CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Vibrant greens and terrae-rich browns filled the Keep. A peaceful blue sky stretched miles above them, only a thin line between the thick trees that crowded it out of view. Abundant life burst forth all around them. The luscious trees towered higher than any building in Loclight. Their massive brown trunks and roots butted against one another while thick branches stretched wildly in all directions.
“The path is only wide enough for two of us at a time,” Isla said as they clustered on the stairs. “We should do our best not to step outside of it.”
The team shared nervous glances.
“You think something bad will happen if we do?” Rafferty asked.
Isla gave the trees a wary inspection. “I don’t want to find out if I’m wrong.”
“All right,” Deckard said, taking a cautious step forward. “Two at a time. Isla, take Brea and lead us. Thom, I want you to watch their backs. Ethenn and Ilain, you’ll go next with Raff and Vayden right behind you. Evylin and I will defend the rear.”
The troop moved steadily to follow his orders, though he noted Ethenn and Ilain gave one another tight looks as theystepped into place. Still, they moved together down the path as instructed.
The nine of them moved quickly. Within moments, the hum of the Shades heralded their prompt arrival. It sounded like the rustling of a hundred thousand leaves. A great whisper of the terrae, coming to life in their ears.
Dirt and clay swirled into being as the Shades rose from the grass and dirt. And they never stopped growing. Large and bulky, these Shades dwarfed the others they’d encountered. Deckard worried that any hits they landed would deal twice the damage. He tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the tug of Space on his heart. Its whisper was softer than usual, a gentle urging rather than that furious demand from his dream. But he wasn’t yet ready to draw on his magic. He couldn’t risk losing control again.
Ethenn’s silver arrows were the first to zip through the air, each hitting its mark. But it quickly became apparent that it would take multiple arrows to bring down only one Shade. Several of the creatures barreled onto the path as his targets exploded into mounds of dirt where they’d stood.
Deckard grimaced, knowing that the force of those giant clumps could cause severe damage if a person got trapped beneath their shower.
Wind magic ripped through several Shades as Isla and Brea fought their way forward. Evylin cut one down while Deckard staved off another. The Shade’s death nearly knocked him off his feet when it burst into dirt.
Evylin tugged him out of the way. “Let me handle close combat, will you?” she said with casual humor. “I need you to thin out the pack.”
Deckard spared her a glance as they rushed ahead toward the towering obelisk awaiting them. “I should wait for the Chamber,” he said.
A column of fire burned up a Shade that got too close, its mound spilling onto their path. They veered around it as they ran, forced into single file until they passed.
“We can’t let them get onto the path,” Deckard called. “They’ll block us.”
“Are we sure we can’t go into the grass?” Rafferty asked.
“Do you want to risk it?” Evylin replied.
With no more argument, Rafferty dropped his head and ran.
Their past experiences had taught them not to waste the precious moments between waves on anything less than an all-out sprint. They made it almost halfway down the trail by the time the second wave arrived. Since the creatures were larger, they moved more slowly but hit harder. A fact Deckard learned more intimately than he liked when an approaching Shade drove its fist into his chest before he could duck out of the way.
The impact stole his breath, and he was sure he heard a rib crack as he stumbled backward. Evylin reached out but was too slow to catch him before his foot landed in the grass. In an instant, the foot disappeared, the grass wrapping around his leg like an intertwining nightmare of ropes, pulling him down into the terrae.
Locked in combat, Evylin slashed violently with the Space sword, the power of her swing finishing off the Shade nearest her. It burst, clumps of dirt raining down upon them as the mound piled up at the edge of the path. The Shade that had attacked Deckard turned and reared back with both arms, swinging down to smash her.
Without thinking, Deckard raised his hand as his leg sank halfway into the dirt, the magic waiting at the surface of his consciousness, ready for his touch. Instinctively, onyx shards shot out from his hand to tear the creature apart, shooting through it like a thousand blades. The creature crumbled. Grabbing under his shoulders, Evylin wrenched him back on thepath. They barely caught their footing before returning to the fight.
“The terrae will pull you down,” Deckard yelled to the others. “Stayon the path.”
With a mighty effort, he pushed down his magic and tightened his grip on his sword. He had to protect his energy. If he lost himself to the magic this early, he wouldn’t have enough strength for the final battle to get them out.
The troop tore through the second wave, and giant piles of dirt crested the sides of the path, making their run precarious. As the third wave hummed into existence, they neared the chamber’s entrance. With renewed strength, the Shades attacked mercilessly the closer they approached.
Surrounded, their team worked to break through the Shade’s onslaught. At the front, Brea and Thom moved before and behind Isla to keep her path clear. The Mage sent out torrents of Wind and manipulated the dirt mounds of the fallen Shades to create columns of Terrae. She caused the grass to spring up their legs and rise, twisting up the creatures’ torsos. It slowed them down enough for Ethenn’s arrows to finish them with ease.
Though they thinned the oncoming horde, fighting with a sword grew more difficult by the second as the Shades pressed in. Deckard was about to sheath it when he was knocked flat on his back.
A Shade charged past him, clutching the back of Rafferty’s coat. The weasel let out a startled yelp as the Shade yanked him off the path and rushed into the trees. Deckard scrambled to his feet. With a grimace, he gave chase.
