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His friend’s head remained dipped until they’d reached the midpoint of the room. When it lifted, a chill swept Kormac, for the eyes had turned completely black.
The lips twisted as the possessor rasped, “Took you long enough.”
“It’s time to end this,” Kormac stated.
“You’re right, it is.” Lomar’s head tilted. “Thank you for bringing the vessel.”
“What vessel?” Fionna asked, fingers lightly moving by her side, preparing magic, but Kormac couldn’t have said what kind.
The thing stood. “Did you never find it odd how Airiok banned all magic? How for centuries after his reign, women born with the gift were killed?”
“Because he was superstitious,” Kormac replied, his attention only partially on the thing speaking with Lomar’smouth. The hairs on his nape lifted, warning of danger in the shadows the light didn’t penetrate.
“Oh, he was worried all right, worried that what he’d thought dead and buried would return.” The lips twisted into a parody of a smile. “He was right. It just took longer than expected.”
“You had something to do with magic being banned,” Fionna declared, having shuffled a little closer without seeming to move.
“Not me. I love magic.” The possessor cackled. “Need it. Want it.” He stared at Fionna. “And here you are, ready to give it to me.”
“I thought you wanted me dead?” She pursed her lips.
“That was when I thought you an ordinary witch. But you have the blood of her ancestors running through your veins.”
“And who would that relative be?” Kormac couldn’t help but be curious as it felt as if they were missing a piece to this mystery.
“Airiok’s first wife. She was gifted. So very, very gifted.”
Kormac tried to digest the fact that the man who’d actually hunted witches during his reign had been married to one. “What happened to make Airiok hate women with magic so much?”
“Not just women. Although, they tend to be oddly more common which is rather annoying for my purposes. But one must make do.”
Kormac didn’t understand what the thing babbled, but he did grasp that the monster inhabiting Lomar appeared pleased to have Fionna here and that couldn’t be good.
He needed to end this.
Now.
Kormac gave no warning, just lunged for Lomar, ready to run him through, only he never got the chance. Something rattled the stacked furniture and before he’d fully turned, it slammed into him, tackling him with a snarl. The shadows had indeedbeen hiding reinforcements. Not a dire wolf, or he might have been grievously injured.
The person atop him, gnashing their teeth, appeared out of their mind, their flailing ineffective. The lack of whites in their eyes showed they’d been possessed by the entity in the cave, but unlike Lomar, lacked any finesse, making them easy to kill.
The man who bled out on the floor proved to be the first of many. From the pockets of gloom they shambled and scrambled to get to him, humans who’d been possessed, ranging in age, young and old, including a child who might have been cute but for the vicious snarl on her lips and the knife in her hand.
Victims because he’d not acted sooner.
Kormac barked, “It’s a trap.” While not all of them were armed, enough held sharp tools to worry.
“Obviously. Do what you can to hold them off. I’m going to try and sever the link the thing has to them.” Fionna’s expression remained undaunted.
Hold them off? He almost asked her an incredulous, “how?” While he didn’t want to slaughter these citizens caught in a curse, he also wasn’t about to die for them, nor would he let them touch Fionna.
However, he tried. He did what he could to disarm them. A slash to the thigh to send them to the floor, crawling and easy to avoid. The flat of his blade across forearms and wrists to get them to drop their weapons. For the very persistent, he knocked them in the head, rendering them unconscious. His attempt to not harm, though, failed. The possessed kept coming for him, unheeding of their injuries, Swarming him with sheer numbers, forcing him to start slashing with deadly intent.
He took no pleasure from it. It was his fault they were like this. He should have done something about the threat in the Pass sooner. Should have warned them. Evacuated those close enough to be affected.
“Stop that!” The thing using Lomar’s body snapped and drew Kormac’s attention. He noticed Fionna glowed from head to toe and that light extended and wrapped around Lomar.
“Now, now, you were the one who claimed to be happy to have me here.” She bared her teeth. “You can’t uninvite me now.”
