Once upon a Spring morn

40

Escape

Torches aflame and shrieking a war cry, toward the squalling mob drove Celeste, with Roel shouting and charging after, fire in his hands as well. And the mares and geldings smashed into the throng, and brittle bones shattered under the onslaught. Corpses fell and were trampled under, never to rise again. The horses screamed at the touch of the undead things, and yet they hammered ahead, trying to get free of the deadly and draining chill. The princess and her knight laid about with their torches and tattered clothing blazed up, and dangling flesh burst into flame, and burning creatures mewled thin wails and fled back into the horde, only to spread the fire as more of the undead caught flame and squealed and ran into others and those into others still. The corpses gave way before horse and flambeau in fear of hoof and blaze, and some took up rubble and threw it at these living things to try and bring them down. But Celeste and Roel and the horses crashed onward, and finally the princess was free of the mob. . and Roel broke free right after.

Yet bearing their torches, up through the streets they galloped, a howling throng running after. Past broken shy; down houses and collapsed buildings and other wrack and ruin they fled, and beings emerged from the side streets and alleyways and reached out to grasp with their deadly cold hands. But the two and their horses ran onward, sometimes smashing over the corpses, bones snapping and popping like dried sticks under the pounding hooves.

Out through the gate flashed Celeste and Roel, and across the barren cinders and ashes and up the hill toward the ruins of fractured stone columns and broken pave high above.

And the horde of the undead corpses came yowling after.

And in the distance beyond the horizon where the leaden sky glowed red, the air flashed bright crimson, and the ground rumbled and thunder rolled o’er the land.

Celeste and Roel galloped up and up, guiding the horses by knees alone. Finally they reached the crest of the hill, the horses to clatter onto the fragmented stone.

Celeste and Roel leapt down, and casting the flambeaus aside, they took the horses by the reins.

Behind them, skeletal beings, some seeming nought but fleshless bones, came swarming up the hill.

Celeste pointed ahead at the broken stone floor.

“There, Roel, there lies the circle.” Together they stepped into the ring, and as before, at a nod from Roel, in unison they said Phainesaton!

Nothing happened. .

No portals appeared. .

And the horde came howling up the hill.

Again Roel nodded. .

. . and again they said Phainesaton!

And again no portals appeared.

Roel looked over his shoulder, and he drew Coeur d’Acier.

And the undead things came on, their squalling growing louder.

“Why do not the doorways manifest?” asked Celeste, even as she took up a torch.

“I know not,” said Roel. “Mayhap-”

“Oh, wait,” said Celeste, “I think I might know why.” Roel looked at her.

“Remember what Chiron said: ‘Now you must put all else out of your minds except the desire to open the portals, and then, together, say the word Phainesaton! ’

Roel, the word alone is not enough; we must have the intent. Hence, we need to calm our thoughts, no matter that a mob comes.”

In the distance, a huge blast of scarlet flared the entire sky red, and the ground gave a violent jolt, and even as Celeste and Roel and the horses fought to keep their feet, one of the huge pillars on the left side of the ruins toppled and crashed down, stone bursting apart.

Under a now-ruddy sky above, as the aftershocks diminished and died, Roel said, “If the portals do not appear, we must flee from here, and return later when the liches are gone.”

“Agreed,” said Celeste.

WHOOOM! A vast wave of thunder from the distant explosion at last rolled across the hill.

The horses belled in fright and shied, but Roel and Celeste managed to keep control.

And the howls of the oncoming throng grew louder.

Celeste said, “Flee we will, if necessary, but now let us clear our minds of all but the need to open the way.” Roel nodded and Celeste looked down and took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, and she brought her gaze up to where she had last seen the gateways and then glanced at Roel and-

The mob topped the hill and rushed toward the living beings standing in the ruins.

— He nodded, and together they said Phainesaton!

Two black doorways appeared before them.

Squalling, living dead ran forward.

One of the geldings screamed as an undead thing laid a hand upon its flank.

“Left is right and right a mistake,” shouted Celeste, and together she and Roel fled through the leftmost portal, corpse folk hurtling after.