Stealing Sorcery (53 page)

Sterling batted one of the blades out of Landen’s hands, giving her friend a crooked grin. Landen raised his remaining blade into a high stance – a suicidal stance.

Velas jumped on Sterling’s back.

The Vae’kes froze, apparently startled, while Velas slipped her arms underneath his and attempted to pin them in a hold.

Sterling slammed his head backward, but Velas expected the move, tilting her own head to the side and taking the blow on her chin. She felt her teeth clack together at the impact, but it barely dazed her.

And, with her arms now in position, she lifted.

The pain in her chest intensified as she brought the Vae’kes off the ground. Landen took the opening, reversing his blade and slamming the pommel into Sterling’s forehead with a loud crack. Sterling’s neck recoiled and he released his grip on his sword.

Then Sterling shoved his elbow backward into Velas’ ribs, landing the strike just above where he had hit before.

Velas felt something within her chest snap, dropping Sterling and falling backward, landing hard on her back.

Wheezing, she looked up to find Landen slamming his blade into Sterling ineffectively again, and then failing an attempt to sweep the Vae’kes off his feet.

Shit.

Velas braced herself on the ground, attempting to push herself to her feet, but the burning within her chest made her shiver and fall as soon as she began to move.

Sterling pressed closer to Landen, deflecting blade strikes with his bare hands until he finally grasped the sword and wrenched it from the duelist’s hands.

Landen punched Sterling in the face, but the Vae’kes only shook his head, patting his cheek. “It would appear you have exhausted your options. I’ll give you a moment for your prayers.”

“That won’t be necessary,” came a nearby voice – a newcomer’s voice. “Help is already here.”

Velas turned her head to see Garrick Torrent holding a broken half of the beacon he had given her in his left hand. He held a gilded rapier in his right hand, pointed toward the dirt. And he was not alone.

Lydia Hastings stood to his right side, her own rapier drawn, a flickering barrier materializing around her. “You must be the assassin I’ve been looking for – I wasn’t expecting you to be right here, but that does make things convenient. Shall we dance?”

“Oh,” Sterling said, turning toward Torrent and Lydia, “By all means, let us begin.”

Well,
Lydia thought, setting a hand on Garrick Torrent’s shoulder,
I wasn’t expecting to find my target out here quite so quickly, but I won’t complain.

“Dominion of Protection, fold against his skin.”

The barrier manifested around Lieutenant Torrent immediately, and he nodded to her appreciatively, breaking off to the left. She broke to the right, her own barrier already in place, instinctively understanding Torrent’s intent for a flanking maneuver.

An unarmed Landen of the Twin Blades rushed around their opponent to stand in front of Velas Jaldin, who was down on the ground, her breastplate cast aside. Her sword was nearby.

They had only witnessed the last few moments of the combat – Landen’s last few ineffective strikes, and the blonde man’s relentless advance – but Lydia had already told Torrent that she suspected Landen was the next target for an assassin, and the scene laid out in front of them manifested in a fashion obvious enough for her to know which side to protect.

“Sterling is a Vae’kes –” Landen managed to begin as the blonde whirled on him, moving forward in a blur and grabbing his neck.

The man that Landen had identified as Sterling frowned, turning his head toward the approaching paladins as Landen raised his arms and ineffectively grabbed the hand that had grasped his throat.

A Vae’kes? That explains why the sword wasn’t phasing him, but why would a Vae’kes be working against House Theas?

Lydia dismissed the question – there would be time to judge motives later.

“You can stop moving, paladins. I’ll crush his throat if you take another step.”

Torrent vanished, reappeared next to Landen, grabbed him, and they both vanished.

Sterling was left strangling the empty air.

Moving his hands in front of him, Sterling shook his head. “A teleporter. That’s going to be irritating.”

Velas moved for a fallen sword on the ground, but Sterling kicked it, sending the weapon sliding across dirt and grass far out of reach.

He glanced down at Velas, giving her a disapproving frown. “Haven’t you suffered enough?” He kicked her in the side, flipping her over entirely, while Lydia began to advance again.

Torrent will be back soon – but how do we approach this?

She caught sight of the fallen figures at the nearby cave entrance, gritting her teeth.

Oh, he’s going to pay for this.

She dropped into the Aayaran Instant Striking Stance, focusing her vision on the few exposed vulnerable points on Sterling’s body.

