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He shook his head. “I will distract them and give you a chance to escape. The stairway is only a few turns from here and you should be safe in the church. You can wait for me there.”
“But what can you do against them?” I argued as I stabbed a finger in the direction of our foes. “They’re already-”
One of the monsters shambled around the corner in front of us. Will spun around and slammed his fist into the skeleton’s face. An explosion of fire burst out of Will’s hand and engulfed the creature. The thing collapsed to the ground and smoldered.
Will returned his attention to me and smiled. “There’s no need to worry about me, but in the heat of battle and with so many I cannot guarantee I can protect you and fend them off. That’s why you need to go on without me.” He grasped my hands in his and pecked a light kiss against my lips. “Just follow my directions and you’ll get there just fine. I’ll be right behind you.” Tears welled up in my eyes but I nodded. He smiled. “That’s my bride. Now-” He stepped to one side and nodded at a passage to our left. “Follow that path until you reach a crossroads. Take the path on the left to another crossroads and take the rightward path. That will lead to the stairs which will be on your left. Do you understand?”
I nodded. “To the crossroads, straight, then right and left.”
Will’s face beamed as he stepped back in the direction we had come from. The rattle of bones alerted us to our incoming foes. “Now go.” I hesitated. He looked so alone silhouetted by the shadows cast by the torches. An undead raced around the corner and Will spun around to face him. He grabbed the front of the skeleton’s ribcage and threw the undead into the wall. Another monster leapt out of the shadows and latched its teeth onto his arm. Will let out a stifled cry before he grabbed the skeleton by the scruff of a collar and tossed it off him. He whipped his head around to me as more shadows came around the corner. “Go!”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and took off down the path. My mind repeated the instructions even as my heart screamed at me to go back, to be by his side and help him in his fight. I slammed into the wall of a tight corner and screamedwhen a bony hand shot out from one of the niches and brushed my shoulder.
The mummified man opened his jaws and the remains of a tongue licked his crumbling bits of lip. “You smell nice. Want to have some fun?”
I jumped back and raced down the tunnel. Fear and sadness blurred my vision but somehow I managed to make it through Will’s instructions. I turned left and found myself on the straight tunnel to the stairs.
Unfortunately, the way was blocked by the barred door I had seen earlier. Father Silas stood on the other side and was just locking it when I raced up. I grabbed the bars and rattled the door. “Let me out!”
The father stepped back and tucked the key into his pocket. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, miss. You have been chosen for a great honor and I would not interfere with that for all the world.”
A noise from behind me made me spin around. A dozen of the undead in various degrees of rot shambled toward me. My heart pounded in my chest as I backed up away from the eager mummies. My back hit the iron-rod door and the whole thing rattled but didn’t give.
Man, did I ever wish I had one of those swords from Andwis’ shop.
One of the things stretched out their bony hand for me. I flung up my arm to swat them away. That’s when all hell broke loose.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
A yelp escapedme when heat exploded out of my hand. A flaming sword appeared in my grasp and I started back, striking my head hard against the iron bars. The moment I moved, the fire was extinguished. I gaped at my palm with its intact skin. Only a tingling sensation proved to me that something had happened.
The mummies had paused their advance at the sudden burst of flame but they resumed their shambling walk toward me. I waved my hand and flicked my thumb like a pretender lighter. “Come on!” I shouted as my back pressed against the wall. “Whatever the hell you are, work!”
A few sparks shot out of my palm as one of the creatures grasped my arm. I jerked my hand back and the flaming sword burst out of my palm again. This time the creature was close enough that the fiery blade stabbed through its body and poked out the other side. The mummy froze and its jaw dropped open as both it and I looked down at the protruding sword.
The creature let out a high-pitched scream and stumbled back, ripping the sword from my hand. The weapon vanished the moment I lost contact with the ‘hilt’ but that didn’t stop themummy from catching fire. It spun around and raced into its brethren, catching their dry and ragged clothes aflame.
“Roll, my charges!” Father Silas shouted as he struggled to pull the key out of his pocket. He fumbled with the metal before inserting it into the lock and shoving open the door. “Stop-”
I grabbed the bars and slammed the door in his face. He stumbled backward and fell onto his back where he lay still. I scurried over him, making sure to step on as many limbs as I could in my hurry, and scrambled up the stairs.
The fresh air of the church was most welcome and I crumpled onto the nearest pew where I could catch my breath. My heart pounded loudly in my chest as I lifted one hand and stared at my empty palm. There was no sign of any burning or scorching. A faint whiff of smoke, however, did emerge from cracks in the floor.
Noises from the cloister made my head shoot up. A half dozen robed individuals came from that direction.
“Perhaps one of the torches merely fell!” one of them suggested.
“We shall have to see!” the leader insisted before his eyes fell on me. “A moment, miss, and the Grimton will be ready for viewing!”
“Take your time,” I quipped as I climbed to my feet. I didn’t want to be around when they found their fallen father.
I had only reached the halfway point down the aisle when shouts came from the stairs. The sounds made me turn and I was just in time to watch one of the brothers go flying out of the stairs. They landed with a crash on the front row of pews and the seats were knocked backward. The man’s limbs twitched a bit before he lay still.
More cries came from the stairwell and I crept closer. A brother scurried up on hands and knees or tried to. Something grabbed the back hem of his cloak and yanked him back, but notbefore I saw his expression of terror. He, too, was sent flying in the air and crashed into the altar.
My heart gave a leap as Will’s head was shown above the floor. Father Silas’s prone body was draped over his shoulder and he carried another brother by the back of the man’s cassock. Will noticed me and his eyes widened. He tossed the limp fellow onto the floor and hurried over, unshouldering his burden by dropping Father Silas on the ground near me.
Will grasped my upper arms and looked me over. “Are you unhurt?”
