Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Hellboy characters, settings, etc. The original characters and plot of this story are mine though. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this work.
Chapter 35
As he spun back to meet the shadow beasts, Nuada had only seconds to take measure of the situation before they were on him but it was all he needed. With the wall of the apartment at his back, and the balcony railing to his left, he flexed his hands around the shaft of the Silverlance and quickly raised it as he angled himself to the menacing, black creatures leaping across from the adjacent building.
Moving like lightning, he sprang forward and swung his weapon in a wide arc, slicing into the neck of the first shadow beast. A thick, black liquid oozed from the gaping wound and the creature fell lifeless to the ground. Nuada followed the line of his spear and spun in mid-air. Landing lightly, he lunged forward and thrust the weapon into the stomach of the next creature. It joined the first one, dead on the ground, but five more of the swiftly-moving fiends had taken their place. The Elven warrior was now surrounded on three sides. The bodies at his feet shimmered briefly then vanished into thin air.
At least he now knew Elven silver could fell them and besides, it would be good to face an opponent who actually tested him. The only one who'd come close in the last four months was Anung un Rama but as Nuada had noted on many occasions, the demon relied too much on brute strength and lacked the finesse and imagination to be a truly satisfying adversary.
In a series of whirling upper cuts and thrusts, Nuada drove back the attacking creatures. Several of his blows slipped past the creatures' guard and two more fell dead to the ground, viscous, black liquid seeping from their wounds before they too shimmered and disappeared. The shadow beasts learned quickly though; the remaining two leapt back out of the reach of the Silverlance and from seemingly thin air, each pulled out a large, glittering, black broadsword.
Another four creatures, now similarly armed, joined them. They rushed Nuada en masse. He sprang up onto the balcony railing to his left and ran along its length, trying to get behind them. Swinging his lance in a slicing motion, he leapt over the sleeping stone dragons and took off the heads of two more of the fiends. Their blood, if it could be called blood, sprayed more freely this time. Before their bodies had even hit the ground, another three came down from the rooftop to take their place. In an instant, Nuada was facing seven of the deadly, stygian creatures with still more rushing at him from the surrounding buildings.
They were trying to box him in. He needed to lead them away from the confines of the balcony to more open space, where he could use the Silverlance to greater effect against them. He was nearly at the other side of the railing now and lunged towards a small access ladder in front of him. Grabbing hold of one of the rungs, he hauled himself up and headed for the roof with the shadow beasts hard on his heels.
Ice-cold fingers bit into his thigh. He was yanked off the ladder and hurled back down to the balcony. Rolling into the fall, he regained his feet in an instant and swung out with his weapon. It caught two of the creatures a glancing blow each and they fell back but their companions quickly closed in on Nuada.
He was fighting a wholly defensive action now, with no chance of attacking. All he could do was block and parry the deadly, slicing swords striking at him from all directions. The air was alive with the sound of gleaming Elven silver ringing on glittering, dark shadow-blades. There was no time to think, no time to plan... only time to react.
But he'd faced daunting odds before and he knew how to do this. As effortlessly as he breathed, he cleared his mind of everything but the moment and called upon the heart of his magic to focus his whole being on the surrounding space with an awareness that went beyond the five senses. And drawing on nearly four thousand years' worth of hard-won fighting experience and ruthlessly forged self-control, he set about deflecting the creatures' attacks as he waited for his opening: that inevitable crack through which he could force his way to turn the fight around and gain the upper hand.
... ...
Elfraine watched, transfixed, as the battle unfolded before her under the darkening sky. The shadow beasts were getting harder to see and although she knew Nuada had keener eyesight than she did, she thought he might appreciate some light. She flicked the switch beside the balcony doors and twin carriage lamps cast a soft glow over the figures engaged in the deadly struggle on the terrace.
She'd thought Nuada a good swordsman when he'd taken on the hounds outside the BPRD several days ago but she hadn't appreciated until now just how skilled a fighter he was. She cringed as she thought of the bluff she'd tried to pull when he'd found her training with Nuala in the storeroom; it was no wonder he'd laughed at her. Watching him now, she realised the idea of her ever taking him unawares was little more than a joke. Although she was competent enough and could more often than not hold her own even without the advantage of immortality, the Elven warrior outclassed her not just on speed and strength but on every other count as well... except, of course, said immortality.
