“Nephthys,” Kate said.
“Right.” Simon knelt in the midst of his people. “If we can deprive it of the human being inside, we can weaken it, perhaps even sever the spell.”
“That’s impossible,” Ash slurred. “You can’t get through the Skin of Ra.”
Simon frowned at the dead body. “How did you live so long? If you can’t help, shut up.”
Penny climbed next to Simon. “I saw her eyes when the thing was wrapping her up; it wasn’t what she wanted or expected. It was horrible. It looked like it was tearing her apart.”
Malcolm said, “I shot her; hit her square. Unless it’s keeping her alive somehow.”
“Alive may not matter. It’s the connection to the human form that allows the Skin of Ra to function completely in our reality.” Simon looked up at the cracking ceiling, racking his brain. “How can we separate the linen from Nephthys? My shock wave disrupted it, but I’ve lost that power.”
“I may have it.” Penny held up the small gun with the tuning fork. “I can rig this to overload. It will explode and create a disturbance similar to your shock wave. I hope.”
Simon raised a thoughtful eyebrow. “We’ll try it. But we need to distract it so that Penny has a clean shot.” He glanced up. “Malcolm?”
The Scotsman huffed and raised a pistol. “Fine. It’s what I do best around here. Distract monsters with my vulnerability.”
“Right you are. Keep that thing’s attention on you for as long as you can. Penny, prepare your weapon. Kate, I’m praying you have your Greek fire.”
Kate looked shocked and began to run her hands over her depleted bandolier. She checked the few glass vials remaining and finally breathed out in relief. “One.”
“One is all you’ll need or have the chance to use.” Simon stood, eyeing the writhing creature in the aisle. “Hogarth, I need you up top in case we need to pin it down. Malcolm, Hogarth, off you go. Good luck, gentlemen.”
“What about me?” Charlotte now wore Hogarth’s waistcoat, which came down to her thighs.
“You stand against the wall and try to stay alive,” Kate commanded.
Malcolm vaulted a chunk of wreckage to maneuver toward the far side of the crumbling church. Hogarth nodded without question and climbed the pulpit into the upper gallery over their heads.
Penny activated the tuning fork on her bizarre pistol. A rumble began to build. Her teeth chattered as the weapon vibrated into a high-pitched whine. She held it until her entire body shook wildly.
Malcolm leapt onto a pyramid of smashed pews and opened fire. The Lancaster boomed and hissed, throwing heavy balls into the mummy. The creature staggered slightly and the whipping strands of linen that had been reaching and stretching around it began to aim toward Malcolm. The Scotsman leapt down and ran, raising his second pistol and firing as he moved quickly along the wall. The mummy was punched to one knee, staggered but unharmed. More tendrils slithered out toward the fleeing Malcolm.
Simon waved his hand in front of the nearly insensible Penny, catching her attention, and signaled her to throw. With great effort, she lifted the vibrating gun, her feet slipping on the floor, and she heaved it toward the mummy. It hit the floor and bounced to the bandaged feet. The mummy seemed to pause in its pursuit of the Scotsman and bent slightly toward the little quivering object that was causing the stones around it to vibrate off the floor.
Then the small pistol exploded and the air rippled. The soundless impact blossomed. The Skin of Ra cracked as if it were a picture painted on glass and the mass of linen blew outward. Nephthys was visible suspended in the center of the tangle of limp cloth that writhed about her. Her body was no longer that of a nubile woman; it was a withered husk, drained of life and energy, but the linen refused to release what gave it form.
Simon shouted, “Kate, go! Destroy the body!”
Kate rushed forward, heedless of the linen writhing on the floor. She swiped with a vial toward the swirling morass before it could close back around the corpse. The liquid stream burst into Greek fire as it coated the figure. Nephthys’s body erupted into molten lava. Oily flames spread over top of the tangled cloth too, engulfing it in blue fire. Blackening skin peeled off Nephthys as the linen tried to tighten back around its host. It wasn’t able to secure itself about the flaming corpse, leaving gaps between the encircling cloth. A cerulean fire burned from within as if the mummy had a heart of flame.
