Ebudae (15 page)

Ebudae made the mistake of forgetting how
much magic she had already used and how tired she was from it. When
the supernatural wind slammed into her back, she staggered just a
bit. The dragon’s mark on her back burned as it compensated for her
weariness. She was skilled enough to keep her mind and focus strong
though. A hundred darts of flames shot forth from her fingers in a
large fan aimed low at the creatures. The ones that hit pierced
flesh, setting skin and tissue on fire.

Squeals turned into high-pitched screams of
agony as the creatures to the left and in front of the group were
burned. Ebudae’s spell had managed to catch nine of them that
either writhed on the ground in agony or turned and tried to
run.

The flames also illuminated a horror that
the girls had never seen before. “There’re hundreds of them,” Pelya
said in an alarmed voice. “I think we found some sort of nest.”
Indeed, beyond the packs stalking them were hundreds more of the
creatures. They had foolishly led the slaves into even greater
danger than before.

Ebudae picked up Shade and carried her back
to a woman in the group. “We have to find another way. We’ll cover
the retreat.” She didn’t know how much help she would be. Her back
was still hot and her bones were beginning to hurt. Exhaustion
wouldn’t be far away. The best solution was some runeballs kept
tucked away for emergencies, but she hated the thought of using
them.

A brave slochund darted forward at Pelya,
who had moved to protect the flank. It saw her away from the group
and thought her easy prey. It died when the warrior dodged its
charge and sliced through its neck. Pelya allowed the force of its
charge to carry her back some and removed her blade as it stumbled
the last few steps of its miserable existence.

Pelya took a moment to wipe the sword on the
monster’s back. The others were holding off, cautious after seeing
their companion fall. More of the squealing emitted from their
throats. It traveled in a wave all the way through the nest.

When a loud, chilling wail sounded from a
distance away, the hairs on the back of Ebudae’s neck stood
straight. It didn’t come from the slochunds.

“I don’t
want
know what that was,
Ebudae!” Pelya exclaimed.

“It must be some sort of creature the
slochunds devote themselves to or something.” The creatures on her
side were becoming brave. Ebudae pulled a runeball out of a pouch
on her belt and said the words to trigger it. Activation took very
little energy, but she had used so much on other spells that the
she could feel the tiny drain.

She threw it as far as she could. It landed
in a group of slochunds that followed it with their gaze,
sidestepping when it hit the ground between them. Bolts of
lightning sprang from the ball as it disintegrated. Each bolt hit
the nearest slochunds, sending enough lightning through it to kill
the screaming creature before jumping to the next. Fifteen were
killed by it and fifteen more by the next one Ebudae threw just
like it.

The terrible smell of burning flesh rose
from the creatures, threatening to sicken the slaves. They rushed
back as fast as they could, but more of the slochunds were circling
around behind their escape route. More lightning jumped from the
other side as Pelya threw two of the same runeballs, which Ebudae
had given to her.

Two more of the creatures attacked Pelya and
she killed them both, slashing the first as she leapt over it and
then stabbing the second. They always stayed low to the ground and
the warrior had discovered that leaping above their heads was an
effective method of fighting them. On occasion, she had even run
along their backs to get to the next.

One came too close to Ebudae, so she cast a
small spell that sent out shards of ice using the moisture in the
air for material. Her back heated and her bones ached, even though
it wasn’t powerful. The shards did kill the creature and injure the
one behind it.

“Your neck is glowing orange,” a slave said
from behind her. Ebudae looked over her shoulder and saw that the
orange lines of the tattoo that trailed up her neck. Most of the
time the mark was invisible, only showing when stressed. For it to
glow from underneath her clothes meant she was overburdening
it.

Two of the men on her side moved forward to
fight off one of the slochunds. They beat it off weakly. “Look
out,” another slave yelled, pointing at one of the creatures moving
to the side of the farthest man.

The slochunds sprang forward and latched
onto the man who screamed in terror and agony. Others tried to hit
it with rocks and fight it off with bars, but the creatures moved
backwards, dragging the fallen slave by the leg. The screams only
lasted a moment after more creatures set upon him.

