Page 19 of Shardless (Tempris #1)
-An excerpt from the Practical Guide to Hyaline Harmonic Analysis
A relic from the Age of the Faera, the scrying relays enable long-range communication by taking advantage of the harmonizing properties of hyaline. Though hyaline crystal does not conduct aether, its frequency can be tuned in such a way that it will connect with another relay set to the same frequency.
Over time, this technology has been adapted to include glamour interfaces as well as data transfer capabilities, and improvements in the harmonizing efficiency of the hyaline crystals have dramatically increased the communication range. Unfortunately, the dimensional gates on Tempris still pose a major problem to long-range signal transmission. When the gates are open, there is no impediment to the relay signals, and communication between worlds is possible. However, when the gates are closed, the discrepancies in the flow of time between realms makes tuning the hyaline harmonizing prisms almost impossible. It has been theorized that the incorporation of a time crystal into the interface might overcome this impediment, but Queen Raine’s researchers were unable to produce a viable prototype prior to the Schism.
During the 25,658 th year of our Lady Raine, the first handheld communication system was introduced. Most historians agree that, without this device, House Ghislain’s victory at the Battle of Raporum would not have been possible.
Taly sagged against the side of a building, one hand pressed against the gash on her hip. She held Zephyr in her free hand, her thumb hovering over the tiny crystal switch that would deploy a gale of air magic at a moment’s notice.
She’d finally managed to shake the mob of undead creatures that had been pursuing her, but in doing so, she had ended up somewhere unfamiliar. Just before she’d come upon the market square, she had almost run straight into a veritable horde of those things, and she had been forced to duck down a side street to avoid drawing attention to herself. She’d had a hard enough time with the smaller group she’d fought off when she wasn’t exhausted and wounded. If the burning in her lungs was anything to go by, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to muster any more magic if she was forced to face off with another group of those creatures .
Not that she felt she could reliably summon her aether at this point anyway.
The clatter of boots echoed off the walls of the burned-out buildings, drawing closer. Ducking behind a crate, Taly clutched Zephyr in a white-knuckled grip. She saw their shadows first—elongated distortions of obscured light that crept around the corner. Eventually, a group of hooded figures emerged, their swords held at their sides. They were silent as they marched through the middle of the street, their heads darting side-to-side as they surveyed the area.
Holding her breath, Taly shrank back against the nearby wall, willing her hands to stop shaking as she thumbed the small toggle. She had no way to tell if this group of strangers was friend or foe, and she didn’t want to risk finding out.
For a moment, it looked as though they were going to pass by her without incident, but as the last of the small troop filed past, the wind changed direction. A cool breeze ruffled Taly’s hair, making her skin prickle, and the figure closest to where she hid stopped. He tilted his head, raising a hand as he murmured something to the others. Taly couldn’t hear what he said, but his comrades halted and readied their swords.
She depressed the switch—not enough to fire off a blast but enough that she could feel the magic start to stir. She needed to be ready to defend herself, just in case…
In a blur, the hooded figure rushed at her, flinging aside the crates like they weighed nothing. A gale of air spiraled out from the tip of Taly’s dagger, hitting the attacker square in the chest. She heard a muted grunt, but he didn’t even stagger as he continued moving forward .
Taly didn’t have anywhere to retreat, so when he was in range, she thrust her dagger at his belly. She felt the firm resistance of armor beneath the tip of the blade and heard the rip of fabric. Digging her heels into the ground, she threw her weight behind the attack, a grim smile playing at the corners of her mouth when she felt a warm trickle of blood drip across her hand. She moved to depress the toggle again, but the figure’s hand shot out in a lightning-fast movement and grabbed her wrist. He gave her a rough jerk, unsheathing her dagger as he twisted her arm around and shoved her against the wall. The shadow crystals in Zephyr’s grip started to cool as the aether drained away.
Taly’s entire body trembled as the hooded figure leaned in and gave her a long sniff. His breath felt warm, and his sharp exhale ruffled the loose tendrils of hair at her neck.
“Stand down! It’s just a human!” a male voice called out.
She felt the man shift behind her as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to let you go now. Please don’t stab me again.”