The glowing mummy lurched toward Kate, leaving a wake of burning cinders. The stench of boiling flesh overpowered all. Kate raised the deadly sword, knowing that it would likely do little against the enraged creature. The mummy raised an arm to strike her down, and she stabbed into the flaming heart of a god. Her sword glowed hot but lost its magic aura.
“Hogarth,” Simon shouted.
The big manservant suddenly appeared overhead as he flung himself from the gallery, latching onto a great chandelier suspended over the Skin of Ra. The heavy fixture shuddered at the extra weight and the chain snapped. Hogarth managed to leap aside, bouncing roughly off flowing linen and slamming to the ground. The stumbling mummy was battered to one side under the bulk of the crashing chandelier. Linen sloughed off the crumbling body beneath. Still, the mummy struck out around it, panicked and desperate.
Kate swung the sword, striking away strands of cloth that reached for her. She ducked and kicked through the churning chaos. She reached down to grab Hogarth’s arm. The manservant fought to regain his feet, trying to protect Kate even as she pulled him up.
Simon dove toward them, bowling them both aside just as the center of the roof fell on the mummy, driving the god to the stone floor under an avalanche of stone. The creature stirred, shoving the wreckage aside. It barely maintained a human shape, glowing with a furious blue fire from inside.
Simon glanced back at the floundering Ra and seized Kate’s arm. “Look!”
The linen shuddered as the flaming corpse of Nephthys suddenly imploded in a shower of sooty ash and rolling black smoke, finally consumed in its entirety by the Greek fire. The Skin of Ra fell to the floor in a tangle of twisting linen.
“About bloody time!” Kate shouted, victory creasing her face with a sharp grin.
Penny and Charlotte let out joyful whoops on the far side of the church. Malcolm appeared over the edge of a barricade of wood and stone, reloading his pistols.
“Is it over?” Kate leaned against a capsized pew.
Her answer was the sound of rocks clattering to the side. Long thin tendrils of linen lifted into the smoky air. First one, then another, then many more. The ends of the cloth pressed against the floor like spindly legs and the linen lashed out to lift its now-shapeless form from the ground like a spidery tangle. It swayed, still smoldering blue in spots, sending feelers out in various directions. The cloth still smoldered blue in spots but Kate’s Greek fire was guttering out, leaving the Skin of Ra scorched but alive.
“Damn.” Simon retreated, pulling Kate and Hogarth with him. “There must be a way to incapacitate it. The priests of Ra couldn’t have used this thing as a weapon if they couldn’t control it.”
“The box.” Kate wiped her soot-covered face. “It must be a containment vessel. There must be a spell on it.”
“It’s our only hope,” Simon said, then shouted, “Where’s the ebony box? Where’s Mansfield?”
Malcolm scoured the area. The spot where he had left the insensible ambassador in the main aisle was empty, except for wreckage.
Charlotte yelled out, “I saw that man run out with the box a few minutes ago.”
“I’ll find him.” Malcolm sprinted for the main door, which was now ajar.
“I’ll help you,” Charlotte shouted as she raced to the hunter’s side. When he paused, she stared up defiantly at Malcolm, expecting a rebuke. He just gave a curt nod and left. She followed in his wake.
“The Skin will look for a new host,” Simon warned. “But it wants someone with magic. And none of us do … now.” As it was, only one remained in
the church that suited its purpose.
The linen made a sudden lunge toward Ash. She backpedaled awkwardly from its spiraling grasp and shouted in surprise.
Simon ran to get between the necromancer and the tendrils of the Skin of Ra. He grabbed hold of strips of the linen and pulled them away. It reacted violently, coiling around him like a python and for a moment he thought the Skin might choose him instead. Perhaps there was still a trace of magic left in him. It tightened around him, wrapping his chest and arms, crushing the breath out of him. Then abruptly it loosened and flung him aside. He tumbled across the floor and collided with one of the columns surrounding the altar.
The Skin whipped like a snake, pursuing the staggering Ash down the side aisle. A small vial sailed over the slithering linen and smashed in front of it. A black wash of Kate’s treacle elixir covered the floor like a patch of tar. The rolling wave of linen tumbled right into it and it slowed as the black concoction coated every filament that fell into it. Wild tendrils flashed out and strained to reach to the corners of the once-beautiful church, wrapping itself around the galleries, roof beams, and columns. It began to pull itself free of the sticky mire.
