“We call ourselves Twilight Elves,” Rissa scowled as she responded flatly, not swayed in the least by Venna’s rather obvious attempt to flatter her. “But most simply refer to us as Dusky Elves.”
“Her people aren’t from Arrika,” Endreí added, only realizing his mistake when Rissa shot him a harsh glare.
“Well, that would explain it,” Venna ignored Rissa’s unspoken rebuke of Endreí and simply acknowledged the information.
“I think I understand our problem, and I’m hoping I can put your mind at ease,” she then continued. “Will you at least let me try?”
“Go ahead,” Rissa waved dismissively as she replied, her tone making it clear that Venna’s efforts would only be a waste of time.
“I don’t want him, Rissa,” Venna began, ignoring Endreí as she focused only on convincing his wife. “But I do need him. I have to make up for all the harm that I’ve done, and Endreí is the key to my salvation. Doing anything that might cause him to betray you would only add to my sins, not help me erase them.”
“I’m not worried about what you want,” Rissa seemed to take Venna’s words seriously. “I’m concerned about what may happen despite what either of you thinks is going on. This Quest you both received is unlike any I’ve ever heard of… After everything we’ve been through, I can’t help but wonder what it might cause you to do.”
She’d made a fair point, one Endreí had gone over with her a great deal during their earlier discussion. Although it was only a Quest, and nothing like the curse Tási had placed on him, the presence of potential penalties and not only rewards was unsettling. That distinction alone was enough to make her suspicious, the fact that his… partner in the endeavor was a stunningly attractive woman only served to deepen Rissa’s sense of foreboding.
“You may be right,” Venna conceded the point much too easily for Endreí’s comfort. “There could be something more to this than we’re aware of. But I’m not willing to throw away my future because I’m afraid of what might be; I’m going to do everything I can to redeem myself. Endreí gave me this chance, and I’m grateful for that, but sparing my life was only the first step in that process.”
“The two of us may become very close; that probably can’t be helped,” she let out a clearly resigned sigh. “But perhaps it would be easier if you’d let me be your friend as well.”
“We’ve all lost a great deal in this conflict,” Venna glanced away, and her voice faltered for a moment as she recalled her husband’s passing. “Neither of us can replace the people who are no longer with us. But maybe we can find some solace in each other now that it’s over.”
Having made her plea, Venna simply extended her hand towards Rissa, a silent offering of peace between them. Endreí looked on as his wife’s inner conflict played out clearly on her face, realizing that much of his own future hung in the balance as she warred with her emotions. He knew that allowing Venna the opportunity she’d asked for opened Rissa up to a deeper level of betrayal if what she feared actually came to pass, and Endreí was surprised when Rissa reached out and took hold of Venna’s hand.
“Thank you,” the relief was clear in Venna’s voice; she’d obviously read the situation the same way Endreí had.
“I’m willing to try,” Rissa’s reply was not quite as warm. “But if you fuck with me, I’ll kill you.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” Venna only smiled in return, accepting Rissa’s terms.
With the uneasy truce between them sealed, Venna left and returned to where she’d set up for the night, leaving Endreí to his shift on watch. As he began his sentry duty, Endreí almost longed for something as simple and straightforward as an ambush from the dark—anything really, so long as it wasn’t yet another gut-wrenching conversation like those that seemed to have plagued him recently.
Endreí wished that he could simply accept that things would unfold as he imagined they should. Helping Venna recover after all she’d been through was a noble endeavor, one he truly wanted to be part of—so long as it caused no harm to Rissa. With all she’d been through—all the pain he’d caused her—Rissa deserved far better than that. Venna’s seemingly sincere offer of friendship was indeed a positive step, one Endreí hoped was an indication that perhaps his troubles might finally be over.
