The Lady Penitent

IV. A Rescue

That was a problem Holland hadn't considered. "If you can get him to safety, I should be able to keep Moloch distracted. I doubt we will be able to slay him, but it might be possible to rob him of his precious hostage," she said quietly as they climbed the ascending trail through the trees to a broad crack in the mountainside that was the lair of Moloch.

The clearing outside the cave was littered with broken armor and arms, the remnants of the many knights who had set out to slay the monster and earn themselves glory unmatched by those who settled for simple wars. There were bones, but most of them were so smashed or cracked that they barely resembled more than uneven chunks of yellow-white. Holland felt an aged rib crunch under her feet. She put out a hand, keeping Seva behind her. They moved quietly along the edge of the clearing where the undergrowth was deep enough to conceal them until they were at the cliff's edge. "Thy plan?" Seva murmured.

"I will call Moloch out with a challenge that he will not ignore. I need you to enter his lair and save the prince while he's distracted."

Seva nodded and began working her way as close to the entrance as she could before hiding herself in a cleft of stone. Holland nodded approvingly and doubled back to where the path terminated at the edge of the clearing. She took a deep breath and then picked up one of the fallen shields. It was dented, but still relatively intact. She strapped it onto her arm and then picked up part of a broken axe for a moment to slam against her shield in challenge. "Moloch! I call you forth, demon!" As soon as she heard movement coming out of the cave, she dropped the axe and picked up her lance.

Moloch glided out of his cave, serpentine body carrying him along with perfect ease. His scales were chipped and cracking, but she did not see a noticeable gap. The creature had to be at least twenty feet long, the first eight devoted to a human-like torso with powerful clawed arms and the head of a serpent. His eyes were cold and dead. She saw rows of backwards facing teeth and two powerful folding fangs when he opened his mouth. "WHO THINKS TO SUMMON ME?" the demon purred. It was a monotone, but softer than Anamalech's grating voice. It had a strange, almost hypnotic tone to it.

Holland grimaced. He was going to have to take her seriously if she was to give Seva any time. That meant playing her old cards. "I am Ilex Calida Invicta, Immortal of Saraqael."

Moloch made a noise that sounded like a chuckle and glided even closer. He cocked his head in interest. "SARAQAEL? WHAT COULD THE MIGHTY PRINCE OF ARCEM TENEBRIS WANT WITH ME? WHAT DESIGNS DOES HE HAVE ON THIS PATHETIC LAND? WE WHO WOULD NOT SERVE TOOK OUR LEAVE. HE HAS MY ABSENCE."

"And now he would have your death," Holland said, glaring at the creature even as she started to breathe in preparation for combat. These would be some vicious hits to breathe through, but she had to keep herself inhaling and exhaling or she would die.

Moloch shook his head, tongue flicking out to scent the air. But he did not appear to detect Seva, possibly because of the smell of horse and the fact that they'd spent last night sharing a bedroll. "PROUD WORDS. HOW MANY DO YOU THINK HAVE FALLEN HERE, IMMORTALIS? YOUR MASTER HAS NO POWER HERE TO SAVE YOU."

"My master trusts that his servants are capable enough on their own," Holland said, feeling the tension building in her muscles as she waited for the demon to move.

"MY COILS WILL CRUSH YOUR BONES. MY FANGS WILL PIERCE YOUR HEART. YOU ARE OUTMATCHED, IMMORTALIS. PERFORM A SERVICE FOR ME AND I WILL FORGET YOUR INSOLENCE SO THAT YOU MAY LIVE," Moloch said, beginning his slow, sinuous approach.

Holland lunged, using her whole body to drive the lance directly into Moloch's mouth. There was a great howl from the creature and he slammed his tail into her side, flinging her off her feet. She rolled with the blow, breathing through the hit. That had hurt, even with her armor taking most of the hit. The lance clattered to the ground next to her, undamaged. She snatched it up just as Moloch's tail whipped around again at dangerous speed. She threw herself backwards to avoid that lethal blow, twisting her body to land on her feet. She was much more agile than the knights of the east thanks to Saraqael's boons.