As soon as he released her arm, she shoved him off, whirling around and holding her dagger at the ready. The man backed up a step and held up his hands in surrender. In the dim light, she could see that his face, though pale and drawn, was flush with life.
Never thought I’d be glad to see a fey on the other end of my dagger.
“Woah now,” he said, his warm russet eyes trained on her blade. “I’m on your side.”
“So you say,” Taly muttered. “Who are you?”
The man pointed to his hood before cautiously pulling back the covering to reveal a shock of brassy hair. There was a smattering of freckles decorating his nose, making him look boyish and young. The stark, unnaturally vibrant color of his eyes, however, told Taly that he was probably anything but. “My name’s Kit,” he said. “I’m with the Gate Watchers.”
Taly felt the air leave her lungs in a whoosh. “Thank the Shards,” she panted. “My friend, Skye… no, Lord Skylen Emrys… he’s with the Gate Watchers. The last time I saw him, he was headed to the compound. I need to find him.”
“Well now,” Kit drawled, his accent smooth and refined, “it sounds like you have some friends in high places. I know Lord Emrys by reputation, but I can’t say that I’ve seen him. But then again, I haven’t been back to the compound since this morning.”
“We need to keep moving.” A woman moved to stand behind Kit. Her pale violet eyes and white-blonde hair stood out in stark contrast to her flawless umber skin.
They’re both highborn , Taly thought warily. In fact, most of the small group of men and women crowding the narrow street stared at her through eyes that were just a little too bright in the dim evening light.
“I’m aware, Adanna,” Kit said, glancing at the strikingly beautiful woman. “But the girl is scared. Give me a moment.”
“You’re from House Bontu, aren’t you?” Taly asked the woman.
Adanna gave Taly a dazzling if somewhat patronizing smile. “Yes, little human. How did you know my household?”
“Your eyes,” Taly replied, readjusting her grip on her dagger in an attempt to hide the tremble that shook her hands. “I met your brother once—Charli—when he was trying to negotiate a deal for shadow crystals with Lord Castaro. He had the same eyes.”
Adanna leaned in and whispered something to Kit. His lips thinned, and he nodded in response. “You seem to be well acquainted with quite a few important people—for a human, that is. And your diction is too good for an islander.”
Taly raised her dagger. “Your point?”
Kit’s eyes flicked to her blade and then to the two guns holstered at her waist. “Easy,” he said with a low chuckle. “I’m not going to hurt Lord Castaro’s ward. I may not be the brightest, but I’m not that dumb. Adanna, assign lookouts. Let’s take a short break. I want our weapons recharged and the water casks filled.”
Adanna jerked her head in a terse nod, but before she turned to carry out his orders, she caught Taly’s eye, her expression softening. “Would you like me to recharge your dagger?”
Taly’s eyes darted to Adanna’s outstretched hand and then back to Kit before she twirled the dagger in a single fluid motion, gripping the blade as she handed the weapon to the Gate Watcher. “Thank you.”
“You probably have questions,” Kit said, standing up straighter. Though he was tall and thin, his shoulders looked broad beneath his scaled leather armor. There was a small spattering of crimson across his belly, but Taly could see that the wound below had already healed. “We don’t have much time, but I’ll answer what I can.”
Before she had time to think, the words spilled from her mouth. “What happened here?”
Kit grimaced. “I think we’re all still asking ourselves that same question. In short, Ebondrift was attacked late last night.” Taly flinched away when he reached over and picked a chunk of flesh out of her hair. He smiled as he pulled a threadbare handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. “It looks like you’ve already met our new guests. Friendly, aren’t they?”
“That’s not exactly the word I’d use to describe those walking nightmares, but yeah. What were those things?” Taly asked, rubbing her face with the cloth.
“I don’t know,” Kit replied with a tired sigh. “I wasn’t assigned to the team responsible for figuring that out. Myself and the men and women you see here were deployed to retrieve a member of the High Lord of Earth’s family—Lord Kalahad Brenin.”
“I’d heard the High Lord of Earth’s brother was on Tempris,” Taly said. “I also heard he was in Strio, not Ebondrift.”
