Dao gave Zin an annoyed look but the imp ignored him.
"If I were to guess, I would say Lurthalan is about a quarter of the size of Novufyr."
"Really?" If that was true, Ean could understand why Dao might think it the grandest city created.
"I think so," Dao replied. "The city itself is sectioned off into four districts, each one almost as large as Lurthalan. You have to remember Novufyr used to be the capital for our people for the hundreds of years leading up to the Plague. Those of us left behind, after the Plague was stopped, naturally went back to Novufyr first. The past hundred years we've been slowly reclaiming the area, but many of the buildings still remain dilapidated and unused."
"So we're going to a dead city?" Azalea asked. "Crumbling buildings and empty husks in most places?"
"No." Dao dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. "The Silent King created a group whose sole job is to fix and restore the city. Even though many of the buildings are uninhabited, they still at least appear in good condition."
"How many people actually live there?" Azalea picked at her nails and examined them. Even though she appeared to have little interest in the answer, Ean could feel a nervousness start to build through their bond.
"The city used to hold tens of thousands of people. I would say that close to a thousand people live there now."
"I'm sure," Ean said quickly, "that in a city that large, it would be easy to stay away from people."
Azalea continued to pick at her nails but Ean could feel her anxiety spike. She glanced at him and gave a weak smile before returning her attention to her hands.
"Of course," Dao replied. "There are plenty of empty streets and buildings. But when we reach the main gate of the city, I'm sure we'll be escorted straight to The Silent King. There we’ll enjoy lavish rooms, well-cooked meals, hot baths, and all the rewards we were promised."
"And what rewards will you receive, message boy?" Azalea had moved on from her nails and was scratching one of the Hound's ears.
"Well, I get to keep my ring for one." Dao held it out and rubbed at it with his sleeve. "I can't tell you how envied I'll be, able to cross back and forth from this land to Ven Khilada without the fear of a horrible death."
"Envied is a good word. Despised would be another. 'Target for thieves' would be three words put together to best describe your situation."
"True . . . " Dao poked at the fire as a frown touched his face. "Maybe I'll continue to keep that piece of information to myself."
"What a wise decision. Now what other rewards do you get for delivering us--"
Azalea cut off as the Hound let out a low growl. He lifted his head off the ground and sniffed at the air, taking in a few deep breaths. Its head swiveled around slowly as a few more growls rumbled in its throat.
"Well," Zin inched his way closer to Ean. "Either the Hound has gotten bored of our conversation or he is already pulling his weight. Any ideas what might be annoying him, Ean?"
"No." All Ean was getting through his bond with the beast was agitation. "It must smell something that it doesn't like. Could be people or it could be something else. I have no way to tell."
Just then, a loud moan echoed out in the mist. Ean had heard a similar sound once from a cow giving birth, but this one was much louder and seemed to echo from every direction. The Hound leapt to its feet, causing Azalea to fall back underneath it. It began to pace back and forth, while Ean felt a mixture of confusion and anticipation through their bond.
Letting out a grunt, Azalea climbed to her feet and shot the Hound a dirty look. "And after I scratched your ears," she mumbled before turning her attention to Dao. "And what was that?"
"Nothing to worry about. If I'm not mistaken, that was just the sound of a grassland cat."
Ean was surprised to find Zin at his side. "A cat made that haunting sound? What kind of cat sounds like that? I'm guessing we aren't talking about your typical house cat."
"No, these are feral animals more along the size of a large dog. If we heard one, then it’s probably with a pack of three or four more. The Plague warped them in such a way that they are constantly in pain, which is why they sound like that. For that reason, it’s not wise to approach one."
"So, they are dangerous?" Zin asked.
"A small pack? Probably not. A good-sized fire alone would keep them away. Add the size of our group and that big fella," he gestured towards the Hound, "and I'm surprised they even wandered close enough for us to hear them."
"Well, that's a relief." Zin got up and started moving back towards where he had been sitting.