The night passed much more easily than the evening had, and Endreí was relieved when it came time to hand sentry duty off to Rissa. The two exchanged a brief kiss as they switched roles, and Endreí couldn’t help but smile when he detected a warmth in her embrace that had been lacking recently. He’d understood the distance that had come between them during that time and bore her no resentment for it; she was certainly entitled to a bit of skepticism. Feeling Rissa’s affections slowly begin to return again bolstered his dream of a better future for them, and Endreí fell asleep more easily than he had in days.
The following morning brought an even greater sense of anticipation. They would finally be returning home, hopefully, to reclaim their village. Of course, there would also be a great deal of work ahead of them, and Endreí felt his gorge rising when he realized that the bodies littering the ground were probably not the only mess that needed to be tended to. After many days with the gates lying wide open, there would be no telling what might have taken up residence there. Anything from scavengers to a band of orc marauders could be waiting for them, yet with the greatest threat finally behind him, Endreí was confident they could handle whatever they may find.
Still, when they drew closer, Kara proceeded with a great deal of caution. Their own recent victory was a stark reminder that sometimes, even an inferior foe could triumph over a stronger opponent. Taking no chances that they’d fall victim to a similar unlikely defeat, Kara approached stealthily until she’d guided them to a location within the forest where they could peer through the open gates and observe inside the village for a while—well, at least three of them could. The distance was far too great for Kara, Nate, or Daisy to make out anything more than indistinct shapes; Rissa, Endreí, and Venna were forced to serve as their eyes.
For a time, all they could see were the many remains of those who’d fallen victim to Rissa’s poison. Dozens of bodies lay out in the open, slowly decomposing in the late afternoon sun. Endreí was just about to announce that everything looked to be otherwise clear when he caught a glimpse of something emerging from behind Nate’s forge.
The lone figure seemed to stalk around aimlessly, yet there was an odd, graceless menace to its gait. Facing away as it came into view, all Endreí could tell was that the black-clad woman had long, dark hair that appeared matted and unkempt. As he struggled to make out anything more, Endreí felt Venna suddenly stiffen beside him, obviously recognizing something about the unknown individual. He thought to ask her what it was when the figure turned around, and there was no longer any need for him to inquire.
The large, gaping wound in the center of her chest oozed a dark stream of congealed liquid that was truly horrifying, yet Endreí couldn’t repress the shudder that ran through his body as he looked at the woman’s face. Despite her hollow cheeks and the dull, waxy texture of her skin, there was no mistaking her. Even if he hadn’t recognized the woman’s features, the eerie glow and baleful glare of her bright green eyes let Endreí know exactly who was waiting for them.
“Dreya,” Venna’s awe-struck whisper gave voice to what Endreí’s eyes were looking at, but his mind simply could not believe.
“She’s dead,” Kara dismissed Venna’s pronouncement. “Even if she somehow survived, there’s no way she could’ve gotten here ahead of us.”
“I should have burned her alongside Tási,” Venna shook her head, seeming to speak only to herself as she ignored Kara’s disbelief.
“It’s alright,” Endreí tried to reassure her. “We’ll put her down for good this time.”
Having seen his share of undead, Endreí recovered quickly from his initial shock. Killing the animated monstrosities was nothing new to him, and adding Dreya’s
corpse to the others that lay scattered about the ground seemed like the proper way to finally end her.
“You don’t understand,” he detected a note of genuine fear in Venna’s voice as she turned to him, a difficult thing for Endreí to accept considering her incredible power. “It would be a simple thing to kill her if she were just another zombie, but she’s more than that.”
“Dreya’s come back as a revenant,” Venna shivered as she gestured towards the animated corpse. “A tortured soul, seeking only vengeance. In some ways, she’s more powerful now than she ever was in life, and her only mission is to kill every one of us.”
“Then let’s just forget this place and get the fuck out of here,” Daze responded as she peered at the distant outline of Dreya’s animated corpse roaming around inside the village walls.
“There’s no escaping her,” Venna’s despair became even more apparent. “She’s only newly risen, so her revenant powers have yet to fully manifest, but once they do, she’ll be able to find each of us no matter where we try and hide from her. She’s probably here because it’s the only place she remembers, but as soon as she gains the rest of her abilities, we’re all doomed.”
