Stone Guardian(93)

Wulver breathed deep, relaxing his own muscles which locked during the argument while he struggled to control the alpha roaring in his head to go and pin her into submission, bare her throat and feel his teeth digging into the soft flesh, taste blood on his tongue. He turned his attention to Aislynn to help gain control over the alpha. “We have other problems to deal with now. Merc took the job and the spellbook is under his control.”

Aislynn’s calm acceptance went a long way to help him regain control. Her jaw tightened for only a moment, but her voice was even when she spoke. “This is unhappy news, but not a surprise. It was a matter of when, not if. What of Rhaum and the Dream Crafter?”

Fallon must have decided to keep a lid on any more emotional displays to keep tension levels at bay. She replied in an even voice, “Inara tells me that he expects to have her in a couple weeks and to be ready for his mini-majesty’s summons when the time comes.”

If Rhaum said he would have her, it was as good as done. “I’ll want you and Laire to meet with her and explain the situation.”

Fallon’s mouth quirked at one corner, but her eyes still held that unsettling flicker. “Sure. Why not? I always enjoy playing puppet master to someone’s life.”

Before the conversation could go any further, the building shook in violent motions, a back and forth that had the three of them scrambling to stay on their feet. “What the-”

The shaking stopped and deep bellows sounded from the corridors, followed by the clang of sword on sword and high-pitched screams of pain.

Wulver spun away from the doorway and ran toward the sounds of fighting. Before him, orcs and goblins overran every free inch of space, their mottled green-skinned bodies blocking exits and using swords, axes, and bows to strike down anyone who came out of the doorways to fight them.

As soon as he was close to the main section Wulver leapt. The pain inside was dim, far away, easily ignored. Bones lengthened and teeth sharpened and senses magnified. With a hungry grown he crashed into the largest of the orcs. His jaws clamped over the creature’s face, tearing off skin and bone before he ripped into the thing’s throat, disgusting sludge coating his tongue and sulphur clogging his nostrils.

Aislynn’s arrows whizzed by his head as the archer stayed back to rain down death. Fallon took up position beside him and in concert they destroyed their enemies. Orc after orc stepped close to the moving Fallon only to have Aislynn’s arrows bring them down. Fallon twisted Tenro and slammed the sword into the chest of the creature in front of her. Before she could clear her sword an orc attacked from behind. She ducked and kicked back to hit the creature in the knee, which brought him down. Freeing Tenro, she sliced him in half and used the momentum to get the orc who came at her next.

Aislynn’s arrows flew past, striking some of them in the distance. Pandemonium reigned across the control room. For every enemy brought down, three more took its place.

Darkness swirled across the floor and Shadow rose to join the fight, taking out a goblin at Aislynn’s back. The elf tipped him a quick smile but did not stop her assault on the advancing hordes.

A ball of fire appeared in the middle of the latest group of goblins which appeared and proceeded to explode, creating piles of flame and ash and the explosion knocking down several nearby.

Fallon turned. “Dammit Laire, what took so long?”

Laire shrugged. “Had to find my shoes.” Motioning with her fingers she brought down bolts of lightning from the ceiling and fried the orcs in its path. “The whole place is chaos. Everywhere needs help.”

Laire looked to say more but a large orc came behind her. Fallon grabbed a dagger from her waist and threw it so it hit the orc in the eye. The dead creature would have crashed into the mage if Fallon hadn’t grabbed her and pushed her to the side.

Laire looked at the dead orc and gave a full body shiver. “That would have been ugly.”

“That’s why mages stay at a safe distance. How are you on spells?”

“Medium.”

There were still large groups of enemies. Fallon lifted Tenro. “Stay back and save power for the big stuff. Tell us what happened while I’m kicking some ass here.” And with that, Fallon charged into the melee and dragged a goblin away from a young female healer who was being pulled out of a nearby room. “How the fuck did they get past the barrier?”

Laire crossed her arms and leaned against the wall as Shadow vivisected a particularly ugly specimen ten feet in front of her. “Suicide onslaught. There were so many who hit at once the barrier was overwhelmed.”

Aislynn frowned before she let go of an arrow that brought down a hanging screen, killing several things that were under it. “It would have taken hundreds to do that, perhaps thousands.”