A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 12

A death cry pierced the night, accentuated by a peal of thunder. The humans began to fall while she struggled just to keep one from slicing her to shreds.

"You can hack at them all you want, but until he loses his head, he'll keep swinging."

"What about fire? That worked before."

Loku's laughter grated on her already frazzled nerves. "I'd like to see you cast and fight at the same time. Even Dev needs to pause before he casts."

A growl drew her attention to her left. Cinder lunged at the back of an undead's neck, hauling him to the ground so Dev could decapitate it. They made it look so easy.

"Arden, look out!"

She snapped her head back to her attacker and spun out of his way. A line of fire blazed down her back where the blade traced along her skin, forcing the air out of her lungs.

"Keep spinning with your sword up."

She followed Loku's command, and her blade embedded into a solid mass. The resistance she met there slowed her down, but it didn't stop her from sawing through the bones and sinews of the undead's neck. His head rolled off into the darkness.

Her lungs burned as she leaned over and sucked in the cool, damp air. She stared at the black blood that coated the sword. "I liked the scythe better. It made a cleaner cut."

"Perhaps we should steal one from the next farm we come across."

Despite the violence raging around her, the corners of her mouth twitched. "I'd look pretty funny riding through the kingdom with one."

"But you'd make a memorable impression, my Soulbearer."

Another cry caught her attention. She straightened to her full height. Even though she'd destroyed one undead, the others kept fighting. She drew upon the fire that ached along her back, feeding it down her arms. A flash of lightning provided her with a glimpse of her targets, and the fireballs flew from her fingers.

Instead of consuming the animated corpses like before, the flames fizzled out in the downpour. The sound of gravelly laughter echoed around her—laughter that wasn't Loku's. A chill raced down her spine.

"Did your mentor not inform you that fire spells are useless in the rain?" he asked.

Arden turned in the direction of the voice. A familiar cloaked figure stood a few yards away from her. She threw up her shields before the Necromancer could hit her with another one of his agonizing spells.

"At least he taught you how to block a spell."

The words, although softly spoken, echoed in her mind and surrounded her like a plunge into an icy river. "What do you want with me?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't waver from her shivering.

"Arden Soulbearer, didn't you know you're a unique individual with powers that surpass most mages in this world? Only you can control a god."

"How do you know my name?"

"You left something behind at our last meeting." He held up a thick, golden braid. "Now that I have something of yours, I know where you are. I can find you, learn your secrets, help you fulfill your deepest desires."

She reached to grab her hair back from him, disgusted to know he had a piece of her, but Loku stopped her. "It's a trick, my Soulbearer. He wants you to lower your defenses so he can attack. Don't fall for his threats."

Something invisible poked at her shield, looking for weak spots. She reinforced them and glared at the Necromancer. "You speak nothing but lies."

From under the hood, two red orbs flashed. "I can speak to you of the true horrors of this kingdom. Have you seen what the king does to witches like you?"