Semper Fidelis
Chapter 14
Still in the alcove that the Undertown tunnel exited out into left me currently in a space too small for the giant spider to reach, or at least that is how it seemed. That is not to say it did not try. The thing I had going for me is that nowhere in the evolution of arachnids did the eight legged creatures gain the ability to open smaller closed containers. Spider legs could not contort to create the necessary sort of leverage needed to pry open the tunnel that I was standing in. I guess I should be thankful I was not facing off against a giant otter or some other creature that pried its food open for a living.
When it realized that I was outside of its immediate grasp, instead of continuing to focus upon me it turned toward Elaine who was still trying to find her balance in the snow. The combination of Elaine's earlier revelations about spiders, how well our group of four did in our earlier battle against smaller specimens, and finally with what I saw this particular one did to my brother made me fairly certain this would be a fairly one-sided battle unless I did something damn effectively and almost immediately.
Harry has always given me two rather contradictory pieces of advice in my time as his apprentice. The first was that as a wizard I was supposed to be in total control of my emotions at all times because if I lost control I would put those around me as well as myself in danger. But by the same token at other times in other situations he had also told me that by tapping into my emotions I was better able to fuel my spells to a greater level than I could naturally achieve without. This left me with the standard apprentice catch-22 of using my own judgment to know when to ignore Harry's original advice and follow his secondary advice. Watching my brother tossed aside like a bag of refuse made me decide that that now would certainly qualify as a good time to let loose with emotions to fuel my spells.
Elaine had finally made it to her feet, fear obviously being a very fine motivator to not face death lying in a snow bank, and spun her flail three times in a circle before releasing another of her nearly patented lightning spells. From my angle I could see both her and the creature. As I was nearly completing my own spell I could see her bolt of electrical energy strike the creature right in its face with such force as to make the mandibles spark. I really did not have the ability to observe more as I focused upon finishing my own casting. I called forth "Fuego!" and tossed the biggest ball of flame I'd ever cast at the back of the giant arachnid.
For those who have listened to Harry speak about doing similar such things my blast of flames was no way comparable to the raw molten destruction that he can channel when he gets pissed off at something big and nasty. Up until this point in my magical career I had only been able on my best day, well it was more akin to my absolutely worst day in retrospect, made a basketball sized ball of napalm like flames. While this is truly impressive to those unskilled at magic, much like how a frozen TV dinner would be immensely desirable to someone starving, but it was hardly a seven course feast or a truly awesome display of magic to a real practitioner.
My attack this time was a beach ball sized blast, fueled by my wrath and overriding fear for my brother. The flaming mass shot unerringly from my hand and slammed into the bulbous backside of the spider as it tried to spin toward me sticking to its hair and flesh while drawing the creature's attention and rage directly back upon me. This gave Elaine a chance to put some more distance between her and the spider while I stayed safe for the moment in this alcove and tried to plan out my next move.
My emotions screamed for me to race to Daniel but Harry's repeatedly drilled lessons to think before acting, something he has been known to ignore for himself upon occasion, kept me from throwing my life away on some desperate play that was not required at the moment. Elaine was gaining ground and at least here in the alcove I was safe from the creature's reach. Well that is what my mind told me was supposed to happen.
As the spider's legs spun it back around to face me I saw that Elaine's electrical spell still sparked and crackled over its mandibles and just on instinct I threw my left army up and called forth a shield in the space between us. The fact that I had been drilled on this as well allowed it to form only an instant before the spider released at me Elaine's spell it had caught and trapped. The half circular dome of energy lit up with an instant of bright blue crackling power as it reflected the electrical bolt away from me and sent it coursing to the ceiling and then ricocheting down the stairway behind me.
Lucky for me there had not been a wall behind me or the bolt would likely have bounced again and struck me in my unshielded back. This would almost certainly have sent me flying right into the spider's maw. That was one of the reasons Harry had explained to me as why he rarely used lightning; because it had this terrible ability to bounce around and hit things not intended to be a target. Fire, he said, was fluid and easier and just splashed up against objects when it encountered them. Considering the number of building he had burnt down in his career I had to agree that less controllable lightning with all the power he could throw behind a spell might not be such a good idea.
