Chapter 11 – Shadow and Flame
"Hold" Onessa threw up her hand. The bandits all looked at her with fear, but none moved. The woman's eyes seemed to drink in the sight of Brogan's black skin and smoldering eyes. Edwynn and Myrista stepped up next to him. Myrista had up until now not seen Brogan's transformation. She let out a sharp gasp and covered her mouth.
"What happened to you?" Myrista whispered.
"It would seem," the woman began. "That Balba'yorn has chosen an Avatar. Tell me young man, what is your name?"
Brogan said nothing. He dropped the two wineskins he had carried from the kitchen.
"Oh come now…" she continued. "Lets be civil. After all, it's not every day we get to meet the person who will destroy the world. Perhaps you can tell me, why you didn't reveal yourself at the manor we attacked earlier? You could have killed my men and saved the lives of all those innocent people."
"What's she talking about Brogan?" Myrista asked. The warlock turned to look at her and she saw his burning eyes for the first time. The girl stifled a cry and backed away in horror.
"Brogan? That's a good name." Onessa took a step closer. "A strong name, and powerful. It will sound good when spoken from the lips of your zealots. You'll need a title, of course. Something befitting the great deeds you will soon perform. Brogan the bridge-builder. Or maybe Brogan the destroyer. Tell me, how much of the codex have you absorbed? You've killed at least twenty of our men tonight. Your powers must be considerable indeed."
Brogan and Edwynn glanced at each other in confusion. Twenty dead? Edwynn did a mental count and came up with six. He remembered earlier when Brogan had said that it was the demon's magic that was the reason no one was entering the room where the transformation had happened. Had the demon in the book killed fourteen men? Onessa obviously didn't know that they had sealed the book. Maybe they could escape if they used this to their advantage.
"He is powerful!" Edwynn cried, trying to sound authoritative. "He is all powerful. He can command the shadows and the flame. Let us pass and he may spare your lives!"
Edwynn's threat seemed to frighten the bandits, but not their leaders. Onessa chuckled and Crassius favored him with a cruel smile.
"All powerful?" I doubt that." Onessa said, turning her attention back to Brogan. "Your pet here is rather charming. Perhaps we'll keep him alive. For entertainment. But his lying tongue will most certainly have to be cut out."
Edwynn tried again. "You have no idea of his true powers! That's why you're fishing about with your stupid questions."
"I know a great deal more than you do, peasant!" Onessa spat. "You men, kill the whelp and the girl! Crassius and I will handle the Fel-Sworn." The sorceress readied herself for combat. Her hound growled and barred its teeth. Crassius raised his sword in a defensive stance. The bandits fanned out to surround them.
"You're forgetting something Onessa." This time it was Brogan who spoke. He shifted his sholders and the knapsack slid down his arms to rest in his hand. "Can you guess who I have in this bag?"
Onessa's face became a mask of uncertainty. "The book…" she softly whispered.
"You didn't think we would escape and leave your treasure behind did you?" Brogan held the knapsack in his left hand. In his right, magical fire appeared. He moved his right hand underneath the knapsack and the flames began to lick the leather.
"Stop!" Onessa screamed terrified. "You must not damage the book!"
"Indeed" Brogan was actually smirking. "We wouldn't want to hurt your prize would we?"
Edwynn was petrified with astonishment. Was Brogan crazy? Had he somehow forgotten that burning the book would release the demon? Maybe the seal had somehow come loose. He had to do something.
Brogan didn't give him the chance. "I will give you the book, unharmed. But in return, you must let Myrista go."
"Done." Onessa gestured to one of her bandits. "Get it…"
"Myrista?" Edwynn gasped. "Brogan what about…"
Brogan wasn't listening. The single bandit who Onessa sent forth paused just out of reach, one hand outstretched for the book. The warlock closed his extinguished the mystic flame and reached into the bag. Sausage links spilled to the ground as Brogan pulled a large, thick book from the satchel. Brogan gave the maroon book in his hand to the man.
"Look out!"
