Lady of Poison_ The Priests - Bruce R. Cordell [97]
She settled for cuffing the elf. Such was her strength that Fallon cried out, nearly felled.
Damanda lied, saying, "Listen, Fallon. You're alive right now because you've proved yourself to our cause. Don't jeopardize your position with foolish impudence."
Rubbing his jaw, Fallon nodded, though Damanda thought she could detect a hint of defiance in the set of the elfs shoulders. She promised herself Fallon's blood, once he had served his last purpose.
Damanda continued, "We've got to get moving, before dawn slips over the horizon. Fallon, continue to shepherd the girl, so that she accompanies us without qualm. She seems to have taken a liking to you."
The elf hunter took one of Ash's almost limp hands and did not trigger a burst of destroying light. That settled it; she'd have to let Fallon live until they got Ash into the presence of the Rotting Man.
"We'll continue on the surface for a bit, since we're here; it will be quicker. We'll go to ground in a little place I know ahead, before the sun rises."
Fallon glanced from her, to Bonehammer, to Lex, and finally to where Absalme had been destroyed by direct contact with Ash's light. Damanda didn't doubt the elf had recognized their nature. Good. In her long experience, such recognition inspired fear and obedience.
***
Fallon followed behind the slender woman with purple hair that Damanda had called Lex, pulling Ash gently with one hand. Damanda broke the trail ahead of Lex, using techniques that the elf hunter recognized in his own woodcraft. The hulking Bonehammer walked behind, ensuring that Fallon didn't try to run off into the woods, though he hoped that he had convinced the vampires that his loyalties lay with them.
Dawn threatened to break within the hour. As each increment of time passed, he could sense the tension of the three rising. Of course, he'd known immediately what they were long before they'd caught him. Unfortunately, he hadn't been in a position to lay a trap like he was able to do against the first lone vampiric seeker. He'd decided that his best chance for survival lay in pretending that his loyalty to the Rotting Man had never wavered.
Fallon believed he'd pulled off his ruse, though the blightlord had tried to dominate his will anyway. He had Ash's earlier expulsion of the Rotting Man's control to thank for his continued resistance. He squeezed her hand in thanks, though of course Ash didn't respond.
As he walked along, he began to wonder what he had gained really. If he truly wished to protect Ash, he would have to make some sort of break for it and fight these creatures. The more they drew him into their power and the closer they ventured into the Rotting Man's territory, the less likely he could fight his way free with his and Ash's life intact. Perhaps he should just attack Damanda right then?
He continued to debate with himself as they walked.
They had already traveled for a few hours through the forest. He thought it interesting that Damanda made no effort to hide their passage. It either meant that she no longer feared being followed by Marrec's group, or that she actively wished the trail be found, like a lure.
Fallon ventured, "What of the cleric and his friends, then? Did demons get them after all?"
Starlight revealed a slight shrug from Damanda ahead. She said, "Perhaps, but when we find the sanctuary I know of, we'll make preparations, just in case."
Fallon knew that the blightlord wouldn't waste energy on such 'preparations' unless she knew there was a good chance that such an energy expenditure during daylight would have a payoff. That meant that Marrec, Elowen, and the others-he couldn't recall their names-might very well be on their trail.
This meant that he might have allies at his back, allies who hated him and probably wanted to kill him, to be sure, but allies all the same. He wondered what he might do to slow the vampires' progress to give those he hoped were behind a chance to catch up.