All that aside for the moment, what the hell was this with a spider being able to capture and hold a spell before firing it at another target? Sure I had heard Harry talk about wizards able to do things like this by allowing the attacking magic to flow into them and be redirected. This required a very skill wizard able to tune himself to the right 'magical frequency' of the spell as well as being able to store that level of magical energy within themselves; neither of which was something that allowed for mistakes or practice.
Alternatively wizards could instill magic into some natural objects like staffs or wands with this type of ability providing the objects were made from magically conductive materials like lightning struck trees. I know that ivory was sometimes used for such things as well but while that may be an animal-based material I had never heard of an animal as the natural owner that could accomplish this type of action. At best some were resistant to spells, just like dwarves were, but that just meant the creatures shrugged off these kinds of magical attacks. It was not supposed to mean they could use them themselves. Looks like my learning books had a serious gap.
As I was considering this educational issue another part of my mind was registering and not liking the way the giant arachnid's six eyes were staring at me. I kept my transparent shield up but decided I'd veiled myself as well and then moved over to the other side of the alcove so it could not focus upon me while I developed a quick plan.
There was something about those six eyes though that tickled my memories. I remembered that most species of spiders had eight eyes, which balanced off against their eight legs but that some of the move uniquely evolved breeds had only six because they had adapted other unique skill sets. If this followed through for the larger sized creatures that meant this one in front of me probably also knew how to…
A black tarry goop of spit-like substance flew unerringly at me and thankfully splattered against my shield rather than upon my body. This made the magic in the spell actually begin to bubble like it was reacting to acid while the gelatinous spittle spewed off noxious fumes as well. Yep, spitting spiders only had six eyes and they shot a paralytic, venomous webbing at their targets that was also acidic to tenderize their next meal. I kept my shield in place even though it was somewhat weakened but released my veil since the spider could obviously sense where I was even when I was hidden behind it. This whole situation was quickly deteriorating from incredibly dangerous to damn near impossible!
Okay sneaking forward was out of the question as was running back down the stairs to Undertown since I had to get to my brother and who knows what else was lurking down below. My magic had obviously the spider by its burned flesh but on a body its size it was more of an annoying sunburn than a debilitating injury. It would take a dozen or so more blows at that level, which was beyond my ability, before I likely caused it any serious damage. And now standing here the mixture of the acidic fumes and natural sedative contained in the webbing to make prey less likely to fight or flee I began to feel groggy after only a few seconds of breathing these. Ok so staying put was not going to work for me either. I hated to admit it but I needed Elaine to do something and to do it quick or we were finished.
The spider suddenly spun away from me just as I sensed Elaine, or who I assumed to be Elaine, call up magic and then release another spell. Instinct and opportunity had me drop my shield and racing for sudden opportunity for freedom and I launched myself to skid beneath the legs of the creature as it turned in order to try to reach the outside and fresh air.
Had I been Karrin Murphy Aikido master extraordinaire then I would likely have drawn my sword and gutted the beast as I slid beneath it while simultaneously pumping a clip worth of nine millimeter shots into its head and shattering half its legs with perfect martial kicks to the knees; that is if spiders actually have knees. But I'm Molly, apprentice only ordinary so I was content with reaching a spot freedom away from the snow drift lined building where I was able to fight or flee as required.
Once I did clamor through the forest of legs and reach the other side though I did draw my new sword, mostly to have it readily available because spells obviously were not working as they should. The three foot blade looked entirely inadequate for the job of filleting a ten foot spider.
I noted that the creature was still facing Elaine, possibly oblivious to the fact that I had relocated, and that the electrical energy from her last spell of lightning was just clicking between in mandibles. I knew what was coming by the way the spider's body tensed so I willed up another spell that came to me purely on instinct.
