Chapter Twenty Six - Lure

One last hope, if only I can lure him in.

From the top of the ruined gate, Kiri surveyed the courtyard. The undead still swirled and eddied, searching out any last survivors lying amongst the dead. Tarkeros stood in their midst, his shadow guard behind him.

She needed to get his attention, but shooting at him would be counter-productive, protected as he was. But killing one of his special shadows should annoy him.

A moment later, her arrow thunked into the throat of the nearest shadow. To a living creature, such a wound would have been instantly fatal, but the huge shadow seemed merely annoyed. With a growl, it ripped the arrow from its neck and turned to glare at her.

Before it could do anything else, the vampire moved. She sped down from the far wall and then actually ran across the heads of the undead army, as easily as if she was walking on a cobbled street. She raced towards Kiri, her Glaive held ready to kill.

Instantly, Kiri had another arrow nocked. Killing the vampire would be good, too. But then the vampire just stopped, one foot on a ghoul's head, the other on a zombie's shoulder. Although Tarkeros had made no sound, she turned toward him, and it was obvious that he had given her some command.

That just made it easier for Kiri. She let her arrow fly, her target stationary and barely a hundred yards off. It should have struck the vampire in the head, but it was still five feet away when the vampire turned and slashed the arrow from the air with contemptuous ease.

She glowered at Kiri, but simply turned and ran lightly over to join Tarkeros. He and his retinue were now walking straight toward Kiri. They were coming.

Her heart jumped with both elation and fear. Her trap might yet work. Or she might just get herself killed. She could already feel the loathsome feeling from the lich's stare.

Kiri steeled herself against his gaze and kept her eyes on his chest. If she froze now, she would be dead before she knew what had happened.

She had another arrow ready, but hesitated. It might not be necessary. And she only had a few left. Glancing back over her shoulder, Kiri saw Daven waiting in the Tower courtyard, standing ready as he looked up at her. There was no sign of Jareth and Jordan. They should be in position.

Facing front again, Kiri raised her bow once more. But still she hesitated. She had to make it look like she posed a credible, if weak, threat, but if she pushed Tarkeros too much, he might simply attack. With no more outside forces to consider, he could throw his full power into destroying the Tower's defences.

There could be little doubt how that would end. If the lich wished it, he could order his army into the Tower courtyard and then simply walk across their bodies to attack the Tower directly.

She had to make it look like she was making a last feeble resistance - not difficult, that was actually true. But still, she wanted to kill something. Where was that shadow she had shot before? It was hard to tell, they all looked the same. Except one had a darker splotch at its neck. That one. Maybe another arrow would do the job.

The shot should have passed to the right and slightly above Tarkeros' head, but as the arrow approached him, the lich swung up his shield. It shouldn't have been high enough to block the shot, but there was a flash of white sparks. The shield's protection clearly extended out quite a distance.

Without thinking, Kiri swayed out of the way and snapped the arrow out of the air as it came humming back past her. Then she stopped, confused, looking at the arrow in her hand. Should she have done that? Would that give the impression that she wasn't as defenceless as she wanted it to look?

Suddenly, the whole thing seemed absurd. It must be so obvious that she was trying to lead the undead into a trap. Surely Tarkeros must realise what she was doing. But he just continued his steady, unhurried approach.

So. Either Tarkeros was so arrogant and assured of his power that he was oblivious to any possible threat, or… he knew precisely what he was walking into, and he was just toying with her.

Perhaps the undead had already found the trap. Maybe even - she felt a sudden panic - destroyed it. She shot a quick look over her shoulder, but of course there was nothing to see - no way to tell.

It was too late to check - much too late. She would just have to risk it. Not that she had any choice. This was their last hope, and she had to play it for all it was worth.

Turning back to the undead, Kiri started to nock the arrow again - then jumped in sudden fright. Tarkeros was much closer than she had expected, he was less than thirty yards away - much too close when the vampire could move so fast.

