Night's Haunting

by Matthew Sprange

  Seeing that they stood trapped, waiting to be spitted with bolts by soldiers who had all the time in the world to aim, Lucius sheathed his sword and dagger, then clenched his fists in front of his chest as he tugged on the invisible threads, drawing power for a new spell. He punched forward with both fists, releasing the energy and roaring in anger, letting his emotion drive the spell as much as his skill.

  The pulse of energy slammed into the portcullis with a terrifying crash that caused the soldiers closest to it to yelp and spring back. The metal had yielded a few inches, with the centre of the portcullis buckled and twisted, bars broken and snapped apart. Seeing the barrier resist his spell, Lucius gathered more energy, building it up into a powerful attack that would flatten everything before him.

  Sensing the danger, the tall woman reached forward with a casual gesture, and the portcullis erupted into crackling lightning, bright sparks playing up and down its surface. The portcullis surged with energy briefly, then the lightning leapt across to Lucius.

  His body jerked in pain as the lightning swept through him and the spell he was forming slipped from his mind to dissipate harmlessly back into the threads. Draining its own power, the lightning relaxed its grip on his body, and Lucius sank to his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

  "Cover me," he managed to say to Heinrich and Elaine. They exchanged looks, then leapt forward, using their bodies to shield Lucius.

  Elaine had already drawn a throwing knife, and she heaved it at the nearest soldier, but the blade was hastily aimed and clattered off the portcullis. Trying the same thing, Heinrich was more accurate, and sent his spinning knife through the gap in the portcullis that Lucius created. It buried itself in the forearm of one of the crossbowmen, causing him to cry out as he dropped his weapon. His comrade raised his crossbow and aimed straight at Heinrich.

  "Lucius, what ever you are doing, do it fast!" Heinrich said, as he jumped onto the balls of his feet, readying for a desperate leap to one side when the bolt was loosed. A strained voice came from behind him.

  "Move... now."

  Heinrich and Elaine leapt behind the Shadowmage. Lucius had pulled himself to his feet and was holding his palms out as if carrying a great ball. In his mind, he saw the immense energy he had been preparing as a tumultuous, writhing sphere of multi-coloured winds that whipped around at terrible speeds.

  With another cry, he threw the energy ball forward, seeing it speed from his hand to the portcullis, though it was invisible to Elaine, Heinrich and the soldiers.

  It blasted into the portcullis and detonated. The portcullis collapsed, unable to withstand the assault. Great masses of stone were torn free as it was ripped from its mechanism, and shards of metal and rock were catapulted towards the soldiers with lethal force.

  Men shrieked in pain as they were impaled on metal bars or struck by stone. Amidst all the carnage, the tall woman casually, almost contemptuously, raised her hand, palm outwards. The force of the blast, along with its killing shrapnel, seemed to flow around her and the two soldiers standing impassively behind her. They showed no fear as the spell abated and the woman gestured them to move forward over the bodies of their dead and dying allies, halberds raised as they approached Lucius.

  Another gesture from the woman froze the air about her into long, thin, needle-sharp ice. The foot-long darts hung in the air for a moment, then arrowed towards Lucius. Lucius raised an invisible shield, deflecting the bolts into the wall where they shattered into fragments of crystal.

  Though panting from the exertion, he was now smiling. The tall woman was accomplished enough and, unusually for a Vos-trained wizard, very fast at building spells. Her magic was similar in its discipline to Adrianna's, but he had faced the Shadowmage before, and this woman did not have anything like Adrianna's power or raw talent. His elation at this discovery nearly cost him his life, and Lucius only ducked at the last instant as a halberd hissed through the air above him.

  "We'll take this scum," Elaine said. Both she and Heinrich had seen the danger to Lucius, and moved up alongside to protect him. "You take down that witch."

  Metal smashed against metal as Elaine raised her sword to parry another halberd swing, and was pushed back by the blow. While the halberd was relatively unwieldy in close combat and easily caught on a blade, the sheer weight behind its attack was enough to send a swordsman flying. Elaine cursed and recovered her balance, ready to face the soldier as he marched upon her.

