others. They cast suspicious glances back, and one even snickered.
“Pay them no mind; those Aldias are trouble.” Anna Gyony leaned on her quarterstaff. “Stay with the Vedma healers, they will show you how it’s done.” She winked. “But look sharp now, we are in for some trouble. That beastie, he’s not alone.”
From across the wide courtyard, a steady procession of torches approached them. Hester squinted into the darkness.
“Are those… people ? What are we supposed to do, then? We cannot lay a finger on them!”
“No worries, my dear princess. They have sold their souls and we cannot worry about that particular oath when it comes to them.”
The field cannon cracked the darkness with a plume of smoke, and the demonic giant flinched, nearly toppling backward. It regained its balance by wrapping its four spindly long-fingered arms around the well in the center of the paving stones, breaking the decorative tile roof off as it righted itself. It belched forth a hazy miasma from its mouth, shaking its lumberous head from side to side, the sepentile tongue lolling like a dog’s.
The Aldias spellcasters were busy picking off the groundlings. They were easily severed body from soul and dropped to the ground, motionless and dead. It was a quick and bloodless killing, but it turned Hester’s stomach nonetheless.
A ragged arrow buried itself between two cobblestones, and Anna stepped in front of Hester. “Those are poisoned,” she warned, swinging her staff like a club and battering the arrow to pieces. “Do not touch them. At all.” She kicked the shards into a neat pile some feet away and resumed her position.
A few Gyony front-liners and the little Insinori were making their way back to their positions. The Vedma descended upon them, laying their hands on the wounds. The Insinori girl all but fell into Hester’s lap. Her hands were blistered and raw, and she bled from a deep shoulder wound. Hester put her arms around the girl; the Insinori was hardly more than a child, well short of her age of majority.
“What do I do?” said Hester.
“Whatever you can. I will try to get you some help.” Anna made a graceful leap across a feverish Gyony and tapped one of the Vedma on the shoulder. The dark-skinned woman rose and glanced toward Hester. She scowled and shook her head.
“Please,” Hester shouted, “I think she’s dying.”
“Go back inside with the other royals, girl. There is no place for you here. You will do more harm than good!”
The Insinori shuddered, and Hester put her hands on the girl as she saw the others doing. “I have no idea what I am doing, but I am going to try my best to help you.”
The girl blinked up at her with violet eyes narrowed in pain. “I lost my cover,” she hissed. “He died protecting me. The cannon’s been hit. I can fix it, but—” she coughed wetly, “I need to get back out there. I am the only one who can. Got me one last charge. I was packing it full of Blessedwood splinters when I went down. If we take down the beastie, we all go home. If not...” Her voice died in a convulsion of coughing and she spat up a mouthful of blood.
Hester gripped her hands. “Stay with me, sweet girl. Just stay with me.” Behind them, she heard her husband shouting.
“Marius, go home!” she called back to him.
“Everything is blocked. I came to see how I could help.”
“By staying out of the way!” She turned her attention back to the young girl in her lap.
Hester closed her eyes and blotted out all sound save for the labored breathing of the engineer. In her mind’s eye, she could see the broken ribs digging into the girl’s lungs. She could feel the sting of blisters forming across not only her hands but up both forearms as well. Carefully, she lifted the injuries away one by one until the girl seemed whole. The Insinori girl’s eyes flashed open, focused and alert. She hopped
“Pay them no mind; those Aldias are trouble.” Anna Gyony leaned on her quarterstaff. “Stay with the Vedma healers, they will show you how it’s done.” She winked. “But look sharp now, we are in for some trouble. That beastie, he’s not alone.”
From across the wide courtyard, a steady procession of torches approached them. Hester squinted into the darkness.
“Are those… people ? What are we supposed to do, then? We cannot lay a finger on them!”
“No worries, my dear princess. They have sold their souls and we cannot worry about that particular oath when it comes to them.”
The field cannon cracked the darkness with a plume of smoke, and the demonic giant flinched, nearly toppling backward. It regained its balance by wrapping its four spindly long-fingered arms around the well in the center of the paving stones, breaking the decorative tile roof off as it righted itself. It belched forth a hazy miasma from its mouth, shaking its lumberous head from side to side, the sepentile tongue lolling like a dog’s.
The Aldias spellcasters were busy picking off the groundlings. They were easily severed body from soul and dropped to the ground, motionless and dead. It was a quick and bloodless killing, but it turned Hester’s stomach nonetheless.
A ragged arrow buried itself between two cobblestones, and Anna stepped in front of Hester. “Those are poisoned,” she warned, swinging her staff like a club and battering the arrow to pieces. “Do not touch them. At all.” She kicked the shards into a neat pile some feet away and resumed her position.
A few Gyony front-liners and the little Insinori were making their way back to their positions. The Vedma descended upon them, laying their hands on the wounds. The Insinori girl all but fell into Hester’s lap. Her hands were blistered and raw, and she bled from a deep shoulder wound. Hester put her arms around the girl; the Insinori was hardly more than a child, well short of her age of majority.
“What do I do?” said Hester.
“Whatever you can. I will try to get you some help.” Anna made a graceful leap across a feverish Gyony and tapped one of the Vedma on the shoulder. The dark-skinned woman rose and glanced toward Hester. She scowled and shook her head.
“Please,” Hester shouted, “I think she’s dying.”
“Go back inside with the other royals, girl. There is no place for you here. You will do more harm than good!”
The Insinori shuddered, and Hester put her hands on the girl as she saw the others doing. “I have no idea what I am doing, but I am going to try my best to help you.”
The girl blinked up at her with violet eyes narrowed in pain. “I lost my cover,” she hissed. “He died protecting me. The cannon’s been hit. I can fix it, but—” she coughed wetly, “I need to get back out there. I am the only one who can. Got me one last charge. I was packing it full of Blessedwood splinters when I went down. If we take down the beastie, we all go home. If not...” Her voice died in a convulsion of coughing and she spat up a mouthful of blood.
Hester gripped her hands. “Stay with me, sweet girl. Just stay with me.” Behind them, she heard her husband shouting.
“Marius, go home!” she called back to him.
“Everything is blocked. I came to see how I could help.”
“By staying out of the way!” She turned her attention back to the young girl in her lap.
Hester closed her eyes and blotted out all sound save for the labored breathing of the engineer. In her mind’s eye, she could see the broken ribs digging into the girl’s lungs. She could feel the sting of blisters forming across not only her hands but up both forearms as well. Carefully, she lifted the injuries away one by one until the girl seemed whole. The Insinori girl’s eyes flashed open, focused and alert. She hopped
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