THE HOUSE OF HERENSUGE by Susan Burdorf

Author:Susan Burdorf [Burdorf, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-01-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Alister, which way?” Finn was behind Alister, his breath hot on Alister’s ear.

“You go left, I’ll take the center, Carlos, take the right. No more words. They are here, I feel them. Let your senses pick them up.”

“How many?” Carlos asked.

“Three, four, maybe five. Just keep alert.”

Alister and his brothers moved slowly through the roots, their spears thrust forward, a thin light beam emanating from each of their poles.

The sudden absence of noise was their first indication they were near.

Alister felt the hair on the back of his neck rising up before he felt the rush of noise that overwhelmed the senses and was intended to cause fear and immobility in their victims. But the brothers were ready. Finn pressed his back into Alister and took the rush from behind while Carlos and Alister handled the ones in front.

The first blast came from Alister who incinerated his target within seconds, but the next five minutes the brothers didn’t stop sweeping the passageway. They came upon a stone door that had been opened.

“Alister!” Finn shouted, “Duck!”

Alister hit the ground, smashing his shoulder on the stone floor as a blast from his brother’s spear took out a creature he hadn’t even seen coming. Before the blast struck, the creature struck Alister. Dripping with ichor his claws scraped Alister’s bare skin and he grimaced at the pain as the acidy liquid burned him, hissing with steam as it ate at his flesh.

Rising, Alister blasted another beast turning the air hot with the destruction of the demon before he managed to slam the door closed, sealing it with a shouted command and following the outline of the door with his spear’s light.

The three brothers gathered in front of the door, spears aimed in case the enchantment failed, but the door held. Screeches from the other side faded as the beasts finally gave up.

“Alister, Alister, are you okay?”

Alister glanced at Finn in confusion, his mouth unable to form the words to let his brother know what was happening before collapsing. Only his brother’s arms around him kept him from falling to the floor.

The gold scales on his neck gleamed then faded.

“Come on, we have to get him back to the house quickly.”

“Finn, you grab his spear. I got him.” Carlos threw Alister over his shoulder and raced through the tunnel to the door leading to the garden. Flinging it open he ran toward the house shouting for Ambrose.

The butler opened the door and helped Carlos with Alister. Laying him down on the kitchen table which his wife had cleared at their first shout, the two men worked on Alister’s shoulder, ripping his shirt off as they sought exposure to the wound that was already darkening Alister’s skin with a rippling of veins and ropes of infection that was spreading faster than they could stop it.

“We’re losing him!” shouted Carlos as he frantically applied poultices on each new branch of the infection.

Finn entered the kitchen and collapsed against the wall in exhaustion.

“We can’t lose him. Alice, more fire.

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