Cainefocused a dozen skulls.
“Canyou make a bridge of sorts?”Zaria asked, flicking her head to the brokenstairway.“Something sturdy enough to carry us?”
Caineextended a skull stalk, gazed eyelessly down the length of the obelisk.Heshook the stalk hard.On the wall, bones snapped into letters.
BRITTLE
YOUHEAVY
“Ican’t fuckin’ read.”
Theskull shook in place, gasping at her.
Isaacfelt Zaria twist and turn behind him, searching for an escape.“Isaac.Pullyour ropes.The wall’s cracked open here.Don’t know how sturdy it’ll be, butif I can tie some knots, we’ll dangle the length—”
“I’mgoing to jump,” Isaac said.
Shelooked at him, bewildered.
“Thesouls are telling me to jump.”
“Whatin the fuck are you babblin’ about?”
Thedust swirled faster, urging him ahead.Around the pipework, the souls beggedand screamed, their wispy arms rising like steam from a bowl.
“I’llbe fine,” he said, leaping into the air.
Heslammed into the pipework after barely a second of flight.The ancient metalheaved.Sharp, jagged edges cut into his skin as the pipework only barely heldto its frame.By the end, he was nestled into the apex of an elongated V,staring down the vanishing length of the obelisk.Rusted metal whined in hisear.He scrambled over to a thick junction of pipes, which offered strongersupport.The groans fell to a softer volume.
When helooked up, Zaria and Caine were watching from the edge of the stairs.He gavethem a thumbs up.
“Youstupid bastard!”Zaria shouted.
“Followme!”he yelled.
Withobvious displeasure, Zaria turned to Caine, whispering something.The bonessquirmed in reply.After a moment, she sheathed her poleaxe, looked down, andleaped into the air.
Herimpact was violent.She was much heavier than Isaac, which was enough to sendthe metal screaming in protest, her leather armor and spotted fur sinkingthrough the lattice of pipework like a foot stomping through twigs.He grabbedat her flailing arm as the last of the pipes snapped from the frame, sendingher tearing straight through the net.Just barely, he managed to catch her bythe wrist.
He waswrenched flat.She was too heavy.He struggled, straining to lift her body, hismuscles nearly ripping from the ligament.Zaria grabbed at the sleeve of hisrobes, her legs kicking over naked air.
Herfingers slipped through his palm.
Thepipework shuddered.
Just ashe was about to lose his grip, the souls broke free from their cage.
All atonce, there was an ethereal fog surrounding them, full of fingers and limbs anda soft, lilting voice.The soul entered his skin.Suddenly, Isaac felt a surgeof energy, like all the power of his magic had been transfused directly intostrength.He pulled Zaria again, and she felt as light as a toddler.When sherose through the broken hole of pipes, a fog of souls surrounded her, liftingher body like a warm thermal of air.As she cleared the edge, and theycollapsed back onto the pipes, the souls were already grasping at the brokensections of metal, holding them together with a moaning grip.
Themetal stopped bending.All at once, it felt as solid as steel.
Theywere safe.
It hadactually worked.
“Godsabove,” Isaac said, watching a fog of souls leak from his skin.
Aroundthem, the mist swirled and danced, streaming with dust.Eventually, a singlecloud of light rose to Isaac’s face.He saw the vague suggestion of humanfeatures.A mouth formed like a gash.Underneath the moaning of the souls, theface began to speak in the language of the necromancers.Isaac had spentmultiple days interpreting their language, which allowed him to guess at themeaning of the words.