“Fine, we’ll just have to kill her then,” Rissa shrugged, seemingly undeterred by Venna’s stark pronouncement.
“We’ll have to try,” Venna’s opinion on the likelihood of their success was obvious in her downcast tone. “The odds will only get worse the longer we delay.”
“Will the enchantments on our weapons be enough to harm her?” Endreí inquired. He had no idea how resistant Dreya might be to the magic he’d been able to impart to their arms.
“Probably,” he found little comfort in Venna’s half-hearted reply. “But I’ll add my blessing to them as well.”
Regardless of the outcome, Endreí imagined that the upcoming battle would be a rather short-lived affair. Either Venna would be proven correct, and revenant-Dreya would make short work of them, or they’d overcome her once again. Still, he’d been familiar with Stephanie’s talent, and knew that Venna’s blessing might not last for too long, so Endreí inquired about how much time they’d have to work with.
“It should last for about a week or so,” Venna replied offhandedly as she cast her magic on Daisy’s axes. “Though I don’t expect any of us will need it for quite that long.”
A… week? Endreí couldn’t hide his utter amazement. Glancing at Nate as Venna began casting her magic once again, he could see that his friend shared in his astonishment, though Venna didn’t notice as she applied her boon to his weapons. Stephanie’s blessing lasted only a few hours, at best, and Endreí was struck by just how much stronger Venna was than any of them. Considering her power and the fact that Venna seemed almost terrified by the prospect of facing Dreya’s revenant, Endreí couldn’t help but feel her sense of despair begin to creep in on him as well.
Yet if what Venna had told him was true, they really had no choice but to confront Dreya right there and then. The revenant would only grow stronger over time, hunting them down relentlessly—never needing to pause for either sleep or to eat as she did so. That tirelessness had probably been the reason she’d arrived there ahead of them. While they’d had to rest and stop overnight, Dreya had been able to travel back to the village nonstop. Once she gained the ability to track them, that combination would certainly lead to their undoing.
The faint blue glow of Venna’s magic faded as it worked its way into Rissa’s blade, and Endreí took advantage of the time to reevaluate the situation. Although she’d already blessed both his daggers and staff, Endreí knew that magic was his most formidable weapon. Observing Dreya closely as she wandered around, Endreí searched for any indications of some weakness.
The other undead he’d encountered simply shambled from place to place, shuffling about in an awkward manner. In stark contrast, Dreya’s movements were quite fluid, lacking any indication of the deterioration that was practically the hallmark of the undead. Looking closely, he finally realized what Dreya was grasping in her hand. Dragging the long weapon along on the ground behind her, Endreí recognized the shape of Tási’s staff—the very weapon that had claimed Dreya’s life. The length of it still bore the dark stains of Dreya’s blood, yet she clutched it tightly as she continued to roam around from place to place.
Rather than offer him any clues to defeating her, Endreí’s observations only made him doubt their chances even more. Unencumbered by the typical clumsiness that plagued the undead, yet with all their advantages as well, Dreya was an even more formidable opponent than she’d been before. Their victory over her had only come with Tási’s aid, an unlikely ally that was no longer with them. Perhaps Venna might fill that role now, but her profound… unease made Endreí question whether she would be able to fight up to her full potential.
“We’re ready whenever you are,” Daisy spun one of her axes in her hand as she stirred Endreí from his thoughts.
Although he’d hoped to gain some insight that might have helped them in the fight, Endreí had only been further discouraged by his observations. Knowing that sharing his realizations would only further decrease the odds, Endreí kept those darker thoughts to himself and simply nodded his assent in return. Had there been any real possibility that they could have escaped Dreya by fleeing from her, he might have offered the option instead, but delaying would only decrease their already slim chances of survival. Whatever the outcome, confronting Dreya right then was their only hope.