Kit’s mouth quirked to the side. “You’re very knowledgeable for a human.”
“Try not to look so surprised,” she quipped in reply. “If you fey could ever get your heads out of your asses, you might see that humans aren’t so bad.”
“Duly noted. Please accept my sincerest apologies, dear lady.” When Taly arched a brow, the corners of Kit’s mouth lifted into a genuine smile. “Lord Kalahad came through the Seren Gate about two weeks ago. His visit was… unexpected. He left the compound several days ago to tour some of the old farms that were destroyed during the Schism and was scheduled to return ye sterday evening. At this point in time, we’re not sure if he and his entourage encountered these creatures.” Kit hung his head. “Since we failed to retrieve him, we were on our way back to the compound. You’re lucky we found you when we did.”
“Sir,” Adanna said, handing Kit a small leather case, “there’s a message for you on the comm.”
“Thank you.” Lifting the flap, he keyed in the proper set of commands on what looked like a scrying communicator—a smaller, handheld version of a scrying relay.
Taly’s hand reached out before she could stop herself. “I’ve never seen a scrying comm with a hyaline harmonizing prism wired parallel to the focusing crystal before.”
Kit tilted the communicator so that she could take a closer look. The base of the small device was made of a silver alloy inset with thin strips of hyaline that threw off fragments of diffracted light. Glowing Faera runes were etched across the surface of each strip of translucent crystal, and a single, blinking water crystal was set into the center of the control panel. Her eyes wide, Taly ran a finger over the line of shadow crystals that winked and glittered along the bottom edge.
“I take it you like gadgets?” Kit asked, a wide, toothy grin splitting his face.
Taly shrugged. “You might say that.”
Holding up the small device to his ear, he said, “They’re new—we just got them in last month. The new design increases the communication range by 50%. I took mine apart as soon as I got it—which is probably how I got stuck on search and rescue duty.” Kit winced as a stream of garbled noise sounded from the earpiece of the comm.
“Ma’am,” he replied tersely. “No, ma’am. Yes, I understand.” Kit’s eyes flicked over to Taly. “Describe her. Uh-huh. Yes. So, about three and a half ells, blonde, armed with” —he leaned over, giving Taly a wink as his eyes dipped to her waist— “pistols and two air daggers—both viridian. Okay. Unrelated question—does the look in her eyes say something along the lines of ‘if you test me, I won’t hesitate to punch you in the balls?’ Uh-huh. Hold on.”
Kit held a hand over the communicator. “Your name wouldn’t happen to be Talya Caro by any chance, would it?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” Taly replied, her lips quirking to the side. “And your instincts are spot-on. If you test me, I will punch you in the balls.”
Kit barked out a laugh before replying, “Yeah, I might have seen her around. Tell him not to worry. I’ll have her back safe and sound within the hour.” With that, Kit pressed a key on the interface of the comm, and the water crystal went dark. Looking up, he said, “It looks like your Lord Emrys is worried about you, Miss Talya Caro.”
Taly sagged against the wall as a wave of relief washed over her. Skye was safe. He had made it to the Gate Watchers’ compound, and he was safe. And already worrying himself sick, apparently. “That doesn’t surprise me. Also, it’s Taly—just Taly.”
Kit reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to her feet. “Well, let’s not keep him waiting, just Taly . I can tell you from personal experience that the members of House Ghislain are not known for their patience. ”
“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Taly remarked as she fell into step beside him. She mumbled a shy “thanks” when Adanna handed back her dagger.
Kit gave a signal, and the rest of the Watchers took up formation around them. Pulling Taly to stand in the middle of the large group of heavily armed shadow mages, he wiped a thumb across her cheek, removing a smudge of black ooze she’d missed. “Very astute, Miss Caro. I’m a distant relation of Lord Emrys—a cousin in fact. I’ve never met the heir in person, but I squired for his older half-brother, Kato, before I joined the Watchers. Have you met him?” When Taly shook her head, he gave a low chuckle. “You’re not missing much.”
