3

AS THE CROWD FLED, Knot backed slowly away, keeping his attention on the beast.

He recognized the thing, or at least its general form, as an Outsider—one of the monsters he had fought underneath the imperial dome of Izet, when he had lost his wife, Winter. This one stood three times the height of a human, its body muscled and sinewy beneath slick black skin. It balanced on two thickly muscled hind legs, and its long arms ended in curved claws the size of Knot’s arms. Its massive head was oversized for the sinewy neck, with jaws and teeth so large they seemed to weigh the creature down, hunching it over. The creature swerved its head, empty black eyes observing the crowd around it, and dropped its jaw to emit a terrible sound between a roar and a scream.

Questions raced through Knot’s mind. The last time he’d seen one of these monsters, Azael had been close. Was he here now? Would more Outsiders follow?

But he had no time to consider them.

“Astrid!” Knot shouted, keeping his eye on the Outsider. The monster took a step forward, and the vibration of it echoed up through Knot’s bones.

Why was that girl never around when he—

“I’m here, nomad.”

Knot looked down. The girl stood at his side. That was something, at least. A large hooded cloak shielding her from sunlight. He looked back at the Outsider.

“How are we going to fight this thing?” she asked.

“Was hoping you’d have an idea,” Knot said. They continued to back slowly away.

“You think it’ll wait ’til nightfall?”

Knot grunted. The last time they’d faced Outsiders, Astrid had been at her strongest, and he’d had access to telesis. What limited ability he had now, after his healing, wouldn’t possibly damage the beast before them, and Astrid, while she was still strong, would not be nearly as powerful as she was at night.

“We could ask nicely,” Astrid said.

The Outsider roared again, its gaze fixed on Knot and Astrid. Knot heard footsteps behind him, and glanced back to see Eward approaching. The Prelates stood in formation behind him, an unmoving wall amidst the fleeing Odenites.

“Orders?” Eward asked.

“Archers only,” Knot said. “Line them up. Fire on the creature whenever you have a clear shot.” The Prelates made good footmen, but he had not trained them to handle anything like this. Better that he and Astrid made the front line.

Knot could tell Eward wanted to argue, but the lad raced back to his line. He’d learned not to argue during combat.

The ground trembled as the massive beast rushed towards them.

“Flank it,” Knot said to Astrid. “Give the archers space.”

Astrid sprinted to the left, cloak billowing behind her, and Knot moved to the right, sword drawn. While Astrid’s preferred weapons were her claws, she couldn’t extend them in the daytime. Instead she wielded two short swords, one gripped in each hand.

Eward shouted behind them, and a volley of arrows hissed through the air, striking the Outsider’s armored skin. Most glanced away, but a few plunged through.

The creature did not scream, and did not falter in its charge. Knot remembered the last time they’d faced Outsiders, and how much damage it had taken to bring one down. A single Outsider had demolished an entire squad of Rodenese Reapers—the emperor’s elite soldiers—in moments. If this one got to the Prelates, it would massacre them. He and Astrid had to keep the thing distracted.

The Outsider lunged for Knot first. He dodged a swipe of the monster’s massive claw, then rolled out of the way to narrowly escape being trampled by its feet. The Outsider screamed as Astrid leapt atop it, plunging her swords into its back. A high-pitched roar of pain pierced the air, and it bucked her across the field. She rolled to a stop, not moving.

The monster kicked Knot squarely in the chest with one of its feet before he could react. The impact sent him flying backwards, sliding along the grass. Knot gasped, regaining his breath with effort. The Outsider turned, moving in Astrid’s direction just as another volley of arrows hailed down on the thing from behind. Knot wasn’t sure the arrows had any effect; the creature barely flinched, and continued sauntering towards Astrid, lying still on the grass.

Knot sprinted forward, a growl forming in his chest. The Outsider was almost upon the vampire, raising one leg to stomp down. Knot reached her just in time, sweeping her up and out of the way as the ground shook beneath them. Cradling Astrid in one arm, he turned and thrust his sword through the monster’s side. He withdrew the blade quickly, slashing upwards, but the Outsider parried with one monstrous claw and Knot nearly lost his grip on his sword.

Astrid groaned, stirring, but Knot couldn’t set her down. She was still disoriented, and she’d be an easy target. Instead, he kept his grip on the girl, dodging swipe after swipe from the Outsider’s claws. The monster wasn’t slowing down. If Astrid didn’t get her senses back soon, they’d both be dead. And being at such close quarters with the monster wasn’t helping—the Prelates could not fire without risk of hitting Knot and Astrid.

