Deciding that she can apologize later with expensive healing potions, Kira continues dodging and aiming for legs. She manages to eliminate one more apprentice with a blow to both ankles before the others cover their bodies in magical armor. Unable to break the shimmering defenses, the heiress sprints back to the frozen pond in the hopes that Sari is ready. Kira heads for the thick fog that is wafting off the ice, but a geyser erupts beneath her feet and sends her hurtling into the air. At the same time, the vapor surges throughout the garden and all of the apprentices collapse. Dreading an uncontrollable fall to the ground, the heiress flails widely and tries to hook her kusari-gama onto the tower. Her fear becomes stronger as the geyser gets thinner and loses power, the turreted roof too far for her to reach. With a sudden push to the side, the water deposits Kira on top of Rainbow Tower and leaves her gasping for air.
“A little help please,” Sari requests as she dangles from a turret. She waves her hand until she feels Kira catch her by the wrist and haul her to safety. “I was right behind you in the geyser and had to use some of the water in my body to finish the trip. At least the sleeping gas worked, which is lucky since I haven’t used that spell in years. Let me have some water and we’ll go inside.”
“What if Willow and Cyril have those parasites too?” asks the heiress while staring at the thick fog below. She watches the shifting shadows, which makes her wonder if the insects have detached and gone in search of new hosts. “Those were only apprentices and we had trouble since we don’t want to kill anyone. I mean, the creatures seem to have slowed their movements enough that we can react, but it isn’t a very big window. How are we supposed to survive the masters who trained Nyx?”
The gypsy shrugs and takes another drink before tossing the waterskin to Kira. “To be honest, I’m surprised we haven’t been attacked yet. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find that the threat is only on the outside. Willow and Cyril could be safe inside and ready to thank whoever rescues them.”
“How did you say that with a straight face?”
“I locked the muscles that would cause me to laugh or smile.”
“Just for that, you go first again.”
*****
Cyril’s gnarled staff fires a beam of light at Kira, who narrowly avoids the blast and ducks under a screeching comet. She watches as the dark-skinned caster drifts back into the wall like a ghost. On the other side of the room, Sari dodges a swarm of glistening darts that erupt from Willow’s fingers. The blonde-haired Mistress of Rainbow Tower spins to unleash a wave of choking smoke, her movement revealing a curled insect on her neck. Needing some space, the gypsy kicks an illusionary star at the caster and sprints toward the door. Cyril silently looms out of the floor with an acidic blast churning in his eyes. As the final word of his incantation erupts from his mouth, the blunt end of Kira’s weapon goes for his head and drives him back into the ground. A muffled hiss gives Sari enough time to activate her enchanted boots before the floor collapses beneath her feet. Grabbing her companion’s chain, the lightweight gypsy is yanked to safety while a blast of heat streaks by her. Sunlight comes through the gaping hole in the ceiling, which Willow floats through along with the debris that is trapped in a prismatic net. The intruders make a running dive into the nearby stairwell as flaming rocks smash into wall and block them from the chamber.
“Isn’t that illusion supposed to be on the roof?” Kira asks as they sprint toward the next floor. Noticing sparks slipping through cracks up ahead, she tackles Sari out of the path of a destructive blast. “They’re destroying their own tower. What is the point of this trap or test or whatever it is if it’s nothing more than a big battle?”
“Considering what happened with Selenia, I’d say Nyx was supposed to be here,” the gypsy replies while drawing water from outside. She sends the ice-filled geyser a suspicious hole in the wall, but the attack is immediately turned into steam. “Nyx once told me that there’s a special room in the basement. Kind of an anti-magic time out place that we might be able to use. All we need to do is contain Willow and Cyril then get some local priests to help.”
“Strange that they’re passing through the walls like ghosts,” Kira points out as they enter a hallway filled with mirrors. Willow materializes at the far end, her blue metal staff spinning around her body. “There isn’t any space to maneuver here. We need to duck into a room and pray we can find a way out. Somebody is bound to investigate the tower after what happened in the courtyard. They can get in now since the grub is gone.”