With her heart pounding in her chest, Kiri hesitated a moment. Then without conscious thought, she turned and skittered back down the slope to the Tower courtyard.

She was halfway down before she could stop her instinctive flight, and she turned to look back. The undead were out of sight. She took a deep, calming breath and looked around. The markers for the trap were there, as they should be, but there was no sign of the trap itself - which was good, but she could only hope it had not been tampered with.

Continuing down the slope, she saw that everything else appeared to be ready as well. Jareth and Jordan were still out of sight, well past the point where the trap would be sprung. She stepped off the rubble and walked out to meet Daven.

She was almost ten feet out into the courtyard before she came out of the shadow. The darkness now extended well past the last wall and, although it was still coming apart over the courtyard, it was clearly advancing. Kiri felt a chill even though she stood in full sunlight. One way or another, everything would be decided in the next few minutes.

Daven was standing squarely, feet solidly planted. His face was pale, but his jaw was set, his eyes steady, and he looked ready for whatever was to come.

Except… Kiri looked down at his sword. Daven flushed slightly and adjusted his grip to the proper position. Kiri nodded approval. There was no point in worrying about his lack of skill. If it came to a fight, they would all be dead anyway.

'Daven, I want you to stay well back, at least ten feet behind me. Stay in the sunlight. Just be ready to help me if I call.' Daven nodded understanding, and Kiri started to turn away, then thought of something else.

'And be prepared to dodge if he casts a spell at us.' Daven's jaw twitched but he nodded again.

From here, Jordan and Jareth were just visible. Jordan lay beside the pile of rotten undead bodies, looking like just another corpse. On the other side of the gate, Jareth was crouched behind, and partially under, the huge dragon's skull.

The men saw her looking at them and they both nodded to show they were ready. She hoped so, because it all depended on them.

They had thought about trying to build a catapult. With all that broken masonry lying around they could have thoroughly pounded the undead. But even though she had found a book in the library about siege engine construction, they simply didn't have the materials or tools.

Their half-built effort still lay in the Tower's main hall. Even if they had managed to complete it, it still would have been too small and too weak to be effective.

And so they had to rely on their trap - two men and a… Kiri's breath caught in her throat. Tarkeros had just appeared at the top of the broken gate. The vampire followed him, the five shadows… and then a whole horde of ghouls swarmed up behind them, spreading up both sides of the rubble slopes.

Was this an attack? Surely the lich would come and gloat at them first. He had to gloat, their whole plan depended on it. But Tarkeros simply stood and looked down on them.

Her role as bait wasn't over yet. She had to get him to come closer. With deliberate bravado, she strode forward into the darkness, stopping just two feet from the edge of the rubble. As if she could still make a fight of it. That should amuse him.

But even as she did so, a worrying thought occurred to her. What if the ghouls on the walls spotted Jordan or Jareth? Without moving her head, she flicked her eyes from side to side, trying to judge the relative positions.

Before she had determined if it would be a problem, Tarkeros moved. He paced forward, and his shadow guards came with him.

No, no, no! The trap wouldn't work on all of them! It couldn't take more than two, and preferably just Tarkeros alone. But there was nothing she could do about it.

And he stopped short anyway, too far away to be caught in the trap. Did he suspect something? Did he know?

Kiri glared furiously… and made the mistake of meeting the lich's gaze. Instantly, she was paralysed once more, frozen in place and helpless.

Then, from the ground beneath her, she felt warmth spread up her legs as the Tower's magic once more came to her aid. It was less than she had felt it before, worryingly weak, but it gave her enough strength to break the hold.

And she found herself looking straight into the lich's blazing red eyes. Blood. Death. Inescapable torment. It took all of Kiri's discipline to keep from fleeing from the horror of that gaze.

Even so, she couldn't help skittering a few feet back. She swore under her breath and forced herself to stand still, annoyed at her loss of control, even as her heart hammered painfully.

Tarkeros, however, seemed to be amused by her panicked flight, and he came even closer. Without his shadows.