They moved swiftly through the silent city. Occasionally, they would come upon a small group of those creatures, but the Watchers were able to dispose of them quickly and efficiently, severing their limbs and smashing in their heads. Even if they couldn’t figure out how to completely end their suffering, the shadow mages treated the fallen, undead soldiers with as much respect as possible.
The streets started to widen as they circled back around to the market square. From what Taly could tell, running from those creatures had somehow brought her back to the north side of town.
Kit held out a hand, signaling for her to stop as the other Gate Watchers raised their swords unbidden. No doubt their magically enhanced senses had detected something she couldn’t.
“How many do you think?” Adanna asked in a low voice as she came to stand beside Kit.
“Too many,” he replied, a faraway look in his eyes. “Did Eula say anything about another attack?”
Adanna nodded and pulled her hood back, revealing an intricate mass of braids coiled at the base of her neck. “Yes, but she also said that they were able to fend them off.”
“Okay. It’s most likely the dismembered bodies. They must not have disposed of them properly. Let’s keep moving,” Kit said, the shadow crystals in his sword flashing. “It’s almost sundown. If we want to make it back to the compound before nightfall, we don’t have time to send a scouting party.”
As they entered the square, Taly felt her breath catch in her throat. The market was unrecognizable. The stalls had been smashed and scattered across the cracked pavement, and severed limbs and broken bodies littered the area. Torsos with no arms or legs, some with no heads, writhed on the ground. A babel of deafening wails filled the square.
“Taly,” Kit began, pulling her behind him, “pull those guns and stick close to me. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Taly sheathed Zephyr and the yet-to-be-named dagger Skye had gifted her and pulled both of her pistols. “You got it.”
“I take it you know how to use those things?” Kit asked with the ghost of a smile.
“Please,” Taly replied with a snort. “I can give you a demonstration if you’d like.”
“No… no, I believe you.” Squaring his shoulders, he turned to each one of the Watchers, catching their eye before giving his order. “Let’s move.”
They carefully picked their way through the sea of fragmented corpses. The line of Watchers taking point kicked the still-moving bodies off to the side as the group advanced, and the ground, coated with a thin film of black ooze, felt slick underfoot.
Taly held both pistols at her side, the barrels of the crystal handguns aimed toward the ground. As she followed Kit across the deserted square, tendrils of golden thread began rippling across the pavement, twining between the legs of the men and women surrounding her. Taly blinked, trying to dismiss the vision. The last thing she needed was another explosion of time magic when she was surrounded by shadow mages. But the apparition refused to be ignored, growing in intensity and forcing her eyes up. The market square was now awash in gold, but the glittering magic particles seemed to be concentrating in one area to the south. They clustered together, forming and reforming themselves into something that Taly didn’t have the words to describe. It was a colossal mass of chaotically swirling magic, and it was coming right for them.
“K-Kit,” Taly stammered softly. “To… to the south.”
“What?” Kit asked, his head swiveling around to meet her horrified gaze.
A thundering roar reverberated through the market, completely drowning out the din of the wailing, dismembered dead, and the ground began to tremble beneath their feet.
“To the south!” one of the Watchers called as a hulking beast barreled into the square. Wreckage and debris sprayed into the air as it angrily thrashed about, and a mist of blackened blood stained the surrounding pavement .
This thing—this gruesome fiend—wasn’t like the others. Though it might have once been alive, that must have been a very long time ago. At least 12 feet tall, its arms and legs were dense amalgamations of striated flesh. Its skin was rotting, stretched so thin it was nearly translucent, and blisters and swollen abscesses covered its bloated body. Countless bony spikes protruded at haphazard angles from its torso, each covered with drips and splatters of tar-like gore.
Except… no.
As the thing lumbered closer, Taly could clearly see that what she had mistaken for spikes were really limbs—arms and legs in varying states of decay that had been randomly planted along the beast’s body. And those weren’t blisters. They were heads. Some were nothing but skulls with a few remnants of flesh still clinging to the bone, but others looked fresh—recently killed if the crimson blood streaking their cheeks was anything to go by. Their mouths gaped, and Taly suddenly realized that the great wail echoing through the marketplace wasn’t a single voice. It was many—a chorus of mournful cries woven together in discordant harmony.