"Elaine, dodge now!" I ordered and she leapt to the left, and to the right, and forward, and back, and even straight up, while she also stood in exactly the same place she had been. The five illusionary copies I made of her all scattered in order to confuse the creature. My hope was to accomplish just like I had done to its smaller cousins back in the centrifuge room when we had veiled her and made it look like she was following me no longer trapped on the web strand. This time though the plan went completely wrong as the spider's eyes, all six, seemed inexplicably locked on the real Elaine rather than any of the other five copies which completely went against the law of averages.
The lightning bolt she had fired at the beast and it had caught again was now hurled back unerringly at her only to strike home and send her skidding across the snowy ground as well while the electricity danced upon her body. Okay, like veils it seems that illusions did not work on this creature either. This whole situation was becoming totally unfair and I planned to lodge a formal complaint to someone in the future, but I did not have time to worry about just then as the spider followed up its attack by charging forward, seemingly planning to finish Elaine off while she was down. That would only leave me fighting which I did not rate as a successful strategy for victory so I had to do something quick, which in my world usually means something stupid.
I drew in magic as I charged the space between the creature and the building summoning up magic and preparing a spell with my left hand and adjusted the grip on the sword in my right. As I suspected the creature was sensitive to magic and therefore my actions and reacted to this threat; who knew there were magically sensitive spiders? It spun around counterclockwise to face me, likely hoping to catch my spell in its mandibles as well I guess, or at least trying to trap me with the building's outer wall to my back if I tried to sneak past it again.
The average person would likely have noted this tactic and then tried to stay behind the rotating spider. However for a ten foot wide monster it was also surprisingly agile and I would have quickly exhausted myself running in circles had I chosen that particular course of action. And that only if I had not inadvertently slipped on the snow and ice and broken my ankle in the process which would have made me a simple pick drive thru snack in the process. So instead of running to my right once it began to spin I continued my run to the left in order to make sure I ended up right between it and the snow drift covered side of the building just in time for my next trick.
If this were some cool novel there would be a convenient giant icicle hanging over the top of the spider waiting to be dislodged and impale the beast. Let me remind you however that we were standing outside on a college campus. There was no convenient overhanging rain gutter or tree anywhere in sight. That left me with an apprentice's imagination and a prayer. So just as I made it to the narrowest part of my course directly between the wall and the spider's rather ugly face which was clicking its magic catching mandibles only five feet away I released my spell and thanked myself for thinking to down that energy drink earlier to recharge my own energy levels.
"Ventas servitas" I called forth a gale-like burst of wind that Harry had taught me. Okay maybe it was not an actual gale per say since that word brings to mind unconfined natural destruction capability, but I did conjure a fairly decent instant gust of wind which is really all I actually needed. Instead of trying to blow a ten foot monster off the planet I aimed the spell directly behind me at the building without even looking at what I was doing. Meanwhile I prayed that Maeve had not lied about the properties of my new wardrobe or this was going to hurt something fierce.
Had Harry cast this same spell he would have almost assuredly blown down the wall to the building behind me or the entire building which would not have helped him in the least except to give him even further credit for another structure destroyed. As I have explained many times though I am not in Harry's class when casting destructive spells of this nature.
So instead of blowing down the wall, all my spell did was act like a giant snow blower, converting the four foot snowdrift right behind me into a swirling maelstrom of small icy needles that first slammed against the wall and then reflected straight back at the two of us. I was of course thankfully protected by my new Winter Fae attire that did not let this cold attack so much as mess up my hair. The giant spider, however, and especially its six large dinner plate sized eyes, had no such protections as the razor sharp slivers of ice and snow carried on the cold wave washed across its face.
"Catch that spell bitch!" I laughed as I watched the creature shutter in pain at this unexpected attack that screwed with its eyes. No creature with vision likes its eyes damaged and the spider was no exception.
If you have never had ice crystals blown in your eyes, which is a fairly common threat in winter in the Windy City, then you probably do not understand that while it will not likely blind you permanently it does hurt like hell both from the sharp little icy edges on your eyeballs feeling much like grains of sand and the bitter cold coming into contact with the only external, constantly wet part of your body. The spider would blink off the attack after a bit most likely but the pain would be with it for a while and the spider's vision would still be blurry for a few minutes at least. All in all that was not as good as an illusion or a veil to distract the creature, but hey it's better than nothing which would lead to being listed on the dinner menu.
