The Temple of Yellow Skulls

by Don Bassingthwaite

  A gout of flame burst up from the ground where the first cask had shattered. The spilled oil ignited with a loud woomf—then the blaze spread to the other casks, blowing them apart in spectacular bursts of greasy, smoky fire. The howls of the wolves turned into yelps of alarm as they tried to avoid tumbling into the wall of burning oil. The four-armed demons stumbled to a stop, their charge broken. Raid pulled back, too, glaring over the fire. “You!”

  “Did you miss us?” asked Uldane with an easy smile. He hopped up onto another cask at the back of the wagon. Albanon seized the precious moments to tear away his disguising dress and hat. Kri already had his smock off and his morningstar, hidden behind the dead horse, in his hands. Shara drew her sword and stepped forward to the edge of the wagon.

  “Raid!” she shouted. “I hear I made the right decision in not trusting you—or is murdering unsuspecting allies the only way you know how to fight?”

  “Can’t be,” Uldane called in response. He turned and slapped his side where the worst of his wounds had been. “Because he can’t even manage that!”

  For a moment, Raid froze.

  Albanon held his breath. They’d tracked Raid’s activities through rumors and hunters’ tales, but they’d quickly realized that they needed a way to fight him. A way to separate him from his animals and hulking minions. They’d found it in Uldane’s description of Raid’s reaction, in Jewel’s story of her encounter with him, in their own encounter with Raid the demon. All they had to do was make Raid angry.

  And survive his wrath.

  When it came, Raid’s roar of fury was almost deafening. “I will not be mocked!” Eyes glowing like embers, he leaped through the flames and landed with the ends of his long hair smoldering. Shara jumped down to meet him. Greatsword met twin axes in a clash of metal.

  The wolves and four-armed monsters milled in confusion on the far side of fire, then the wolves darted one way around the spreading blaze while the demons came around the other. Kri caught Albanon’s eyes and gave him a grim smile. Divide and conquer. Albanon returned the smile—then raised his voice in a spell as Kri raised his in prayer.

  Brilliant light flared around the cleric’s holy symbol and lanced out at one of the demons. The hulking creature roared in pain as light clung to its flesh and seared into its eyes. Blinded, it reeled back, colliding with the other demon.

  Albanon took the wolves. With a flick of his fingers, he sent a spark of blue light darting in front of them. The spark burst in midair, puffing out into a pale mist that engulfed the first of the beasts. The other two plunged into the mist, then immediately darted out again with renewed yelps of fear, their fur silvered with frost. The wolf that had been engulfed wasn’t so fortunate—it staggered and collapsed under the killing cold.

  Raid snarled in frustration and threw himself into his attack on Shara. The warrior twisted to one side, beat back an axe, and called, “Kri?”

  The cleric swung around. “All-knowing Mistress, aid her!”

  Radiant light burst from Shara’s sword, bright enough that for a moment Raid squinted and turned his head away. Shara pressed her moment of advantage, forcing him back against the wagon—then leaped clear. “Now!” she shouted.

  Splendid rose up from the bed of the wagon, the defensive invisibility that had shielded her falling away. She hissed and dove for Raid, the stinger at the tip of her tail lashing out. Albanon’s belly tightened—this was the critical moment in their plan. Splendid’s poison wouldn’t be enough to disable Raid, but it ought to be enough to distract him; at the same moment she attacked, Uldane darted out from underneath the wagon with a rope in his hands and grabbed for Raid’s legs.

  Raid couldn’t have said from which direction he first sensed movement—below or behind—but his first instinct was to turn around. Sunlight flashed on the wings and scales of the little drake that rose from the wagon and on the dripping stinger on the creature’s tail.

  He drew on his power without even really thinking about it. For an instant, he felt the drake’s mind and its personality. The beast was far more intelligent than even the wolves he bound to him. But it was still just a beast.

  The drake’s hiss turned into a wail. It pulled out of its dive toward him and instead climbed into the air, shaking its tiny head as it fought his power. Shock crossed Albanon’s face. “Splendid!”

  Something brushed Raid’s leg. He looked down.

  Uldane looked back at him. The rope in the halfling’s hand was already looped around one of Raid’s ankles. The other end of the rope disappeared under the wagon.

