Lady of Poison_ The Priests - Bruce R. Cordell [40]
"Be alert," called Elowen from behind. "That noise has a predatory sound to it-it is something a hunter might make to flush out prey or freeze it with fear."
Marrec sighed but managed to get Justlance from its sheath on his back with one hand while maintaining a grip on the horses, and not a moment too soon.
A white-bodied creature punched through the mist from above, its buzz becoming a roar of rapid-beating wings. It was like an albino wasp, though a wasp grown as large as a man. Its wings, stinger, and even its eyes were milk white. It almost seemed a sculpture of purest ivory, though animate and hungry. As it stooped on Ususi, Marrec cast Justlance.
His spear leapt at the swooping monster; the creature broke off its dive seconds before striking the mage to avoid the spear. Justlance continued its trajectory into the void. Marrec felt a moment of disquiet, watching his spear drop away; he didn't fully understand the properties of the artificial space. What if… Justlance slapped back into his grip, and he stopped worrying.
He could hear Ususi muttering,… should have discor-porated long ago-what could allow a construct to persist so long? Maybe it's newly constructed…"
"Heads up!" shouted Marrec.
The white wasp returned for another pass. He worried that it didn't have to bring its stinger to bear to make a lethal attack. It only had to knock one of them off the path.
Two arrows, one following the other by only a few hands' breadths, hissed into the beast's abdomen. Elow-en's work. The creature wavered, but it didn't squeal or even bleed. He made a new conjecture-the monstrous white wasp was composed of compacted white mist, the 'ectoplasm,' that surrounded them.
The arrows hurt it. Its buzzing was erratic. Emboldened, he threw Justlance straight into the creature. The shaft of the spear continued through the creature's body, exiting the other side. Apparently that was too much disruption. The buzz of its rapidly beating wings ceased, and it dropped like a stone in a well, striking the stone path hard. The slap of impact was loud and ultimately lethal. The creature misted away, evaporating into so many disconnected milky strands. Marrec's intuition had been right.
"Interesting 'astral phenomena' you have here, Ususi, but let's go," he decided. "There could be more."
They began to move again but were still hindered by the uneven footing. Not more than twenty paces further along they discovered the source of the milky haze.
Ususi stood before a sort of outcropping on the path, or perhaps it was more like a gargantuan sculpture had fallen upon the path. It was a sculpture of real stone, too, unlike the wasp formed of clingy mist. The force of the sculpture's fall had apparently broken it in two, for only the upper half of the figure, which resembled the rough form of a muscular man, remained; the midriff and lower portion must have dropped away in the darkness. The interior of the split sculpture was hollow and truly resembled a geode with its rough crystal coating. The hollow was large enough that two people could walk abreast into it. Purplish light was strong within that cavity, but it was impossible to see what generated the light without entering.
Ususi made as if to do just that, an eager expression animating her normal placid features.
"Ususi!" exclaimed Marrec and Elowen simultaneously.
The mage paused, her gaze sweeping across the group before finally coming to rest on Ash. She had the grace to look just the slightest bit guilty.
Marrec said, "That's right. We're not here to explore. We need to get Ash out of here. We're putting her in jeopardy by our mere presence. We've already faced more threat than you indicated was possible here."
Ususi didn't move, torn between her task and her urge to explore.
Elowen coaxed the mage, "You can explore later, after we've gotten through to Yeshelmaar. Leave the exit open, and you can return on this very route."
"Very well," sighed Ususi. "Of course you're right. Even after the Nentyarch relieves me of the