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  Faith & Fury

  Demon Hunters, Book I

  Faith and Fury, Demon Hunters, Book I

  Copyright © 2019 by Tiger Hebert. All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the author.

  This novella is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Brightblade Press

  Cover Design by

  Bad Moon Art Studio

  Published in the United States of America

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Map

  1 Flesh and Flames

  2 The Setting Sun

  3 Sell-Sword

  4 Ill Tidings

  5 Of Gods and Men

  6 Friendly Fire

  7 Into the Dark

  8 Making an Exit

  9 Frozen Ascent

  10 Spoils

  11 Frizjarda

  12 Ice Storm

  13 Braegen’s Hold

  14 South Road

  15 Burning Rage

  16 Promises

  17 Ashes to Ashes...

  About the Author

  To my beautiful wife, Alaina, for your undying love and support.

  Map

  Full-size map at www.TigerHebert.com/Riftborn

  1

  Flesh and Flames

  The smoke of fires rose from the gloomy village up ahead of Vacinne LeDroux. The rift warden pushed her weary horse into the village’s growing shadow. The young holy warrior’s rugged armor bounced with every step her horse made. The light of the late afternoon sun painted warmth upon her beautiful, pale face. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a tight tail and her bright blue eyes scanned the scene before her.

  Stone houses that looked like time had forgotten them loomed ahead. Moss clung to their stones. Thatched roofs would protect the dwellings from the night’s coming storm. Cawing crows and the gentle rush of the wind were the only sounds that escaped the village of Dunmorrow.

  Why is it so quiet? wondered Vacinne.

  As she reached the first row of houses, her horse stomped and snorted in protest and tried to pull back. Vacinne couldn’t deny it, this place unnerved her too. The dark alleys ahead of her invited dark images to her mind. Lightning flashed, then cracked and pealed in the distance. Fear grasped her chest, sending chilling fingers down her neck, forcing the breath from her lungs. Vacinne shuddered and gasped for breath as the cold gusts of storm winds blew through the town. Her horse shifted nervously in continued protest.

  “Get a hold of yourself Vacinne,” she said in a hope that the reprimand might give her courage.

  Her left hand stroked the uneasy mare’s neck. Her right hand squeezed the grip as she drew her broadsword from its gilded scabbard. The regal double-edged sword shook in her trembling grip.

  “Whoa there, easy girl. We’ve got to find Warden Masoc’s company. They were last seen in this region; we’ve got to be close. Let’s finish the job.”

  Finish the mission echoed in her mind, giving Vacinne the determination to move forward.

  The mare’s ears stayed perked, flickering back and forth. She continued to shift about nervously, until Vacinne urged her into the alley. Ellie whinnied, but obeyed her master. The two rode ahead toward the center of the seemingly abandoned village at a cautious pace. The wind picked up as the late autumn storm pressed closer.

  Clack!

  Wooden shutters slammed against the side of a nearby cottage as the wind caught it. Vacinne’s heart raced in her chest.

  Bang!

  The brilliant flash of nearby lightning lit up the sky as the thunder reverberated across the rolling countryside.

  Vacinne gasped loudly. Ellie neighed and bolted down the alley way. Vacinne was thrown back in her saddle but held fast to the reins, her sword arm flailing backward, and her blue cape trailing behind. Ellie raced down the last stretch of the corridor and leapt over a broke down cart to break free of the alley. She burst into the village square before finally coming to a halt. Vacinne steadied herself atop the frightened mare only to be rocked by the haunting scene around her.

  Bodies filled the village square. Hundreds of freshly mutilated corpses lay scattered about in every direction. Men, women, and children, some with clothes, some without, lay scattered and lifeless. Limbs and bodies formed disgusting heaps, giving the scene a wicked and warped sense of chaotic organization. Half a dozen iron cages hung like dead men in the gallows, their contents burned beyond recognition. The remnants of the fires slowly burned their way through a mound of dead clergy. The fire devoured holy garments and flesh alike without prejudice, and the tainted black smoke rolled across the square.

