Chapter 9

{The old woman is smart. Putting up all those barriers, numbering fifty-seven in under two minutes. Unfortunately, they are forgetting a very vital piece of information, dukes prefer non-physical attacks but that doesn't make them weak.}

Howard turned his attention away from the crow and back to the screen. He watched as a figure shrouded in darkness engulfed the dome-like structure protecting the two.

"Should we help them?"

The crow sighed, clicking its beak. A silver bracelet appeared around Howard's left arm.

{Aim for the spot between the eyes.}

"Oi, you want me, to go bare-handed, without a weapon to kill a creature I know nothing about?"

{Aren't you the one who wanted to help them?}

"I was thinking more of you waving a hand or in your case flapping a wing and saving them, you are a deity after all,"

The crow side-eyed him for a second then started preening its feathers. Howard turned back to the screen.

{Aren't you the one who says I am just an artefact?}

Nike stood firm, Magnarr across his chest as a sign of defiance against the blackness that stared back at him with two luminous green orbs.

It extended a claw as if pointing at the weapon. Nike raised it a little higher and the glow intensified.

A cackle came forth from the darkness that was followed by hushed laughter from the minions behind it.

The Duke extended his hand suddenly but Nike was ready. The hammer threw out a bright white light dissolving all the Shadowkin.

When the light dimmed, only the Duke was left. It lowered its dark shield and took a step forward. A humungous black ethereal sword materialised in its hand.

The sword was raised in the air and then quickly dropped in a slashing manner. Nike tried to ward it off but realised it wasn't a physical one when the sword went right through him.

At the point of contact between the sword and his body, he felt a cold pain that quickly ebbed away.

Another sharp pain shot up his arm and into his head forcing Nike to drop down on his left knee. He closed his eyes momentarily praying for the pain to go away.

It did momentarily and he opened his eyes to find himself in an open field. The sun was shining high in the sky, dotted with a few clouds.

A moo behind him made him turn to see a cow happily munching away at the lush green grass. A young girl was tending to the cow, as it ate.

Further down the field was a rambling old stone cottage, whose chimney was spouting out rings of white smoke. The door opened to reveal a portly motherly figure smiling at him.

He took a tentative step forward as she beckoned to him. The young girl ran towards him stopping only to embrace him.

"What did you bring me big brother?" she asked him. He raised her up to his height which wasn't much and twirled her around.

He pretended to search his pockets and pulled out a flower that he put in her hair.

The sound of hooves reached his ears and he turned his head to see four riders on horseback approaching them. The foremost one had lowered a lance and was charging straight for the two. A third one branched off and headed to the woman at the doorstep who was watching him strangely. 

He tried to utter a warning but his voice froze and he watched in horror as the third horseman skewered the woman with his broadsword. 

The lancer had reached him and he tried to push the girl away but couldn't. His hands went through her as if he were a ghost. He tried to close his eyes, but his eyelids were missing and he watched as the young girl was run through with the metre-long pike. To add insult to injury, the rider raised up the lance and watched in glee as the body hung impaled in the air. 

The other two riders were on either side and each raised a sword ready to slash at him. 

He looked at the one on his right and felt his eyes warm up, but not with tears. They were warming up and that was when he knew. 

A violet light spread out of his eyes and covered him just as the swords landed. He instinctively put out his arm and Magnarr was in his hand. 

The hammer resonated with him and engulfed him, cocooning him in a warm light. The purple aura then rose up into the air and branched into four different stakes that then struck each rider squarely in their heads. 

Nike let out a roar and he pushed the Shadow Duke from his mind. He gave out another bellow and his hammer grew white-hot. He threw it at the Duke who was caught off guard. 

The hammer struck its head and the green hue in its eyes dimmed out for good. Nike looked up gratefully at Violette who had removed her eyepatch. The hidden eye now glowing a strong shade of violet. Her other eye had a faint blue tinge to it. She smiled back at him. 

"Sorry I took long," she whispered. He squeezed her hand softly, just glad that he had got out of that nightmare. 

On the other battlefield, Frank and Winjoy were having it worse. The Duke having realised that the two humans before him had such mental fortitude had resorted to physical attacks. 

Winjoy being the strongest defence team member found herself sweating and having to go on the defence. 

Frank had recovered enough to fight back but his last encounter with another Duke still affected him mentally. His attacks were weak and barely did anything other than irritate the Duke. 

Howard watched as his cousin was used as a punching bag. Some part of him felt bad as he was his only family and yet he took no further action. He could feel the crow's hawk gaze on him. 

"Is there something you want?" he finally asked the crow. 

{Nothing, I'm just surprised that you haven't jumped into action.} 

Howard sighed, "One, I am not a big fan of family as you've already noted and two you just want to test me out and the bracelet, don't worry I'm also itching to try it out but it's not yet time."

Winjoy continued putting up shields protecting Frank from the relentless barrage of fists and sword. A normal person would have been turned into a bloody pulp by now. The issue though was that the shields were being destroyed after one hit and she had to constantly make new ones. 

It was said maintaining a shield was more exerting than creating a new one. But constantly creating new ones was just as exhausting. She knew at this rate they would be in hot water. She also wondered why Frank wasn't attacking. 

Of the team, he was the most powerful in terms of raw power and the deadliest. Whereas Violette was deadly due to her stealth, Frank was like a bullet train bearing down on you. Yet, he wasn't fighting back. 

Little did she know that her mental shields had been placed up too late. The Duke was toying with them both. He had already got a foothold in Frank's mind and made the human cower in terror as it relieved that moment.