Juraviel watched her bow-staff swinging this way and that, coming in for a sudden clutch and stab, then working back out for a devastating smash. Or at least, it should have been devastat-ing, for it would have felled a living opponent.
He watched Brynn shift her tactics to more effect, watched her drop a zombie with a brilliant combination, watched her free up Diredusk and send him galloping off into the forest night.
That was all-important to her, Juraviel knew, and he managed a slight smile despite the terrible situation. For the To-gai-ru, the bond with their mounts could not be underestimated. A To-gai-ru would risk her life gladly in an effort to save her horse.
Again Brynn worked brilliantly against the closing horde.
Juraviel realized then that he should not simply be standing there in the safety of the boughs, watching her, that he should rush down to her side!
But, despite that realization, the elf did not explode into motion, did not move at all toward his young ranger friend.
Because Belli'mar Juraviel understood the truth of it, understood that he and Brynn could not win out and could not escape. Or at least, that the woman could not get away.
His heart torn, Belli'mar Juraviel chewed his bottom lip, his hand grasp-ing his sword so tightly that his knuckles whitened. He wanted to go to Brynn, wanted to fight beside her and die beside her, if that was the ulti-mate ending. And he would have done that, he knew in his heart, would have willingly given his life for her.
But he could not.
For this horror, this atrocity, held implications beyond the lives of Belli'mar Juraviel and Brynn Dharielle, beyond even the failure of returning Brynn to To-gai to try to lead her people in revolt against the Behrenese.
This horror, a perversion of life itself, held implications that went right to Caer'alfar and Juraviel's people. His duty was clear to him, though it was a duty that burned his heart. His duty was to his people above Brynn, was to return with all speed to Caer'alfar to report to Lady Dasslerond, to warn the Touel'alfar of the grotesque army that walked the southern night.
The elf watched as Brynn was borne down to the ground by a mob of zombies, the stubborn woman fighting all the way.
Juraviel turned his back and started away, picking a course along the higher boughs that would take him far from the scene of horror and send him running on his way back to the north.
The elf stopped before he had gone three strides.
No, he could not do this. Despite his heritage, despite the Touel'alfar code hated his people to the highest regard and placed all of the other .irlinp humans, including human rangers, far below, Belli'mar Ju could not leave Brynn to her fate. - the woman had done for Diredusk, so Juraviel did for her, turning nd half-flying, half-leaping from limb to limb and then from limb to aCback of one zombie, his small sword thrashing violently.
managed to get that one creature off the woman, then rushed into ,0 of the others, slashing wildly and forcing them back, creating enough - an opening for Brynn, who was still fighting fiercely, somehow to climb back to her feet.
~~Siie held her staff out horizontally before her, hands widespread on its solid shaft. She punched out, left and right repeatedly, forcing two zombies back then went out with a stab hard to the right, crushing the face of a third.
"There is no escape! ? she cried out, as Belli'mar Juraviel came up behind her, so that they were back-to-back.
"Then die well," the elf calmly replied.
And so they tried to do just that, as the walls of zombies closed upon them, sword and staff flailing wildly, tirelessly, brutally.
They had several of the creatures down soon after and had forced their way back toward the encampment, back toward the fire.
Juraviel found the new weapon first, grabbing up a flaming stick and thrusting it into the nearest zombie's face. A puff of smoke carried with it a sickening smell, but the torch had much more effect than either sword or staff, igniting the creature. Juraviel worked frantically to keep its burning arms away.
The zombie beside it began to burn as well.
"A torch! A torch! ? Juraviel yelled, hope creeping back into his voice.
Brynn reacted quickly, throwing her staff into the nearest creatures to make them hesitate, then spinning back to the fire and trying desperately to find a