The Gate Watchers were already moving into formation. Flames flared along the blades of swords and daggers, and gusts of wind spiraled out of the tips of wands, lashing at the ground and creating a wall of whirling dust and debris.
Someone grabbed at Taly’s arm, pulling her back. “If the human is valuable to House Ghislain, we need to protect her. Get her to safety.” Adanna shoved Taly towards Kit. “We’ll cover your retreat before we move in.”
“Good. I’ll join you when I can,” Kit said as he hastily sheathed his sword and dropped to one knee. “Get on,” he ordered, turning to look at Taly.
She didn’t argue. Holstering her pistols, she wrapped her arms around Kit’s neck, tightening her grip when he slung his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her onto his back.
“Hold on tight.”
With that short, muttered warning, they were off. The world was a blur, and Taly had to bury her face in Kit’s neck when the sting of the wind became too much for her. The sheer force of their momentum was almost enough to make her lose her grip, but she held on, her fingers clutching at the leather strap of his breastplate. Without warning, her stomach lurched, and when she opened her eyes, all she could see was the white marble stone of the compound’s wall as they flew through the air. Chancing a glance down, she saw the ground below, the details of the broken carts and shattered bodies blurring as they rose higher and higher.
Kit’s boots hit the floor of the ramparts with a heavy thud. As soon as he deposited her on the ground, Taly collapsed against the wall of the parapet, her chest heaving as she desperately tried not to splatter the contents of her stomach across the walkway.
“Shards,” she gasped, closing her eyes and turning her face towards the cool breeze drifting over the top of the wall. “How do you shadow mages do that without losing your lunch?”
Kit smiled as he crouched down next to her. “A lot of us do the first few times. I take it you’ve never run with a highborn shadow mage at full speed?” When Taly shook her head, he laughed and offered her a canteen of water. “Well, I’m honored to have been your first.” He gave her a sly wink and a winsome smile.
“Are you flirting with me?” Taly asked as she accepted the canteen and took a long sip.
Kit hung his head. “Maybe. Although, if you have to ask, that means I’m not doing a very good job.” When he looked up, his eyes were crinkled with mirth. “Stay here. I need to go take care of that thing out there, but I’ll be back soon. Then we can go find your Lord Emrys.”
“Thank you,” Taly breathed. “And be careful.”
Kit gave her another wink as he stood to his full height. “As my lady commands.”
With that, he stepped off the edge of the curtain wall. When Taly was able to pull herself to her feet, she could see him sprinting across the market to rejoin the battle. The shadow mages were circling the beast, but it paid them no mind. Instead, it lumbered across the square, its motley collection of limbs grabbing at the mutilated bodies strewn across the ground as it shoved the dead flesh into whichever mouth was nearest.
As Taly tore her eyes away from the sickening sight, someone shoved her to the side. There was more movement around her now as mages streamed in from a set of stairs at the end of the narrow corridor.
“Line up!” a woman called as she marched down the parapet behind the group of mages that were clumsily trying to arrange themselves between the gaps in the wall. Grabbing Taly’s arm, she whirled her around. “What are you doing up here… Taly?” The woman’s azure eyes widened, and Taly suddenly found herself enfolded in a familiar set of arms.
“Hi Eula,” Taly mumbled, returning the woman’s embrace.
“Paravani sora,” Eula whispered. “When Skye told me that you were still out there, I thought the worst.”
Taly smiled at the old nickname . Paravani sora was ancient Faera and roughly translated to little sister . Eula had been one of the few Gate Watchers to take an interest in Taly when Ivain let her tag along on his trips to the compound, often inviting Taly to accompany her to the shooting range. If not for Eula, Taly might never have learned how to use a pistol.
“I’m fine. Really,” Taly said reassuringly.
Eula raised a perfectly groomed brow, her eyes lingering on the red stain on Taly’s hip. Before she could press the matter, Eula’s hand flew to her ear, and for the first time, Taly noticed that the Gate Watcher was wearing a scrying comm strapped to her waist.