As the spider tried to shake off the unexpected snowy attack I raced on past the creature to get over to a place where I could try to protect Elaine and my brother. I also made sure to put everything I had into one really strong swing of my sword as I charged past targeting its front right leg since I was not going to get any closer to the body or especially the mandibles on the face than I had to at the moment.
Like I said the creature was only five feet away from me so it's not like I went out of my way to make this attack or anything. I was happy to see the blade slice right through the spider's tough hairy flesh and even felt it crack bone, though it was not comparable to the mighty Vorpal Blade of Divine Sharpness that does triple damage against arachnids or anything that cool. I realized now those Arcanos games really bias a person's judgment when they are fighting actual monsters. Okay not something most of you have to concern yourself with but still…
I reached Elaine first based not on choice but rather upon the geography of the battlefield. She had picked herself up out of the snow by this time looking even less stable on her feet than the last time she had stood up. To her credit she was twirling her flail again getting ready to launch yet another blast of lightning it seemed to me. "Don't!" I screamed noting out of the corner of my eye that the spider was already turning to face this new spell as whatever it used to sense magic was not focused in its eyes. "It can somehow sense magic and will just throw your spell back at us again."
"Well I'm not going to go up and rub its tummy hoping its rolls over and surrenders to my good nature." Elaine replied back sarcastically at me which I took as a glimmer of a good sign for the both of us. Had she been in a panic then Elaine would have likely fired her attack anyway. This meant her wits appeared to still be in place for the moment. And unfortunately while sarcastic she was also right. While magic was limited in this current battle it sure beat going toe to toe, excuse me if I do not add 'to toe to toe to toe' in order to symbolize the spider's body at this point, with a creature more than five times my mass at least. If I were driving a bulldozer that would be one thing but standing here with a sword was another. "So then what is your plan?" She asked me and I was nearly speechless to reply.
"If we only had a wheelbarrow that would be something!" I said out loud since I had nothing better and movie lines were a good all purpose response in terrible situations.
"I have mentioned that you are picking up too many of Harry's annoying habits right?" Elaine replied. "I'd really hate to die with that being our last bit of eternal wisdom we get credited for."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "It's a classic!"
Perfect time for a convenient segue. "KNIGHT TAKES ROOK!" Okay it was hardly the most fearsome battle cry a troll has ever made in the heat of a battle but I was more than happy to hear it at that moment. But hearing it and then seeing a nine foot Lord Kline, his formerly pristine Savoy street suit now in tatters, appear from around the corner, take a running leap from the ground, spring off of the side of the building, and then land spread eagle on the back of the spider so that the troll's wickedly sharp, yet perfectly manicured, claws could dig into the spider's flesh I was willing to forgive him this.
The spider's legs buckled a bit from this new added half ton of weight and I was pleased to see that when added to my earlier sword wound that particular appendage snapped like a tree branch. Between that and the troll's attack the spider seemed to scream in horrible pain as it tried to shake the troll off of its back.
"I would have to say you look more like a rodeo cowboy than a knight my friend." Hisha called after his friend's gallant attack and skill at holding onto a rather bucking monster. He too had come around the corner of the building in the wake of the troll. The monk now carried a staff that he had not had before and swung it with so fast a sweep that he made the air crack which was nothing compared to the sound the spider's back right leg made when the seeming wooden stick made contact with hairy flesh. The spider's leg flapped around freely from the blow that had obviously completely shattered the arachnid's appendage.
The spider screamed again, I mean really screamed in this high pitched chattering wail that was now worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. It spun so fast to face Hisha that it nearly threw Lord Kline from off its back had the troll's claws not been embedded deeply in the spider's back.
"I guess then that would make your role as rodeo clown trying to keep the animal's attention while I do all the actual hard work?" Lord Kline replied raised his bloody and rather disgustingly ichor covered right claw before slamming it down into the spider's flesh again, this time nearly up to his elbow.
