Jez cleared his throat. “It’s a little complicated.”
Welb huffed out a breath. “Another way to say it’s a lie. I think you should leave. We’ll recover our lord ourselves.”
Galine glared at him. “You do not speak for the tribe, Welb, whatever you may think.”
Welb leapt in much the same way he’d done the first time Jez had seen him. Once again, Galine moved to grab his neck, but Welb’s hands flashed, and he knocked aside Galine’s arm, leaving three gashes in the lion’s arm. Welb crashed into him, and though he was much smaller than Galine, the lion man was forced back a few steps. He jerked his head to the left, barely avoiding Welb’s jaws. Galine’s paws shot forward, but Welb twisted out of the way with an almost casual ease as he slashed at Galine’s chest. Galine tried to back up to avoid the strike, but Welb was too fast. The wolf’s clawed hands moved in a blur, and two other gashes formed on Galine’s chest.
The lion man roared and surged forward, but Welb sidestepped him before jumping into the air. He landed on Galine’s back, and his jaws closed around his neck. Galine froze. All the beast men in town were staring. A thin trickle of blood ran down Galine’s neck and Welb released. He jumped from Galine’s back and slowly walked in front of him.
“You are beaten. I lead the tribe now.”
Galine inclined his head. He was breathing heavily. “So you do.”
Welb pointed at Jez. “He and his friends will leave. They are no longer welcome here.”
Galine nodded and turned to Jez. “Let’s go.”
“You’re going with them?” Welb looked surprised.
“Of course. Your leadership may well lead the tribe into destruction. These humans are the only chance we have. I only wish you could see that.”
CHAPTER 38
“What do we do now?” Jez asked.
They were a couple of miles away from the town. Every time an animal stopped to look at them, Jez wondered if it was an imprisoned Beastwalker, but none of them had a good enough sense of beast magic to tell for sure.
“Where would Sharim complete his ritual?”
“Wouldn’t it be back in the cave?” Lina asked.
Galine shook his head. “He can’t use a ruined circle.”
Jez and Lina exchanged glances, and Jez let out a forced laugh. Galine raised an eyebrow. Jez winced. “We were in a hurry to find Sharim.”
“You can’t mean you left the circle intact.”
“Look, it obviously wasn’t my best decision, but at least we know where to look.”
“We don’t have the time we would have had, if he had to craft an entirely new one,” Galine said.
Jez rolled his eyes and started walking away. “You can stay here and keep complaining, or you can come help. We still have some time. He needs to alter it if it’s going to affect someone as powerful as Aniel.”
“Jez,” Osmund said as he caught up.
“We don’t have time to point fingers. This is Sharim, Osmund.”
“I know. I get that. It’s just—”
“Just what? I should stand there while he insults me?”
“No. It’s just that I’m pretty sure the cave is in the other direction.”
Jez stopped. “What?”
“You’re heading for the edge of the valley.” Osmund pointed a rock formation in the distance, barely visible through the trees. “That’s the border of the valley there.”
Jez looked over his shoulder. Galine and Lina were staring at him. Lina grinned openly. Galine gave him a small smile before turning and walking into the jungle. Jez let out a breath and rushed to follow. He refused to meet Lina’s eyes as they walked. It didn’t take them long to reach the cave. This time, the smell of sulfur billowed from the cave mouth and almost made Jez gag.
“He’s in there.”
Osmund looked at Galine. “Should we stay behind?”
Jez shook his head. “We’re going to have to take the risk. Sharim already killed one Beastwalker. Maybe he can only bring them fully here one at a time. We can’t let him do that to Aniel. If he’s there, I’ll attack first. Lina, make distractions, whatever it takes to keep him from focusing on Osmund and Galine.”
Lina nodded. “What if he takes control of you?”
Jez bit his lower lip. If Sharim could manage it, it would be a very bad thing. Jez was bound to human flesh for as long as he lived, but if he were to be killed, he’d emerge as the Shadowguard Luntayary with full access to all his abilities, and provided he was permitted to interfere in this matter, he thought he’d be more than a match for Sharim. All it would cost was his life. Osmund met his eyes and inclined his head as he touched the hilt of his sword. It was all that needed to be said.
