Mona didn’t take kindly to Zakara’s sarcasm. Then again, she wasn’t exactly Mona. Bardent’s presence just outside her bedroom door was having a strange effect on her. Zakara was standing by the windows watching for trouble, and it found her, in the form of a shadow on the front pane…
Climber’s legless torso flung itself through the window, startling Zakara and spilling glass all over the wooden floor. The torso twitched for a moment, then turned onto its back. A pair of empty sockets gazed up at the sprite. “Aye, goooood morninnnnng then…â€
This was Mona’s moment. While Zakara was preoccupied with the torso, she slowly slid open the drawer of her nightstand and removed a dagger, which her father left in her room for protection. Gripping it tightly, she leapt over the end of the bed at the sprite. “DIE!†she screamed, plunging the knife toward Zakara. The sprite, shocked, grabbed Mona’s wrists and the two began to grapple, Mona fighting to impale her keeper.
~
Bardent smiled. “In no way do I fear you. I
am fear, Dovev Jermija.†He sidled along the wall, now standing between Dovev the door to Mona’s room. “I hear a commotion. Perhaps the zombies have finally gotten to her. Now you’ll have to get through me to reach her.â€
He dashed forward, a jerked, sudden movement, and spun at Dovev with his knife-arm. The hunter twirled his whip, and wrapped it around Bardent’s metal wrist, spinning him into the wall, knocking over a small table with a plant on it. The crash sent dirt and clay everywhere. Bardent’s right foot came up, slamming against Dovev’s left arm, and the hunter moved back. His whip was still wrapped around Godspyre’s arm, but the necromancer refused to move.
“In a way this is good. Either you release your whip, or I’ll drag you over here and chop off your head.â€
~
Sybil was on the ground, struggling with Grippy, as Klaus landed near them. The zombie dripped old fluids from its cracked, hanging jaw. “Sooooo…. Soft…..†Sybil rammed her knee into Grippy’s crotch, and it broke like glass, pieces of molding skin and bone falling to the grass. Grippy sighed, “Welllll, not likkkke I was goinnnnng to usssse that anyyyyywayyy…â€
Zombies had a theory about fighting. They fought until they couldn’t. That was that. The easiest ways to kill a zombie were to severe the magic keeping it alive, or to chop off its head. Klaus had a sword, was now close enough to help Sybil, and was slightly dizzy. Speaker noted this, and took a step toward the fallen mage.
“Tiiiiime to—“ Another shot rang out. The words “God Dammit†echoed in Speaker’s head a moment before it exploded.