by Joe Jackson
Amazing that such a small creature can cause such big problems, Kari thought. To her, it was unfathomable that a single creature – even a demon – could raise so many undead in such a short span. Dominick had been quite accurate in assessing Emma’s power: Kari doubted even Gareth Maelstrom or any other archmage in the world could replicate what Emma had just done. What puzzled her was why the succubus had apparently confronted the mallasti, only to play some game of comparing arcane power with her. Did Turillia truly want to kill Emma, as Kari had suspected? Was this entire display meant to draw Kari out to be killed by one or both of the demons? Or did it play into some deeper, more malicious plan, as BlackWing had hinted at?
Her contemplations came to an end when a massive form landed on top of the cemetery’s outer wall. Kari looked up to see a silver-furred werewolf standing silhouetted against the rising moons. The creature crouched on top of the wall for a moment, its fanged maw curling up in a snarl as it beheld the two demons and the swarm of shambling undead. It crouched down, and one of its clawed hands gripped the lip of the wall hard enough that Kari could hear the crunch of stone. After only a couple of seconds, the creature straightened out to its full height – even larger than Kari’s brother-in-law, Serenjols – and it let out a deep and powerful howl that echoed numerous times off of the walls and crypts. Kari shivered as a chill traveled the length of her spine. Soon, other massive forms appeared on the wall near the silver-furred werewolf, until there were eight in all, and their shadows fell over the crouching demonhunter and ranger.
Kari’s breath caught in her throat when the silver-furred werewolf turned its attention toward her and her companion. Its ears angled back sharply, and Kari turned her right leg to the side, preparing to dodge and counterstrike should the creature pounce. She wasn’t sure how effective she would be when fighting something so large; if it weren’t for the creatures’ bent legs and digitigrade feet, Kari would’ve almost believed she was looking at an erestram. The werewolves were close enough that Kari understood that what she was seeing was no optical illusion or trick of her eyes trying to determine detail in the darkness: the creatures were easily nine or ten feet tall, and they were powerfully built, particularly from the waist up. While she had defeated an erestram in single combat, she was in no hurry to try doing so against one of these werewolves.
Kari dodged frantically to her right when the creature finally pounced, but rather than land on or near the demonhunter or ranger, it landed on top of the crypts and then bounded down into the graveyard’s center. Kari tucked and rolled forward once she completed her dodge, and she came up on her feet and hustled to the cemetery wall. The other werewolves jumped over her position in powerful but graceful arcs, either landing on top of the center row of crypts to jump down into the fray, or else landing on top of a shambling undead to shred it with their wicked claws. Kari looked across to Sharyn, who had not moved from her original position, and the ranger woman seemed satisfied that the werewolves would concentrate on the undead and the demons first and foremost.
Kari turned her attention to the center of the graveyard, where the werewolves were thrashing about in grand melee with the undead. The silver-furred one, whom Kari assumed was their pack-leader, made for Emma. The mallasti girl seemed neither surprised by the werewolves’ presence nor alarmed by the charging mass of fur, fangs, and claws. Emma raised her hand casually, and a thunderclap rocked the graveyard with a momentarily deafening crack that rebounded off of the stone structures. A lightning bolt tore through the silver-furred werewolf, continued through it, and jumped from undead to undead, crossing the northeastern half of the graveyard until it had hit everything – including Kari and Sharyn.
Kari felt her legs go numb, and she collapsed to her knees, holding herself up on her arms only by force of will. She’d been shocked many times before in combat with demons or other spell-casters, but never quite like this. This lightning bolt had hit her differently, almost as though a whip had struck her directly in the heart. Though it sapped the strength from her body, it didn’t cause her muscles to all simultaneously contract as a normal shock spell would’ve done, and it didn’t even make her hair stand on end. Kari was in pain and her body felt weak, but even so, she realized it could’ve been much, much worse. She glanced to Sharyn and saw the ranger woman also forcing herself back to her feet, and Kari guessed it may have just been the number of targets the bolt had hit that made it seem different.
All of the undead on Kari and Sharyn’s side of the graveyard were down, reduced to dust or burnt to an immobile crisp by the lightning bolt. It seemed strange to Kari that Emma would destroy her own minions in the face of a werewolf assault, but then she assumed Emma just didn’t care if she killed her own pawns when eliminating a stronger threat. Kari got back to her feet and started to pace along the wall, trying to get to a vantage point where she could see both Emma and Turillia. Again the silver-furred werewolf dashed at Emma, but this time the mallasti simply waved her clawed hand. The werewolf was sent rolling across the cemetery lawn as though it’d been slapped by a giant, disembodied hand. The mallasti girl then turned and shocked several of the other werewolves with another burst of chain lightning, destroying more of her pawns and those of Turillia, and incapacitating some of the lycanthropes.
“You bitch!” Sharyn yelled through gritted teeth as she charged the mallasti.
