Chapter 10

  Dark Magic

  Arv rolled his shoulders, stretching the muscles experimentally as he walked away from the Howdah chassis. He had grown quite accustomed to the weight, but Neyra still insisted he take breaks. Something about the risk of his joints ‘bein’ permanently damaged’ if he wore it too much.

  He frowned slightly as he thought of Neyra. This was the second time she’d been thrown out during battle. What was the point of the Howdah if she couldn’t stay in it? Of course, Arv knew she was already working on a solution. She had to be. Flaws in her creations had a tendency to drive her to near madness. He frowned deeper as he remembered just what had happened after she fell.

  He scanned the room with his sharp eyes. Riza and Cretin were about their normal duty of looting the dead. Elwin was off scouting. Valdora, Kaida, and Elle were talking about important leadership mumbo jumbo or somethin’ of the like. Shamil sat cross-legged on the floor, meticulously cleaning each part of her crossbow. That just left his sister and the little twerp who had a crush on her.

  And sure enough, there they were. Neyra was resting on a bench next to Zarl. They were speaking in hushed tones, and Arv was worried that she’d been battle shocked again. However, his eyes widened in surprise as he heard her laugh.

  Arv’s relief mixed awkwardly with his drive to keep the little goblin away from his sister. Could Zarl really be so bad if he got her to laugh after an experience like this? Yes…yes he could.

  “Somethin’ funny over here?” Arv approached with a strained smile on his face. Neyra smiled back and stood to give him a hug. Arv knelt down, and as soon as her face was in his chest, he turned his smile to a scowl, directing it towards Zarl with as much intensity as he could spare. The goblin paled slightly, but he made no move to leave. He even had the gall to glare back! Stubborn fool.

  “How’s your leg?” Neyra asked, pulling back from Arv, completely oblivious to the tension that she had just interrupted. Arv forced his face back into a grin.

  “Eh, nothin’ bad. I think I got worse from the lads in boot camp. It’s gonna leave a nasty bruise though. How’s your head? That looked like a right nasty fall.”

  Arv cringed as he looked down at his sister. Her cheeks turned pink as she stammered,

  “It- it looked worse than it actually was. The scariest thing about falling out is just being exposed like that. But I was lucky to have Zarl there to cover me.” She smiled and gently put her hand on Zarl’s arm, “Thank you, Zarl.”

  “Any time,” he said with a genuine, sharp-toothed smile as he basked in Neyra’s praise. Arv could tell that his presence was all that kept the little man from saying more to her. What exactly would he have tried if Arv wasn't there to look after her?!

  “Specialist Neyra!”

  The shout from Valdora broke Arv’s train of thought. He walked over to the three of them with brisk urgency in his step. Neyra yelped and scrambled into a clumsy salute.

  “Sir!”

  “You’re needed. You and Arv, come with me. And hurry.” He turned and began jogging away without even awaiting a response. Neyra’s eyes widened, and she quickly scrambled up onto Arv’s back. Arv spared one more glare for Zarl, and then he hurried off after their captain.

  “Is there trouble?” Neyra asked after a few heartbeats, her voice full of concern. They were no longer jogging, but Valdora still kept a brisk pace as they ducked into a hallway just off of the main dining hall. They approached a small staircase and Valdora led the climb.

  “Not just trouble…” he said. They stopped at the first door of the landing. Arv didn’t know what it was about the door, but he swore there was just something wrong. He noticed Valdora cringe as he reached his hand out to push it open.

  “Magic,” he finished as he walked into the room.

  Arv had to cover his mouth to keep from retching at the scent. He heard Neyra gasp from behind his shoulder, and without warning she hopped down from off of his back. The smell didn’t seem to bother her, and she already had her notebook in hand as she ran to the gruesome sight at the center of the room.

