Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [139]
Simply breathing was agony. The vines constricted, grinding Berun's broken ribs together, and darkness threatened to overwhelm his vision. But then the foliage slackened slightly, and the pain eased. Still, Berun could hear a cracking sound. It took him a moment to realize that it was not his bones or even the vines, but someone approaching. He looked up and saw Chereth walking over the carpet of leaves. Blood and gore still covered the druid's face from Perch's attack, and his hair and robes were a tattered, tangled mess from the fight.
"Damn you," said Chereth through clenched teeth, and Berun saw that he was trembling with fury, tears mingled with the blood on his cheeks. "Damn you to the darkest, deepest hell, you ungrateful, ignorant whelp. Your futile attempt, your… foolishness! " Words failed him. He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, then looked at Berun again. "The world has turned too far. It will be months before I can complete my plans. Months!"
Berun said nothing.
"But you haven't won," Chereth continued, "only delayed the inevitable. You have done something else, though." The half-elf’s eyes narrowed, and he looked upon Berun with hatred and contempt. "You know what I am going to do while I wait? I'm going to kill your woman over there. Then I'm going to hunt down that little pup of a disciple of yours-him and his whore. I'll kill him last, after he's watched me kill her. And I'll kill him slowly. And the whole time he will know it is you that brought this upon him, when he could have had paradise-or at the very least, a quick death in glory."
"No," Berun said, though it was agony to speak. "You… won't."
"Oh, but I will." Chereth smiled, a truly horrific sight through the mask of blood. He raised his staff, and the vines binding Berun's left arm tightened and stretched, so it seemed that Berun was holding the knife out to Chereth. "First I'm going to take care of you. Once and for all. You've been too full of surprises today. Best to end it now. What was it you told Talieth's little bed warmer out in the Shalhoond?"
Berun's eyes widened.
"Oh, yes," said Chereth. "I have watched you for many long days, and once Sauk found you, I watched closely. That night by the fire during your escape, what was it you said? 'The greatest weapon is the weapon at hand and the willingness to act.' The first thing the Old Man ever taught you, you said. After all you have done to me, I certainly have the willingness to act. And look"-he reached out and took the knife from Berun's hand -"a weapon, literally 'at hand.' Let's put it to good use."
Chereth brought the knife up and slammed it down, plunging it through the vines and deep into Berun's flesh, right where his neck joined his shoulder, right into the large vein. Chereth pulled out the blade and blood spurted all over them both. It seemed to fuel the druid's fury. He turned the knife and stabbed-Again.
"-am-!"
Again.
"-through-!" Again, "-with-!" Again.
"-you!"
He stopped and let go, leaving the blade stuck between two of Berun's ribs. The second-or had it been the third?-strike had pierced one of Berun's lungs, and he could feel blood beginning to fill his chest. He coughed once, bringing out a spurt of blood. He could hear Talieth crying.
Berun smiled.
"What?" Chereth stood there, panting from exertion. "Why are you smiling?"
"The… second-" Berun coughed again, spraying more blood.
"The second?"
"-thing!" Berun had to pause between each word to gather enough air, and even then each one came out wet with blood. "The… Old Man… taught… me."
A small spark of curiosity overtook the fury in Chereth's eye. "And what was that?"
"Al-" Another cough, this one so hard that blood filled Berun's nose and leaked out. "Always… watch… your back!"
Chereth whirled.
Next to the stairway stood Lewan, Berun's bow in hand, arrow pulled back to his cheek-the steel point aimed directly at Chererh. Lewan's fingers, grasping the