Ebudae threw a runeball at the other
slochunds that were attacking. It transformed into liquid that ate
a hole into the monster’s side. It squealed, causing another
rippling effect throughout the nest. Another of the chilling wails
from within the nest followed, closer that time.

Suddenly the darkness disappeared, replaced
by a stream of molten sunlight arching from behind the slaves into
the nest of creatures. The slochunds screamed and backed away while
the people shielded their eyes. It spread through the creatures,
lighting them on fire. A hulking creature wailed from the middle of
the nest when the molten fire hit it, causing the girls and slaves
to drop to their knees as the sound reverberated through their
skulls.

Fortunately, the wail didn’t last long as
the monster died in a fit of thrashing. The stream of sunlight
ended, splashing down and scattering burning drops to kill scores
more of the slochunds. A riot of sounds surrounded the group. The
sudden lack of light blinded Ebudae, while indistinguishable spots
of fire floated through the darkness as surviving creatures tried
to run from their own burning skin.

Thundering hooves echoed through the ruins
from behind the slaves. Ebudae rubbed her eyes and gave them a
second to adjust. She looked for Pelya and saw the warrior slice
through the hide of another slochund. They were still attacking the
group. Then Ebudae heard a snuffling sound and turned to see one
just a few feet from her, its teeth bared and its visceral eyes
glistening with yellow hunger. She reached for another runeball and
began to take a step to the side.

“By the light of Reanna, Die foul beasts!”
The knight’s horse appeared to move in slow motion as it came
forth. The magnificent sun emblem on his orange tunic blazed as he
swung a shining greatsword down through the bodies of the creatures
attacking the slaves on her side of the group.

Droplets of saliva shook loose from the
horse’s mouth as its hooves pounded the ground. On the upswing, the
knight’s blade reached the slochund in front of Ebudae, cutting it
in half as though the creature was made of butter. The sword came
back down and around, killing another slochund just as it lunged at
Ebudae.

She stared at the snout of the monster as it
landed on her boot. Time returned to normal and Ebudae wondered why
it had bothered to slow in the first place. “Milady!” a voice said
behind her as Ebudae fell back. She wondered why she was
falling.

A freed slave caught Ebudae before she hit
the ground. The knight raced ahead in front of the group,
slaughtering more of the beasts with his brilliant sword. The slave
looked down at Ebudae in concern. “Milady! What’s wrong? Are you
hurt?”

Ebudae did a quick self-check. She wasn’t
injured. The magic she had used drained her strength. Answering the
person would take more strength she didn’t have, so she just
watched the rest of the battle. Pelya was on top of another
slochund, driving her sword into it. A horseman wearing the same
colors as the knight fought near her, killing his share of the
creatures in order to protect the group. Ebudae panicked a little,
realizing her side was unprotected, but turning, she saw another
horseman cutting away at the creatures.

The knight rode back toward them, killing a
few stragglers on his way. Most of the remaining creatures were
running by that point, realizing that there was no longer an easy
meal for them. Ebudae looked up at the man in his shining armor. It
was the same knight who had stopped them in the street the day
before.

“Ebudae!” Pelya yelled. She rushed over and
fell to her knees. “Are you hurt? What happened?” Ebudae only had
enough energy to smile reassuringly.

A woman rode up and dismounted next to them.
“Let me look.” She was beautiful, but frail. Thin blonde hair
rustled against her brow and down her back. She looked at Ebudae
with pink eyes, much the same color as her own. Her hands were thin
and her face gaunt. However, when she took Ebudae’s face in her
hands, strength streamed through.

Ebudae scrambled to her feet with Pelya’s
help. “What was that? Wow!”

“That was the power of Reanna,” the knight
said in his rich voice. He also dismounted and approached them
while sheathing his spotless greatsword. The other two horsemen
circled the group, guarding against any creatures that might be
foolish enough to try again. “Appana is a holy priestess of Reanna,
filled with divine healing power and enough love in her heart to
light even this darkness.”

Appana rolled her eyes and moved to tend to
the frightened slaves. Ebudae took a deep breath and relaxed. The
heat on her back and in her bones had lessened a great deal. She
was still tired and very hungry, but would be alright.

