The ghostlich appeared practically on top of them, malice in its expression as it raised a bone knife to attack Jasmine. Then the vortex erupted outward, knocking the creature backward as a ripple of flames seemed to limn everything in soft golden light, while the undead grew more solid. Weariness staggered Jasmine and Naomi both, as nearly three quarters of their mana vanished into the spell.
“Hah!” Nef’s cry split the air as she swung her sword like a flash of lightning, forming a wide arc through the air, and a silver blade of energy erupted from the arc, cutting through the space between her and the undead. The energy hit at a diagonal angle, and where it struck it split the shadow fey cleanly in two, dropping the creature’s hips, legs and the lower half of its left arm to the floor, including the bundle it’d been holding.
The creature screeched in a language Jasmine couldn’t understand, glaring at her in hatred, and Jasmine flinched, only then realizing she’d broken the link to Naomi without thinking about it. The creature’s bones were wriggling and writhing toward its upper body unnaturally, and Jasmine paled, wondering what they’d do if it succeeded, but then she looked at Xandra, and her eyes widened.
Xandra’s lips were moving, but Jasmine couldn’t hear her voice. What she could see was the roiling mass of mana in front of Xandra, an orb of glistening, rainbow-hued liquid the size of a clenched fist. As she watched, the mana collapsed on itself, until all that was left was a rainbow-hued flame that looked like it belonged on a candle. And with a flick, Xandra sent it flying at the ghostlich.
“Eat this, bitch,” Xandra spat, leaning back tiredly.
The creature tried to recoil, and Jasmine caught a glimpse of horror on its face, as it raised its remaining arm as if to shield itself as the flame struck.
Light like nothing Jasmine had ever seen before erupted throughout the chamber, blazing so brightly she shouldn’t be able to see, and yet it wasn’t true light. It didn’t sear the eyes, and she could see through it despite its radiance as it illuminated everything. Everything but the ghostlich, which screamed mournfully as an orb of that brilliant, scintillating light surrounded it. The cry was still echoing when the light faded, and Jasmine could only stare at the spot where the ghostlich had been. Nothing was left except the bundle the creature had been holding, and she couldn’t quite process what had happened.
“Xandra, what in all the gods was that?” Nef asked, fascination filling her voice.
“I call the spell mana flare. It doesn’t do much good against creatures with physical bodies, but spirits and undead may as well be kindling for it, as they’re closer to mana given form,” Xandra replied tiredly. “It requires quite the mastery of the energy sphere to use, and isn’t worth it for large groups. Now, you’d best deal with the other undead… that took a lot out of me.”
“Ah. I’ll have to get details later. I’m certain that there are people who’d like to hear about it. As for the skeletons… this could be a problem,” Nef said, her voice turning grim as she looked at the courtyard, which had over a hundred skeletons in it now, the closest of which was only thirty paces away.
Jasmine opened her mouth, then paused, finally catching sight of what was in the ragged bundle the ghostlich had been carrying. She saw a tiny skull inside with a broader bone structure to it, one she’d seen far too often since coming to the city, and her eyes widened as she thought back to what Nef had told them about Rithevahn.
“Ah, Nef? You said that the war was because of abducted children, didn’t you?” Jasmine asked, carefully picking up the bundle, and she winced as she realized it was full of bones, her heart practically breaking as she realized what had likely happened.
“That’s right. The fair folk stole a minimum of ten children that I’m aware of, likely more, and…” Nef’s voice trailed off as she glanced at Jasmine and saw the bundle. “Ah. I believe I know what you’re getting at, dear. This is dangerous, though.”
“Dangerous or not, the best way to lay the unquiet dead to rest is to resolve their lingering resentments,” Jasmine said, her pulse quickening as she smiled nervously. “Back me up, if this goes wrong?”
“I can do that,” Nef agreed with a broad smile.
“Idiot,” Xandra murmured from behind her, but there wasn’t any weight to her words.
“Jasmine, I can—” Naomi began speaking, but Jasmine waved her back.
“Tend to Xandra, please. I need to do this,” Jasmine said, and took a deep breath. Then she stepped forward to meet the nearest skeleton, extending the bundle to it as she spoke. “Here, your stolen child. I’m sorry for your loss.”
