Storm of the Dead - Lisa Smedman [126]
"Eilistraee. Don't let it end like this. Please."
"Now!" the spirit cried.
The Crones swung Cavatina backward, preparing to toss her toward the voidstone sphere. But half of them collapsed, going from undeath to death in a blink. Those who remained-the living-struggled to hold Cavatina aloft, but weren't strong enough. They dropped her and stumbled away, as if they'd given up on killing her.
A skull smashed down into the stone a couple of paces away from Cavatina. Then another. She twisted around and spotted Kвras, also lying on the ground. Skulls tumbled from the ceiling above, smashing to pieces all around him.
With the last of her flagging strength, Cavatina forced herself off the ground, one arm raised above her head to fend off the falling skulls. Something had just happened-but what? She looked wearily around, blinking the blood from her eyes.
The spirit was gone.
The Crones milled about, not paying the slightest attention to Cavatina and Kвras. A moment earlier, they had been purposeful and grim, but they grew confused confused. They stared at each other, at the corpses of the undead Crones who had fallen, at the silver rings on their own fingers, perplexed looks on their faces. One of them-a Crone who had been holding Cavatina aloft just moments ago-glanced down at Cavatina with a frown, as if trying to remember who she was.
Cavatina struggled to her feet. The possibility occurred to her that whatever had just happened might be the work of Qiluй. Had the Crescent Blade claimed a second deity? Was that why the high priestess hadn't answered her summons a short time ago-because she'd been preparing to slay…
She paused, uncertain. What was the name of that goddess again?
Cavatina glanced around at the milling, gray-robed females. She remembered what they called themselves- Crones-and that they served a goddess of death. But try as she might, Cavatina couldn't remember that goddess's name.
A skull slammed into Cavatina's shoulder, nearly knocking her to the ground. She staggered to her holy symbol and fell to her knees beside it. One hand pressing against the miniature sword, she prayed.
"Eilistraee," she said through thickened lips. "Heal me."
Eilistraee's grace flowed into Cavatina. Her wounds closed. She was not as strong as she might be, but at least she could stand. She dragged Kвras into the lee of a nearby wall, out of the rain of skulls. Then she swung around to face the voidstone.
The sphere still hung above the ruined temple, but it was no longer expanding. The skulls that struck it vanished, instantly obliterated. The undead legions inside the sphere shouted and pounded against its walls, but could not escape. All the while, the Crones milled about between the fallen undead like club-stunned rothй. Shuffling. Uncertain. A handful of those that still lived were down, knocked to the ground by the rain of falling skulls. For several moments more, the ghastly rain continued. When it at last ended, a dirgelike moan filled the air. The Crones, mourning.
The crowd had thinned enough so that Cavatina could see the bodies of the fallen Protectors and the wizards Daffir and Gilkriz. Leliana lay among them, too, her singing sword beside her.
Cavatina walked to it and picked it up.
As she raised it, the weapon sang out a strident peal. To Eilistraee. To victory.
"Qiluй!" she called.
A moment later, the high priestesses's mind touched hers. Cavatina! Where are you?
Swiftly, Cavatina described what had just happened. "Lady Qiluй, was it your doing?"
No. I wasn't the one who killed… her.
Cavatina noted the hesitation in Qiluй's mental voice. "What happened, then?"
I can't answer that. But now is the moment to strike. We need to deal with the surviving Crones-swiftly-before the effect is undone.
Cavatina glanced around at the milling Crones. Their faces, no longer contorted with the madness of their faith, looked lost, tired, and sad. One of them touched Cavatina's arm and looked pleadingly into