Lady faced the wall of blackness with absolute will. That was what was needed for form a barrier and she could call on every ounce of it she had. The initial attack had gotten the roiling black mass of Shadows attention and it started flow her direction forming into all manner of beasts. Boars with bloody tusks, great Basiliks, shades, undead, Cabras and devils of the underworld spat at her, all lifting up the same demand in a haunting chorus. "Join or die, Lady Lightening."
"You will go back to where you came," she said through gritted teeth.
The Shadows mocked her with a hissing sound and the mass of monsters surged forward to over take her. Lady held her ground though the small voice in the back of her mind begged her to run, claiming there had to be another way.
She ignored the voice and braced against the black, frigid air blasting against her. This would be their first victory and she would make sure of it. With a flick her wrist, she called on Sperest and set her loose her shield. A blue spark ignited and grew over the courtyard, creating a wall between herself and the monsters. She willed it to spread to the entrances...forcing it into the doorways and halls. The move made her knees shake as beads of sweat dripped down her temple. Keeping the shield up indefinitely would slowly kill her, draining her energy till it was no more, but it would hold long them out of the catacombs long enough to make the blood seal. The mass of Shadows slammed against the shield and the whole castle shuddered with the force.
"You go no further," Lady growled, pulling her dagger from her belt.
There was a crackling laugh to her left and a chill spread down her spine. It was far too familiar and it made bile rise in her throat. No.
"But wont we?" he said.
************
He checked to see if the wood was dry, if felt a little slick but there was also dried pitch smeared over the top of the torch. It might light if they created a spark and were lucky. "Aye, I think so," the Spartoi captain replied to Alex, "If I can borrow ye fancy knife, yeah?"
As he asked there was a small rush of wind, a change in the drafty air current and he could smell the darkness in the air. "Hand ye knife!" he demanded, "Somethin' comin!"
*************
"Treats!" Ery squeaked before dropping to Eyrth's shoulder.
The Spartoi had no idea what a match was, but a striker they knew and Eyrth's partner offered his arm. "Ye use de beak of ye weapon on m'arm and ye get a spark." When the scaled Guardian seemed to hesitate, the Spartoi held out his powder white arm. "Ye not break me, just do it."