The Gates of Night: The Dreaming Dark - Book 3 Read Free Page A

could reform from any injury. His body wasn’t a body at all. It was a mass of shards held together by magical force.
    Held together by magical force
.
    No time to waste. Lei visualized a pattern in her mind and traced it on the palm of her left glove. As exhausted as she was, she found a last ember of energy within her, just enough power to complete the ritual.
    The warforged hadn’t noticed her. The blue warrior had one of her blades leveled at Pierce’s face, thethreat unmistakable. Offering a prayer to Onatar, Lei clenched her fist and made a swift throwing motion.
    Only the faintest ripple in the air marked the passage of the energy she’d released—until it struck Harmattan.
    Agony tore through Lei. She’d woven a charm of abjuration into her gauntlet, a burst of power that could shatter other spells. During the War she’d used this technique to counter the arcane blasts of enemy sorcerers. But she’d never touched such a powerful force. It was as if she’d tried to snuff a candle with her fingers and found her hand in a bonfire. Dousing this flame seemed impossible, and every instant the pain grew. But she wouldn’t let go. She remembered Harmattan’s mocking words, the pain as his servant Hydra cut off her finger, and she clung to that rage, using it as a pillar against the pain.
    Harmattan shattered, as if a figure formed of sand struck by a mighty gust of wind: His body dissolved, scattering mirror-bright shards across the floor.
    Indigo responded instantly. As Lei struggled to her feet, the warforged assassin was already turning toward her. Under normal circumstances, Lei’s powers might have proved a match for this foe; she had destroyed one of the warrior Hydra’s bodies earlier in the day. But she was drained. The attack on Harmattan had used her last reserves, and she didn’t have the energy to fuel any form of artifice. In her current state, a battle with Indigo would be brief and unpleasant.
    But even as Indigo turned to face Lei, there was a flash of metal and the warforged tumbled to the ground.
    Pierce!
    Freed from Harmattan’s grasp, Pierce brought Indigo down with a well-placed kick. Lei felt a wave ofrelief—but it soon turned to fear. Indigo regained her feet, and the warforged fought in earnest. Pierce lost his flail, and with Harmattan’s fall Indigo fought more fiercely than before. Lei winced as a well-placed thrust sheared through Pierce’s left shoulder. For a creature of flesh and blood the wound might have been mortal, but Pierce continued the fight. Nonetheless, the outcome wasn’t in doubt. Weaponless, Pierce could slow Indigo but not stop her.
    “Run, my lady!” he said as he dodged another blow. “Take Daine and go!”
    Indigo hissed in fury, and her next blow shaved a layer of mithral from Pierce’s chest.
    I’m not leaving you to her, Lei thought. She reached into her satchel, the magical bag that held her gear. She was too weak to wield her staff, but there had to be something …
    There
. Her fingers found a long wand. She smiled, drawing the weapon. It might have proven useless against Harmattan, but Lei had a hunch that Indigo wasn’t so durable.
    Unfortunately, what Indigo lacked in armor, she made up for in speed. Indigo danced around Pierce, never staying in one place for more than a second, and the last thing Lei wanted to do was hit Pierce.
    Now!
    Pierce pulled back, and there was a boom of thunder as Lei released the lightning bound in the wand. The energy lit the chamber with a brilliant burst of light—but when Lei’s vision cleared, Indigo still stood. The warforged had completely evaded the bolt of energy. She charged at Lei, her black blades spread like wings, ready to shear through flesh and bone. And Pierce was too far away to help her.
    A chill ran through Lei’s heart. Her instincts screamed
flee
, but the warforged was faster than she was—and there was nowhere to run. There was only one chance. As Indigo swept toward her, Lei steeled her