He slashed out at the creature again. This time the bear anticipated his strike and feinted cleverly away from his sword. The blade whistled through the air as he missed his target.
Lephas barely had time to think before the bear stood and brought both of its big paws down on him. He flung his sword between them, grasping both ends of the weapon in his gloved hands. The creature's claws caught on the edge of the sword and, gaining purchase, it fought down with all its strength.
The demon fell onto his back foot as he steadied himself. His biceps burnt as he matched the bear in a battle of strength, one on one. Though he shook violently with effort, Lephas' strong body held.
It lasted but a moment. The commander darted skilfully away and the bear's paws crashed down inches from him once more.
Lephas panted, the ice-cold air burning in his chest. He glanced around hurriedly in search of Lori, but hecouldn't see her. Snowflakes continued to pelt at him, stinging his eyes.
The sable bear rebounded and roared as it threw itself towards him. Lephas raised his sword to block the onslaught but the creature recoiled at the last second.
The demon stumbled forward, wrong footed, and the bear struck.
He wasn't even aware that the animal had caught him until Lori's blood-curdling scream pierced through the storm.
“No!”
Lephas roared in pain as the bear's huge mouth encased the forearm he had thrown up to protect himself. The sharp teeth crumpled his armoured plate like paper and pierced through his flesh.
The creature dragged him to the ground roughly. Unthinking and blinded by white hot pain, Lephas viciously struck forward with his free sword arm. The blade lodged itself in the bear's thick neck muscle, but not nearly deep enough to reach any of the vital arteries.
Nevertheless, the blow was enough for the beast to release his arm as it howled in pain. Fresh, bright blood poured from his body at an alarming rate, saturating the snow with crimson. He lost his grip on his weapon,leaving it sticking out of the bear.
Somewhere, in a dark corner of his mind, Lephas acknowledged his imminent death. He stared vacantly at the shredded remains of his left forearm. Blood spurted from a severed artery, flesh lay in tatters and pink, fresh bone splintered through the remains of his skin.
There was no recovering from an injury like that without healing majick.
Putting the blinding pain to the back of his consciousness, he fixed the bear with a stare. The enormous beast glowered back at him, its muzzle streaked with his blood.
The demon needed to kill it, before it killed him... Before it killed Lori.
His vision wavered but Lephas fought to his feet, dark spots blotted like ink in front of his eyes. He focussed on his sword that was still sticking precariously out of the bear's neck.
Recognising this as his last opportunity, the demon stood his ground and braced for impact as the huge creature lunged for him once more.
He felt the bear's giant paw hit his chest, splintering several ribs and cracking his sternum. There were no hairline fractures this time. Lephas felt the horrifying sensation of a rib piercing into one of his lungs.
Blood spluttered from his mouth in a fine red mist and the demon reached a shaking arm out to grasp the sword's hilt. With all of his remaining strength, he pushed forward. The beast's claws pierced his abdomen and blood pooled beneath his armour as he pushed all his weight into the sword.
The sharp weapon slid forward. He felt the tell-tale grinding as the metal crunched through tendons and ligaments. Still he pushed forwards.
The bear roared in pain, a roar he matched with his own.
Just... A little further.
With a final push and a desperate yell, the sword jutted forwards. He held the hilt tight and pulled all his weight down against it.
The bear recoiled and hot blood spurted into the air as the sword sliced the massive animal's jugular wide open.
Lephas collapsed into the snow and the bear staggered away. Blood gushed out onto the snow, its heat melting great divots wherever it sprayed.
With a harrowing howl, the bear crashed down and the ground shook under the impact. Its huge body lay motionless.
The forest fell silent once more. The snow storm swirled on around them.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lori stood frozen in place. Her heart hammered harder and harder until it was all she could hear, all she could feel.