“Yes,” Eula replied tersely into the earpiece, smoothing back a raven lock of hair that had escaped from the braid coiling around her head. “We’re not sure, but it’s under control. Yes, the search and rescue team have it surrounded. No, sire. I’ve got her right here. Yes, sire.” Eula keyed off her comm before jerking her head, indicating that Taly should follow her. “Come with me.”
“What happened here, Eula?” Taly asked as she followed the older fey woman along the battlements.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Eula replied, glancing over her shoulder as they weaved through the crowd of mages lining the walkway. “We’ve barely had enough time to lick our wounds since this mess started. Skye’s arrival was a Shardsend, especially with our chain-of-command in shambles. He may be young, but Ivain trained him well.
“You!” She snatched a young fire mage by the sleeve of his robe, pulling him to his feet. “How many times do I have to tell you?! You’re no good if you deplete your supply of aether. Find a shadow mage to help you regenerate your magic.”
Eula let out a low growl. “Whelps. Nothing but untrained whelps. Can you believe that?” Eula asked as she stopped on the far side of the battlement. “Almost 200 years old and he still doesn’t know how to use his aether efficiently. I’m telling you, I have no idea why these damned noble families nowadays think they’re too highbrow to teach their children basic spells. That showy shit is all well and good if you’re trying to get laid in Arylaan, but the basics are what keep you alive in a siege. What good are you if you use up your entire supply of aether on one spell ?!”
Taly jumped when she heard a sharp cry pierce the air. Both Eula’s and Taly’s heads whipped around to the fight still raging through the market below. The creature had finally turned its attention to the shadow mages, and it looked as though it had managed to catch one of them by the leg. It threw the mage across the battlefield, and the others rushed in to try to keep the beast from charging the wounded soldier.
“Marshal Ora!” Eula snapped her fingers, grabbing the attention of a shadow mage at the opposite end of the wall roughly 20 feet away. The woman was stooped over a table, her hands glowing with shadow magic as she hastily recharged a stack of shadow crystals. The ground around her was littered with crystals centered on pieces of parchment, each surrounded by a faint, violet haze as they pulled aether from the air. “Back them up! They need fresh crystals!”
The shadow mage saluted by crossing an arm over her chest and tapping her fist twice before sweeping the stack of crystals into a bag, stepping off the wall, and darting across the square toward Kit’s group.
Eula’s eyes followed the shadow mage as she rushed out into the field to join the others. The search and rescue team had managed to herd the beast to the far side of the plaza, and the mages on the ramparts had begun to bombard it with balls of ice and fire, slowly whittling away at its decayed flesh.
Heavy footsteps echoed up the nearby stairs, and Eula turned, crossing her arm over her chest and bowing her head as Skye emerged from around the corner. He had discarded his greatcoat, and his armor was streaked with a thin layer of blackened gore. Smears of crimson blood stained his skin.
“Eula, report. Did the search and rescue team manage to get a handle on that creature yet?” Skye snapped before skidding to an abrupt stop. His brows shot up when he caught sight of Taly.
“Sire,” Eula said with a smirk. “Look who I found.”
Skye hesitated for a moment, disbelief written across his face. When he remained motionless, seemingly frozen in place, Taly gave him a sheepish wave. The movement seemed to break him from his stupor, and he rushed forward, crossing the distance between them in just a few short strides and enveloping her in a tight embrace. “Thank the Shards!”
Taly didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck as he lifted her off her feet. After a long moment, he released her, holding her out at arm’s length. A frown creased his brow when his eyes flicked down to the gash at her hip. At some point, the wound had reopened, and Taly could feel a trickle of fresh blood running down her leg.
“So, I may have dawdled a little bit,” Taly said with a half-hearted laugh, wiping at the tears of relief staining her cheeks. “But it wasn’t my fault. These things just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Taly saw the corners of Skye’s mouth twitch, but he never got a chance to respond. A shout from down below caught their attention.
“Shards,” Eula whispered, her eyes widening in horror.
Taly felt bile at the back of her throat, and she was grateful for the arm Skye had looped around her waist. Her knees felt weak, and she leaned against him, not fully trusting her legs to support her weight as she was forced to watch the nightmare unfolding on the field below.
