Chapter 154: Whitefall XI

Chapter 154: Whitefall XI

Dirt, grass, and plant matter showered the camp. The sparse cries of alarm turned to a dull roar as more and more drephin poured from the tents like angry bees, searching for the source of the chaos. Above, the berserker pixie continued her siege, collapsing tents and detonating water supplies, realistically zipping side to side, dodging the projectiles that assailed her.

For an untested idea, the distraction worked far better than I could have hoped. They were too busy trying to fight the thing to notice the lack of casualties.

Keep the pressure on, Vogrin. I called out to my summon.

Im a demon, master. Torment is what I do. Vogrin said. He sounded whimsical. Almost happy. There was a possibility he was enjoying this a little too much.

I glanced over at my father beside me. His hand was glued to his jaw, gaze focused on the camp. His focus was so complete I wondered if he saw something I didnt, until he made a choking noise, then laughed. The laughterdark and richgrew louder, tears shining in his eyes, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

What the hell was this? Was he mad?

King Gil squeezed me to him, tightly enough that my bones creaked. Gods. Look at them. Creatures of myth and legend, nothing more than irate ants chasing a long-departed boot. You did that, boy. You. nove(l)bi(n.)com

I let out a nervous chuckle. Still gotta capture the shaman. Thats the hard part.

Fuck the shaman. This is gold.

You really think so?

The question popped out before I could stop it, contradicting years I spent telling myself that my fathers approval didnt matter, that I didnt give a damn what he thought. He studied me. Of course. Any moment now, he would turn. Push me away. See the moment as weakness.

Instead, he ruffled my hair and smiled. I think, with the two of us together, that usurper of yours is in for a quick war.

I didnt respond. Couldnt. My lips felt bound, my throat dry.

King Gils head snapped to attention. There he is, the bastard.

Amid the chaos, the shaman emerged from one of the center tents, flanked on both sides by drephin wielding staves. He whipped around, shouting elvish at the panicking throng, but mostly, they ignored him.

The strange spell of paralysis faded as I walked the circumference of the camp and took in the scene, searching for an opening. Gil kept pace behind me.

Question is, how are you going to get him out? Gil asked.

Really? Not pushing for assassination? I called over my shoulder.

Gods no. I want to see you solve this. Use all the resources at your disposal.

If what I had in mind worked, getting the shaman out of the camp would be easy. Getting through the forest and back to our people, however, would be harder. Unless

I hesitated. Does that include you?

Gil looked at me as if Id sprouted a third eye. Were allies; our interests are aligned. Why the hells wouldnt it?

There was no trace of sarcasm in the statement. No hint of disappointment. I took a moment to remind myself who my father was. That a matter of days ago, hed threatened to slaughter every infernal in the enclave, shattering the painstaking progress Id made in an instant.

But wasnt this supposed to be about rebuilding? Letting go of old grudges for the sake of the grander plan? Putting what hed threatened aside, hed done exactly what he promised to do.

He waited.

I made a decision. Circle around. Position directly across from me in a straight line, with the shaman in the center. Theres no way to know exactly when well have a window, so be ready.

Gil squinted at the camp, then smiled a savage grin.

It worked? I said, barely able to believe it.

Youre a fucking menace! Gil shouted, leaping effortlessly over a burned out tree that blocked our path. The scourge of knife ears from here to Onri!

Not really what Im going for I cut off. There was a swell of distant howls behind us. The drephin had caught on. Not all of them, but enough to be a problem. A wolf broke through the clearing behind us, followed by another. My father was fastfaster than a human had any right to bebut the wolves would be faster. Theyll outrun us.

Aye, my father acknowledged.

I was almost spent. Had to bring it home. I reached out and summoned the second circle beneath me. Blue light strung together as the circle formed instantaneously. Alright. Let go.

He dropped me onto the circle. I landed on my knees, keeping hold of the armor strap at his waist, skating along behind him as I rotated to face our pursuers.

Three wolves shot out of the brush. If they were patient, they might have posed a threat. But a brief glance was all I needed to spot the agitation in their movements. They panicked, bolted off without a plan to catch us before we returned to the central camp.

All three of them charged forward at once.

I smiled. Just because I didnt have enough mana to summon an aegis didnt mean I couldnt improvise.

I summoned the circle directly in front of me just as the wolves leapt towards us. They saw ittried to divertbut either their magic was limited in their beast forms, or none of them had any method of staving off the inevitable.

Two wolves smashed face-first into the circle. The thirdby far the smartest of the lotrotated upward, her forelegs clinging to the upper circumference of the mana figure as her torso slammed into it painfully. In my haste, Id placed the magical barrier at a slight angle, and the momentum pushed her upward and towards us.

I watched grimly as she scrambled to the top of the circle as it skyrocketed towards the canopy, hopping down, bouncing from tree limb to tree limb. Before they fell, the two prior wolves focused almost entirely on my father and the hostage he carried. Judging from the rage in her eyes, this one seemed almost entirely fixated on me.

Out of options, I drew my sword and waited.

Cmon. Youre not stupid. Dont do this.

The wolf bounced between three trees in a zigzagmore movement than was strictly necessary, probably trying to throw me off. But Thoth was infinitely faster. I tracked the pattern, waited for her to hesitate.

There it was. She stopped for just a moment, gathering enough power for one last leap and dove directly towards me, jaws parting, showing a row of vicious white teeth.

I braced, drawing my sword back, preparing to swing at the perfect moment.

It never came.

The wolf shifted back into drephin form mid-jump. The sudden change in weight sent her plummeting to the ground a few span short of my circle. She rolled once and caught herself. Rage radiating in her eyes, she stood to her full height.

I realized it was the sole survivor from the earlier group, the same one Id tracked through the forest.

She stared me down with a look of disgusted defiance I knew all too well. As the distance between us grew, her silhouette growing smaller and smaller, she struck her chest and extended a fist towards me, a sober message that transcended the language barrier.

Ill find you.

I know.

The woman disappeared, several trees obstructing my view. There were more howls further back. More of the drephin realizing what had happened and giving chase. But they were so distant, I doubted they would reach us in time.

Beneath me, the circle faded. I hopped off and sprinted after my father, barely keeping up with his breakneck pace until we broke through the treeline.

One thought overshadowed all others. The Everwood didnt hold the same threat to me it once had, but the feeling of menace and malignant evil remained.

I sincerely wished never to set foot in it again.