Kiri caught her breath, hoping. When the lich stopped, she quickly glanced at the markers, calculated the angles and distances… and swore again. He still wasn't close enough. Although he was inside the reach of the trap, where he stood, it would only knock him over. She had to lure him closer.

She raised her bow, then stopped. No, that wouldn't work. She couldn't think what to do.

Tarkeros spoke.

'And so, you are the last ones left, little maggots.'

It seemed that a deep, booming sound should come from the dark hollow of that hood, but the lich's voice was surprisingly high pitched. It brought to mind the chittering of rats.

His words carried, echoing off the walls. Behind her, Kiri heard Daven gasp. But she ignored the unpleasant prickles that Tarkeros' voice sent down her spine, and went back to judging the angles of the slope.

Just two more steps, she guessed - two or three, anyway, and then the lich would be close enough to be properly caught in the trap. But how to get him to move?

Up on the gate, the vampire suddenly blurred into motion. She shot to the top of the wall and stared down at them. Had she seen something? Whatever the reason for her sudden motion, Tarkeros seemed unconcerned. He spoke again, his harsh voice forcing Kiri to turn her attention back to him.

'Even now, your last refuge crumbles around you.'

The truth of that could not be denied. Kiri looked up and saw that the darkness had intruded even further, reaching halfway across the courtyard. The lich continued.

'But your bravery pleases me, so I shall make you an offer. Cease your obstruction, take a kiss from my lieutenant, and come and stand by my side.' He gestured grandly, as if the magnanimity of his proposal should be obvious.

A kiss? What was he talking about? Kiri looked up to where his lieutenant - the vampire - stood atop the wall. The undead woman was smiling down at her, and at this distance her fangs were clearly visible. Oh. The Vampire's Kiss. Allow the vampire to bite her, to suck her blood - turn her into another vampire.

Revolted beyond reason, Kiri spat out 'No! You come and fight me! One on one!'

Tarkeros laughed, and the noise really did sound like rats. 'Oh, I don't think so,' he said.

'Coward!' Kiri shouted at him. And then gasped as the air between them seemed to freeze. Clearly, Tarkeros was no longer amused.

'No,' he grated, 'I am not a coward. I am just being prudent. Unlike you. I have given you a chance, I have made you my last offer.'

'You can shove your offer,' Kiri shouted angrily. She was so furious, she wanted to hurl insults at him - but she couldn't come up with any. Then inspiration struck. 'You're nothing but a pile of shit-encrusted bones!'

In a flash, Tarkeros stepped forward and raised his sword. Remembering what that blade could do, Kiri hurled herself aside and a moment later a blue beam shot overhead. Even though it passed almost six feet away from her, Kiri could feel the crackle of its terrible energy.

But it had missed her. It had been far off… No! So far off, it hadn't been aimed at her at all!

Kiri spun around, and breathed a sigh of relief to see that Daven had followed her lead, and had also rolled clear of the attack.

So the beam had hit… the Great Tower. Kiri stared at it, half expecting it to suddenly crumble. Then she blinked and realised that it was undamaged, and in fact, it hadn't even been marked!

She laughed and sprang to her feet, facing Tarkeros again. 'So much for your great magic,' she sneered.

Red eyes glowing balefully beneath his hood, the lich hissed and stepped forward menacingly. Yes! Perfect!

'Now!' she shouted, and immediately ropes whipped up from beneath the rubble as Jordan and Jareth, concealed on either side of the gate, jumped up and pulled them taut. The ropes slammed into Tarkeros' back and he was off balance, stumbling forward, his sword flailing ineffectually in the air - staggering towards the courtyard.

The vampire flashed into motion. Surging down from the gate, she sped to help her master. Kiri dropped her bow and drew her sword, but she couldn't attack. One blow wouldn't kill Tarkeros and it might be enough to help him regain his balance. She had to wait, even though the vampire's glaive or the lich's sword could sever the ropes and end this last desperate chance.