  The Vos wizard smiled at Lucius and beckoned him on. Resolved to tear her arrogance apart, he formed a bolt of black energy that hissed as it fed on the life of everyone present in the corridor. Launching the bolt at the woman, he saw her smile slip as it knifed into her chest. The woman's skin turned ashen, and she looked visibly shaken as she started chanting, preparing another spell.

  Heinrich had already dealt with the soldier he faced, moving inside the halberd's reach and driving a sword up through the man's jaw, and the soldier now lay twitching on the floor.

  Heinrich advanced on the remaining soldier, who sensed his approach and turned side on to see both assassins. That was all the advantage Elaine needed. Kicking the halberd's shaft to one side, she slashed with one blade, sliding it off his helmet and drawing a deep cut down his cheek. With the other, she stabbed, the blade piercing the mail on the soldier's thigh.

  He fell to one knee, bleeding from leg and face, supporting his weight with his halberd. The assassins gave him no time to recover, and savagely hacked and stabbed until he lay still.

  Her spell complete, the woman stretched forth her hand and channelled more lightning into Lucius. Lucius had already constructed another invisible barrier and the lightning smashed into it, ripping the strands of energy that bound his defence together, sparks flying to either side as the magics fought one another.

  Lucius directed more energy into the shield, repairing it as quickly as she flayed more layers from its surface. He stared grimly at the tall woman, matching and countering her spell as she stepped up its magnitude.

  Slowly, tiny flaws started to appear in his shield, and Lucius frowned in concentration as he poured more energy from the threads into the barrier, but still the strength of the wizard's spell increased. When she cried out in pain, Lucius began to wonder if the wizard had not unleashed some terrible spell she could no longer control.

  Standing rigid now, the woman was immobile, hand still directed toward him, still funnelling lightning into the shield, though now it was blinding in its intensity. She looked like a puppet, directed by the will of another, and this impression was reinforced as Lucius watched his shield begin to dissolve. He desperately shored up his defences.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw the heat haze appear again, this time in the far corners of the chamber on either side of the wizard. An arch appeared in each, with corridors receding away into the distance. Lucius did not know if this was the true layout of this part of the keep, or just another illusion.

  He stumbled as a wave of power swept over him, and it took a moment to realise that it had been in his mind alone. It had felt as if someone very powerful and very learned in magics was flexing his muscles before entering the fight.

  Screaming now, the endless shriek ripped from her throat, the woman began to shake, though her hand was still rigidly pointing toward him, the lightning pouring out with ever greater intensity. The wizard looked insensible, her eyes rolling in their sockets, glazed over as if she were somewhere else.

  The energies channelled by her body had risen tenfold again, and the power was beginning to leak from her tall frame, sparks jumping out through her silk garments, setting them alight. Lucius moaned with the effort of keeping his shield intact, now reduced to the thinnest sliver of a defence.

  In the corners of his eyes, he saw a figure appear in each of the corridors now stretching from the chamber. Each was cowled in a pale robe, face hidden within its shadowy recess. They stood, immobile, staring at Lucius and his pathetic efforts to resist the magic of their va
ssal.

  Another pulse of energy swept over Lucius and he staggered under its impact, unaware of Elaine's steadying hand on his shoulder, unable to hear her words. He could feel other centres of power, other crafters of magic, hidden from his view, working together. Perhaps their power was being magnified by the strange construction of this part of the keep, or perhaps they could do it naturally, but he had not felt a force so powerful since confronting Adrianna. Even then, he could not say who was the greater - the Shadowmage, or what must be the Vos cabal.

  The tall woman's head now lolled to one side, and Lucius doubted that she was still alive. Still, she was serving as the link to the cabal, their instrument against him. Seeing his shield begin to wither and die, he yelled out loud as he pushed it forward, flooding it with a final burst of energy.

  The wave smashed into the tall woman. Unable to offer any resistance, her body folded under the blow, bones breaking as she was thrown off her feet into the wall behind. She fell limply to the ground, unmoving.

