoring all injuries as they ripped out throats and mauled undead humans and dark elves alike.
    Raene and Azzeal caught up to the others, and while the elf dove into the fray, Raene hung back and took mental control of a large round boulder that sat off to the left of the battlefield. She pulled with all her might, but rather than lift the seven-foot-tall stone, she caused it to roll. It went down a small gully and came up the other side faster than before. The boulder continued to gain momentum as Raene steered it into the undead army. By the time it went crashing into the side of the group, it was traveling as fast as a sprinting horse. Raene kept the pressure on, crushing undead humans, elves, and draggard. When it cleared through to the other side, she steered it out wide and brought it back for another pass.
    Krentz paused her attack on the draquon above—it had been long enough. “Dirk Blackthorn, come to me!” she cried.
    Out of the figurine came Dirk, along with the grizzly, a giant stag with huge pointed antlers, and to Krentz’s surprise, a shrieking dragon.
    “Fyrfrost!” she cried in amazement.
    “To battle!” Dirk yelled, raising his spirit blade high.
    Fyrfrost roared and shot through the air after the winged beasts. The grizzly and stag sped across the field as streaks of light, solidifying before the undead and attacking mercilessly.
    Raene’s boulder rolled through the invaders once more, and she finally released it, falling to her knees panting. Azzeal had worked his way back to her and took her up under the arm. She gave no objection as he whisked her away behind the defenders.
    “Just need a bit o’ rest,” she told him.
    “You deserve it. That was quite impressive.”
    “Aye, gave them…them bastards…” She swayed and Azzeal caught her.
    “Raene?”
    She didn’t respond.
    Azzeal inspected her left arm. What skin he could see was blackened and swollen. Wasting no time, he began to pick her up. She jerked awake with a start and pushed him away with surprising strength.
    “What ye all about, eh?”
    “You should return to the village, your arm—”
    “I ain’t retreatin’. Ye hear me, ye meddlin’ elf.”
    Azzeal sighed and unsheathed his blade. With a word it flared to life. He followed the fearless dwarf back into the fray.
    An hour later the companions sat on the dunes overlooking the shore. Ten ships burned in the water. Smoke hung thick in the air. True to Gretzen’s word, the spirit animals that Dirk and Aurora had bound and brought with them hadn’t lasted long in battle. Fyrfrost had maintained form the longest and had wreaked havoc on the invaders,