Simon glanced up as fine bits of stone drifted over him and he saw a massive crack in the column next to him. He struggled to his feet and ran around the other side. He began to push at the crumbling buttress. “Penny! Hogarth! Help me!” Simon cursed the lack of aether. He could have toppled the damn thing easily if he still had his tattoos. Hogarth smashed a shoulder next to him and the great column shuddered. “Keep pushing!”
Penny grabbed hold of a tall brass candlestick and jammed an end of it into the widest section of the crack. Then she put all her weight against the makeshift lever. Simon saw her and put his strength on it also.
The Skin of Ra coiled, preparing to pull free of the treacle, when the column snapped loudly and suddenly shifted its weight like a great tree falling. The pillar creaked to the front and slowly toppled onto the frantic tangle of linen. The disembodied god struggled to escape as it was smashed beneath the thunderous collapse. The vibration of the tumbling column rocked the chamber. The sudden quake cracked the other weakened columns at their bases. Their huge forms slid unstoppably forward, crashing into each other, toppling in a divine cataclysm of deafening power. The Skin of Ra disappeared into the inescapable rain of stone, obscuring it in dust and tons of pure wreckage.
Simon heard nothing but crushing noise as the thunderous crash seemed to tear him apart. A choking wave of dust rolled over him, turning his world grey and thick. He covered his face, gagging on grit rushing down his throat and blinking against slivers of stone stabbing his eyes.
“Kate!” he called out, fearful that she might have gotten caught in the collapse.
“Here! I’m over here,” she answered, standing near the prone body of Barnes, whose legs were crushed under a large piece of the broken column.
Hogarth and Penny helped each other to their feet as Simon stood and started to climb over the debris to get to Kate. He saw the mountain of stone shift. Among the twisted rubble, he saw something move. A burnt scrap of linen slithered out.
Simon’s heart sank.
The wreckage moved again, loosing another tide of stone and wood. More horrible pale tendrils appeared and pulled themselves loose from the tomb of the ruined church. The nearest tendril grasped angrily at Simon.
He tried to move, but slipped. Something grabbed him and pulled him back. The tendril slapped down where he had just been. Noise roared in his ears. He stumbled over loose detritus as Hogarth steadied him.
A wall started to collapse along with a massive portion of the ceiling. One of the huge bells from the shattered tower above crashed down. He barely moved in time for it to thunder past him. Then a huge chunk of the gallery fell toward Penny. The strength spell was already past Simon’s lips before he realized how useless it was. He shouted in alarm at Penny to jump. She gave a valiant try, but timbers fell on her and she was buried under a cloud of debris.
Hogarth was the first to Penny and he struggled to pull her limp body free. Kate also made a move to help her when the linen slapped her aside. Simon felt heavy shards of stone still falling onto his back. The church was coming down around them.
The Skin of Ra began to pull itself out of the tar. Dripping black, it crawled across the wreckage. Long tendrils of still-sparking linen lashed Ash’s arm, swiftly wrapping its way from wrist to elbow. Ash screamed in terror.
“Don’t let it take you!” Simon shouted at the necromancer, kicking free of rubble.
A tendril tossed aside the stone that pinned Ash. The linen quickly undulated over Barnes’s body and closed over the dead features of the necromancer.
Malcolm and Charlotte pushed their way through the crowd outside. Everyone was looking at St. Mary Woolnoth, pointing and shouting or crying. Surely the militia would arrive soon; the Lord Mayor’s residence wasn’t far from the sounds and sights of destruction. Charlotte glanced back at the sound of another section of wall collapsing. Malcolm held her hand tight. He wasn’t sure what she could accomplish in her human form, but they had few options left.
“We need the box. That’s the only thing that will stop that monster.”
Charlotte swallowed hard and nodded.
“We have to find that bastard Mansfield.” Malcolm searched in every direction but saw no trace of the ambassador. A huge piece of the roof had slid into the road heading south, leaving Lombard Street the most likely escape route. He looked east and west and decided a man of Mansfield’s limited bravery would move west so as not to pass the danger of the church. Malcolm pulled Charlotte along, searching the crowd for the familiar face.
