OathBlade (Wattys2015)

15. Fire in the Night*

Duke Erwell--among the others so urgently roused from their slumber--sat in the torch-lit meeting hall with Elery and her companions. Isandel stood at the window, watching the sister moons tread their path across the sky.

"You should be imprisoned." Erwell's face was tight and his fists clenched on the heavy table. "It is only because I will not risk provoking him—" He pointed to Isandel. "—that I have allowed this meeting before I decide what is to be done."

"I will not apologize," Elery said. "What has been done is what must be done. No caster on Leria can match the necrocasters. They seem to need no aura. They defile our dead and work against the natural order of the world. Their castings are treacherous. Even you must have the wisdom to see that they must be eliminated."

"A threat to one kingdom is a threat to all kingdoms, sir," one of the advisers said. "If Bethgardel has enlisted necrocasters, they can hide their ranks among us."

"They already have," Isandel said.

Everyone turned.

"The dead lie in wait in every corner of your city and an army marches from the northwest. They use fresh corpses; rot has not yet settled upon their flesh."

Erwell stood. "How do you know this?"

"Because I see them. They wear a phantasma, shielding them from your sight, but not from mine."

"If we don't act quickly Andethayn will be destroyed," Elery said as she stood. Erwell met her gaze. "They strike from the shadows, weakening their prey before slinking into the darkness to wait. With the weakening of my homeland I fear I may be too late to save any of them. Less than one hundred of our knights remained after the battle. One hundred of the thirty-one hundred seryn serving under me."

Erwell propped his elbows on the table, wrapped one hand around the other, and pressed them to his forehead.

"We will rid your home of this pestilence if you will allow us. All the payment I ask is that you lend your army to my cause, to strike at the heart of this enemy."

He raised his head and nodded. "Order the remainder of our forces to meet the enemy at the northwest wall. I want a full evacuation of the city. Send out messengers to gather the citizens and take them to the catacombs."

A few people ran out, calling orders down the hall as they went.

"I don't understand. Why are they attacking now?" Cylphi asked.

Erwell sighed, placing his palms to the rough grain of the wooden table. He paused a moment before pushing to stand up. "Because we have less than one thousand troops left in the city. I ordered fifteen hundred to Lyewryn for restoration and protection."

"Did they anticipate this?" Cylphi asked.

Isandel turned from the window. He walked across the smooth stone floor toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Elery demanded.

"I assumed we were to join the fight. Or shall we sit and talk more of possibilities and motives? Perhaps our discussion will reach the enemy and bore them into surrender."

Elery stood, followed by Cylphi and Dakkan.

"We'll help with the evacuation effort," Zethir said as he took Taelin's hand. "When we've cleared the citizens out we will join you."

Elery nodded and broke into a run, pulling ahead of Isandel. "What can we do about an enemy we cannot see?"

"At your command I will break their phantasma," Isandel said. "Of course, once I've done so, they will have no more reason to restrain themselves."