leaping across that blacked-out section like a maiden leaping the Solstice fires.
Her jump ended two paces in front of the flat rock, Dierna, and the thing fastened leechlike to Diernaâs cheek. Dierna was no longer screaming; she was sprawled across the rock, moaning weakly, as if this creature was stealing all her strength. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed utterly unaware of Keroâs presence.
The sword slashed down again, but it was not aimed at the leech-thing. For one horrible moment, Kero thought it was trying to kill Diernaâ but the hilt twisted in her hands and cut between the girl and the leech-cloud, shaving so close to Diernaâs face that the blade flicked away a couple of drops of blood from her wounded cheek.
The mage shouted, something incomprehensible, but angry. The cloud reared back as Diema came to life and rolled weakly off the rock and out of its way, the strange thing looking more like a leech than ever. Before it could lunge at her and refasten itself to her cheek, Kero had leapt up onto the rock, positioning herself between it and the girl. She slashed at it, cutting nothing, but forcing it to retreat. It glowed an angry sanguine, and seethed at her, the roiling movements within it somehow conveying a cold and deadly rage.
Behind it, the mage chanted furiously, in some language Kero didnât recognize. She somehow knew that the sword did, though; for the first time she felt something from itâa strange, slow anger, hot as a forge, and heavy as iron.
Her left hand dropped from the hilt and reached for her dagger at her belt, and threw it.
The mage held up his hand, and the dagger hit his palmâ
âand bounced, clattering harmlessly to the ground.
Kero wanted to run, but the sword wouldnât let her. She could only stand there, an easy target. The mage sneered, and raised his hands. They glowed for a moment, a sickly red, then the glow brightened and a spark arced between them. He brought them together over his head, and pointedâand sent a bolt of red lightning, not at her, but into the leech-cloud.
It writhed, but she somehow had the feeling it was not in pain. Then it solidified furtherâand doubled in size in a heartbeat, looming up over her.
The bladeâs anger rose to consume her, and she shifted her grip from the hilt to the sword-blade itself. She balanced her sword for a moment that way, as if it was, impossibly, nothing more than a giant throwing knife. It didnât seem to weigh any more than her dagger had at that moment.
Her arm came back, and she threw it, like a spear.
It flashed across the space between herself and the mage, arrow-straight and point-first. And as the mage stared in surprise, it thudded home in his belly, penetrating halfway to the quillons.
He gave a strangled cry, staggered forward two steps, and fell, driving it the rest of the way through his body.
The leech-cloud screamed, somehow inside her mind as well as with a real voice; it seemed to split her skull as completely as any ax-blade.
Kero dropped to her knees and covered her ears, the scream driving all thoughts except the pain of her head from her mind. But she couldnât look away from the thing, her eyes held by the mesmerizing, pulsating lights within it. The light flickered frantically, wildly; the cloud stretched and thinned, reaching upward, and rose to a height of three menâ
Then it exploded, vanishing, with a roar that dwarfed the explosions earlier.
Kero. blinked dazzled eyes, shaken and numbed, and slowly took her hands away from her ears. There was only silence, the crackling of the fire, and the far-off drum of hoofbeats.
She rose to her feet, shaking so hard she had trouble standing, her knees wobbly. Dear gods, what happened? I canât have killed that thing, can I? She waited for what seemed like half the night, but nothing more happened. Finally she pulled herself together, gathered what was left of her wits, and staggered
Her jump ended two paces in front of the flat rock, Dierna, and the thing fastened leechlike to Diernaâs cheek. Dierna was no longer screaming; she was sprawled across the rock, moaning weakly, as if this creature was stealing all her strength. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed utterly unaware of Keroâs presence.
The sword slashed down again, but it was not aimed at the leech-thing. For one horrible moment, Kero thought it was trying to kill Diernaâ but the hilt twisted in her hands and cut between the girl and the leech-cloud, shaving so close to Diernaâs face that the blade flicked away a couple of drops of blood from her wounded cheek.
The mage shouted, something incomprehensible, but angry. The cloud reared back as Diema came to life and rolled weakly off the rock and out of its way, the strange thing looking more like a leech than ever. Before it could lunge at her and refasten itself to her cheek, Kero had leapt up onto the rock, positioning herself between it and the girl. She slashed at it, cutting nothing, but forcing it to retreat. It glowed an angry sanguine, and seethed at her, the roiling movements within it somehow conveying a cold and deadly rage.
Behind it, the mage chanted furiously, in some language Kero didnât recognize. She somehow knew that the sword did, though; for the first time she felt something from itâa strange, slow anger, hot as a forge, and heavy as iron.
Her left hand dropped from the hilt and reached for her dagger at her belt, and threw it.
The mage held up his hand, and the dagger hit his palmâ
âand bounced, clattering harmlessly to the ground.
Kero wanted to run, but the sword wouldnât let her. She could only stand there, an easy target. The mage sneered, and raised his hands. They glowed for a moment, a sickly red, then the glow brightened and a spark arced between them. He brought them together over his head, and pointedâand sent a bolt of red lightning, not at her, but into the leech-cloud.
It writhed, but she somehow had the feeling it was not in pain. Then it solidified furtherâand doubled in size in a heartbeat, looming up over her.
The bladeâs anger rose to consume her, and she shifted her grip from the hilt to the sword-blade itself. She balanced her sword for a moment that way, as if it was, impossibly, nothing more than a giant throwing knife. It didnât seem to weigh any more than her dagger had at that moment.
Her arm came back, and she threw it, like a spear.
It flashed across the space between herself and the mage, arrow-straight and point-first. And as the mage stared in surprise, it thudded home in his belly, penetrating halfway to the quillons.
He gave a strangled cry, staggered forward two steps, and fell, driving it the rest of the way through his body.
The leech-cloud screamed, somehow inside her mind as well as with a real voice; it seemed to split her skull as completely as any ax-blade.
Kero dropped to her knees and covered her ears, the scream driving all thoughts except the pain of her head from her mind. But she couldnât look away from the thing, her eyes held by the mesmerizing, pulsating lights within it. The light flickered frantically, wildly; the cloud stretched and thinned, reaching upward, and rose to a height of three menâ
Then it exploded, vanishing, with a roar that dwarfed the explosions earlier.
Kero. blinked dazzled eyes, shaken and numbed, and slowly took her hands away from her ears. There was only silence, the crackling of the fire, and the far-off drum of hoofbeats.
She rose to her feet, shaking so hard she had trouble standing, her knees wobbly. Dear gods, what happened? I canât have killed that thing, can I? She waited for what seemed like half the night, but nothing more happened. Finally she pulled herself together, gathered what was left of her wits, and staggered
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