In Harmony We Trust by Ryan Matthew Harker (first ebook reader txt) 📖

a semi-circle and ripped the face clean off one of the goblins. Another of the green skinned, chain mailed goblins leapt over his fallen comrade and swung his scimitar at Candlelite, slicing deep into his shoulder before it landed behind him. Candlelite growled in rage and smashed a fist into the next goblin before turning towards the one at his back, who had its sword raised over its head with both hands, prepared to attack. He grabbed both of its arms and ripped them cleanly from its body and spun again to beat the next goblin back with the severed arms, using first one and then the other as he smashed the goblin into the cobbles.
The rest of the goblins took one look at the beast that raged before them, wildly swinging two bloody arms, and instantly turned tail to scatter into the four winds.
Candlelite heaved a deep breath as he watched the cowards run, dropped the arms and turned back to the scent he was tracking. It clung heavily to the air and stung his sensitive nostrils; this scent of pure evil told him that his prey was near.
Candlelite gained a new street somewhere in the capital’s center and rounding a corner he caught a fleeting glimpse of a black robed figure as it darted into the entrance of a brick building, the tallest structure on the block.
As he moved to pursue the person the winds shifted and brought the sweet aroma of Absinthe. Candlelite quickly turned and sighted her lumbering form headed toward him from further down the street before another shift in the wind brought in a cloud of smoke and obscured her from his sight. She quickly broke from the smoke however and roared a greeting. Candlelite rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her huge neck in a bear hug as she nuzzled and licked him excitedly. He released Absinthe and pointed behind him at the tall building that the black robed figure had disappeared into. She nodded in agreement for she had been pursuing the same person.
Side by side the two lovers ran toward the towering structure, towards Harmony and their destiny.


“…force fields are currently holding them at bay we have multiple platoons stationed by each one at every major street and byway,” McAriicoys voice issued from Jeshux hand mic as the Lord Regent kept his binoculars trained on the harashna, watching as it continued to allow the zombified Gonders access to his city.
“Ok. Hold your position for now. We have about sixteen breaches in the city walls covering the west, east, and south sides but they’ve all been mostly contained. Most of our infiltration is coming from the main gates in the south wall and I’ve ordered more men into that area to see if we can’t stem the flow. I’ll let you know when or if we’re successful. Keep me up to date on the Gonder situation, Jeshux out.” Jeshux keyed off the mic and swept his binoculars over to view the south gate just in time to witness the timely arrival of his troops as a fresh wave of attackers poured in from the outside.
As he watched his men and women engage the enemy Jeshux almost felt relief at the thought that just maybe his city might survive the night when screams and the sounds of fighting reached his ears from the floors below his feet.
What now? He thought.
“Alright everyone!” he shouted to the soldiers around him. “Battle stations. It sounds like we’ve got incoming unfriendlies!” The order was unneeded though and Jeshux was grateful that his troops were already moving into position before he had even begun to issue it.
The roof Jeshux had taken over as his command outpost only had one access point, a doorway that opened into a single set of stairs that led down to the floor below and were barely wide enough for two men to ascend or descend. Besides the buildings incredible height and centralized location this had been a deciding factor in Jeshux choice for this particular building to be his roost and it was this door that every eye and rifle on the buildings large roof was now trained.
The noise from downstairs continued for several minutes while those on the roof waited, then there was one final scream and everything went silent. Trigger fingers tensed and still the mix of mercenaries and imperial soldiers waited with a patience born from many years of experience in the combat arts. The handle on the door began to jingle and then stopped. We’re being toyed with, Jeshux thought. Something’s not right here. The sound of breaking glass from behind startled everyone and Jeshux turned in time to see a dark robed figure with green smoke trailing from its cowl rise through the air above the rooftop.
“Harmony!” Jeshux shouted. “Everyone, about face!”
The soldiers spun, aimed and fired their rifles in a heartbeats time. Harmony raised one hand, hot plasma and bullets were deflected harmlessly. Harmony raised his other hand, squeezed his fingers into a fist and pulled his arm above his head. All of the rifles flew from the grasps of the startled soldiers, over the sorcerer’s head and clattered harmlessly onto the street below. Overcoming their surprise the soldiers quickly drew their pistols only to suffer an immediate repeat of Harmony’s first response. Undaunted the men and women unsheathed their swords and began to advance. Harmony uncovered his hooded head and smiled maliciously.
“Hold your positions!” Jeshux barked. He had sat and calmly watched as Harmony display his power and he knew what would come next if his people attacked the sorcerer by hand.
Harmony’s grin grew more viscous and he slowly floated down to land lightly on the roof’s edge. “Good evening Jeshux,” he greeted with oily smoothness.
“It was looking to be one until a moment ago,” Jeshux countered.
“Does my presence here disturb you,” Harmony asked.