Suddenly Charlotte tugged on his hand and dragged him into an alley. She was moving faster, pulling him along. Her vigor was returning with every second they pushed farther away from the church and the dampening effect of the Skin of Ra. Charlotte grasped Malcolm’s hand tight enough to hurt. He looked down to reassure her, but instead noticed that Charlotte was in the midst of changing. Long, clawed fingers curled around his. The waistcoat she wore ripped at the seams as she grew larger. Malcolm wanted to scream and jerk his hand away, but he did not let go. She looked up at him with amber eyes that glowed and gave a triumphant growl.
“Follow,” she snarled. With a toothy grin, she sniffed the air. She had found a scent. Letting out a bark of triumph, she started running, dropping to all fours. Malcolm ran hard to keep sight of her as she loped down the alley and turned a corner.
As soon as he came around, he saw Charlotte crash against a heavy door with no effect and fall back weakly. Malcolm ran up to her as she whined in frustration. He tried the latch, but it was locked, bolted from the inside.
“Stand back.” He drew a pistol and fired two rounds into the lock. A solid shove by the two of them and the door broke open. Charlotte was about to rush in, but Malcolm laid a hand on her shoulder as a warning. The young werewolf looked up at him, her muscles twitching in expectation. He leaned in and peered around the corner of the doorframe. He caught a glimpse of Ambassador Mansfield before a pistol shot rang out and the wall next to his ear exploded from the impact of a bullet. Jerking his head back, he looked at Charlotte, lifting his Lancaster.
“When I make him dive for cover, in you go.”
She nodded her shaggy head.
“Just disarm him.”
Charlotte exhaled a disappointed growl and crouched at the ready. Malcolm extended his arm through the door. His Lancaster roared twice and Mansfield ducked behind a long table heaped with ironworks. The lithe werewolf leapt to the far side of the room and bounded toward the table. Mansfield saw her coming and raised another pistol. A bullet slammed into Charlotte. It sent her tumbling into wooden crates.
Malcolm shouted and ran inside, firing his second weapon empty before he had to duck down behind some barrels and reload. “Charlotte! Can you hear me, girl?” A sliver of fear lanced Malcolm.
Mansfield chuckled. “Yo
ur little dog is dead.”
The Scotsman didn’t deem to reply but scuttled forward for a better position.
“Ra will wipe this place clean of interference,” Mansfield continued, “so Gaios can work his wonders.”
Malcolm let him prattle on as he lifted his head to spy on his target’s position. “Aren’t you afraid your mummy bride will run loose without you?”
“She’ll come when I call. But first she needs to deal with your friends.”
“She’ll have to take down all of London to do it,” Malcolm snarled back.
“I doubt that. You’re like bugs to her.”
The bellow of a Lancaster firing rhythmically drowned out Mansfield’s words. A dark shape streaked toward the ambassador, and a scream ripped through the room. Malcolm stood up and aimed both smoking pistols. Mansfield dangled from Charlotte’s outstretched arm, her claws wrapped around the man’s throat. Her other arm was raised, ready to strike.
“Charlotte!” Malcolm shouted.
The werewolf’s arm hesitated. Her eyes turned toward him, reflecting oddly in the limited light. There was a wildness in them, an angry resistance. On instinct, he almost pointed his weapon at her instead of Mansfield.
She growled at Malcolm, long white canines flashing, but slowly her arm lowered. Her snarl ended in a shriek of pain as she dropped Mansfield, holding her side. Mansfield scrambled away clutching a bloody knife, trying to rise to strike again. Malcolm vaulted the table, swinging his pistol like a club against Mansfield’s shoulder. The man rolled to the floor, but swept up with the knife, narrowly missing gutting the Scotsman. He shot Mansfield in the knee. Malcolm then kicked the knife out of the screaming man’s hand and jerked a pistol from Mansfield’s belt. It was empty.
The Scotsman turned to Charlotte. She lay panting, holding a bloody gash in her side. There was a black crease along her shoulder. He dropped to one knee beside her. “Let me see.”
She growled at him like any wounded animal, but did not strike at him. When he pulled her huge clawed hand away, it wrapped around his and she whined. He wadded up his scarf and placed it on the wound.
The Undying Legion Page 26