If he really is as resilient as the Vae’kes are supposed to be – and from Landen’s last few swings, that looked likely – I’m going to need to be precise and strike somewhere vulnerable. The eyes, most likely.

Sterling advanced on her, still unarmed, looking nonchalant.

He’s going to try to catch my blade like he did with Landen’s. I might be a hair faster on the draw than Landen, but not by much. I need a distraction.

“Dominion of Protection, wrap around my blade.”

A blue-white shroud encapsulated the sword, causing it to shimmer in the low light.

“Not sure what that was for,” Sterling remarked, “But I’m pretty confident it’s not going to help you.”

Torrent reappeared directly behind Sterling. The Vae’kes didn’t seem to notice.

Lydia stepped forward into a lunge. As she had predicted, Sterling reached for the blade, but she whipped it out of the way, slashing downward. She severed the bindings on his right boot, smirked, and danced backward, resuming her stance.

The Vae’kes glanced down at his boot, sighed, and then looked back up at Lydia. “Really? Do you have any idea what that cost?”

She shrugged. “Probably not a fraction of what you’re making on this contract – although I’ll wager it isn’t in coin.”

He sighed. “You don’t have to try to bait me into talking – I think we’re all relatively clear on who is killing who at this point, and I’ve never minded a bit of a conversation before a meal.”

Lydia quirked an eyebrow. “A meal?”

“Your sorcery, my friend. It’s going to be delicious.”

Sterling rushed forward – enhanced by a motion sorcery effect, Lydia judged – and Lydia flicked her blade outward to stop his rush.

She had no time to aim for his eye, but nevertheless, Sterling turned aside to avoid her strike.

Ah,
Lydia smirked, perfect.
He doesn’t know if the sword can hurt him.

It probably can’t, but I’ll solve that problem later.

Where’s Taelien? If he’s one of the bodies down in that cave…

…well, then at least the Sae’kes could be nearby. We could use a weapon like that for dealing with the Vae’kes.

Lydia stepped back, resetting her stance. Torrent flickered and reappeared behind Sterling, thrusting a rapier at the Vae’kes from behind, but Sterling spun and caught the blade.

Lydia took the opening, slashing the back of Sterling’s other boot. He had other positions that would have normally been more tempting, but if she connected with his skin and failed to bite, Sterling would know her blade was useless.

Sterling snapped Torrent’s sword in half.

Garrick disappeared again.

Sterling lazily cast the broken half of Garrick’s blade aside, turning back to Lydia. “You know, you’re beginning to irritate me.”

“I should hope so. But, in fairness, I should probably offer you the chance to surrender and face a trial.”

Sterling ran a hand through his hair, looking contemplative, and then shrugged. “Declined.”

“I expected as much. But you seem like a talker, so humor me – what’s all this for?”

The Vae’kes laughed, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“I’ve always considered myself very tolerant of outside perspectives.”

Sterling folded his arms across his chest, glancing briefly skyward. “Well,” he smiled, “We’re saving the world.”

Lydia took another step back, knowing each step her opponent had to take widened her advantage. “That’s somewhat grand even by Vae’kes standards.”

Sterling tilted his head to the side. “Is that so? Are you acquainted with many Vae’kes?”

He began to advance again, glancing from side to side.

Lydia followed his glances, noting that Velas had dragged herself over to a tree and was valiantly attempting to pull herself to her feet, but that Landen and Torrent were out of sight.

“Not directly, I confess. But I’m relatively confident one of my friends works closely with one.”

“That’s scandalous. A paladin, friends with a contact for the Vae’kes? What would your superiors say?”

Lydia shrugged. “Not much, to be honest. I think they’re fairly accustomed to spies from other organizations being omnipresent at this point.”

“What a sad state of affairs.” Sterling shook his head. “Your once proud knighthood, slowly decaying from within.”

He’s stalling.

I thought I was stalling, but he’s stalling for something – even the most arrogant assassin wouldn’t want to talk this much. And I don’t think my little protection trick on the sword is what’s deterring him.

I need to end this.

Lydia braced herself as Sterling stalked forward, and as he came within reach, she lunged again, aiming directly at his right eye.

He intercepted the blade with an iron grasp, just as she had expected. And she stepped in close and tapped his arm.

“Sleep.”

The dream spell flooded over Sterling. His eyes closed.

“I’d really rather not.”

He jerked the rapier out of her hand, flipping it around into his grip.

