The House of Yeel - By Michael McCloskey Page 0,78
I have a plan to help us, which can only be implemented if I’m the last to enter. The most important part, is, very simply, don’t look back. Rest assured I am not saying that to cover my own shameful retreat, but rather because I intend to blind our opponents, which I can only do if none, or at least very few, of you, are looking back…”
“Sounds good. Don’t worry, we trust you. I know you won’t abandon us.”
Jymoor took the lead again, this time at a much faster pace. Her sword was drawn in her right hand, the vlure rested in her left. Yeel fished a thick black wand out of his pack and held it ready in two tentacles.
Such a huge risk. The vlure is maturing with every step she takes.
The corridor widened again as they advanced. The ceiling became vaulted above them. A huge chamber opened up only a few paces beyond.
Standing above the entrance on a stone stair, a tall man in a maroon robe raised his arms.
“Above you!” Yeel warned Jymoor. “Slightly to the right…”
Thin flames appeared, roiling in the air between the man and the Companions. Yeel knew the power would explode toward them at any moment. But Jymoor held the vlure.
Jymoor’s bravery has likely saved us all. I wouldn’t want to trade places with that—
Jymoor raised her hand in front, letting the rising flames caress the vlure she held. A tiny white creature erupted from the orb and flew straight for the mage’s face. It had several small limbs like a bone-white hand that clenched themselves around his head.
The mage screamed so horribly it rattled Yeel’s brain. It was like the metabolic rush of his stimulant sac when surprised by an oplex worm or when a xorgior wraith darted out of a shadow toward his eye ridge.
Yeel saw blood then looked away. The mage hit the ground with a dull thud.
“Charge!” Yeel commanded. The Companions ran into the shrine. Yeel didn’t take stock of the enemies; as soon as he entered, he snapped the wand in half and pointed both ends away from himself.
White-hot light flashed out over the entire shrine. The lines of the huge chamber melted and joined until there was nothing but a uniform bright glow from all directions. The Companions slowed, momentarily blinded, but they recovered quickly.
The shrine was huge. Massive greenish stones formed the walls. Four thick pillars of stone rose to support the ceiling at five times Yeel’s height. A stone stadium covered most of one wall facing a set of altars and the world portal below. The portal looked very much like Yeel’s roveportal entrance. It flickered with a dim light.
Several other humans or humanoids staggered about, covering their eyes. It was clear most of them were helpless. The Companions leaped to the attack while they held the advantage.
Yeel caught sight of one decidedly nonneutralized enemy. A large spider-like being, with about a dozen long spindly legs, each as long as a human, stood and walked up to the edge of a balcony overlooking the portal. It wielded a device that looked like a crossbow with three long tubes running its length perpendicular to the arm.
That can’t be good.
The creature leveled the device. A missile shot forward with a loud snap, striking a Companion named Sayas. He fell to the ground.
Another innocent gone. I have to stop this one quickly. Perhaps a bluff will work just as well as a real weapon.
“Such a quaint device. Wait until you see what mine does!” Yeel thought to the creature.
He brought out his malinthander and planted the idea of a weapon similar to the one the creature held, only larger. Jymoor and the other Companions fought the other warriors in the shrine, but Yeel stayed focused on the spiderlike creature. It dropped down from its ledge. Another Companion, a woman wearing thick leather and holding a staff, faced off against it. The weapon snapped again and she dropped, dead.
Clerr of the Liscenium Temple.
Having dropped the Companion blocking it, the creature skittered away through the portal.
I wish that one hadn’t gotten away. I’d better remember that I’m going to be seeing him again, and he won’t be happy.
“The shrine is ours!” Jymoor yelled. Blood dripped from her sword. She stepped down from a set of stone steps built into the far wall.
“Then we have to obliterate the portal. More enemies could erupt from it at any moment.”
“How do we destroy it?”
“That requires a diamond,” Yeel said.
“You could have mentioned that earlier. Perhaps King Aruscetar would have given us a diamond.”
Yeel pulled a brilliant bit of stone out of his pack.
“You have one?”
“Yes, I brought a couple. Of course I hoped we would get this far.”
“You have another? Let me see.”
Yeel handed Master Kasil his other diamond.
“This should just about do for my services,” she said.
“I’ve already paid you to train Jymoor. Oh, you mean for your part in the fight against the Meridalae. I had rather hoped you would do that for free.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Nothing’s free. I’ll split the money among the surviving Companions.”
