Kayn screams when Sari bites his left arm, which has moved within reach of her teeth. She is nauseated by how easily his fragile flesh tears away and the taste is one of putrefying meat. Slipping from his grasp, she spits the chunk of meat into Kayn’s face and tries to get to Luke and Delvin. With surprising speed, Kayn rushes at Sari and slams the pommel of his sword into the side of her head. The force of the blow sends her crashing into the wall where she slumps to the ground unconscious and twitching.
Luke and Delvin charge Kayn, whose sword blurs through the air and cleaves through Delvin’s shield, grazing his arm. Luke roars as he slashes and dives at his enemy, but the gypsy is too agile for him to hit. They hear Kayn’s rotting bones snap and shatter every time he moves, his body no longer slowed by pain. Delvin moves to stab the decaying gypsy, halting when Luke flips in his way. The bounding forest tracker forces him to cautiously fight from the edge of his reach. Several times, Kayn blocks all three swords at once and forcefully shoves the two warriors back.
“Get Sari out of here,” Luke orders Delvin as they are pushed back again.
“I don’t like that idea,” Delvin admits, blocking Kayn’s overhead chop at Luke and kicking the gypsy away. He grimaces at the wet squish he feels when his foot strikes the gypsy’s stomach. “He’s too strong for both of us, so you wouldn’t last by yourself. We’re making enough noise to bring help.”
“That would be true if I didn’t cast a silence spell before you entered,” Kayn interrupts with a cruel smile.
Delvin is about to attack when Luke shoulder rushes him in the side, shoving the confused warrior toward Sari. He is about to yell at the half-elf when he sees the crazed look in his friend’s eyes. It matches the insanity brewing in Kayn’s red-tinted pupils. Against his better judgment, he hurries to Sari, but he is immediately forced to block a series of crushing strikes from Kayn. The barrage is stopped when Luke charges, flipping and slashing with all of his skill and strength. It is enough to drive the crazed gypsy away from Delvin and Sari, but the brawl now stands between them and the door.
Luke attempts to tackle Kayn to give Delvin a clear path, but Kayn spins his body out of the way. Luke whirls around and freezes as he feels the bastard sword pass through the right side of his belly. He collapses to his knees, weakly swinging his sabers at Kayn. The gypsy roughly pulls his sword free and catches Luke by the hair before the half-elf can collapse. Kayn grins at the rage, defiance, and pain burning in Luke’s eyes, which are shifting between green and brown.
“His injury will be a slow bleed, so you may save him,” Kayn tells Delvin, pressing his bastard sword against Luke’s throat. “Give me Sari or I take Luke’s head to my master. This way nobody dies and you’re free to attempt a heroic rescue.”
“Don’t do it,” Luke groans, putting his hands to his wound. He can feel his thick blood ooze through his fingers as his vision blurs. “Please don’t give her to him, Delvin.”
“I’m sorry, Luke, but this is the smarter move,” Delvin states, holding Sari out for Kayn to take. He sees the helpless look on Luke’s face and smiles warmly at him. “If I resist then he would take her from me and both of us would be dead. This way, we both live and we’re free to hunt this bastard down when you’re healed.”
“My master is counting on it,” Kayn says, his voice becoming a hiss. He drops Luke and sheathes his sword, roughly taking Sari.
Delvin cautiously moves near Kayn and rolls Luke onto his back. He watches the gypsy stiffly move toward the doorway, which becomes a black vortex. With a final glance at the defeated heroes, Kayn escapes with a coughing laugh.
*****
“He’s stabilized and healing faster than I expected,” the healer whispers in a hoarse voice as he sticks his head out the window. “Do you need me to continue watching him or can I rest, headmistress?”
“Take a nap, Mel,” Selenia says, rubbing her temples. She focuses on Ult and the moon’s yellow glow, which is sinking behind the academy wall. “So, what are you going to do? My hands are tied until I can mobilize my men and get supplies.”
“I sent a message to Cyril and Willow,” Nyx replies, her eyes staying on the infirmary door. She relaxes when Delvin and Timoran each put a hand on her shoulder. “They’re going to help Daniel Skyblade and his men get to us as soon after sunrise as they can. I was told they’re already a day’s journey from Visindor.”
“That still doesn’t tell me what you three and Luke are going to do,” Selenia says, her voice becoming soft and kind. “I can handle everything here. I’m sure you don’t want to wait for me to finish my preparations.”
Delvin is about to speak when he feels Nyx press her face against his arm and cry. He looks up at Timoran for help, but the barbarian only shrugs and removes his hand from her shoulder. Delvin nervously hugs Nyx until her sobbing stops, the caster gently pushing away from him.