Lina seemed to catch that there was something unsaid between them. She looked from Jez to Osmund and opened her mouth to speak, but Jez gave her a slight shake of his head, and her lips snapped shut.
“What is it?” Galine asked.
“We just came up with a back-up plan. Don’t worry.”
Galine’s brow furled, but he nodded. Jez stepped forward into the cave.
CHAPTER 39
Light pulsed in the distance. Blue flickered to yellow and back to blue as they descended deeper into the earth. Power hummed against Jez’s protection sense, and it was an effort not to let it distract him. They reached one of the final bends before Sharim’s lair, and Jez summoned his crystal sword. A false image of himself appeared beside him. Next to it stood an image of Osmund and Galine. Jez nodded to Lina. He took a deep breath and charged.
He stopped in his tracks as he ran into a bear ten feet tall.
Its fur was black, and chitinous plates covered its chest and shoulders. Its eyes glowed red, and it snapped at Jez as soon as he came into range. Jez yelped and fell, barely avoiding the creature’s massive jaws. As he cried out, several sets of red eyes appeared on the ceiling. In the light of the circle, Jez could see huge bats hanging there.
They screeched so loudly that Jez thought his ears would bleed. Then, they launched themselves toward him. He lifted his sword but before he had a chance to strike, a flaming blade tore one of the creatures out of the air. Jez realized he was holding his breath, half expecting to see an explosion of green motes, but the body fell to the earth as a burned husk. Ziary stood over him, his sword flashing. There was a roar that drowned out everything else, and Galine practically flew through the air and slammed into the giant bear. Their cries mingled with each other, and the two creatures became a fury of tooth and claw.
Jez got to his feet. His fingers danced in the air. The smoldering remains said these were possessed animals and not demons, and that meant lotheen. A dozen bands of fire shot forth from his hands, trapping the bats. They fell to the ground, squealing in pain. The protection offered by mortal flesh prevented him from banishing them to the abyss, but the working got them out of the way without killing them. His binding, however, passed right through the bear with no effect whatsoever.
“It’s not a lotheen!”
Galine grunted. He’d seized the bear from behind and was holding its arms prone. Though the bear was more massive, Galine’s four legs gave him an advantage that the possessed creature couldn’t quite overcome. The bear managed to get one hand free and turned, slamming its paw into Galine’s face. Galine drew back. One of the bear’s claws had ripped into his forehead, and the blood was running into his eyes.
“Go get Sharim,” he said as he returned the attack. “This will all be for nothing if he succeeds.”
Ziary had already rounded the corner, and Jez followed. His knees were still weak from his temporary transformation into Luntayary, and he was forced to draw on the pharim’s power to compensate. The power began burning away at him even as it strengthened him. He rounded the corner and found himself looking right into Sharim’s eyes.
Sharim’s pale skin was colored by the light of the circle, alternating between yellow and blue. His eyes glowed green as he stared at Aniel who was held down in the center
of the circle by chains of light. Sharim raised his hand, but Jez was ready and wove a ward against illusions even before Sharim unleashed a working that would’ve attempted to trap Jez in a vision of Sharim’s making. Sharim smiled.
“You’ve gotten better since the last time I saw you.”
Jez took a step forward, keeping his sword between him and Sharim. “And you still like to talk.”
“Unless this is a distraction.”
Jez’s eyes widened as a snake man rose from the shadows and wrapped itself around him before he had a chance to react. It was only then that he noticed Ziary similarly restrained. Jez tried to call water out of the air, but the snakes seemed to trap his power as well as his body. The head of the one trapping him rose, and Jez was forced to meet its gaze. A scar ran across the left side of its face and a milky orb sat where an eye should be.
“Ravous?”
The snake hissed. Its head shot forward as it prepared to sink its curved teeth into Jez. Jez cried out but Sharim’s voice cut in.
“Not quite yet.”
