Leviathan (Fist of Light Series) (35 page)

“Looks to be the death mist. You be lucky Caleb pulled you from it before much harm could be done. If you had sunk into its grasp, there would have been no saving ya, lass. It ate all it could get. If you hadn't the energy to replace it, you'd be in a bad spot.”

Even now, the writhing column of smoke roiled, infuriated that its prize had escaped. I forced my attention away from the scene and followed the patter of paws that marked Shadow's tense movement through the causeway.

“I bet there isn't one thing in this place that doesn't feed off energy.” I glanced meaningfully at Gallick, but he shrugged off the accusation and turned away.

His voice was grating when he finally responded. “You'd be right. Without it, we'd all fade. Ain't no bed of flowers and rays of sunshine.”

“I'm beginning to understand that.” I grimaced.

“Can we go now?” Mary asked.

“We'd better,” Kathryne said as she melded into the darkness after the hound. “Wait much longer and our guide might leave us behind.”

I followed, listening for any telltale signs that might point to another trap or subtle deceit. After another few minutes of pervasive shadow for company, Gallick slammed his massive frame into a wall. A few chuckles sprouted up at the sound but were silenced at Shadow's warning growl. Gallick put his strength to task and pushed open the door, and this time it gave way silently on oiled hinges. The otherworldly sky was visible again, its paltry light disturbing. I might have noticed the change in color, but was too focused on the scene before me to take that into account.

“Quietly,” Zack whispered.

Dark wings fluttered mechanically as the vulture before us twitched. The thing appeared to be sleeping, its beak curled under one wing. I, for one, didn't relish figuring that out first hand. It rested on a gigantic pile of bones, the only thing that came close to a nest in this world. The midnight bird dwarfed the one that had attacked us when we first arrived, with an approximate wingspan stretching beyond a hundred feet. The entrance to the next chamber was blocked by the massive bulk of piled bone and, of course, the gigantic flying soul eater.

“Couldn't it just be as simple as walking up and flipping a switch?” Zack asked quietly, eyeing the vulture.

“If it were that easy, we wouldn't be here,” Kathryne replied.

“Can't blame a guy for wishing the impossible,” I glanced over at her.

“Sure you can.” She smiled.

“There be two theories to arguing with a woman.” Gallick grinned. “And both be wrong. Better to fall at their feet and plead for mercy.”

“Where's Shadow?” Mary broke us from our conversation.

The hound hadn't been visible, seeming to appear at the mention of his name. Shadow leapt onto the back of the vulture, clawing out chunks of shadowy flesh with sharp talons. A throaty challenge issued from his throat as a screeching bellow was loosed by the vulture.

“Great.” I readied myself, sprinting forward. “Damn dog is trying to get us all killed.”

Zack and Mary shifted into their beastly visages, echoing Shadow's challenge. Kathryne rushed the bird fearlessly and slapped her hand to its feathered wing, latching onto it. Gallick attacked the other wing, chopping meticulously at dark sinew in an attempt to shackle the beast to the earth. Bones clattered and went flying as powerful wingbeats blasted air through the chamber. It was trying to get airborne and heckle us from above.

There was no way that could be allowed to happen. If this thing took to the skies, there was no way we'd be able to put up a fight. It could swoop down and pick us up at its leisure, diving in when our guard was down. An enormous wing clipped Gallick and threw him back. Kathryne was still clinging stubbornly to hers but was close to being unseated. Her efforts became apparent, though, as the vulture visibly began to shrink in size. The bird's beak flashed out, barely missing Kathryne.

It was time to jump in before things got out of hand. My mind grasped at straws, then latched onto a memory from the seemingly distant past. Smiling sadly, I held up my hands in a gun-like fashion, drawing upon the most destructive and bloodthirsty power at my command. Lightning sparked at my fingertips and flashed outwards, blowing out great chunks of black flesh from the main body of the beast.