A bark from the Hound was the only warning they received as two creatures sprang out of the mist. With a speed that made them indistinguishable yellow blurs, the cats leapt straight at Zin. The imp let out a pathetic squeak and threw his hands up in feeble defense as both animals pounced on him.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Running on pure instinct, Ean launched himself at the animals on top of his friend. His shoulder rammed into the two animals. As he knocked both creatures off, he glimpsed a multitude of cuts already covering the imp's body.
Then the beasts were on him, a mess of fur, teeth, and claws that drove him to the ground. In the midst of it all, he felt the pressure of a mouth closing on the leather protecting his arm and a flash of pain as something raked across his unprotected face. Ean lashed out with his legs and hands, trying to strike at anything that was on top of him. His knee struck one of the beasts and the pressure on his arm released. He tried to get his bearings and prepare for another attack but quickly realized it was over as fast as it began.
The Hound was on top of one of the cats, its mouth taking a large bite out of the already dead creature. Azalea had the second one by the scruff of the neck with one hand and the creature’s flank in the other. It twisted about trying to scratch or bite her, but she kept it from moving much.
"Not dangerous?" Azalea let out a long breath then yanked her arms in different directions. There was a loud crack as the cat's body twisted in an unnatural way before going limp. "Is it fun to always be wrong, Dao, or do you just get a sick enjoyment out of all these dangerous surprises?"
"They don't usually attack groups," Dao exclaimed. "Even the most rabid of their kind stay away from fires. I don't know why . . . oh no . . . "
Pushing himself up to his knees, Ean followed his gaze until he found what had caused the man such dismay.
Zin lay on the ground, his entire body covered in deep cuts. His chest rose faintly, each time causing a little bit more of his life to trickle out of his wounds. Eyes closed and mouth hanging open, Zin barely looked alive.
Ean was at his friend's side in a heartbeat. His hands hovered over the imp's body as he tried to think what he could do.
Out in the mist, dozens of prairie cat cries began to echo out from every direction.
Chapter 31
"We're surrounded." The fear on Dao's voice would have been obvious to anyone.
Ean ignored him, focusing all of his attention on Zin instead. His closest friend was dying. He could heal him the same way he had done with Azalea and his Hound. Ean planned to amplify his own strength through the rune. The trouble was, his mind had gone blank.
The design eluded his memory.
"Ean." Azalea's voice was solid, hiding the growing nervousness Ean felt through their connection. "I think we might be in some danger here."
"Handle it," he grunted. Anger started to fill him as he struggled and failed to recall the rune he needed.
"There might be more than all of us can--"
"Just keep them away from me as long as you can!"
"If they all attack at the same time--"
"Azalea!"
"Fine," she mumbled.
He received a mixture of annoyance and fear through their bond. Through his connection with the Hound, he just felt the desire to race off into the mist and hunt. If there were as many cats out there as he feared, though, on its own,
the Hound would quickly be overwhelmed. Ean tried to instill some patience into the animal all while sending Azalea reassurance AND trying to picture the rune he needed. It was all starting to overwhelm him.
The Hound let out a bark and a moment later, a cat charged through the mist towards Ean and his fallen friend. Halfway there, Azalea tackled it to the ground. With one quick swipe of her nails, the cat fell still and Azalea was back on her feet. She spared Ean a quick look then began to scan their surroundings.
Ean's mind raced to find what he needed. He pictured the moment on the mountainside when he had bound the Hound to him in an effort to control it. He remembered the night inside the mountain with Sadiek. After the man had mercilessly cut Azalea's wings off her back, Ean had used the rune to heal her gaping wounds. If only he could have fixed her emotional wounds as well. Ean grimaced and tried to concentrate on the design of the rune. He could picture each moment perfectly. Except for the actual rune. Where the rest of the memory was crystal clear, the spot where he had created the rune was a blur. It made no sense.
