Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

hear him. The demons fell again and again under his axe, and there were always more. It felt good to be fighting, to be proving himself as Champion, to be killing those who threatened the Realm. The demons came at him without end, and he met them with cold steel and a colder smile. He knew he was going to die, and he didn't care at all. The Castle needed him, and that was enough. The huge axe was weightless in his hands, and the demons fell before it like overripe wheat. Demon blood flew on the air, and the drawbridge became slippery with gore and offal. The Champion fought on, one man against an army, and the army slowed and was stopped.
    But in the end he was only one man, and no man can stand against an army for long. The demons tore at him again and again, ripping through his armour. He never felt the wounds, or the blood that streamed down his sides and legs. The Castle was under his protection, and he wouldn't turn and run.
    He wouldn't run away.
    The demons surged forward, and pulled him down. He never felt the claws that tore out his throat, and he died still trying to swing his axe. The demons poured over his body, and raced across the drawbridge towards the Keep.
    There's no time to lower the portcullis,thought Rupert suddenly, and the demons will be here before they can close and bar the gates . . . unless somebody stops them . . .
    He ran through the Keep to meet the demons, sword in hand. All he had to do was hold them back for a few mninutes, and then the gates would be securely shut. He reached the base of the drawbridge, and the first few demons jumped him. He cut them down with swift, savage strokes. Why me? he thought bitterly. Why does it always have to be me? And then he was facing the main body of the demons, and they came to a sudden halt as he blocked their way, hacking about him with his sword.
    'Shut the gates!' he screamed hoarsely. 'Shut the bloody gates!'
    The demons ripped and tore at him, and he sobbed aloud at the pain, but still he held the demons back.
    A few more minutes, just hold them off for a few more minutes. Julia, my love, if only we'd had more time together . . . And then the demons dragged him down, and he fell beneath them, still clinging to his sword.
    In the courtyard, Harald and a handful of men-at-arms stood ready to slam home the heavy steel bolts, once the main windlass had closed the gates. Julia leaned against the inner south wall, and stared blearily about her.
    'Rupert? Where are you, Rupert?'
    She straightened up when she realised he wasn't with her any more, and glanced quickly round the packed courtyard. She couldn't see him anywhere, and a cold panic seized her heart. Julia pushed herself away from the wall, and started towards Harald. He'd know where Rupert was. And then she stopped dead as she glanced between the slowly closing gates, and saw Rupert brought down by the demons.
    Julia ran over to Harald, and grabbed at his arm.
    'Stop the gates! Rupert's still out there!'
    'He's already dead,' said Harald harshly. 'He died buying us the time we needed to close these gates.
    Now either help us with these bolts or get out of the way.'
    'You wanted him to die out there!' screamed Julia, and snatching her old sword from its scabbard, she ran unsteadily between the closing doors, and out into the Keep. She heard running feet behind her, and glanced back to see King John close on her heels, Rockbreaker in his hands. They just had time to share a brief smile, and then they were among the demons. The first few fell easily to Julia's rage, and those she missed or never saw were no match for Rockbreaker. Julia swung her sword with both hands, and a demon folded forward in mid-air, trying in vain to stuff its guts back into the wide slash in its belly. It fell squirming to the ground, and Julia kicked it out of her way as she fought her way down the narrow stone tunnel to the place where Rupert had fallen. The King was at her side, Rockbreaker cutting a wide swathe through the demonkind, but Julia could tell he was at the end of his strength. They forced the demons back to the drawbridge, step by step, and then Julia and the King slammed into a small knot of struggling demons. The creatures fell away as Julia and the King pressed forward, and a tall blood-soaked figure surged to his feet, scattering the demons in all directions. He swayed unsteadily and one arm hung limply at his side, but he was still swinging his sword. He wiped away some of the blood that masked his