Those Who Would Not Be Gods

30. Ends: Giada

The air was thick with dust and the stench of long-dead flesh. Giada shouldered through, tossing the ghouls aside. These ones had been dead for so long with no nourishment that, with a little determination and a little more magic, she could shove her way past. She kept the lightning circulating around her body just over her shoulders. The spinning current lashed out at anything that got too close. It was enough to dissuade most of the ghouls, who'd rather lurch ahead towards the other, less painful living.

But not all. Bony fingers scratched over her armor, ignoring the sparks bursting over its arm. Giada slashed at the ghoul. Its arm came off, skin fragile as paper, muscle snapping, bone dry and weak. Stupidly, it kept trying to scratch her with its missing arm. She shoved past.

Ghouls weren't meant to be this fragile or this stupid. An army this big should have been enough to take out their whole garrison. But here she was, shoving through them single-handedly, while half the guard assigned to watch Cecile took them out. How old are they? This was more than a few years. A few decades, more like. Centuries?

Teeth snapped inches from her neck. Annoyed, she slashed the ghoul's jaw off its face. A hand grabbed at her from behind. Giada swirled and slashed; her blade stuck in flesh. She stared, horrified. Flesh? What—this one wasn't—

She looked up. Met dead, cloudy eyes. She didn't recognize the man, but he wore a Shrineguard uniform. A modern one. He still had his skin, his flesh. His bones were strong. He turned an emotionless face toward her. Lifted his other arm.

"Shit," Giada snarled. She lifted her leg and planted it on the ghoul's arm, then pulled with all her might and yanked her sword from his arm a second before his fist would have hit her face. The sword came free with a wet squelch, and she staggered back, into the crowd of ghouls. She couldn't stop falling backwards, couldn't find her balance. They turned toward her. Arms reached. Hands clawed. Giada's feet slid as she tried to find her footing in the grass. Damn it! It was impossible, with all these ghouls shoving at her!

The fresh ghoul loomed overhead. His shadow blocked out the sun. He raised both fists.

Giada threw herself to the side. The earth shook as the ghoul slammed his fists down, close enough she could feel her magic shock him. It wasn't enough to dissuade this one. It was a proper ghoul, strong enough to tear her apart. She popped back up to her feet as the fresh ghoul spun and rushed her. There was no time to throw herself out of the way. Giada pointed her sword at his face and pushed all her magic into it, looking down at him. How dare he try to take her down like that.

Lightning lashed from her sword in the blink of an eye, a fist-sized bolt of it that punched a hole through his chest. The ghoul seized, some leftover instinct from when he was alive forcing him to clutch at the wound. Off-balance, he toppled forward. Giada closed the gap in that moment and slammed her pommel down on the back of his neck. Bone cracked. Plop. The ghoul hit the ground.

No time to waste. Giada hurdled his body and plunged back into the ghouls, spinning her finger to recast the spell around her as she ran. So many ghouls! How was she supposed to find Sab?

A blast of fire answered that question for her. Giada snorted at herself and ran towards the flame. "Sab! Is that you?" she called. Of course it is. Ghouls can't use magic, and what other idiot would be this deep in the damned army?

"Giada?" he called back, confused.

"Come to me!" she shouted. Energy pounded through her veins. She'd found Sab! He was still alive! She carved her way through the ghouls between the two of them. Bones smashed from Sab's direction as he fought towards her as well. A ghoul lurched toward her, reaching for her shoulders. Before it could reach, its skull exploded into shards. The ghoul clattered to the ground. Sab appeared from behind it, breathing hard. He hefted his hammer over his shoulder and breathed out. "How...nice to see you here," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. As if this was some casual meeting, and there weren't a dozen ghouls shambling slowly toward them from all directions.