the ice lake, which cracked but didn’t break beneath his dead weight.
Something stirred. Cross sensed it more than felt it: a waking. The air shook. Something snaked out of the folds of night shadow and gripped the core of his being. Its touch was as icy as death. His spirit felt it, too, and she pulled away as if she’d been touched by something poisonous.
Cross ducked back behind a wall and looked at the ice. Dark steam escaped from the cracks beneath Gregor’s corpse. The air grew darker, soiled by a thick unguent like ghastly coal dust.
It’s hiding under the ice , he realized. That presence, whatever it was, that same dismal and overwhelming entity that Cross had sensed the moment they’d drawn close to Shul Ganneth, was itself an alien there, an intruder. Its power was immense. It’s at least as powerful as Lucan, and maybe more so. And it’s waking up .
With horror, Cross realized what it was.
If anyone else sensed the Sleeper’s rise from the black lake, they made no sign of it. Bullets flew everywhere. Vos charged forward and sprayed the side of the truck with gunfire. Dillon, Black and Cole brought Kane and Ekko the long away around the ice, and they ducked behind the stone ruins for cover. The vampire floated behind them, still chained by fire.
Cradden’s spirit howled at them in a tidal wave of acid and frost. Cross shifted his own spirit up and formed a whirling shield, a blade of air that cleaved Cradden’s spirit in two.
Black’s spirit leapt forward and shattered her brother’s attack. Dark fire and steaming cold washed over them. The air exploded with noise. The backlash of arcane energy made Cross reel as force hammered into him. Black was stunned, and Cradden fell to the ground.
Maddox, the Doj giant, crashed into them with his sword. Cross’s spirit was weak, dazed from the battle, but he drew her up with both fists. Thaumaturgy crackled in his gauntlets. She formed another shield, a sheet of invisible steel that only barely deflected the massive blade as it came at Cross’ skull.
The world spun. Cross fell. He had only the vaguest sense that he’d been knocked off of the shore, or that he’d collapsed onto the smoking lake
no not there the shadows are leaking out
and next to Gregor’s body. He blinked, and he looked back towards the battle.
Vos screamed as Maddox cut him in half. Shots fired and bones snapped.
A fiery body flew over his head.
Danica Black used her control over the vampire’s chains to hurl the undead at Maddox like a feral missile. The burning chains exploded as the vampire and the Doj entangled. The vampire clawed and sank its fangs into Maddox even as they both burst into flames. The Doj tried to pry it off, but the vampire’s talons sank deep into his chest. Undead and giant wrestled in a flaming mass of blood, flesh and flame, a writhing tower of limbs and burning skin. They were a flailing skin torch.
Cross rose unsteadily to his feet.
Cradden Black turned and ran. He only made it three steps before the front of his face exploded as a bullet crashed through the back of his head. Dillon coldly chambered a round in his MK-14 and fired another bullet into Cradden’s body before he’d even hit the ground.
“ Nooooo!” Danica stopped, and pointed her pistol at Dillon.
Cross stood up, weakened from the pain in his leg. He stumbled onto the shore.
The ice smoked behind him. The steam flowed faster.
“ Danica…”
“ I said I didn’t want him hurt!” she shouted.
“ Dillon, Black, both of you!” Cross shouted. “We don’t have time for this…”
The Sleeper exploded out of the ice.
Great chunks of steaming hot crystal flew into the sky. Cross saw molten night burst skyward like a dark geyser.
“ RUN!” he shouted.
They clambered up the slope and took cover behind the felled stone monuments. Kane and Ekko ran straight away as fast as they could, still bound in chains. No one tried to stop them, and they vanished into the
Something stirred. Cross sensed it more than felt it: a waking. The air shook. Something snaked out of the folds of night shadow and gripped the core of his being. Its touch was as icy as death. His spirit felt it, too, and she pulled away as if she’d been touched by something poisonous.
Cross ducked back behind a wall and looked at the ice. Dark steam escaped from the cracks beneath Gregor’s corpse. The air grew darker, soiled by a thick unguent like ghastly coal dust.
It’s hiding under the ice , he realized. That presence, whatever it was, that same dismal and overwhelming entity that Cross had sensed the moment they’d drawn close to Shul Ganneth, was itself an alien there, an intruder. Its power was immense. It’s at least as powerful as Lucan, and maybe more so. And it’s waking up .
With horror, Cross realized what it was.
If anyone else sensed the Sleeper’s rise from the black lake, they made no sign of it. Bullets flew everywhere. Vos charged forward and sprayed the side of the truck with gunfire. Dillon, Black and Cole brought Kane and Ekko the long away around the ice, and they ducked behind the stone ruins for cover. The vampire floated behind them, still chained by fire.
Cradden’s spirit howled at them in a tidal wave of acid and frost. Cross shifted his own spirit up and formed a whirling shield, a blade of air that cleaved Cradden’s spirit in two.
Black’s spirit leapt forward and shattered her brother’s attack. Dark fire and steaming cold washed over them. The air exploded with noise. The backlash of arcane energy made Cross reel as force hammered into him. Black was stunned, and Cradden fell to the ground.
Maddox, the Doj giant, crashed into them with his sword. Cross’s spirit was weak, dazed from the battle, but he drew her up with both fists. Thaumaturgy crackled in his gauntlets. She formed another shield, a sheet of invisible steel that only barely deflected the massive blade as it came at Cross’ skull.
The world spun. Cross fell. He had only the vaguest sense that he’d been knocked off of the shore, or that he’d collapsed onto the smoking lake
no not there the shadows are leaking out
and next to Gregor’s body. He blinked, and he looked back towards the battle.
Vos screamed as Maddox cut him in half. Shots fired and bones snapped.
A fiery body flew over his head.
Danica Black used her control over the vampire’s chains to hurl the undead at Maddox like a feral missile. The burning chains exploded as the vampire and the Doj entangled. The vampire clawed and sank its fangs into Maddox even as they both burst into flames. The Doj tried to pry it off, but the vampire’s talons sank deep into his chest. Undead and giant wrestled in a flaming mass of blood, flesh and flame, a writhing tower of limbs and burning skin. They were a flailing skin torch.
Cross rose unsteadily to his feet.
Cradden Black turned and ran. He only made it three steps before the front of his face exploded as a bullet crashed through the back of his head. Dillon coldly chambered a round in his MK-14 and fired another bullet into Cradden’s body before he’d even hit the ground.
“ Nooooo!” Danica stopped, and pointed her pistol at Dillon.
Cross stood up, weakened from the pain in his leg. He stumbled onto the shore.
The ice smoked behind him. The steam flowed faster.
“ Danica…”
“ I said I didn’t want him hurt!” she shouted.
“ Dillon, Black, both of you!” Cross shouted. “We don’t have time for this…”
The Sleeper exploded out of the ice.
Great chunks of steaming hot crystal flew into the sky. Cross saw molten night burst skyward like a dark geyser.
“ RUN!” he shouted.
They clambered up the slope and took cover behind the felled stone monuments. Kane and Ekko ran straight away as fast as they could, still bound in chains. No one tried to stop them, and they vanished into the
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