With an unexpected burst of speed, the monk charged, his warhammer held high above his head and cried, “Ishap give me strength!”
The skeletal warrior closest to Solon hesitated for only an instant before its swords became a blur of motion. With surprising deftness, Solon’s hammer took blow after blow as he blocked the warrior’s attack. Then he knelt and delivered a crushing blow to the skeleton-warrior’s left foot. An audible crack filled the room as the bones of the creature’s big toe shattered.
Blades flashed as the silent creature registered no pain or reaction to the damage, and Solon barely escaped with his head. His arms and shoulders bore several cuts and he was forced to retreat and concentrate on defending himself.
James said to Jazhara, “Help him out. I’ll see if I can distract the other one.”
James hurried to face the creature approaching from the far door while Jazhara lowered her staff and unleashed a spell against the warrior attacking Solon. The spell that had proved effective in the first chamber simply bathed the creature in scintillating pale blue light for a moment before winking out. Solon used the creature’s momentary pause as an opportunity to dart in, smash at the same foot as before, then retreat quickly.
The creature teetered slightly when it advanced.
James charged the second creature and tried to gauge the pattern of its blade strokes. If there was one, it wasn’t apparent, so he was reluctant to get too close. Still, he had to keep the thing distracted if they were to have any chance of survival. Together, the creatures would overwhelm them in a matter of minutes.
James started counting silently, and as the first blow from the creature’s sword descended upon his head, he recognized the pattern. Up went James’s blade, deflecting the first blow, then he blocked to the right, then down to the right, then across to the left side of his body, turning slightly. The hall rang with the sound of steel on steel, and James knew that he could only block this creature’s attacks for a minute or two at the most. He tried not to think about what would happen if the creature changed the pattern of its blows.
Jazhara attempted another spell and it also failed. So she leapt forward with her staff above her head, as if trying to block the multiple sword-blows. At the last second, she let her right hand slide across to her left, leaving her holding the staff like a long club. She smashed down with all her strength on the same foot Solon had damaged, and was rewarded by the sound of cracking bone.
She barely escaped with her head, and took a long nasty cut to her left shoulder. Blood flowed as she dodged to the side and then Solon was back, attacking the same foot.
The creature slashed and Solon took the point of a blade on his breastplate. The armor held, but the force of the blow sent him sprawling. The creature advanced and it was clear the monk would not regain his feet in time to survive.
Kendaric watched in mute horror as the creature advanced on the fallen monk. Jazhara tried to flank the skeleton and was rebuffed with a sidelong thrust of a blade, then the creature bore down on Solon.
Kendaric threw himself away from the wall where he was crouching. He leapt in front of Solon, frantically slashing in all directions with his blade.
“No!” shouted the liche. “Don’t kill him!”
The creature hesitated, and Solon rolled over, got to his knees, and rose up, warhammer held with both hands above his head. He smashed down with as much might as he could muster and shattered the creature’s left foot.
As Kendaric and Solon backed away, the creature attempted to advance. It teetered and then fell forward, crashing into the floor at Solon’s feet. Kendaric hesitated only for a second, then he reached down and grabbed the base of the creature’s ornate helm. He ripped the helm away just as Solon’s hammer again smashed down with a force driven by desperation.
A dry crack filled the hall, and the creature’s skull shattered. The skeleton went limp and rattled against the stone floor.
Jazhara was already approaching the creature with which James was engaged. The former thief declared, “I could use some help over here.” He was drenched in perspiration and his arms were heavy with fatigue, but he was successfully blocking the warrior’s blows.
Solon turned to the liche. “We don’t have time to try to take down the other warrior,” he said to Kendaric.
Kendaric nodded, gripping his sword.
They advanced upon the dead magician, who held up his hand. A blast of white energy shot toward Solon, who barely had time to dodge aside. Kendaric ran forward and impaled the creature on his sword point.
The liche looked down contemptuously. “You can’t destroy me, boy,” it said as its bony hand shot out and grabbed Kendaric’s arm. “And now I have you!”
“Solon!” shouted the wrecker despairingly. “He won’t die!”
Jazhara was trying to distract the second skeletal warrior in order to give James a reprieve. She turned and shouted, “He must have placed his soul in a vessel!”