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adding their power by thrumming deep in their throats as they would accompany
a shaman in his chants and dances. Luck shivered. Nevin just nodded
approvingly at the circling lycans, who were displaying their unity with
Isranon in his efforts: for only three of them came from the Red Wolf Clan
that had adopted Isranon as clan-brother. Now the lycans of the Rowdies were
forming their own clan around Isranon. The next full moon would prove
interesting as a result.
Travis sagged bonelessly against Isranon's shoulder, past thought, past
dreams, almost past life, hanging in darkness, in numb warmth of non-being. He
heard them howling his name. Wolves howling usually meant trouble. But this
this was different. This welcomed, called, demanded, Come back, Travis."
"Old Dog, come back and play."
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A young woman, sleek with small, high breasts and long, straight steel-gray
hair with a streak of bright red down the middle regarded him with slanted
eyes. She wore gray leathers and a belt knife. Come back, old dog, she said.
You act like alycan, you nest with us, hug us, stroke us and give us
nicknames. You think of us almost like dogs. You love us, you condescending
asshole. Come back, old dog."
He saw then that she had tears in her eyes and he almost thought he knew her.
Daree crawled nearer to Travis, pressing her nose into his hand, whining
softly. The red streak along her back lay against his leg. His hand twitched,
closing on her ruff. She gave a small sigh at the touch of his hand.
Isranon reached deeper into Travis's body for that fading spark, spreading
his own power around it, white and gold and green and flame. Brighter it
flared inside them both. The arteries sealed and Travis no longer bled. Bones
mended. Muscles pulled back together. The magic sang in the high, sweet tones
of the hymns of the heavens and swept over them, sheathing the two men in
layers of light, white, gold, flame, green, blue, red that faded through
scarlet to rose to the pink-gold of dawn's first kiss and beyond that to white
again.
"The Dawnhand has returned, Luck, Nevin said quietly. He's a bit different.
Not quite whole yet, but he's returned. Woes betide the dark powers. We're
going to find a way to heal him. We're not going to let him die again."
Travis stirred in Isranon's arms. The mage had a single instant to smile,
offering a small prayer of thanks to whatever Gods of Light might have aided
him, before the embedded spells found an opening and reared up to slice
through him with their evil. He stifled a scream, his face twisting in agony,
his shoulders hunching as he began to cough up blood, slowly listing toward
the ground. The hand holding Warrior went out in an effort to stophimself .
Luck dartedforward, pushing through the lycans to reach Travis, but Daree had
shifted into a transitional form and lifted Travis from Isranon, relieving the
mage's burden. The other lycans now made room for her to carry him to the edge
where she sat down with him beside Luck. Themon was weak, but the wounds were
closed, aged. She smiled shyly at Luck, and then went back to cradling Travis.
Nevin produced a clean handkerchief from his pocket, wiping at the blood
around Isranon's mouth, and then supported him as he coughed up more. He
shifted Isranon around to dribble Sanguine Rose in his mouth from a pocket
flask, and then held him as the drug called him into its gentle embraces.
Fetch a healer, Nevin said. I want them both checked before they are
moved."
"Can you Read them at all, Nevin? Luck asked, listening to the gray haired
female with the flame streak murmuring over and over about miracles.'
"A bit.It's fairly plain: Isranon heals others, but he can't heal himself."
Josiah's ghost nodded sadly at Nevin's revelation, and vanished.
* * * *
The runes on the susgrag's armor glowed. Its legs kicked out, stamped down
and it came up, lashing to either side. Nans ducked and rolled, bounced to her
feet and came back. Dynarien caught both blows on his shield and stood firm.
His golden sword swept out, severing the hand that held the pike. The susgrag
staggered back, blood spurting from the stump. As Dynarien's rage at the aura
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of hate and evil rising from the minion of hell grew, so did the
manifestations of his power.
"I am the Twice-Born Son! Dynarien roared.
Roses carpeted the ground in shades of blue and then vines of them emerged
from the earth, stretching forth their thorns to reach for Igmetzi. The
susgrag slashed at the plants, screaming. Dynarien did not do these things
consciously; they simply happened as an expression of his divinity.
Haig led the vampires in a charge by simply running in ahead of the others.
They could not dent the creature's armor, as the yuwenghau had, which puzzled
and enraged them. So Haig, thinking, stabbed it in the leg. The creature
screamed. Soon, they were stabbing it wherever they could find skin exposed,
darting about, and avoiding its strikes.
Nans slashed Igmetzi's shoulders, saw a small form flash suddenly from the
treetops, and realized that Anksha had entered the fray. The monster was too
large for her to reach by any other means, so she had climbed to the top of a
tree and simply dropped onto his neck like a great leaping cat.
"What in creation is that? Dynarien shouted, unable to get a good look at
her.
"My secret weapon, Nans shouted, fighting with renewed fury. Malei'leonys."
Anksha's clawed toes dug into Igmetzi's upper arms. She reached around his
head and snapped her claws into his eyes, piercing the orbs and tearing chunks
from the sockets. The blinded demon flung his upper arms about trying to
dislodge her and still fend off his yuwenghau attackers. He struck wildly
around, forcing everyone to dodge and retreat. Anksha twisted to the side as
the back of his fist struck her on the leg. She dug in deeper, setting her
hind claws in his shoulders. If he dropped his weapons to pluck her off, the
others would lunge in and stab him; if he did not pull her off, she would
finish him.
She tore his throat open and slashed deep across the arteries in the sides of
his neck before biting into the back of it. Igmetzi made a gurgling noise,
finally dropping his weapons to clutch at the huge wounds. Blood spurted
through his fingers. He staggered as his life slipped through the tears. The
demon could not staunch the fatal flood.
Dynarien and Nans drove their weapons into his sides. Dynanna made another
rush with her globes of beast repellant.
Anksha wrinkled her nose at the stench. Her fangs clamped onto his spine and
she chewed relentlessly with her powerful jaws. She was a demon-eater and this
was a demon. The biggest demon she had ever seen, but still a demon; therefore
Anksha intended to eat him and there was no question in her mind about it. The
bone snapped with a loud crack and the susgrag collapsed. Anksha gave an
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