  Which, Raid realized abruptly, was poised somewhat precariously only a pace or two from the edge of the steep slope at the side of the road. The ties to the dead horse’s harness had already been cut. It would take only a strong push to send the wagon over the edge and bouncing down the slope.

  The wagon and anything tied to it. Raid narrowed his eyes.

  Vestapalk had told him to wait until Shara and the others tried to attack him. The dragon had told him to be a patient hunter. The dragon had promised him the chance to hear their screams.

  Raid could make them scream on his own. “Enough,” he growled. “Enough!” He threw back his head and roared, “Come!”

  The instant that Raid turned and Splendid wailed in mid-air, Albanon knew they’d made a mistake. They were so used to talking with Splendid that she seemed like one of them. But she wasn’t, was she? They’d killed an old nag of a horse to keep Raid from using it against them—but made the pseudodragon a central part of their plan. Had they just assumed she’d be immune to Raid’s power over animals?

  “Splendid!” he cried, then turned to Kri. The old man looked as startled as he felt. Albanon grabbed him. “You broke Raid’s spell on our horses. Do it again!”

  Before Kri could do more than blink and open his mouth, though, Raid snarled. “Enough. Enough!”

  Albanon spun back to the demon. Uldane was still crouched at Raid’s feet, the job of tying him to the wagon interrupted. Shara seemed frozen, sword drawn back but not yet swung.

  Then Raid raised his head. “Come!” he roared.

  Across the road, the tree line seemed to explode. Leaves and branches flew in a green flurry as half a dozen more of the four-armed demons burst out of hiding. An equal number of wolves charged around them. On the other side of the fire, the two demons that had emerged with Raid roared with renewed frenzy and lunged across the now-guttering flames.

  Determination wiped surprise from Kri’s face. He turned and thrust out his holy symbol. “By the glory of Kerath-Ald, disperse!”

  White light brighter than the sun flared from the symbol. Several of the charging demons were caught in the radiance and shrieked in pain, but the two lunging across the fire bore the brunt of it. One of them staggered back, skin smoking like leather left too close to a fire.

  The other, the one that had already been struck by Kri’s light, managed to take one last step against the radiance. Then it burst into flames entirely and fell sideways, splashing into the burning oil.

  Shara threw herself at Raid, greatsword whirling in a deadly blur of steel. “Run!” she shouted over the chaos. “All of you, run!”

  “Yes!” bellowed Raid. “Run! Give me the chance to hunt! Didn’t I promise that I would come for you?” He blocked Shara’s blow effortlessly with one axe. The other swung low, aimed at the rope around his leg—and Uldane. The axe sheared through the rope but the halfling flung himself under the wagon. He popped up on the other side with a knife in his hand and aimed at Raid.

  He didn’t get a chance to throw it. Screaming like a storm wind, Splendid dropped out of the sky straight at him. Uldane yelled and dropped back under the wagon. Splendid swirled and twisted on the air, furious and savage. Her eyes, when Albanon caught a glimpse of them, were rimmed in red.

  The eladrin turned in place, overwhelmed. Raid’s wolves padded, snarling, around the fading flames, held back for the moment. Their eyes, red like Splendid’s, were fixed
on him. He raised his staff defensively, earning a snarl and a snap from one of the beasts.

  The demons likewise held their distance, but their eyes were on Kri. The cleric had let his holy symbol fall back against his chest and now gripped his morningstar with both hands. His lips moved in prayer—not invoking his god’s fury but merely her mercy.

  “Do we run?” Albanon asked him.

  “To where?” Kri asked back, without looking away from the creatures circling them—then his face tightened. “Push the wagon.”

  “What?”

  “Get the wagon moving. I’ll watch your back. Once it’s moving, get in and ride it down the slope. Get Uldane and Shara in, too. I’ll keep the demons back.”

  Albanon glanced at the slope. Possible death escaping—or certain death fighting? Then another thought struck him, He looked back at Kri. “You’ll die here.”

  The cleric just thrust out a leg, kicking him toward the wagon. Wolves and demons clustered closer, sensing weakness. Kri swept his morningstar through the air. “In Ioun’s name, back!” he bellowed.

