Jess Lebow - The Darksteel Eye

“I spared your life once, but at the moment I’m not in such a generous mood.” She looked down at herself, covered in muck. “I’ve been through too much, haven’t slept or eaten, and I don’t trust you.” On this last word she shoved the tip of her blade again at Geth, punctuating her point.

“Okay. Okay.” Geth held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll show you.”

The ruler of the Vault placed his fingers to his lips and let out a high-pitched whistle. The acid-etched walls of his chamber tipped forward, as if an invisible giant had been holding them up and now had let go.

Glissa grabbed Geth by the collar of his robe and pulled him back, out from under the falling wall. As she pulled back the lord of the Vault slipped from her grasp and disappeared in the swirling fog.

As the walls collapsed in, everyone else charged toward the center of the room, pilling onto the dais. There was barely enough space, and Bosh was forced to climb on top of the throne.

With everyone collected safely from the way in the center of the room, the walls fell with a tremendous clang, pushing before them a gust of wind. The fog that had blown in with Geth was pushed back into the air, and the companions were surrounded by a dense ring of opaque whiteness.

“What have you done, Geth?” she shouted out into the gloom.

The leader of the vault cackled, his voice coming from farther away than Glissa had expected. “Only completed the circle.”

Everyone stood on guard, straining to see. The fog began to settle again, slowly drooping to the floor. As it descended, objects began to take shape. Tall and narrow, they looked at first like human-sized statues. The fog clung to them as it fell, making the figures seem to rise up from the floor.

Then one of them moved.

“Hello, elf,” said a voice that sounded muted and far away, as if it were underwater.

Bruenna raised her hands. Magical energies playing between them. “Vedalken.”

* * * * *

Pontifex watched the walls to Geth’s chamber fall. A thick fog lifted into the air, obscuring his view.

“Marek, are your troops in place?”

“Yes, my lord,” replied the head of the guard. He held a glowing halberd in the crook of one arm, and in his other hands he gripped an old-fashioned trident.

“Excellent.” He rubbed two of his four hands together. “Now we wait and see if our friend Geth has come through.”

As the walls settled fully to the ground with a loud clap, an island rose from the fog in the center of what used to be Geth’s private chamber. Clinging to that island like a pile of rats atop a sinking ship were the elf and her companions.

“Hello, elf,” said Lord Pontifex. He took a step forward.

Atop the island, a pair of hands cloaked in magical energies rose into the air. Pontifex heard someone say, “Vedalken,” then a jagged bolt of blue lightning shot out and enveloped a warrior standing next to him.

He turned to give Marek the order to charge, but his bodyguard and commander of the vedalken guards had already moved in.

Though most of the fog had cleared, it still clung to the floor, obscuring from view the bottom half of the onrushing warriors. They held their charged lances high above them as they ran. The glowing heads lit up the shifting white cloud below, washing out every color in the spectrum and replacing it with a pale blue.

In the next second, Pontifex’s warriors tore into the huddling mass in the middle of the room. Metal clashed against metal. The sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking drifted over the fog like a lilting horn. The flash of blue-headed halberds cast exotic shadows on the white cloud, and Pontifex came one step closer to acquiring his prize.

* * * * *

“It’s a trap,” shouted Glissa, steeling herself for the charge.

Bruenna had already reacted, sending a jagged shot of power out into the foggy distance.

What had appeared to be statues were vedalken warriors. The fog obscured most of their bodies, but Glissa could clearly see the glowing heads of their magically tipped halberds. They seemed to float on the cloud, casting a pale blue glow as they came. It was a strangely calming color.

The warriors were upon them, and Glissa had no more time to ponder the beauty of the killing blades.

Magic arced out from the dais, crashing into the oncoming warriors. Several fell, but the rest came on, and Glissa launched herself forward, her blade biting into vedalken flesh.

The fog on the floor swirled up and around the combatants. Blades clashed, and sparks flew. Spells were cast, and warriors were frozen in place. Nowhere on the dais was safe from the assault, and in seconds the entire group was surrounded.

Glissa’s blade sang as it cut the thick, dank air. With one swing she cut cleanly through the shaft of a vedalken halberd. With the next she cut down the warrior holding the two halves.

Standing where she was, she couldn’t see the rest of her friends. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of blue magic flying toward the vedalken warriors, or hear Al-Hayat growl. Even if she had time to turn and check on Slobad or Bosh, she doubted she’d be able to see them through all the fog.

Kicking aside the dying warrior before her, the elf turned to the next vague figure looming in the wispy white cloud.

The head of his charged halberd came into view, and Glissa sped up her swing, barely able to block the attack before it smashed into her shoulder. Spinning away, she came around onto the balls of her feet.

The head of the halberd came at her again, but this time she was prepared, and she batted it away with ease-but a sharp pain blossomed on her thigh. The halberd blade had been a feint. Looking down, Glissa saw the head of a trident pull back into the obscurity of the fog.

Drawing air through her clenched teeth, Glissa took a step back, the stinging burn of her fresh wound causing her to limp. The trident had punched three deep holes in her leg, and they wept blood. The entire left side of her body was beginning to ache. She couldn’t fight like this. She needed to heal herself.

Glancing over her shoulder, she looked for some help-there was none in sight, only a swirling cloud of white and jags of blue magic. Her only chance was to try to duck back into the fog, hide herself long enough to heal her leg.

Just as this thought flashed through her head, the warrior she’d been fighting stepped out of the fog-the vedalken Bruenna had called Marek. He held a glowing halberd in one hand and a short, sharp trident in the other. The tips of the trident were shiny, and though the blue glow of the vedalken’s lance was washing out the color, Glissa knew it was her blood tipping the tines.

Marek wasted no time, bringing his halberd down in a chopping blow. Glissa batted it away, but her injured leg slowed her. Pain flared again in her thigh, and she watched the vedalken pull his trident, for the second time, from her wounded leg.

Dropping to the ground, she pressed her back against the floor. The thick fog swirled up, concealing her from view. Pressing her sword tightly against her body, Glissa rolled to her right, hoping to mask her whereabouts.

The sounds of battle filled the air above her, and a heavy boot pounded the floor right beside her head. He’s found me, she thought. A chill ran up her spine, and panic flooded her veins. She had failed.

Then the warrior who belonged to the boot moved on, and Glissa breathed a quick sigh of relief. Dropping her sword, the elf placed both of her hand on her injured left thigh. Even placing light pressure on the skin made the wound throb more, and Glissa winced. Taking a deep breath, she clamed her thoughts and drew in mana. Like the spell she had cast beside the underground lake, this one only needed a small amount of the energies of the Tangle. The rest she could improvise.