Ravous froze less than an inch from Jez’s face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a similar scene with Osmund. Slowly, the snakes drew back, though their grip didn’t lessen. The crystal at Sharim’s feet glowed as he lifted a hand toward Jez. His skin began to crawl. The runes shone brightly as they drew power from the stream below. Jez felt himself burning, but he closed his eyes in concentration and forced Luntayary’s power back.
“Impressive,” Sharim said. “Let’s see how you do when I bring the full power of a high lord of the pharim against you.”
The chains around Aniel shone a bright as the sun. The lord of the Beastwalkers howled. The sound hit Jez like a wave, and the entire cave shook. Ravous shivered, and for a moment, Jez thought the snake man would release him, but its coils tightened a second later.
A green aura appeared around Sharim’s hand shining so brilliantly Jez started to look away, but Ravous hissed, and Jez froze. His skin started to burn and steam rose from his exposed flesh. Jez tried to push the Luntayary away, but it was like trying to stop an earthquake, and Sharim’s working rolled over his resistance as if it wasn’t there. Power swelled inside of him as his clothes transformed into sapphire robes and wings emerged from his back.
At some unspoken command, Ravous released him. Jez tried to move toward Sharim, but his legs refused to obey. Sharim uttered a harsh syllable, and Jez turned toward Ziary. The snake man holding the scion slithered away but Ziary didn’t move. Jez raised his sword to cut down his friend. Then, Ziary vanished.
“What?” Sharim called out. Jez managed to turn in his direction just as understanding dawn on Sharim. “Ah yes. Lina.”
He waved a hand and Ziary shimmered back into view. Lina yelped as she appeared a few feet away. Jez struggled against the power holding him but to no avail. He could feel his physical body dying, but there was nothing else he could do.
Sharim cried out, but Aniel had already started to rise, and Sharim turned his full attention to the pharim lord. Freed of the control, Jez forced Luntayary back, and he returned to human form. His knees buckled and he fell, his body drained of strength. Ziary fell to one knee, but he was able to rise again a second later, and he moved toward Sharim. Sharim’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t seem to take any power from his working on Aniel.
Ziary struck, but his sword was rebuffed by the same shield Sharim had used before. Jez tried to summon the energy to dispel it, but he had nothing left. Again and again, Ziary struck. Cracks began to form in the shield, but it wouldn’t be fast enough. The circle was pulsing regularly, almost ready to unleash its energy. The focusing crystal at Sharim’s feet was like a green sun.
Aniel roared as every rune shone deep blue. Jez’s heart felt like he would explode. He clutched at his chest and curled into a fetal position. He saw Ziary doing the same a few feet away. Neither of them was dong as bad as the snake men.
Ravous had coiled into a ball. His cries sounded nothing like a human’s and it sent chills down Jez’s spine. The others were screaming, their hisses filled the air.
“Jez, what’s wrong?” Lina asked.
“Stop him,” Jez managed through the pain. “He’s doing it now.”
He couldn’t tell for sure through his blurred vision, but he thought Lina nodded. She stepped away from him. He tried to lift his head to see what she was doing, but he just didn’t have the strength. The pain was too much.
“Now you? You’re only human.”
“How good is your focus, Sharim?” Lina asked. “Can you keep it going if I invade your mind?”
“You can’t possibly think you could defeat me there. My mind has existed since before your world came to be.”
“Maybe, but I’ll bet you weren’t trying to command a high lord of the pharim all that time.”
Jez managed to sit up. Lina and Sharim were staring at each other. He could feel the power inside of Lina, barely a fraction compared to the torrent inside of Sharim, but most of Sharim’s was directed at Aniel, and he didn’t have much to spare for the defense of his mind. Still, Sharim was ancient and powerful, and he’d tapped into the stream below in addition to the power he was siphoning off of Aniel. The tiniest portion of that power could defend against master mages, and while Lina’s skills with illusions were impressive, she was only a fledgling mentalist.
Jez clenched his teeth, trying to think of anything he could do to help. The strength of his body had failed. He didn’t dare call on Luntayary’s power. His own strength was nearly depleted, his eyes locked on to the water rune, the one used to tap into the stream beneath them.