  Uldane was still under the wagon, scampering from side to side as he tried to avoid Splendid’s darting strikes. On the other side of it, Shara and Raid turned around and around each other. Sword and axes clashed in hash rhythm. Both demon and warrior bled from shallow wounds, but Albanon knew all it would take was one mistake and the battle would be over. In his gut, he was afraid that Shara would be the one to make that mistake. Her swings were coming slower, her movements dragged. Even the holy light that Kri had cast about her sword seemed to dim with each swing.

  Albanon made his decision. He turned to the wagon. “Uldane! Get ready to move!”

  The halfling let out a curse. Albanon ignored it. He lowered his shoulder and charged the front of the wagon.

  Agony speared through Albanon’s shoulder. The wagon rocked backward less than a pace, enough to bring a second curse from Uldane and a shriek from Splendid. The pseudodragon left off hunting the halfling to dart at Albanon. He ducked and Splendid whirled overhead screaming, two targets now dividing her attention. Albanon rubbed his shoulder and gasped. He and Kri had practiced moving the wagon before they had brought it out of Fallcrest, but it had always been the two of them.

  “Slow and steady,” urged Kri, shifting backward in the wake of the wagon. The demons and prowling wolves kept watch on them. “You just need to get it moving.”

  The wizard ground his teeth together, put his shoulder against the wood, and started to push. Splendid let out another shriek and dove for him.

  A knife skimmed just past her. “Hey, you flying lizard!” shouted Uldane. “Come get me!”

  Albanon twisted his head and saw the halfling clinging to the other end of the wagon, another knife flashing in his hand. Fear for Splendid—even though she was trying to attack him—leaped in Albanon. “Uldane, don’t hurt her!”

  “Tell her not to hurt me!” He waved his arms and ducked as Splendid swept down at him.

  Shara had spotted the moving wagon now—Albanon saw her glance toward them, then attempt to bully Raid back a bit. She’d guessed what they were trying to do, he realized.

  But so had Raid. The hideous creature’s eyes flashed and he shrieked suddenly in a rough tone that sounded less like a human voice and more like something reptilian.

  Splendid wheeled around. Raid feinted and pushed Shara away, then pointed one of his axes, giving the pseudodragon a target. Albanon’s heart jumped as the axe seemed to settle on him.

  Then his heart jumped again as the axe moved on to Kri. Splendid hissed and darted at the cleric’s back.

  Kri was their hope if they wanted to escape. Albanon flung himself away from the wagon and into the pseudodragon’s path. Splendid screamed with savage fury at his interference. Her claws scratched at him and her sting pierced him like a thorn. He grimaced and grabbed her, holding her tight as she tried to get away. Her sting jabbed him again and again.

  “Albanon!” called Uldane frantically. The eladrin looked up past Splendid’s thrashing wings.

  The wagon was still moving—and gaining speed as it headed toward the slope. Uldane stood in the wagon box, looking back helplessly. Shara, momentarily separated from Raid, looked from the wagon and the halfling to Albanon and Kri. “Go!” Albanon shouted at her.

  Shara didn’t need any more encouragement. Her legs stretched like a deer as she raced for the wagon and threw herself inside.

  Her weight and speed added to its momentum. One moment the wagon was hesitating on the edge of the slope—the next it was over the edge and speeding down. Uldane’s screams rolled up behind it.

  Raid’s frustrated roar rose in counterpoint. Kri half-turned, trying to keep demons, wolves, and Raid in sight, and still look down at Albanon as he struggled with Splendid. “You idiot,” he said. He took one hand from his morningstar and made a sign over Splendid.

  The pseudodragon’s struggles ceased immediately. She shook her head, the red fading from her eyes. “Albanon? Albanon, what have I—”

  “Splendid, go! Find Shara!” He flung her away. Splendid rose into the air with a wail, circled once, then streaked away after the wagon. Raid’s eyes followed her, then came back to Albanon and Kri. The rumbling of combined snarls rose from the demons and wolves. One of the wolves darted forward. Kri flicked his free hand at it and a beam of light drove it back. The rumbling snarls grew a little louder.

  Splendid’s poison burned through Albanon like a fever. He pushed himself up on to his hands and knees. Kri’s hand came down to him. “Get up. We’ll die on our feet.”

