Necrophobia (37 page)

“I like her already.” Claire said more to herself than anyone. Razakel nodded and stepped outside into the rain with a confident smile.

“Fire at will.” Hayley shouted and her crossbow spat bolt after bolt into the approaching sea of undead.

The other Night Guard and Claire followed suit. She fired arrow after arrow into the crowd aiming over her allies as high as she dared. The strong winds of the storm threatened to blow her arrows off course. Razakel exploded groups of them at a time with magic as Alba animated more and more statues behind them. Each one grabbed a weapon and stomped outside into the sea of horrors outside. Putrid flesh fought stone and metal. Claire’s arrows met home as more and more undead fell before her. She could fire far faster than the crossbow wielding Night Guard and with better accuracy.
I should hope so too.
She thought to herself, getting her level of proficiency at archery took a lot of time and practice. Her arrows did little more than annoy the hulking blasphemy leading the undead charge so she focused her efforts of keeping the undead breaking through the Night Guard lines and protecting the vulnerable officers as they reloaded their crossbows. Beside her she could see Adrian breathing heavy and ripping his gore-splattered axe out of a body at his feet he flashed her a short grin and ran towards a howling zombie clawing at a fleeing officer. Mercenaries began to enter the fight picking off unsuspecting Night Guard with crossbows and magic of their own; a bolt chinked off Claire’s silver breastplate and forced her to take cover.

Valdgeirr’s roar reverberated throughout the courtyard as the dragon flew over the shield. The barrier crackled with energy as the bombardment of fireballs dissipated upon it. The dragon circled over the shield trying to find a weak spot. With a snarl of frustration it disappeared for another attack run. Alba’s golems and Razakel’s magic turned the tides incinerating and tearing undead limb from limb. With all the statues in the area under her control she aided with her own blasts of lightning and fire. Just when the defenders seemed to be winning one of the four watchtowers exploded and collapsed in a cloud of smoke and dust. The barrier overhead flickered and faded and its absence noticeable even to Claire’s limited magical talent. Valdgeirr changed course and dived overhead. Bursts of flame rained down upon the courtyard. It roared with triumph and circled around readying itself for another attack run. Razakel’s magic chased it across the sky as it evaded the sorcerer without effort. Were it not a husk of its former self it may have been taunting him.

Come on Reiner. We can’t hold out much longer.

The temple of the four gods loomed over them as Reiner and the others rushed downhill. The temple was mercifully intact, the undead focused their assault on the noble district behind them. The streets were littered with twisted and mutilated rotten corpses and with a sigh of relief Reiner couldn’t see more than a handful of civilian casualties. They picked their way with care through the dormant bodies though the spectral flames were extinguished, the rainwater washing away the blood and gore.

Lightning struck nearby without warning; the impact and deafening sound washed over Reiner leaving him dazed and confused. Overhead the wind and rain howled and lightning sparked throughout the city.

“Captain...” Alvar wheezed behind him.

Reiner spun around to see Alvar smoking and staggering forwards clutching his breastplate. His singed hair stood on end as he fell forwards and hit the ground hard.

“What—”

“—Look out!” Sevaur’s cry cut him off before he could voice the question. He threw himself forwards blocking another lightning strike with a conjured flash of blue light. The magic barrier overloaded and threw Sevaur backwards into the dirt. “…I’m alright.” He wheezed and staggered as he tried to stand up.

“Falkner.” Reiner searched the skyline looking to find the traitor and soon found the culprit stood on the roof of the temple his hand aimed at Sevaur. There was no warmth in Falkner’s expression as he met Reiner’s gaze. His was the face of a broken man who bore the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

“I can’t let you bring them here.” Falkner projected his voice over the storm and folded his arms. Beneath the raincoat Reiner could see the tell-tale shape of Caelite armour and his spear. With a small twinge of pride he saw the burns across Falkner’s face where Sevaur’s fists had caught him. “I can’t let this all be for nothing.”