“And those people will probably be taken over or killed by the parasites,” Sari replies before flipping over a nearby table. She holds the long piece of furniture like a shield and nods her head toward an identical one. “Put that on your back and protect our rear. We’ll charge and use these to block whatever is sent our way. Don’t worry because everything in here is enchanted with durability magic. As long as the attack isn’t too strong, we should be fine. At least that’s what I’m hoping happens.”
Kira is about to go along with the plan when fists of air shatter both of the tables and knock the women against the wall. Barely able to see the incoming spells, the pair scramble into the nearest room and move a large chest to block the door. Two staves erupt from the floor to destroy the box and unleash bursts of sound, which stun the intruders. Shaking her head clear, Sari points at the open window and climbs onto the sill. As soon as Kira jumps onto her back, the gypsy steps into thin air and slowly floats toward the foggy ground. She struggles to find her grappling hook until her friend stretches to catch a lower window, the sudden stop jolting both of their bodies. They frantically pull themselves inside an empty room and rush for the hallway, but skid to a stop when they see the same mirrors and broken tables that they left behind. Echoing thuds can be heard coming from the ceiling, every blow sending a rain of sparks onto the crimson rug.
Sari and Kira keep their heads down as they run for the distant stairwell, the pair fearing that the mirrors will explode into deadly shards. Instead, clawed hands of glass erupt from the foggy surfaces and swipe at the adventurers. The clumsy attacks manage to deliver some shallow cuts before Kira takes the lead to rapidly shatter the fragile limbs. Her kusari-gama spins wildly as she clears a path to the exit, a final swing over her head destroying the last four mirrors. They escape into the stairwell, which turns out to be a slide that sends the pair hurtling into the yawning darkness. The passage becomes so narrow that they are unable to move to either side and get tangled with one another. All they can do is try not to hurt each other with their weapons while bracing themselves for an awkward landing.
The two women make an unexpected turn and come spinning into a ballroom, which has been prepared for a grand feast. Tables surround the dance floor where possessed apprentices move in a waltz, the music flowing from enchanted instruments. Flaming birds fly around the ceiling to cast light on the festivities that still feel dull and lifeless. All of the food has been piled onto a long table where it is being devoured by a scrawny creature. The pale-skinned monster has four spindly arms, two of which end in pincers that it uses to chop its meal into smaller pieces. While its tiny mouth struggles to chew, a needle-like nose stabs into corked decanters to drain the liquid within. A pair of tattered butterfly wings are on the creature’s back and every flap sends the smell of rotting flesh throughout the room. Looking up with compound eyes, the undead beast rubs its legs together to release an ear-wrenching chirp. The sound draws Cyril and Willow out of the ceiling and the casters aim their humming weapons at the intruders.
“Would you two just go away?” Sari requests out of frustration. To her surprise, the Masters of Rainbow Tower blink out of existence and the undead creature shrieks in rage. “That was easy. Didn’t know I only had to ask.”
“Not sure what you’re talking about,” Kira whispers, the heiress still seeing the casters. She shoves Sari away from an orb of devouring darkness and twists away from a lance of fire that melts a nearby ice sculpture. “They must have become in
visible to you, but I’m seeing through the illusion. Go for whatever that thing is and I’ll keep them busy.”
“Like we needed this to be any more difficult,” the gypsy mutters, confused that she cannot see through the illusion. She notices that the strange creature is waving its arms, the gestures reminding her of a spell. “It must have masked them to make it harder for me. Honestly, I didn’t even notice those last two spells until you touched me. It’s still so weird that all I had to do was ask. Why don’t you try it too?”
The heiress’s legs are knocked out from under her and she crashes to the floor, another blast whipping her into a table. “There is no way saying that will work.”
“They could be illusions and the real ones are locked away.”
“Stop arguing and kill that thing!”
“Just say it and satisfy my curiosity.”
“Would you two please leave me alone?”
