“I—” Itolas began, but his eyes widened as the implement vibrated in Sir Jerrold’s hand. “What is that vilething?”
Sir Jerrold gave him a wolfish smile. “A magic-finder,” he said, drawing his sword. “It reacts whenever a magic user is near. You, sir, are a witch, and are underarrest!”
“Like hell I am!” Itolas shouted, springing out of his chair. He drew his saber, and the inn filled with ringing steel as the knights and Itolas’s servants all drew their weapons. Sir Jerrold lunged for Itolas, but the smaller man spun out of the way, quick as lightning. Their swords clashed as he swung for the giant’s back, and Sir Jerrold turned to meet him with his ownblade.
“Come on!” Calrain shouted, yanking Tariel from her chair. The rest of the travelers were exiting en masse through the inn’s back door. “Now is ourchance!”
“Wait!” she cried, pulling him to a halt. Blood arced through the air, filling her nose with a copper tang as the men hacked and slashed at each other. Itolas moved through the air like a dervish, his sword a blur as he thrusted and parried and weaved between the men in a violent dance of blood and metal. One of Sir Jerrold’s men was down, but Itolas had lost two of his, and the knights still vastly outnumbered them. “We have to helphim.”
“Are you mad?” Calrain barked, but Tariel ignored him, wrenching her arm from Riann’s hand. Dropping their disguises, she gathered her magic, then flung out her hands in something she’d never attemptedbefore.
“Aieeeee!” one of the knights screamed, his arm bending backward. He had been just about to drive his sword into one of Itolas’s remaining servants, but his sword clattered to the floor as his elbow bent completely backward with a crack that rent the room. The knight stumbled into the wall, howling inpain.
The remaining fighters froze, all eyes on Tariel, whose palm blazed with lavender magic. Itolas’s violet gaze widened in shock, and then he burst into a delighted grin. The servant who was about to be skewered gaped at her, but then recovered quickly and severed the knight’s head from his shoulders in one smoothmotion.
“You!” Sir Jerrold snarled, spittle flying from his mouth. He lunged for Tariel, but Riann jumped in front of her, meeting the witch hunter’s sword with his own. The two engaged, swords blurred as they unleashed a flurry of blows, and Tariel jumped to the side. Panting, she drew on her magic and turned her attention to another knight, but the coppery stench of blood and the sight of gore splashing everywhere was disorienting. It was also harder to do this, both because this was her first time manipulating bones and tendons, and also because she was not actually touching themen.
“Dammit!” Calrain snarled as one of the five remaining knights rose up behind Itolas, who was engaged with another enemy. He grabbed a chair and smashed it over the knight’s head, and the man crumpled to theground.
“Thanks!” Itolas shouted, then leapt over the body to engage another knight. This one Tariel got, pulling both of his arms out of his sockets until his screams of agony were abruptly cut short by Itolas’sblade.
“Three left,” Riann panted, his sword clutched in both hands. He and Itolas stood in front of Tariel and Calrain, facing off against Sir Jerrold and his finalknight.
“Do you surrender?” Itolas demanded. One arm bled profusely, and Riann favored his right leg, but the two stood firm. The same could not be said of the rest of Itolas’s men—all four of them lay on the ground, their eyes glassy as their lifeblood soaked into thefloorboards.
Sir Jerrold bared his teeth. “Never,” he barked. His free hand went to his hip, and in the next moment, a dagger whizzed through the air, straight through the small space between Riann’s and Itolas’sshoulders.
“No!” Calrain yelled, jumping in front of Tariel. He took the dagger meant for her, and Tariel cried out as he crumpled to theground.
“Calrain!” Rianncried.
“Nooooo!” she screamed, white hot rage filling her. Magic burst from every pore in her body, surrounding her with an intense lavender glow that filled her vision. Every nerve ending in her body sizzled with pain and power, and she flung her hands out, aiming straight at theknights.
“Look out!” Itolas shouted, grabbingRiann.
They hit the ground as Tariel unleashed a giant ball of energy. It screamed through the air, sending shimmering heat waves through the room as it barreled straight toward the enemy, and the lavender glow washed over Sir Jerrold’s terrified face as it slammed into him and the remaining knight. The two men flew across the room and straight through the opposite wall, punching through layers of plaster andstone.
“By the goddess,” Itolas gasped, lifting his head to stare at the gianthole.
Her legs wobbled, and she collapsed next to Calrain, every ounce of strength completely drained from herbody.
“Tariel.” Riann grasped her shoulders, his face swimming above hers. “Tariel, are you allright?”
“Help…Calrain…” she mumbled as the last of her strength left. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she gave herself over to the darkness encroaching on hermind.
28
“Tariel!”Riann cried as he shook his beloved by the shoulders. Her head slumped to the side, and she did not respond no matter how loudly he cried. “Tariel, wakeup!”
“Leave her be, man!” Itolas barked, knocking his left arm away. “She is fine,” he said when Riann turned a ferocious glare on him. “Merely exhausted from expending too much energy too quickly. What we need to do right now is help your friend, and get out of here before someone else comesalong.”
“Shit.” Some of the panic cleared from Riann’s mind, and he looked over at Calrain, who was bleeding profusely. The scholar groaned, his pale face contorted with pain as Itolas knelt at hisside.
“We need to get that knife out of him and stitch that up.” Itolas pressed his lips together. “Unfortunately, I am nodoctor.”
“I have some field medic training,” Riann said, his brain finally kicking in. He leapt to his feet and raced to the bar. “Stay with him, and don’t touch the dagger. I’ll be back in aminute.”
“You’re going to be all right,” Itolas said to Calrain, adopting a soothing tone as Riann vaulted over the bar. After some rummaging, he found some whiskey buried deep in one of the cabinets—likely reserved for high-paying clientele—and in a closet outside the office, a small sewingkit.
