The Curse Conduit
Chapter 56

Derek had his hands wrapped around Uriah’s waist as they thundered down the hill. “What the hell are we doing?!”

In the natural Uriah would not have been able to hear Derek’s shouts but thanks to their new gift he was very well aware of what his friend was saying.

“Saving your life Derek. Saving your life.”

By the time they reached the fringes of the fight Uriah and Derek had to dismount, immediately being set upon by several enemy knights. Without thinking they both drew their swords and put up a valiant fight. Having fought in so many dreams was paying off. Derek, although more terrified than he had ever been in his entire life was also pleased with himself. That was until he lost his sword when struck in the arm. The force of the strike sent him to his knees and his hand to the wound. It was then that Derek realised he was not the one who had been injured. The shouts in his head told him Declan had suffered the first blow. Unfortunately this had made Derek vulnerable to the strikes of the knight he had been fighting. Looking up all he could see was the sword ready to fall. Just as he went to shield himself from what was surely a blow of death the knight disappeared. At the same time Derek heard Elizabeth’s voice shouting in his ears. At first he thought she was on the battle field, looking up towards the hill he knew she had not moved. “Derek! Use your powers!”

Derek watched as Elizabeth sent another energy ball rolling down the hill and straight at yet another knight who was heading his way. Derek looked at his own hands but before he could conjure up an energy ball of his own he was struck again. Not by a blow from a knight but from an unseen attack. This time he knew it was Danny who had been hit and he heard Bethie’s voice. As he was recovering Uriah fell to his knees next to him gasping for breath and cringing in pain, holding his side. Uri had been struck and Uriah had felt the pain. Both men looked up as several balls of light washed passed their faces and into the stomachs of several knights. Again they vanished. Both men could hear Elizabeth; they could also hear the other women as they shouted out.

As Elizabeth had kept a close watch on Derek and Uriah, Bethie had been keeping an eye on Danny and Urian and Beth-Elena was watching over Uri and Declan. All three were sending energy balls down the hill but it wasn’t enough to keep the men they loved from harm.

Uriah looked to Derek as they stood, calling to the others at the same time. “We need to be together. We need to get to the others.”

All the men agreed on the plan and tried to get to each other. Not an easy feat. But with the urging of the women they had begun to use their powers to fight instead of a sword. Derek, Uriah, Danny and Urian that was, Uri and Declan were still fighting sword and shield.

Several times Derek, Uriah, Danny and Urian were ensnared, gripped in pain that was not their own as Uri and Declan were cut and hit by enemy swords. Their unwanted pain sent the men to their knees more than once; draining them of much needed energy and again making them vulnerable to enemy attack. This is how Uri and Declan found them. As the men gathered together they all heard the women shout at them in unison. “Behind you!” As they shouted they had sent yet another three energy balls down the hill knowing that they would not reach the injured men in time. Derek, Uriah, Danny and Urian stood taking their places in the circle with Uri and Declan. Now the four men shot energy balls out into the fight. Each time one hit a knight they vanished but the six men could feel the suffocating fact that too many of the enemy were closing in on them.

Somehow through the flying energy balls and Uri and Declan’s attempts to sleigh the enemy a knight got through and thrust a sword into Declan’s side bringing him, Derek and Danny to their knees shouting in pain. Urian, Uriah and Uri fought on but all they could hear was the screams and shouts of Elizabeth, Bethie and Beth-Elena as they saw the three men drop to the ground and remain there.

Uri’s rage, knowing that the blow that Declan had suffered was serious soared through his body, releasing in a flurry of intense sword swings. In one such swing Uri thrust his sword through two men at once. His mind raced, Declan was supposed to be safe, not supposed to die, how was destiny supposed to be rectified if he died?

One more time Uri raised his sword as Uriah and Urian sent more energy balls into the wave of advancing knights.

Uri fought with sword in one hand sending streaks of energy out with the other. Not balls of light and power, the force that Uri sent looked like lightening. He would cut a knight down with his sword and release the lightening to take care of others, killing several at a time as the spears of light pierced not one, not two but up to six knights at a time. All Uri could see was his friend lying on the battle field motionless, blood oozing from his side and his rage grew.

Urian and Uriah continued to send their weapons of energy into the enemy knights; seeing what Uri had done they changed the shape of the energy balls. Unlike Uri who continued to fight with long spears of lightening Uriah and Urian had decided on something a little different. Standing side by side, both hands held out in front of them with their palms pointed outward towards the enemy they began to shoot hundreds of arrows at the still advancing army. The arrows crackled but no sooner had they been dispatched when they turned back into balls once again, Urian and Uriah could not direct their path and now with no swords to fight with, their plight did indeed looked grim.

All the while the two men had been talking to each other, Derek and Danny aware of the conversation and both men struggled to their feet. Danny putting his hands on Urian’s shoulders for support and Derek doing the same to Uriah, neither man being able to stand up to his full height. In silent conversation they told them to send the arrows out again. Both Uriah and Urian hesitated for a few seconds until Uri and all the women’s voices shouted in their heads.

Once more Uriah and Urian fashioned the balls into arrows, this time Uri joined them and this time as they left their hands Danny and Derek directed not hundreds but thousands of small, brilliant, crackling arrows up into the air to rain down on the enemy. They also sent them straight out to attack the army that was advancing on them. Knights began to disappear all over the battlefield. The five men had no idea how they did it but not one of the King’s knights succumbed to the attack. The five men had given the army the advantage they needed.

Uriah looked to Derek thinking to get him away from the rest of the fighting when he saw his eyes revert back to their natural colour and he collapsed into his arms. Instantaneously Danny collapsed almost pulling Urian to the ground with him.

Again they were lying next to Declan who had not moved.

Derek looked to Uriah and in silence spoke the words that sent waves of remorse and anger through the little banned of future warriors. “I don’t feel so good.” Derek grimaced and closed his eyes. “Look after Lizzie Uriah.”

With those words Derek passed out.

With those words Uri, Urian and Uriah felt themselves being pushed to the ground by some invisible force.

On top of the hill Elizabeth, Bethie and Beth-Elena had been overcome with remorse as they watched and listened to the scene unfold below them. Instinctively they held hands, all their anger and rage focused on the battlefield. Connected physically and mentally the three women raised their linked hands above their heads, a shimmering, intense cloud of energy gathered above them, crackling, rumbling as it grew. In a combined shout of pain and anguish the women sent the cloud down the hill and into the battle field, its energy so intense that every single man belonging to the enemy that was left vanished, leaving bewildered knights all over the valley and sending three women running down the hill. Down to where Declan, Derek and Danny lay dying.

The King shouted after them and beckoned for a few of his men who had remained behind to protect him to hand over their horses. This time neither woman took the time to lift up skirts, they all just mounted a horse saddle forward and made for the men, unheard shouts of pain echoing through the valley.

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