Violence
broke out, and I could only watch.
Dirk
lunged toward Albrecht, blade drawn. The dokkalf
flicked a finger, and his side table flew at the hunter. Dirk blocked
the piece of furniture, allowing Albrecht time to rise and retreat
through his secret door.
“Brenna,
Chen, get in here!” Dirk took a moment to give orders. “Lamb,
stay put.” He crossed the room and threw himself against the panel.
It creaked but didn't budge.
“We've
got company.” Brenna's voice was muffled by the door, but her words
were clear. “Maybe try joining us.”
Dirk
swore vehemently, throwing himself against the hidden door once more.
“He's getting away.”
Sounds
of combat reached me. If I could hear them through the door, it must
be a vicious fight. “They need our help.” I rushed to the door
and tried the handle; locked. There had to be a way to get it open.
My
leader joined me, grumbling and swearing. “The air reeks of dokkalf
magic.” He pried at the lock with his blade, wedging the tip into
the mechanism. Metal squealed, and the latch gave. Dirk ripped the
doors open, revealing our comrades.
Brenna
stood with her back to us, swinging her mace in an arc, keeping the
shambling horrors at bay. Several broken creatures lay at her feet,
one of them still twitching.
Chen
fought by her side, protecting Aidan, his lightning-fast strikes
disabling the creatures or driving them toward Brenna's mace. Blood
stained the side of his face, proving the battle wasn't one-sided.
Dirk
charged into position on Brenna's other side, swinging at clawed
hands. “The bastard got away,” he growled between swings.
Aidan
whispered a spell, and Brenna's mace suddenly glowed with light. The
attackers, vaguely humanoid, shrieked and retreated, giving us a
moment of respite. “Are we going after him?”
Brenna
chased the throng of creatures back, clearing a path toward the front
door if we wanted to escape. She grunted with each swing, but I knew
she could keep at this for easily an hour. Not that it seemed like
there were that many enemies left.
Dirk
gritted one of the creatures, turning an ichor-stained face toward
us. “Lamb, show him the door. See if he can get through while we
hold them off. We'll hunt Albrecht down wherever he goes to ground.”
Our
eyes met, our gazes locked for a long moment. The fierceness of his
expression faded, softened to a look of love. Then he snarled and
returned to combat, blood flinging everywhere.
I
wasn't sure which expression I disliked more.
Aidan
followed me to the hidden door, then laid his hands on the panel. He
whispered words of magic, and I divided my attention between him and
the rest of our group. This was one of the few times I felt helpless,
useless. I wanted to be more than the innocent bait luring monsters
from out of the shadows.
The
hidden door clicked. “It's open,” Aidan called, pressing the
panel back, exposing only blackness.
A
whistle of cold wind came from the darkness, skirling through the
room, making lamps flicker and the fire roar. A strange scent filled
my nostrils, reminding me of Albrecht. I drew a deep breath, taking
his aroma deep into myself, and let my eyes slip closed.
