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

“Are those like the thing you foughtat the palace?” asked Egan.

The senior knight was rolling hisshoulders to loosen them up. “Probably,” he admitted. “I don’tthink any two of them look quite the same.”

They moved farther back down thesloping ramp that led into the tunnel, making sure they werecompletely covered by the deeper shadows there. Penny was closenow, no more than fifty yards away and running for all she wasworth. Her body moved with lithe grace while her powerful legs senther flying forward faster than even the swiftest horse. Despite herincredible velocity, her pursuers were gaining, moving with inhumangaits on their long, strange legs. Whether their human prey wouldreach the tunnel before they caught her, was stilluncertain.

“Remember, their hides are like iron.They aren’t easy to cleave. Be wary lest you snare your weapons,”Dorian cautioned Sir Egan.

“She isn’t going to make it,” saidEgan, preparing to start forward, but Dorian put his hand on theother knight’s chest.

“We can’t take the open ground. All’slost if we get surrounded,” he reminded Egan.

“But…!”

“She’ll make it, damnyou!” barked Dorian. She hasto…

Adjusting to a sideways stance, thesenior knight lifted Thorn and twisted his torso, musclesstretching as he readied his swing. His vision narrowed as hewatched the oncoming monstrosities, speeding after the small woman,like hounds in some grotesque hunt. Penny seemed tiny as theyclosed on her.

Time slowed, and Dorian Thornbear’sheart began to follow a deeper rhythm as he felt the power of theearth reach up from below and embrace him. Penelope was almost tothe beginning of the ramp as one of the bird-like creatures drewabreast of her, reaching out with an arm that was shaped like afarmer’s scythe. In a frozen moment, Dorian could see dark bloodrunning down across Penny’s forehead and cheek, threatening toobscure the vision of one eye. She was breathing hard from herlightning sprint, and while she could feel the presence of themonster behind her, there was no way for her to see the blade-likearm that was sweeping toward her neck.

Nooo! cried Dorian’s heart as he saw death slicing toward her. Evenif the chainmail stopped the cut, the force would surely break herneck. A glint of starlight on his armor must have alerted her then,for he saw her eyes lock on him as she leapt forward. Surprise andrelief lighting her face as she realized help was near.

The distraction disturbed her pace andshe stumbled, falling forward into a mad headlongtumble.

That accident of fate was all thatsaved her life as the dark god’s appendage tore through the airwhere her head had just been, ripping one of her long braids. Themomentum of her flight sent her falling down the shallow slope pastDorian and Egan, and her foe was close behind.

Dorian’s body uncoiled like a tightlywound spring as he whipped Thorn across to meet the monster’s bodywhere it hurtled toward Penny. The combination of their relativevelocities drove the great sword completely through the thing’shard body, sheering it completely in two with a great sound likethat of some massive piece of iron being torn with unbelievableforce.

Egan followed this attack as theterrible creature’s body fell across the place where Penny hadlanded. His twin swords moved with deadly grace as he worked toboth dismember what was left of the creature and to keep thescythes from tearing into the Countess before she could recover herwits.

Dorian had no time to waste. He leftEgan to finish the first, while he stepped forward to meet thesecond and third of their enemies. His body was still twisting withthe momentum of his swing, and rather than fight it, he went along,spinning like a top. The long steel blade removed the leg of thesecond, raptor-like creature but failed to connect with thethird.

The one that had lost a leg felltumbling to meet Egan and Penny, who was now rising unsteadily toher feet, while the third, a massive bull shaped entity, whirled toface Dorian. With shocking agility, it altered course and sprang athim lowering its great hammer-like head as it strove to ramhim.

Unable to move aside in time to avoidthe terrible rush, Dorian fell backward instead, letting his bodydrop beneath the monster’s oncoming body. The head struck hisbreastplate a glancing blow, driving him to the ground with evengreater force, but he still escaped the worst of the shock. Liftinghis feet, he planted them beneath the beast and kicked upward,launching its bulk skyward in a fifteen foot arc.

Rolling to his feet Doriancould see Penny and Sir Egan working in tandem to dismember the onewhose leg he had removed. The one that he had launched landedawkwardly on one side, but had already regained its feet.Meanwhile… the fourth. Where is thefourth?

The fourth was the most oddlyconstructed of the five. It stood tall, like some strange spider onlengthy pole-like legs. It was above him now, ten foot appendagesholding it out of reach while two shorter arms pointed downward, amagenta glow forming at their ends.

Leaping sideways with stunning speed,he was still too late. Eldritch energies caught him before he couldescape, encasing his armor in a storm of magic and arcing sparksand light. Most of it failed to reach him, but enough passedthrough the joints and openings in his suit that it felt as thoughhe had been lowered into a river of fire. Pain shot through him,rendering him momentarily blind and senseless.

Smoke rose from Dorian’s armor as hestaggered. He never heard Penny’s shouted warning. He wasn’t evencertain if he still held his sword. When the bull-like creaturereached him this time, he was completely unprepared. It struck withunbelievable force, driving him backward to slam into the granitesidewall that flanked that side of the ramp leading into thetunnel. Stunned, he was still there when it struck again and thistime the force of its charge had nothing to mitigate it. He wascaught between the wide flat head and the hard stone.

A flash of light accompanied a sharpreport as Dorian’s breastplate shattered. The magic sustaining itsenchantment had been stressed beyond its considerable limits, andit exploded outward, flinging dust and bits of stone and metal inall directions. The beast that had struck him was