Darkvision - Bruce R. Cordell [62]
A spot of warmth on her left hip caught her attention-her pouch. She had many pouches, but this one held the three pieces of Celestial Nadir crystal Iahn had retrieved from the creatures in front of the ancient Imaskaran complex.
She reached her hand into the pouch-the stones, in their leather wrapping, were hot to the touch! She drew the wrapping forth and emptied one of the stones into her hand to get a better look at it. The moment it was free of the leather, the crystal flashed a brilliant ray of purple light. The flash speared into the dark waters around the ship. Then the stone went dark and cooled down.
"Oh, dooms and damnation!" Ususi spat. The crewman in the rigging rewarded her with a startled look. She ignored him.
Unless it was her imagination, a faint violet radiance lingered in the sea where the light from the crystal had touched the water's surface. But the radiance fell behind as the ship plowed forward.
She threw the dark stone into the sea. She paused, grabbed the pouch that contained the remaining two Celestial Nadir amulets, and threw the whole thing in. She turned and rushed toward the prow, looking for Iahn.
The vengeance taker was wrapped in a light blanket, lying under a stanchion. When she was still ten paces from him, Iahn slipped free of his roll and bounded up on his feet, so quickly that Ususi almost didn't see him move.
"Yes?" he inquired.
"Iahn," she breathed, "We might have a problem."
He waited, saying nothing, merely studying her with his pale, incurious eyes.
"Some… I don't know… magical probe found the three Celestial Nadir crystals I've been carrying. I felt the contact as it was made. I threw the stones overboard, but we may be marked, nevertheless. We'd best be ready."
The taker said, "I'm always ready, Ususi."
She sighed. Not everyone could be as thoroughly competent as vengeance takers were-or pretended to be. "My mistake. I didn't mean to imply otherwise."
She mumbled a quick protective enchantment, a minor ward of stone. Her skin grew a mineral sheen that was unmistakable.
"Do you mind walking with me along the deck?" the wizard asked Iahn. "I thought I saw something in the water, but it fell behind."
"We move swiftly through the water," observed Iahn. "But let's be sure we remain ahead of what you saw. Which was…?"
"A glow."
"Hmm."
Ususi followed the vengeance taker down the deck toward the stern, stepping around coils of rope, barrels lashed to the railing, and other stowed supplies. At the stern, a short ladder led up to a rear-facing platform perfectly positioned for staring aft. Beyond the glimmer of the ship's lanterns in the foaming water, all was dark. The shushing sound of the vessel's passage through the sea wasn't as reassuring as Ususi had found it earlier.
"We'll wait here a while," counseled Iahn, peering into their wave-tossed wake.
Ususi nodded.
A noise like tearing fabric caught Ususi's attention. She touched Iahn's shoulder but saw his head was already cocked, listening.
Ususi whispered, "Was that a sail?"
Brilliant purple light flashed in the ship's wake. She was answered.
"Be ready," mumbled Iahn. The vengeance taker held out his damos. A light touch from his other hand opened an orifice in the disk. Ususi shuddered as she glimpsed the oily, resinous liquid quivering within. Iahn smoothly removed three bolts from the bottom of his crossbow and dipped their points into the well.
Ususi moved back a pace from the vengeance taker-she didn't want to be nicked by accident. She rehearsed a few spells in her mind-Ususi was adept at producing blasts of fire and arcs of lightning, energies sufficient to deal with most threats. She preferred lightning…
Something squirmed in the darkness behind the ship, coming closer.
An awful shape oozed out of the night to stand before them on the edge of the platform. It was a creature formed half of bone and half of blackness so dense it possessed actual