The Gates of Night_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [37]
Lei was first to act. She’d woven the entangling charm into a curled root, and she flicked the makeshift wand toward the great beast. Vines and roots flowed up from the ground around the boar, twining around its legs and holding it fast. Pierce’s first volley of arrows flew through the air, blazing with eldritch fire. The beast howled as the missiles struck home, and Daine felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the beast wasn’t as fearsome as it appeared.
Those hopes were soon dashed. The beast roared, its vitality undimmed by the arrows in its neck. Massive muscles flexed as it tore free from the binding roots, striding slowly across the treacherous ground. Pierce loosed a second volley as the boar emerged from the tangle, and lightning flared as Lei brought her wand into play. If the beast felt anything but anger, Daine couldn’t see it. It bounded forward, quickly closing the distance. It was time to move.
Grandfather, guide my arm, he prayed as he charged down the hill.
The beast snorted as it caught sight of Daine and Xu’sasar, dousing the warriors in a shower of sparks. Daine howled as he broke to the left, lashing out at a massive leg; he wasn’t sure if the monster noticed the blow.
Moments passed in a blur of sensation. Blazing hooves gouged great holes in the ground. Foul breath washed over him, long tusks sweeping down at his chest. Daine didn’t stop to think or plan; he just moved, instinct and supernatural speed keeping him ahead of the deadly blows. He slashed at its ankles, thrust at its nose, taking any opening he could find.
It was a masterful performance—but even a master could fall to such a monster. With each passing moment the blows came closer and closer, and Daine’s own strokes grew weaker. His back burned as a tusk tore through chainmail and flesh. The blow knocked him to the ground. He turned in time to see tusks descending—
And a dark shape flashed forward, diving into the jaws of the beast.
Xu’sasar.
Daine saw her for only an instant, but the image was burned into his mind. The web of silver-white lines tattooed across her inky skin gleamed in the faint light, but what truly struck him was her expression … a combination of grim determination and joy. There was no doubt, no fear. For a moment she was silhouetted, struggling to hold the creature’s jaws apart as it thrashed and gurgled. Then its mouth snapped shut, and Xu’sasar disappeared within.
There was no thought: only fury, a raw howl of not again! Daine cast his entire body into one final thrust, both hands wrapped around a blade blazing like the sun. As the sword sunk into the creature’s throat, Daine heard the roar of an army, the clash of a thousand weapons.
And the boar exploded.
There was no fire, no heat. The flesh of the boar seemed to expand, flowing outward and around Daine, and the world changed as it did. The boar was gone, and so was the barren moor.
Lei had watched many battles during her time with the Cyran Guard. In those days her first loyalty was to her house, not to Cyre. She was paid to repair warforged soldiers and to perform other supporting tasks, but she wasn’t expected to risk her life on the front lines. Once that had seemed normal. Breland, Cyre—why should she care who won the battle? All that mattered was her house.
Now she was an outcast, banished from her house for reasons she didn’t understand. Pierce and Daine were all she had left in the world. And once again, she was watching as they fought.
He needs me, she thought. Daine’s swordplay was flawless; he slipped between the legs of the mighty boar, slashing at an ankle and rolling to the side before the beast could find him. It was an amazing display, but how long could it last? Arrows studded the creature’s hide. Blood dripped from a dozen small wounds, the work of Daine’s swords. Xu’sasar had managed to leap on top of the boar, and she struck at its spine with elbow and fist. Yet the boar fought on, its fury burning hot as the fires in its jaws.
Frustration warred with despair. There had to be something she could do, some magic she could weave