  Twelve pikes stood in a perfect circle at the room’s center, somehow driven into the stone floor. Atop each pike was a head. Some were human, some orc, and one was even a goblin, but all were slack jawed and frozen in their last moments. Blood dripped down the wooden shafts and made puddles on the stone below. Those puddles seeped and merged into an unnatural pattern in the center of the circle. It looked like someone drew a line of blood from each pike to the pike exactly opposite of it.

  “Touch nothing,” Neyra muttered as Arv and Valdora approached the circle.

  “Wasn’t goin’ to…” Arv muttered weakly as he stared into the glassy dead eyes of an orc's head. He felt sick. He felt enraged. He felt terrified. Valdora came to stand next to him, his eyes also staring daggers into the dead orc’s skull. Valdora looked as if he was ready to burn the whole place to the ground. He glared straight ahead and Arv swore he heard him growl.

  “Can you feel it?” Neyra asked, her voice barely a whisper, “The magic?” She looked up at Arv and Valdora ?with her big brown eyes. Questioning. Curious.

  “Yes…” he said, surprising himself. He could feel it. And if he tried hard enough, he could even see the reddish glow coming from each line painted in blood. The more he focused, the brighter the glow became. Eventually, it appeared so bright that the rest of the room seemed dark in comparison. A sickly heat radiated off of the circle, and it made beads of sweat appear on Arv’s exposed flesh.

  “What is it?” He choked. He felt as if he could taste blood in the very air he breathed. Neyra slowly stood back up, pocketing her notebook reverently. She crossed her arms and continued to stare at the circle.

  “Necrotic magic,” she spat, her face twisted in a disgusted snarl.

  “Any insight about what it does, Specialist?” Valdora asked, his voice as cold as ice. He continued to stare at the severed head.

  “This isn’t my area of expertise,” Neyra said, “It could be any number of things. The pattern seen here can sometimes be indicative of a summoning spell. Or it could simply be a well of power, possibly fueling those glowing tattoos we saw earlier. I’ve even read about such circles being drawn to contain creatures. To cage Lord Nero upon his capture, perhaps?” She shook her head. “But sir, those are just vague extrapolations. I really wish I could tell you otherwise, but I honestly have no idea of what they were doing with this necrotic filth. The only course of action I see would be to disrupt the spell. Whatever it’s doing…it certainly can’t be good.”

  Valdora slowly nodded,

  “Thank you, Neyra. I assume you took your notes and sketches?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Arv?”

  He finally turned his head to look at them, his face still a dark mask of anger and disgust.

  “Sir?”

  “Cut it down,”

  Arv nodded curtly and pulled out one of his harpoons. The wooden pikes looked fragile and decayed by the blood and dark magic. Snapping one in half with a good swing would be easy enough. He raised his arm and looked at Valdora for one more confirmation. The man nodded, and Arv swung.

  At first, there was nothing. But then, all the room’s air rushed into the middle of the circle at once.

  That was not good.

  “Get down!!” Valdora roared as he ducked away.

  Time seemed to slow as Arv desperately lunged toward Neyra. The shadows in the room grew even darker around them. It was like he was moving through molasses to get to her, his body just not fast enough to outpace the wall of arcane power. The floor shook and hummed with unspent energy. If he could just reach her, then he could take the brunt of the impact for her. He could get there in time. He could–

  That energy snapped, releasing in a sudden, brilliant flash of red light. For one brief, yet eternal moment, Neyra’s terrified eyes locked with his.

  Arv wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but he swore that his fingers just barely brushed hers before the explosion hurtled her away from him, her mouth still open in a silent scream.

  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the cracking of bones and the popping of joints as he hit the wall, but it was like it was happening to somebody else. He bounced off the hard stone and landed on the floor on all fours. Even as his head rang and his vision blurred, he kept his gaze desperately fixed on his sister.

  His ears popped as pressure returned to normal in the room. Bits of the decapitated heads lay strewn on the floor and plastered to the walls. He vaguely noticed Valdora stagger to his feet, a trickle of blood dripping from his mouth. His ears wouldn’t stop their ringing, and he saw Valdora shout something.