To Kira’s surprise, the casters disappear and she no longer feels the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Worried that it is a trap, she stays low and watches the creature, which has gone back to its meal. Joining Sari at the edge of the dance floor, the heiress cannot shake the feeling that their situation has not improved. The sight of their enemy showing no fear or aggression drives them to scan the room for signs of Cyril and Willow. A minute passes without the deadly casters returning, but the tension grows enough that the fiery birds retreat into alcoves found in the corners of the ceiling. Kira puts a hand on Sari’s shoulder and urges her to take a step back, the heiress wanting to take the lead.
The moment she steps onto the dance floor, the apprentices stiffen and gather into a tight group. Chattering mandibles and scratching legs can be heard as the coiling parasites fuse to create a ball of possessed casters. Those with functional wings are on the outside and work together to get the body airborne while all of their hosts mutter spells. Sari and Kira separate to come at the undead creature from opposite sides, both of them followed by bolts of elemental magic. Knives and forks become fast-moving projectiles that stick into the walls, some of them managing to cut the sprinting women. Plates spin into the air and grow edges of ice that are sharp enough to slice through wood. Sari stops running to take control of them and sends the dishes into the ceiling where they remain impaled and frozen in the stone. The gypsy is about to continue when her skirts tighten to bind her legs and send her crashing to the floor. A tablecloth stretches to envelope the champion’s head and swing her around the room as she starts to suffocate.
Kira pushes herself to run faster and darts around the food-covered table with her sickle flying toward the undead creature. The weapon stops an inch from the monster and she looks to see that one of the apprentices has cast a spell that gives him control of the chain. With a roll of the caster’s wrist, the kusari-gama wraps around its owner’s arm and tries to yank her closer to the hungry monster. The needle-like nose threatens to impale her chest and drain her fluids, but Kira proves to be a determined and elusive meal. She grabs a turkey leg to defend herself while trying to find something that can be thrown at the apprentice. A small bolt of lightning strikes the kusari-gama and numbs her muscles, which allows the creature to disarm the heiress by eating her makeshift weapon.
Rising from its chair, the undead beast is about to pounce when a sharp whistle causes it to look toward the apprentices. A dagger of bone strikes it in the side of the head, the projectile exploding to decapitate the monster. The body slumps to the floor as the parasites screech and dissolve, freeing the casters who collapse into a pile on the dance floor. Kira hurries to check on Sari, but stops when she sees Cyril and Willow reappear near the gypsy. They silently remove the tablecloth and cast fresh air into the champion’s lungs before moving on to their confused apprentices. The pair flicker like ghosts and talk without making a noise, making the heiress fear that she has gone deaf. With an audible pop, the two casters become more solid and can be heard discussing the repairs.
“Imagine my curiosity when I heard that you two were looking for me,” announces a voice from a nearby doorway. A gaunt, brown-haired halfling steps out of the shadows and rubs at a bronze ring on his right hand. “Myilia should have been left out of this, so I’m rather angry. On the other hand, events have reached an interesting point.”
“Nimby?” Kira asks when she sees a spark of mischief on his unshaved face. Helping Sari to her feet, the heiress refuses to look away from her old friend. “We’re sorry, but she was the only person who we thought could contact you. The Baron captured Luke and we need your help in reaching Shayd. As a former agent of his, you have to know a secret way.”
“You’re assuming that I’m a former agent,” Nimby replies before flashing a smile. He hops onto the nearest table and pulls a knife out of his black robes, the weapon casually juggled in one hand. “Guess it was only a matter of time before I had to return to the game. Still, I don’t know of any secret path. My father knew of one, but he’s dead. So, this is where we part ways and you go back to the others. Best to stay together since that’s what the prophecy wants you to do. No sense in messing with fate when you’re so close to the end.”
“Like death can stop us from talking to General Vile,” interrupts a voice that sounds like leaves in the wind. The sound emanates from the halfling’s right arm, which he exposes to show that it is bone from the wrist to the elbow. “Summoning the dead is my specialty and I’d like to be a player in the game again. Wandering around Ralian with this fool has been a waste of my time. Especially since I have an old master who I owe a debt of betrayal to. Be nice to show him what he gave up by siding with his son.”