'Pull!' she yelled. Tarkeros staggered, reached the edge of the rubble and teetered there. The men gave one last mighty heave, and he lost his balance completely. His sword flew from his grasp and he toppled full length upon the courtyard paving stones.

Kiri blinked, anticipating a sudden flare of white light as the Tower's magic destroyed the lich. But none came.

Behind her, Daven gasped in shock. How could the lich resist the magic? Had the Tower become too weak? Then they saw what had happened.

Tarkeros had thrown himself on top of his shield, and his booted feet still remained on a piece of stone. He wasn't actually touching the courtyard at all.

There was still a chance. He was prone and helpless. Kiri jumped forward, her sword raised to kill. Then came to an abrupt halt as she saw it was too late.

The vampire was there. Her glaive spun, and the ropes parted. She stood at Tarkeros' feet, ready to kill anyone who approached, to defend her master. Their last chance was gone.

Kiri stared in dismay as the vampire knelt and started dragging the lich back to safety. The undead woman looked up at Kiri and snarled at her. Back off.

Dismay turned to anger. No. Ice-cold rage flooded through Kiri's body. She met the vampire's eyes and stepped forward.

A flicker of surprise showed on the vampire's face, but a moment later she was standing, the Soulthorn Glaive spinning so fast that it formed an almost solid shield over the lich.

Kiri stopped and coolly considered that blurred weapon. Even in her anger, she wasn't fool enough to try to take that on. Perhaps she could just wait until the vampire tired - but do undead get tired? Probably not.

That left one option. She bared her teeth and swung her sword in a short vicious arc. It struck the Glaive with such force that it was nearly jolted from her hands. But the blow deflected the spinning Glaive down, ploughing it into the rubble.

The vampire staggered but quickly came back with a lunge, stabbing at Kiri's stomach. Kiri parried, driving the Glaive aside, then stepping in before the vampire brought the other blade around.

She was inside the reach of the Glaive now, but too close to bring her sword to bear, so drove in with a smash of her pommel at her enemy's face. The vampire dodged, and, with a savage snarl, tried to slam the spiked shaft of the glaive at her.

Kiri ducked under the attack and whipped her sword at the vampire's torso, forcing her to jump back. That was the space Kiri needed. She leaped six feet backwards to land beside the fallen lich, and swung a killing blow at his head.

Tarkeros had managed to get his lower legs back onto the rubble, but, unable to scrabble to safety, he had instead been preparing a spell to fling at her back. Blazing crimson magical light wreathed his outstretched hand, pointed at the spot where Kiri had been a moment ago.

His burning red eyes abruptly widened as he realised his peril. Desperately, he threw up his arm to block her strike, the crimson light blinking out as the spell was lost. But even magic-imbued lich flesh was no match for Kiri's blade.

Tarkeros screeched as the blade shattered his arm and smashed into his skull. Kiri drew back her sword for another blow and saw the lich shake his head. Not dead. But his desperate resistance had only delayed her for a moment. He was now defenceless.

From the corner of her eye, Kiri saw the vampire lunging forward. Too far away. She wouldn't be in time to stop Kiri from removing the lich's skeletal head.

Tarkeros realised that, too.

'Curse you!' he shrieked, and with his remaining hand grabbed for something at his throat. And vanished.

Kiri jerked with surprise, and had to quickly wrench her sword away to avoid smashing it against the stone. As she twisted it aside, it passed through the place Tarkeros had been and she realised he was truly gone, not just invisible.

And with the lich, the unnatural darkness had also gone. Bright noon suddenly flooded the fortress.

A hideous screeching rose from hundreds of undead throats as they immediately began to burn in the sunlight. The vampire cried out, staggered, smoke rising from her skin, then she too grasped at her throat and disappeared.

The other undead had no such escape. Their unnatural flesh scorched and charred. Shadows, ghouls and skeletons all collapsed as their evil was burned away in pure light.

In moments, all that was left of the undead army was a few scattered piles of bones and ashes.

Their ears still ringing with the last dying shrieks, Kiri and the others stared about in amazement.

Was it… victory?