Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

was not what Malloy had anticipated. The giant remained on his feet, still blindly swinging both his swords at the young Briton. Malloy had to step back quickly to avoid the dented blades. Adding to the already precarious situation, some of the other Saxon warriors were now encircling the Briton, ready to plunge their swords into his back should he stray too close or if by some miracle he managed to kill their leader.
    Without thinking twice, Samuel ran to the right side of the Saxon formation behind Malloy, hoping to help his friend out.
    “I got the left!” he heard Atwood say. The veteran warrior had apparently finished dispatching the foes on his side and was now looking for more opponents.
    Samuel attacked the first Saxon with a wild scream that petrified his foe for a second, allowing the young man to kick a shield out of the way. Using his momentum, he followed with a blow of his sword, the flat side of the blade hitting the right temple of the Saxon, rendering him unconscious on the spot. Following up on his attack, Samuel bent down to avoid a blow from the next opponent, pivoting and kicking the legs from under the barbarian at the same time. Still moving swiftly through the line of Saxons, he used his sword to parry a strike from a third enemy, rotating his blade to disarm the man. He followed with a punch to the man’s jaw that sent him to his knees.
    Just like it had happened at the army camp, when he confronted the band of thieves, Samuel could feel an energy coursing through his entire being. Again, the fairy’s whisper was taking over, allowing him to fight with the ability of a hundred sword masters, defending himself like a shadow and countering with blows that were calculated and precise. Within a few seconds, he had transformed from a cowering boy lying in the dry leaves to a warrior efficiently dispatching his enemies.
    While Samuel and Atwood were dealing with the Saxons behind Malloy, Freston fired a second arrow, which hit the giant in the left knee. This time, the colossus staggered forward, then fell to his knees, unable to hold up his weight any longer. Without letting the enormous man regain his composure, Malloy quickly raised his sword above his head, hoping his foe would raise an arm to defend himself. When the giant did, Malloy quickly planted his dagger under the raised arm of his enemy, lodging the blade in his armpit. The giant immediately dropped his sword to the ground. Malloy followed with a powerful blow to the head that sent his helmet flying, nearly knocking the weakened barbarian unconscious.
    With everyone now staring at the two adversaries, Malloy seized his sword with both hands and took a full spin, circling his weapon around, until the blade met the neck of the Saxon.
    As the headless body of the giant slowly slid to the ground, it seemed like the whole forest held its breath. Every man around looked at the improbable victor, unsure of what their eyes had just showed them. Against all odds, the young Briton had slain the giant, a warlord who had terrorized the battlefields so many times before.
    However, rather than cowering after the death of their leader, the Saxons only seemed to become enraged by it. More of them came down the hillside, as the others rushed the Briton group without showing any fear. Very quickly, the small group found itself surrounded again, gathered around the unconscious body of Darroch, each man with his back to his companions.
    “What do you propose we do now?” Atwood asked Kaleb.
    “I suppose we had better pray.”
    For what seemed like an eternity, both factions stood face to face, staring at each other, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The Saxons were not about to let these men go, but they were also more careful than before. After all, one of these Britons had just slain their champion.
    Suddenly, a bright, white light engulfed the whole forest. Samuel had to shield his eyes with his hand to protect himself from going blind, holding out his sword with the other. The light was so bright and so pure that he could see neither the enemy in front of him nor his friend standing at his side. He could feel their backs and shoulders, but could not see anything, as if he stood behind a white curtain.
    Before Samuel’s vision could come back and show him what was happening, he suddenly heard voices from above, yelling and screaming from somewhere behind him. Gradually, he regained focus. First, he saw the blurry silhouettes of the trees,