Edwynn leapt forward just as the bandit slashed out with a knife hidden in his off hand. Brogan dodged backwards and was rewarded with a slit throat instead of a decapitation. But the move left the bandit overextended. As Brogan fell, Edwynn charged in with his knife. His blade sank deep into the dark leather and the man screamed.
"Attack!" Crassius roared.
The wounded bandit fell away, the red book clutched tightly in his hand. But his three associates closed in. Edwynn heard Brogan gurgling and the relief that his friend was not dead was the last emotion he felt before the raw panic of combat. His vision was filled with stabbing blades. He parried one attack only to expose himself to another. Pain lanced up his arms and chest as the bandits casually toyed with him. But as fast as the cuts appeared, they vanished like they had never happened.
"Idiots! Kill the healer!" Crassius screamed. Too intelligent to crowd 3 men trying to kill one, he pointed at Myrista and Edwynn dared a glance in her direction. She stood at the mouth of the hallway, her hands shining as she summoned the Light. She cast the spell and Edwynn felt his strength return, even as the girl slumped back against the wall. She was exhausted to the verge of collapse.
Edwynn screamed and charged madly at the closest enemy. The move took the man completely by surprise and Edwynn's blade slashed laterally down his chest. Black leather and skin both split wide open. The wound was shallow, but painful. The man backed away in fear.
Of the two bandits remaining, one had a sword while the other wielded a four foot long metal rod. That one charged in with a full-bodied swing. Unable to escape, Edwynn reached forward and caught the attack with his hands. The masked man roared and pushed Edwynn against the wall, pining him there. He then pressed hard against the shaft with both hands. The rod pressed into the rogue's chest, driving the breath from his lungs.
Meanwhile the last bandit ignored Edwynn completely and rushed at the helpless priestess. He drew back his sword for a thrust that would puncture her heart. As his attack closed in, Myrista screamed and threw up her hands. A glowing shell of light enveloped her and the blade struck it and was turned away. Twice more the bandit hacked at her, and the glowing shell cracked, and then shattered like crystal. The shards vanished as they hit the ground, making no sound at all.
"Please…" Myrista's exhausted form collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "I beg of you… mercy."
The bandit raised his sword high to finish her off, but instead he screamed as a blast of shadow struck his back. Falling to his knees, he turned to where Brogan was regaining his feet. The warlock's neck was bleeding, but the enchanted skin was already closing over the wound. Brogan began shouting in his demonic tongue. The bandit dropped his sword and howled in pain as his entire body began to rot and decompose. Leather armor frayed, split, and fell to dust. Flesh grayed and melted. In the span of three heartbeats a pile of festering meat collapsed to the ground, completely unidentifiable as having ever been human.
"Enough of this!" Onessa spoke a curse and Myrista screamed in agony. Brogan turned to face the witch and held out his palms. Once again fire began to flow across his hands. Onessa confidently uttered a different curse. Brogan's tounge seemed to swell in his mouth and the demonic incantations failed him. The fire in his hands faltered.
"Not so easy to do magic when you cannot speak?" Onessa cackled. A cry of pain from Edwynn's direction brought her attention back to the rogue. He was scrambling to keep from being crushed by the bandit's rod. So far he was just barely holding his own.
"I am afraid it's time for your pet to die." Onessa gestured and spoke a word. Suddenly all of Edwynn's strength left him. His arms seemed like leaden weights. The bandit sneered and pressed forward and Edwynn was certain he felt his ribs about to crack. He screamed in pain and was answered by Crassius's laughter.
The shaft was pinned against his lungs and he couldn't breath. Darkness began to close in and he saw spots. His mind began to wander. Suddenly his concousness was outside, among the wind and the trees. His fingers were acutely aware of the texture of the iron shaft. He could smell the bandit's fetid breath. Hear Onessa's overconfident chuckle, and her dog's breathing.
A familiar sense of euphoria washed over him.
In a wave his strength returned. More than returned, it was enhanced. Overflowing. With a cry he shoved hard against he rod and threw back the bandit. The man fell backwards and slammed into the floor.
