The Wolf Queen (Book 2 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 38

The full moon in the air would not hesitate to enjoy herself watching two opponents fight as equals. Lagertha and Mundis circled each other, and both of them focused their anger on one another. None of them expected anybody from the city to interrupt their duel; neither Lagertha nor Mundis deserved to be interrupted. The Wolf Queen had nothing more than the fire inside her soul burn for her foes to fall before her. The fangs of the snow wolf got even sharper and larger as it hungered for Lagertha's blood.

And so, a duel between Lagertha against Mundis begins as the full moon shines above them. Mundis charges after her to claw her down and bathe in her blood, but she could dodge his blow. Every blow that the sorcerer beast brought to the Wolf Queen was proven to be fatal. Lagertha was fast enough to challenge the beast and strong enough to dodge the attacks from Mundis. Unlike most knights and warriors, Lagertha would never back away from a fight that would seem impossible.

Truly, it did not matter if she walks away with a few scars, she would never abandon the one thing she desires in life. Lagertha would rather fall to her knees and make Fate's hands take her soul away than give in to the dark embrace. She continued fighting back against Mundis and did not cling to what may happen to her if she fails. Lagertha goes behind one of Mundis's legs and kicks him, and she watches the beast try to find her. She wanted to see what he is truly made of and wanted to know more than why he serves Mephiles.

Mundis tries to use his claws to slice her away from him, but the attack proves to be useless against her. Lagertha moved much quicker than a human; her stamina and durability were more than even Brant could handle. The blood of the elder wolf proved to be many things that would give her the chance to be as powerful as her father. Lagertha fought back by kicking the creature in its legs and using her nails to scratch his arms. She knew she would have to face dangers far worse than her human side could handle.

Lagertha then climbs up a building to see if Mundis could find her in the darkness. She climbed like an assassin and crouched down like a thief, skulking in the shadows. She hid her face from the creature's eyes and had every opportunity to escape his presence, but that would be too cowardly. Then, she leaps down from the building and aimed herself at the face of the dark beast. She fell quickly yet knew the exact place where to land herself to give Mundis a powerful attack.

Lagertha falls onto Mundis's face and lands on the top of his head as he roars into the horizon. The only thing Lagertha could hear were the shrieking noises of a deadly creature in service to the king of Midland. Without hesitation, she started punching the monster in the face; she punched him so hard that bruises started being on her hands. It was nothing she could not handle since she could already do so much that a human would give up at one try. Mundis grabs Lagertha in his hand and throws her to the ground after delivering twelve punches to the face.

"I know you serve King Mephiles, foul one! I will find out everything you know, especially why you serve that man! I will also find out why you waste your time killing these innocent people!" Lagertha shouted. Mundis did nothing as she needed answers from him, yet he was interested in knowing what she thinks about.

Lagertha gets herself up from the ground and becomes ready for whatever else Mundis had in mind. She became prepared for the next few times that she will either attack the creature or become fatally wounded by its fangs and claws. She could feel her side be grabbed and thrown around like a rag-doll, and she could hear the screams of people who have been devoured by the creature. There was only one thing the Wolf Queen was not told by anybody about the magical beast. Mundis was a creature who could talk; he could do more than gnaw on the bones of his prey.

"I am not so restrained, Wolf Queen. You can hide nothing from me, and you will never escape the darkness," he said.

"You can talk?" Lagertha asked.

Mundis answered her, saying, "I exist to serve. I was created by Mephiles's magic. I live to carry out his order and see that his reign is successful. My sword and my soul are in his name. Everything you hold dear will be renewed in the new era. You cannot change the fate of this world."

"I've met someone like you. And he spoke like that as well. I take it there are still more like you out there."

"We have a legion of those who live under the reign of King Mephiles. Many more will come. Many more will swear loyalty to the only king who will lead humanity into a glorious future. A kingdom that never ends ruled by the greatest of all kings. I smell something in you. Your scent is of royal-blood, yet you no longer have royalty in your mind."

"I gave that up long ago. I have no desire to return to those days. I go where I please. I will hunt your master down and I will make him tremble before me."

"Tremble? You will never defeat the king of Midland. You will give up your life in trying. I know what you are and I know where you come from. You carry wolf-blood inside your veins, and you have barely any human-blood left. Yet you still appear as a human."

"It was by Fate's hand that made me walk that road. I do not back down from any fight, and I will not let you terrorize these people any longer. I will make the king of Midland see to that."

"You don't put your faith in this new king. You dishonor your people. I will honor the memory of all who have been slain by your sword. Your god will not help you in this battle. I need neither Mephiles nor his war council to kill you. Fighting me in combat will solve nothing."

"Your king lives and rules in wickedness. I do not fear you, demon. If anyone falls, Mundis, it will be you!"

Lagertha continues holding her fists in the air to fight Mundis before the morning sun comes up. She has the strength of a mortal who lives to put all of her foes to the ground. Mundis was not surprised by the way the Wolf Queen appeared before him, yet he had his own reasons for being in Clegane. Lagertha charges towards Mundis and raises one of her fists to punch the beast on his body. Fate guided her to where she needed to defeat the sorcerer beast and please the earl of Clegane.

Mundis ran faster than Lagertha ever could since he is a beast and Lagertha is still a human. Mundis raises his right hand to scratch the Wolf Queen on her body, but she was quick to dodge almost every attack from the monster. The last thing he could remember was the time he became a creature to serve the king of Midland. Lagertha lands on her opponent's arms and kicks him in the face, and she watches him fall back a few inches from her. Her kick was sometimes better than her punches, and her feet were quick at landing in certain places an assassin could land on.

Some saw Lagertha as someone who works with the Hidden Ones and assassinates anybody who serves evil. But she had no wish to join that league of assassins and no desire to hide her face nor her sword. Mundis wanted to sever the head of the Wolf Queen and deliver it to Mephiles as a trophy. But Mephiles did not want to see his daughter dead; he wanted to speak with her and let her join him in his kingdom. Lagertha and Mundis continued attacking each other and desperately trying to deflect each incoming blow.

Lagertha was much smaller than the creature, so she could run faster and attack quicker than the beast. During that time, she could see him taking far more damage than she has, yet the bruises and scratches on her hands were only minor hits. The time came for her to make him blind so she could find a weak spot and kill him. Lagertha punched and kicked the creature as hard as she could so that Mundis could suffer the way he made Clegane's people suffer. So much strength and energy were in both duelers; the battle would not end the way they thought it would.