Page 79 of Shardless

Despite the momentary respite, dozens of the creatures had already forced their way into the interior courtyard. The corpses of civilians, both fey and mortal alike, littered the ground. Their lifeblood leaked into the dirt as the undead monsters tore into their flesh with gnashing teeth, and each spray of warm blood that spurted across their decayed skin just fed their growing frenzy.

Bile burned at the back of Skye’s throat. They were feeding.

The remaining citizens were frantically trying to retreat into the keep as the mages on the wall covered them, but they were moving too slow. A crowd of people surrounded the door, and the feverish undead picked them off from behind, working their way through the mass of panic-stricken civilians.

“Your orders, Milord?” a stern female voice inquired from behind Skye. “The chain-of-command has been compromised. You’re now the highest-ranking officer in the compound.” At this comment, the other shadow mages eyed Skye with a new appreciation.

Skye turned to find that he was beingaddressed by another Gate Watcher, one he immediately recognized despite the blackened blood and congealed gore that streaked her armor. Even in the midst of battle, Eula was a sight—all red lips and dark lashes. She held a rusted, metal pole in one hand, the dents in its surface a testament to her fighting prowess.

“Where’s Commander Enix?” Skye asked, an edge of concern in his voice as he rounded on Eula.

“Missing,” she answered curtly. “We don’t have time to go into the details. We need for you to assume command.”

Skye hesitated as he watched the battle raging in the interior courtyard, but his resolve hardened a moment later. This wasn’t the time for doubt.

“We need to give the earth mages time to patch the hole,” Skye stated decisively. He would have time to reflect on just how he had come to find himself commanding the Gate Watchers’ forces when they weren’t being attacked. “I’m going to try to hold them off from the inside with the rest of the casters. You and the other shadow mages—loop around and take out these bastards from behind.”

“Yes, sire.” Eula bobbed her head before turning and stepping off the side of the wall without hesitation. The other shadow mages soon followed her example.

With a shout, Skye did the same, effortlessly finding his footing as he dropped into the interior courtyard. “We need ice! Water mages, to me!”

There was a clatter of boots behind him, and soon the other mages formed a rank in front of Skye. He pulled another crystal from his pocket and tugged at the latent aether in the air, creating a cloud of magic for the other mages to draw upon.A keen sense of satisfaction washed over him a moment later when a thick layer of glassy ice tangled the creatures’ legs, creeping up their bodies until they were completely encased. The frozen soldiers glistened in the late afternoon sun, a horrifying array of sculptures scattered throughout the courtyard.

“Fire mages!” At his command, the fire mages moved to the front of the line. Fiery tendrils of swirling magic coiled around their hands before blasting out in front of them in a blaze. The ice-covered men shattered under the onslaught, their corpses falling to the ground in cindered, bloody fragments. The sound of breaking glass filled the air.

Skye wiped at his face. The smoke from the fire mages’ spells stung his eyes. Turning to one of the fire mages beside him, he snapped, “Do we have air mages?”

“No,” the boy replied. He couldn’t have been older than 16. “There was a small delegation that came through a few days ago, but they’ve already moved on to Ryme.”

“What about earth mages?”

“They’re tending to the wounded, sire.”

“Unless it’s life or death, I want them filling that hole. Go get them and bring them here.”

Skye jerked his head, gesturing towards the gap in the wall. The breach was small, but there were still too many of those things breaking through their defenses. The two earth mages tending to the barricade of thick, leafy vines were struggling under the weight of the spells, so Skye redirected what little aether he could pull from the air and sent it towards them in a wave.

Turning back to the young fire mage, he sawthat the boy was staring at the crumbling blockade with wide eyes. “What are you still doing here?” Skye demanded. “Go. Now!”

“Sire.” The boy bobbed his head before turning and disappearing inside the keep.

Raising his weapon, Skye moved forward, covering the few retreating fey civilians that still lingered in the courtyard. He couldn’t help but say a silent prayer of thanks that most of the remaining mortals and magicless had made it through the doors and were now holed up inside the keep.

The mages still on the wall had managed to staunch the influx of creatures, so Skye swiped at the few corpses that had managed to escape the assault of elemental magic. They fell to the ground, their bodies jerking when he gave them a swift kick to the head, followed by a crushing blow of his club that shattered their bones and splattered their blood across the courtyard. They wouldn’t be getting back up.

Then Skye was at the breach. He swung his club wildly as blasts of flame rocketed past him, but the creatures just kept coming, clawing and crawling over their comrades in a desperate attempt to make it inside the interior courtyard.

Skye gave a shout, a wave of relief washing over him when the ground beneath his feet started to tremble. Moments later, the earth cracked as the trunks of newly grown trees erupted from the ground in front of the breach, curling together and reinforcing the swiftly disintegrating barricade. The leafy stems thickened, turning brown as their trunks hardened.

A loud cheer went up inside the keep. The mages still on the wall took out the last fewremaining creatures, hitting first with ice and then with fire. More decaying flesh shattered, icy shards tumbling to the ground.

Sweat dripped down Skye’s face and neck, and the ache in his muscles intensified as his aether began to dip. For the first time since the attack had started, he had enough room in his head to focus on the smell of these things. It was awful—rank and pungent but mixed with a sort of sickening sweetness. Like rot mixed with perfume.

Skye tried to breathe through his mouth as he pulled another shadow crystal from his pocket. Siphoning off a small amount of magic, he propelled himself onto the back wall, landing with a pained grunt. To his great relief, the other shadow mages had managed to whittle down the remaining creatures outside the keep. Eula stood towards the back, directing the others as they pummeled and smashed the last of the undead force.

It was over. Whatever this was, it was over. The wind changed course, and Skye leaned against the rampart, his chest rising and falling as he drew in heavy gulps of untainted air. He knew he needed to go back downstairs and find the strangely absent Gate Watchers’ leadership. So far, Eula was the highest-ranked member he had come across, but, as Ivain’s Precept, he still out-ranked her. That was troubling. Where was Commander Enix? Where were his Precept and his lieutenants?

From the top of the wall, Skye could see decaying corpses that still thrashed about in the interior courtyard, still groping for the feet of those that stepped over them. He could hear crying down below, piercing wails that carried on the wind asfey and mortals alike mourned over their loved ones that hadn’t managed to escape to the safety of the keep in time. Desperation and sorrow were written across the faces of those still living, sketched in their frantic movements as they tried but ultimately failed to find that vital, pulsing rhythm in those whose bodies now lay broken on the pavement.

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