He closed his eyes and reached down with his power. It took him far too long to find the spring. It resisted his attempts to tap into it, but he pushed with everything he had. Beast magic welled into him. It wasn’t a lot. His weakened body couldn’t hold much right now, but he embraced it and threw it against Sharim, trying to wrest control of the circle from him.
Even with Sharim trying to control Aniel while defending against Lina, Jez’s attack was too weak. Sharim chuckled and the runes flared. Lina took advantage of the distraction and power surged inside of her. Sharim’s eyes went wide, and the pain in Jez’s chest became so intense it blinded him. Sharim cried out, but whatever Lina had done was too late. Jez felt a huge surge of beast magic, the same magic that governed his own transformation, rushing into the world.
CHAPTER 40
The pain receded, and Jez staggered to his feet. He winced as his clothes rubbed against his skin. The forced transformation had left him covered in blisters. Osmund stood, seeming no worse for wear. Lina was breathing heavily, and Sharim was struggling to stand. Ravous writhed nearby. Aniel lay in an unmoving heap in the center of the circle. Osmund met Jez’s eyes and nodded before moving to stand over Sharim with his sword drawn. Jez shambled over to Lina.
“What did you do?”
“I couldn’t distract him from his main working, but he was doing five at one time, so I picked one of his lesser ones and went after it. It was some sort of protection. As soon as I got through, he doubled over in pain.”
Jez nodded. “It hurt everyone who could transform. He must’ve been protecting himself from it. When you distracted him...” He waved his hand at Sharim who had just noticed Osmund standing over him.
“You fool,” Sharim said. “We have to get out of here.”
Osmund snorted and pressed his blade against Sharim’s chest. “You don’t get to talk now.”
Sharim looked unblinkingly into Osmund’s eyes as he stood. Osmund’s muscled tensed, but he allowed Sharim to rise. Once he was on his feet he threw Aniel uneasy glances. The pharim lord was starting to stir, and Sharim’s eyes were wide.
“I don’t have control of him.”
Jez sneered. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is. You just had to interfere, didn’t you? You’ve seen beast mind. Well, right now, it’s claimed the lord of the Beastwalkers and all of hi
s children. When he gets up, there won’t be a more dangerous place in the entire world than right here.”
He took a step toward the entrance and Osmund’s sword flashed as it touched his Sharim’s neck. “Don’t move.”
Sharim sneered. “Do it if you’re going to. It’ll be better than getting ripped apart by him.”
Osmund’s eyes darted to Aniel.
“No!” Jez cried out.
It was too late. Jez had faced Sharim in combat six months prior, and he’d learned that among Sharim’s other talents, he was a master of the blade, one that you couldn’t take your eyes off of, not even for a second.
A sword of liquid flame appeared in Sharim’s hands. It moved so fast it left a red streak in the air. It sheared through Osmund’s steel weapon before the other boy had even realized Sharim was moving. Osmund barely avoided Sharim’s thrust. Sharim’s sword swung in a wide arc as he took a step forward, completely heedless of the snake man still struggling to rise.
As soon as he stepped near the head, Ravous’s eyes shot open, and he surged forward. His jaws closed on Sharim’s leg. Sharim cried out and staggered as Osmund swung his broken blade, but Sharim managed to raise his weapon in time to meet his attack. The remnants of Osmund’s weapon melted as they impacted Sharim’s. Sharim lifted a hand and a blast of wind drove Osmund back. Sharim scooped up the focusing crystal and stared into it for a second. Osmund recovered, and flame sprouted around his fist. He drew back his arm to deliver a punch, but bat-like wings emerged from Sharim’s back and curved horns grew from his head. He leapt back, turning in the air. Osmund started after him, but Sharim disappeared around the corner in the space of a few heartbeats.
“I can’t transform,” Osmund said.
“Forget that,” Jez said between heavy breaths. “Come close.”
“He’s getting away.”
“And we can’t move as fast. Come closer.”
Osmund stared after Sharim for several seconds before nodding. He moved right next to Jez.
Beastwalker (Pharim War Book 3) Page 14