  Arv shook his head and forced his body to move. Pain lanced from his spine to every limb in his body, but it didn’t matter. Her tiny body laid crumpled on the other side of the room. He had to get to her.

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  “Neyra! NEYRA!” he cried out. Valdora was already at her side, his face a mask of concern. Arv snarled and pushed himself to move even faster.

  As he ran, he watched Valdora gently roll her over. He was using both of his hands to wipe strands of hair from her face. It was freed from its tail in the explosion and it now laid in a tangled heap around her head. Parts of those auburn locks were already drenched with her blood. He was trying to find a pulse. But all Arv could see was someone between him and his sister.

  “Get AWAY from her!” Arv roared in fury as he roughly shoved Valdora aside. He trembled uncontrollably as he cradled her small head in his huge hands.

  Blood leaked from her ears and nose. Her eyes were closed, her expression limp and blank. She was breathing, but only barely. Hurriedly, he scooped her up into his arms, cradling her tightly to his chest. He didn’t know when the tears had started, but they now fell freely onto Neyra’s ashen face, washing her blood away in tiny streams.

  “No, no, no, NO! Neyra! Neyra, talk to me, please.”

  He sobbed through clenched teeth. Her breath was slowing, and her body grew more limp by the moment. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be. No, no, no. Not Neyra. Not that.

  Valdora placed a hand on his shoulder and Arv had half a mind to bite it off. He growled furiously at the man, shielding Neyra from him, but Valdora held his ground.

  “SOLDIER!” He shouted sternly, “Listen to me! She’s in critical condition. She needs Kaida NOW. So come on! And keep her head stable!” Without another word, Valdora turned from Arv and sprinted out of the room, leading the way back to the rest of the group.

  It was like something finally clicked in Arv’s frenzied mind, and a thought made its way through the rage and grief and terror. He’s just trying to help. Need to get help. Get Kaida. Help Neyra. Help…

  Arv cradled his sister’s head against his chest, his giant hand covering her entire head and most of her torso. And then he ran.

  ***

  Shamil clicked the last part of her crossbow back into place when she heard it. It was a loud boom followed by someone screaming. Was that…Arv? Her blood ran cold as she leapt to her feet, her hands still on her weapon. Everyone looked up at the noise, but Shamil had a feeling that only she and Elle really recognized the voice from this distance. Indeed, she looked at Elivera, who stared back at her in horror. Shamil ran to the hallway where Valdora, Arv, and Neyra had gone not that long ago. What could have possibly happened in such a short time?

  She heard footsteps thundering from the end of the hallway, and she raised her crossbow. The rest of the squad formed up behind her and Elivera.

  “Hold!” Kaida shouted, her voice firm, “Keep defensive positions!”

  Shamil’s heart pounded in her chest as she waited for whoever, or whatever, it was, to come around the corner. She nearly cried in relief as she saw Valdora’s beautiful face come into view.

  “Kaida!” He yelled, his voice was frantic, “Kaida! It’s Neyra!”

  Shamil nearly dropped her crossbow. No. No! Her ears rang and her hands trembled as she finally saw Arv turn the corner. He was holding Neyra close to his chest. Even at this distance, and even from behind his huge hands, she could see that it was bad. The squad cleared the way for the two frantic men to charge into the room.

  “Elwin, get my spare kit. And hurry!” Kaida said, as she put down her weapon. She expertly removed her gauntlets and vambraces and rolled up her sleeves. Valdora and Arv worked together to lower Neyra to the ground, placing her head carefully into Kaida’s lap. Elle fell to her knees beside them, her face nearly as pale as Neyra’s. Shamil could see tears in her eyes just as she felt them well up in her own.

  Shamil had seen many things at the estate so far. They’d passed rooms of gore and carnage vile enough to make grown men faint. But none of that struck her like the sight that unfolded before her right now.

