Page 198 of The Infernal Battalion

Instead, a different kind of light emerged from the murk. Not the yellow-​white of a muzzle flash, or even the deeper yellow of lanterns, but a lurid, sullen red. They pierced the smoke, two by two at first, then more and more. Hundreds of them. Thousands.

Red-​eyes. The Beast’s own bodies. Immune to pain, fear, and doubt.

Marcus looked around at the Third Division, all fresh-​faced boys and old, tired garrison troops, fresh from civilian life or soft duty on the frontier. They had stood up to astonishing odds, done better than they had any right to. But he could feel them wavering, see it in the occasional glance backward or reluctance to put a musket to an already aching shoulder. Much more and they would break, just as Sevran had warned.

We’re not going to make it. He glanced at the hill, where smoke continued to rise, and then farther north, toward where Winter had gone to make the gamble that would decide everything.

I’m sorry, Ellie. Marcus took a deep breath. We’ll fight as long as we can.

“Hold the line!” he shouted as the first of the red-​eyes loped out of the smoke.

33

Winter

Winter felt something give in her right shoulder with an audible pop, sending bolts of agony through her body. She screamed, despite the pain it brought to her raw throat, her dangling feet kicking wildly.

Another sound, the harsh shriek of the desert wind, began down at the edge of hearing and rose to a rapid crescendo. The tall whirlwind of sand that surrounded the castle collapsed, the wind dying away and the flying grit falling to earth like dusty rain. A concentrated blast of the power of the Great Desol, a stream of wind and sand as dark and solid as mud, slammed directly into the face of the emaciated Penitent, sending him stumbling backward. He crossed his arms in front of his face, and distortion shimmered in the air, bending the wind around him.

At the same time, the force holding Winter up vanished. She fell in mid-​kick, landing badly, and more pain flared in her ankle. Her shoulder was agony, her right arm hanging limp and useless, and she gasped raggedly for breath. On the pile of rubble, Jane grinned.

“You can’t be everywhere at once; that’s always the problem,” she said, her smile growing wide. “Well, you can’t.”

As sand and dust filtered out of the air, dark figures became visible, climbing over the top of the ruined castle wall and pouring in through the gate. The Steel Ghost’s whirlwind had held them back, but now that he was otherwise occupied, they came on at a run, red eyes glowing. One of the two big men who flanked Jane advanced on Winter, drawing his sword. Winter’s own weapons were lying in the dust, somewhere nearby. She managed to pull herself to her feet, but even that took much of her remaining strength, and the thought of moving her right arm brought further stabs of agony. She held up her other hand, judging the distance to the brute.

If I can get to him with Infernivore before he cuts me in half, maybe...

It wasn’t much of a chance. Much easier to surrender. Close her eyes. Die. Then the pain will stop.

I won’t.

From the shadow of one of the ruined buildings, pure darkness slammed out, a finger-​thin lance that drilled neatly through the big red-​eye’s head and out the other side. The man dropped in his tracks, sword skittering across the ground, and his equally large companion standing beside Jane just had time to look for the source of the attack before he, too, was scythed down.

Alex limped into view, one hand raised. Her hair was matted, and blood ran down her face. As Winter watched, she coughed, spilling more blood onto her chin. But she grinned defiantly, teeth stained red.

“Winter!” she shouted hoarsely. “Do it!”

“No,” Jane snarled. “Westeb! Kill her!”

The tall Penitent lurched forward, his tongueless voice making a strange croaking sound. He pushed through the blast of the sandstorm and raised his hands, shimmering coronas dancing around them.

Like a hawk diving at a rabbit, Sothe came at him, wings folded, dropping out of the sky with shocking speed. The Penitent heard her coming just in time, and twisted aside as the marble assassin executed a neat somersault and landed on her feet, her arm coming around at throat height with blade in hand. His distortion shimmered around her wrist, but her strength was far more than human, pushing the blade forward in spite of the power of his magic. Across the bottom of his mask it left a long, ragged line that drooled blood, but Sothe hadn’t had enough force left to sever the artery. The Penitent tightened his fist, and the rainbow colors around Sothe’s arm redoubled, tightening their grip.

“Forget her!” Jane said, backing up along the ruined beam as Winter stumbled toward her. “Kill Winter. Kill her now!”

The Penitent kept one hand pointed at Sothe while the other swung toward Winter. Sothe jerked toward him, but the distortion held her arm fast now, keeping him just beyond her reach. The assassin paused, spread her wings, then lunged, throwing all her awesome strength into the leap. Her arm, pinned to the air, was wrenched backward, the elbow first bending the wrong way and then tearing free entirely in a spray of stone chips. The Penitent barely had time to turn back to Sothe before she landed on his chest with the weight of a falling statue, bearing him to the ground as distorted colors bloomed all around her.

The desert wind was blowing again, pushing and slashing at the approaching red-​eyes, while Alex fired bolt after ebony bolt to bring down the closest. Jane had reached the end of the beam she was standing on, her eyes now locked on Winter, and her grin seemed forced.

“You don’t want this,” she said. “I know you don’t.”

Winter lunged with the last of her strength. Jane shifted backward another step, missed her footing and the pile of rubble, and went sprawling, rolling over to land faceup in the dirt. Before she could rise, Winter was on her, grabbing her wrist with her left hand.

Infernivore raged, as though it knew the scent of the prey it had once been denied. It roared through the spot where they touched, flowing from Winter’s body into Jane’s, wrapping itself around the great crimson form of the Beast. Jane snarled, and her other hand came up, grabbing Winter by the back of her neck. She forced her head down, as though for a kiss, and the red lights in her eyes flared until they obliterated the world.

*

Winter found herself standing... somewhere else.