The Jewel of Turmish - Mel Odom [121]
"Come on," Haarn said.
She turned and found the druid behind her. Blood covered his face, and more ran down his arm, which dangled at his side and looked barely strong enough to hold his sword.
"Come on," the druid said again. "Fall back to the second position with the others."
Druz followed him. She stumbled wearily up the incline leading down to the docks, following Haarn as they leaned on each other.
At least they were still faster than the zombies, but that blessing would be short-lived if the way her legs felt was any indication. The zombies never fatigued, and they never got weak from blood loss or hunger.
She glanced around at the warriors and druids retreating from the harbor. All of them wore horror-filled faces and bore wounds. The knowledge that the dead would rise up again at Borran Kiosk's hand chilled her to the bone.
She gazed at Haarn, watching the scratches heal on his face under the layer of blood. His wounded shoulder knitted itself, rebinding muscle and tissue until only pink skin remained.
Haarn shook his head and spoke in a voice that sounded stronger than the hoarse one he'd addressed her with earlier.
"It's not my doing." He looked around at the crowd of warriors and druids running with them. "It's a druid. A mass healing."
The warriors and druids retreated into the alleys fronting Dockside, the street that ran roughly parallel to the harbor. The zombies came after them, and when they did, crews posted on the rooftops on either side of the alleys poured oil over them.
"Fire!" a watch officer yelled.
Flaming arrows sped from archers' bows and lit the oil. The twisting flames sucked at what flesh the zombies had left to them, drawing the cartilage tight as the moisture burned from their bodies.
Still, more zombies came on. There was no doubt that the second line of defense wouldn't hold either.
"Over there!" Haarn shouted, pushing Druz to the left as they cleared the alley.
Druz stared through the running figures and spotted Ettrian. The elf was retreating with a group of other men, helping load wounded onto wagons that had been commandeered to evacuate warriors too wounded to fend for themselves. The wagons were nearly full and still they kept piling wounded on while the horses stamped nervously.
"Father!" Haarn yelled, urging Druz to greater speed.
Ettrian looked up at his son. The elf was covered in blood and gore, and the left side of his face held blistered burns.
"You're still alive," the elf said. "Thank Silvanus, but Fd almost given up hope for you."
"And I you," Haarn said, hugging his father.
Ettrian shook his head. "We're not going to be able to hold the city. The Elder Circle has decided, along with the Alaghфn Watch, to abandon this place."
"What of Borran Kiosk?" Haarn asked.
"No one has seen him since the ships crashed into the harbor."
Haarn's face hardened. "Borran Kiosk wasn't destroyed."
"No one thinks that," Ettrian agreed, "but we can't fight him here."
"There's more to it," Haarn said.
Druz knew he was right. "Borran Kiosk wouldn't have just disappeared during this fight," she said. "He has another agenda. Otherwise he'd be visible here, leading his damned zombies."
"What about the skeleton with the jewel?" Haarn asked.
"It's never been seen."
Haarn looked up, scenting the air like an animal. The wind swooping in off the harbor ruffled his hair, making it look feathery.
"I can track the skeleton. I have its scent." He glanced back at his father and added, "It will go to Borran Kiosk. If I can follow it, I can find him."
Ettrian hesitated. "Haarn, I shifted earlier to avoid an attack. I can't shift again. Not this soon."
"Then FU find a way to guide you there," Haarn promised. His form compressed and shifted, becoming that of an owl in the blink of an eye. The predatory bird beat his wings and flew into the sky, climbing over the rooftops and heading