Torak's driving need was for domination! This was where the real struggle between them lay! His enemy was not trying to kill him, but was striving instead to force him to submit. "Yield and I will spare thy life."Īnd then Garion understood. "I have no wish to kill thee, boy," Torak said, almost pleading. Garion stared up at the huge form towering over him, his mind racing. When the swords struck, edge to edge, a huge shower of sparks cascaded down over Garion.Īgain Torak raised Cthrek Goru, but a strange hunger flickered across his steel-encased face.
But, seizing his sword hilt in both hands, Garion raised his burning blade to meet that vast blow. Torak's single eye blazed in triumph as he raised the dark sword. Despite his scrambling attempt to keep his balance, he fell. Retreating before a sudden flurry of massive blows, he felt one heel catch on a heap of tumbled rock, and the rotten stones crumbled and rolled beneath his feet. It was the uneven ground that betrayed Garion. Torak's advantage of size had been erased when they had both swelled into immensity, and Garion's inexperience was offset by Torak's maiming. They were more evenly matched than Garion had imagined possible. Garion's blows were directed at Torak's blind side, and the Dark God flinched from the fire of the Orb each time the flaming sword struck, but the shadow of Cthrek Goru put a deathly chill into Garion's blood each time it passed over him. The Grolims, both human and nonhuman, aghast at the towering struggle that had suddenly erupted in their very midst, fled shrieking in terror. Great patches of stars appeared and disappeared in the roiling middle of the surging cloud. The featureless cloud that had concealed the City of Night beneath its dark mantle for five millenia began to boil and race above them. The earth rumbled and shook beneath their massive feet. Lightning seethed about them, glaring and flickering. The wind shrieked through the rotting city, tearing at the trembling stones.
The elements themselves erupted as the fight continued. Beyond thought, beyond any emotion but blind hatred, the two swung and parried and lurched through the broken ruins, crushing all beneath them. The sword of the Rivan King danced in blue flames, and Cthrek Goru, Torak's blade of shadows, swept a visible darkness with it at every blow. Rocks shattered beneath the colossal force of deflected blows. Torak, also released, raised Cthrek Goru, his lips drawn back in a snarl of hate. These two have sufficient capacity for what must be brought to bear upon them."Īnd with that Garion felt a sudden release as all constraint was removed from him.
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