"What? My curse has been lifted! How…"
A thunderous roar shattered the air. The hideout's double-doors exploded inwards and eight hundred pounds of teeth and fur charged through the doorway. A bear, impossibly huge, smashed into Crassius's back. Shredding apart his cloak and tunic, the monster's three inch long claws tore through the warrior's chain mail like it was paper. The creature looked up at Edwynn and bright, intelligent eyes met his own. The beast roared again shaking its head from side to side, flopping its massive triangular ears.
"Mythril?" Edwynn gasped.
With a howl, Onessa's demon dog leapt onto the druid's back. The bear reared up on its hind legs and swatted at the crimson menace. Tufts of fur and red skin flew. But the dog had bought Crassius time to recover, and Onessa was already casting another spell.
A guttural war cry brought Edwynn back to his own danger. The bandit with the rod swung his weapon and almost crushed the rogue's head. The rogue dived and recovered his knife, but his attacker was too fast to allow an opening. The two circled one another, each looking for a weakness. Then the bandit feigned an attack on the left, but quickly reversed to the right. Edwynn twisted forward inside the swing, and the bandit's attack crushed the boy's leg just as Edwynn's dagger found the man's heart.
The pain was almost unbearable and the rogue almost bit his tongue trying not to scream. Looking down, he saw his leg bending in two places, as though he had an extra knee. He blinked away unbidden tears and looked to his friends for help.
Myrista was lying in a corner, unmoving. Brogan, unable to use his magic, had run forward and was wrestling hand to hand with Onessa. Mythril and Crassius were circling each other. The warrior held his blade high over his head with both hands. The bear's coat was bleeding and scorched in several places. Behind the bear, the red demon was dead on the ground. The two bandits who had survived were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully they had fled.
Biting back the tears, Edwynn tried to stand. His right leg was a useless weight, and he couldn't move it at all. As he stood, pain flooded through him and he screamed. Mythril glanced in his direction, and Crassius took the opening. His powerful sword descended and cleaved into the bear's shoulder. The beast roared and backed away from his assault. Crassius pressed his advantage. Swings and thrusts pushed the wounded druid back into a corner. With nowhere for her to retreat, the warrior moved in for the kill.
"Hey Crassius!" Edwynn yelled. "Catch!"
Edwynn threw his knife. As lucky as his throw against Mic had been, this throw was equally unlucky. His knife went high and left, but Crassius had heard him yell, and was expecting an attack. By reflex, the warrior turned and swept his blade out, knocking away the knife that would never have struck him anyway.
It was just the opportunity Mythril needed.
Charging forward, the bear slammed into the warrior and bore him to the ground. Opening her jaws wide, she swallowed his head whole and bit down. Crassius's body jerked once and his sword clattered to the floor from lifeless fingers.
An inhuman shriek erupted from Onessa. Seeing her partner dead, she opened her mouth and cried out evil words. As she incanted, all the air in the room seemed to rush towards her. Brogan tried to stop her, but it was too late. There was a split second of silence and then she threw back her head and screamed. The air itself seemed to explode. The flames jetted away from her body in very direction, setting the room ablaze. Edwynn threw up his hand to shield his face from the heat. Incredibly, in the center of the inferno, he could still make out the struggling forms of Brogan and Onessa. Their bodies became indistinct shimmers before he could turn his head away.
A massive shape moved between the rogue and the hellfire. Tongues of flame curled around the bear and she hovered protectively over Edwynn. The heat and the noise pressed down on the boy, and then seemed to retract somewhat. The bear's body vanished, replaced with night elf feminine form.
"Mythril!" Edwynn had to yell to be heard over the roaring flames. "Thank the light you're here! I thought you'd abandoned us!"
"Where's the book?" She screamed.
"What? I thought you were here to rescue…"
"The Book!" Mythril shook him hard, and then turned to look back behind her. The entire room was on fire. Curtains and furniture alike were being consumed. Above their heads the ceiling groaned.
"It's in the bag!" Edwynn pointed to the far side of the room. Brogan's knapsack lay next to Myrista's unmoving body. Before Edwynn could say anything else, Mythril leapt towards the bag. In the blink of an eye her elvish form was replaced by that of a cat. It was yellow and spotted, unlike anything Edwynn had seen in his life. She moved so fast that he almost couldn't follow her with his eyes. Snatching the bag up with her mouth, she raced directly to the closest window and leapt out into the night.
