What’s he trying to do, kill me?
None of that bothered Tesh too much. Sebek, unlike the other trainers, didn’t coddle. He pushed, and pushed hard. Famous for wounding students, Sebek had always upped the level of threat every time they fought. This was just another level. Tesh might have been flattered by the respect of no quarter shown, and he would have except for one thing—Sebek wasn’t smiling. Sebek always grinned in battle. The Fhrey loved combat, and the better the fight the more he grinned. At times, he’d even laugh. This was proving to be a very good fight, but Sebek wasn’t laughing, wasn’t grinning, wasn’t smiling. Sebek looked…miserable.
Flashing metal jolted as Tesh caught another stroke.
Sebek spun. Crash came the second blade. Lightning followed by Thunder. Sebek had never explained the names. After fighting him, he didn’t need to.
Flash! Crash! The attacks came faster and faster, call and answer, and Tesh was tired from the run. He had built up stamina but not this much. He was finding it hard to breathe, and Sebek wasn’t giving him a chance to catch his breath.
“What are you doing?” Tesh heard Brin’s voice. “Stop it!”
She was behind Sebek, and the Fhrey instantly pulled back and whirled to face her.
“Get out of our way!” Brin stood on the bridge.
Sebek had one blade facing Tesh and one extended, pointing at Brin.
For a flash of an instant, Tesh sensed death. He could smell it, feel it radiating off his mentor. Sebek would stab Brin through the heart, a clean, fast blow that wouldn’t alter his stance, allowing him to parry any retaliation from Tesh. All of this was so clear, so obvious. Tesh was seeing three moves ahead and witnessing an unspeakable horror. Like any wild thing, the true nature of the Fhrey revealed itself.
Then it was gone.
This time the flash wasn’t answered. Thunder didn’t follow lightning. Sebek’s shoulders relaxed, and his weight shifted to a neutral stance.
Brin pushed past the Fhrey, shoving him back against the stone wall as she barreled on.
Sebek didn’t move. He watched her, and then Tesh. Still, no smile.
Reaching the door, Brin hammered on the bronze with all her might. “Open up!”
The window opened. “Who is—Brin?”
“If you don’t open this Tetlin Witch of a door in the next two seconds—”
That’s when they heard the screaming.
* * *
—
Persephone screamed as she watched the thing come in through the window, pale as the dead, long and lanky, and with black oily hair that hung to the floor. Seeing it, staring at it, Persephone still couldn’t understand how it was getting through such a narrow opening. Mice do the same thing, squeeze themselves down like that. But this wasn’t a mouse. Persephone had seen its like before and backed away in horror. She bumped the bed with the backs of her thighs.
I need to get out of here!
She spun and ran for the door. Grasping the latch, Persephone lifted and shoved. The door unlatched, then hit something and refused to open any farther.
“Help!” she screamed out the little crack.
“No one is coming,” the raow told her, its voice the sound of snapping bones and hissing snakes.
The thing was still squeezing through the window, oozing inside, the fleshy goo of its body revealed to be a boneless bag of skin.
“Can’t get away,” it whispered.
“Help! Someone! Anyone! Open this damn door!” she shouted again and rammed the door with her shoulder, hurting herself.
“Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.” The raow used a singsong tone. Its head and shoulders were already in, the thing busily working on getting its hips through, twisting and pushing against the walls.
If it gets all the way in, I’m dead.
Persephone wished for the dwarven sword she’d once carried, but settled for a two-foot-long, four-prong brass candleholder. Keep the sword up. She heard Moya’s voice. Hold it back like this. Keep your left foot in front, and when that thing comes at you, step forward with your right as you swing.
Across the room, the raow grinned, revealing jagged teeth. The thing was drooling. Long strings of anticipation glistened from its lips. Its red eyes glowed bright and wide with excitement as it stared at her. “Yes. Yes. Such a beautiful, succulent face.”