“You’re out of luck.” Without warning Reiner thrust his hand forward throwing forth his will into the air. His aeromancy grabbed Falkner and dragged him off the roof towards him. The traitor managed to right himself and slow his momentum as expected but the look of shock upon his face was priceless. “Your blasphemy accomplishes nothing. You’ve sold your soul for nought.”

Falkner cushioned his impact with a shield of air that exploded outwards as he landed forcing Reiner to steady himself. Behind him Sevaur rushed to Alvar’s aid with a quick glance at his brother.

“Proud of your handiwork Falkner?” Reiner swept a theatric hand over the destruction around him. The watchtowers coughing up giant plumes of smoke as the rain extinguished the flames. In the distance he heard the roar of the dragon as it found fresh prey. “How many people have died this week because of you?”

Falkner said nothing as he rushed towards him spear at the ready. Exhausted and still out of breath Reiner managed to turn aside Falkner’s jabs, thrusts and swipes. Fury numbed his muscles and gave him strength. He couldn’t risk taking his eyes off the traitor for even a second but he knew the attack on Alvar was almost certainly fatal. As had been the blast aimed at his brother. He allowed his rage to fill him up and guide his hand. Energy crackled around his hands and armour as he threw himself forward smashing aside Falkner’s defence and missing the former-Captain’s face by mere inches. Falkner countered with air trying to throw him back and create some distance but Reiner was ready for it. He channelled the air around him and his spear clashed against Falkner’s before parting and clashing again and again. Each parry forcing Falkner backwards and closer to his goal.

“What will Vara say when she sees what you’ve done?” Reiner’s spear scraped along Falkner’s arm and tore parts of his long coat to shreds. The traitor grunted in pain and jabbed low with his own spear forcing Reiner to jump back to evade it. “The people you sacrificed so that she may live?”

Falkner remained silent but Reiner could see the effect his taunts were having; or rather he could feel them. Each swing and stab came harder than the last. Each thrust intent on skewering Reiner like a common vampire, each slash trying to cut him to pieces.

“Is this what you wanted?” Reiner ducked beneath an overhead horizontal swing and lashed out at Falkner’s legs as the traitor stumbled Reiner brought up his spear hacked his way through the modified breastplate.

“Do you think I wanted it to be this way?” Falkner spat the words out as he spun aside Reiner’s lunge and kicked him hard in the chest. “Do you think I wanted any of this?”

“I wonder—” Reiner feint with his spear aiming for Falkner’s throat forcing him to defend himself, using the shock to his advantage he grabbed the traitor’s spear with magic and threw it across the empty street with a clatter. With a snarl Falkner spat flame from his mouth towards him in desperation and leapt back from Reiner’s spear. Dragonfire was one of the hardest and least practical of the Caelite’s arsenal; it was used sparingly either to be flashy or for the shock value to create an opening. Reiner’d never found it useful which was why he underestimated it. It burned into his armour, white-hot pain lanced through his arm as he tried to shake the fire away. With a sneer Falkner retrieved his spear as Reiner allowed the rainwater to extinguish the last embers.

“You always were so self-righteous, so sanctimonious.” Falkner lunged again taking advantage of Reiner’s pain to strike another blow, his spear stabbing deep into Reiner’s breastplate. “I did what I thought was right. Too many good people in this world die whilst scum like Pavlovich and his men survive. All I wanted was to bring someone back. Life claimed a beautiful soul, a caring person who brought compassion and talent into this world rather than pain and misery.”

Reiner stumbled backwards cupping the wound with his burned hand. The stab wound wasn’t immediately fatal but Falkner had drawn blood, he’d weaken and tire and there was a great risk of bleeding out. He couldn’t come this far to fail now. He swung at the ranting traitor but already his strength was leaving him, his blow slower and more telegraphed than before. Falkner avoided it with a sneer and continued.

“But the gods have other plans it seems. The god of fate saw fit to heap trial after trial, misery after misery upon its most devoted of followers.”

