The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

reached Chel’strathek when his feetdiscovered hidden webbing lining the floor beneath him.

“Fool,” crooned the Dark Godgleefully. “Did you think I would be so simple a foe?”

Sweeping downward with his great swordHarold almost clipped one of Chel’strathek’s closest legs, forcingthe giant arachnid to dodge backward. The swing had been only afeint though, and as the sword reached the floor the knightunleashed the enchanted flames, burning through the She’Harspellweaving that held his feet in place. Ripping his feet free andleaping sideways a full ten feet, he only barely avoided his foe’snext blast of power.

Harold was well aware that he had lostthe initiative, and when facing an enemy of superior power, thatwas as good as a death warrant. Attempting to regain it with anoffensive attack was almost guaranteed to failure, but he still hadanother option. The cacophony from outside the main doors hadreached a new level of madness. Which probably meant the Kriteckhad arrived, either that or their assault was alreadydoomed.

Dashing to one side, he used his swordto topple a lofty marble statue, one of the few that the Countesshad added over the years. It seemed at first that it was an attemptto injure his opponent, but his true purpose was diversion. In thespace that the crashing stone gave him, he suddenly changeddirection and ran for the main doors. Flinging them wide, he leaptout into a scene from a lunatic’s fever dream.

A terrible ray of malign force exitedthe door behind him. It missed narrowly, striking one of thegrotesque horrors battling in the courtyard. Half the beast’s bodydissolved in a brilliant flash that left only burnt flesh and amysterious goo behind. Sir Harold had no way of knowing whether ithad been a friend or a foe that was wounded.

Filling his lungs with air Haroldshouted a warning for everyone concerned, “I think I found the bigone!” He was forced to dart sideways to clear the doorway and avoida new magical attack. Heads and head-like appendages turned totrack the new entrant into the battle, some viewing Chel’strathek’semergence with joy and others with less enthusiasm.

The main gates were wide, and the restof Ariadne’s god-enhanced warriors were streaming inward. Theyadded a new level of disorder, but the tide had turned against thelimited number of diminished Dark Gods. Or so it had seemed, beforeChel’strathek’s arrival.

The giant arachnid strode into thesunlight with an air of all too human delight. Legs rose andspellweavings lashed outward with the speed of lightning, catchingKriteck and human alike. The servants of the new She’Har tried todefend themselves but it was readily apparent that the newcombatant had far more power than any of them hadexpected.

Men and monsters died, melting andscreaming.

What the hell did Ifind? worried Harold suddenly.

Now in the open air, Chel’strathekthrew caution and subtlety to the wind, unleashing a cone of powerthat blasted everything in front of him for thirty yards in a wideswath. The attack was too wide to avoid, and all that were caughtwithin it withered and melted.

Except Harold.

Unable to dodge such a massive attack,the Knight had only managed to cover his visor with one hand andhope that his armor would save him. When the light died, he foundhimself unharmed. Standing in front of him was Karenth, once knownas the Just.

“Human, I think you found more thanyou can swallow,” he said with an odd sound in hisvoice.

Harold nodded, “You mean, ‘I bit offmore than I could chew’,” he corrected. Looking around, he realizedthat everything within thirty yards had been reduced to dust; men,monsters, and even the ground itself.

Another withering blast struck, andagain Karenth held up one hand, diverting the destructive poweraround them. “Just as you say, Sir Harold.”

“You seem to be doing alright,” saidthe knight hopefully.

“Unfortunately, your perception ismisinformed. What your eyes cannot tell you, is that I am only aquarter as powerful as I once was, while the being in front of usprobably possesses at least twice the aythar I had at my peak,” theShining God informed him.

“I was never very good withfractions,” said Harold, backing up slowly with his newfoundprotector. “Perhaps you could simplify that for me.”

“It means Chel’strathek is roughlyeight times stronger,” answered Karenth. “It means we cannotwin.”

“Time for a retreat?”

“That is also impossible. Our opponentis controlling our battlefield in more than one way. The attacksyou see are only part of what is occurring.” Another blast of powerstruck and was diverted, but Harold could see that Karenth’sdefense was even narrower that time.

“If we cannot win, why did you come tomy aid?”

“Accident,” admitted Karenth. “I wasatop one of the Kriteck transport creatures a moment ago.Chel’strathek obliterated it, and before I could recover, I foundmyself with you in the castle yard.”

Harold had been preparedfor death before joining the attack, but now that it stared him inthe face, he found it difficult to accept. I’m sorry, Lissette. Fate has turned against us,he thought silently, wishing he could see hiswife one more time. What a pointless wayto die.

His thoughts were cut short when hesaw Penny emerge from the main entry hall, directly behindChel’strathek. She had her sword out and a determined look on herface as she made ready to attack the spider from the rear. She hadno way of knowing her opponent was too powerful to face.

Harold’s eyes went wide inside hishelm, and his mouth opened to yell a warning that would behopelessly late. The Dark God before him already knew of the womanapproaching from behind. It ignored her purposefully, enjoying theanticipation of her horror when her surprise attack turned into aleap into death’s arms.

Screaming uselessly, Harold saw Pennyleap forward, sword shining as she made her attack. Chel’stratheksmiled then, and turning he released another blistering attack. Theworld exploded in light and sound. Harold and Karenth both foundthemselves thrown to their knees as the earth shook. It felt asthough a mountain had fallen on top of all of them.

Stunned, they found themselves in atan cloud of dust and earth until a sudden wind arose and dispersedthe choking debris. The inhuman god had been thrown to one side ofthe courtyard, as if by a giant hand, while standing in a twentyfoot crater was an armored figure