Another bark of warning and three forms sprinted out of the mist, again aiming straight at the smallest prey, Zin.
One dropped almost instantly, a small dagger protruding from its throat. The other two leapt at Azalea, either trying to take her down or simply get past her. She backhanded one of them away from her then caught the second one in a bear hug as it crashed into her. Flashes of pain sparked through Ean's connection, but a moment later, Azalea was tossing the dead cat away. A quick look showed that the Hound had gotten ahold of the remaining cat.
And still Ean couldn't picture the rune he needed while his friend died in front of him.
"Why can't I think of the rune!" he growled, ready to smack his own head if it helped him remember.
Cannot bind to imp.
"What?" The sound of Auz's voice surprised him for a moment but he quickly recovered. "Why not?"
Imp is weak creature. Will make Ean weak.
"Are you somehow stopping me from remembering the rune?"
Yes.
"Now might not be the time to talk to your--" Dao cut off as he threw another dagger into the mist. A thunk and cry of pain let Ean know the throw had connected with its target.
"Auz, show me--"
Ean was cut off as something slammed into his back. Its momentum almost made him fall on top of Zin but he twisted enough to land beside him instead. A strong pressure gripped both of his shoulders, his leather armor protecting him for the most part as the pressure increased. Anger burned up any fear he might have felt as he tried to roll the creature off his back. When that didn't work, he reached over his shoulder until he got a firm grasp of the cat. As much as he yanked at it, the cat hung on.
His blood boiling, Ean switched tactics. He reached out with the energy he held through his hand until it met with the Plague energy that infested the cat. With a thought, his energy flooded into the creature, overwhelming and burning away the Plague. When the last of the corrupted energy was gone, what Ean had been grasping crumbled in his hands and the pressure on his back disappeared. Free from the animal's grasp, he was able to take a look around.
Everyone was fighting off at least one of the creatures. Two cats were atop the Hound, their claws scratching his back as the beast faced off against two more. Dao was keeping a few at bay, his hands moving in a blur, tossing daggers at first then pulling two longer knives from his belt and slashing at the air near the closest cat. Azalea had three circling her as well. Her feet lashed out whenever one lunged at her, knocking the animal aside for a few moments before it regained its footing. They all needed help.
A summoning rune appeared in Ean's head, one that would call a Crux. The creature's thick skin would protect it from the claws of the animals attacking them and . . .
Zin would die.
Auz had placed the rune in Ean's mind to distract him.
"Auz, show me the bonding rune, now!"
Ean cannot lessen--
NOW.
There was a moment of silence after Ean screamed inside his own mind before the image of the rune he needed appeared. It wasn't a complicated rune. It was Zin's summoning rune. He needed to recreate and then absorb it.
Scrambling back to Zin's side, Ean placed his hand on the ground and forced Zin's rune into existence. It blazed to life on the ground, flashing at him like a familiar friend. Then with a simple thought, Ean imagined absorbing the rune into himself. Zin's rune flashed one more time then disappeared. Ean could almost feel it appearing on the back of his hand and then slowly moving across his body. When it came to rest on his left arm, the bond took hold.
Pain, exhaustion, and fear flooded into Ean from his new bond. On the other end of the connection was the barest flicker of life. Not wasting any time, Ean poured his own strength through their bond. Zin's wounds stopped bleeding. Then they began to close. Ean kept releasing his own energy as pain and fatigue began to take over his body. He could feel cuts opening up underneath his armor, his own magic doing what it could to keep up and heal him. But with most of his focus on Zin, the wounds that he took in from the imp were draining his strength. He just had to hold on a little longer--
A prairie cat crashed into his side, the impact bowling him over. Ean stopped with the cat on top of him. Twisting, he got his other hand up just in time as the cat's jaws lunged at his face. Its teeth bit into the thinner leather of his gloves just above the wrist. More pain joined the old as some of the teeth broke through the leather and pierced skin. The creature shook its head a few times and buried its teeth in deeper. Struggling through the pain, Ean finally got a good look at one of their attackers.
