“O…okay,” she said, and into her pouch it went alongside the feather and the piece of pottery.
Wide-eyed, Amma lay back down, folding her hands over her stomach and staring up at the tree branches once again. This time when they bent, she did indeed wave back. Then she quickly rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut.
CHAPTER 8
MORE LIKE DUREN-DRAG
Durendreg was as Xander described, small, and from the looks of it, quite backward. It reminded Damien of the boggy town outside of Tarfail Quag where Amma had accused him of having resting villain face. He moved his lips around, feeling for a frown, but the tight line he’d pulled them into was just his deep-peering face, the villainousness more difficult to access lately, if not the grumpiness.
Xander was kneeling beside him in a cramped space between two huts, but he was grinning, and wickedly at that. They had quietly waded their way into town from the thick wood at the outskirts and remained unseen despite the brightness of the early afternoon. Xander had finally revealed why he’d chosen the date and time that Damien had been railing against for the last two days: Durendreg had engaged in some sort of festival the night before for their goddess, so they would be hungover and weary that day, and indeed, there were very few people about.
There wasn’t much to the homes that dotted the village, but the buildings fanned out from its center in concentric circles, allowing for good cover in the daylight. A wide, winding, dirt road cut through the town, leading to the temple at its very middle, the most elaborate building, standing on a small plateau. It was clear what they valued here, symbols of their goddess Yannveceny nailed up on doors and painted on walls.
At Damien’s other side crouched Amma, back against the building and a small frown creasing her face. He wanted to suggest she wait at the edge of the wood, but knowing he would be heading into a temple gave him pause at sending her away. It would be safer for her if she didn’t engage, but holy buildings were sometimes…difficultto maneuver, likely why Xander had decided he would stay outside while Damien languished within. Damien would possibly need an anchor to do this, something to tether him to reality if the divinity in the temple were too much, and Amma, who would be completely unaffected and, well, just beingher, would serve that purpose. At least they would both be free of Xander for a bit.
“Speed is of the essence for you two. I’ll stretch it out best I can, but this place won’t take long to terrorize.” Xander squinted around the corner from where they stood then eyed the two of them. “I expect you’ll be in the wood waiting for me by the time I’m done. But don’t show up without theancast erfind.” Xander was carrying another translocation spell with him that they would use to go directly back to the tower instead of the multi-day trip it would take on foot to find the forest’s portal in the cave back to the Accursed Wastes.
“Was that Ouranic?” Amma asked, a sharpness to her voice Damien didn’t expect. “I don’t recognize the meaning of those words.”
“The vessel of Yannveceny’s holy light, yes, that’s just the relic’s Empyrean name.” Xander stuck his tongue out. He then gave Damien a wink. “See you on the other side,friend.” The word held none of the camaraderie it should have.
Hood up to cover his white hair, Xander stalked away from them, headed back to the farthest edge of Durendreg where he would begin raising the Abyss and drawing as much attention as possible. Shadow imps flitted along behind him, and Xander was already uncorking his blood vial to summon more as he disappeared. Kaz was sitting at Damien’s feet but had taken on the form of a ruddy-colored squirrel with a jutting underbite just in case they were seen. His puffy tail flicked and then relaxed when Xander was finally gone.
Left alone to wait, Damien grumbled to himself, hating being given an order, but was surprised to see a similar frustration on Amma’s face. He wanted to give her words of reassurance, but had none. “It’s not so strange,” he said with half a shrug. “Just like the last time we went thieving together.”
She sucked in a breath. “I’m going to need an even stiffer drink after—” Her eyes narrowed as if she had just remembered something, then shook her head. “Why wouldn’t Xander tell us this relic had a name until now?”
Damien groaned. “For drama’s sake, I expect.”
“He wouldn’t give us any details, he just said it was a relic like that was supposed to mean something, but now, all of a sudden, it has a name?” She was glowering at the ground, fingers tapping quickly against her knee like she were counting. He had seen her do something similar when she worked on the translations out of the Lux Codex.
“What do you expect. He’s a di—”
There was a scream off in the distance, and they both straightened. Xander terror had begun.
Damien only looked at Amma for a moment more, her angry pondering replaced with a frightened glint to her eyes. “Come on,” he said, standing and heading for the shadows of the next building, but she didn’t move. She could only stare out above the roofs at the smoke rising from some unknown place at the town’s outskirts. Damien grit his teeth. “Sanguinisui, follow me.”
Amma jolted as if being dragged, a visible lurch to her step and shock on her face. It had been quite some time since he’d used that Chthonic word, and it tasted bitter on his tongue, but he couldn’t dwell on the discomfort he was causing her. Damien darted to the next building, and she did the same, Kaz skittering along at their feet.
And then they were running, the chaos enough of a distraction for the two to make it down another road toward the temple, blending in with villagers who had come out of their homes bleary-eyed and frightened. Amma was moving in a way that looked like her own accord now, keeping up and watching him, mouth pulled into a tight frown.
They came to an alley with a stack of barrels and crates to crouch behind. There was a sour, rotting smell and small piles of abandoned, clay cups and bits of clothing as if a wildly good time had been had the night before. Despite the stench, the stupor most of the civilians would be in would indeed be helpful, but he’d never tell Xander that.
Damien could survey the temple from their spot hidden in the shadows. It was a tall building with columns running along its front and sides, and a currently-open entry for villagers to come and go as they pleased for prayer. But at the doors stood five larger men, donning armor and with semi-formidable weapons strapped to their sides. They were slightly disheveled though, and one even looked to somehow be sleeping as he leaned against the wall with eyes closed. Xander’s warning had likely put them there, another obstacle for Damien and Amma, even if the obstacle was hungover.
“I’d rather not cause a scene,” said Damien. Though it would be easy, the idea of striking them all down irked him. “We need time inside since we don’t know exactly where this relic is, and if we kill them, it might just bring more.”
“Oh, no, please,” whispered Amma, her hand finding his forearm and squeezing, “can we not kill them?”
Damien swallowed, glancing down to her hand then back up. How she could still do that, still touch him so gently as if he hadn’t been cold to her since stealing her away from the home he had rained destruction upon, he didn’t know.
The victims in question fidgeted at the far-off sounds in their city, though weren’t roused completely. Xander and whatever he was doing was still unseen from where they stood, and so bleary-eyed, they might not have really seen anything even if he were close.
Then there was a shriek, and from the opposite end of the street, a young girl came running, a shadow imp on her heels. Xander adored having minions, and his were grossly devoted, so it was no surprise they’d been ordered to slink off into town and cause additional chaos. The shadow imp tore claws through the air, barely missing the girl, and she tripped, stumbling forward and landing in the dirt. Damien glanced back to the temple. The guards had to be able to hear her, but they weren’t moving to do anything.
Another shriek, and he knew the imp had struck her. “Bloody stupid, incorporeal beast,” Damien growled and called up arcana with more Chthonic words, no blood to spill just yet, and reached out toward the infernal creature. He could speak to most infernal things, even those loyal to Xander, if need be, and sent it a message to halt.
Its head-like blob popped up, spindly, black arms extended over the defenseless villager, ready to really do damage. Damien cast with instructions to find Xander and to stay by his side, and the imp dispersed. The girl scrambled up to her feet clutching a bloodied arm, and fled inside the closest hovel.
