“This is where a demon gets its strength. Priests typically fight them with flames, and that works well because a single touch of flames against that crystal shatters it. The same happens when my Aunt Ainslee’s people shine their lights on them. But you do not have light to shine on them, so you’ll be stuck using your daggers. Stop trying to injure them. You’ll be there all day trying to win a fight like that. Especially with daggers that can’t separate parts of them from the rest of the body.”
I stare at the crystal. How is it that my father didn’t know this? Why didn’t Bram know? “Is this a secret?”
Azric shrugs. “Some people know. Others don’t. Most groups have found ways to deal with demons, and whether they know why they work or don’t doesn’t seem to matter. I’m telling you because your typical way isn’t an option.”
I nod to him. “Thank you.”
The demon disappears, dispersing into the shadows at our feet, and he turns to me. “What do you know about Abominations?” he asks.
“They’re bits and pieces of humans that have been bound into different forms. Unlike demons, they do not heal quickly.”
He nods his head at my response. I’m glad I know at least a few things about the creatures I’m going to fight. “No, they do not heal quickly, but they don’t need to. The average Corpsebinder creates many creatures similar to Nyxthos’s mages. They create disposable beings that are simply replaced after each battle. That’s not what you’ll fight here. Serica would never stoop so low as to create an unintelligent creature. No, they will be monstrous creatures that will wear armor and be overpowering. Have you noticed that there are very few Abominations walking beside their masters?”
I cross my arms and feel myself getting annoyed just talking about Corpsebinders. Every conversation I’ve had with Serica has felt like it verged on violence, even in the Great Hall. “I’d thought it strange, but maybe it was because thepolite companydidn’t want to smell them.”
Azric chuckles. “That’s a reasonable thought, but it’s not the reason. Each of the Corpsebinders that is still alive will have a true pet they created specifically for these trials. They’ll be keeping them secret and safe. If someone were trying to force one of the Corpsebinders to lose in the third trial, they’d just destroy their Abomination beforehand. Even with a month, they’d be hard-pressed to rebuild it.”
He turns to the dragons who haven’t spoken a word and says, “We’ll be right back.” Then he takes my hand, and we fall through shadows into the Void.
Chapter 25
All thirteen of the gods have a separate world in which they live. They are known as the thirteen hells. They’re connected to Nyth, but we aren’t sure how. Once, before the gods were awake, Brenna Morvyn created a world with Calyr’s help, so we understand the idea. But she was not a god, and none of them has offered an explanation.
~Maeve Arden, The Future of Magic and Dragons
Fiona
Azric needed to go to the crypts to gather enough bone and bodies to create his version of an Abomination, but we’re back on the dragon roost. The Abomination is seven feet tall, covered in bone plates far too reminiscent of plate armor, and wields five longswords.
“How in the thirteen hells am I supposed to kill that?” I ask.
It doesn’t move, and I’m thankful Azric isn’t forcing me to fight it before he explains how to win against it. “I told you that demonsare clever. Abominations aren’t. They must be taught to fight. What you’ll train against, again, will be my mimicry of a true Abomination rather than what you’ll face in the trial. I’ll control it like a puppet master, and I’ll do my best to have it act like one Serica would create.”
He focuses on the creature, and it takes slow, lumbering steps toward me. “Any Corpsebinder worth his or her salt will have taught it to move its blades quickly and correctly, but footwork is much more difficult. Out dance the creature, and you’ll have it beat. Just like any armored enemy, strike at the joints rather than the plates. Do things that the Corpsebinder wouldn’t have expected. These are the keys to beating an advanced Abomination.”
I nod to him, and just as he suggested, as soon as the thing is within range, it lashes out with two separate thrusts. I slide between them, not trying to block anything. Another sword comes down, and I’m forced to roll backward to keep from having my skull split open.
I rush towards it again, and one of its arms swings at hip level. Another comes down in a chop. I drop to my knees and try to slide under the slice. Then it kicks me hard in the side, and I go flying. “Burn it all to ash,” I mutter as I stand up. Luckily, it hit a plate of armor which spread the impact over a wide enough area that I’ll only have a nasty bruise.
“If I could use fire…”
“You’d be wasting your time,” he responds tersely. “Abominations are almost completely immune to flames. I can’t mimic it, but Ravess gave his Corpsebinders a way to protect their creations fromdragon flames. Trust me, blades are your best friend when dealing with Abominations. Their bodies work on the same principles as a human’s. Cut the tendons, and the muscles won’t work. Cut the ligaments, and the bones will fall apart.”
I rush it again, and this time, the creature squats lower, putting more of its blades in my path. Its dead eyes stare into mine, and I know it’s trying to determine where to swing next.
I stop suddenly, just outside its range, and the creature swings with one of its longswords in a cut that would cleave me from shoulder to hip. I quickly drink Infusions of the Bear and Falcon. The Abomination doesn’t move toward me as I prepare.
As soon as I feel my muscles swell, I jump. The Abomination squats on crooked legs and raises all five blades to stay between me and it. It’s what I’d expected it to do, and when I land on the other side of it, it turns, but it turns slowly. I jump toward it, my body turning horizontal, and kick it just as I’ve done to Bram too many times to count. My legs connect squarely with its back.
As it falls, one of its arms swings toward me and hits me hard enough in the breastplate that I hear a loud crack. Its bone broke, and my armor is undamaged. I land on my back, but I expected it, and I’m on my feet in a breath. My chest hurts almost as badly as my ankle did, but I’m used to fighting through pain.
The Abomination is lying on its side, and it’s struggling to get to its feet. Now I understand what Azric meant when he said they’re awkward. I rush toward it, hoping to find a weak spot before it can reset into its fighting stance.
As it pushes itself up with three arms, two of them still defend it, and I dance around them as they swing wildly. I dig my dagger into its thigh and get away before the counterattack connects, but I spin to do so.
I don’t see the second blade as it comes to rest on my neck, only hitting me hard enough that a thin line of pain tells me I would be dead if he’d wanted it. Everything stops, and I step away from the Abomination, still very nervous around the monstrosity.
“There’s no way I could fight something like that all alone,” I say.
