“We’ll talk later,” I told him as Azrael released his grip on me. Movement out of the corner of my eye drew our attention back to the twisted wreckage of ichor that slithered towards us with newfound speed. Bastien swore, stepping in front of me and muttering an incantation as his fists began to steam. A low snarl came from Azrael as he crouched, ready to strike as the creature drew closer.
I stepped out in front, placing myself between them and the mass of ichor and shadow.
“What are you?—”
Raising my hand out, the air around me crackled with electricity as I loosed a bolt of lightning that filled the space with blinding light. This bolt was not the typical cerulean blueI expected, but a scalding white that left dark blotches in my vision as it raced towards the creature. It struck the teeming mass, coaxing another chorus of screeches as the darkness peeled back from the shapes underneath, dissolving into ash that rained down over the pale stone floors.
“Gods,” breathed Bastien to my left.
“Are those…?” Azrael whispered.
Beneath the shadow and ichor, bodies twisted and flailed, trying to right themselves in the lingering residue of the Umbral’s influence.
“The ones from the Sanctuary,” I answered, already turning my attention towards the Umbral and its perversion of the Source’s altar. “Help them. Guide them back towards the surface.”
“You’re not coming?” Bastien asked.
“I’ll be right behind you,” I assured him. “Once I’ve wiped this mess up.”
Azrael shook his head. “You’ll need us.”
“I do need you,” I agreed. “But not for this. They need you far more—” I motioned to the survivors. “And I need to know that you’re safe from what’s to come.”
Azrael wanted to argue further, but Bastien placed a hand on his shoulder. “Be careful. Don’t get cocky.”
I snorted a laugh.
“It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
“Come,” Bastien bade Azrael, directing his attention to the huddled survivors. “We each have our parts to play.”
Azrael nodded reluctantly, his violet eyes hesitating on me. A flash of movement from behind them, and my reflexes kicked in, sweeping both of their legs out from under them as a streak of stygian lightning scorched the space they had just occupied. I was back on my feet in an instant, expanding my magic out as a second bolt collided with the invisible wall I’d hastily projected,branching across the surface with a deafening crack. I squinted, making out the shape of a figure crouched below the altar, and my blood went cold.
I knew that silhouette.
“Get moving!” I yelled back at the others, focusing on holding the wall in place as another bolt of that strange, dark lightning collided with it, splintering the edges. Even with the power of the Source running through me, I had to plant my feet in order to not be pushed back by the force of the attack.
Bolt after bolt struck my defenses, whittling away at the shield till finally it shattered, knocking me to the ground. I risked a glance back at the others, noting that Bastien and Azrael had made quick work of organizing the survivors and getting the moving. They were almost clear of the chamber.
Rising to my feet once more, I addressed my foe.
“Sancha packed more of a punch in her sleep. You’re a poor facsimile.”
The Umbral straightened from its crouch, moving forward with all of the grace and presence of the Cardinal it wore as a mask.
“Your teacher was more clever than I anticipated,” it said, using Sancha’s voice. “I never expected her to be able to channel the Source into another vessel. It was a gambit that cost her dearly in the end. After she’d expended the last of her strength, she lacked the will to resist my control. I do hope it was worth it.”
“Allow me to demonstrate.”
Raising my hand, I loosed another bolt of the blinding lightning. The Umbral was just as fast, countering with a shadowy bolt that collided with my own, the tendrils wrapping around one another and raining sparks upon the ground below.
It was magic far above any level I’d been able to wield before. It suffused every part of my body, this comforting warmth. It stirred my limbs, steering reflexes along as it went.For a moment, concern bloomed in my mind. Were my actions still my own? Or did the Source seek to manipulate my body much like the Umbral had done to Sancha and the others?
The worry lasted for only a second, replaced instead with an overwhelming sense of peace. I needed no words to understand the message: I was free to do as I willed.
Sancha stepped closer, her features twisted into an uncharacteristic smile. “It matters not where the light goes to hide. You’ve merely made it easier to snuff out. Tied it to your fragile life. In the end, a foolish decision made by a foolish woman.”
Rage simmered under the calming warmth, coiling in my gut.
