sitting position, grabbing his staff from the floor and looking up at Caspar with a dazed expression.
As Caspar looked at the ragged wound, his eyes began to play tricks on him. It looked as though the hole was turning into a mouth. The torn flesh and shattered bones reminded him of the fanged grin he had seen earlier that day, when he and Gabriel began their spell. A strange hysteria gripped him and as he stared into the bloody hole he began to giggle.
Razumov saw his chance and clambered to his feet, ignoring the glut of black liquid that poured from between his broken ribs. The wound seemed to have no effect on him as he bounded up the now-stationary rocks. Within seconds he was at Caspar’s side.
The astromancer came to his senses with Razumov just a few feet away. He swung his staff, smashing it into the sorcerer’s corpse-face with a wet crunch and lighting up his skull like a green lantern.
At the same instant, Razumov jabbed the horns of his staff into Caspar’s belly, filling his robes with crimson fire.
The two colours combined into a dazzling white flash, silhouetting the two men in a blazing corona. They both froze, fixed in place by the currents raging through their bodies.
The smell of cooking meat filled the air.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Gabriel woke with a start. The ground was heaving beneath him like the deck of a ship and the town was filled with light. It looked as though Morrslieb had achieved its aim and enveloped the landscape. The wizard climbed unsteadily to his feet and looked around. He could just about make out the vague shapes of knights, beastmen, dragons and other, even stranger things. The whole riotous menagerie was tumbling back and forth across the square and none of the combatants seemed quite sure who they were meant to be fighting. It was less like a battle than a panicked riot. Buildings were toppling all over the town and the people of Schwarzbach had abandoned the relative safety of their cellars and lofts to flee in terror. Monsters devoured half of them before they reached the town gates, and Gabriel dreaded to think what would be waiting for those who reached the hills.
He looked back towards the tower, wondering how things could have gone so spectacularly wrong. He had to shield his eyes from the incandescent column of light and, as he stepped closer, his hairless face started to redden and blister. He ignored the pain and peered into the blaze. After a few seconds he saw a rotund, silhouetted figure, standing near the base of the fire.
He hurried towards him. “Move back! You’ll be destroyed!”
As the bürgermeister turned around, Gabriel saw that even though his face was hideously burned, it was locked in a manic grin.
“It’s working!” he cried, his voice little more than a croak.
Gabriel stepped closer, grimacing at the heat. “What? Has my master harnessed the power of the stars?”
Groot laughed wildly and dropped to his knees. “No, you idiot. I’m talking about my mistress. Natalya’s centuries of grief are finally over.” He collapsed onto his back, still laughing as blood bubbled up between his teeth.
Gabriel reached into the inferno and grabbed the man’s foot. Groot was much lighter than he expected and he managed to drag him back across the rippling flagstones to the steps. He shoved him behind a stump of ruined wall and knelt by his side. “What do you mean? Who is Natalya?”
Groot was seconds from death, but his blood-slick chins were still quivering with laughter. “Razumov’s love, you pallid freak. You and your senile master have done nothing but her bidding since you left Altdorf.”
“Her bidding?”
“Yes, her bidding, you simpleton!”
Gabriel leaned back, shaking his head. “How—” he began, but he realised that Groot was beyond hearing. The flames had utterly destroyed his lungs and he was coughing up thick, clotted lumps of blackened flesh. As his massive body shook, a morbid curiosity overtook the wizard and he
As Caspar looked at the ragged wound, his eyes began to play tricks on him. It looked as though the hole was turning into a mouth. The torn flesh and shattered bones reminded him of the fanged grin he had seen earlier that day, when he and Gabriel began their spell. A strange hysteria gripped him and as he stared into the bloody hole he began to giggle.
Razumov saw his chance and clambered to his feet, ignoring the glut of black liquid that poured from between his broken ribs. The wound seemed to have no effect on him as he bounded up the now-stationary rocks. Within seconds he was at Caspar’s side.
The astromancer came to his senses with Razumov just a few feet away. He swung his staff, smashing it into the sorcerer’s corpse-face with a wet crunch and lighting up his skull like a green lantern.
At the same instant, Razumov jabbed the horns of his staff into Caspar’s belly, filling his robes with crimson fire.
The two colours combined into a dazzling white flash, silhouetting the two men in a blazing corona. They both froze, fixed in place by the currents raging through their bodies.
The smell of cooking meat filled the air.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Gabriel woke with a start. The ground was heaving beneath him like the deck of a ship and the town was filled with light. It looked as though Morrslieb had achieved its aim and enveloped the landscape. The wizard climbed unsteadily to his feet and looked around. He could just about make out the vague shapes of knights, beastmen, dragons and other, even stranger things. The whole riotous menagerie was tumbling back and forth across the square and none of the combatants seemed quite sure who they were meant to be fighting. It was less like a battle than a panicked riot. Buildings were toppling all over the town and the people of Schwarzbach had abandoned the relative safety of their cellars and lofts to flee in terror. Monsters devoured half of them before they reached the town gates, and Gabriel dreaded to think what would be waiting for those who reached the hills.
He looked back towards the tower, wondering how things could have gone so spectacularly wrong. He had to shield his eyes from the incandescent column of light and, as he stepped closer, his hairless face started to redden and blister. He ignored the pain and peered into the blaze. After a few seconds he saw a rotund, silhouetted figure, standing near the base of the fire.
He hurried towards him. “Move back! You’ll be destroyed!”
As the bürgermeister turned around, Gabriel saw that even though his face was hideously burned, it was locked in a manic grin.
“It’s working!” he cried, his voice little more than a croak.
Gabriel stepped closer, grimacing at the heat. “What? Has my master harnessed the power of the stars?”
Groot laughed wildly and dropped to his knees. “No, you idiot. I’m talking about my mistress. Natalya’s centuries of grief are finally over.” He collapsed onto his back, still laughing as blood bubbled up between his teeth.
Gabriel reached into the inferno and grabbed the man’s foot. Groot was much lighter than he expected and he managed to drag him back across the rippling flagstones to the steps. He shoved him behind a stump of ruined wall and knelt by his side. “What do you mean? Who is Natalya?”
Groot was seconds from death, but his blood-slick chins were still quivering with laughter. “Razumov’s love, you pallid freak. You and your senile master have done nothing but her bidding since you left Altdorf.”
“Her bidding?”
“Yes, her bidding, you simpleton!”
Gabriel leaned back, shaking his head. “How—” he began, but he realised that Groot was beyond hearing. The flames had utterly destroyed his lungs and he was coughing up thick, clotted lumps of blackened flesh. As his massive body shook, a morbid curiosity overtook the wizard and he
Similar Books
