Ice and Fire Ch. 01

Euphoné sighed. "Well, I suppose we might enjoy a short respite." She took a knee and considered the fork in the corridor before them.

Vervain kicked a path through the dead stirges and slumped against the stone wall, panting. "Not a single humanoid in this whole dungeon," she muttered.

"Does that matter?" asked Euphoné. The demon, as usual, wasn't making any sense.

Vervain's chest continued to heave. "I... I need humanoids to feed," she muttered.

Euphoné frowned. "Are you sure you're fine?"

The demoness nodded. "I... I'll be okay. I just need to rest, that's all."

They'd been resting for a few minutes when Euphoné heard moaning from down the left corridor. She stood and drew her sword.

"Looks like our rest will have to wait," she said.

The ghasts were on them in moments, three of them. Vervain barely had time to stumble to her feet. The fires in her palms sparked, then died.

"I'm out of energy!" she gasped.

"Don't tell me that!" Euphoné was surrounded by the undead, hacking down one which was quickly replaced by another, its mouth of broken-teeth drooling. She bashed it in the face with the hilt of sword as she kicked out at another trying to flank her. But she was outnumbered.

"Vervain!"

Vervain swung around. Her name? It was the first time the knight had used her name! But she had no time to muse over the fact. Euphoné was surrounded. Vervain delved deep, desperately searching for a hidden reserve of energy. She found it. Her hands burst into roaring flame and she sent a sheet across the massed undead. They squealed and burned very nicely.

"Careful," gasped Euphoné, kicking apart a smouldering ghast. "That last spell almost fried me!"

Another ghast leaped out of the shadows from behind the knight. Vervain pulled her aside and blasted the creature with fire. An instant inferno, the ghast crashed to the floor of the dungeon and lay there, bubbling.

Euphoné was in her arms, staring at her. Vervain, with an awkward smile, let her arms drop.

"Sorry," she said.

Euphoné shook her head. "You saved me again," she said.

"Well," said Vervain, a little insulted by the disbelief in the knight's voice. "Uh, we had an agreement, right?"

Euphoné nodded and a shy smile broke onto her lips. But then Vervain suddenly toppled forward and the knight just barely caught her.

"Vervain!"

"My name," the demoness murmured. "You said my name again."

Vervain's body was slack and Euphoné struggled to hold her up. She wasn't making any sense! "What's the matter? Are you wounded?"

"Hungry...." she whispered.

She was hungry? Euphoné looked around. Against the far wall the two ghasts she had killed lay in a jumble. "You feed on humanoids, right? Why don't you--"

Vervain shook her head feebly. "Can't," she whispered. "Undead. No... no energy."

Euphoné fought back panic. What were they going to do?

Moaning filled the corridor, echoing from the dark behind them. More ghasts!

Euphoné tried to steady the demoness on her feet. "We need to get out of here!"

Vervain pushed at the knight's chest feebly. "Can't," she said. "No... no energy. Leave me."

Euphoné scowled at her. "I'm not going to just leave you here!" With a grunt she hoisted the demoness over her shoulder and broke into a jog.

The glittering eyes of more ghasts filled the corridor to the left. Dozens of them!

Euphoné had no choice. She took the right corridor. A few feet down it and the floor grew slick and she lost her footing. With a cry she fell on her back and started to slide. She held onto Vervain, too weak to cry out herself, as the two of them skidded down the passage into pitch darkness.

To be continued...