Sari’s eyes open and she whirls around to stare at the halfling, her hand drawing the stiletto from her skirts. “I know that voice. Are you Nimby or the Lich?”
“That is a complicated and embarrassing story,” the thief replies, holding up his hand to show off the bronze ring. One of his eyes changes from brown to red and the right side of his mouth becomes a sneer. “It isn’t important. Even though you need my help, I refuse to let him get involved. Better to find another way and leave us alone.”
“I knew you would say that,” the Lich says with a chuckle. He takes control of the skeletal arm and points at Kira, the tip of Nimby’s fingers turning black. “I demand to be involved in these events. Refuse my request and I will curse her. You have to go to bed at some point, halfling. That’s when I take full control and I will not be denied. Besides, I want to stay and see what the illusions have to say for themselves. After years of wanting to stand within Rainbow Tower, I’m disappointed to learn the truth is an elegant lie.”
“Illusions?” Sari asks, turning toward the apprentices and their masters. She can feel her lips go dry as she focuses on disbelieving Willow and Cyril. The pair vanish from her sight, which makes her fall to her knees. “They aren’t real and that thing didn’t make them. I never heard of an illusion that can keep coming back like that. What are they?”
“I taste ghosts.”
“They’re dead?”
Willow reappears as a faint face in front of Sari, tears trickling down her cheeks. “We have been this way for almost seventeen years. It has been our greatest secret that we hope all of you will keep. Although, we do understand if you feel obligated to reveal the truth.”
“How did you die?”
Cyril rises from the floor and remains on his knees as he says, “Nyx killed us.”
*****
The only sound in the small study is the Lich chuckling in amusement, the bodiless necrocaster refusing to be silenced. Wrapped in his dark robe, Nimby remains in a corner and avoids eye contact with anyone who looks in his direction. It is clear that he feels exposed and fears that someone will try to attack him, his attention falling on Kira most of the time. Equally nervous, Cyril and Willow stand on opposite sides of a crackling fireplace. They glance at the source of the laughter and wrinkle their noses at the stench of decay that repeatedly drifts across the well-furnished room.
The casters turn to watch their other guests whisper near the window, neither of them willing to eavesdrop with a spell. Kira flips a gold coin, which Sari snatches out of the air and slaps on the table. A brief scuffle occurs when the gypsy tries to pocket the money, the pair stopping when their bruised bodies remind them that they have not fully recovered from the battle.
“You get to go first,” Kira says, pointing at Nimby. She takes a seat in front of the fireplace and enjoys the warmth. “We’re not entirely convinced that you’re going to help us, but we don’t really have a choice. That and our next step can be discussed later. All I want to know is what the Lich is doing in your arm. I dreamed up a lot of fates for you, Nimby, but I never thought you’d end up the host to a necrocaster’s spirit. Considering I barely trusted you before, this doesn’t help your situation with me.”
“Not as stupid as I once thought,” the Lich declares, moving the halfling’s arm to tap at the nearby wall. The creature is distracted by the tremor caused by touching the enchanted stone, but snaps out of the trance before Nimby can take control. “Before my demise, I put part of my soul into this ring. Then, I sent it flying into the distance with a spell that would bring it to the perfect host. At first, I ended up on a worthless bandit who was so pathetic that I couldn’t even talk through him.”
“Tyler only had enough power to control his host and track me down,” Nimby continues as he puts a long glove over his arm. The leather is already starting to burn and fuse to the exposed bone in response to the Lich’s anger at being covered. “The bandit was made to attack me on the road, so I killed him and took his stuff. Later that day, I reached into my pocket for the ring and it spun onto my finger. Tyler and I have been miserable together ever since. Happened right before Sari and I met that one time. You see, my original plan was to track down the champions and see if I could get a shot at my father. Figured it was a step toward forgiving myself. Once that job was done, I wandered around and kept an ear out for information.”
Ritual of the Lost Lamb Page 18