The skeleton hesitated for a moment, and almost to Jasmine’s shock, it slowly slipped the axe it carried into its belt, then reached out to take the bundle from Jasmine. It looked down at the child’s bones with glowing red eyes, then gave her an incremental nod as it turned to face the other skeletons. Without a word it raised the bundle of bones, and all the other undead stopped. Then they left.
Their departure was abrupt, though just as deliberate as their assault had been. The skeletons streamed toward the city entrance, the soft rattling of bones and scraping of their feet against stone the only sounds they were making, and Jasmine let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
“Well. That was certainly an interesting experience, wasn’t it?” Nef said brightly, sheathing her sword. “Now we just need to go about dealing with the fair folk and we can get the portal to Nocturne working!”
“If you think I’m going to be able to power a portal in this condition, you need a new head, because that one’s rotten,” Xandra replied tartly. “I have more than enough mana to burn a few mangy fair folk, but a portal? I don’t think so.”
Nef grinned at Jasmine and shrugged. “Ah, she has such a venomous tongue, doesn’t she? I don’t know why I like her so much.”
“Me neither,” Jasmine replied, a hint of mad glee bubbling up inside her, and she couldn’t keep it from coming out. She laughed, shaking her head. “I can’t believe we survived that!”
“There’s nothing like a near-death experience for helping you appreciate life,” Nef agreed, looking at Naomi and asking, “How’s she coming?”
“Like an ornery mule, how else?” the priestess replied in exasperation.
“A mule would’ve kicked you in the head and taught you a valuable lesson,” Xandra shot back. “Would you like me to do the same?”
Crak looked over the edge of the building, listening to the echoing words of the mortals, and he had the urge to rush down and attack them. Mangy fair folk indeed! He wasn’t mangy, and the very suggestion made him angry. Yet at the same time, he didn’t let his anger get the best of him, not when every member of his pack had been injured.
He glanced back at the others, and as he did he felt his frustration grow. They hadn’t lost anyone, but it’d been a near thing. Between the riled up skeletons and the traps, they’d been fighting a much more difficult battle than the mortals had been, and his clan wasn’t much good against undead. He was used to ripping and tearing at opponents to weaken them and bring them down one by one, but the skeletons had outnumbered them. Even Crak had taken a couple of injuries, and a cracked rib made it difficult to breathe easily.
On the other hand, he’d also heard something interesting as well. The mortals were going to Nocturne themselves, and that… well, that gave other opportunities. In fact, it might even be enough to satisfy His Lady.
So, after a minute, he shifted back to his humanoid form and spoke softly. “They’re traveling to Nocturne, so we will fall back and hunt them there.”
Vilra shapeshifted back herself, then protested angrily, “But they’re right here and wounded!”
“So is our pack. We’ve been mauled, and aren’t in any shape to fight them,” Crak replied flatly, nodding toward the small group. “We’d have to approach across open ground, and they have magi. Better to hunt them in our favored environment than to lose our pack members when we don’t have to.”<
br />
Vilra opened her mouth to protest further, but he glared at her, then looked at the others pointedly. She looked them over, then lowered her head, shapeshifting back without another word of protest.
Crak nodded, shapeshifting as well, then gave the distant mortals another glare. They’d have another chance to face them, and when they did, he was determined to ensure that it turned out in his favor.
First he’d have to figure out just what type of magic the strange elf used, though. He’d never seen magical light like that before.
Epilogue
The kiss woke Xandra, and she stiffened, then relaxed as it broke off and she recognized Jasmine’s raven hair. She shook herself, then sat up, brushing her bedroll back.
“What was that about?” Xandra demanded, frowning slightly. Her lips were still tingling, which she was fairly sure wasn’t a lingering effect of the poison.
Jasmine pulled away, taking a seat on one of the stones they’d found for seats. The small fire that they’d built was long-since extinguished, and Nef’s lantern sat on another rock, shining with eternal white light. It cast stark shadows in the cavern, but there wasn’t much they could do about that. Xandra was still a little tired, but not that tired. She also noticed that Nef wasn’t around, which made her frown. Neither was Naomi, for that matter.