  As a rift warden, Vacinne had been trained to stand as a gatekeeper of the mortal realm of Kurein. She’d spent years training for the day that she’d finally take up her place on the battlefield against the hordes of Hell, the day that she’d finally spill demon’s blood on the field of battle, but it did nothing to prepare her for the scene before her. Disbelief and nausea hit her in waves.

  “They were butchered!”

  With another year of training left she’d not partaken in any battles yet, but she’d seen her fair share of them and their bloody aftermaths. But this, this was different. The gruesome manner of mutilation to the bodies was horrific. Flesh flayed open, organs spilled, extremities mangled, or in some cases simply hacked off. Bodies burned beyond recognition.

  “Why?” she asked, knowing there would be no reply.

  Ellie snorted and stomped about.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Vacinne saw something move. She twisted in her saddle to the right. There she watched an old man try to drag his mangled body from an alley. Vacinne dismounted as the man pulled himself fully into view. His broken and bleeding legs left streaks of blood in their wake. Rivulets of blood ran down the man’s sides. Vacinne sheathed her sword and started toward him.

  The old man looked up at her, and with terror in his eyes he cried, “Don’t, it’s too late!”

  She rushed toward him. As she drew close, he screamed in agony. The wounds on his back, as she could now see, were demonic runes carved into his flesh, and they were glowing like a blazing iron brand just pulled from the fire. His torn flesh sizzled and burned as the activated runes surged with demonic magic.

  “Oh no, it’s happening!” cried Vacinne.

  She drew her sword and reached for her shield, but realized it was back on her horse. The old man screamed again as a massive rift of swirling red smoke and blazing light began to form next to him. In just seconds the demonic gateway took form. The paths between the realms of Kurein and Hell had been forged.

  The silhouette of a towering figure took shape in the red void. Vacinne mustered all of her courage and prepared her sword for battle. As the figure drew near, the nine ornate runes carved into the blade’s fuller glowed with yellow light.

  “This is what you’ve trained for,” she reminded herself.

  The old man screamed. A massive clawed foot came crashing through the portal, silencing the old man once and for all. His mutilated body was destroyed under the demon’s crushing weight. It continued forward until its massive form was completely clear of the rift. Vacinne’s courage faltered, and she stumbled backward at the sight of it.

>   Powerful arms with clawed hands pulled the corpulent tan slug-like body along the ground. A hideous face with dozens of eyes stared back at her. Its eyes blinked asynchronously as its maw opened, revealing rows with hundreds of tiny barbed teeth and a serpentine tongue. Rising above its head, Vacinne could see the tips of the many spines that undoubtedly covered the demon’s back.

  “Vorthor, a proliferator demon,” she gasped.

  “That I am, human, but wouldn’t you like to know my name?” it hissed.

  “Sure, it’ll be perfect for your headstone.”

  “Humans, always in such a rush to meet death. Absolutely delightful,” rasped the demon with a wicked grin. “My name is Syzbrylak.”

  Vacinne held her battle stance, her sword poised to strike. “What do you want, demon?”

  “To take back what has been stolen,” roared the demon.

  “What could have possibly been stolen from demons?”

  “Freedom!” The demon roared as it charged her.

  Vacinne had trained against live demons in her warden training at the Kothari Temple. Those demons were held in captivity though, bound by Kothari magic. This time, she was on her own.

  Vacinne was no ordinary warrior though. She was a Rift Warden and they were some of the most highly trained warriors on the entire continent of Durghast. She was also Lightborn. Fate had chosen her, infusing her with the power of the Heavens.

  Vacinne tapped into her will and called upon the holy power within her as the demon charged. She launched a phase strike. Syzbrylak crashed right through the illusion of the female warden. Vaccine was a storm of golden lightning, rapidly striking her target from several different angles only to leave a mirage at each point.

