Convergence: Eclipse Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Key

Read chapter 17 of Convergence: Eclipse by J.L.Hollingwell on NovelPedia.

Hope is a forest fire consuming everything in its path. Hope is a bonfire burning bright and hot. Hope is a candle pushing back the gathering dark. Hope is a spark of infinite potential. St. Philosophos, The Living Sun Laurie felt the heat of it, flames searing the side of his face, and had to turn away, moving into the path of an ostrich. He ducked wildly, staggering as the ground under his feet lurched, as though struck by a heavy impact. Dragonheart was crouched on one knee beside him, one hand touching the ground, bracing himself. His greatsword was held aloft; this was the source of the blinding heat, for its blade was licked with golden flames that spat sparks of orange light into the darkness. The leader of Hope’s Dream stood, taking in the chaos of the clearing in a single moment. He swung his massive sword, and flames whipped out from the blade, scorching a wide swathe of grass, setting several of the converging beasts aflame. Two others rushed past, one with a short spear held in a white-knuckled grip, and the other bearing what looked like braces of roiling mud around their forearms. The spear wielder was carrying a stone ball in their other hand. They threw it low, sending it rolling past Dragonheart, where it hit a scalehide and exploded, sharp stone fragments hurtling into the nearby beasts. The other threw globules of mud into the faces of a crocodile, blinding it and sending it stumbling into the path of Dragonheart’s sword. Staying low, Laurie moved to Roland’s side where Maeve was already trying to get him to his feet. She looked as tired as he felt, and the whole side of her face was covered in blood. Laurie braced Roland under one of his arms, and Maeve took the other. Together, they heaved him upright. He was limp in their grip and Laurie feared the worst. Dragonheart looked back over his shoulder at them, a question in his face. Laurie nodded, but as he did so, a crocodile burst from the grass behind Dragonheart. Laurie yelled, the shock on his face an immediate, instinctive warning, but even that was too slow. Dragonheart started to turn, his sword swinging up in a great arc of golden sparks - and an arrow whistled past him, thudding into the creature’s head with a violent burst of blue ice. “MOVE!” Dragonheart shouted, pointing in the direction of the settlement. Laurie and Maeve began a staggering run, dragging Roland between them. Dragonheart and the others fell in behind them; they could hear and feel the battle raging at their backs as they ran. Laurie itched to stop and help, but he had no mana, he was exhausted, everything hurt, and he wasn’t going to let Maeve struggle with Roland alone. It took a matter of minutes before they had broken free of the grass, and Laurie recognised the moat surrounding Hope’s Dream. Damn, we were so close! The dirt wall had changed since his last visit. It was reinforced with wooden battlements, and the people of Hope’s Dream were all standing behind them, fighting with everything they had. Fire, water, wood, stone, ice, light - they were throwing magic of every type Laurie could think of, along with arrows, beating back the roaring mass of monsters at their gates. Eostra, Dragonheart’s surly companion, stood above them, one foot planted on the wooden palisade. As Laurie watched, open-mouthed, she drew her longbow, aiming behind them. An arrow shot forward, streaking a tail of blue ice, a comet in the dark. They had cleared the way, Laurie realised, but his body went cold as he realised that the doorway was blocked, barricaded against the teeth and claws of the beasts. How the hell are we going to get in?! Even as he began to panic, Eostra looked behind her and shouted something. The sound was lost in the chaotic din of the creatures, but when she turned back to them, her face was calm, and determined. They have a plan. They must do. Before he had a chance to do more than speculate, Laurie felt the earth beneath him start to churn unnaturally beneath his feet. “Get d