He moved with a fluid grace and strength that was mesmerising to watch; the Silverlance seemed an extension of his body rather than a thing apart from it. And it was not just his skill with the weapon that was impressive but also his keen awareness of his surroundings and the use he made of all his faculties to counter the attacks of the fiendish creatures - half-man, half-beast - and cut them down. With unerring, preternatural instinct, he seemed to know exactly the right thing to do every time. His reactions and movements appeared effortless, and they stood in stark contrast to the fierce concentration and application she had to bring to her own fighting endeavours. She didn't doubt he was concentrating every bit as fiercely as anyone; it was just that he made it all seem so... easy. He turned his head and for a fleeting moment the light from one of the carriage lamps fell across his face and threw his features into sharp relief, a chiselled silver-white visage standing stark against the looming blackness of the night. Elfraine caught sight of the briefest lift at the corner of his mouth and realised with a start that he was actually enjoying this.
But she felt a twinge of concern as the shadow beasts kept coming at him. They moved more quickly than even Nuada and he was greatly outnumbered by them. As good as he was he would soon start to tire against the relentless onslaught. Elfraine wondered if she should go out onto the terrace and lend a hand but she had the nasty feeling that within the confines of the balcony, she'd only end up getting in his way and proving to be an unnecessary distraction. The only thing she was likely to achieve was a right royal telling off afterwards… if he came out of the battle alive.
Suddenly, Nuada staggered as a glittering, black blade finally slipped past his guard and skimmed across his thigh, cutting through the silky material of his black trousers and exposing the white skin beneath. He recovered almost instantly but Elfraine could see a thin, dark-gold line welling up in the track of the cut, and her twinge of concern flared into full-blown worry, which wasn't helped by the sight of the dragons starting to stir. It was far earlier than they usually awoke but they were sleeping right in the midst of the fighting and she could only guess that the deadly contest raging all around them must have disturbed their rest. They were likely to get themselves hurt, or worse, if they tried to move now.
Helpful reticence be damned, she thought to herself. The Elven prince could read her the riot act later on if he liked but for now, she was going to go out there and do her best not to get in his way, and see if she couldn't help at least a little. She stepped forward and reached down to grab her sword from beside the door but stopped as she remembered her failure to make any impression with the blade from the BPRD armoury when she'd first tangled, literally, with one of the shadow beasts almost a week ago. Her eyes narrowed consideringly as she saw how effective the Silverlance was against the creatures; it didn't pass harmlessly through them.
Then she remembered Nuada's other weapon; she swung her head towards the couch. His sword was still lying there on the floor where he'd left it when he'd arrived earlier in the afternoon... and right beside it was his armour. Elfraine got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she realised he hadn't had time to put that on. She ran over and picked up his sword, then turned back to the doors, unsheathing the sharp, gleaming length of Elven silver and throwing aside the scabbard as she made for the balcony. Hefting the blade in her hand, she noted with satisfaction that it was an exceptionally well-balanced weapon of good weight, if slightly longer than she would have preferred; it shouldn't take her long to get used to the feel of it.
... ...
On the periphery of his vision, Nuada saw Elfraine run out onto the balcony. He was only surprised that she'd done as he'd told her, in not so many words, and stayed put for as long as she had, which was not long at all. At least she had the sense to bring his sword out with her now; he doubted the steel of her own weapon would be of much use against these infernal shadow creatures. She was about to get her chance to prove she wasn't entirely without skill, as she'd told him in no uncertain terms when they'd fought the Hounds of Odin at the BPRD, and she would need every advantage she could muster. He only hoped she could manage to be a bit more adroit in dealing with the shadow beasts than she had been with the hounds. The head-on, hack and slash approach she had taken then might have been crudely effective against those great, slavering creatures but it would do her no good against the altogether quicker and more agile foe they faced now.
Her appearance distracted the attacking fiends momentarily and it was the opening Nuada had been waiting for. In the split second they eased off their attack on him, he whipped the Silverlance around and sliced into the chest of one of the creatures, then thrust the spear into the belly of a second one. As before though, more of the shadow beasts only swarmed up over the balcony railings to take their place but at least he'd regained the offensive, and he was determined to hang onto it.
Two of the creatures peeled off from their attack on Nuada and turned to rush Elfraine but she was ready for them. She swept the Elven sword in an upwards arc, blocking the blow from the first assailant, and then ducked under the sweep of the second creature's weapon. Spinning round as she came up, she slipped past the shadow's guard and cut into to its stomach, killing it instantly to her great satisfaction. In the brief moment it took her to congratulate herself on her foresight in using Nuada's sword instead of her own, the first creature struck out at her again and thrust its weapon into her chest.