Hisha chose not to respond to this jibe at this time as the creature's eyes and attention focused almost solely upon him and did not like the mandibles being the part of the creature closest to him. So instead of directly attacking again with his staff and coming into range of the spider's weapons, the old monk snapped out a double spell much like the one I had cast underground that created an illusion of himself going to the left while a veil covered the real him going to the right. It is not that I could see through either of these spells at first. To me it had looked like he had cast some sort of spell and then the monk had stepped to a little to the left toward the spider's right and weakened side. But while the combination spells had fooled me it had obviously not done so for the spider any better than mine had for me since it could see right through such magic as I had already deduced.
The monk was not the only one of the combatants capable of one of these multilayered attacks. The spider showed a natural cunning that made it instinctually as wily and dangerous as the experienced monk's intelligence did for him. It also struck far too fast for something of that size to be able to do directly at Hisha, the real one not the illusion.
While the raksasha monk was unnaturally fast compared to most things and probably under normal situations would have been able to dodge the spider's attack, he probably also had centuries of experience relying upon his illusions to keep him safe; and made him less cautious in the long run. The idea that a mere spider, albeit a ten foot tall one, could see past the illusions probably never entered his mind; or at least not until it's tar like spit splashed against his body and began eating though his orange robes to the flesh below. This caused the monk's body to appear from its veiled state before slowing and becoming less coordinated. That unfortunate combination made him an even easier target for the mandibles to reach down and strike into his body in order to begin injecting its venom.
I screamed once again in rage at this event but my merely human voice was shouted down to where I could not even hear it myself because of something far more animalistic and rage inspired. Lord Kline watched all this occur as well noting his friend for centuries suddenly embedded on the end of the spider's prongs and that singular event made a millennia of cultured teaching evaporated in a mere instant. No longer was there a high browed gentleman in a troll's body who knew both world history and philosophy to match any university department in America. Now there was just a nine foot tall, green killing machine fully invested in berserker rage using its formidable claws to rip long strips of flesh from the spider's body.
Blood exploded from the spider's body in all directions staining the white snow various colors as the troll's anger played out on the creature's body. The spider spun around both left and right trying to dislodge the infuriated troll but nothing it could do was able to toss aside the berserk creature on its back. Finally, when it maneuvered its back to the position it desired the spider reared up in order to nearly flip itself over in order to crush the troll between the wall and its own massive body using such force that the brick wall and a significant portion of the three story building behind that wall collapsed on the bodies of both of the combatants.
Shattered electrical lines strobe lighted in the darkness and broken pipes running through the walls now sprayed water into the air adding more cold moisture to the Chicago winter's night. The spider rolled around to find its feet and rose back up to the six remaining uninjured legs before it turned to face the troll still lying partial buried below its body. The arachnid raised its head up to provide the killing blow that would finish off Lord Kline who could only raise a single arm to defend himself.
"Oh hell I guess that this is checkmate." The troll gasped through bloody lips seeing death coming for him but not willing to die as a monster but rather a creature of culture.
"Now Elaine! Do it Now!" I yelled and without hesitation she let go with the lightning spell she had been charging in the flail since finding her footing once again. The result was an impressive display that would rival many of Harry's attacks and it flew unerringly at the spider who only sensed it coming through its obvious pain at the very last moment and spun around it another attempt to catch it.
However, with the water now raining down and the air filled with mist the bolt of lightning transformed instead into a curtain of electricity, dispersing widely to prevent a focused catch by the spider but striking almost all the giant arachnid's body at almost the exact same time. While not as focused in power as the force of a full bolt, the voltage and quantity of electricity in the spell was enough to send the spider into spasms and stumbling away from the wreckage of the building where its still living and regenerating, and because it was a troll, opponent would be able to cause it even more injury. It staggered for a few steps as the spell finished coursing through its body and then surprisingly it made the decision to flee rather than continue the fight. I must admit that I was in no way disappointed to see it take this course.
Elaine collapsed to the ground as the adrenaline of battle left her body. Had it not been for the pile of snow behind her she was likely to have cracked her head open when she landed, but from the way her she continued to breathe deeply after landing on her back with her eyes closed I was comforted to know that she was merely magically exhausted. Realizing this I had no trouble leaving her just lying there and going to check on my brother.