  The demon laughed. “Ahaahaha, a Riftborn. Even with that power running through your blood, you cannot defeat me, child!”

  The demon spun on her and lashed out with his clawed hands. She phased away in the nick of time, his claws harmlessly slipping through another illusion. She launched her phasing strike attack again, but her sword failed to find any purchase.

  “Foolish mortal. Not even an Ashthorill Runeblade can cut through this hide when in the hands of a stupid child!”

  The demon turned about, slower than before, and looked around until it found her. Its breaths becoming labored, and its movements slower.

  Syzbrylak rasped, “You amused me for a moment, but I tire of this game. Let’s finish this.”

  Vacinne whispered words under her breath, and shouted, “Finish it then!”

  Using its powerful arms, the demon lumbered across the bloodstained square toward her. Vacinne held her blade chest high, with the point straight forward. She would impale it. Her blade began to glow brightly, and the light from the runes radiated outward, engulfing the sword in yellow light. The demon roared and threw itself toward her.

  Vacinne phased. Her illusion awaited the demon while she launched her phasing strike. But the demon never came. Syzbrylak halted in his tracks and spun back the other direction. She struck the demon from the left and the right, then slammed right into the demon’s grasp. He squeezed her armored body in his massive clutches. Vacinne screamed as she hacked at the demon.

  “Such a fine weapon... useless in the hands of the ignorant,” said the demon before raising her up and slamming her into the ground again and again.

  A layer of corpses broke her fall, eliciting the sick wet thud of the bodies being crushed. The vorthor demon opened its maw to devour Vacinne. Shaken and panicking, Vacinne threw a magical shield around herself. A small dome of pale-yellow light surrounded her right as the demon’s fangs bore down. Syzbrylak slammed down upon the shield but couldn’t get through. He snarled and gnashed his teeth and tore at it with all his might, but the barrier held. Vacinne tried to phase out to escape the demon, but her phasing didn’t allow her to pass her barrier.

  “Hahahaha! Stupid Riftborn child doesn’t even understand her own powers,” mocked the demon. “How long must I wait to eat you?”

  “This shield holds for days,” Vacinne snapped.

  “I highly doubt that, but I’ve not the patience to test you on it. There are other matters demanding my time and energy. But know this, O mighty Rift Warden, Keeper of the Gates—you failed. In every possible way, you failed. The gate was opened, I came through, and you could not stop me. Now I am leaving with barely a scratch. Even with an Ashthorill Runeblade, you failed. Remember that.”

  The vorthor demon chortled as it backed away from her. It turned, grabbed a naked corpse, and swallowed it whole. Vacinne fought to maintain command of her will, but exhaustion was setting in rapidly. She tried to keep her eyes open and her wits about her. Her vision swam, but she could see well enough to watch the demon swallow ten or more corpses. Syzbrylak’s corpulent body stretched and contorted to hold the new contents, then the demon crawled away from the village and out of sight.

  Vacinne’s vision grew cloudy. She cried out, “Light protect me.”

  The last of the power surged out of her and into her shield. Vacinne fell back onto the pile of corpses as her world faded to black.

  2

  The Setting Sun

  Vacinne awoke to Ellie’s nudging and a pounding headache. She reached up and rubbed the mare’s snout. Vacinne forced her tired eyes open. The darkness was a welcomed surprise. Her magical barrier was replaced by the blanket of night. Overhead, the stars and a silvery moon shined brightly. She wasn’t sure if the headache was from her battle with the vorthor demon or from expending so much power. She tried to sit up. Pain echoed through her body.

  “Who are you kidding? That demon thrashed you,” she said to herself.

  Her sense of smell engaged along with the realization that she was lying on dead bodies. Revulsion hit her along with the urge to discard the contents of her stomach. She rolled over and vomited. After a moment of recovery, Vacinne wiped her mouth dry and forced herself to her feet.

  “Ugh, I need a bath.”

