Vuroth's Tear: Even the Gods Cry

Chapter 54

Chapter 54

On the other side of the city, Donovan, Velana and Kass were sneaking through the empty streets. Kass held his bow drawn with a magic arrow ready to be released and Velana followed behind the others, ready to shift at a moment's notice.

Donovan led the way, peeking around the corner of each building before running to the cover of the next. He looked down at Quicksilver in his hand and silently cursed himself for not coating its blade as well. Velana grabbed his arm and pulled him low, holding a half changed, clawed finger to her lips then pointing in the distance. A group of husks ran between the buildings to join the fight against Dravis and his army. It was Dravis' idea that he and his men be a diversion so Donovan and the others could sneak through the city to the castle, but still Donovan felt guilty. He knew it was little more than a suicide mission.

Kass was getting more and more nervous, the deeper into the city they got. He knew as well as Donovan that it was only a matter of time before they were spotted. The only question was were they fast enough to take out the threat before the creatures could call for help.

"Kass," Donovan whispered without turning around to face him, "get on the roof so you can get a better view. If any husks come, we need you on high ground."

Kass nodded and started scaling the building next to them with surprising ease. Once he was on the roof, Kass kept low, jumping from one roof to the next, keeping up with Velana and Donovan when they moved farther up the road. Periodically, Kass would warn Velana of danger with his gift and she would pull Donovan behind cover.

Donovan felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the flash of one of Kass' arrows soar through the air and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the husk it hit crumble to the ground in a pile. They were closing in on the wall that surrounded the garden outside the castle. From there, they had only to find the gate to get into the garden.

Kass saw a husk in the distance and released an arrow just as it turned towards Donovan and Velana. His arrow connected and cooked the creature before it could call out but there were two others with it that Kass didn't see. He fired two more arrows rapidly, one hit and killed one of the husks, the other let out a screech before being set ablaze.

"Damn," Velana huffed and she and Donovan broke into a sprint up the rest of the hill.

A series of calls from other husks confirmed their fears, their presence was now known. Kass ran, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, firing arrows as fast as he could. Husks crumbled almost as fast as they appeared, but still it wasn't fast enough. Velana and Donovan couldn't kill them without being infected by the magic themselves,, they were essentially helpless, so they fled.

Velana dove and changed, hitting the ground on all fours and backhanded a pair of husks away, careful not to kill them. Kass shot them before they made it back on their feet and continued to kill anything that moved close to Donovan or Velana.

Kass was too busy covering his friends that he didn't notice the husks that had swarmed the buildings around him. He was tackled, knocked from the roof but turned and managed to fire several arrows while he plummeted to the ground. Velana rushed forward and caught him before he hit the cobblestone street.

Donovan looked at the two of them in the distance, husks between him and them. He clenched his teeth and stood motionless, looking around, searching for an escape. He looked at Quicksilver in his hand and decided what must be done, "Go, now! Get to Tola and end this!"

Before the others could move, Donovan charged at the husks, screaming while he cut them down. The black cursed smoke poured from the decapitated, limbless bodies. Kass shot arrows at the remaining undead but it was too late, they couldn't see Donovan through the smoke any longer.

Velana and Kass stood unable to move as they stared into the blackness. Donovan ran out of the smoke coughing and fighting to breathe, Kass pulled back the string of his bow, a magic arrow manifested while he watched Donovan step closer. He could feel the sorrow coming from Velana and realized he too felt pain, enough that he was having trouble letting the arrow fly.

"I told you to go!" Donovan shouted between coughs as he ran past them, "Come on!"

Kass and Velana shared confusion but pushed it from their minds and followed him. Velana shifted to her human form and grabbed Donovan in a hug so tight he couldn't breathe, "How are you not infected?"

He lifted his hand and pointed to the ring he had received from Quinn, "Immune to all magic, remember?" He grinned, "I sure as hell forgot. Kinda takes something away from my noble self sacrifice doesn't it?"

She shoved him for his attempt at a joke, "Don't do that again." She huffed. Donovan looked at Kass and they both grinned.

"I'm sorry, you can scold me later," His eyebrows raised, "if we don't die."

She sighed and shook her head before grabbing the men and changing into her wolf form. She threw them over her shoulder before taking off up the hill towards the garden wall.