The Fifth Beast (ManxMan Chinese/Celtic Fantasy Story)

Chapter 46

Niall growled and accelerated. He pushed Faolan's saber away, squeezed the hand holding his braid, broke its iron grip, slashed with his sword without looking. Fao evaded the blow deftly, changed the grip on his saber for a more comfortable one. Of course, Niall lost his shield of lightning in the process, and the barbarians poured onto the drawbridge again.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze: Niall with a sword and Fao with a curved saber opposite each other in front of the gates of Sliabh Mis, a black wave of barbarians on one side, shiny chain mails, shields and spears of the Tuaths on the other. Outside the castle walls, the dawn broke, and inside the walls fires flared up. A fragile, quick moment of power balance. Neither side had a visible advantage. No one could win, but both sides could destroy each other.

The white wolf, snarling, rushed at the Tuaths, and they backed away horrified, and some of them even threw down their weapons and fled.

"Cold steel! Demons are afraid of cold steel! Spearmen, forward!" Niall yelled, casting the shield of lightning again. O Lugh and Nuada, why didn't he have ten arms! Why couldn't he shoot lightning bolts directly from his eyes, as the great Nechtan Mac Ethliu was rumored to be capable of?

He rushed with a sword at the white wolf, trying not to lose the shield spell, and the Yuizhen of the Kirinches blocked his way. Niall could no longer accelerate, all his remaining elemental power went into the shield of lightning. But Faolan was also at his limit; his strength was leaving him. After taking Niall's sword blow on his blade, he suddenly staggered and fell on one knee. How easily Niall could have casted away Fao's blade with his steel bracer, reversed the grip on his own sword and driven the blade into the barbarian's neck, under his chain mail! The white wolf would surely disappear after that, Niall's archers and spearmen would come to their senses, the gates would be defended, captured back and closed...

Niall couldn't bring himself to land the killing blow.

Only if the fate of the blessed kingdom of Mag Tuired depended on it... He wasn't sure he could, even if that's was the case.

Fao used his saber as a crutch, and struggled to his feet. He stood, unsteady on his feet, before Niall, still pointing his saber downwards, without attacking. The Yuizhen wiped the blood from his chin, and spat to the side.

"If you kill me, Niall Mac Nechtan, my warriors will reduce your whole castle to ruins. Only I can stop them."

"So stop them," Niall said through clenched teeth and lowered his blade.

The hand with which he was casting the shield of lightning trembled, burning sparks now and then fell down from his fingers, instead of pouring into the shield.

Fao turned to the barbarians and shouted commandingly in Mengyu, "Stand down!"

The most amazing thing then happened: they all stopped their movements, as if rooted to the spot, and the archers lowered their drawn bows, and the red-haired barbarian lowered his spear, which he was aiming for a throw. Even the wolf stopped snarling at the Tuaths and returned to its master. Fao patted the wolf on the head and smiled crookedly.

Niall cautiously let go of the shield spell, ready to cast it back on again any minute, and stretched his weary fingers.

"Let's assume, Faolan Three Swords, that you don't want ruins."

"I don't even want your castle," Fao said with disarming sincerity. "I won't be able to hold it for long, I'm unlikely to find all your secret stashes, and I won't burden myself with slaves and cattle. Pay the ransom and you'll be left with your castle, your peasants and lands."

"Three hundred cumals of silver, and give me one week to collect the ransom."

"Five hundred. And I give you time until sunset today. Bring the ransom in person, Steward of the North, come alone and unarmed. I give you my word that you will not be harmed in my camp." Fao leaned closer, lowered his voice, "Don't forget to include the silver bracelet." With a wink, he added, "And put on that silver dress, I like it."