Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

K ormac hadn't been able to sleep. Unusual since a soldier learned early on to get rest when possible. However, lying in his bedroll under the stars, he found himself thinking of Fionna.

Not Lomar.

Or dragons.

Or even the probable foolishness of him choosing to come on this mission after the recent attack.

All those things paled in comparison to the witch. He thought of the way his heart stopped upon seeing Fionna, then how his cock hardened at her revealing attire. A woman's legs shouldn't have titillated. Then again, everything about her roused him.

With thoughts of her keeping him awake, he'd heard Loff leave his sleeping roll. He'd watched only long enough to realize where the soldier was headed with a knife in hand.

Loff never heard Kormac sneak up behind him. Kormac knocked the dagger from the man's hand then pointed his sword at Loff's neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" he'd growled, hoping Fionna wouldn't wake.

"What you should have done the moment she set foot in Srayth."

"What's happening?" Fionna asked, suddenly appearing in the mouth of her shelter comprised of earth.

"I caught him trying to sneak into your hut with a dagger."

Her gaze went to the weapon on the ground as Loff dared to say, "The only good witch is a dead one."

The rage Kormac felt demanded satisfaction, and he drew back his arm to run the man through only Fionna stopped him.

Literally.

His arm froze in place as she exclaimed, "You can't kill him."

"Oh yes, I can. He attempted to murder you." Surely, she wouldn't argue the punishment.

"You can execute him for that later, if he lives through the coming threat."

"What threat?" he asked.

Her eyes closed and her chin lifted as she murmured, "Something approaches. Many somethings." She glanced at him and huffed, "Wake the others. We're about to be attacked."

Kormac thrust Loff from him, snapping, "We're not done." He turned to bellow for Hogan and Rory only to find them already awake and arming themselves.

"You were supposed to be on watch," Kormac barked, having noticed the moon past the mid-mark.

"Gann and Moony didn't wake us," the boy replied. Young and yet he showed great promise.

As for Gann and Moony, Kormac feared the worst since they didn't appear at the commotion in camp.

"Form up around the fire." Many animals feared the hot flames, but that assumed they'd face a normal threat. Nothing had been normal since his visit to the garrison.

As his men moved into position, he noticed Fionna waving her hands around instead of moving toward the fire.

"That means you, too," he barked.

She glanced at him even as her movements continued. "In a moment. Right now, we're at a disadvantage. They can see us, but we can't see them."

"Because it's night."

"Not for long." She winked before flinging her arms apart. From her burst light, a big blob of it that rose and hung suspended over their camp. It illuminated everything: the bedrolls on the ground, his men armed and ready by the fire, the body crumpled at the base of a tree on the far edge of their clearing.

Gann had been murdered a mere dozen or so paces away and no one heard anything. It chilled, mostly because Kormac had been awake. How had he not known?

Fionna neared the group spread out around the fire, murmuring, "They're amassing outside the radius of light."

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"I placed a ward around the camp that extends past the circle of radiance."

"Can you tell how many?"

She canted her head for a moment and her eyes lost focus before she answered, "Thirteen."

Thirteen what, though? They found out a second later as the first snarling creature burst into view.

A wolf, or at least in the family of, its fur the same shaggy grey and brown of the ones that hunted in the hills, but those beasts didn't have glowing eyes or fangs as long as his palm. They also weren't the size of a pony.

Fionna muttered, "Dire wolves. Supposed to be extinct."

Before he could retort that they looked damned alive, the wolves were on them, snarling and snapping with their massive jaws.

Kormac's sword sliced easily through the first, splitting its torso and removing the threat. He moved towards the next that went charging for Fionna. It was only the beginning.

Wolves converged on them, big, hairy bodies that lunged and snapped. Kormac found himself hard pressed to keep the teeth from his flesh. When one went to grab his arm, he let it, the bracers protecting his skin. With it latched, he used the pommel of his sword to knock it on the skull.

It dropped just as Fionna yelped. He whirled to see her injured, a jagged tear on her forearm, a dead wolf at her feet. For some reason, she'd chosen to wield a glowing dagger rather than magic.

The next wolf barreled toward Kormac and impaled itself on his sword. Only as he pulled it free did he notice the quiet.

"I think we got them all," Rory announced.

With the threat gone, Kormac snapped, "Why didn't you use your magic?

Rather than look chastised or apologetic, Fionna's expression turned grim. "Because that was just the vanguard of the true threat."

A threat that made itself known by emitting a thumping noise as it approached, hard enough the ground trembled, as did the trees. Branches whipped as if caught in a storm breeze.

"What's coming?" Rory whispered.

It took a tree being uprooted and flung for an incredulous Kormac, who'd loved the stories of Airiok as a child, to exclaim, "Ogre." Thought extinct given the destroyer had hunted them into the ground.

Several of them appeared, bearing tree trunks as clubs, the ogres massive in size, their bodies bulbous with fat. Animal skins were girded around their loins, and probably explained some of the smell wafting their way.

Kormac glanced to Fionna. "Now would be a good time for magic."

She nodded and her hands began moving.

Kormac faced forward and braced himself as the first ogre came charging.