  The lightning storm ceased with the death of her body, leaving the chamber eerily silent. Lucius became aware of Elaine shaking him. Looking up the twin corridors, he saw the two cowled figures advancing smoothly, as if floating a few inches above the ground.

  "I can't fight them," he gasped. "We've got to get out of here."

  Heinrich had already hurled a knife at one of the cabal wizards, but the blade had winked out of existence as it spun through the air, not even passing the length of the chamber.

  Another pulse, yet stronger than before, hammered Lucius and he reeled, clutching his head as pain lanced through his mind. He looked at Elaine through hazed eyes.

  "The portcullis is jammed," Elaine shouted, her voice seeming to come from a far distance. "We can't go back."

  "Distract..." he managed to say, but the assassins understood immediately.

  Heinrich readied his sword and sprinted towards one of the cabal wizards. Elaine went to follow him, but Lucius grabbed her shoulder. He saw her glance at Heinrich, but he gripped harder, turning her around as he reached out with his other hand, summoning the energy to build his spell. The fog clouding his mind suddenly vanished, and his vision returned with renewed clarity. Lucius knew that Heinrich had succeeded in distracting the cabal wizards for a brief moment. He also knew the assassin was already dead.

  With a ragged breath, he drew in air and concentrated, drawing the magical energies he needed to him, conscious that he had but seconds before the wizards behind recovered from whatever Heinrich had done. He formed a blast of energy and sent it streaming toward the portcullis, but collapsed with the effort. He heard Elaine's desperate cries as she threw her weight against the shattered portcullis.

  Lucius heard a crash of metal, then Elaine was with him, hauling him to his feet. He stumbled forward, then felt her stop.

  "Heinrich..." she said.

  "He's dead."

  Elaine froze in place, and Lucius saw her look back, though whether it was to seek vengeance or try a desperate rescue, he could not say.

  "Don't be a fool," Lucius said. "He's dead."

  "Then they die too," she said.

  "Elaine, we've got to go now. Too much depends on you. Remember the guild!"

  "I don't care about that."

  Lucius looked at her, fear and desperation on both their faces.

  "Yes you do."

  Still she hesitated. He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her through the portcullis.

  "For God's sake, Elaine, we leave now!"

  For the briefest moment Elaine resisted, then a shadow seemed to fall over her. Her face grew steely; Lucius felt sorry for the next soldier they met.

  Behind him, sorcerous energies began to escalate again, poured into a spell of devastating proportions. The thieves fled back up the corridor, and to the spiralled staircase up to the keep's dungeons. Lucius pushed Elaine into the recess and made sure she was climbing before he cast a look over his shoulder.

  Pursuing them down the corridor were several cowled figures. No longer floating serenely, he could see them running with desperate speed as they saw their victims escaping. One flicked a hand in an elaborate gesture, and a tiny red spark shot unerringly toward Lucius.

  Sensing the power contained within the little spark, Lucius threw himself up the stairs, his legs pumping as he mounted the steps two at a time. He felt the spark build vastly in intensity, and then a thunderous crash blasted behind him just inside the corridor. The dark staircase was lit up in a brilliant orange as flames clawed up the stairs, eager to consume him.

  Yelling at Elaine to move faster, he scrambled up the stairs, feeling the heat licking at his boots and cloak. Dust scoured from the walls by the blast was driven up before the flames, and Lucius began to choke as his vision was clouded. Stumbling, he felt his way up the stairs.

  The flames receded as the spell subsided. Not wanting to see what the cabal would do as a follow up, Lucius hurried up the staircase.

  Elaine was waiting for him in the underground warehouse. She was bent over, hands on her thighs as she struggled to regain her breath. Looking up as he approached, also gasping for air, Elaine gave him a poisonous look.

  "Bastards," she said, and Lucius had the unnerving thought that she blamed him for the loss of Heinrich.

  He thought of all the things he could say to her - apologies, sympathies, even an attempt at reconciliation - but dismissed them all.

