Empire of Night (Age of Legends 2)

"No, you ought--"

Daigo cut off her argument with a growl. Just go.

Moria inhaled and they turned as one, putting her in direct line with the tree.

"You'll be right behind me?" she whispered.

"You have my word," he said.

Which meant yes--without question, yes. She exhaled, adjusted her dagger and the torch, crouched, and counted to three under her breath so Tyrus could hear. Then she ran.

FORTY-SIX

Moria held the torch as high as she could to light the way for Tyrus. She could hear him right behind her, so close the sound of his breathing seemed to drown out the pounding of his boots. When she strained, she caught the swish of grass as Daigo ran off to Tyrus's side. What she could not hear was the sound of pursuit. It didn't matter. The beasts were there, right there, on Tyrus's heels, and she didn't need to look back to confirm that.

When Moria reached the tree, she whipped around. There they were--a seething mass of red eyes and dark shadows. She pitched the torch at them, wheeled again, and jammed her dagger into the tree trunk. She used it as a climbing spike, yanked herself up, and grabbed the lowest branch. She swung onto the limb, leaving the dagger behind. She leaped up onto the branch and took the next one. Soon, Daigo was beside her and Tyrus was on the limb she'd just vacated. She kept going until she was as high as the branches would hold her weight. Then she stretched out on her stomach.

Tyrus reached the branch below hers and handed up her dagger. They both lay with their arms wrapped around the tree, staring down into the night.

The thrown torch had ignited the dry grass, but it only smoldered and smoked, obscuring more than it revealed. Then, as they regained their breath, the clouds overhead drifted past the moon, not clearing it but stretching thin enough for the beams to penetrate.

At first, Moria still saw only red eyes. But as she watched, she could make out shadowy shapes, writhing in the darkness below. When she squinted, one of the shapes seemed to take form into--

"Don't look." Tyrus reached up to grip her arm.

"I know but--"

"Don't look. Please. I don't care if the stories are true or not. Don't take that chance, however curious you are. Please. For me."

She tugged her gaze from the shapes below.

"Think of something else," Tyrus said. "Tell me about them."

"You already know--"

"A little." He managed a wry smile. "Share your expertise and perhaps we can figure a way out of this."

We can't. It doesn't matter if we've seen them or not. There's no escape from--

"Fiend dogs," she blurted, feeling a mix of relief and fear naming them. "They're fiend dogs. You'll see only shadows and eyes. But if you look long enough, they'll take the form of giant black dogs. They're both a warning of death and death itself. If you see one, it'll chase you until it catches you, and then it'll kill you." She hesitated. "There's no escape."

"Ignore that part. I don't believe it. Keep going."

She opened her mouth, but her heart hammered too hard for words. Thunder hawks, death worms, even shadow stalkers . . . they could be stopped, if not killed outright. Fiend dogs caught scent of their prey and chased it right into the second world.

"Moria . . ."

She swallowed hard. Even without looking down, she knew the fiend dogs were there. Growling now, snarling and snapping invisible jaws. Snorting and grunting. The tree vibrated as one jumped against it.

"They can't climb," Tyrus said. "Keep talking. You'll find something useful. I know you will."

She nodded. "Fiend dogs aren't like death worms or thunder hawks or dragons. Those are beasts of legend. True beasts, like a hound or a cat. They live and feed and breathe and bleed. They're said to have once roamed the earth and died out. Fiend dogs are like shadow stalkers. They aren't alive, not truly. Legend says they're the souls of warriors who betrayed their lords, forced to forever roam the earth in service of their new lord: death. They're--"

"Spirits."

"Yes, which means they're incorporeal and can take the form of shadow or dog."

"No, I mean they're spirits. Like shadow stalkers. You can fight shadow stalkers."