Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [140]
Suddenly the swordswoman's arm began to burn as if it were on fire. The blue brands on her arm glowed brighter than lantern light. "No," Alias whispered.
"Yes," a voice said in saurial. Alias looked up into the face of the saurial who once was Dragonbait's lover. Her duties with the seed complete, the priestess had moved to the swords-woman's side. She studied Alias's arm eagerly. "The symbol of Moander is returning to her arm," she announced.
Dragonbait, who had nearly reached the top of the pile, didn't need to hear the Mouth of Moander's words to know what was happening to Alias. He could feel it himself in the brand on his chest that bound him to the swordswoman. There, reasserting itself in his own scales, he could see the tattoo of a blue glowing mouth of fangs set in a human palm.
When the pain had subsided, he finished climbing up the side of the pile of greenery. Crashing through the soggy, rotting vegetation, he cried out the trigger word to set his sword aflame. He stabbed one of the mages through the heart and the corpse fell into the pile. As if the pile had an insatiable appetite, the body was sucked into it almost instantly.
Before the paladin could attack again, Coral finished chanting another entanglement spell. A vine rose up from the pile, wrapped itself around Dragonbait's waist, and pulled him away from Alias. A second vine lashed itself around his legs and held him fast. He couldn't hack at the vines without slashing himself.
Coral stepped up to the paladin, a ceremonial dagger in her hand. "Champion," she whispered, "you know what must happen now. Your sacrifice will bind the servant's will to Moander."
"Coral, no. You can't do this. This isn't you. Fight it, please," the paladin urged.
"You have your sword," the white saurial whispered.
Dragonbait held his sword beside Coral's head. The flames of the blade were reflected in her white scales.
"Either I will kill you, or you will kill me," Coral said.
Dragonbait watched as Alias struggled with the three remaining saurial mages. If he were the only one to die, he wouldn't even consider killing Coral. He would let her take his life. But Alias was his sister, and Coral was the Mouth of Moander. He couldn't let Moander have Alias. Still he hesitated.
Coral raised her dagger. Tears shone in her eyes, and the smoke-laden air was heavy with the scent of her grief. "How can you condemn me to be your murderer?" she growled at the paladin. "I thought you loved me."
Dragonbait swung his blade, and Coral's body and head tumbled into the pile.
There was no bloodshed. Nothing but rotted vines and dust spilled out of the priestess's severed neck. The pile didn't even try to suck her into it for nourishment. There was nothing left of her.
Immediately the vines that held Dragonbait fell away from him as if the magic in them had been dispelled. The paladin presumed the magic had died with Coral and began to move cautiously toward the mages who held Alias. One began to chant a spell and gesture in the paladin's direction, but the words died on his lips, and he tumbled forward with a dagger in his back.
Now held by only two people. Alias threw her weight to one side, knocking one of the mages to her knees. Dragonbait rushed the remaining mage and sliced him in two. Like Coral, this mage was nothing but dust and rotted vines inside. With her bare fists, Alias throttled the female saurial beside her until the mage fell at her feet.
"Dragonbait, your sword!" the swordswoman shouted. "Give me your sword! "
Confused, the paladin let Alias take his sword from his hands. She began to slice into the top of the pile, looking for Akabar.
A dark figure landed beside Dragonbait and wordlessly pulled the dagger out of the mage who had tried to cast a spell over the paladin. The figure stood up and sheathed his blade. It was Finder Wyvernspur.
The pile shifted suddenly, knocking Dragonbait and Finder to their knees. The massive heap wasn't merely settling, the paladin realized; it was coming to life. He struggled to his feet as Alias began