25. Sarilian #2
Malorg sighed and shook his head. “I suppose there’s no sense keeping it a secret any longer, and our previous efforts were promising.” He raised a hand crackling with power. “Very well—let’s see what duskflame and dawnflame can accomplish when they cooperate.”
A handful of minutes passed as they prepared. Sarilian only hoped their efforts proved worth the delay.
When they’d finished, shadow laced his armor and spear along with a conjured shield, lending all three a dark sheen that stood in stark contrast to their usual bright gold.
Malorg’s daggers appeared similarly altered, glowing with their own burnished light.
A slew of extra dawnflame-infused blades lined a strap he’d formed across his chest.
“Ready?” Sarilian asked, hefting his shield and spear.
Malorg gave a silent nod in confirmation, and Sarilian took a steadying breath. Here we go.
They moved in unison, Sarilian charging around the corner in a blaze of black-slicked dawnflame while Malorg slipped silently along the wall as a living shadow. For several heartbeats, the gathered Infernals stared at Sarilian, struck dumb by his sudden appearance. Then, they burst into motion.
Tossed daggers and shadowy blasts filled the air as the Infernals divided their forces. A few hunkered down by the stairs while the rest duskwalked to intercept Sarilian’s charge.
Sarilian ducked behind his shield, using it to absorb the volley.
Several blades lodged in place, and he was pleased to see that his shield’s duskflame infusion thwarted the usual spread of curses, keeping it hale and hearty.
He made it about halfway across the room before the first of the duskwalking Infernals reached him, forcing him to halt and meet their assault.
They traded a flurry of strikes, Sarilian relying on his shield and armor to blunt any blows that slipped past his guard while he swept his spear around him in wide arcs.
His strategy worked. Though his far more agile foes landed hit after hit, none managed to penetrate his reinforced armor.
Conversely, the Infernals struggled to evade his counterattacks thanks to the duskflame within his spear that allowed his blows to bypass their own duskflame shrouds.
Within moments, several guards lay sprawled around him.
Those that remained scrambled to retreat and regroup.
They were used to fighting unintelligent voidspawn, not a skilled opponent who could negate their advantages.
Given enough time, they might have been able to adjust their strategy to overwhelm him via magic. Thankfully, they didn’t get the chance.
Sarilian’s distraction had served its purpose, allowing Malorg to move into position unseen.
He erupted from the shadows, a whirling dervish of death flinging dawnflame-infused blades that erupted with holy fire on impact.
By the time the Infernals realized what was happening, most had already fallen.
Sarilian darted forward to help Malorg finish off the rest.
They didn’t have time to celebrate their victory, however, not with the remaining guards still stationed by the stairs.
While he and Malorg had dispatched their brethren, they’d channeled their magic toward forging a barrier.
The wall of solid darkness stretched above and around them, blocking off access to the stairwell.
Each passing moment only added to its strength.
“Grab onto me,” Sarilian said, gauging the distance between them and the top of the barrier. “And get ready to bolster my spell with duskflame.”
Malorg raised a brow but didn’t question him, drawing in close to his side. Relishing the Infernal’s touch as he always did, Sarilian hunkered down. Then, he called upon his dawnflame and hurled himself into the air.
Faint golden wings unfurled from his back as his magic propelled him upward.
Malorg’s grip on him tightened. Duskflame poured from him into Sarilian’s spell, lacing the wings’ bright spans with black threads.
Sarilian ignored the transformation, focusing all his attention on the wall and the waiting guards below.
The Infernals shouted warnings, scrambling to marshal a response. Hurled daggers pinged off Sarilian’s armor, followed soon after by unfocused blasts of duskflame that sent dark energy washing over him, sapping his strength.
Still, he continued his assent, maintaining his grip on his spell until he’d cleared the barrier. Only then did he release his hold on the magic, attempting to bring them down in a gradual arc that passed well above the guards’ heads.
With heavy thumps, he and Malorg landed halfway up the staircase.
That leap had exhausted a good chunk of his reserve, but only a single pair of guards remained in their way, positioned a handful of paces further up the stairs.
All he and Malorg had to do was get past them while the guards below regrouped, and freedom lay within their grasp.
Malorg must have been just as eager because the instant they landed, he duskwalked forward, slipping up the steps. Sarilian hustled to catch up. He watched as Malorg emerged from the shadows, poised to strike…and froze.
Confusion wrinkled Sarilian’s brow. As he neared, he heard one of the guards speak.
“—been practicing what you taught us. Soon, the voidspawn will fear us the same way they do you!”
To Sarilian’s utter astonishment, Malorg quirked his lips, giving the guard a covert pat on the back. “I’m sure they will, Qurth.” His eyes met Sarilian’s, his expression turning sheepish. “But I’m afraid we don’t have time to stay and chat.”
The guard—Qurth—glanced at Sarilian. Rather than disgust or hostility, he wore a look of open curiosity. “You’re the Dawn Emissary.”
“Was,” Sarilian corrected, his head still reeling. “Not anymore.”
Qurth nodded, resolve firming his youthful face. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you and Malorg had the right idea. Anything to defeat the Void.” He nudged the other guard. “Hiliaj agrees.”
Hiliaj nodded as shouts echoed behind them.
Malorg glanced down the stairs before beckoning to Sarilian.
“While I appreciate your support, we’ve got to go.
Sarilian here is going to knock you out now so you don’t get in trouble for helping us.
” Something flickered over Malorg’s face, and he set his jaw.
“But whatever happens after we’re gone, remember what you said.
Light and Dark, Celestial and Infernal—none of those distinctions matter.
In the end, it’s all of us against the Void. ”
The guards murmured their assent. They were still staring at Malorg with something akin to awe when Sarilian slammed his spear shaft into the backs of their heads, letting their unconscious bodies crumple to sprawl across the stairs.
“What the Light was that about?” he demanded as they resumed their climb.
Malorg shrugged. “Just some recruits I helped out on a hunt a while back.” Sarilian didn’t miss the hint of a smile that flickered over his face. “Perhaps there’s hope for my kind yet.”
Sarilian pondered Malorg’s words as he followed the Infernal up the remaining stairs toward the exit…and whatever awaited them beyond.