David Bishop and the Mystic of Creation T.C. Crawford (icecream ebook reader txt) 📖

they had been through together. He had become her best friend, her confidant, and she loved him too much to let him go.

“I can’t lose you, David, I just can’t!” she said through chest-racking sobs.

David held her in his arms, tenderly stroking her hair as tears fell freely down his face.

They sat together for a long while and cried together, holding each other until the sobs finally subsided and were replaced with a deafening silence.

Erin finally sat up and looked into David’s eyes, her beautiful face red and puffy from crying.

“I stand by what I said. Stay with me tonight? If I can’t have you forever, let me at least have you tonight.” she asked, looking up at him eagerly.

How could he deny her such a thing? David smiled and nodded.

That night they spent together, that last night, Erin would cherish for all eternity.

Chapter XXXII

The next morning Erin and David set off through the forest and into the campground to find the others. The morning had come for their march to battle and they were as prepared as they ever would be.

They found Rex and the others in the command tent, each dressed in their most splendid armor and prepared for the coming battle as if it were their last – and it would be. Whether they won and the Defiant One was sealed away once again, or they lost, and the world was destroyed – one way or the other their time at war was about to be coming to an end.

When they saw the look of resolution on David and Erin’s face, they knew the time had come.

Together, they marched their army of men, Elves, and Dwarves up the Great Road towards Draco’s Pass and over the snow dusted mountain. When they reached the crest of the pass, marking the divide between the eastern and western sides, they got their first look of the amassing army of demons far below in the Great Plains. They were marching from the Outer Woods near what remained of Eldergate, flowing across the great grassy fields like a black flood of death.

Their masses covered the landscape for miles between the edge of the tree line to the north and the foothills of the mountains to the south, while the air above was littered with winged beasts of war, circling above like vultures, ready for the coming battle.

David and Erin shared a look of determination before pressing on to the other side of the pass, heading down the mountain path and into the Great Plains below.

The once green, grassy field had now turned to dry grass from the changing seasons, mixed with trampled muddy ground from the hundreds of thousands of marching feet that had been crossing back and forth on its surface over the past couple of weeks.

The air was cool and dry with the sky mostly overcast to match the gloomy atmosphere of the pending battle below.

The allied forces reached the bottom by mid-day and gathered into three great divisions at the foothills of the eastern slopes. Each group had two battalions of Dwarves in the front lines with their great halberds and lances standing at the ready for the coming charge, standing behind two long rows of mounted warriors with long spears and short swords on their hips.

Behind them stood several battalions of men and elves, laden with the decorative armor of their respective kingdoms and each carrying their preferred weapon of war. The rear of each battalion consisted of several companies of archers from all of the races, prepared to release volley after volley of magically crafted arrows designed specifically for the demon horde that would fly farther and faster than ordinary arrows - allowing them to soar through the air to their target from the safety of the rear. They were ordered to focus first on the flying enemies to protect the others from being picked off by the winged beasts before targeting the masses on the ground.

Each division was being led by one of the Generals or Kings of each race. The left division would be led by Kings Eldergate and Reximus Kane, with their Generals Nathaniel Ryan and Cornelius Owen at their sides. The middle division would be led by Prince Gilric Ellisar of the Woodland Elves. And the right division would be led by King Tybrin Hammerclaw of the Dwarves of Emerald Keep. Together, they made a formidable force, but before the great sea of darkness, their numbers were but a fraction of the size and paled in comparison. It would be a desperate battle indeed.

The plan was for the main forces to keep the demons occupied and at bay long enough for David to find the Defiant One and take him out. Once he did so, he would be able to unleash the spell of banishment, sending the Defiant One back into the Dark Abyss, along with the remaining forces of Demons and undead soldiers. In order for the spell to work, the Defiant One would have to be in a weakened state, and they knew this would be no easy task - even for David with his newly regained powers.

Their whole plan rested on David’s success. If he failed, or if he took too long, their defeat was all but certain – it was a risk they were all willing to take.

Seeing that the fight was about to begin, David and Erin took one last moment to say goodbye and wish each other luck in the coming battle.

David leaned in with a passionate kiss before parting for the last time.

“I love you, Erin Alderan. I always will.” he said, trying his hardest to smile and be strong while fighting back the tears.

“And I love you, David Bishop. You have come into my life and changed it for the better. I will never forget you, and I will carry you in my heart forever.” she said, smiling as tears welled up once again.

“Now go and save the world!” she said