"That bitch!" Edwynn gasped, drawing a lungful of smoke. Coughing bitterly, he began to crawl towards Myrista's body. The fire was everywhere now, and he could hear the groans of the ceiling about to collapse.
Monsterous teeth grabbed the back of his tunic and his hair. Edwynn cried out in pain and fear as he was lifted up by something enormous. His leg exploded in pain and he spasmed and screamed uncontrollably. Suddenly the heat vanished and the air was cold and smoke free. The teeth released him and he fell roughly to the ground.
Blinking and coughing, Edwynn rolled onto his side and wiped the tears from his eyes.
He was outside the bandit's hideout. For the second time that night Edwynn watched as an enormous house began to burn to the ground. He was about twenty feet away from the blaze, under a tree. To his left was Brogan's knapsack, singed by otherwise undamaged. To his right, the enormous bear with elven ears was watching the building intently.
"Myrista…" Edwynn coughed and tried to rise.
"She's dead." The bear was gone, the night elf standing in it's place. "The witch's curse killed her before I entered the fray. Perhaps if I had gotten here sooner…"
As if on cue, a figure appeared at the doorway. Mythril did not seem surprised by this. She half crouched and prepared to do…something.
She was however surprised by the identity of the person emerging from the blaze. It was Brogan. He stumbled forward, clutching Myrista's body to his chest. He was naked as the day he was born, his cloths having been destroyed by the blaze. Myrista was lifeless in his arms, her own clothing and hair on fire.
Mythril swore some unknown elvish curse and ran towards them. Brogan had walked maybe ten feet from the building when the night elf swept Myrista from his arms. His burden lifted, Brogan fell to his knees, coughing and wheezing. Smoke rose from where his skin was actually smoldering.
The girl's corpse looked like a child in the enormous druid's arms. Mythril ran back to the base of the tree and dumped the body unceremoniously on the ground. With a single motion she ripped her own vest off and wrapped it around her hands. She then stamped out the girl's burning hair and dress.
"What are you doing? She's gone." Edwynn gagged. The stench was awful.
"Shan'dre! Silence!" Mythril reached inside her shirt and ripped off a leather thong necklace. The medallion at the end was grey, and shaped like an acorn. She held it in her palm and placed her hand on Myrista's chest.
"Back away!" Mythril shouted sharply.
"But…"
"NOW!"
Edwynn fell away from the tree. He crawled away on his hands and his good leg, gritting his teeth and only getting about five feet before the pain overcame him.
Mythril closed her eyes and pushed the acorn down into the dead girl's chest. She said something and a peal of thunder sounded nearby. Lit by the firelight, Edwynn could see the grass around the girl's corpse wither and turn brown. The effect spread outwards from her body, turning green spring growth into drought-ridden brush that looked like it hadn't seen raid in months. The tree that had been sheltering them made a deep groan, and all of its leaves turned the shades of autumn. The circle continued to expand until it reached the end of Brogan's feet. His foot began to tingle, like he had been sleeping on it. He scrambled away, but a noise caught his attention.
Myrista suddenly gasped for breath.
Mythril lifted her hand away. Where the acorn had been, now only grey dust remained. A gentle breeze blew the powder from her hand. The druid looked at her empty palm and down at the devastation around her. The grass, the tree, indeed everything for seven paces, was dying or dead.
"Cenarius mark my words, child. You had better be worth this."
With an earthshaking crash, the bandit hideout collapsed to the ground. Flaming debris flew everywhere, and Brogan's kneeling form was barely missed by a section of the wall. The warlock slowly regained his feet and stumbled away from the ruin.
Standing quickly, Mythril grabbed the knapsack. "Get up. We need to move quickly."
"But they're all dead…" Edwynn groaned.
Mythril looked up into the sky. "I think not."
Above them, eclipsing the moon, hung a low flat shape. At first Edwynn thought it was a cloud, but the fire below lit showed that it was a wooden ship. A sailing vessel tied with ropes to a gaudily painted gasbag.
"A goblin airship." Mythril muttered. "And they've seen us."