“You know it does,” Jeshux told him. “Now what do you want?”
“Ah,” Harmony breathed. “Only, your SOUL!” The sorcerer launched himself at Jeshux.
Before he could reach the Lord Regent one of the mercenaries intercepted Harmony and the two men hit the ground. Harmony rolled atop the merc and green fire lanced from his eyes and pierced the heavens. The mercenary screamed in mortal agony as a vaporous shape was ripped from his mouth and flowed into Harmony’s. The sorcerer laughed and stood up wiping a sleeve across his face.
He turned back to his intended victim and Harmony’s eyes burned with a brighter green as he told Jeshux, “Very tasty indeed but still I wonder what your soul tastes like.”
A crack like thunder was heard from beyond. Everyone turned to see the stairway door explode off its hinges as the hulking form of a werewolf hit the roof. It spun around and demolished the outer structure in which the door had lived. Once this was done the werewolf turned back to the humans, whom of which all but Harmony and Jeshux had mouths hung agape in amazement, and waited while from the newly exposed hole in the roof came a grizzly bear in a shower of brick and timber. The bear roared in pain from the impact of its entrance and the werewolf answered with a howl of sympathy.
“It’s the Chosen Ones!” an imperial soldier called out excitedly and enthusiastic cheers rose from the soldiers which were nearly as violent as the double entrance they had just witnessed.
It was while everyone’s attention was thus occupied that Harmony seized his opportunity. He grabbed Jeshux from behind, green fire again erupted from his eyes, and the Lord Regent screamed.
However Candlelite had not been distracted by his own presence and by the time the green fire had burst from Harmony’s eyes he had covered the distance between himself and the sorcerer and wrenched his friend from the soul eaters grasp. The green retreated quick as a shot back into Harmony’s eyes and tore through the soles of his feet, lifting the sorcerer off of the ground and throwing him across the roof. Candlelite laid his unconscious friend on the roof as Absinthe barreled past them and pounced on the dazed wizard with bone cracking weight. Harmony’s chest was crushed and the breath was forcibly squeezed from his lungs but this was the incentive he needed to regain his senses. The air around him and Absinthe became absolutely still and every tuft of fur stood out from Absinthe’s body. With a tremendous boom she was separated from Harmony, head over tail through the air and she crashed into Candlelite who had been advancing from her rear.
Candlelite regained his paws and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. His eyes refocused and he saw Harmony again kneeling next to Jeshux as the Lord Regent lay unconscious. Already on all fours Candlelite sprang into action, charging the mad magician with a deep growl, and at the last second he jumped through the air with the intention of biting Harmony’s head clean from his shoulders.
It was at this moment that a terrible thing occurred. It seems that Harmony was partial to having his head upon his shoulders for he turned at the sound of Candlelite’s growl and as he turned he brought Jeshux around so that the unconscious man was between him and the leaping werewolf. It all happened so fast that there was no time for Candlelite to check himself and instead of Harmony’s neck between his jaws he tore into Jeshux collar bone and severed his friend’s jugular with his razor sharp teeth. Even this was enough to partially stun the sorcerer and Harmony released Jeshux into the werewolf’s care and launched himself backwards fifteen feet before he stopped his retreat.
Candlelite came up onto both knees with Jeshux still form cradled in his arms like a small child. He sat that way for a moment, not quite comprehending what he was looking at, and then he released a long, mournful howl before he tenderly laid his dead friend on the roof and rose to his feet.
Absinthe came up beside him and gave Jeshux corpse a quick sniff before she raised her head to look at Candlelite. Tears wet the fur around his eyes as he gazed down at her and then the two lovers turned their heads at the same time to fix Harmony with twin stares of pure hatred.
Harmony steadily returned the stares of his enemies’ and lifted the cowl of his robe over his head. “Well Chosen Ones, it seems to be down to you and me,” he gloated. “I may not have taken Jeshux soul but I thank you all the same for taking his life.” He let loose an evil cackle of delight.
Enraged by their adversary’s callousness Candlelite and Absinthe both released a growl and advanced on Harmony, carefully stepping over Jeshux as they did so.
Harmony calmly watched the pair for a moment before he began to match their steps with his own, retreating backwards toward the edge of the roof. Candlelite and Absinthe saw that their foe intended to escape from the rooftop and broke into a dead run which Harmony instantly matched. He hit the half wall that encircled the roof and tumbled over backwards. Candlelite ran even faster and without considering the consequences he reached the edge of the roof and leapt into the abyss after the magician.
Absinthe stopped short of making the same leap. She planted her paws on the half wall and she looked over the edge. She watched as Candlelite collided with Harmony and carried the sorcerer down, down, down until they both smashed into the cobbles below with a distant thud which barely reached her sensitive ears.
Grief washed through her entire body as a cloud of dust rose off of the ground and obscured her view. Absinthe turned