"Gods Blood!" she swore as she doubled over in pain and instinctively pushed through with the dragon magic. She really couldn't afford to let her attention wander, even for a second. Though they couldn't kill her, the shadow beasts' attacks hurt like the very blazes – more so than anything she'd ever experienced – and she would really rather avoid any more pain like that if she could. As the creature pulled its blade back out of her chest, she struck out at it with all her might. The razor-sharp edge of the Elven sword cleaved through its arm and into its torso. It fell to the ground and shimmered briefly before disappearing along with the other fiend lying dead at her feet.
The dragons were fully awake now and extremely agitated. Elfraine raced over to shield them from the fight and as she turned back to face the fiends on the balcony, another creature came from seemingly out of nowhere and tore into her. She used the dragon magic and held together, and the shadow vanished, unable to overcome her. "Stay where you are!" she called out urgently to the dragons. "It's not safe! These things are everywhere. Keep behind me or Nuada."
The young dragons ignored her entirely. They'd unfurled their gossamer-gold wings by now and took swiftly to the sky, flying - like Icarus, to Elfraine's mind - into the black, Daedalean night. She glanced despairingly after them as they climbed aloft. All she could do was hope the shadow beasts couldn't also somehow fly and that the dragons would be safer up there after all. One of the pitch-black creatures brutally seized her attention as it sliced into her with its weapon. She quickly recovered from both the pain and the wound, and struck back at her assailant. The silver Elven blade bit deep into the shadow creature's neck and it fell to the ground, dead. And then the other creatures were upon her and there was no more time to worry about the dragons as she tried to block and parry as many of the blows raining down on her as she could.
... ...
Nuada swiftly cut down another two of the stygian beasts. They'd been briefly distracted by the sight of the dragons ascending into the darkness but once again, there were only more to take their place. At least the dragons had managed to get away unharmed. He'd noticed them stirring and, like Elfraine, was concerned they might get hurt in the fight raging on around them.
He had half an eye on Elfraine now and was pleased to see she was indeed displaying more skill and adroitness than she had with the Hounds of Odin. Her footwork was nearly perfect and she was light on her feet, moving with a certain grace and style. A faint whisper of memory stirred in his mind at the sight of her dance-like movements, and it struck him that there was something almost... familiar about them.
He sensed a shadow beast behind him and used the pommel of the Silverlance to deliver two short, sharp jabs, one to its abdomen and one to its head, knocking it to the ground instantly. Spinning round, he deflected the blows of the creatures in front of him and fatally sliced the fallen fiend behind him before turning back to meet yet another attack.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Elfraine also seemed to have reasonable enough instincts, anticipating many of the strikes and effectively blocking them. But she was hampered by her all-too-human speed and strength, and was unable to take the offensive. For every blow she parried, twice as many again made it past her guard to killing effect. If she hadn't been immortal, she'd have been a shredded pile of flesh by now. As it was, she must be in a great deal of pain and he felt a flicker of concern, especially when he saw how she was now shimmering fiercely with the strange silvery-white appearance he'd noticed when the first shadow creature attacked her. She hadn't glowed like that when fighting the hounds.
A sweeping strike from a creature to his left almost made it past his guard and he quickly refocused on his own surroundings. He realised that he needed to get over to Elfraine. If they could watch each other's back, they'd be able to deal more efficiently with their relentless assailants. With the shadow creatures pressing in on him from all sides, the problem was to gain enough space in order to cut a swath through them, and so reach her side.
He sensed a movement somewhere in the air high above, and without further warning one of the young dragons dived down, like a deadly, gold-fletched arrow. She eviscerated the shadow beast in front of Nuada with her sharp talons, and then sped back up into the night sky. Close behind her, the other dragon streaked in and shredded yet another of the creatures before he too headed straight back up into the firmament. The whole attack had taken only seconds.
Nuada leapt forward and pressed home the advantage the dragons had given him, cutting down several more of the deadly, black shadows as he fought his way to Elfraine's side. He caught the look of relief in her eyes as he reached her. Without being told, she knew exactly what to do and turned to face the creatures on their left whilst he swung about to face those on the right, and together, they finally began to make some headway against the swarming beasts. Once again, that strange feeling of something approaching familiarity echoed through his mind, like a ripple on the surface of a pond.
Elfraine had been startled by the dragons' attack; she'd never seen them do anything like that before but then again, she supposed, they'd no doubt learnt a thing or two on their nightly hunts over the years. She'd also been glad when Nuada had appeared at her side. The fight, for her at least, had become repetitive and tedious, not to mention exceptionally painful, but they'd now gained the upper hand against the massing shadows and with any luck, it would all be over soon with both the dragons and Nuada no worse for the wear. She, of course, would be fine no matter what, though as she glanced at her shimmering, silvery-white arms, she knew a rare moment of doubt on that score.