One of the horsemen approached. “Two people
were lost to the creatures, Milord. The rest are frightened, but it
seems they will survive.”

“Thank you, Gratham,” The knight
replied.

“Two?” Pelya’s sword was still drawn. She
wouldn’t sheath it until clean. “Two died? It’s all my fault. I
didn’t save them.” She released Ebudae’s arm and turned to see who
was gone.

“Pelya Jornin.” Power traveled through the
knight’s voice to stop her. It wasn’t supernatural. Some people had
the ability to make others listen to them just by force of
presence. Pelya turned. The knight folded his arms and frowned.
“Why are you down here in the evil below Dralin?”

Pelya exchanged glances with Ebudae. Looking
at the knight, she opened her mouth to answer, thought about it and
opened her mouth again. Nothing came out. The knight continued to
look on sternly. Pelya gathered her resolve. “Friends of ours from
Carnival needed our help to rescue someone. Things went badly and
we ended up running away from dangerous people. Along the way, we
found these people in cages,” she gestured at the slaves behind
her, “and released them. We were trying to get them to safety, but
we don’t know this part of the ruins and made a terrible mistake.
It’s my fault they died.” Pelya’s head hung low as did the tip of
her sword.

“I have a great many more questions for you,
Pelya Jornin, but for now, we need to get these people to safety.”
The knight gestured for them to turn and begin walking.

Ebudae turned and fell because her legs
refused to cooperate. “Ebudae!” Pelya grabbed her and kept her from
hitting the ground. The knight moved to the other side and together
they helped her stand.

“Sorry. I’m still a little tired.” Ebudae
said.

“Why are you tired, lass?” the knight asked
with suspicion.

“I used a little too much magic.” It didn’t
seem like a good idea to lie to the man.

“I find that very disturbing and you’ll be
answering questions as well,” he replied. Ebudae gulped. He stood
in front of them and studied them for a moment. His companions were
guiding the others back the way they had come. “The deaths are not
on either of you. I don’t know all the details, but I know that the
two of you have rescued complete strangers at great risk to
yourselves. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Milord,” Ebudae said.

Pelya hung her head for a moment before
meeting the knight’s eyes. “Yes, Milord.”

They turned and followed the others. One of
the swordsmen took the knight’s horse and Ebudae took back her emo
bunny, ignoring the knight’s raised eyebrow.

Chapter
10

The tapestries in the sitting room of the
temple were beautiful and Ebudae stared at the one in front of her
in fascination. It had knights beating back hordes of monsters
while a woman stood on high rocks with a sun-topped staff shining
radiance on all below.

The rescued slaves were being cared for in
the healing halls of the church. Not many people ever visited the
temple because its followers tended to be a little fanatical. Also,
Reanna was stingy with her powers and few were ever accepted as
priests or knights. Some people said she was awfully gloomy for a
goddess who had sunshine coming out her behind.

Sir Imbra, Knight Champion of Reanna had led
them through the dark streets of the ruined city to a building with
stairs up to a building in the Mosh District. From there, he had
escorted them all to the Temple of Reanna in the Church
District.

“The woman is Zathia Domos, High Priestess
of Reanna some three hundred years ago,” Gratham said from Ebudae’s
right. He was a handsome young man who served as Sir Imbra’s
squire. “Are you alright? You’re very pale.” His voice was mellow
and it made her feel safe when he spoke.

“I used too much magic and I need to sleep
soon.” Ebudae tried to smile, but it took too much energy. At the
moment, the girls were in the room with Gratham, waiting for the
knight to come back from reporting to the heads of the temple. They
needed to leave soon because it was nearing dawn. Pelya was sitting
on the edge of a chair with her face buried in her hands. Ebudae
was avoiding thinking about how much trouble they would be in.

“Thank you for waiting,” Sir Imbra said as
he walked into the room with Appana. “The people you rescued have a
good chance of getting back to their homes or finding new ones. Now
it’s time to tell me what you ladies have been doing exploring down
in the ruins.” He crossed his arms.