The hands continued stabbing at him with sharp nails, but Will’s skin resisted everything. Then he activated the spell and the coin in his hand dissolved, flowing toward the sword he held. As it ran up the blade, the silver dust exploded into argent flames. Damn that looks wicked!
That’s why the ladies loved me, said Ethelgren.
Shut it, pervert, Will chastised. “Tiny, catch!” he shouted, and with those words he tossed the rapier into the air. If their positions had been reversed, Will probably would have missed the catch. There was simply too much going on, and catching a sword by the hilt required a certain amount of concentration, even if a person was ready.
But in Tiny’s present state, the falling weapon was moving at a relatively sedate pace. He tossed his falchion at Will and snatched the rapier by the hilt in one blindingly fast motion. On his end of the exchange, Will arrested the falchion’s movement by attempting to block it with his face. A point-defense shield stopped it at the last instant, though when he thought about it later, the sharp edge probably wouldn’t have cut him with the iron-body transformation in place anyway, but reflexes didn’t wait for thoughtful decisions.
From the moment Tiny took up the burning silver blade, his whirling rampage changed, becoming a holy storm of destruction. Throughout the course of their fight, the outlying vampires had drawn closer and closer, threatening to overwhelm them with numbers as they ran out of ammunition. Now they began to retreat, and the smarter ones turned to flee.
Will had planned to summon his own falchion and repeat the silver-sword spell, but there wasn’t time. As the space around them increased, he switched to using force-lances to cripple those trying to run.
Tiny had become an unstoppable force of nature. The Dragon-Heart potion had given him incredible strength and speed, and while the vampires could match that, they didn’t have his mass. The shield Will had given him was long gone, destroyed by powerful attacks the vampires had assailed him with, but his sword rose and fell in blinding arcs, cutting and burning everything in its path, while his left hand seized those that came within reach. Some vampires he drew closer, if his sword was headed in the right direction; others he simply jerked off their feet. Usually before they could recover, his sword had returned.
Silver fire and black ash surrounded the giant man, who seemed to have transformed into an incarnation of carnage.
The last of the vampires were running, but they did so without legs. Some crawled on arms alone, still moving at an impressive speed, but it wasn’t sufficient to escape the raging warrior and his burning retribution. Tiny raced after the last of them, while Will tossed vials of alchemical fire on those that were closer.
A minute later and it was all but over. Will stood panting where they had started, while Tiny raced around in the distance, roaring and killing anything that moved. Any people that had been within sight of them at the beginning had long since retreated. Will watched as a beautiful elm that had lined the road leading from the gate crashed slowly to the ground, flames spouting from the thickest part of its trunk. Holy shit! Did he just cut that tree down—with a rapier?
Told you it was a good spell, said Ethelgren dryly. Though your friend must be exceptionally strong to do that with it.
Dragon-Heart potion, Will informed him.
Ahh.
Will waited, and after a few minutes Tiny returned. His chest was heaving, and his eyes glowing red in a fashion so unnatural that it even made Will nervous. “Are you all right?”
Tiny grinned maniacally. “Never better! Do you see any more of them?” His head kept moving from side to side as he scanned the area, but his neck moved so quickly that his features blurred each time. “I think that’s all of them.” He sounded disappointed.
At the very least there weren’t any more screams to be heard. There might still be some hidden, but Will hoped that the soldiers or perhaps some of the remaining sorcerers would find them. Quite a few of the teachers and some students had elementals, after all. He shared his concern with Ethelgren.
The spell that protects them from daylight won’t last long without someone to reapply it. If there’s a wizard with them, you’ll never catch him in a crowded area like this, said the dead wizard.
Then I should move on and find the king and Androv.
You’re going after that one? You should let me take over.
Will shook his head. Again, no. The iron-body transformation was beginning to feel onerous as it used a not-inconsiderable amount of turyn to maintain, so he dismissed it. Then he noticed that Tiny seemed to be swaying on his feet. “Are you all right, Tiny?”
The squire’s breathing was coming in big gasps. “Yeah. I’m just a little tired. I think I need to sit down.”
Will helped him over to a tree and watched Tiny slide down it until he was resting with his back against the base. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m not sure. Things are starting to hurt.”
Concerned, Will began checking Tiny over. His armor seemed to be intact, but one of the crossbow quarrels seemed to have penetrated the mail a short distance, though not far enough for the barbs to enter his flesh. He pulled it out and then looked at Tiny’s face and hands, which were bare. There were several small cuts, but none of them bled. Weird.
Tiny began to moan as his agony slowly increased. Will began checking the man’s ribs and found several that appeared to be out of place, though whether they were dislocated or fractured he couldn’t be sure through the padding and mail. The biggest shock came when he realized that the big man’s clavicle had snapped. He shouldn’t even be able to move!
The potion finally ran out, and Will saw the cuts on his friend’s face suddenly begin to bleed, right in front of his eyes. Seconds later, a red bloom appeared on Tiny’s gambeson where the bolt had pierced his side. Tiny tried to move his arm and screamed.
Will summoned a blood-cleanse potion and gave that to him first, to make sure none of the cuts caused him to turn. They looked clean, but he wasn’t going to take the chance. After that, he waited a few minutes and pulled the regeneration potion out of Tiny’s belt case. “Here, take this.” He held the vial up to Tiny’s lips so he wouldn’t have to try and use his arms.
The next few minutes were pure misery for the squire. Will had to help him lie flat while his bones were mending, which prompted a long series of groans and painful cries. When he finally seemed comfortable, Will knew he needed to go, but he still felt guilty.
Tiny’s eyes were closed as he spoke. “We still need to find the king, don’t we?”
“I’m pretty sure I know where he is.”
“Just let me catch my breath and I’ll be right as rain.”
Will shook his head. “Your body was wrecked. The regeneration potion is going to take a toll. I doubt you’ll wake up until tomorrow.”