Page 27

Chapter 27

Elliot

C orbett had promised that the members of the expedition would be gathered at dawn, and he was true to his word. Thanks to the town’s masquerade, the steward had been the sole voice of the town’s leader for more than three years, and the townsfolk clearly respected Corbett and his leadership.

Elliot had expected to find the chosen fighters nervous. But their air was one of grim determination. The group had clearly been selected for their temperaments as well as their skill with a weapon. His respect for Corbett increased even further.

In the cold light of morning, Elliot’s own determination to lead the attack seemed foolish. He had learned many things while traveling, and he knew how to use a sword, but he had never faced a Legacy-fueled monster. Some of the men with him had been part of the previous attempt, and he’d be wiser to let them guide him rather than attempting to take the lead himself. But hopefully he could still prove some worth by standing bravely at their side.

Corbett also seemed to recognize his strengths lay elsewhere because he handed the lamp to the oldest of the fighters, a tough-looking man about a decade his senior. Or maybe Corbett was just listening to his wife, who had seen them off from the manor before dawn after extracting a promise from Corbett that he wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. Given the young boy at her side and the toddler on her hip, Elliot couldn’t blame her for prioritizing the return of her own husband.

The troop of men formed into two lines and marched out of town with little fanfare. From their manner, Elliot suspected they preferred the dawn start without the crowds to see them off. They could worry about crowds when they came back successful.

Elliot and Corbett walked just behind the man with the lamp who led the way. The path to the cave was one Elliot remembered well. The children of Bolivere had been equal parts fascinated by and terrified of the dragon in the cave.

“Do you remember telling me about the cave when I was four?” Elliot asked Corbett as they walked.

Corbett frowned. “Were you only four? I don’t remember that.”

“Of course you don’t,” Elliot answered morosely. “You weren’t the one who got nightmares from it.”

Corbett winced—probably thinking of the curly-haired boy he’d left behind. He had looked about four.

“And now there’s a real dragon,” Corbett said. “Perhaps it’s my punishment.”

Elliot looked at him with a frown. He’d almost sounded serious.

“I hope you don’t mean that,” Elliot said. “From everything I heard at the manor yesterday evening, you’ve been working tirelessly to conserve and protect my inheritance as well as to watch over the town. This creature hasn’t come to punish you.”

Corbett smiled. “My thanks. I wasn’t serious.” He paused and then spoke more stiffly. “I’ve been careful not to give any more aid or support to the townsfolk than what your father was accustomed to giving on a regular basis. Your fortune wasn’t used to fund any large projects, as you saw yourself with the dam. But maintaining the facade required keeping the day-to-day life of the town as normal as possible. However, I realize that you have the right to question even that expenditure given the standing orders came from your father and not?—”

“Stop!” Elliot raised a hand in alarm. “I have no intention of criticizing the care you’ve given either the estate or the town. I’m very well aware that if anyone is deserving of criticism, it’s me.”

“I’m merely relieved you’ve returned in time,” Corbett said. “I, too, have no intention of casting criticisms.”

The man in front of them held up a hand for silence, and they both went still. They had nearly reached the mouth of the cave, and he gestured for them all to gather into a group.

“There’s something to be said for attacking now, even though it’s not yet as bright as it will be later,” he said. “If we move now, we have some hope of catching the creature while it’s still asleep. We’ll attack in formation as practiced, keeping Corbett and His Lordship in the center.”

“No,” Elliot said quickly. “I didn’t come here to create a weakness. I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I know how to wield a sword, and I don’t need anyone protecting me. Protect yourselves, and make sure we finish the job we came here for. If anything happens to me, the consequences are also mine.”

The leader hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Very well, then. Men, you know the plan.”

They all drew their weapons as quietly and carefully as possible. The one holding the lamp was joined at the front by three bowmen, each with an arrow already nocked. Behind them, the remaining men formed into two rows of swordsmen, with Corbett and Elliot in the second row. Keeping in formation, they all advanced toward the pitch darkness beyond the cave mouth.

