Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

Gawaine was back at his side again. The knight favoured his left ribs, and his face was beaded with sweat, but he was still clinging grimly to his axe. Roderik was darting back and forth before the skeleton, trying for a blow at the creature's spine, but unable to stand his ground long enough. Bloody Bones's long-fingered hands swept through the air in vicious arcs, missing Roderik by less and less each time.
    'Smoke,' said Gawaine hoarsely to Jordan. 'I saw you use smoke in your act. Can you do it here?'
    'Sure,' said Jordan, 'but how's that going to help? If the fire doesn't bother him ..."
    'Just do it!' rasped Gawaine. 'And stand ready to help me. Argent had the right idea, rest his soul. We've
    got to cut this bastard down to size. Wait till I've worked my way behind him, and then give me all the smoke you can.'
    Jordan nodded, and Gawaine disappeared into the heather. Jordan tried to follow his movements, but quickly lost track of him. Gawaine was good. He palmed one of the smoke pellets hidden in his right sleeve, and hefted it uncertainly. He stared at the huge skeleton, and for a moment his breath caught in his throat. It was just so damned big . . . Blood dripped steadily from the discoloured bones, and soaked into the ground where the creature stood. The flames between his legs had already gone out. The skeleton's carrion stench was growing steadily stronger. Jordan glanced briefly at the horses, but knew there was no point in trying for one of them. They were all too spooked to be ridable and, besides, Bloody Bones would never let him reach them. Much as he wanted to run, Jordan knew he had no choice but to stand his ground and fight.
    And he couldn't let Gawaine down. He was hard pressed to
    come up with one good reason why not, but somehow he just couldn't stomach the thought. He sniffed disgustedly. A few days as a Prince, and already he was acting like a hero. A hero . . . maybe he was sickening for something.
    He watched Roderik sway back and forth before Bloody Bones. His movements were growing slower and more awkward as his tiredness caught up with him. The skeleton was just playing with him now, and they both knew it. Jordan decided he daren't wait any longer. If Gawaine wasn't in place by now, he'd just have to take his chance. Roderik had already run out of luck. Jordan shouted an insult at Bloody Bones to draw the thing's attention, and drew back his hand to throw the smoke bomb. His heart lurched as the skeleton slapped Roderik aside with a single blow, and headed straight for him with outstretched hands. Jordan took one look at the huge skull with its bloody grin, and threw the smoke bomb on to the ground between him and the advancing skeleton. A dark oily smoke boiled up from the heather, quickly spreading to form an impenetrable foul-smelling cloud. The skeleton swayed to a halt, and batted at the smoke with his blood-dripping hands. Jordan decided that if the skeleton even looked like taking another step towards him, he was going to turn and run like crazy until his lungs gave out. And then from out of the smoke there came the flat chopping sound of steel slicing through bone, and Bloody Bones screamed and fell helplessly forward.
    The ground shook as his great weight hit the earth. The remnants of Roderik's winds rose for a moment, partially dispersing the smoke, and Jordan swallowed hard as he saw the skeleton had fallen so that his huge grinning skull was now only a few feet away from him. The skeleton already had his hands under him, and was levering himself up out of the heather. Jordan started forward, sword held out before him, not sure what he was going to do, but determined to do something. The skeleton had made him afraid, and it seemed to Jordan that this had been happening to him too often just lately. He'd had a bellyful of being frightened, and just this once he was going to do something about it. Maybe he could whittle the bloody thing
    to pieces. And then the smoke cleared some more, and Jordan grinned fiercely as he saw the jagged stump that ended Bloody Bones's right leg just below the knee. Gawaine loomed out of the smoke, brandishing his glowing axe.
    'Get the head!' he roared at Jordan. 'Hold it still while I go for the neck! And watch out for the teeth!'
    Jordan sheathed his sword and leapt forward to grab the huge skull with both arms, hugging it to his chest. The grinning jaws snapped viciously, grating on his chain-mail vest. Blood poured down Jordan's chest and