My ploy worked and red eyes devoid of humanity refocused on me. Wings stopped flapping and the behemoth walked forward on taloned legs, ignoring the beasts hounding it. Shadow moved his way relentlessly up the head. Rolling out of the way, I narrowly avoided the striking beak and a piercing cry had me clutching my ears in pain.

Grimacing, I bent on one knee and sent a coiled tendril of Air at the vulture, temporarily silencing the bird as it constricted around the sharp beak. A few more bolts of lightning were shot off, blowing sending great chunks of flesh flying. But my attack only served to infuriate the beast, not slow it as hoped. My purple-hued tendril of air snapped and all of us were flattened to the ground as great gusts of wind pummeled us. Shadow gouged a deep wound in one red eye, but there was no stopping it. Instead of taking to the sky as predicted, the vulture propelled itself straight towards me.

My heart hammered in my chest and sweat streamed into my eyes. I swiped the liquid off my body, raspy breaths expelled every fraction of a second. There was no avoiding what would come. My body tensed, but I knew what needed to be done. Closing my eyes, I called a considerable portion of power, much more than my previously rationed attacks. There was no help for it. Tensing my muscles, I swirled the two elements, fastening them together like a matching pair. Almost audibly they clicked in place. My entire body was sheathed in a blue-hued ball of cold energy by the time I was swallowed whole, gulped down a dark shaft of shadow.

If anyone reacted to this, I wouldn't have heard them. I was busy flying down the vulture’s throat and into a hollow vestibule, feeling energy leeched from me every second. My vision flickered, wavered, and lightheadedness almost brought my plan to ruin. I shook the feeling off and released the second stage of my creation. The freezing power exploded, Water and Air blasting outwards and tearing the insides of the vulture to shreds. I allowed myself a small smile as a horrific scream was loosed by the bird, but it faltered as my limbs grew heavy and indistinct.

“C
aleb,” Kathryne called, a far-away plea that was only half heard.

I came to without realizing it, the draining effects of being in close proximity to the bird crashing down on me. My whole body hurt, which was worrying, considering I didn't technically have one anymore. Pain wracked me as the diminished power within tried to restore me to full fighting form. Coughing spasmodically, I puked a dark collection of energy onto a slab of meat, which happened to be Gallick's leg.

“Boy, watch where you be spewing yer guts!” Gallick said, but his words lacked heat.

“Sorry.” I blinked away the fuzzy spots occluding my vision.

I smiled, as if the gnats represented the return to normalcy. I'd been accustomed to my constant companions and they’d been missed in their short absence.

“I can't believe you!” Kathryne smacked me on the chest, forcing me to expel another gout of inky darkness. “That was the stupidest, most—”

“Easy, easy.” Zack came to my rescue, robbing much of the strength from her next blow.

I felt it all the same. “Can't a man have a moment's rest after coming face to face with death?” The complaint sounded pitiful.

“If you try something like that a second time, you'll have
eternity
to rest and think about the error of your ways,” Kathryne said, wagging her finger in disapproval.

“Actually, I'd be pretty certain that death in here ain't no picnic, unless you
choose
to join the horde.”

“As if anyone would,” Mary protested.

“That's a death I don't want to think about. An eternity as a lifeless being living as a parasite in the mass of the hordes.” I winced as the statement sunk in. Two of us had already been subjected to that dark fate.

Gallick glossed over my statement as if it wasn't there, which was fine by me. I'd rather it never had been said in the first place.

“Little lady, there'd be enough who went over to the other side to stack up through the endless nights. Cusion be long-lived, immortal as it may be. Many of the most power-crazed beings crossed enemy lines and took up the dark banner of the hordes. We just fought one.”

That wasn't good. My suspicion of Gallick grew as the statement was given, but I held my tongue. It wouldn't do any good to confront him about his actions here, now. There was a time and place for that kind of talk, and it wasn't in the middle of a battlefield. We had work to do. I levered myself painfully to my feet, the ghost of a stomach pain pounding coldly through my stomach.