Kari didn’t have time to yell a warning, and instead ran as fast as her shaky legs could take her along the wall. She wished briefly that she had her backpack with her; she suspected she could do more damage in this situation with her bow than trying to close the distance to either spell-caster to engage them in melee. Kari was surprised when the silver werewolf regained its feet and bounded sideways to knock Sharyn from her charge. It then changed its direction and took a swipe at Emma. Its claws bounced off of some arcane shielding around the mallasti with a flash of sparks. Emma threw it backward into one of the broken crypts with another gesture. Stunned, the silver werewolf did not get back up immediately.
The mallasti girl fired off another lightning bolt that tore through the nearest group of werewolves, and they howled and yipped in pain as they ran for cover. Kari saw Turillia coming around the far row of crypts, and realized that Emma had lost track of the succubus while fending off the werewolves. Nearly all of the undead had been destroyed, but Emma’s attention was focused fully on the werewolves. Kari started forward to intercept the succubus before she could get close enough to assassinate the mallasti. It felt weird to defend the life of a demon, but Kari wanted answers from Emma more than she wanted to see the mallasti girl dead. She realized as she stumbled along gingerly, however, that she would not be in time to stop Turillia from backstabbing the mallasti, and she wondered whether she should shout a warning.
“You must think this one a terrible fool,” Emma said, whirling on the succubus, who was now only steps away. Turillia balked for a moment, and Emma threw up both hands and unleashed a torrent of flame that rivaled the ones Kari had seen Triela use during the battle on Tsalbrin. It lit up the entire graveyard, and Kari had to partially shield her eyes from the glare of the cone of fire. The grass singed and vaporized, and there was a loud crackling as the ground dried and shattered under the intense heat of the hellish cone of fire. Kari expected Turillia, crouched down slightly with her wings wrapped about her, would be completely consumed by the deluge of flame, but after a few seconds, the succubus merely straightened out and laughed.
“If you think arcane power is all I have been stealing from these men, then you are a terrible fool,” she taunted in that otherworldly voice.
Emma snorted, her expression barely changing. “This one has turned your own trap against you. Consider who the fool is in this situation,” she returned evenly, and Kari was amazed at how impassive the mallasti girl seemed, even in the midst of a battle. “Enjoy the rest of your night with the werewolves. You will find they are less hurt than angry.”
And then Emma was gone. There was
a moment of calm silence, and Turillia’s face set into a scowl. She bounded gingerly to the side to get away from the hot ground. Soon the growling of more than half a dozen angry werewolves echoed off the stones, as they emerged from cover and began to stalk toward the succubus. Kari expected Turillia to teleport away, like she’d done in DarkWind, but instead she seemed to concentrate for a moment. The remaining undead fell under her sway, and picked up weapons to renew the fight against the werewolves. The succubus glanced at Kari and flashed that wicked fanged grin again, and then she made her way toward Sharyn.
The ranger was still wobbly from both the lightning bolt and being slammed by the girth of a massive werewolf, but she brought her blade up before her defensively. She also had the advantage of having kept tabs on the werewolves for years: a couple of them moved to intercept the succubus’ charge, suggesting that Sharyn not only studied them, but had earned their trust as well. Kari wasn’t sure if the werewolves knew Sharyn and recognized her scent as being friendly, but it was obvious they were putting themselves between her and harm, and they engaged Turillia. Sharyn backed up a couple of paces, but then circled around, looking for some way to triangulate an attack and aid the werewolves in dispatching the succubus.
That proved easier said than done, and Kari moved over as quickly as she could to give her aid as well. Turillia claimed a clawed hand from one of the attacking werewolves, and stabbed one of the others repeatedly, all the while ducking and weaving just as she’d done when she fought Kari on the two prior occasions. The succubus was an incredibly difficult target to hit, utilizing that dexterity to attack and dodge in concert. She left one of the werewolves curled in a ball, bleeding profusely from nearly a dozen stab wounds, and she turned without pause and left several deep grooves in Sharyn’s leather armor. It was as effective a fighting style as Kari had ever seen, at least as delicate and graceful as the one she’d learned from Tumureldi. It was also combined with the deadly accuracy and unrelenting force of a trained assassin.
Kari managed only a single swing at the succubus before Turillia took wing and alighted on top of one of the crypts. She turned around and toed the edge of the crypt, her blades held out before her defensively, and she flashed a confident smile. “As Emma said, enjoy the rest of your night with the werewolves, fools,” she taunted. She started to fold into her cloak the way she had to teleport away in DarkWind, but a look of alarm crossed her face. She then took wing again, and glided out over the cemetery walls, just evading one of the werewolves’ jumping attempt to bring her down with its claws. She glided into the darkness beyond the wall, only a taunting laugh echoing in the night.
The werewolves regrouped, though the one Turillia had stabbed repeatedly lay still on the cemetery lawn, its blood pooling beneath it. Kari wasn’t sure if she should try to heal it. It had helped her, but it was still a dangerous and savage wild creature, and she could be repaid with some nasty scars or worse. Any thought she had of doing so, however, ended when the other werewolves approached, growling in a deep, threatening snarl. Kari backed away slowly, and brought her scimitars up before her. She suspected she might be able to kill the werewolves if she were to fight them one at a time, but not in her shaky-limbed condition. They were also apparently pack hunters like the wolves they derived their bestial attributes from. Kari glanced from snarling face to snarling face, but realized the werewolves had dispatched what zombies remained, and she gave thanks for small blessings.
