Chapter 16: Queasiness (2)

Chapter 16: Queasiness (2)

Ligish easily ripped the fingers out of him, then leaped several paces backward. He looked over his shoulder. Im not dying for you people.

He stepped further away from the creature.

Ligish, you bastard! Captain Ishki said, You promisedFollow current novels at novelhall.com)

He took a running leap off the bridge and landed on the opposite mountainside. A moment later, he was gone in the trees.

Fucker, Ishki said.

The Abhorrents feet made clicking sounds as she started stalking toward them. She must have lost ten legs, but she had plenty more. Arrows stuck out of her. She bled noxious blood from cuts and scrapes. Her side was mangled. But she was still coming.

Captain Ishki drew her bronze sword and stood forward. Mages, get out of here! she said.

Xerxes climbed to his feet and held his longsword out in front of him. Shes right. We need

The Abhorrents flicking fingers knocked Ishki to the ground and sent her skidding to the side.

Grk baya melam, the woman said through maroon lips.

Xerxes lunged forward and swung his sword. He hit nothing but air.

The pale fingers lashed out, and this time Bel was the victim. She choked, having been hit through the throat and arm.

NO! Gandash yelled. Grabbing Bels arm, which was already red with blood, he tried to tug her free of the creatures grasp, but failed. Behind the monster, Tamharu and some of the few surviving soldiers hung back, clearly unsure of what to do.

Xerxes edged forward. Youre not going anywhere, monster, he said. You cant just jump off the bridge. Not even you.

The woman said something incomprehensible, and before anyone could do anything further, she pulled Bel off her feet. Gandash tried to keep ahold of the healer, but the slickness of the blood made it impossible. Bel jerked out of his grasp and flew up to the woman, who drove razor-sharp teeth deep into her neck.

Gandash was in hysterics, but Tamharu seemed to have control of him.

A moment later, Xerxes realized Captain Ishki was kneeling next to him. Seer? she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He wiped vomit from his lips with the back of one hand, then dried his cheeks with the other. Captain.

Its over. Are you hurt?

He shook his head.

Good. Why dont you sit down against the parapet.

She helped him to move over to the side of the bridge, where he leaned against the cool stone and looked up into the bitter, gray sky.

Things went into a blur after that. He didnt register much of what the surviving soldiers did. Time passed. Maybe a few minutes or maybe an hour or two.

At some point he realized he was on his horse again, not really sure how he got there. They were traveling again.

Xerxes looked around and saw Gandash on horseback next to Sergeant Tamharu. Neither were talking. In fact, nobody in the convoy was talking.

He found himself counting. One, he murmured under his breath. Two, three eight, nine.

Excluding the prisoners, as well as Gandash and himself, there were twelve soldiers, plus Captain Ishki. She had led thirty from the capital, and was returning with hardly more than a third of that number. And of the survivors, many were bandaged heavily. Without Bel present, that was obviously Aniskipels handiwork.

Of the officers, Tamharu and Aniskipel had survived. But Sergeant Nozar of Squad Three hadnt.

Xerxes felt empty.

Hey, Xerk, he heard Bel say, and he jerked his head around. She wasnt there. It was his mind playing tricks on him. Tears rolled down his cheeks again, but he wiped them away.

Then he looked over at Gandash again, and the empty feeling inside him grew, joined moments later by that roiling queasiness.