“If the Legacy wasn’t interfering,” Corbett breathed, “we could have had archers in the trees, waiting to take the beast down when he next emerged from his cave. We could have dealt with him months ago. But the arrows never land.”

“So why do we have…?” Elliot trailed off, nodding toward the front row.

“A distraction,” Corbett said simply before falling silent.

Elliot would have liked to know if it was a distraction for the creature or the Legacy, but he stayed quiet as they stepped into the cave. All his senses were on high alert in the dimly flickering light from their single lamp.

At least its light hadn’t gone out, and from the sighs of relief around him, that wasn’t something to be taken for granted. The people from Bolivere had waited six months for the lamp, but they still hadn’t been sure it would work.

His respect for anyone who had entered the cave without a light went up enormously. Even with the light, the place was full of flickering shadows that made him twitch and jump at every step. It smelled dank in a way he didn’t remember from his childhood. Back then, it had always seemed dry and dusty, and the change had his instincts screaming at him to run.

He locked his legs and forced himself forward. He couldn’t lead the townsfolk into battle, but he could at least avoid fleeing in fear.

A rasping sound made them all freeze, their ears collectively straining as it came again. Was it the sound of the creature’s breaths?

Elliot peered hopefully ahead. Had they really caught the creature while it was sleeping?

The men in front started forward again, and Elliot followed in step with his row. The rough stone walls of the natural cave widened into a cavern, the air inside it unnaturally dark and tainted with a rotten stench that nearly overpowered him.

The archers reached the cavern first, carrying the light of the lamp with them. Elliot managed a single glimpse of something large and furred sprawled across the floor before the first arrows were released. Every one of them was aimed true, gliding straight toward the sleeping creature. And every one of them curved, landing uselessly on either side of the beast or coming up short.

Corbett gave a disappointed exhale as the creature sprang instantly from sleep to growling wakefulness. Elliot had been picturing something akin to a bear, but the creature looked like a wolf, although it was closer to a bear in size. Its fur was matted and coarse, its form twisted, and the look in its eyes was just as crazed as the reports had claimed.

It lunged at the archers, snapping its teeth. They were already scattering to either side, though, revealing the first row of swordsmen. The man holding the lamp stepped back to join their number, keeping the light trained on the wolf.

It seemed confused by the flickering glow, flinching whenever it tried to train its eyes on the group of men. The second row raised their weapons in a solid line of steel and began to advance again. Elliot stepped forward with them until he realized his line was stationary. He moved back to his place, glancing at Corbett.

“We’re guarding the way out,” he murmured. “In case the creature breaks past the others.”

The beast lunged again, growling when the row of steel blades didn’t waver. Gathering its weight on its hind legs, it snarled and leaped into the air. Its size and powerful limbs sent it soaring all the way over the heads of the row of swordsmen. The leader with the lamp shouted a warning, but the creature had already crashed down almost on top of Elliot’s row.

Chaos ensued as everyone scattered to either side, the formation lost. Elliot sprinted instinctively forward, heading for the lamp—not because of the light it provided but because of his own connection with it. He couldn’t afford to grow weak while in the cave.

Shouts and cries and the ring of steel echoed through the cave, the noise driving the creature to new heights of fury as it snarled and snapped, lunging toward first one man and then another.

Elliot heard orders shouted from all directions, but he couldn’t hear any of the words clearly over the noise. One of the men tried to back away from the approaching creature only to trip over some loose stones and fall hard on his back.

The older fighter with the lamp immediately strode forward to stand protectively over the fallen man, lamp raised in one hand and sword in the other. But holding the lamp compromised his fighting stance, so Elliot rushed to stand beside him.

Being so near the lamp gave him an extra surge of strength, and he held his ground as the beast approached, quivering and howling. It swiped at the lamp holder, enormous claws extended, but at the last moment it swerved away, aiming for Elliot instead.

Bringing his sword up to parry like it was a club, he hacked into the beast’s leg. The creature howled in rage and pain and spun on the spot, lashing out in all directions. Elliot was knocked flying while the lamp holder was flung the opposite way. As he fell, the lamp was flung from his hand, arcing high into the air as it soared away from them.