The monster had become enraged once the shadow mages cornered it, and it gave a feral roar as it whipped its body about, throwing several of the Gate Watchers to the ground. One of its arms, a great giant mass of rotting flesh as thick as a tree trunk, grabbed a mage that was struggling to regain his feet. The creature lifted the Gate Watcher from the ground, and the man let out a shrill scream of pain. Then, bringing its arm back down in a blur of motion, the creature beat the mage’s body against the pavement of the square, up and down, over and over again.
A strangled cry erupted from the poor man’s throat as his bones were broken and shattered. Violet ripples of shadow magic began coiling in the air around the captured mage as he tried to heal his body, perhaps even bolster his strength as he and his comrades vainly tried to free him from the creature’s grip. Giving up, he pulled a dagger from his belt and began hacking away at the leather of his boot, vainly trying to wrench his foot free. But it was no use. The grotesque array of decaying limbs protruding from the monster’s distended body groped at the mage’s clothing and flesh, drawing him in nearer as it…
“Shards,” Taly whimpered. “What is it doing? No, no, no… This can’t be happening.”
Skye pulled her closer as the creature began to devour its captive.
A heavy silence fell over the rampart when the mage’s screams began to echo through the square. Even from here, Taly could see the sprays of warm blood spattering across the other shadow mages as the creature ripped off the man’s arms and legs one by one. The mouths of the dead, stolen heads scattered across the monster’s body split open, revealing rows upon rows of decayed, broken teeth. With a high-pitched yowl, it began to gnaw on the severed limbs, and bright rivulets of crimson blood dripped down its body as it shoveled fistfuls of muscle, skin, and bone into its gaping, lipless maws.
Taly released a broken sob. The man was still screaming. He was still alive. Skye’s grip on her waist bordered on painful at this point, but she didn’t care. If she looked up, she knew his face would be painted in the same portrait of stunned shock and horror that adorned the faces of every man and woman witnessing this gruesome scene.
The man’s screams abruptly stopped, and Taly’s ears rang in the resulting silence .
There was no sound except for the sickening crunch of bones as the beast consumed the last of the shadow mage. The other mages in the square were already backing up, their swords held in front of them.
“I… I don’t understand,” Eula stammered. “That was Lord Aryn. He was a highborn—that thing shouldn’t have been able to overpower him. What is that… monster ?”
Skye didn’t answer. He just shook his head and muttered an unintelligible curse.
As they continued to watch, glowing violet veins of energy flickered to life beneath the beast’s waxy skin, and it gave a low groan as its body began to grow. Its skin stretched and tore open, and its arms were already reaching for the corpses of the fallen dead still scattered on the ground. It shoved the putrid flesh into the mouths of its many wailing heads, licking feverishly at the congealed blood that stained the pavement. Sometimes, it would grab a random severed body part off the ground and plunge it into its torso, adding to the gruesome collection of decaying limbs decorating its body. Moments later—be it a head, an arm, or a leg—the new appendage would start thrashing and writhing as the creature continued to feed.
Taly felt Skye start to tremble (or maybe that was her?) as the monster’s body grew before their eyes, incorporating more and more dead flesh into its rotted form until it was at least twice the size that it was before.
“It can scale the wall now,” Eula whispered. “It’s going to come for the compound next.”
“Yes,” Skye replied, his tone surprisingly even. “Yes, it can. And, it will.”
A low growl was carried on the wind as the creature turned, a lumbering mass of putrefying flesh. Milky eyes swiveled to survey the remaining shadow mages that were now frantically fleeing across the field, their legs a blur as they pushed themselves to go faster.
As a chorus of screams ripped from the throats of a host of dead men rang out, the monster charged. Its massive legs were surprisingly spry, and it quickly began to gain on the line of retreating shadow mages.
Taly turned to Skye, her eyes searching his face as he watched the scene unfolding in the market square. “Tell me you have a plan, Skye. We have to help them!”
“Your orders, sire?” Eula asked, hiding her fear behind a mask of professionalism.
Skye just shook his head, a look of horror in his eyes. His reaction was mirrored by the other mages that lined the walls. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “I don’t know.”