Deathless (Editing)

Chapter 37: Empty Is Hell

For the first time, I straddled the earthly light and the Shade. Sirius, Tolly, Thao, and I stood beside the Bone Priest and his attendants. Wordless and with baited breath, I watched as the lines of men formed. Our men stood to the right; the Veil's men took formation on the left.

Squeezing Sirius's hand, my eyes flickered to him, and he raised his brows. With a quick nod, my stare was on the men. I could feel their hearts pounding, some steadier than others. Each man's horror-filled fluttering stopped against my will. As quickly as I could, my magic worked a firm paralysis on both sides, stopping them.

I was not swift enough, however. One of the Veil's men had loosened an arrow before I could chain the men's will to my own. His arrow was true, striking one of our men dead. Our soldier's body, lifeless, toppled off his horse.

With that act of violence, we were plunged into the Near. The silver of my blood infusing the fibers of our soldier's uniform staved off the Shade. How long would it hold against the famished shadows, though? A sinking feeling told me not as long as I would like.

I turned to Sirius. He nodded, and, releasing my hand, he let me go.

I unsheathed my sword, let the sleeve of my dress fall back, and slit the underside of my arm. Coating my blade in blood, I then plunged it into the ground, purifying the ground upon which our men were frozen in fear, and reviving our fallen soldier.

Seeing how the Shade refused the line that I had drawn, I returned to Sirius. His hand was eager for the warmth of my own, and I gave it to him. My blood-soaked hand dove into my pocket for Ammit's eye. Feeling the cool press of the stone against my slick palm, both of my hands squeezed closed.

Sirius then unleashed his darkness. The shadows came tumbling forth, covering the men of the Veil. The churning shades, however, sparked the men's fear, making it harder for me to keep them pinned. But, overriding the men's horror was child's play compared to the hammering his shadows gave to my boundary line. His power was overwhelming, taking all my strength and Ammit's power to keep the shadows' thirst for life chained. It pounded against me, wave after wave of dreadful darkness, like the roiling of the seas in a storm.

Effortlessly, he pulled the Veil's men down into the Near. He appeared so serene, as if he was calculating the probabilities. But, feeling his energy whipping over me, I knew of his agony. It was breathless and terrible, and, no matter how I tried to match his intensity, to pull him away from the urge to bask in the gore of hell, the more he loosened on me.

Once the Veil's men had been devoured by the Shades in the Near, Sirius released my hand, and I dropped Ammit's gift into my pocket.

"Enough!" the Bone Priest cried, hand raised and face full of fear.

The bodies of the men of the Veil laid bloodless, but dead. On the other side of the field, our men sat astride their horses, undefeated and utterly bewildered, seeing as none of them had unsheathed a sword or loosened an arrow.

Swaying, I struggled to stay on my feet. And, sensing my imminent collapse, Sirius looped his arm around my waist to keep me steady.

"We yield, Lord High Commander," the Bone Priest said, voice full of gravel, "The Veil is yours if you can keep her."

Sirius considered the Bone Priest. His face was impassive, his eyes cold and unyielding. "Thao," he called, summoning his Captain.

Thao stepped forth. "Sir."  There was a tremor in his voice, one he seemed keen to mask. 

"Apprehend the Bone Priest. He is now a prisoner of the Empire."

Without hesitation, Thao did as commanded, taking the Bone Priest into custody and binding the man's arms.

"Take him to the Veil and guard him until the remainder of our men have arrived. The Emperor would prefer his prisoner alive, but if you must kill him, do not hesitate."

Thao nodded. "Yes, sir."

Wearily, Sirius turned to me and Tolly.

Tolly lifted his head. "I sent a messenger bird to camp before the battle. The remainder of our forces will be at the Veil by nightfall."

Sirius nodded his approval, and, in wary silence, we set off to the Veil.

Author's Note:  Next chapter is the last one!  Thanks to anyone who reads this far.  It has been a process, one that I have been excited to share.