A clump of swordsmen rushed forward to defend the men on the ground, and Elliot knew his attention should have been on the beast still thrashing around dangerously near him. But instead his eyes were on the lamp.

Lying flat on the ground, his eyes were on the same level as the lamp, and he watched it, time seeming to slow as it bounced between the feet of the fighting men before being kicked even further into the cave.

Even so, the lamp didn’t go out, and in the complete darkness of the cave, its effect was enough to make a difference, even from a distance. Casting a faint but discernible light, it lay where it had been kicked while the men kept their focus on the beast, not able to seek for it.

Elliot felt the familiar nausea surging through him. He tried to climb to his feet only to stagger and crash back to his knees. Why was he so weak? Had his first fall already weakened him, and thus exacerbated the symptoms, or had the lamp been damaged in some way, making its hold on him stronger? Either way, he needed to get closer to it, even if that meant crawling. He would fetch the lamp and bring it back to the fight. In that small way, he could aid his comrades, at least.

But before he could move, an archer seized him under the arms and started dragging him back toward the cave mouth, away from the lamp. He tried to struggle and protest, but his symptoms intensified as he was moved further away from the lamp, making his protests look like foolhardy bravado.

The fight had moved to one side of the cavern where the remaining swordsmen had formed a ring that gave the beast no retreat. Their move had opened a window for the archers to drag any wounded from the caves, and they were wasting no time in completing their task.

“Please,” Elliot cried, his voice coming out hopelessly weak, “I need to get further inside.”

“Peace,” the man dragging him said. “You drew first blood, you know. There’s no need to prove your valor further.”

“No.” Elliot shook his head, trying to clear it enough to think clearly. “No, I need to get to the lamp.”

“They’ve light enough to see,” his rescuer assured him. “The fight is going well. It will be over soon.”

“No. Please.” Even to his own ears, Elliot’s weakened pleas weren’t convincing.

He was only serving to make himself look foolish. But the further away he was dragged, the worse his symptoms became. He could barely see, his head was spinning so badly, and if he went any further, he would be sick all over the cave floor.

He shuddered to think what would happen then. They would likely take it as a sign of the extent of his injuries and attempt to carry him straight back to town. If that happened…

Elliot thrashed as they neared the cave mouth, his fear fueling a last burst of renewed strength. He should have confided his secret to Corbett, at least. No one here knew what was wrong or the danger they were putting him in by removing him from the lamp. If someone didn’t?—

“Elliot!” A beautifully familiar voice screamed his name from the cave mouth.

With the light shining behind her, Avery was little more than a silhouette, but he would have recognized her in an even more confused state. Avery had come. He was saved.

She ignored the shouted warnings of the other archers and ran into the front of the cave, dropping to her knees beside Elliot.

“Where are you hurt?” she gasped, and when he didn’t immediately answer, she looked up at the archer who still had him under the arms. “What happened? Where is he hurt?”

“I’m not sure,” the man said, clearly thrown off balance by her unexpected arrival. “He was knocked down and is too weak to stand.”

“Too weak? He’s not bleeding?”

“Avery…” Elliot managed to say, wondering why his voice was only a whisper.

She looked down at him, her eyes meeting his before widening and looking further into the cave.

“The lamp,” she breathed, and he managed to nod.

“Leave him right here,” she commanded the archer. “Don’t move him any further out. Don’t touch him at all until I return.”

“Wait, merchant, you can’t…” The archer put Elliot down, trying to catch at Avery’s arm, but she evaded him and fled into the cave.

Elliot propped himself on one arm, staring after her as a whole new burst of fear flooded through him. Avery had come! How had Avery come? What had he been thinking? He should have stopped her from running straight into the midst of the battle.

But it was too late to do anything but watch in fear as she skipped first to one side and then another, ducking through the battle that was raging from one side of the cave and back to the other.

