AllFreeNovel
Share Us
THANE
Thane pulled another clavum from his waistband and chased after Dahlia. Ahead of them, Cain, Nikki, and Joshua were making quick work of the rest. More eidolon had come down to hover at the edge of the breezeway. He could see wide eyes and scared faces, but he didn't have time to stop. He refused to stand by and do nothing again. He would not sit by idly and watch these people die!
"Roarke, we need a bubble!" he yelled before crashing into the back of a hunter.
The poor bastard staggered towards Joshua, if the grey and desiccated man was who Thane assumed he was. The wendigo didn't hesitate, though. He jumped on the hunter, tearing at his body with teeth and hands, devouring him like a starving animal. On his other side, Nikki grabbed at a guy, chanting something. Under her palm, the skin began to rot, weakening it enough for her to push through, tearing the limb away. So Thane handled the rest, plunging his clavum right into the hunter's chest.
And then everything got very, very quiet.
A glance showed the shimmer of a bubble around them. It made the remaining hunters pause, which let Dahlia take another down, but a Word rushed across the space, bursting Roarke's attempt almost as fast as it had appeared. Unfortunately for the priest, it also told Thane which one he was.
Ducking between the bodies before him, Thane charged the priest with his clavum ready. They had to stop the Words, and he wasn't sure if this would work, but it was worth trying. Five steps, and he pulled back his arm. Four, and he braced. At three, Thane began to swing, and two steps away, he dove, aiming for the guy's leg.
The stake pierced the priest's thigh. The force of the collision knocked both of them to the ground. A yelp of pain burst from the priest's throat, but the man didn't stop. He rolled to face Thane and spat out a Word. The problem was that Thane heard every single syllable - and nothing happened.
But a hunter saw and rushed to defend his priest. Screaming, the man heaved his own clavum at Thane with the clear intent to kill. A step away, Cain roared. The oldest of the eidolon didn't hesitate. With a battle cry in some language Thane was sure no longer existed, the ancient warrior tackled the hunter, driving him to the ground only a pace away. Using both hands, locked together into one mighty fist, Cain pummeled the man's skull like his hands were a hammer.
"Again!" he demanded, yelling the order at Roarke.
And Roarke obeyed. The bubble reappeared, but the fight was as good as done. The priest didn't seem to understand that, though. Yanking the clavum from his leg, he made a weak lunge at Thane, but a punch across the face stopped that. Thane wrenched the silver spike from the man's fingers, shoved him back, and knew his side had won this round.
"Cain!" he yelled. "We need to find out what they know, and I'm sure he won't answer willingly."
The dark-skinned man chuckled, the sound crueler than anything Thane ever wanted to hear again. "Oh, you're giving me a live one, hm?" Then he stormed over to grab the wounded priest and heaved him to his feet. "I have questions, inquisitor, and if you answer them, I might just let you live. If you don't, I'll pull off your fingers."
"Lies," the priest spit.
"There's only one way to know," Cain assured him. "And if you speak a Word - "
"He can't," Thane said. "Well, they won't do anything. I staked him. I think he's powerless."
Cain just smiled. "Try, little priest. I dare you."
Naturally, the priest tried. Sounds fell from his mouth, but no power. Cain just laughed, and Thane decided that was his cue to leave. The fight was done. Eight inquisitors, and they'd all been defeated, unable to stand against multiple eidolon at once. Not all were dead, but Thane was pretty sure they would be. He also had to make sure that Dahlia was ok. He needed to see her with his own eyes, to be sure that nothing had pierced her. That she wouldn't dissolve like Mei had.
"Dahl..." he panted, aiming for the place where the woman knelt over her last opponent.
She turned as if surprised, and blood coated her face. A moment later, recognition hit, and she gasped, wiping at her chin as she stood and hurried to him.
"Thane," she breathed. "Are you ok?"
"I'm gonna pay for this in the morning, but yeah." He slid his hands down her arms, ignoring the wet and sticky spots on them. "You?"
"You saved me," she admitted.
"This time," he said. "Next time you can save me." Then he laughed. "And you have a little bit of a priest on your cheek."
She wiped at one side with the back of her arm. "It happens."
She completely missed, so he reached up to take care of it. "The other side, and I like the claws. I also think you should tell the kids to feed." He tilted his head to where the younger eidolon huddled together in confusion. "Most are hungry, and we are going to need to get rid of this mess somehow."
"Yeah," she admitted. "But Thane? They know where we are. Maybe not how many, but where."
"Laird," he realized. "Fuck. Ok, you handle this. I'll get in touch with him." He glanced at the still dark sky. "Hopefully, he doesn't turn his phone off at night."
"And check Roarke," she said. "The Words drained Nikki. We don't know what they'll do to him."
"On it," he promised. "And I'd kiss you, but..."