Knot’s muscles strained as he narrowly escaped another slash of the monster’s claws. He stabbed up again with his sword, but the monster snaked out of the way. The thing was fast, especially for its size. Knot didn’t remember the Outsiders he’d fought in Roden being this fast.

He dodged again, then sprinted away as fast as he could, hoping to give Eward’s archers a chance to get another volley in. Arrows hissed through the air, thudding into the monster’s hide and the grass around it.

“What’d I miss?” Astrid asked.

Knot looked down at her long enough to see her eyes open.

“Can you stand?”

The Outsider rushed at them again, and Knot’s muscles tensed.

“Give me your sword,” Astrid said.

Knot dodged and parried another attack from the Outsider.

“I don’t think—”

“Those stupid short swords of mine aren’t enough, nomad. Give me your sword.”

Knot didn’t argue further. He let her take the sword, and she shifted in his arms just as the Outsider charged again. Then, the girl kicked off of his chest, springing directly at the charging Outsider, cloak flapping in her wake, a sword as long as she was tall held in both hands. The force of Astrid’s leap pushed Knot backwards into the grass.

With a shout, Astrid buried the sword in the creature’s torso. Gripping the handle, she swung her feet forward and planted them on either side of the sword. The beast thrashed angrily, trying to smash Astrid against its chest, but the girl was too quick, even in the sunlight. She yanked the sword out of the beast in a flying leap. A spray of blood arced out as Astrid twisted in midair and brought the sword down to sever a flailing monstrous arm. The massive claw fell to the ground in another shower of bright blood.

Knot leapt to his feet. Astrid’s frenzied attack on the Outsider had taken only a few seconds. And yet, while the Outsider was clearly enraged at the fact that one claw was no longer attached to its body, it did not seem otherwise deterred.

Knot drew the dagger from his belt, but he knew the weapon would be useless. Then, he saw one of Astrid’s short swords nearby on the grass, and sprinted to pick it up.

Another volley of arrows hissed through the air, piercing the Outsider, and this attack finally seemed to affect the thing. It stumbled as the arrows struck, one leg buckling beneath it. But, just as quickly, the monster regained its balance, and turned its attention back to Astrid.

As Knot approached, everything seemed to slow around him. The Outsider slashed at Astrid with its one good claw, both forms moving sluggishly. For the first time, Knot looked into its eyes. Deep, dark pits, unfathomably black. Lifeless and dead. And yet… not entirely so. For a brief moment, Knot thought he saw a flicker in the Outsider’s eyes.

If there was one thing Knot had learned to recognize in a look, it was fear.

The monster swiped at the girl again, and Astrid dodged. Her movements were easier, less frantic now that the monster was short a claw. The Outsider stomped again, roaring at Astrid so loudly Knot’s ears rang, but the girl was not fazed. She twirled around the monster’s next attack, slicing the back of its leg with Knot’s sword. The Outsider buckled and fell. Astrid followed immediately, plunging the sword through the thing’s skull again and again.

Finally, the Outsider was still.

Knot rushed to Astrid’s side, short sword gripped in one fist.

“Dead?”

Astrid, covered in blood, kicked the thing’s head, which didn’t budge—it was easily twice the size of the girl. She grunted. “That was supposed to be more dramatic.” She looked up at Knot. “But yes, I think it’s dead.”

Knot glanced up, worried he might see the portal still open, shimmering darkly, but he saw nothing.

“Why only one? Why not others, like in Izet?”

Astrid adjusted her hood to cover more of her face. Knot noticed scars there, already fading; she’d been touched by the sun during the fight. “When someone gifts you a horse, nomad, you don’t ask after the shape of its teeth.”

Knot squatted down to get a better look at the thing. He’d never seen one up close. In Izet, he’d passed out before the battle had ended. Next thing he knew, Astrid was helping him escape, the Outsider bodies buried in rubble behind them.

The Outsider bodies, Reaper bodies, and Lian and Winter, too. All buried somewhere behind them.

Knot shook himself, and took a closer look. The creature’s skin was black, so smooth it almost shone in the sunlight. Truth was, now that he was looking closer, there wasn’t much more to see. No scars, no marks whatsoever that Knot could discern.

“We need to talk with the disciples,” Knot said. He had no idea what they were going to do with the body.