We are paladins. We do not deal with demons. Ever.
He didn’t realize that he had spoken aloud until the demon shrieked and flung herself at him. Inhuman fingers scrabbled at his throat, and closed around his neck.
I guess she can still kill me.
It was frothing at him, snarling obscenities, while the grip on his neck got tighter and tighter, and even the hallucination began to seem distant and unreal, a shadow of a shadow.
He would have welcomed death, even now. Slain by a demon, defiant to the end—it was a good death. It was a knightly death. It was how he had always expected to die.
One thought alone held him, and made him struggle feebly.If she can’t get me, will she possess Brenner? Oh god, what if she does, and she goes back to Slate and Edmund, and they don’t know?
No! Dreaming God, no!
It was a futile effort. He had no real body in this place. Was he even fighting for breath? He couldn’t tell.
“I’ll eat yourdeath, shining one!”
Kalihalikalaakhali…ha…breathed his demon, and wrapped itself around him like a lover.
The world went out like a blown candle.
CHAPTER 15
CALIBAN’S FIRST THOUGHTwas that he wasn’t dead, and that this was somewhat surprising.
His eyes were open. He had fallen on his side, and his hands were still bound. His throat ached, but the demon-rune was flat on the ground in front of him.
Did I do that?I don’t thinkIdid that…
And Slate, who had just dropped through the smokehole and landed on the old shaman, staggered to her feet.
She had a sword in her hands. His sword. It was amazing she hadn’t cut herself in half falling on it. The scabbard was slung across her back and looked about to strangle her. Her hair fell in a wild tangle across her face. Blood welled from a dozen sluggish punctures across her breast and shoulder.
She set her feet, raised the naked sword in both hands, and sneezed.
Sweet god, she fell on the thing’s antlers. She must have dropped onto it and broke the trance—
The stag-man, who was still standing behind Brenner and Caliban, roared and leapt forward at the intruder. She staggeredback and raised the sword in both hands. The point got maybe a foot off the ground.
Caliban heard himself shouting denials in a voice shattered by the rune’s hands. “No! Slate, no, look out—no!”
She can’t possibly fight with that sword, she can barely lift the thing, he’ll kill her, oh god—
Slate, apparently agreeing with him, threw the sword at the stag’s legs and dove out of the way.
When someone throws a broadsword under your feet, you have to stop. The other options aren’t worth considering. The sword didn’t do any damage, but the rune had to pull up in mid-stride to avoid it and that gave Slate enough time to get out of the way.
“Get him, Slate!” shouted Brenner from somewhere near the floor.
“Shut up, Brenner! Slate,run!”
Slate ignored them both, flipped one of Brenner’s knives into her hand, and paused. He wasn’t sure if it was a taunt or a moment of weakness. He could see her shaking, but that could have been blood loss or adrenaline or both.
There was blood trickling down her left arm in thin skeins.
“Slate—”
“Shutup, Caliban!” she snarled.