“You shouldn't stand yet,” Mary said.

“Kathryne's right. I'll sleep when I'm dead,” I joked, seeing the double meaning.

I was dead already, after all. Shadow nipped happily at my heels at my reemergence into the world of the semi-living,
woofing
encouragingly. He was eager to get moving again.

“Might as well be off,” Zack said.

Kathryne pointed. “The next corridor looks like it got uncovered by those winds.”

It seems it had. Where once there had been but a massive pile of bones, there was a gap large enough to crawl through. One by one, we clambered up the bones of countless dead to the opening, trying to keep a lid on our revulsion. Once through, I wiped myself down thoroughly, trying to cleanse myself of taint. Everyone else tried the same, but the method proved ineffective.

Mary shook herself in disgust. “That. Was. Horrifying.”

“If we kill this thing, I promise to throttle you in the afterlife.” Zack shivered and pointed accusingly at me.

“Next time, let's just take a nice vacation and let the big baddy do what it wants with the world.” I raised my eyebrows.

“Now that's an idea,” Kathryne nodded.

“I was kidding,” I smacked my forehead.

“Oh...” she trailed off sheepishly.

Apparently she still had yet to grasp the complexities of sarcasm. And here I'd been thinking she'd made progress.

“Ye be ready to move, or are we to wait till this hell freezes over?” Gallick asked.

This time there weren't any traps looming, not even a simple surprise waiting. We walked through the short expanse expecting another attack, but it never came. By the time we made it into the next room, my teeth were on edge and nerves afire. I swiveled my attention, taking in black statues spaced at intervals across the cavern. Huge hands rested on black swords that were half as large as the armored carvings that held them. All accounted for, there were ten of the things, standing as motionless sentinels, guarding a set of doors just as large. I wondered at the craftsmanship in this dark place, that someone would take the time to make things so realistic. It was art given life, something wholly unexpected in this blasted world.

Shadow growled and barked up a storm at the doors on the far side. A set of images superimposed over my vision lent to the idea that this was the last room before we came to the dark core of Cusion. I wondered at the lack of security, almost disappointed. You would think, with all the effort thus far into keeping us out, there would have been more guardians of this inner sanctum. But, then, Cusion mistakenly believed no one could make it here. Another point for the pack.

“That door will lead us to the core.” I pointed.

“That easy? I thought we'd have to fight through a mass of dark soldiers or something. Just a door and some statues? I expected more,” Zack grumbled, almost disappointed.

“Just let me get that dark heart and I'll tear it to shreds,” Mary said, her face dark with anticipated revenge.

“Too easy by half,” Gallick said.

And of course, it was. I was wrong to think it would be as simple as that. Dark statues groaned, split as they shifted.

“More betrayers.” Gallick swung his sword experimentally, but I doubted it would be enough to even nick the dark stone.

We crouched and banded together as stone cracked and flew, tumbling to the ground. A wall of sound crashed into us with a shockwave of power as the weight pummeled dark earth. Red light from the moon cast a horrible glow on the entire scene, as if even the moon reveled in what was to come. Towering statues had become hulking warriors, hefting broadswords that would cleave us in half if they found their mark.

“I think we have problems,” I gulped.

“Really?” Kathryne asked scathingly.

“Maybe so. Have anything up your sleeve for giant swordsmen?”

“Matter of fact, I've got just the thing.” She flashed a gleaming smile my way, pushing up the sleeves of her cloak and getting down to business.

I figured that was just for showing off. Black energy flashed at her fingertips, a lightning of a different sort. Before the sentinels were able to get their bearings and stamp us into dust, that power crashed into their midst. Three of them faltered and stumbled, whole body parts struck clean off. One sentinel was cleaved in two unequal pieces, the top toppling forward and exploding in a cloud of dust. Rocks pelted the group as the upper portion of the sentinel was strewn about the room. They might have been slow to react at first, but these things weren't dim-witted members of the horde. The remaining warriors threw boulders like children's toys.