I raced over to Daniel's body still collapsed in the snow where the spider had thrown him and rolled him over onto his back. His eyes were closed but he grimaced in pain as I moved him which believe it or not I took to be a good sign that at least he was still alive. His eyes flickered and then opened up to see me while I positioned his head lying in my lap.
"Molly?" He spoke though the effort obviously caused him additional pain. His eyes closed back as if the effort was too much to continue.
"Hold on brother we're gonna get you to a hospital." I said sliding my arms under his shoulders and knees and getting ready to carry him down the street if I had to and if nothing else presented itself first as a better option. I started to lift him up, thinking of drawing upon unknown sources of strength like the Hulk, and he groaned in pain.
"Molly don't!" He whispered and groaned. "We will never make it. I'm dying sis."
"NO!" I said making it to my knees and then getting one of my feet under myself as I got ready to stand.
"It is true Molly." Hisha spoke as he crawled directly toward me across the snow leaving a trail of blood to mark his passage. "You will never get him to the hospital in time to save his life with the poison coursing through him like that in me."
"I will not accept that!" I replied but suddenly I did not find the strength to stand back up on my feet. Despair had broken through my faith and drained from me, made me merely mortal once more.
"I'm sorry sis." Daniel opened his eyes once more and looked at me. "I guess I was not strong enough to last in your world."
"Don't argue with me little brother." I said as fiercely as I could manage. "I'm your older sister and I'm going to take care of you."
"Not this time…"
Hisha lying beside me vomited and spewed a black mass across the snow near his face before turning and lying with one eye cocked open to me. "There is still a chance for him however."
"How?" I asked.
He drew a deep breath in obvious pain of his own. "You must find your chi again." He said. "Find it and use it to heal your brother's body. I will guide you as best I can."
Of course! Elaine had done that to me. But I had never attempted anything like that before. "Can't you do it?" I asked knowing the old monk would be far better versed at this than I could ever be. I was not ready to risk my brother's life on magic I had never performed.
"I am too weak and my chi fights now to preserve my own life." Hisha responded. "I would offer my life for your brother's but this weak I could not even make the attempt."
I bit my lip in nervousness and looked at Elaine still passed out on the snow hoping she might be able but knowing at once that this was not an option. "You can do this Molly." Hisha spoke to me. "I have felt your spirit. Have faith in yourself child."
"Okay I will tr..." I paused. "I mean I will DO IT!" I said and closed my eyes hoping the conviction I placed in my voice lent strength to my upcoming actions.
Harry had stressed over and over the ability to clear one's mind, ignore outside distractions, and focus on the sole task at hand was a skill that every wizard absolutely had to master early on. A small part of me even recalled how he said such a skill could mean the difference between life and death one day. I figured he could not have known just how prophetic this statement was going to be one day when my brother lay dying. I only wished now I had studied even harder at this.
I closed my eyes and concentrated, following the line of power down within me from my head past my heart and to my well of chi lying at the base of my spine. I mentally stepped into it in my consciousness and felt its warm touch empowering me before racing to heal the remaining injuries my body had sustained over the last twenty four hours. It provided a sensation that made me feel warm and comfortable and loved.
From both outside my body but within my soul I heard Hisha's voice calling to me. "Place your hands upon your brother's stomach and heart." He commanded and I could feel my body move to comply even though I had not consciously commanded it.
As my hands came down on his body and made the connection I could suddenly feel everything Daniel felt. I sensed the blood from his spider inflicted shoulder wound still pumping though thankfully not dangerously fast, but still enough to be seeping into the clothing around the wound. I could also feel something black and vile spreading out from his wound and slowly inching its way toward his heart.
"That is the spider's poison." Hisha's spiritual guide voice explained and comforted me. "To counter it you must picture in your mind the individual cells of blood taking each grain of poison and carrying it until it can be deposited it in his stomach. Piece by piece, area by area you must cleanse his body and transport it all to his stomach."
