Chapter 37: The General of the Husks

  The drawbridge lowers and a Deluge of shadow beings descend on them. The warrior class Pra led the horde. Yana’s smile spread across her face as many of the shadows focused on her. Black smoke plumed in her had and when it cleared she had a firm grip on her shadow battle scythe.

  She spun it before her and a circle of darkness swam before her. Her eyes glowed black as her third eye shined silver. Shadow flooded forward and the pushed the horde back like a tangible wall of darkness.

  [Shadow Light]

  Tasha cackled as she rose into the air and rushed forward, Amber close behind. DD went to follow but his being trembled as the ghost of Yana’s command moved through him. He side and used [Void Step] to move to the fight.

  Yana rose into the air and surveyed the mayhem. Her familiars went through the horde like a hot knife through butter. Shadows – or their husks fell one after another – and as they did Yana used [Spell Weave] plus [Fate] to rewrite their circumstances and give them a chance to regain some of their sanity.

  Tasha recklessly dove into the mass of and shadow and they all felt the massive shock of power flow outward. Amber looked up and stand and DD both moved to the right flank of the confrontation just as Tasha came flying at them. DD caught her but Amber leaned down and began healing her. Rage filled Yana as she looked to the shadows before her, ready to exact her revenge.

  The sea of mad shadows parted, not because they wanted to but because there were forced to – not by Yana. A slender beastkin walked out of the city walls. She was a Pra. Many of the warrior shadows were bestkin due to inter-breeding, or plain admiration.

  This beastkin walked straight to Yana, her form was that of a panther, her shoulders, neck, and head, human and a long thin muscular tail behind her. She stood below Yana and looked up at her with an intense hatred.

  She bent her knees slightly and shot up toward Yana. Yana brought her scythe down on her and the Pra changed into shadow and flowed around the the dangerous black blade of shadow. The Pra’s hand struck forward and hit the snath of Yana’s scythe and the panther beastkin was thrown back – the Pra holding her hand.

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  Yana smirked and waited for the Pra to move toward her.

  The Pra moved back to her without hesitation. Yana frowned. The Pra would not pose a true threat to her but she saw hoe DD was being pressed. If she didn’t get back to the conflict – or resolve it - her familiars would be overwhelmed.

  She used [Shadow Light] three times in a row to press and throw back the shadow horde. As she did this she was creating a unique spell weave. She wove the weave around her fate magics and struck the beastkin in her chest and her forehead simultaneously.

  The Pra was thrown to the ground and the spell weave chained her to it – moving out around her and drilling down into the ground.

  Yana used [Fate], her third eye glinting silver, and looked at the Pra. She cocked her head in interest. The Pra was of one of the main houses – royalty – and had gone missing hundreds of years ago. Yana felt the last vestiges of the Pra’s sanity fighting with her Primal instincts.

  She still had some of her sentience.

  Yana looked from the shadow’s fate lines and looked directly at the Pra. “You are a noble one.” Her voice was condemning and seething, as if Yana hated all Pra ever created.

  The Pra paused her struggles as if she remembered something. Yana carried on. “fight for me and be free. Refuse me and I will destroy what is left of you and use you as I will.” Her smirk widened on her face and her expression showed just how much she hoped the Pra would choose not to join her. “What do you say Princess Vora?”

  The Pra stilled even further. All about her stopped as if she had heard something important and wanted to hear more. Yana simply looked at her and waited. As she did she sent a weave of healing over to Tasha. The Shadow Fae woke up instantly and went back to fighting as if nothing had happened – both Yana and Amber shook their heads.

  Yana sensed the Pra’s hesitation and the shadow scythe swung down and embedded into the ground just before Vora’s face. “Why are you taking so long to decide Pra?” Yana spit the last word out as if it was something foul.

  Vora made no indication of even wanting to answer. Yana smiled broadly and nodded. Vora’s eyes went wide then glassy as if she was no longer conscious.

  [Illusion]

  Vora was submerged in layer after layer of illusions. Yana watched as she went through every emotion possible over and over.

  Without Vora fighting with them or for them the horde of shadows was easily squashed. Yana subjugated the shadows remaining – bringing those she could back to a state of sanity, and confining the rest.

  She looked down at Vora, and into her illusion, then she slowly released her. The Pra stayed on the ground in the fetal position for a long time.

  After she slowly moved to prostrate herself before Yana.

  Yana smiled and looked to the city. “Good. Take me into your old home and show me around. The dark city has something that belongs to me.”