  Neyra’s ashen face was a mess of blood and tangled hair. The tips of her slender fingers were growing dark and her lips were tinged blue. Her feet twitched as Kaida gently examined her with expert hands. Arv still knelt, clutching the bottom half of Neyra’s limp body while Kaida worked. His face was a mask of pure pain and grief.

  Elwin skidded to a stop with Kaida’s bigger medical bag in tow. The rest of the team gave them a wide berth, leaving only the command team, the Tallfellows, and herself in the little cluster around Neyra.

  The next minutes seemed like an eternity to Shamil. Fear and anguish buzzed through her veins, but her mind fought hard to keep it all down. She knelt by Neyra’s side; her head down and resting on her crossbow. Random details came to her in flashes as she desperately tried to block out the fear.

  “Broken ribs, possible concussion, blunt force trauma, blood loss…”

  Kaida’s voice sounded so distant and inhuman. Shamil heard the sounds of bandages ripping and scissors snipping. She thanked the Gods when she heard the telltale pop of a potion being uncorked. She knew enough about field medicine to know that Neyra wouldn’t make it without one. Finally, she allowed herself to look up again. Kaida was tenderly wiping the blood from Neyra’s face with a clean, wet cloth. An empty potion bottle was discarded by her side. She met Shamil’s eyes and gave her a gentle smile,

  “She looks worse than she is. I’ve got her stabilized. And that potion will take care of the rest.”

  “She’ll be okay?” Arv asked, his eyes wet and bloodshot. Shamil heard Elle finally release a sob as she saw Kaida nod to Arv.

  “Yes. You got her to me in time.” Kaida motioned for Elle to take her place holding Neyra’s head and then she got to her feet, quickly replacing her armor with that same practiced expertise she used to get it off. Valdora put a hand on Kaida’s shoulder and nodded to her in thanks.

  “She’ll wake soon. We will take a brief rest here until then. Stay alert.” And he and Kaida walked away, conferring in hushed tones about what had happened.

  Cretin and Hilda stepped up behind where Arv sat, and Cretin put a hairy, gauntleted hand on his shoulder. Hilda looked down at Neyra with a soft smile.

  “Aye, she’s tougher than she looks, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, her blood runs strong.” Riza hissed. Shamil turned her head to watch the great lizard woman crouch down between her and Elle. She bowed her frilled head in respect. “You small ones keep surprising me…” she muttered with a small grin to Shamil and Elle?. Shamil smiled, her mind finally coming back to a more functional state. Riza reached out and ruffled her hair with her clawed fingers.

  “Thank you, Riza…” Elle muttered on her other side. She was leaning her head against the lizard woman as she held Neyra’s hand. Riza’s tail swished approvingly behind her.

  Shamil felt her heart rate slowly return to normal, and she briefly chided herself for getting so worked up. Neyra was fine. She was fine. And there was no reason to keep huddling here while she rested, so she stood up and gave Riza a punch on the arm before turning to walk away.

  She was a tad bit surprised when her eyes fell on Zarl. He was sitting on the other side of the room with his head leaned back against the wall. His scarf hid his face completely. The guy had a tendency to hide in there when he was thinking too hard. But Shamil appreciated the goblin’s restraint. Of course he must've been worried about Neyra. She had seen the look on his face when Valdora called for Kaida to help, but at least he had enough brains to maintain a respectful distance. Arv was a tad bit volatile at the moment.

  She could practically feel the stress radiating off of him as she walked closer. His exposed ears twitched as he finally heard her footsteps. He scrambled to his feet and looked at her with pained eyes.

  “She’s okay?” He asked. The words were out of him before he was completely upright. Shamil nodded.

  “Yeah. She’s alright.”

  His shoulders visibly lost some of their tension as he exhaled in relief. Shamil looked at him and was startled to see how red and puffy his eyes were. She raised an eyebrow.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m-I’m fine, Shamil.” He said, furrowing his eyebrows as he glared at her. He was obviously bracing himself for her teasing.