I had no idea how to do what he said but I guess just by listening to his words and not fighting to hard to understand or question them I began to sense Daniel's body was doing what Hisha said was required. It started first in those areas closest to the heart and lungs and cleansed this free of all traces of toxin since it sensed those were the most immediately dangerous. Each blood cell carrying a small particle of the black poison away from the flesh it was trying to slowly kill and depositing it through the stomach lining and into his stomach itself where the natural acids present began to eat at this as well.
I was so in tune with this that I could sense each individual blood cell as it took its meandering course realizing somehow that it took three minutes for any cell it to make a full circuit of the body. But in that short one hundred and eighty seconds the hundreds of thousands of particles of venom had been cleansed away by more than a million cells of blood leaving the flesh throughout the body still damaged but free of the taint.
"Now spew it all forth." The words translated to action before I even understood that I was making my brother an unwitting bulimic in order to save him. The combination of spider venom and stomach acid regurgitated and burst free of Daniel's mouth thankfully only after he took the effort to turn his head to the side so not to shower the two of us with the remnants. The smell was horrible but I ignored it and turned my thoughts toward closing the wound to his body, stopping the loss of blood, and repairing the pierced flesh. I knew he was going to live but the feeling of healing someone was astounding, as powerful a force as when I called upon my magic so I did not want to surrender it when I knew I could do more.
"Not too much Molly." Hisha cautioned. "You will weaken yourself to heal your brother."
"Don't worry I feel…" A euphoric wave followed by one of the strongest sensations of exhaustion I ever felt made my hands slip and lose contact. "I feel…" I tried to catch myself but gravity was suddenly really strong right behind me and I found myself falling backwards to rest upon the snow. It turned out to be what I considered really comfortable and good idea at the present time.
Off in the distance I could hear sirens slowly getting louder. I guess the collapse of the building and all the battle cries had drawn the attention of some early morning college students. Was that a good thing? I could not really tell. Thankfully there were others better able to make that assessment so I left it up to them.
"I believe it would be wise to depart before the local gendarme arrives." Lord Kline's voice spoke in a slurred fashion, most likely as a result of his less than fully regenerated wounds but possibly because my own groggy state did not lend itself to hearing at the moment.
"I can't fit us all in my car." Elaine said quite clearly confirming my ears were working just fine.
"That is not a problem." Hisha replied also sounding tired. "Lord Kline and I will retreat back to Undertown if we can find a convenient entrance." He paused and I guessed he was probably looking around the campus. "We will be back in the same room you met us in if you require our services or we can assist in any other manner."
"There is a tunnel to the underground back where the wall fell." Elaine explained trying to take charge. "If you can clear away the rubble it should still be standing."
"I am uniquely suited for that particular type of task my lady." Lord Kline replied. "A few bricks will hardly be much effort. But are you sure you would not like me to help carry Molly to your car before we depart?"
"I got her." I heard Daniel say and felt myself grow lighter as he lifted me in his arms. "I need to get her home so she can rest."
"That is surely for the best." Hisha confirmed in his all knowing grandfatherly type voice. "Then we shall take our leave of you." I heard them walking away by the crunch of their heavy steps on the hard crusted snow. They had not faded completely before the wailing of sirens was drawing even closer and muffled them.
"Quickly." Daniel said and I felt the breeze made by movement on my bare cheek. "If you parked outside the physics building then you are only two parking lots over in that direction." He probably nodded or something but since Elaine did not voice a concern and I could hear her steps beside Daniel's I assumed they had agreed.
I floated along for a while somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness until I felt the pair of them trying to maneuver me into the backseat of Elaine's car. Thank God for me she had a four door because they never would have been able to do it with a two door.
I laid sprawled on the backseat and felt Daniel toss his coat over the back of me as the car began to drive off. "Okay, so you're a wizard also right?" I could hear him ask Elaine.
"Yes." She said as the car turned suddenly to the left based upon my internal gyroscope.
"So what the hell happened to Molly's clothes?" My mind flashed and reminded me that the clothing I had been provided by Maeve lasted only until dawn. Damn it! Well there went any chance I had to tease my brother about wearing his leather thong.