Rather than meet it, Kormac let it get close before stepping aside and swinging. The ogre, caught by the blade in the flank, bellowed. It pivoted and swished its tree, moving faster than Kormac would have expected.

A monster that size should have been slow. Should have been stupid. But it fought with more cunning than expected, keeping him distracted while a second came in from behind. Only a whistle of air warned him of the danger.

He hit the ground a second before the trunk would have slammed into him. Before he could retaliate, a ball of orange flame hit the ogre, singing its tough flesh. Even better, its animal fur caught on fire, making it screech and slap itself. Its panic distracted the other ogre Kormac had been fighting and he took advantage, leaping to slam his sword in its chest. He used his weight to drag it down, splitting it open.

"Hogan!" Rory yelled the older soldier's name, and Kormac wasted a precious second looking. The man lay on the ground, alive but hurt, his leg bent unnaturally.

"Fuck this!" Loff broke rank and ran, right into a tree. Or rather, a club since an ogre wielded it. Loff fell dead, his head crushed like a melon.

"Only two ogres left!" Fionna yelled, drawing his attention.

His lady witch dripped blood from the gash on her arm, but she remained dauntless as the last ogre stomped for her. Her red-smeared fist clenched and moved in circles.

Kormac wanted to go to her aid, however, he still had his own menace to handle. He ran for the ogre that killed Loff, ducking under the tree it swung, and sliding. His sword flashed as he slashed across the monster's ankles.

The ogre bellowed but did not fall. Instead, it tried to smash Kormac into the ground. He rolled and bounced to his feet, swinging again, this time cutting across the belly, the flesh splitting and spilling guts.

The ogre was dead, it just hadn't realized it yet and tried once more to clobber Kormac. But it was slow and unfocussed. Kormac easily dodged and waited.

The ogre swayed before toppling hard, the impact vibrating the ground. Only then did Kormac turn in time to see the ball of monstrous fire that jetted from Fionna, punching through the last ogre's torso.

Its mouth opened wide, as if surprised, before it collapsed.

That kind of powerful magic would take its toll. He rushed to Fionna's side, ready to catch her only she didn't even sway. She turned a smile on him. "We did it."

"There's no more coming?"

"Not that I can sense."

"That spell…" He shook his head. "That was incredible. How come you never used it on the dragons?"

"I did, only it wasn't half as powerful."

"Why the difference?"

Her lips pinched as she eyed her bloody hand. "I don't know, but if I had to guess, my blood enhanced it."

The mention of her injury had him barking, "Rory, get the bandages while l find a splint for Hogan."

The next hour was spent straightening Hogan's leg and tying it to a straight branch as well as cleaning the torn skin on Fionna's arm. A healing poultice lathered atop it made her wince, but she relaxed as he wound the fabric bandage around her wound.

"Why can't you heal it?" he asked.

"Oddly enough, witches can only attend to others. Something about being unable to manipulate our own threads." She grimaced. "Annoying."

"It could have been worse. You should be okay to fly back to the citadel."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you're injured."

"Barely."

"Someone needs to accompany Hogan," he argued instead.

"Are you really going to choose Rory to continue your chase over me?" They both glanced over at the boy who sat with his sword over his knees, staring outwards as if another monster would appear. She added softly, "He deserves to live to a ripe age."

Kormac agreed. "So do you."

Her lips curved. "I plan to, and I'm going to ensure you do as well."

"Is it even wise to continue?" Look at him, the fearless warlord thinking of giving up. Then again, one day on the road and he'd lost three of his men.

"We will draw less notice if it's just the pair of us."

He snorted. "More like we'll appear easy pickings."

"Not true. I can hide us from view. Block us from smell. I should have done it earlier, only it's easier to shield two people in close proximity than six spread apart."

"Are you sure you want to keep going?"

"I could ask the same of you. Lomar can't be left to roam free. He's too dangerous."

"Agreed." He glanced at Rory. "He won't be happy to be sent home."

"Then spin it so that it's the bravest thing he can do, accompanying his wounded comrade."

"Or I could just order him."

"Whatever the warlord wants," she muttered.

A still in shock Rory didn't argue when Kormac gave his decision. Fighting in the training rings hadn't prepared the boy for monsters of legend. Hogan simply grunted when told he'd be going back to the citadel. Hopefully they wouldn't run into trouble.

As Rory and Hogan prepared to leave, Kormac saw Fionna whispering to the young man and pressing something into his hand. Only once they'd left did he ask, "What did you give him?"

"A ward similar to the one we'll be using. Not as powerful, I'm afraid. Its magic will wane quickly since I won't be there to replenish it, but I am hoping it will be enough to get them home."

"Shall we get going as well?" he asked.

She nodded but also chewed her bottom lip.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't usually fly at night."

A simple solution existed. He had her ride in front of him on his stallion. A torture unlike any other. When she would have talked, he grunted, "Get some sleep."

"If you insist." She fell asleep in his lap, her head cradled to his shoulder. For some reason, it filled him with satisfaction to know she trusted him during her most vulnerable moment.

"I won't let anything harm you," he promised.

Not a vow he'd ever made to anyone before.

Then again, there'd never been anyone like her.