“Let’s do this,” Venna surprised him as she strode forward purposefully, the gritty determination clear in her words.
Chapter 18
Endreí recovered quickly from his surprise but still had to rush to catch up as they marched steadily towards the open gate. While he trailed behind, he could see both Rissa and Venna gripping their shields tightly as they took up a position beside each other at the center of the line in front of him. Daisy anchored the left beside Venna, twirling her axes in a display that Endreí recognized as a nervous, pre-battle habit of hers while Nate paced along beside Rissa, guarding her flank with his deadly hammers. Next to him, Kara had an arrow nocked, waiting only for Dreya to reappear before launching their initial salvo. Venna having burned Dreya’s bow was perhaps their only advantage; with her skill, that powerful weapon could have easily ended them before they’d even gotten close.
When the image of Dreya’s black armor emerged from behind the gate, Kara let loose her first shot. The distance caused her arrow to sail low, however, and it only grazed Dreya’s leg before kicking up a puff of dirt in the ground. Whipping her head around, Dreya locked her eyes on them as they hurried to close in on her, and she glared back in their direction, focusing her unrestrained hatred on each of them in turn. But her eyes flared more brightly when she finally caught a glimpse of Endreí, and he took in the vicious grin that curled back her lips far more clearly than he wanted to when Dreya snarled and charged straight at him.
The overwhelming shock of Dreya’s brilliant green eyes glaring at him malevolently from within the depths of her undead skull froze Endreí stiff, and he was suddenly unable to move a single muscle. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he understood that this was a power of hers: the ability to strike her foes with a paralyzing sense of fear. Knowing what was happening did nothing to help him escape from its grip, however, and Endreí was still locked in place as his friends moved to intercept her.
In a blur of motion his eyes could barely follow, he watched helplessly as Dreya whipped Tási’s staff around in a vicious arc, batting aside Daisy’s attempt to parry the blow before it slammed into Rissa’s shield. The resounding crash of the impact echoed in his ears, and Endreí heard not only the sound of the metal yielding to the incredible force but also the sharp crack of Rissa’s arm snapping when Dreya’s blow struck home. Her pained cry as she fell to the ground finally broke Endreí free from his stupor, and he hastily cast Empower before joining the battle, desperate to save Rissa from a fate that was almost inevitabl
e.
As Dreya seemed to glide around effortlessly, the best any of them could manage was to dive out of the path of her relentless strikes. With Rissa still lying on the ground, the sheer force she could deliver was all too obvious; even attempting to block one of her blows was simply too dangerous. Yet even as they did so, Dreya’s advantage over them became obvious as they quickly tired from the effort, while she only seemed to grow stronger. A series of quick blows left each of his companions on the ground, and with only Endreí still standing before her, Dreya focused her full fury on him. Staring Endreí right in the eyes, Dreya’s undead lips curled up in a sneer when she began stalking towards him.
“You. Did this. To me,” the words came out in a halting, raspy tone filled with loathing.
Endreí was shocked to hear the undead abomination actually speak to him, and he stumbled to the ground when he desperately tried to back away from her. Dreya appeared to revel in his obvious discomfort as she came to loom over him, gazing down while he lay helpless on the ground before her.
“Death won’t be the end for you,” Dreya’s thin lips drew back in a mocking smile, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation as she spoke. “Your soul shall be mine, and I will torture you for eternity.”
Standing over him, Dreya drew back Tási’s staff, obviously intending to impale him with it, returning the blow that had sent her to the grave. No one would be coming to help him either—Rissa was still collapsed on the ground where she’d fallen, and none of his friends had recovered yet from the beatings they’d endured. With her virtually on top of him, Endreí was almost entirely out of options, and he cast Unseen Blade in a desperate attempt to ward off her attack. His Spell struck home, yet despite the keenness of its edges and how deeply the blade had carved into her, Dreya’s smile only widened as she almost completely ignored his assault.
Echoes: A Second Skin Novel (Second Skin Book 6) Page 20