“That’s you is it? Devoted?” Reiner coughed up blood and circled around Falkner trying to force a hole in his defence but the traitor Caelite responded by keeping his distance letting Reiner bleed. “So devoted. So loyal and honest you’d sacrifice your friends, your faith and your honour to resurrect one person with the blood of innocents? Don’t make me laugh.”

Overhead lightning flashed striking the lightning rod atop the church.

“You’ve no humour Reiner.” Falkner sneered. “You’re a tool to be used. A weapon to be pointed at a target. Isn’t that what the Commander sent you here for? You’re bound by duty. You know nothing else. You’ve not seen what I’ve seen.”

“You’ve no honour. You’re no knight.” Sevaur rose and drew his sword, Alvar’s body slumped lifelessly to the floor.

“Stay back brother. I can handle him.” Reiner tried to stand upright but the pain forced him back down. He gritted his teeth and stabbed at his enemy with a grunt of fury.

Falkner batted aside his spear with ease and ignored him watching Sevaur with a neutral expression. “Don’t you see? He sacrifices everything he has for the sake of duty as I once did. Where has it gotten him?”

“He’s better than you.” Sevaur walked closer sword in front of him. “You sacrifice innocents and call it justice. You call it selflessness.” Spear met sword as they clashed and circled. Reiner tried to shout at him to back down but his warning descended into coughs bringing up fresh blood. Falkner outclassed him, with decades of experience under his belt and greater magic Sevaur couldn’t hope to beat him. His spear could keep him at bay where Sevaur wouldn’t be able to touch him.

“You speak of things you don’t understand child.” Falkner battered aside Sevaur’s swings and deflected his fireballs with air. “I gave my life and perhaps my soul so that another might live. I gave everything I held dear for the sake of another.”

“You didn’t do it for her.” Sevaur ducked underneath Falkner’s thrust and grabbed the spear with his left hand sending flames shooting up the spear. Falkner cursed as the flames burned his exposed fingers and he dropped the weapon on the floor. “You did it for yourself.” Sevaur stabbed forwards with his sword, the tip tore into Falkner’s platemail and the blade sunk deeper into his abdomen. Falkner swung his hand upwards forcing Sevaur onto his back without his weapon, the sword still embedded in his chest as he staggered backwards, blood dripping from his mouth.

Sensing Reiner closing in panic crossed Falkner’s face and he willed the spear into his hands with aeromancy. He was too late Reiner was within his reach and held Falkner’s spear against him rendering it useless. Taking his hand off his own bleeding chest Reiner yanked Sevaur’s sword out of the traitor Caelite and threw it over to his brother. Falkner fell forwards with the pain and dropped his spear. He steadied himself with one hand on the floor as blood mingled with rainwater below him.

“It can’t end like this…” He struggled to rise but the pain was too great. Falkner’s burned and broken face stared up at Reiner blinking the rain out of his eyes. It was over and he knew it. “I have to save my family. I can fix it.”

“No.” Reiner shook his head and kicked Falkner onto his back. “You can’t.”

Falkner writhed on the floor clutching his injury and reaching out with one bloodstained hand. “Please! I can make amends! It can’t all be for nothing!”

“That’s life Felix.” Reiner raised his own spear above the wounded traitor. “Sometimes trying to fix something just makes things worse. The gods will decide how worthy your cause was. How noble your ideals. If you’re lucky you might see Vara again.”

He drove his spear down hard as he could and twisted, the serrated speartip silencing Falkner’s pleas and denials. It was an unpleasant feeling to silence a man who was once a caring family man. In Reiner’s experience they were just as dangerous and driven as any criminal if not more so. The man with nothing to lose might be dangerous but he was nothing compared to the family man with everything to lose. Beside him Sevaur stared at the floor his sword in hand. “Alvar?”
Sevaur shook his head and stared down at the fallen Caelite for several moments before eyeing up Reiner’s own wounds. “We need to get you treated. And soon.”

“Not yet.” Reiner limped towards him and together they hoisted up Alvar’s body onto their shoulders and headed to the temple doors and pushed them aside. The survivors inside lowered their weapons when they saw him staggering through their number towards the stairwell. “We’ve got work to do.”