  She went to rest her hand on the grip of her sheathed sword only to realize the sheath was empty. The sword wasn’t there. For an instant, panic rose within her.

  “Oh, right. Where...” then she spotted the blade several feet away from her. No longer glowing, it was hard to see in the starlight at first, save for a sliver of moonlight reflecting off the blade’s well-honed edge. Reaching down, she lifted the blade and returned it to its sheath.

  She took a moment to look around. The village fires had burned out sometime during her sleep.

  “Must have been put out by the rain. Wait, it didn’t rain here. That storm was surely coming down from the mountains and was poised to pass right through here. Strange. No signs of Warden Masoc’s company either.”

  Vacinne put her hands on her hips and turned to her horse, who patiently stood nearby.

  “What do we do now Ellie? I’ve yet to find Masoc, we’ve got a proliferator demon on the loose—one who properly thrashed me by the way—, and we’ve got no help.”

  The horse nickered.

  “That’s it, Ellie, we need some help. The temple is too far away, and there is no way the Grand Master Jharenon is sending us help. Even if he requested aid from Boranar or High Crown, it would take nearly a week for them to reach us. It would take twice as long for anyone to come directly from the temple, so we can forget about that too. It’s just too far. Still, I should try to reach the Grand Master.”

  The horse snorted.

  Vacinne looked over her left shoulder, saw the bloody stains on the back of her once pristine blue cape. She sighed, then looked back at Ellie. “I guess we’d better find some help then.”

  Vacinne slid her boot into the stirrup and climbed atop the tawny mare. She took one more look in the direction she believed the demon went. It was too dark for her to make out anything in the distance. Vacinne studied the village and its nearest landmarks, then turned her attention to the stars. She found it, the constellation they called The Eternal Hunt. Over a dozen stars formed the two-part
constellation that depicted an arrow eternally chasing a deer. The constellation always reminded her of her studies in the temple where she first learned the story of the mythical huntress Hamala, who never caught her prize.

  “Eastward is the arrow that eternally flies,” she recited from memory as her finger traced the path of Hamala’s heavenly arrow. “So, if that is east, the demon went north from Dunmorrow. Okay girl, let’s get to Ketabo.”

  A few hours had passed, but Vacinne and Ellie finally reached the nearest town. With an hour or so left till midnight, the town of Ketabo was alive and well. Fires were roaring, drinks were flowing, and no tavern bustled more than the Gaggled Goose. Naturally, Vacinne headed the other direction in search of the quietest inn she could find.

  It wasn’t long before Vacinne located The Setting Sun Inn on the southern side of town. She’d been told it was one of the few reputable establishments in Ketabo, one where she might avoid unwanted attention. She hadn’t travelled away from the Kothari Temple very often, but she’d heard horror stories about wayward men who abandoned the Light in their basest desires. According to the stories she’d been told, all men were predators, save those sanctified by the Light. In her limited time on the road, she’d seen little to change her mind. It didn’t bother her much in regard to her safety.

  I couldn’t kill a demon, but I’m pretty sure the hides of men aren’t so thick, she thought.

  No, the idea of desire driven, pleasure craving lasciviousness that was the male species was rather repulsive to her.

  Do they have nothing else to think on?

  She didn’t understand it, and quite frankly she simply didn’t want to be bothered. So she kept as far from the taverns and bordellos as possible, instead seeking out quietly run inns. She figured those businesses could probably use a few extra crowns anyway.

  She tethered Ellie to the hitching rail out front and made her way inside The Setting Sun. The thumping of her boots and the shutting of the door behind her were close to the only sounds in the place. The hearth’s low burning fire gave off warmth and enough light to keep the room illuminated. The main room resembled a cozy lodge or perhaps even a small, well-kept tavern. The pristine, polished floor, deserted bar and empty tables told her that she was quite possibly the only patron to come through the doors in hours if not days. Vacinne looked about but saw no servers or barkeep.