Excerpt from 'Zac's Destiny' available in paperback and on Kindle

The Castle under attack:

Approaching from the west, the boy and his two companions looked down over the scene from the hills above. Many of the castle’s walls were at least half reduced to rubble, and the outer courtyard was littered with bodies of the dead and dying. Demons as well as men. Signs of battle were still strong, but the fighting men of the castle had deserted the walls. They had retreated to protect the castle itself by firing arrows through the narrow window slits in the inner walls. From their raised vantage point, Zac could see the invaders were trying to enter the castle itself by means of the stone steps in the turrets. The wooden doors were no more, hanging limply on creaking, broken hinges or already smashed to the ground. Still, the demons were having trouble entering.

            “The castle is well built against attack,” Aldric explained. “The women and children will be below ground for safety, and the narrow steps leading up from ground level allow no more than two men to stand side by side. With the looks of it, only one of Vorac’s creatures can fit through at once. At least there, the men can defeat them in single file.”

            Still, the time gained seemed almost futile as, where one beast fell, a group was waiting to force through. So many of the demons remained it looked as if not one of them had been killed, despite the littered bodies. Zac voiced his suspicions to Aldric who explained.

            “This is Vorac’s work. He must be nearby. For every creature that falls, he will summon more. I’m afraid the castle is fighting a losing battle.”

            “But, what can we do?” Zac asked, desperate and afraid.

            “We must find Vorac and defeat him. With his death, the hordes will be sent back.

It is the only way, my boy,” Aldric added, staring hard at Zac.

            “How can we know where he is?” Beth asked.

            By means of the crystal,” the wizard replied with a sigh. “And by its use, Vorac will also know where we are. I’m afraid it is the only way though, and a risk we have to take.”

            Taking out the crystal, Zac handed it to Aldric without a word.

            Looking deep into the glassy depths, the wizard took a sharp intake of breath.

            “What is it?” asked Zac quickly.

            “Immediately, he senses my presence,” replied Aldric in a hushed voice, as if to prevent Vorac from hearing him. “I see where he is. He is in the northern turret room on the upper floor. I recognise the room by its pennants. But he also recognises my power so knows I am free. His magic has grown stronger than I suspected. We must prepare to defend ourselves.”

            “Defend ourselves?” Zac asked

            Aldric pointed. Already, some of the hordes outside the castle were turning their attention to the hill where Zac’s small company stood, and were beginning to head their way.

            “By all the Fates, what about Beth?” Zac asked in alarm.

            “It is too late to do anything but fight. We will protect her as well as we can, but we must get to that turret. Come,” Aldric called bravely. “We will not sit here waiting to be slaughtered like scared rabbits.”

            Without another word, the wizard kicked at the unicorn’s flanks and pounded down the hill towards the castle and the gathering hordes with his staff held high.

            Zac stared at Beth.

            “You’re not leaving me here! I’m safer with you than alone,” was all the girl said.

            Knowing they had no choice, Zac hung on to Beth firmly with his left arm. Drawing Solstice with his right hand, he set his unicorn galloping after the retreating wizard.