When the creature lunged in her direction, she ducked, barely escaping one of its claws as she scuttled onward. The archer who had been dragging Elliot stood watching her, mouth agape, and another of the archers came to join him, full of questions. Apparently, none of them knew Avery well enough to expect her to behave recklessly if someone else was in danger.

A flash of movement in the corner of Elliot’s eye suggested someone else was lurking close, clothed in shadow. But when he turned his head to look more closely, he couldn’t be certain there was really someone there. None of the archers had reason to hang back out of sight, and he had seen no sign of any townsfolk trailing behind to spectate the battle.

He shook his head. Paranoid hallucinations were a new level of symptom and not a welcome one. His eyes flew back to Avery.

She had reached the back of the cave and the abandoned lamp. Elliot’s breath caught as she scooped it up with a cry of triumph, turning back toward him. But her voice—higher- pitched than the men in the cave—drew the creature’s attention, and it lunged toward her.

Elliot called out in wordless horror as a brightly colored flash streaked past his head.

“Mangy canine!” Frank squawked as he flew straight at the beast’s head, pecking at his eye.

The creature spun, his claws flashing through the air as he tried to slice the parrot. But Frank was far too quick for him, darting out of the way, only to dive in toward his other eye.

“Weak as noodles!” the bird squawked, making Elliot want to cheer.

“I think he got that one right,” he said to no one in particular.

But his breath caught in his throat again as Avery ran forward. Every step brought her closer to him, and his symptoms lifted slightly with each second. But his legs were still weak and helpless when she paused her progress toward the cave mouth to wave the lamp over her head.

The beast turned toward it, snapping and snarling, distracted for a moment from Frank. The bird instantly dove again, causing the creature to twist back on itself, growing more enraged and less coordinated with each turn.

Avery shouted again, darting to the side as she waved her lamp and called the beast’s attention back to her. As it turned yet again, Corbett gave a shout, and the remaining swordsmen drew short spears that had been strapped to their backs and threw them in a coordinated movement.

The tips pierced the creature from all directions, and it slumped forward, giving a horrible high-pitched whine. Two of the men ran forward with their drawn blades, bringing the creature the quick mercy of death.

Stillness fell through the cave as they all stared at the felled beast, only panting breaths able to be heard. Then someone shouted triumphantly, and the rest took up the cry, their jubilation ringing off the walls of the cave.

Elliot managed a smile which grew in strength as Avery resumed her path back to him. They had succeeded in bringing the creature down, and from what he could see, none of the men had been killed in the process. It was a victory all around.

The archers ran forward to join the jubilation of the swordsmen, all except one who seemed to be lurking in the shadows of the cave mouth, presumably to keep an eye on the wounded in the clearing outside. But Elliot was no longer among the wounded’s number, not with the lamp so close.

He jumped to his feet, his full strength restored as a beaming Avery reached his side. She didn’t stop, however, instead seizing his wrist and dragging him with her out of the cave.

“I need to get away from that stench.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m surprised that creature wasn’t felling people from smell alone.” She turned to Elliot, a hint of concern creeping into her face. “But are you really all right? You weren’t injured?”

Elliot shook his head. “I was just dazed for a moment.” He looked significantly at the lamp. “But I’m fine now.”

Avery beamed before her face suddenly darkened, and she turned a glare on him.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” she demanded. “You’re the one who changed the time of the expedition and told them to keep it a secret?”

“I was trying to prevent you throwing yourself into the middle of battle for my sake.” Elliot gave her an ironic look. “I can’t imagine why I feared you might do that!” But he couldn’t hold his stern expression for any length of time. “But on this occasion,” he said with a grin, “I’m glad you did.”

She smiled back before her eyes fell on the lamp still in her hand. She frowned again. Hurrying back into motion, she moved away from the two injured men outside the cave and the celebrating throng inside, dragging Elliot with her by the hand still clamped around his wrist.

He let her pull him along, his mind jumping to the last time they had been alone. After the terror of seeing her face the beast, he would be happy to have her in his arms again, even if only for a moment.