The Blight of Muirwood

From the corner of her eye, she saw Astrid rush for the door and enjoyed a surge of relief. If she could delay the kishion for a few moments, it would be enough to bring Colvin and Edmon and even the Aldermaston. She kicked up at the kishion, but he caught her foot and buried his elbow against the side of her knee. He kept his grip on her ankle and twisted it, spinning her effortlessly onto her stomach. Astrid seized the door handle and pulled.

Lia did not see the dagger appear in the kishion’s hand. She only saw it stick in Astrid’s back and watched his legs gave way. Leaving Lia on the ground, he rose and walked to the door, shutting it quietly and then dropping the crossbar in place. Astrid twitched on the ground, gasping in pain. Ellowyn let out a hiss of fear and shrank against the wall, cowering.

By the bathing tub on the stone tile, Lia saw her gladius still in its freshly cleaned sheath. The room was not large, but it seemed as if a chasm separated her from it. She pushed herself to her feet, wishing she had even the feeble protection of her hunter leathers instead of the thin chemise.

The kishion approached her without a word. There was no worry in his expression. He knew how it would end, with her dead on the ground and Ellowyn his prisoner – or also killed. Lia looked into his eyes, his dead eyes. His hair was cropped, not much to grab at. A short beard covered his sour mouth. He could be no older than Jon Hunter when he died, though gaunt as a starving man. Lia wished she had her bow at hand, but wishes were for fools. As he approached her, Lia moved away from Ellowyn, towards the large bed, concealing her true aim. She snatched a blanket from the bed top and hurled it him, but the kishion only stopped a moment and let it flutter to the ground. A small smirk tugged one corner of his mouth. Just a twitch, as if a fish hook snagged him.

“Lia,” Ellowyn whimpered, biting her hands. She was terror-stricken.

The kishion came forward again, closing the distance more quickly, backing Lia towards the tub. Her cheek throbbed, her knee ached, but she was not afraid. Seeing Astrid laying there, a dagger in his back, made her furious. The hunter was patient. The prey was careless. Lia saw the tremor of the bathwater from the corner of her eye and realized her blade was somewhere on the floor near her and knew her back would collide with the wall if she kept retreating. She did not look away from the kishion’s eyes.

Astrid gurgled, spasmed, and then stopped twitching. Somewhere deep in her mind, it was as if she should hear Astrid screaming, though no more than whispers. She knew at once he was dead.

Hate, a searing bitter hate, filled Lia’s heart. She glanced quickly, saw the weapon and lunged for it as the kishion lunged for her. There was no time to draw it from its sheath yet. After she closed her hand around the hilt, she swung it, scabbard and all, at the kishion’s head. He dodged the blow and sidestepped her. Lia sidestepped the other direction to increase the space between them, putting herself closer to Ellowyn. She cleared the gladius from its sheath, throwing the empty leather scabbard at him, but again, he flinched slightly and it sailed past his ear. It was the only moment she had left.

Lia twirled the blade in front of her, whipping it in large circles and lunged straight at him. His eyes watched the blade’s dance as he back stepped in time with her advance. If she could drive him into the corner, it would reduce his movement.

The thought cost her dearly.

Suddenly the kishion was moving. Just as the blade swung down, he stepped in on her and grabbed her wrist. It was like trying to touch a puddle of quicksilver – he was impossibly fast. Her arm bent the wrong way, making her gasp. A jerk against her wrist and her fingers opened and the blade dropped with a thump onto the rush matting nearby. The next thing Lia knew, the bathwater rushed up to meet her. The kishion’s fingers clamped around her neck, holding her head under the water. Her arm was still twisted backwards, her shoulder screaming in pain. The waters thudded in her ears and she felt herself dizzy with pain. Drowning – she had never thought she would die that way. She kicked at the kishion, tried to dislodge him, but there was nothing she could do. The air burned in her lungs. She knew if she breathed in the water, she would die. It would end.

She had failed the Aldermaston and Colvin. She had failed the Abbey.

Muirwood.

The thought rushed to her mind. At the head of the tub was a Leering used to summon water. With all her mind, with all her will, she summoned the water and with it, enough fire to make it scald. The Medium roared inside her as she opened herself to it. She felt the Leering seethe awake, responding to her thoughts with outrage and fury. A blast of steam engulfed them both and the kishion screamed.

His grip did not loosen, if anything it tightened.