Finder's Bane - Kate Novak [58]
The zombies and skeletons turned to face Jedidiah, the remains of their bodies twitching in rhythm with the priest's chant.
Joel's worry that the creatures would do his mentor harm was soon dispelled. One by one, the skeletons saluted the old priest with a raised hand, then crumbled to dust. The closest zombies slumped in place, their animating energy gone. The zombies farthest from the old priest sank back into the earth, pulling rocks and dirt back over their retreating forms.
Jas smashed at a few of these even as they fled. Then she sank to the ground, exhausted.
The radiance about Jedidiah subsided as the last of the undead disappeared. He looked at Joel with surprise. "Why didn't you try quelling the undead with a chant?" he asked.
Joel winced, realizing now that Jedidiah had taught him the same chant in Berdusk. It was a common ritual to protect against the undead, to return them to their graves and eternal sleep. The chant was actually quite basic, Joel remembered, and the results were effective. It wasn't the first time he'd forgotten he possessed priestly skills just when they would have been the most useful.
The Rebel Bard hung his head. "I just started swinging my sword without thinking," he replied.
Jedidiah looked grim. "You are still uncomfortable using the gifts Finder has given you, " he noted. "It's early yet. You'll get used to it. You'll see."
The old man gave the breast pocket of his vest a pat. He patted the pocket again, then reached into it with his hand, an alarmed expression on his face. Jedidiah began patting his other pockets. His brow furrowed, then his expression grew angry.
"What have you lost?" Joel asked.
"That gemstone I had," Jedidiah snapped impatiently. "I had it a moment ago, just before I came up the hill."
Holly moved up beside Joel, her face stricken with worry. "Joel?" she began.
Joel held his hand up, signaling Holly to wait. "You never told me exactly what it was," he said to Jedidiah.
"It's a relic, an artifact," Jedidiah explained hastily, "a tool created by Finder when he was mortal. It's half of the finder's stone. Finder took half with him to the Abyss when he destroyed Moander and left the other half with the saurials in the Lost Vale. It's a faultless locator, and it holds power, as you saw."
"Joel?" Holly tried interrupting again.
"We'll find it," Joel assured Jedidiah, his eyes combing the ground around the fire circle. "We'll start here and work our way back. Maybe one of the undead knocked it loose from your pocket."
"None of them got near me," Jedidiah insisted with irritation. "I had to have dropped it on the way up the hill."
"Joel? Holly snapped.
The Rebel Bard looked back at the paladin. Her eyes were wide with terror.
"What is it, Holly?" Joel snapped.
"It's-it's coming," the girl whispered. "The evil in my vision. There's something familiar about it… something horrible."
Jedidiah swung about with a feral growl.
A red light issued from beneath the edge of the bluff, just like the light in Holly's vision.
Slowly, majestically, bathed in red like the sun, a great wooden vessel rose above the bluff. It was Jas's ship, stolen from the illithids, now a floating shrine to Bane. Joel suddenly realized what, or rather who, had made the undead restless enough to rise from their graves.
Walinda stood at the ship's prow, a pair of lit iron braziers on either side of her. She still wore her shoulder protectors and bracers, but she had removed the rest of her armor. She was dressed now in a long, low-cut black velvet gown that seemed to shimmer red in the reflected fire from the braziers. Her hair hung loose about her shoulders like a maiden's.
"Well met, Poppin," she greeted Joel, giving him a warm smile. Then she turned to face Jedidiah, holding out her hand. In it sat Jedidiah's half of the finder's stone, glowing with brilliant gold light. With a cruel smile, she asked, "Are you looking for this, old man?"
Nine