Noting her glances, Jasmine gave a wry smile and explained. “Nef wanted to take a look around, now that the city is alive after a fashion, as she put it. She also wanted to look at the damage you did… and to let us have a little time alone.”
“Ah, yes. She’s being an interfering busybody again,” Xandra said, letting out a heavy sigh as she considered, then dragged herself out of her bedroll. She obviously wasn’t going to get much more sleep, and while she was a little lightheaded, at least she didn’t feel like she would pass out if she stood too quickly.
“She is. But… she’s also not entirely wrong,” Jasmine said, fidgeting for several moments. Then she spoke softly. “Thank you. For throwing yourself into the way, for helping me with all… all of this.”
Xandra resisted the urge to sigh, looking upward as she counted internally, then spoke a bit less tartly than she would normally. “Jasmine, what have I told you about wasting time?”
“Right, right,” Jasmine said, blushing. She cleared her throat, then continued, “I’m going to pursue you, Xandra. Clumsily, most likely, but I suppose everyone is clumsy compared to you. I don’t know how you feel, but… I’m going to do it.”
Xandra stopped, looking at Jasmine for several seconds, and as she did, she felt old emotions well up… which she smothered as best she could. She didn’t want those emotions.
“That’s a terrible idea. You should pursue Naomi, if anyone. She trusts you, with her body and soul,” Xandra said flatly, closing her eyes as she thought back to the spell the two women had cast. It had actually been admirably cast, as much as she hated to admit it. “I could never do that. Trust… that’s a word that has little meaning to me. Not anymore.”
“I’ll teach you,” Jasmine replied, prompting Xandra’s eyes to snap open, looking at the half-elf incredulously. Jasmine’s expression was filled with determination, to Xandra’s shock.
“How do you expect to do that?” Xandra demanded, shifting on her makeshift chair. “I spent over a millennium in the lower planes!”
“I know. That’s why I’m going to demonstrate in the only way I can,” Jasmine said, standing and approaching Xandra again. Looking up at Jasmine, the elf had to wonder what Jasmine was about to do. Then the priestess took her hands and spoke softly. “I trust you, with my body, mind, and soul.”
For just an instant the woman’s mana opened to Xandra, and she reflexively pulled away, unwilling to open herself to it. Jasmine didn’t seem surprised as she smiled down at Xandra.
Staring back at her, Xandra couldn’t believe what the woman had just done. Opening herself to another like that… Xandra shuddered to think about what the consequences could have been.
“You’re an imbecile. Trusting me is foolish beyond words,” Xandra said, reaching up to rub her forehead tiredly. “I’m not going to convert to your religion, you know.”
“I don’t expect you to,” Jasmine replied, and she leaned down, pushing Xandra’s hand aside.
When Jasmine kissed Xandra this time, she didn’t resist. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and perhaps, just perhaps, a few moments of pleasure might be enough. As for the rest of her emotions… they were well and truly locked away.
At least, that’s what Xandra hoped.
The End
Sometimes my stories take on a life of their own, even when I’m not intending it. Ancient Ruins, Sting & Song, and now Dusk Gate have all been written this way, and I rarely understand how or why they came about. I suppose that sometimes a character is just waiting in the wings, demanding to be written. I’m startled that Xandra is one of those, but that’s how it goes!
Xandra is a surprisingly fun character to write about, and Nef’s introduction startled me, as their interactions made the story even more enjoyable. Unfortunately, it often felt to me that Jasmine and Naomi paled next to them, so it is something I have to keep in mind when writing them, to keep them from getting sidelined. But despite how fun they’ve been, I have other major projects to work on as well, so their story is going to be playing second fiddle to Lilith’s Shadow for a bit, then I’ll be able to focus on Soul Bound properly.
Perhaps Jasmine, Naomi, Nef, and Xandra will meet Ruethwyn in the future, though! They share the same world, and their stories will bring them into surprisingly close proximity. I doubt it, but it’s definitely possible.
For now, I hope you enjoyed Dusk Gate!
If you want to find more of my books, you can find them at the following link.
Books by Benjamin Medrano
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Also, if you’d care to review this story, I’d greatly appreciate it! Again, thank you for reading Dusk Gate.
Dusk Gate (Soul Bound Book 1) Page 31