No Rest for the Wicked

12 - ℜ𝔢𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰

Tom was dragged out of the dungeons, the light coming from the door nearly blinding him. Yet for a moment, he thought he had seen Grimalkin's silhouette peering at him.  The darkness that had engulfed him in the pits of the dank cells was suffocating.  Even with his ability to see in the dark, he was terrified by the evil surrounding him.  Was this the end of his short life?    Evens so, he welcomed the reprieve looking up at the sky. He could smell the excitement in the air and prepared himself by concentrating on his powers, his senses alert for whatever happens next.  

The cheers, jeers, and stomping of the Kobalos in the stands invading his ears were making it hard to calm himself. Then suddenly the crowd quieted with the wave of a young man's arm.  He spoke in a language Tom did not understand.  Miraculously, Tom heard a whisper in his ear causing him to search the stands.  A ghost was telling him the impossible.  "Your friends are with you.  They have come to rescue you."

The last opponents of the night were announced.  It was Tom's turn.

Too quickly the fight had begun.  There was no time to search the stands no matter how much he longed to see Alice and know she was okay or reassure himself that it was Grimalkin he had spotted in the darkness. With new hope in his heart, he prepared to fight the beast in front of him by looking for weaknesses sadly there were few.  The beast-man was as big as an ox and looked just as powerful.  He was not very agile thought and his horned mask possibly blocked his view giving Tom a slight advantage.  He wielded a huge ax in each hand that he spun with ease, while Tom was given a long sword and a shield.   One hit from that ax and Tom would be dead.

The crowd cheered when the creature made the first move swinging the ax wildly missing Tom at every pass Tom's keen senses anticipating the creature's every move.  He swung so hard at Tom's head that he buried the ax in the ground!  This was Tom's chance! While the creature looked down to free the ax, Tom ran towards him jumping in the air, and with a force multiplied by some unseen power, Tom impaled him with his sword.  Blood and grunts came from the brute's mouth as it gasped for air the mask falling to the ground to reveal his grotesque face.  Sally screamed to warn Tom when she saw the creature move.  Tom heard her cry just in time. 

"Watch out!" 

With its last breath, the creature swung the ax in his other hand taking one last failed attempt at Tom's life.  

Tom had done it!  The creature was dead.  The crowd cheered and the Kobalos guards circled him with their spears companding him to release his weapon.  Tom hesitated momentarily and then dropped the sword.  He looked towards Sally's screams and saw Alice's triumphant face.  He was being taken captive again and wondered what her plan could be to save him.  

Chained and gaged he was brought out to the winner of the wager.  Lukrasta stood in front of him with a smile on his face.  Tom did not recognize him but went along without a fight.  This must be Alice's doing he thought.  Lukrasta commanded him to walk as they made their way towards Grimalkin and the Kobalos prince.  

"Your prize is a worthy fighter!  No one had ever beat this adversary and yet this young man did.  This young spook has great power and agility.  May he never turn against you."

"Thank you," Lukrasta said.

Tom made no sign that he recognized Grimalkin in her queenly clothes.  The carriage was brought around by a familiar figure that stared straight ahead.  His heart soared when he saw the Spook at the reigns. Tom was quickly raised up to where the Spook sat and his chains were secured to the seat.  Grimalkin was the first to enter the carriage followed by Lukrasta.  They were not safe yet but the relief he felt made him nearly faint.