“We can’t go in alone,” Nyx declares, surprising Timoran and Delvin with her cautious decision. “The armies are too big and the Lich has Sari as a hostage. We need to make the chaos bigger than we originally planned. That way we can get into the Lich’s castle and rescue Sari before fighting him.”
“So, you’re going to wait for us?” Selenia asks, unsure of what Nyx is trying to say.
“Yes,” the caster whispers, pushing herself to the verge of tears. “I don’t want to wait for another second, but I don’t want to get Sari or the rest of us killed.”
“There is another option,” Timoran mentions. He smiles at the look of hope on Nyx’s face. “Selenia, we can clear a path through the Caster Swamp for you and your men. Using red cloth strips, we can mark a trail for you to follow. I know the recipe for a musk that will keep most predators away from an area for about twenty-hours. Hiding a cup of it every half-mile will keep the trail clear of danger.”
“What about predators already in our way?” Delvin politely asks. “We’re going to get into a few fights out there, which worries me.”
“I would be more worried if that was not the case,” Timoran admits with a friendly chuckle. “No predators means great danger is near.”
“I think Delvin is worried about us getting hurt or not even making it to the Lich’s castle,” Nyx says, unable to find any humor in the conversation. “Delvin and Timoran can take two healing potions each. I’ll have to reserve my magic and keep a low profile, so I’ll take extra potions and a non-magical crossbow from the armory. If I start blasting away, the Lich will know exactly when we’re coming and our location in the swamp.”
“You don’t have to cripple yourself, Nyx,” Selenia interjects, snapping her fingers at a nearby warrior and pointing at the caster. He salutes and runs to the teacher’s dorm, his armor clanking in the darkness. “The environment will hide close range spells and anything you can send along the ground. Avoid big blasts or anything with a lot of noise because sound travels very far in the Caster Swamp.”
“That’s if we have a lot of trouble in the first place,” Delvin contends, stroking his chin and looking in the direction of the swamp. “I’m not a wilderness expert, but I was thinking that the two armies might have overhunted the Caster Swamp. If so, then there may be fewer predators after having to eat each other. It could also mean the remaining predators are more desperate, but I guess that’s the risk we’ll have to take.”
Timoran nods in agreement while Nyx yawns and wavers on her feet. Selenia catches her before she topples over, exhaustion and stress etched into the young woman’s face. She eases Nyx to the ground and notices a crimson glow around the points of her ears and the edges of her nostrils. It takes the headmistress a few seconds to figure out what the caster has been doing and she stops Nyx with a violent slap across the face.
“Stop being stupid, kid,” Selenia growls, glaring at the stunned caster. She hefts Nyx up to her feet and hands the half-elf to Timoran. “She was enhancing her hearing and sense of smell to find Sari. It’s too far a distance even for a caster like her, so she nearly drained her aura doin
g that stunt.”
“I was trying to find her,” Nyx whispers in a faint voice. “She’s my little sister and my little brother is injured. You can’t blame me for pushing my aura to help them.”
“I can’t blame you, but I can certainly get mad at you for being an idiot,” Selenia angrily snaps, rubbing her eyes as they try to close from exhaustion. “I’m not happy about the Lich getting through my wards or Kayn taking Sari. I know they’re your family, but your enemies invaded my territory and escaped while I was helpless to do anything. I don’t handle helplessness very well. To that end, I won’t have one of my most powerful allies damage herself because she’s become emotionally unstable. If I have to, I will drag your carcass to the battle and fill you with invigoration potions until it spurts from your bellybutton.”
“Thanks?” Nyx mutters with a half-hearted smile.
“Let us get some rest and we will begin preparations at dawn,” Timoran suggests, guiding Nyx away from the infirmary. “We can be on our way by mid-morning as long as we do not run into any delays.”
The others begin following Timoran and Nyx when a roaring screech wakes the entire academy. Selenia sprints to the infirmary, deafening crashes filling the air. The entire building shakes as Luke erupts through the roof, his griffin form continuing to mournfully scream. He stares at his friends while rising higher and higher into the starry sky. Eventually, he is nothing more than a dark silhouette in front of Ult, his form fringed with golden light. With a final shriek, he gracefully wheels in the air and soars toward the Caster Swamp.
Nyx watches the shrinking form, her fists clenched with fury as Timoran grips her arm to hold her back. Flame-tinted tears roll down her cheeks, scorching the grass at her feet. When Luke is out of sight, Nyx takes a deep breath and screams at the top of her lungs, “You moron!”
The adventure continues in
The Compass Key
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Family of the Tri-Rune Page 52