  Inspiration came to Albanon. He took Kri’s hand, focused his will against the pain of the poison, and spoke a spell. Kri drew a sharp breath of surprise and nearly snatched his hand away.

  “One of us has to live,” Albanon said. He pulled his hand free from Kri’s. “Keep Raid away from Shara and Uldane,” Albanon said.

  The cleric’s expression hardened but he said nothing as he stepped away from Albanon. The wizard twisted to watch him. There was an extra bounce in Kri’s movement. He pushed off from the ground and with virtually no effort leaped almost ten paces.

  “No!” bellowed Raid. He dropped his axes and ran at Kri, his big, gnarled hands grabbing for the old man.

  He was too late. Kri jumped, bounding easily down the slope of the hill out of reach of the demon. He disappeared from Albanon’s sight, but a moment later the glow of his barrier of light flared, bright even in the afternoon sunlight. Raid roared again and Albanon felt a moment’s relief. With Kri away, Shara, Uldane, and even Splendid would be safe as well.

  But Albanon wasn’t. A wolf growled close at hand. A demon hissed. Albanon turned to look up at the beasts and monsters surrounding him. To his surprise, he felt angry rather than scared. He sat back on his heels and glared up at them all. A spell rose in his mind.

  “I hope you like your food hot,” he said, “because that’s how you’re going to get me.” He spread his arms, the arcane syllables of the spell sizzling on his tongue—

  Heavy hands grabbed his shoulders, spun him around, and hurled him backward on to the ground. Stunned, Albanon stared up at Raid. The demon stomped a foot down into the middle of his chest, driving the air out of his lungs, then dropped to all fours and bent close over him. His teeth clashed less than a hand span from Albanon’s face. One hand rose over his head. Claws flashed in the sun, something red and crystalline caked across their ragged tips.

  The Voidharrow.

  Now fear seized Albanon. He tried hard to keep it from reaching his face. A swipe of those claws and Raid could tear his life out. A scratch and he would be infected with the Voidharrow’s disease. Albanon knew which he preferred. He clenched his teeth and snarled, “Kill me!”

  The raised hand paused. Raid’s red eyes narrowed and searched Albanon’s as if he saw something in them. His wide mouth curled into a cruel smile.

  “No,” he said, He looked up at the nearest of the four-armed monsters. “Br
ing him to Vestapalk.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Vestapalk’s brutes didn’t eat. If they got their claws on raw meat, they gorged on it, but Tiktag had never seen one simply take a bit of food like any other living thing might have. They consumed, but they didn’t seem to need to eat. Tiktag had even seen one of them trying to devour a tree. He suspected that the creature had stopped only because the tree didn’t scream, struggle, or bleed.

  Any beast larger than a mouse that showed itself in the ruins of the Temple of Yellow Skulls became fodder for the soldiers—leaving nothing for Tiktag. Vestapalk didn’t even seem to think about food. Tiktag suspected that his master had passed beyond the need for food, sustained somehow by the Voidharrow.

  The need to fill his own belly drove Tiktag into the woods to forage. The first time he left the ruins, he was so hungry that he didn’t even realize until he was back that none of the brutes had come in pursuit of him. He’d assumed that Vestapalk would send someone to retrieve his wyrmpriest if he strayed. He felt a certain anguish that his master had apparently passed beyond the need for his servant as well. He probably could have left and no one, not even Vestapalk, would have noticed. He could have fled the temple without any consequences.

  Or at least without consequences to anything but his own sense of loyalty to Vestapalk. Perhaps his master had passed beyond him, but Tiktag hadn’t passed beyond the dragon. He’d sworn that he’d free his master from whatever the Voidharrow had done to him. He still held hope of finding a way. Stubborn pride held him in the ruins. Except when he needed to eat.

  He was in the woods on the evening that Raid returned.

  Near the ruins, a lone rabbit had escaped the soldiers’ interest. Tiktag stalked it with the patience of a hunter. He was almost close enough to lunge for it when a hand came down and wrapped around the back of his neck. His yell startled the rabbit. It went darting away while Tiktag was lifted into the air and turned face to misshapen face with Raid.

  “You’re still here?” Raid asked with a sneer.