  “You know…” Shamil began softly. She couldn’t believe she was actually saying this. “I should have said it earlier, but I just wanted to say thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For having Neyra’s back like that. During that last fight, I mean. That stunt left you exposed, but you did it anyway. And I saw how you helped her through the shock afterwards, too.”

  He regarded her with a cautious look as she continued,

  “All I’m sayin’ is…maybe I misjudged you, Zarl Tik’tik.”

  He looked at her as if he expected her to say more, but she didn’t elaborate further. Slowly, he nodded and smiled softly.

  “Neyra!” Elle’s voice rang out in the cold air of the dining hall. Shamil gave a start and hustled back over to her family, Zarl keeping a few paces behind her.

  Elle clutched Neyra tightly as she cried soft tears of relief. The poor girl looked dazed as Elle (and eventually Arv) continued to squeeze. Her hair was still an absolute mess, and there was blood all over her tabard, but her cheeks were rosy and full of life once more.

  “I nee–” she began softly, her voice hoarse and strained. She coughed and her siblings quickly gave her some air, relinquishing the death grip they had on their big sister. She took deep, measured breaths as she tried to speak again. “I need…”

  “Need what, Neyra?” Arv asked, concern laced in his voice.

  “I need my notebook….” She muttered as she fumbled around her belts and pockets, searching with weak hands. Arv gave her a deadpan look and Elle just laughed. Shamil found herself chuckling too. Neyra was absolutely fine.

  Hilda and Cretin each crouched down and gave her soft pats on the back. Hilda was rambling on about the first time she ever lost consciousness on the battlefield. Cretin expressed how lucky she was to have a brother who could carry her to safety like that. And Riza took her hand and squeezed. Neyra looked at them all gratefully, focusing especially on her siblings. She tilted her head and scrunched her nose as she peered at Arv.

  “Don’t tell me you were actually worried, big guy!?”

  Arv sniffed and leaned down to press his forehead to Neyra’s.

  “Never…” he grumbled as he gave her a gentle pat on the head, “Just don’t go doin' that again, ya hear?”

  “Well, I was absolutely terrified.” Elivera interjected as she hugged Neyra once more. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I thought we lost you, Ney.”

  Shamil finally butted her way through the small crowd and took both of Neyra’s hands in hers.

  “You look like shit, friend.” She grinned and tugged Neyra into a hug. “And I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Neyra huffed and pulled back, finally taking the time to really examine herself. Gingerly, she raised both hands to her head and her eyes went wide.

  “Gods above!” She squeaked. She raised her hands and spoke those silly words of hers. The blood and grime seemed to melt off her, and her hair flowed around her head as if picked up by a breeze, magically untangling itself until it fell in perfectly soft gentle waves around her face and down her back.

  “That’s better…” she muttered, gathering her hair into the high tail she wore at the top of her head.

  “You’re looking well, Specialist,” Valdora said. His gorgeous voice drifted through the air as he sauntered over, Kaida by his side, “You gave us quite the scare back there.”

  He approached and knelt down at her side as Kaida examined her. Arv was trying (and failing) to hide his glare at the man as he spoke softly with Neyra about what had happened. Oh good grief, Arv. Shamil thought to herself.

  Zarl stepped up right beside Shamil and she noticed that his little green face was scrunched up in a bit of a glare as well. For crying out loud…he’s just a gentleman!! There’s nothin’ to worry about there. She’s not even his type. But even as she thought the words, she tried to plan a way to get Valdora wrapped up in all of this. It would be hilarious.

  “I’m ready to head out, sir,” Neyra said with a firm nod, “And Kaida, I would very much like to talk to you about the contents of that potion. What’s the potency of…-”

  Shamil rolled her eyes and forcibly tuned out the rest of Neyra’s rambling.