of the way there.
"We get in, we get right out," he said, as the front of the boat bumped the muddy shore.
"Don't jinx us." I helped him drag it up onto the bank, my boots sinking in the muck. I took my long leather gloves from my coat pocket and left the jacket in the boat.
"Stay close," he said, drawing his knife. "There are booby traps in this swamp, as well as the odd pocket of quicksand."
I nodded, drawing on the gloves.
We set off through a break in the trees. "You come here much?" I asked, mirroring his steps through what appeared to be the only dry ground in a maze of marshland.
"Only when I have to," he said, sidestepping a gator. The thing opened its jaws and appeared ready to strike. I drew a switch star.
"Watch it," I warned.
He barely broke his stride. "It's not the one we want."
"Oh well in that case, let's not worry about it," I mused.
I followed him for several minutes, careful to skirt as much wildlife as I could, as we drew deeper and deeper into the swamp. Insects buzzed around my ears and my black leather pants and bustier dampened with sweat. If we didn't take care of this problem tonight, I was going to start shopping for something else to wear down here.
Carpenter drew up short, and pointed to an area dead ahead.
The protective emerald at my throat began to hum. That was never a good sign. It was infused with ancient griffin magic and set to help protect me under threat. The bronze chain thickened and I braced myself for the slide of warm metal against my skin.
I stood motionless as the liquid bronze slid down my torso, over my hip, reforming into—what? It had made itself into a breastplate right before I'd had a shotgun pulled on me. It became a metal helmet a moment before I'd almost gotten brained with a sword. I cringed to think what I needed now. I closed my eyes and wished for a big, alligator cage with thick bars and maybe a nice pointy fence around it.
Instead, the enchanted metal wrapped around my calf under my pants and boot, molding to my skin and cooling into what felt like an emerald-studded shin-guard.
I spotted light through the branches up ahead. Torches. I strained my neck to see around the wide bottoms of the trunks and saw some sort of shrine at the center. Movement flickered through the trees. Men.
"You didn't mention any guards," I murmured to the necromancer.
He tensed beside me. "There weren't any before."
Thick candles flickered in glass jars. They formed a circle around an immense white alligator resting on a blood red pillow. Its fat legs thrust out to the sides and its jaw rested on a large gold tassel at the edge.
"I've got this." Carpenter slipped off the path and into the water. He moved silently through the marsh, until he blended into the shadows. I didn't follow. I studied, and spotted the necromancer's target. A beefy guard flicked a cigarette out into the marsh. He wore tribal tattoos on his face and arms, along with a necklace of feathers.
The guard held a chain in his other hand. It led to a thick collar around the reptile's neck. He approached the gator, winding the chain around his palm, as if reeling in the beast.
The man turned at a sound from the trees behind him. "Brother Rebe?" he called.
No response.
I had a feeling Brother Rebe had met a necromancer.
I felt a nudge against my shin and turned to see a flash of alligator jaws. Sweet Jesus. I drew back as it clamped down on my shin. The guard yelled. I thrashed, my stomach going hollow as the gator dragged me down into the water. I drew a switch star, the blades on the flat disk churning the moment my fingers wound through the grips on the side. I slammed it directly down onto the gator's wide head.
It let out a grunt, its jaws slackening. I shoved it back down into the water as my free foot touched down on the muddy bottom. The gator sank into the warmth of the bayou as I worked hard to high tail it the other way. My fingers clutched the muddy bank, my weapons hand ready to strike
"We get in, we get right out," he said, as the front of the boat bumped the muddy shore.
"Don't jinx us." I helped him drag it up onto the bank, my boots sinking in the muck. I took my long leather gloves from my coat pocket and left the jacket in the boat.
"Stay close," he said, drawing his knife. "There are booby traps in this swamp, as well as the odd pocket of quicksand."
I nodded, drawing on the gloves.
We set off through a break in the trees. "You come here much?" I asked, mirroring his steps through what appeared to be the only dry ground in a maze of marshland.
"Only when I have to," he said, sidestepping a gator. The thing opened its jaws and appeared ready to strike. I drew a switch star.
"Watch it," I warned.
He barely broke his stride. "It's not the one we want."
"Oh well in that case, let's not worry about it," I mused.
I followed him for several minutes, careful to skirt as much wildlife as I could, as we drew deeper and deeper into the swamp. Insects buzzed around my ears and my black leather pants and bustier dampened with sweat. If we didn't take care of this problem tonight, I was going to start shopping for something else to wear down here.
Carpenter drew up short, and pointed to an area dead ahead.
The protective emerald at my throat began to hum. That was never a good sign. It was infused with ancient griffin magic and set to help protect me under threat. The bronze chain thickened and I braced myself for the slide of warm metal against my skin.
I stood motionless as the liquid bronze slid down my torso, over my hip, reforming into—what? It had made itself into a breastplate right before I'd had a shotgun pulled on me. It became a metal helmet a moment before I'd almost gotten brained with a sword. I cringed to think what I needed now. I closed my eyes and wished for a big, alligator cage with thick bars and maybe a nice pointy fence around it.
Instead, the enchanted metal wrapped around my calf under my pants and boot, molding to my skin and cooling into what felt like an emerald-studded shin-guard.
I spotted light through the branches up ahead. Torches. I strained my neck to see around the wide bottoms of the trunks and saw some sort of shrine at the center. Movement flickered through the trees. Men.
"You didn't mention any guards," I murmured to the necromancer.
He tensed beside me. "There weren't any before."
Thick candles flickered in glass jars. They formed a circle around an immense white alligator resting on a blood red pillow. Its fat legs thrust out to the sides and its jaw rested on a large gold tassel at the edge.
"I've got this." Carpenter slipped off the path and into the water. He moved silently through the marsh, until he blended into the shadows. I didn't follow. I studied, and spotted the necromancer's target. A beefy guard flicked a cigarette out into the marsh. He wore tribal tattoos on his face and arms, along with a necklace of feathers.
The guard held a chain in his other hand. It led to a thick collar around the reptile's neck. He approached the gator, winding the chain around his palm, as if reeling in the beast.
The man turned at a sound from the trees behind him. "Brother Rebe?" he called.
No response.
I had a feeling Brother Rebe had met a necromancer.
I felt a nudge against my shin and turned to see a flash of alligator jaws. Sweet Jesus. I drew back as it clamped down on my shin. The guard yelled. I thrashed, my stomach going hollow as the gator dragged me down into the water. I drew a switch star, the blades on the flat disk churning the moment my fingers wound through the grips on the side. I slammed it directly down onto the gator's wide head.
It let out a grunt, its jaws slackening. I shoved it back down into the water as my free foot touched down on the muddy bottom. The gator sank into the warmth of the bayou as I worked hard to high tail it the other way. My fingers clutched the muddy bank, my weapons hand ready to strike
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