Lydia stepped back, but not fast enough. Sterling struck with her own weapon – and sparks flew as the blade’s barrier struck the one around her body, deflecting the sword and leaving both barriers undamaged.

And, with Sterling’s hands occupied with a useless weapon, Lydia was free to raise her own – and begin an incantation.

“Xerasilis, I bind my aura to this ring.”

She felt a chill as her body heat briefly shifted, creating a flicker of flame over the ring she wore on her right hand. It was miniscule; a dying candle’s flame on a winter night, but it was enough.

The ring glowed white on her hand as she spoke again, turning her right palm toward Sterling.

“
Eru volar shen taris.
”

A sirocco of blue-white flame burst from her hand, sending shivers through her form.

Sterling dropped her sword, thrusting out both hands and inhaling deeply. A black aura manifested around his hands, creating a vortex that tore her flames out of the air, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke.

Lydia staggered backward, shivering uncontrollably and falling to her knees.

Gods, so cold. Hartigan warned me, but…

Sterling shook his head, kicking Lydia’s fallen sword out of the way as he advanced. “Not a bad trick. That might have actually hurt me if it made contact – a shame you won’t get another chance at it.”

Sterling blurred forward again, reaching out – his hand’s flickering black as it tore through her barrier and grabbed her around the throat.

“You have many skills – enough to survive without a few of them, I’d think.”

Lydia felt something reach
through
his hand – foreign essence, probing within her, flooding her blood – and tearing something out of her.

She screamed, in spite of the hand clenched around her throat.

Lydia was only vaguely aware as she crumpled to the ground, feeling terribly empty within, worse than any loss of blood.

“Stay down,” Sterling instructed, delivering a kick to her right leg. Bones shattered within and Lydia’s mind fluttered again.

She curled into a ball, shivering, nearly insensate.

Torrent appeared behind Sterling, grabbing directly onto the Vae’kes.

“We’re going on a little trip,” Garrick murmured.

The pair vanished.

Moments later, they reappeared, only a blade-length away.

Sterling had Garrick in a single-armed headlock, and he was shaking his own head. “Against an ordinary opponent, I suppose teleporting them high into the air would be quite creative. Against a Vae’kes, well – you just gave me travel sorcery. Appreciated.”

He dragged Garrick across the ground, the lieutenant struggling within his grip.

Lydia could not even consider intervening. Her mind was frozen, broken beyond the state of her body.

Sterling smiled, reaching down. “A gift like that deserves something in return, don’t you think? I don’t have much on hand,” his grip settled around Lydia’s fallen rapier, “But on such short notice, this will have to do.”

And he plunged the blade into Torrent’s chest.

Garrick fell free, released from Sterling’s grip. The hilt of the sword struck the ground first, driving it further into Torrent’s chest, leaving him coughing as he rolled helplessly on the dirt.

Sterling stepped close to Torrent again. “What were you thinking? I mean, honestly, couldn’t you have thought to go for help?”

He laid a boot on Torrent’s side, flipping him to face upward, and plucked the rapier out of his chest.

Garrick let out a rasping cough, raising a hand in what looked like a warding gesture – and then smiled, grabbing onto Sterling’s leg.

“How pointless.”

Sterling thrust the rapier downward – only to find it snapped in half by a blade that glowed with blue-green fire.

“As it turns out…” Garrick rasped. “I did go for help.”

Five more glowing blades appeared around Sterling, swiping inward.

Sterling deflected each of them with precise strikes, jumping backward and spinning around, scanning for his attacker.

“War! What is this nonsense?”

Landen stepped out from behind a nearby tree hurling something - just a handful of dirt, Lydia realized belatedly – into Sterling’s eyes.

Sterling stumbled backward, dropping his sword and reaching for his eyes – and then vanished as the floating swords whisked through the air where he was standing moments before.

The Vae’kes reappeared a dozen feet away, punching a tree hard enough to bury his fist within it. “War! You hear me, you fucker? I’m going to end you!”

Snarling, Sterling vanished a second time – and for a moment, the forest was silent.

A pair of figures moved into view, only one of which was familiar.

Taelien.

His sword glowed brightly in his hand, bathed in the light of seven runes.

Lydia smiled softly at the sight – the mirror of a legendary god.

The swordsman was limping forward, half-carried by the other figure – an unfamiliar man with strange coppery skin and hair.

“Lydia,” Taelien muttered, noting her. His eyes shifted, catching Garrick on the ground next. “Oh, gods…”