Once again, the dragons swooped in from the skies, their tearing talons and teeth ready to destroy yet more shadow beasts. The first one made a successful run but as Nuada had found out earlier, the stygian creatures learnt quickly and the second dragon was not so lucky. Though he hit his target, the shadow creature was ready for him and before it collapsed it seized hold of him, pulling him out of his flight and dashing him to the ground with a sickening thud. Two more of the deadly creatures leapt over the black form of their slain companion and immediately fell upon the young dragon, cutting and stabbing at him with their lethal, glittering blades. He shrieked out, a terrible cry of pain, and Elfraine's heart nearly stopped.
"No!" she screamed. Without thinking, she ran towards him, slashing out wildly at anything that stood in her way and taking excruciating pain upon herself as she crashed through shadow beasts - and death, six times - to cover the distance to the wounded dragon.
Nuada had no option but to follow closely in her wake, covering her back and fighting a rearguard action all the way. In her desperate dash to the fallen dragon, Elfraine had disposed of nearly half the remaining shadows, including the two who were attacking the young creature, and he now took care of the rest. The other dragon had returned by this time and she sat on the balcony beside the prostrate form of her fallen brother, utterly distraught.
Elfraine was just as upset. She stood over the wounded creature for a moment and looked down in shocked denial. They'd been with her for nearly four hundred years, almost since birth, and she couldn't believe that one of them was about to come to such an end. She knelt beside the dying young dragon, her hands fluttering helplessly over his torn and bleeding body. His breathing was shallow and uneven, and his brilliant, emerald-green eyes grew dull as death approached. Spasms of pain racked his body and he kicked weakly against the terrace beneath him. Elfraine saw the look of pleading desperation and fear in his eyes. It was a look such as her daughter had given her the night she died.
"Can you not do anything?" she asked, desperately looking up at Nuada. Her eyes filled with tears, and pain twisted her features as grief squeezed hard on her heart.
"No, I cannot," he replied, his voice harsh with regret. He could see immediately that the dragon was beyond help and his own heart was suddenly heavy at the sight. "I am not a healer but even if I were, his wounds are too serious. The best I can do is use the bond of our magic to help ease his passing."
So saying, Nuada knelt down next to Elfraine, beside the dying creature. He reached out and placed his hands over the young dragon's heart, heedless of the thick, shimmering, golden blood that welled up out of the open wounds and flowed over his arms. It seeped under his nails and covered his pale, white skin like wet, glistening gilt. He looked down into eyes of malachite green and was swamped by a wave of almost unbearable sadness. Was it really only three days ago he had stood on this balcony, in the crisp, clear light of the dawning day, and known a stirring of long-forgotten hope as he'd made the discovery that dragons still lived in the world? And now the world was about to lose one of those wondrous creatures, and Nuada was weighed down by that awful knowledge.
The other dragon nudged her brother's face with her muzzle then reared up and threw her head back, letting out a high-pitched wail of such raw sorrow and grief that it tore at the hearts of the elf and the human who sat alongside her dying brother.
Nuada knew it was time. As he felt the slowing pulse of life in the young dragon, he called upon the heart of his magic - the gossamer threads of light woven into Eternity - and started to ease the dying creature's pain through the bond they shared.
Elfraine could hardly bear the agony of her own grief; she threw her arms around the dragon and buried her face in his neck, determined to hold onto him to the end. And in a reaction to the agonising pain which consumed her – a reaction which had become instinctive after almost four hundred years – she pushed through with her own dragon magic... and suddenly found herself burning in a furnace of blazing, white light that was surely hotter than the heart of any sun.
References:
Riot act: an English law, enacted in 1715, providing that if 12 or more people unlawfully assemble and disturb the public peace, they must disperse upon proclamation or be considered guilty of felony. To read someone the riot act means to warn or reprimand them forcefully.
Daedalean: impenetrable, unfathomable, complex. See Daedalus (Greek myth) - Athenian architect/inventor who built the labyrinth for King Minos of Crete. He made wings of wax and feathers for himself and his son, Icarus, to flee the island after Minos imprisoned them in the labyrinth along with the Minotaur, for whom the maze was originally built. Icarus ignored his father's warning and flew too close to the sun. The wax in his wings melted and he fell into the sea and drowned.