Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

him. The noble backed away
    even faster, and the courtiers scattered to give them both plenty of room. The noble glanced behind him, and found he'd run out of room. There was nothing there but a wall. He looked at Cord, and his face suddenly went cold and dead. He grabbed a woman's arm and pulled her to him, holding her before him as a shield. His eyes were empty and lifeless.
    'Stay back or I'll kill her.'
    The voice was distant and horribly distorted. It didn't sound human, though it came from a human throat.
    The Unreal man pulled a knife from its sleeve and set the edge against the woman's throat. A drop of blood slid slowly down her neck as the sharp edge nicked the skin. She whimpered once, and looked beseechingly at Cord. He smiled at her reassuringly, and then his left arm snapped forward, too quickly to follow with the eye, and the mace flew from his hand to smash the noble's shoulder. The knife fell harmlessly to the floor, and the creature's shattered arm hung limply at its side. Cord reached into thin air and pulled out a great two-edged broadsword. It was as wide and strong as a butcher's cleaver, and the edges had been filed into jagged serrations. Cord sprang forward and swung the sword at the noble's neck. The creature dropped its hostage and tried to duck under the blow, but Cord had timed it too well.
    The blade sliced clean through the neck, and the head flew howling through the air. The body didn't fall.
    The hostage screamed once, and fainted. A long split appeared in the noble's suddenly bare chest, stretching lengthwise and forming into a mouth that reached from neck to groin, lined with shining teeth. A long leathery tongue shot out of the opening and wrapped itself around Cord, pinning his arms to his sides. His great muscles bulged as he tried to break free, but the tongue was too strong for him. It began to contract back into the body mouth, dragging Cord with it.
    Jordan stepped forward and picked up Cord's mace, which had fallen at his feet. He had to use both hands to lift it, and he grunted in surprise at the weight. He advanced cautiously on the Unreal noble, hefting the mace as best he could. He knew the Steward had said not to interfere, and given any choice he would have been happy not to, but he couldn't just stand by and watch a man die. He moved forward as quietly as he could, and sneaked up on the thing from behind. Without a head, the creature shouldn't be able to see or hear him, but he wasn't taking any chances he didn't have to. A second mouth appeared suddenly in the creature's back, lined with chomping teeth. It knew he was there. Jordan stopped dead in his tracks and switched the mace awkwardly to his left hand. He used his other hand to palm a fire pellet from his sleeve, crushed it, and threw the flaming ball into the creature's snapping mouth. It reflexively slammed shut on the fire, and then staggered on its human feet as the flames took hold inside it. The blazing light could be seen clearly through the creature's flesh. Jordan stepped forward and swung the mace double-handed, crushing the thing's other shoulder. It went to its knees under the impact of the blow, and the tongue holding Cord loosened its grip just enough for him to pull himself free. He raised his broadsword and chopped at the writhing body like a woodsman hewing at a stubborn tree trunk. The creature gradually fell apart into twitching pieces that took a long time to die and lie still. Jordan looked away, and saw the severed head grinning up at him. It snarled silently. Jordan smashed the thing with the mace until he was sure it was really dead. He finally looked up, panting, and Cord nodded to him approvingly. Jordan grinned back.
    Not all the birds had died from the Steward's balefire. A dozen of them dived shrieking towards the Regent, still standing beside the throne. Jordan started towards him to help, and then stopped as the
    Lady Gabrielle lifted her arm and pointed imperiously at the birds. They fell clumsily out of the air, making harsh croaking sounds. Jordan frowned, confused, and on moving closer saw that the birds were gasping futilely for air. Of course. Gawaine said she had air magic. She's drawing the air out of their lungs . . . He looked at Gabrielle with new respect. Somebody else I'd better not upset.
    The Steward skidded to a halt before the man melting into the wall, and her sword of light bit into the stonework beside him. Dark blood spurted from the broken stone. The wall