Sharyn stepped between the werewolves and Kari, though she didn’t even bother to hold her sword up before her defensively. Kari’s instincts were to step beside the ranger, but she kept in mind that Sharyn had followed and studied the beasts for most of her adolescent and adult life, and likely knew how to deal with them. Sharyn didn’t say anything, and made no gestures toward the werewolves, merely holding their stares with her own. There was an intensity in her expression that Kari could see even from the side and behind, and the werewolves halted their approach as Sharyn held their golden-eyed stares evenly. The silver-furred one approached, and Kari tensed, but after meeting Sharyn’s gaze with its own snarling visage, it turned and picked up its fallen companion.
The sound of several watch whistles pierced the air, followed by men pushing through the cemetery gates. After turning their gazes in that direction, the werewolves jumped or climbed onto the outer wall, and disappeared into the night. Sharyn blew out the breath she’d been holding the entire time, and she dropped to one knee and leaned on her sword, planted tip-down in the grass. Kari moved forward and touched her on the shoulder, and both women turned their attention to Sherman as he approached with a small contingent of the city watch.
“I went and got help when I realized I couldn’t keep up with you,” he explained, coming to a stop before Kari. He looked around at the state of the graveyard, and his expression turned to one of concern before he realized neither of his friends appeared seriously injured. “By the gods, what happened here?”
“Eh, the priests of Kaelariel aren’t going to like this one bit,” the guard captain muttered before he gestured for his men to secure the area. He came across the bodies of the two dead guards, reduced to burnt corpses by Emma’s lightning. “Lord Black ain’t going to like this one bit, either.”
“We met Emma,” Kari answered. “And Turillia…and a pack of werewolves…and pretty much everyone who’s ever died in this city.” She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry more. Ultimately, she simply spat, disgusted by the display she’d just born witness to, but also by the atrociously irresponsible nature of the two arcane spellcasters that had battled. She gestured toward the gate. “We need to get back to your sister and Eli, and make sure they were able to kill or drive off BlackWing. But we aren’t going to be running. Frankly, I think I’m lucky I can even walk at this point.”
“Tell me about it on the way, then,” Sherman said, and he helped Sharyn to her feet and let her lean on him until she got her legs more solidly beneath her.
Kari watched with interest, but said nothing about it.
Chapter XVII – Recognition
Ambergaust’s temple was warm and bright. Kari sat with her head in her hands, trying to replay the events at the graveyard over in her mind. After Emma’s display of power, it was hard for Kari not to be overwhelmed by the strength of the forces arrayed against her. Emma didn’t seem intent on killing Kari or Sharyn, but she hadn’t hesitated to disable both of them with a wicked lightning bolt that Kari suspected may have been fatal, had it not bounced between so many targets. Fortunately, Emma seemed as intent on thwarting the succubus and her plan as Kari herself, but at the same time, the mallasti girl’s ability to raise an entire graveyard of corpses with the speed of thought was terrifying.
Kari raised her head to take account of her friends and their wounds. While Kari was still a bit shaken by the effects of the lightning bolt, she saw that Eli and Deirdre had suffered worse in their encounter. The priests were doing their work admirably, keeping the two serilian-rir comfortable while the poison cleared their systems and the wounds healed. Deirdre had suffered only a single bite, but it had been deep in her neck, and the poison left her body weak and limp. Eli, too, had suffered a bite to the neck, compounded by the tearing when Piotyr apparently knocked BlackWing off of the half-corlyps. His face was still raw where BlackWing’s cestus had torn off or shredded a good bit of flesh, but between Katarina’s healing and that of the priests, Eli was already well on the mend.
Sharyn was in the same condition as Kari: wobbly-kneed and a little breathless after being hit with a lightning strike, but she seemed fine otherwise. The ranger woman was sitting with Sherman by her side, and he had one arm wrapped around her comfortingly. Katarina didn’t seem to have anything to say regarding that, and her face remained neutral when she first saw the two so close. Eli, on the other hand, shook his head every now and then when Sharyn’s eyes met his, but the ranger woman usually met his gestures with a challenging scowl. It confirmed, once again, that
Eli strangely possessed the protective nature of a half-guardian, which Kari deeply appreciated, but at the same time, she was worried that friction between the two might become a problem during the remainder of her mission.
She turned her eyes toward Piotyr, who looked roughed up like he’d been in a fight, but he seemed no worse for the wear. His face was a mask of concern, though he obviously fought hard to keep his emotions under control as he sat by his reclining sister. Kari suspected that half-elites felt the same bonds of brotherhood that their serilis-rir forebears did. Though they, too, had some of the protective nature that typified half-guardians, that nature was multiplied ten-fold when family or even sworn brothers were put in harm’s way. Piotyr was all at once glad for his sister’s speedy recovery and furious at himself for not being able to protect her; that much was clear. It made Kari hesitate to tell him what had happened to the graveyard. She had no doubts he would want to go out and do something immediately, but without his sister and with two necromantic demons running about, Kari knew that wouldn’t be wise.
