Finder's Bane - Kate Novak [87]
'That's not a good sign," Jedidiah muttered. With a false cheery tone, he called out, "It's about time you got here. We were worried something might have happened to you. Any problems?"
"None worth mentioning," the banelich replied with a hollow-chested wheeze. "I see you, too, have altered your appearance, priest."
Jedidiah grinned. "A younger look is sometimes advantageous, as your priestess here could no doubt tell you. You might try it some time."
The banelich snorted derisively, Walinda glared coldly at Jedidiah, but she said nothing. She stood straight as a rail, but her face was pale.
"Well, I hope you brought your shovels," Jedidiah said, "because you've got a lot of digging to do to reach your gate."
Something swooped down out of the sun, over the ship, and dropped two glittering flasks, which shattered on the banelich's chest plate. As Joel's eyes followed the creature, it pulled up and circled about with a flurry of pink wings.
"Jas!" he gasped.
The banelich howled, and curls of black smoke wafted up from beneath its armor. The creature staggered and dropped to one knee.
Joel looked to Jedidiah.
"Great. Just great," the god muttered. He looked around at Holly. The paladin flashed him a wolfish grin.
"What is it?" Joel whispered to Jedidiah. "Acid?"
"My guess is holy water," the older man whispered. "What happened to your promise not to do anything rash?" he growled at Holly.
"You knew she was coming?" Joel asked Holly.
"After Jas hits the lich with her second batch of holy water, we can attack," the paladin said, her hand gripping the hilt of her cutlass.
Jas swooped for a second attack. On the deck of the spelljammer, Walinda rushed to the banelich's side. The creature snarled and backhanded her. Walinda staggered backward. The banelich pulled itself upright and raised both its arms toward the winged woman.
The banelich began chanting harsh words in an ancient tongue. Black flame sprang from its hands and arced upward. Just as Jas released two more flasks, the banelich's missiles slammed into her diving form. Jas screamed, a bone-chilling, inhuman cry.
The flasks of holy water hit their mark again, one on the banelich's shoulder, the other on its leg. The banelich howled once more, but its cry was drowned out by the shrieks of the winged woman. Like a burning black serpent, the banelich's flame wrapped itself about her form as she plunged headfirst into a sand dune.
Jas rolled in the sand, extinguishing the black fire but not the pain. She continued to thrash in agony.
"Kill her!" the smoking banelich demanded. Gripping her silver goad, Walinda leapt from the side of the ship, landing on both feet with the grace of an acrobat.
Her cutlass drawn and raised, Holly interposed herself between the priestess and the winged woman. Startled, the priestess pulled back. Wounded as she was, Walinda must have known she was no match for the holy warrior.
"You!" the banelich screeched at the paladin. "This water stinks of Lathander. This is your doing." He raised his arms in Holly's direction and began barking out the words to summon the black flames again.
"No!" Joel shouted, throwing himself in front of the paladin, determined to protect her.
The banelich halted. Fire danced in his hands, but he did not hurl it forward. "Tell your priest to move," he ordered Jedidiah, "or his life will be forfeit, too."
"Joel," Jedidiah implored, "back away."
Joel looked at his god with shock. "I can't let them kill Holly," he insisted. "Or Jas either."
"Jas and Holly started this," Jedidiah reminded him. "I don't want you to pay for their folly. I don't want