Dragon Apocalypse (The Berserker and the Pedant Book 2) by Josh Powell Page A

Arthur with it.   The head landed and split open from the shock of the landing, and the gash opened from the sword’s blow.
    “Now you’ve done it,” Arthur said, glaring at Maximina.  
    Arthur got up off the ground, his eyes narrowed.   “You’re… going… to pay… for that!” he bellowed.   “Nihil Prius!”
    The room, being a fairly large one with hard surfaces all around it, had to this point echoed every noise back at them.   The echoes ceased, all sounds dulled, and the little creaks and ticks happening all around them stopped.   A black speck appeared in front of Arthur and grew into a dark sphere the size of a small dog.   The Sphere of Annihilation.
    The Sphere moved through the air slowly towards Maximina, who still clung to the ceiling.   It bumped into the pedestals that had recently held the head and the sword and the pedestals crumpled and dissolved, sucked into the sphere.   Arthur picked up the biggest chunks of the severed head and lobbed them into the Sphere. The head dissolved when it struck, no sound escaping for anyone to hear.   The silence was deafening.
    Maximina screamed, or it looked like she was screaming. Her cries did not make it past the Sphere as it inexorably moved towards her.   Pellonia jumped up and ran towards Arthur, but the three Pellonias tackled her and held her down.   Gurken charged, but the orb of ice fired a bolt at his feet, a solid chunk of ice binding them together.
    Maximina backed away along the ceiling, but the Sphere moved ever closer.   She took a crossbow from her magic sack and fired it at the Sphere. There was a brilliant flash, but even the flash dissolved and pulled back in on itself and into the sphere.   Not even light could deny the Sphere.   The Sphere moved forward.
    Ohm strummed his lute. It sounded dull and lifeless as the Sphere sucked the vibrations from the air.   Apocalypse sat on his shoulder.
    Arthur looked at Melody and pointed at Gurken. “Kill him,” Arthur said.
    Melody looked at the dwarf and smiled, sword in hand.   The dwarf struggled on the ground, feet bound and helpless.  
    The Sphere drew closer.
    Melody raised the sword and…
    The Sphere drew closer.
    Melody walked right past Gurken, striding towards Ohm.
    “What are you doing?” Arthur asked. Distracted, The Sphere momentarily stopped its advance.
    “You’ve got it wrong, wizard,” Melody snarled.   “The dragons have got to die!   They’re our true foe!”
    Ohm’s eyes grew wide; he stopped playing and ran.   Apocalypse bounced along on his shoulder, emitting an uneven growl as he went.

C HAPTER T HIRTEEN
    The Pedant and the Plan

    “RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…” APOCALYPSE GROWLED as he bounced on Ohm’s shoulder, pursued by Melody.   Melody waved around the sword she took from the pedestal as she gave chase.
    “Oh, dear,” Rufus said.
    “What is it, Doofus?” Arthur asked.   “Can’t you see I’m a little busy now?”
    “It’s just that I, uh, I recognize that sword, m’lord.”
    “You do?   From where?”
    “It’s the sword I gave to our operative with instructions to give to the dwarf.”
    “Not the…”
    “The very one, sire.   The cursed dragon slaying sword.   I’m afraid she’ll be rather occupied for the time being.”
    Melody pursued Ohm as he ran in a large circle around the room, flames spewing from Apocalypse in unsteady jets, failing to hit anything of import.   “Die, foul beast!” she cried, scurrying after him.
    Arthur rubbed his eyebrows with both hands. “Must I do everything myself?” he asked.
    “M’lord, I coul—“
    “Silence!”
    Arthur walked over to the side of the room, not to where Melody was, but to where she would be.   As Ohm ran past, Arthur waved a hand and said, “Ostium Apertum!”   A shimmering disc appeared in the air, and Melody ran right through it.   It closed behind her.
    “Now,” said Arthur.   “Where were we before being so rudely interrupted?   Ah, yes!”