Read Online Depths of Madness by Erik Scott de Bie - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Erik Scott de Bie
Ads: Link
hacked at the wight, yanking its shattered head from its withered body. Wights piled onto his back, clawing and scrabbling. Taslin couldn’t reach Asson, so she plied her sword, trying to hack the beasts off the goliath.
The warlock rose shakily to his knees. Blood smeared his neat goatee, but the hate burning in his eyes did not allow him to look weakened. Davoren roared and Hung his arms out wide.
A curtain of red and black flames screamed into being around the group, slicing open wights like a burning blade. Creatures fell
in pieces and chunks, the ends of limbs cauterized black from dried blood. The ruby light burst in the darkness like an angry star, almost blinding Taslin. She looked at Davoren and saw his ruby eyes gleaming madly, caged in furrows of black blood. He laughed, hysterical. The wights screamed, burning.
The priestess could not tear her gaze away. Which was the real threat?
Blinking to clear the spots from her bleary eyes, Twilight missed a parry. The wight caught the blade over its arm, threw the rapier wide, and lunged for her throat.
Then a blade burst from the wight’s chest, and the creature froze. Not knowing the source of her luck but not questioning it either, Twilight took a single step back, put her sword in line, and rammed it through the creature’s heart and back out in one movement. Its chest seeping, the wight toppled, revealing Liet, smeared with its yellow fluid, panting.
She looked at her bloody blade. Davoren’s fire died down and burned out. That ring of fire could have been used to save them before they’d even come to this place. All of them.
The band of seven coughed and wheezed in the dusty silence
Taslin was the first to break the quiet. “Asson!” she cried, falling to her knees beside the battered old man. His foot had become a pool of blood. She slipped into a healing chant, laying her hands upon Asson’s forehead.
Slip scurried to the fallen mage and, bypassing chants and ritual, sent a flow of healing into him. Asson shivered, gave a ragged cough, and started breathing more regularly. Taslin looked at her, startled, but nodded in thanks.
Davoren groaned and rose. His face was shreddedthree furrows ran from lip to brow. His eye had been spared by the space of a few lashes. “Don’t all bow at once.”
“What’re you talking about?” Slip asked.. ‘Twas my power that saved you all,” Davoren growled. “Have you forgotten?”
No reply arose from any of them.
Twilight stared at the fallen wight that had wounded Davoren. Her eyes went to its dropped battle-axe, then back to its agony-stricken face. She heard raspingnot like breathing, but more like growls through a shredded throat. Then the thing moved, she thought, itching one great hand toward its weapon. “Lie,” it said. “Lie.”
Twilight shook.
“Oh… look.” Davoren grinned. He lifted one gray hand toward the ceiling and fire, red like blood, danced along his fingers. He snapped the hand down, and the wight’s head exploded, spattering Twilight’s face. She didn’t flinchjust watched him die again.
” ‘Light?” a hand closed on her elbow. “Are you well?”
“Away from me!” She threw Liet off. The youth staggered back, stunned.
Davoren smiled and gave her a look as pointed as his teeth.
What seemed the length of a bell later, Twilight sat on one of the sarcophagi in the empty room, spinning Betrayal’s hilt between her hands. The steel made a soft hiss against the stone. It was vaguely comforting.
Slip and Taslin had seen to healing the others. Gargan and Asson required the most attention, having taken grievous injuries. Asson had lost one of his feet and was coughing and retching horribly. For his part, Gargan had borne the brunt of the wights’ fury, and though he said nothing, the goliath could barely stay upright from fatigue and weakness.
Taslin could heal wounds, but she did not have the magic to restore a damaged spiritto wipe away the wights’ touch. The
The warlock rose shakily to his knees. Blood smeared his neat goatee, but the hate burning in his eyes did not allow him to look weakened. Davoren roared and Hung his arms out wide.
A curtain of red and black flames screamed into being around the group, slicing open wights like a burning blade. Creatures fell
in pieces and chunks, the ends of limbs cauterized black from dried blood. The ruby light burst in the darkness like an angry star, almost blinding Taslin. She looked at Davoren and saw his ruby eyes gleaming madly, caged in furrows of black blood. He laughed, hysterical. The wights screamed, burning.
The priestess could not tear her gaze away. Which was the real threat?
Blinking to clear the spots from her bleary eyes, Twilight missed a parry. The wight caught the blade over its arm, threw the rapier wide, and lunged for her throat.
Then a blade burst from the wight’s chest, and the creature froze. Not knowing the source of her luck but not questioning it either, Twilight took a single step back, put her sword in line, and rammed it through the creature’s heart and back out in one movement. Its chest seeping, the wight toppled, revealing Liet, smeared with its yellow fluid, panting.
She looked at her bloody blade. Davoren’s fire died down and burned out. That ring of fire could have been used to save them before they’d even come to this place. All of them.
The band of seven coughed and wheezed in the dusty silence
Taslin was the first to break the quiet. “Asson!” she cried, falling to her knees beside the battered old man. His foot had become a pool of blood. She slipped into a healing chant, laying her hands upon Asson’s forehead.
Slip scurried to the fallen mage and, bypassing chants and ritual, sent a flow of healing into him. Asson shivered, gave a ragged cough, and started breathing more regularly. Taslin looked at her, startled, but nodded in thanks.
Davoren groaned and rose. His face was shreddedthree furrows ran from lip to brow. His eye had been spared by the space of a few lashes. “Don’t all bow at once.”
“What’re you talking about?” Slip asked.. ‘Twas my power that saved you all,” Davoren growled. “Have you forgotten?”
No reply arose from any of them.
Twilight stared at the fallen wight that had wounded Davoren. Her eyes went to its dropped battle-axe, then back to its agony-stricken face. She heard raspingnot like breathing, but more like growls through a shredded throat. Then the thing moved, she thought, itching one great hand toward its weapon. “Lie,” it said. “Lie.”
Twilight shook.
“Oh… look.” Davoren grinned. He lifted one gray hand toward the ceiling and fire, red like blood, danced along his fingers. He snapped the hand down, and the wight’s head exploded, spattering Twilight’s face. She didn’t flinchjust watched him die again.
” ‘Light?” a hand closed on her elbow. “Are you well?”
“Away from me!” She threw Liet off. The youth staggered back, stunned.
Davoren smiled and gave her a look as pointed as his teeth.
What seemed the length of a bell later, Twilight sat on one of the sarcophagi in the empty room, spinning Betrayal’s hilt between her hands. The steel made a soft hiss against the stone. It was vaguely comforting.
Slip and Taslin had seen to healing the others. Gargan and Asson required the most attention, having taken grievous injuries. Asson had lost one of his feet and was coughing and retching horribly. For his part, Gargan had borne the brunt of the wights’ fury, and though he said nothing, the goliath could barely stay upright from fatigue and weakness.
Taslin could heal wounds, but she did not have the magic to restore a damaged spiritto wipe away the wights’ touch. The
Similar Books