The prairie cat looked like a cross between a large feral cat and an Abyssmal hound, its size easily matching Ean's Hound's massive frame. Matted yellow fur, coated in dirt and grime covered most of its body except in patches where it looked like something had scratched the fur completely off. Its head had an elongated muzzle and a row of razor sharp teeth, more fitting in a dog than a feline. The creature was staring at him with wide, crazy black eyes as its mouth struggled to drive its teeth deeper into Ean’s hand.
With what strength he could muster, Ean drove a fist right into the side of the animal's head. It let go of his hand but stayed on top of him. Cat claws sought to slash at his body and he struggled to fend off its mouth from getting another hold on his arm. He was able to get his left hand around the animal’s throat and hold it off. Its claws dug into his leather, though, keeping him from completely dislodging the beast.
Ean risked a quick glance at his friend. Zin's wounds had closed and he appeared to be breathing better. If the imp would just wake up, Ean could focus his attention on their attackers. He sent a feeling of urgency through their bond, which was magnified, as another prairie cat came bounding through the mist towards them both.
"Get up, Zin!" he screamed.
With the giant cat on top of him, Ean had no idea where the rest of his friends were or if they were even in any condition to help. All of Ean's efforts to heal his friend were about to be wasted if the incoming prairie cat got to his still unconscious friend.
A bolt of pain ripped through his side as one of the cat's claws found a gap in his armor. Ignoring it and the subsequent wet feeling on his skin, Ean stuck out his free hand towards the imp. A small shield sprang up around his friend just in time. The cat struck the protective bubble head-first and dropped in a heap.
His attention then returned to the animal that was still struggling to get to him. Ean tried to focus pure Abyssmal energy into the animal but with part of his attention on keeping the shield around Zin, he couldn't handle manipulating the energy in two different directions. Forced to rely on his slowly diminishing physical strength, Ean began to squeeze his hand around the cat's throat. This caused the animal to thrash about even more wildly, and Ean began to struggle just to keep a hold of it. His vision started to blur as his wounds and the effort he was putting out to keep his friend safe took th
eir toll.
When the prairie cat jerked once more to the side, Ean lost his grip and the cat tumbled free. It regained its feet instantly and set itself to pounce. With little strength remaining in his arms, all Ean could do was watch as the animal sprang at his face.
The large jaws of his Hound caught the cat mid-leap. Its jagged teeth tore into the animal's body while the acidic saliva caused wisps of smoke to rise from the cat's burning fur. The Hound shook its catch, the animal flopping about in its mouth like a rag doll. When the cat stopped moving, the Hound flicked its head to the side and tossed the animal to the ground. Without pause, the Hound moved until it stood over Ean, its large body easily dwarfing its master.
Ean tried to send his pet reassurance through the bond but struggled to distinguish his connection to the Hound from his connections to Azalea and Zin. In all truth, he struggled to do anything while he kept Zin shielded. He was barely able to maintain the little energy he still had to heal his body. Besides that, he was useless in the battle still raging around him.
A growl from the Hound brought his attention back up. More prairie cats were appearing through the mist near them. This time they moved with slow, cautious steps instead of sprinting towards them. Ean had no idea how intelligent the cats were but after seeing at least a dozen of their kind killed, they seemed to realize a blind rush wouldn't get them a meal. They seemed to have changed tactics.
Six cats now formed a semi-circle in front of Ean and the Hound. They inched their way closer, yellow heads low to the ground. It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
All of a sudden, the cats’ heads perked up. They looked around in unison, their bodies arching and their fur standing up along their backs. A rumbling noise started to gain in strength from somewhere out in the mist. It shook the air and Ean could feel it in the ground. The prairie cats turned their attention back towards the mist as the thundering grew closer.
Enemies and Allies (Bound to the Abyss Book 3) Page 26