Vortung’s skin burned Eames’s hands and neck. Tears streamed down Eames’s reddened cheeks as he gagged and gasped for air.
He opened his eyes and stared blearily into the face of the demon which held him. He fl oundered in its grip. A shot was fi red, and a chunk of the Vortung’s shoulder was blown off in a spray of black blood. Hathorne had fi red his fl intlock rifl e and was clumsily reloading as quickly as he was able.
The Vortung howled, thrashing its head back and
whipping its tentacles in every direction. Flecks of venom hit Corwin, Carter, Parris, and Parris’s horse. The horse cried out and threw the reverend into a bush before fl eeing into the woods with the other animals.
Hathorne’s horse was sprayed on its hind quarters and the animal bolted into the woods, taking its rider with him.
95
The Necromancer
The venom burned and left cauterized pits in the fl esh it struck. The men groaned as they wiped the scathing fl uid from their skins.
The Vortung redirected its attention to Eames, still squirming lamely in its grip. It inhaled deeply. Eames felt the oxygen being sucked from the air and from his lungs. He fainted.
It hissed. Blue smoke gushed harshly from its mouth and the nostrils of its snout, baking Eames’s clothes to his skin.
The pain shocked Eames back to awareness. He didn’t scream, although he tried. His throat was too dry and choked.
He had closed his eyes when he saw the smoke again, but it scalded his lids until they burned away like brittle leaves and boiled his eyeballs in their sockets. His skin blackened. He gagged and struggled and twitched.
The Vortung sliced open Eames’s chest with one of its talons and began snapping his ribs apart. Corwin fi red a shot which blew a crater in the demon’s back. It howled again and dropped the corpse it held. Eames hit the ground hard with a thud. His entrails rolled out of his belly, foaming with blood and bile, splintered bones protruding jaggedly from his chest.
The Vortung turned and faced Corwin squarely.
Corwin backed up, frantically attempting to reload. Another shot was fi red, this one by Carter. He had been frozen by fright but now found the courage to act. The shot hit the creature in the head, blowing off one of its tentacles. It screamed, then stormed over to Carter and plunged its fi st into his gut.
Carter grunted and grimaced. The Vortung uncoiled his intestines and dashed them to the ground as they sputtered and belched. Carter’s mouth dropped open as his face ran white. He began to lose consciousness, but before that mercy could be bestowed upon him the Vortung opened its mouth 96
Fugitives
wide and engulfed Carter’s head whole. Its teeth clamped down, biting into his spine. It shook its head from side to side.
The spine snapped at the top of the neck with a loud “POP”
and the Vortung pulled the head away from the body, allowing the mangled frame to fall to the ground like a large sack of potatoes. Blood spouted up from the veins and arteries of the neck, then subsided.
The Vortung crunched down on the skull, bunching up folds of scalp under its teeth before spitting the head out, smoldering, broken, and deprived of most of its fl esh.
Corwin fi red again; hitting it in the back of the head beside where Carter’s shot had landed. Another tentacle fell off, bleeding blackly. The Vortung turned on him again. It was sluggish now, its wounds beginning to affect its equilibrium.
It let out a tremendous cry, then charged at Corwin. Corwin dropped his gun and torch, and ran.
Parris crawled over toward Carter’s body and picked up the dead man’s pistol.
Corwin fl ed into the woods, the Vortung fast on his heels.
Parris loaded the pistol, then rose to his feet and ran after them.
The woods were strangely quiet. Parris couldn’t hear Corwin or the demon that chased him. Although it was well past seven o’clock in the evening, the sounds of wildlife that would normally be heard were mysteriously
He opened his eyes and stared blearily into the face of the demon which held him. He fl oundered in its grip. A shot was fi red, and a chunk of the Vortung’s shoulder was blown off in a spray of black blood. Hathorne had fi red his fl intlock rifl e and was clumsily reloading as quickly as he was able.
The Vortung howled, thrashing its head back and
whipping its tentacles in every direction. Flecks of venom hit Corwin, Carter, Parris, and Parris’s horse. The horse cried out and threw the reverend into a bush before fl eeing into the woods with the other animals.
Hathorne’s horse was sprayed on its hind quarters and the animal bolted into the woods, taking its rider with him.
95
The Necromancer
The venom burned and left cauterized pits in the fl esh it struck. The men groaned as they wiped the scathing fl uid from their skins.
The Vortung redirected its attention to Eames, still squirming lamely in its grip. It inhaled deeply. Eames felt the oxygen being sucked from the air and from his lungs. He fainted.
It hissed. Blue smoke gushed harshly from its mouth and the nostrils of its snout, baking Eames’s clothes to his skin.
The pain shocked Eames back to awareness. He didn’t scream, although he tried. His throat was too dry and choked.
He had closed his eyes when he saw the smoke again, but it scalded his lids until they burned away like brittle leaves and boiled his eyeballs in their sockets. His skin blackened. He gagged and struggled and twitched.
The Vortung sliced open Eames’s chest with one of its talons and began snapping his ribs apart. Corwin fi red a shot which blew a crater in the demon’s back. It howled again and dropped the corpse it held. Eames hit the ground hard with a thud. His entrails rolled out of his belly, foaming with blood and bile, splintered bones protruding jaggedly from his chest.
The Vortung turned and faced Corwin squarely.
Corwin backed up, frantically attempting to reload. Another shot was fi red, this one by Carter. He had been frozen by fright but now found the courage to act. The shot hit the creature in the head, blowing off one of its tentacles. It screamed, then stormed over to Carter and plunged its fi st into his gut.
Carter grunted and grimaced. The Vortung uncoiled his intestines and dashed them to the ground as they sputtered and belched. Carter’s mouth dropped open as his face ran white. He began to lose consciousness, but before that mercy could be bestowed upon him the Vortung opened its mouth 96
Fugitives
wide and engulfed Carter’s head whole. Its teeth clamped down, biting into his spine. It shook its head from side to side.
The spine snapped at the top of the neck with a loud “POP”
and the Vortung pulled the head away from the body, allowing the mangled frame to fall to the ground like a large sack of potatoes. Blood spouted up from the veins and arteries of the neck, then subsided.
The Vortung crunched down on the skull, bunching up folds of scalp under its teeth before spitting the head out, smoldering, broken, and deprived of most of its fl esh.
Corwin fi red again; hitting it in the back of the head beside where Carter’s shot had landed. Another tentacle fell off, bleeding blackly. The Vortung turned on him again. It was sluggish now, its wounds beginning to affect its equilibrium.
It let out a tremendous cry, then charged at Corwin. Corwin dropped his gun and torch, and ran.
Parris crawled over toward Carter’s body and picked up the dead man’s pistol.
Corwin fl ed into the woods, the Vortung fast on his heels.
Parris loaded the pistol, then rose to his feet and ran after them.
The woods were strangely quiet. Parris couldn’t hear Corwin or the demon that chased him. Although it was well past seven o’clock in the evening, the sounds of wildlife that would normally be heard were mysteriously
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