The Shattered Land

CHAPTER 21

Lei was still examining Pierce’s injuries when Sakhesh entered.

First sahuagin, now draconists, she thought. As a child she had been taught to believe in the Sovereign Host, and like every heir of House Cannith she had receive the ritual blessing of Onatar, the Lord of Fire and Forge. She wasn’t an especially devout worshipper, but the Sovereigns didn’t ask much of their followers. Nonetheless, she felt a certain disdain for this priest and his radical beliefs. Dragons were amazing creatures-but they weren’t gods. The fiery aura gave her pause, but his magical powers didn’t vindicate his beliefs; a wizard could summon fire without following any god. Magic was a power many could draw on, and the faith of the priest was but one path to power.

Even before Sakhesh spoke, his intentions were clear to her-they weren’t getting out of the room without a fight. She might be able to get Pierce back on his feet before Sakhesh could strike, but with only seconds to work, she could only perform minimal repairs, and if Pierce suffered more damage in such a state, he might be destroyed for good.

Pierce had to sit out of this battle, but she didn’t.

As Daine leapt forward, Lei closed her eyes and concentrated on her armor, merging her thoughts with this magical aura that encased and surrounded her. Green leather studded with golden rivets, this armor was her most treasured possession. It had been a gift from her mother, given to Lei when she left her parents’ enclave for her first assignment. Aleisa said that it was an heirloom of the house, crafted by the legendary artificer Alder d’Cannith. There was power in the vest, a reservoir of energy she called upon when weaving her enchantments, and the vest itself was mystically malleable. Lei could weave temporary effects into any object, but this usually took a considerable amount of time: with her vest, it was a matter of seconds. Now Lei drew on the concept of fire, the basic principles of heat and flame. Touching the vest with her mind, she took its aura and twisted it, shaping it, creating a shield that would protect her from all forms of heat.

She opened her eyes. Mere seconds had passed. Daine was frozen in place, paralyzed by another spell. Sakhesh was walking forward, preparing to wrap Daine in his burning embrace. He hadn’t even spared a glance for Lei.

That was a mistake.

Lei spun in place as she rose from the ground, and her darkwood staff was a black blur as it smashed into the priest’s head. There was a burst of flame, but it dissipated harmlessly around her; even her staff was protected by the magical aura of her armor. Sakhesh cried out in pain and stumbled away from her, one hand rising up to shield his head.

Lei threw herself forward, striking again and again. The priest had his own magical shield that helped turn the brunt of physical blows, but he simply wasn’t prepared for the sheer ferocity of Lei’s attack. Neither was she. She felt as if she was being swept away by her own anger; she was guided more by instinct than conscious thought. Jode’s death, Daine’s affliction, Lakashtai’s cool condescension, and now Pierce’s injuries and these battles in a strange land-it had been building up inside her ever since they’d arrived in Sharn almost a year ago. Now she had an outlet for all that rage and frustration, some arrogant man who wanted to kill Daine and didn’t even understand how to show proper respect for the Sovereigns.

Sakhesh was no fool. He was no match for her physically, and he knew it. He fell back, circled the room, and tried to put obstacles between them. He clenched his fist, and Lei felt his hand trying to grasp her mind and freeze her in place, but his magic paled before her fury, and the spell shattered against the wall of her will. Gouts of flame were dispersed by the magic of her armor, and every moment that passed she landed another blow.

Finally, Sakhesh fell to the ground. His flaming aura had guttered and died. His face was a mass of bruises, and Lei was certain she had felt a rib crack on her last blow. Now a new feeling rose within her … a strange sense of shame. Was this really who she was, a thief, who would break into a man’s home and beat him? The point of her staff was lowered, ready to strike-but she paused, her anger finally fading.

Sakhesh glared at her, forcing himself up with one hand. Blood dripped from his mouth, and she could feel the raw hate in his gaze.

“Fool!” he spat. “You cannot fight me.”

“I think I just did.” She wondered if she should strike him again, silence him, but now that her fury had faded the idea of beating a fallen foe seemed repellent.

“You have won nothing!” A shattered tooth fell from his mouth as he gasped out the words. “You … you will lay down your weapon and return what is mine. Now!”

“And if I don’t?”

“With one word … one! I can turn my fires on your warforged, burning him from within. You cannot stop me in time.”

He was right. He’d fallen back when he’d dropped to the ground, and now she was too far away. He could cast one last spell before she could close, and Pierce was horribly damaged. Surely this … it couldn’t be worth it.

“Very well,” she said.

“Now drop your-”

He never finished the sentence. Even as he shouted his final demand, the point of a black dagger spouted from his throat.

“Trouble speaking?” Daine said.

He planted his boot on the priest’s back, grasping the hilt of his dagger as he pushed down with his foot. The blade was slick with blood as it emerged, and Sakhesh sank to the floor without another word.

Lei stared at Daine. In the battle with Sakhesh, both she and the priest had forgotten about him, and he’d finally broken free of the magical paralysis. Daine looked down at the corpse beneath his boot and the spreading pool of blood, and she wasn’t sure if his expression was one of sorrow or cold resolution.

“I guess I’m an assassin after all,” he said. He knelt next to Sakhesh and wiped his bloody blade on the priest’s robes. “Get Pierce on his feet and that scale in your pack. We need to go. Now.”

Daine took the lead as they charged up the stairs. Pierce was still wounded, and they couldn’t afford to take the time to fully repair his injuries. Lakashtai might be dying. Sakhesh could have called for help. There was no time to lose.

Daine leapt over the top of the stairs, sprinting into the nave. His sword was out, adrenaline surging as he looked for the next foe.

Lakashtai was in the center of the chamber. She was kneeling over three bodies in the robes of temple acolytes, and as Daine drew closer he saw that she was binding their wrists and feet with silk cord. She looked up as he approached.

“I expected you sooner,” she said. Her clothing was singed, and there were burns across her left arm, but her voice was low and calm. “I apologize about the loss of thought-speech, but he took me by surprise. I imagine that your actions triggered some sort of warning. I chose to feign defeat; I couldn’t match them alone in my current condition, but these three posed little challenge.”

Daine looked at Lei. Neither had anything to say. Pierce stood silently behind them.

“Come now, move quickly!” Lakashtai said, standing up and striding toward the door. “This was only the beginning. The true danger is still to come.”