Army of the Unworthy by Thad Ward

Author:Thad Ward [Ward, Thad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

“Get ready, Kit,” Ike warned. He readied his shield and drew his sword. “We’re about to have company.”

Chapter 19

Undimmed

“K

it, get the flute!” Ike yelled. He rushed forward in a reckless charge. “Don’t let her play!”

The kellasluagh bounded past Ike, racing on all four. His paws threw up splashes from the thin layer of water covering the ground. He let out a leonine snarl as he leapt toward Lady Talia.

Before the attack could land, Elder Corvid sneered and swung his staff. “Tengubi!” Motes of fire sprang from the tip, descending like tossed cinders. As they struck the surface of the water, they bounced and multiplied. In an instant, dozens encircled the pair.

Kit reached the edge of the fire circle and yelled out in pain. He recoiled, clutching the singed fur on his arm. “Watch out! Those things aren’t just for show!”

Ike’s first instinct was to charge straight into the blaze. With Vix bonded to his armor, he may have some resistance to the fire. Then the fight with Melolica flashed through his mind. He remembered the skeletal dragon taking damage from its own breath and stopped short of the circle.

Lady Talia’s eyes closed as music flowed from the serpent flute. The tones were low and hypnotic, echoing through the air all around, despite their softness.

“This is bad. All the little spirits nearby are running away.” Kit bared his fangs, head darting up and down as he searched for an opening.

Ike sheathed his sword and drew his spear instead, then raised it over his shoulder and tossed it high like a javelin. For a moment, it looked as if the arc of the throw would send it clear over the circle of fire.

“Your aim is as woeful as you are, Herald,” Elder Corvid jeered.

Ike grabbed the air as if he were grasping an invisible shaft. “Yeah, well, you’re about as bright as your feathers.” He jammed his hand downward.

Elder Corvid’s eyes narrowed at the taunt, then widened with realization. He brought his staff up in a reckless swing to meet the spear as it descended straight down on Talia. The two weapons met with a crack of impact and a flash of light.

Ike held his shield up and squinted through the glare. The motes of fire vanished as the pearl atop Elder Corvid’s staff cracked. “No!” the kenku yelled, glaring first at the damage, then at Ike.

Kit’s movements were a blur. No sooner had the circle of fire disappeared than he pounced on Elder Corvid. His claws dug into the kenku’s shoulders as his weight and momentum bore them both to the ground.

Something in the air shifted. Ike felt it more than heard it, a thrum of tension too subtle to pinpoint but too dire to ignore. He scanned the surrounding fog, unable to locate the source. It wasn’t until his gaze drifted up that he realized what he was feeling.

A shape loomed over the fog, tall as an oak tree, blacker than the surrounding darkness. Two great, serpentine eyes regarded him hungrily.

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