Darkvision - Bruce R. Cordell [86]
An icy breeze froze the words in Ususi's mouth. The crystal that sheathed Shaddon's face no longer glowed violet-it became a mask of utter night. Black vapor streamed away from Shaddon's body like the sun's corona, if the sun had been a source of darkness instead of light.
A lifeless voice rumbled, "I recognize you, Imaskari scions. I will be revenged upon you." The words were an archaic form of the Imaskaran tongue that Ususi had assumed was remembered only behind the Great Seal.
The wizard stumbled back, her hands already tracing the outlines of a powerful ward. As she did so, she asked, "Why?"
"It must be so," thundered the terrible voice. The blot of darkness that obscured Shaddon's form swelled. "Your bloodline is Imaskaran. Imaskari remnants will be expunged first. Imaskar will fall. I will take the keystone you carry."
Ususi finished her spell, and a blue glow took up residence on her skin and garments-the telltale sign of protective magic. She edged over to where Eined lay and touched the woman. She could pass the protective glamour to any living creature.
The glow did not pass from the wizard's finger into Eined.
Shaddon, or Pandorym, had killed her.
Ususi stood and said, "I won't give a monster like you anything!"
"I do not ask."
The possessed form of Shaddon stretched its arms to both sides. From every finger, dozens of umbral ribbons burst and swirled through the air at Ususi.
The strands, in the hundreds, fell upon her glittering blue aura and broke. But her aura's potency was halved, as shown by the weakening of its glow. Where each ribbon had grazed the ward and shattered beyond its radius, lingering coolness pressed on Ususi's skin, promising worse with Shaddon's next salvo.
Iahn appeared behind Shaddon. The vengeance taker stabbed his drawn blade deep into the darkness shrouding the elder Datharathi. The form in the center of the thickening cloud jittered, then spun around with blinding speed, one arm extended wide. As Shaddon completed his spin, one hand lashed out like a scything blade, trying to catch the vengeance taker across the throat. Iahn deflected the blow along the flat of his dragonfly blade, but the force of the blow knocked the vengeance taker's weapon spinning away.
Shaddon's other hand, closed in a fist, and jabbed with the speed of an adder. Iahn evaded it with an economical head bob, just as quick. Shaddon's sinews were enhanced with the power summoned by his Celestial Nadir prostheses, but a vengeance taker's abilities drew from years of hard training and sorcery.
Ususi whispered words of ineptitude and hurled them at Shaddon, who absorbed them without flinching. The wizard next traced a sign in the air, but Shaddon evaded the small, whirling vortex that tried to pull him up. She spoke the dark syllables of the Decomposition of Umyatin, but before she could finish, another barrage of wavering black rays fell upon her from one of Shaddon's hands. His other hand connected in a particularly vicious cross to Iahn's left shoulder, just missing his head. The wizard cried out as her protective screen failed, and several thin ribbons chewed through her flesh, thankfully still hardened from the ward she'd erected upon first entering Adama's Tooth. Blood flowed, and she hoped the pain meant only a superficial wound.
Iahn continued to circle and jab with his bare hands, attempting to prevent Shaddon from matching each of the wizard's attacks with a salvo of his own. The elder Datharathi managed to release another barrage against Ususi, but the vengeance taker took advantage of his split attention and assayed a vicious, low-leg sweep. The blow knocked Shaddon's feet from under him, and he clattered to the floor.
Shaddon bounded back to his feet, tangible claws of darkness growing from his fingers, and a mane of ebony fire rimming his brow.
Iahn backpedaled, spoke a single resonant word, and faded from view.
Shaddon intoned, "I see you." The possessed Datharathi waved its burgeoning claws of darkness through empty air and knocked the vengeance taker into view from the mystical