“What now?” Aloisia looked at Ezra.
The scholar cocked his head, not stopping in his chanting.
“Right.” She stared at the shadows gathering around the edges of the square.
From one street, Mavka, Dhara, and Neiris appeared, pushing the enchanted cage before them. The enchantments on the bars seemed to do their job as the mist recoiled away from it, crawling up the bricks of the buildings.
Aloisia breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her sisters. She only hoped Valda was safe at the Temple. The huntresses made their way towards the platform, the shadows parting before them.
She met Inari’s gaze and said, “Keep the spell going here. We’ll get one in the cage.” She turned to Fynn. “Stay beside them. The enchantment will protect you.”
Fynn gripped her fingers tighter. “We should get out of here. All of us.”
“We have to capture one of the Forgotten Gods before the trial tomorrow. Now seems as good a time as any, with as many of them here.”
“Haven’t I proven without a shadow of a doubt that I am innocent? They did not obey my order. What do we need one for now?”
“I think you have.” Her gaze flitted to Lusana. “But we still need to do this. It’s the only way to know the truth. To know how to stop these creatures before they wreak further destruction upon Teneria.”
“Lis…” He trailed off, knowing he would not change her mind. “Take care to keep out of their reach.”
Aloisia gave a nod and leapt from the platform. As she strode out of the spell’s reach, she kept the chain behind her. Her sisters shadowed her steps, each with a chain of their own. Neiris held the cage in place at the base of the platform, the door open, awaiting its prisoner.
Darkness caught at Aloisia’s ankles. One of the Forgotten Gods rose, taking its humanoid form with a maw for a mouth and gaping holes for eyes. Arrows littered its mist-like body. Elongated fingers reached for her, brushing across her chin. She swung the chain at it and the metal links wound around the creature’s arm.
The Forgotten God shrieked, trying to free its limb to no avail. More chains coiled around the creature, restraining its other arm, its throat, a leg. It tugged at the chains, howling as the metal drew tighter for its efforts.
The huntresses guided it back towards the awaiting cage, careful to dodge the probing tendrils of the other Forgotten Gods. Another took shape to Aloisia’s left. She spared it a glance, hoping they would make it back to the circle of the spell before it could reach her.
The Forgotten God surged forwards. Aloisia let go of her chain, drawing her bow. Her arrow buried deep within the creature’s neck and it curled in on itself. She took up the chain once more, tugging the weakened Forgotten God nearer to the cage.
But the second recovered quickly. Releasing the chain, Aloisia grabbed another arrow. Her last arrow. The first creature reared up, escaping two chains. She drew her bowstring back, too late.
The second Forgotten God knocked Aloisia to the ground. Her back hit the cobbles with a thud, the impact shuddering through her. She tightened her grasp on her bow and took aim once more. The arrow lodged into the creature’s eye socket. It howled for one long horrifying moment before it dissipated into ash, the arrows which had pierced it clattering to the ground around her.
The black dust settled on Aloisia, staining her skin. She coughed, wafting it from her face. Turning to the platform, she saw the others frozen in shock. Inari raised a bow. Ezra frowned. Fynn’s shoulders slumped in relief.
“Well,” Aloisia breathed, “apparently they can be killed.”
She gathered the arrows into her quiver and rolled back to her feet. Seizing the chain in both hands, she pulled the Forgotten God back into submission with her sisters, all the chains back in place. A couple steps more and they would be in the safety of the circle. Just a little further and it would be in the cage.
And then… Aloisia wasn’t sure what they would do then.
There were too many to take on all at once.
Tendrils of shadows wound around her ankles, tugged at her arms, wove in her hair. If not for their collective enchantments, they may have attacked already. Their touch was gossamer light, their shapes not quite formed.
Aloisia cast her mind from the creatures, focusing on the immediate threat of the one in chains, the one still trying to fight back.
Finally, they reached the circle. The Forgotten God riled, bucking away from the spell. But their chains held. They bound the Forgotten God inside the cage. Neiris secured the lock, enchanted so it could not escape. Letting out a shaky sigh, Aloisia sank to the ground, letting her head hang heavy.
Angered by one of their own being captured and another being killed, the Forgotten Gods pressed against the enchantment Inari and Ezra still held in place. Inch by inch, they crept closer within the circle. The black mist rose like a wall on all sides, faces with gaping maws and hollow eye sockets formed and faded as they pressed ever nearer.
Concern flitted over Inari’s face, his voice rising as he fought to keep them back. The huntresses scrambled up onto the platform, the shaman following, as the circle grew smaller. Aloisia reached for her arrows and nocked one. She gave a wary glance to her sisters.
Ezra’s chanting stopped. The circle contracted further, barely covering where he still stood at the base of the platform. He unsheathed a blade, pressing it to his palm below his thumb. Smearing blood on the cobblestones at his feet, he uttered a few words.
Ash rose into the air around the square, shattering the wall of mist. Ezra’s voice lulled into another chant, the ash swirling around the Forgotten Gods. The creatures withdrew, howling as the ash cut through the shadows.
