Frank Tuttle - The Banshee's walk

The Lady sank against Marlo, her eyes fluttering and showing only the whites.

Mama grabbed her, and together with Marlo eased her into a chair.

“It worked,” she gasped. “Bought us time.”

And then her eyes closed, and she went limp.

Marlo shook her. Mama shoved him back and cussed.

“Let her be!”

“She’s dying!”

“She’s sleepin’, you daft old fool. Wore herself out on that hex. Needs to rest. Gonna rest, whether you likes it or not.”

Marlo stroked the Lady’s cheek. “You sure?”

Mama shook her bat authoritatively in Marlo’s face. “I damn well reckon I knows sleep when I sees it. Get her to somewheres safe. If she asks for water get her some. Can you do that, you reckon?”

Marlo picked up the Lady and hurried away. Mama chuckled.

“That there man needs to quit pretending he’s just a hired hand.”

I nodded, still watching the catapult crews gather around their stricken machines. “She bought us some time.”

“How much, you reckon?”

“Depends. They’ve either got more rope or they don’t. If they do, another five or six hours. If they don’t, another day, maybe two.”

Mama put her face to the window and snuffed.

“I bets they do, boy. But that ain’t gonna matter neither. Guess where your vampire friends is, right now?”

“Playing pinochle in the basement?”

Mama laughed. “I reckon they’s on the roof. Watch this, boy. You’re gonna like it.”

I watched. Nothing happened for a moment, until a black-clad wand-waver rode up next to a catapult and started yelling at the crew.

Something arced down from above and struck the siege engine right on the throwing arm and burst with a tinkling of glass. Flames splashed, spreading over the timbers and scattering the crew.

Men shouted. Archers whirled and let loose on the House. I pulled Mama away from the window and dodged away myself as the sounds of bolts and arrows splintering on the walls outside the room.

More shouts from below. I dared not look, but I hoped the other two catapults were in flames as well.

“That boy can throw as good as he said.”

“That something you and Evis cooked up?”

“Like I said, the boy has his talents.” Mama waggled her owl at the window. “All they’ll do when they start dowsing it with water is make it spread.”

I dared a quick glance. The catapult frame was engulfed in oily black flames. But the timbers were massive, and the iron bolts huge. I knew in my heart we’d inconvenienced the crews, but we’d hardly damaged the actual machines.

“Don’t look so glum, boy. Bet they wasn’t expectin’ wand-wavers and halfdead. At least we’re makin’ ’em work for it. Now are you going to see Darla or not?”

“I’m going. Keep your head out of the window. Lots of archers down there. A few of them might be that good.”

Mama cackled. “I didn’t get this old by acting the fool, boy. And today ain’t the day I die, neither, so don’t you be worried about me.”

I made for the door. When I left, Mama was shaking her owl at the yard and muttering hexes under her breath.

I was halfway down the last flight of stairs when Evis caught up with me. He was wrapped in black, against the sun, and he smelled of lamp oil and soot.

“Having fun?”

“Just getting a bit of exercise,” he replied. “They won’t be using their siege engines for a while.”

I grunted, not quite ready to start sounding any victory trumpeting just yet.

“Saw something strange in the woods. Not sure what it was. Come nightfall, Victor is going to slip out and see.”

I slowed a bit. “Strange how?”

Evis glanced around. “Not the time or the place. But if I’m right, the catapults are the least of our problems.”

I stopped and turned to face him and kept my voice at a whisper. “Worse than catapults? What the Hell is worse than catapults from forty feet?”

Evis put his finger to his lips. “You don’t want to know, and you’ll just have to trust me on that. I will say this much-if I’m right, and if I give the word, you’ll want to grab Darla and Mama and Gertriss and get to the tunnels. There won’t be time to haul every soul down there, and you won’t be able to stop this and you won’t be able to save them.”

Hell. Evis was scared.

“I’m serious, Markhat.”

“About what?”

“Remember the worst thing you saw used during the War. This makes that look like a snowball fight.” Footsteps and voices sounded, coming up the stairs toward us.

Evis put his hand on my shoulder. “Trust me. If I give the word, you grab your women and you run for the tunnels. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Evis removed his hand. There’d be a bruise on my shoulder that would linger for weeks. I doubt he ever realized how hard he’d gripped me.

A bevy of grim-faced carpenters came stomping up toward us. The carpenters put their backs to the wall as they sidled around Evis. One made some sort of holy sign with his hands as he passed.

“I’m having them make a couple of new openings in the attic,” said Evis. We started back downstairs. “Our friends on the ground know about the existing bolt hole, and are watching it now. But with any luck, we can open a new one in secret. Victor and Sara have expressed a desire to take a stroll around the property in the moonlight.”

I grinned, sure they’d find numerous ways to amuse themselves, each at our attackers’ expense.

I found Darla and Gertriss in the hall, right beyond the gallery doors. Buttercup was between them, prancing around in a pair of slippers twice the size of her feet.

“Mama said you were looking for me.”

“I was. Gertriss? A moment?”

Gertriss nodded and caught Buttercup up by her waist and spun her around. The banshee clapped and squealed. Gertriss dropped to one knee a few paces away and began a game of hidey-face with the giggling banshee.

Darla took my elbow.

“Someone around here listens at doors,” she whispered. “Gertriss and I both heard some of the staff talking about daggers and how no one here need die just to protect some half-Elf wild thing you dragged in from the woods.”

I cussed. Darla pretended she didn’t hear.

“It’s just talk right now, my intended. But let things go a little longer, or get a little worse, and it might turn out to be more than idle conversation.”

I made sure no one was idling nearby, and then I bent, pulled the dagger from my boot, and handed it hilt-first to Darla.

“I can’t be forced to give it to anyone if I don’t have it. Get it to Evis if things get complicated. Like to see one of these bumpkins take on three halfdead.”

Darla frowned, but took the thing. She withdrew a prim but freshly sharpened dagger from her own right boot, slipped the Corpsemaster’s dagger in its place, and then gave hers to me.

“Give them this one, if they insist,” she said. “They might be inclined to be civil if they think they’re getting what they want.”

“Not a bad idea.” I put Darla’s dagger away. Gertriss danced with Buttercup, who was having trouble keeping her feet in her too-large shoes.

The House shook. Dust and bits of plaster fell from the walls and ceilings. Shouts rose all around.

Buttercup shrieked. Gertriss wrapped her arms around Buttercup and put her back to the wall.

“Markhat. Come quick.”

“Stay with Gertriss.” I gave Darla a quick kiss on the cheek. “Keep the tip of your blade level with your waist. They’ll likely come in overhand. Sidestep and stab. Works every time.”

I ran. The shouting continued. I burst into the front room and was met by a mob of panicked household staff, with Marlo at the fore.

“They’ve done something to the sky.”