  "We have to go," he said. "They're still following. I can feel them."

  "They are too powerful for you to fight?" It could have been a jibe at his skill with magic, or it might have been an honest question. Lucius pushed the thought from his mind.

  "I can't face them directly, but I think there is one thing I can do that, if nothing else, will cause them a great deal of frustration."

  Elaine gave him a strange look, but followed him as he ran through the lines of stacked crates to the entrance of the warehouse. Stopping at the door, he gestured for Elaine to get behind him.

  "Two birds, as they say..."

  Feeling the magic surging within him again, Lucius drew the energies together into a jagged bolt of light. With a push of his mind, he sent it lancing toward one of the columns supporting the high ceiling of the warehouse.

  The column blew apart under the pressure of the spell, sending chunks of stone spiralling into the furthest recesses of the warehouse. For a brief second, nothing happened, then a deep, low, vibrating rumble that seemed to emanate from the keep itself. Sacks of grain tumbled from their piles and crates crashed to the floor.

  "Now, we really do have to go," Lucius said, taking Elaine's arm and pulling her away from the warehouse, retracing their steps into the dungeons.

  Behind them, cracks appeared in the ceiling of the warehouse, thin slivers at first, but rapidly growing into wide gashes that streaked across the open spaces between the remaining columns. Rock and earth rained down from the ceiling as the entire warehouse began to shake violently. An ear-splitting crack resounded throughout the lower levels of the keep as the ceiling finally gave way under the pressure of the keep above.

  Tons of rock and debris crashed down into the warehouse, instantly flattening everything within.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Thieves and assassins flooded the Citadel, presiding over a reign of terror and death as they took revenge on their oppressors. The assassins remained focussed, locating targets of value and importance and sending them to hell with blade, bolt and arrow. The thieves freed by Lucius and Elaine were less selective. They killed anyone they met, be they official, soldier or servant.

  Some, the most experienced and the most terrified, kept their heads enough to follow Lucius and Elaine out. Others rampaged through the keep on a killing spree.

  Lucius could do nothing for them. He had given them all a chance for survival and escape; their lives were now in their own hands.

  Spilling out onto the bridge between the keep and one of the towers lining the Citadel, L
ucius and Elaine found themselves at the head of a mob of the most desperate, those who had seen enough of Vos cruelty and just wanted the freedom of the city. Some had managed to snatch up weapons from defeated soldiers, and a couple had grabbed shields as well, but most were unarmed.

  A small group of assassins and thieves had taken up position on one of the walls, holding back squads of soldiers on both sides to protect the ladders and ropes they had deployed down the Citadel wall. Their outlines were barely visible in the soft glow of burning buildings in the city, set against a black sky. No cheers of relief came from the men he led, however; stretched across the bridge, they saw the soldiers of the Order of the Swords of Dawn waiting for them.

  The Swords, immaculate in their white tabards, were motionless, and their demeanour radiated discipline, halberds held aloft in perfect ranks.

  Lucius cast a glance at Elaine, his eyebrows raised. She shrugged.

  "Nothing else for it," she said, turning back to face the rabble of thieves behind her and raising her voice. "We either fight our way through the Faith's so-called elite soldiers, or we retreat, and die in the Citadel. What say you?"

  That brought a ragged cheer from the thieves, albeit half-hearted. Not one of them doubted the efficiency of the Swords.

  Raising her sword aloft, Elaine marched forward, and Lucius kept pace by her side. After ensuring the thieves were following her, Elaine picked up her pace, first jogging, and then sprinting as they charged the line.

  The Swords of Dawn did not so much as twitch their halberds before the baying horde's onslaught. They simply waited for the thieves to hit their line, where their training would ensure short work of the desperate charge.

  Lucius cursed, having hoped their line would at least begin to soften and drift apart as they received the charge, allowing some thieves to break through and begin a general brawl. Able to get a soldier on his own, two or more thieves had a chance, but fighting like a disciplined military unit gave all the advantages to the Swords. If they would not break, he would have to force them.