“That would be a bad idea. You would incentivize the Companions to allow each other to die in order to get a bigger share of the money.”
“I would never even think of the money over the lives of my fellows!” bellowed a man.
That would be Alward. Glad to see his mental insulator collar is still intact after the battle.
“Nor would I,” announced a female fighter standing next to him. Yeel struggled for her name.
“Can we get on with it?” demanded Jymoor.
Yeel answered by gluing the diamond to the end of a staff. He extended the gem out with the staff until it just eclipsed the blurry light of its surface. He held it there for long moments while everyone watched.
“Nothing is happening,” Master Kasil said.
“Maybe someone stole the diamond and put a fake in its place,” Alward suggested.
“It takes a moment—”
Snap!
The glimmering portal went black. Yeel retrieved the gem. It shined with an inner light.
“Your world is safer now,” Yeel said. “This is a solid victory. This moment should be remembered by all. Choose carefully what details you—”
“Our world is no longer connected to the Meridalae!” Jymoor yelled. The Companions cheered.
“Well, yes,” Yeel muttered. “Except for the portals at Eight Rod and Steelskull…”
“What did you say? I can’t hear you over the sounds of celebration!”
“Nothing…enjoy your victory!”
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The House of Yeel
Chapter 2: A Plea for Help
Chapter 3: The Task at Hand
Chapter 4: Sojourn
Chapter 5: Far from Home?
Chapter 6: The Stone Garden
Chapter 7: Aftermath
Chapter 8: A Knight Reborn
Chapter 9: Under the Green Sky
Chapter 10: New Studies
Chapter 11: Skirmish
Chapter 12: Riken
Chapter 13: Yeel’s Memory Augment
Chapter 14: A Plan
Chapter 15: Barbarians
Chapter 16: Parlay
Chapter 17: The Balancer
Chapter 18: Gifts
Chapter 19: Battle under a Green Sky
Chapter 20: Battle under a Blue Sky
Chapter 21: A New Library
Chapter 22: The Brown Moors
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The House of Yeel
Chapter 2: A Plea for Help
Chapter 3: The Task at Hand
Chapter 4: Sojourn
Chapter 5: Far from Home?
Chapter 6: The Stone Garden
Chapter 7: Aftermath
Chapter 8: A Knight Reborn
Chapter 9: Under the Green Sky
Chapter 10: New Studies
Chapter 11: Skirmish
Chapter 12: Riken
Chapter 13: Yeel’s Memory Augment
Chapter 14: A Plan
Chapter 15: Barbarians
Chapter 16: Parlay
Chapter 17: The Balancer
Chapter 18: Gifts
Chapter 19: Battle under a Green Sky
Chapter 20: Battle under a Blue Sky
Chapter 21: A New Library
Chapter 22: The Brown Moors
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The House of Yeel
Chapter 2: A Plea for Help
Chapter 3: The Task at Hand
Chapter 4: Sojourn
Chapter 5: Far from Home?
Chapter 6: The Stone Garden
Chapter 7: Aftermath
Chapter 8: A Knight Reborn
Chapter 9: Under the Green Sky
Chapter 10: New Studies
Chapter 11: Skirmish
Chapter 12: Riken
Chapter 13: Yeel’s Memory Augment
Chapter 14: A Plan
Chapter 15: Barbarians
Chapter 16: Parlay
Chapter 17: The Balancer
Chapter 18: Gifts
Chapter 19: Battle under a Green Sky
Chapter 20: Battle under a Blue Sky
Chapter 21: A New Library
Chapter 22: The Brown Moors
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The House of Yeel
Chapter 2: A Plea for Help
Chapter 3: The Task at Hand
Chapter 4: Sojourn
Chapter 5: Far from Home?
Chapter 6: The Stone Garden
Chapter 7: Aftermath
Chapter 8: A Knight Reborn
Chapter 9: Under the Green Sky
Chapter 10: New Studies
Chapter 11: Skirmish
Chapter 12: Riken
Chapter 13: Yeel’s Memory Augment
Chapter 14: A Plan
Chapter 15: Barbarians
Chapter 16: Parlay
Chapter 17: The Balancer
Chapter 18: Gifts
Chapter 19: Battle under a Green Sky
Chapter 20: Battle under a Blue Sky
Chapter 21: A New Library
Chapter 22: The Brown Moors