Sparkles glistened across their scaly hide. They jerked to halts as if stung by bees and started slapping at their flesh. Then Warren pushed again.
The energy had embedded dozens of explosive nodes in the Darkspawn’s bodies.His secondary casting set them off. The resulting detonations shook and shattered the Darkspawn. Gobbets of flesh flew free and slapped against the walls, ceiling, and ground.
Only one of the Darkspawn survived with little injury. The demon aimed its pistol and fired.
The drain from the previous effort left Warren lightheaded. He’d used thatattack only a few times before and it always had that effect on him. But it was always effective as well. He focused and held his palm out flat before him.
The energy bursts struck an invisible barrier in front of Warren and ricocheted back. Some of them struck Hargastor, who howled in rage as massive sores opened on his broad chest and one of his arms.
Startled, the Darkspawn turned toward its master as if fearing retribution from that front. While the demon was distracted,Warren thrust his hand out and twisted violently. An invisible force caught the Darkspawn’s head and twisted to mimic Warren’s effort.
Bones snapped and the demon dropped to the ground and remained still.
Hargastor cursed and roared in pain.
“You can’t kill him head-on,” the voice whispered in the back of Warren’shead. “His back is his weakest point. If he sees you, he can defend againstyou.”
Hargastor waved his hands over the sores on his body. They healed almost immediately.
“He’s almost invincible.”
Warren believed that. He thought about diving for one of the weapons dropped by the demons he’d destroyed, but the idea of using a mechanical weapon botheredhim. More than that, he’d seen Hargastor recover from those wounds in seconds.
“Those weapons aren’t an answer,” the voice said. “You have the power withinyou.”
As he gazed at the huge demon before him, Warren knew that wasn’t true. “No.I can’t. Hargastor is too strong.”
“You have to choose the moment to strike. Until then, you just have to stayalive.”
Easier said than done, Warren thought helplessly.
Hargastor pinned him with its baleful gaze. Nearly a dozen Darkspawn yet remained around their master. They took aim and fired.
Warren ducked around the bend of the passage. He found himself standing beside Jonas.
“A bit nasty out there, ain’t it?” the skeleton asked.
“Is there a way out of here?” Warren demanded.
Don’t run, Merihim ordered.
Then help me, Warren entreated. I’m not strong enough to stand againstHargastor.
Down the passageway, Darkspawn ran toward Warren’s position.
“There’s a way out,” Jonas said. “At least, there used to be. Stairway at theother end of the passage like the one we came up.”
“If you try to leave, Merihim will strike you down,” the voice said.
Warren hesitated, torn about what he should do.
“You can wait around if you like, mate, but I’m not.” Jonas took off beforeWarren could stop him. The skeleton’s bony feet smacked against the stone floor.He didn’t manage twenty paces before the power animating him left him. The spellworked only in close proximity to Warren.
As Warren watched Jonas drop to the ground in a tangle of bones bound by desiccated ligaments, he knew he didn’t have the power to animate the skeletonagain. Warren clung to the thought that there was a way out. He reached for Naomi and felt her there.
“I’m here,” she told him.
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough to come back on my own. I may need you todo it for me.”
She hesitated. “I’m tired. I don’t know if I can.”
You’ll never come out of the darkness, Merihim promised. It willswallow you whole, and I will allow it. Finish what you were sent there to do.
Warren wanted to hide. It was what he’d always done while dealing with hisstepfather. Just hide until it all went away. No matter how much power he had, or all the arcane knowledge he learned, he knew he’d never get far from thatsmall boy he’d been.
“You will learn strength,” the voice said. “I will teach you.”
“Then teach me now,” Warren said.
From the nearness of the running footsteps, he knew the Darkspawn were nearly upon him. He marshaled his reserve strength and set himself.
He couldn’t run. There was nowhere to go. that something wouldn’t get him.
Then a barrage of weapons fire opened up in the hallway back in the direction of Hargastor. Warren recognized the sound from previous encounters during the last four years. Those were Templar weapons.
“Yes,” the voice whispered. “Now prepare yourself. There’s still a lot youmust do if you would live.”
When the last of the humans were by him and only Darkspawn remained before him, Simon opened fire with the Spike Bolter. Nathan joined him less than a heartbeat later.
The palladium spikes tore into demon flesh and broke the Darkspawn’s charge.They howled in pain as they stumbled and fell. Simon holstered the Spike Bolter and took up his sword in both hands. He cut through the remaining Darkspawn and limbs dropped like tree branches in a storm.
One of the Darkspawn raised its weapon and blasted Simon full in the face before he could move. He’d tracked the creature on the HUD, knew the attack wascoming, but couldn’t do anything about it.
The energy blast rocked Simon’s head back and blanked his HUD.
“Visual systems offline,” the suit AI stated. “Working to reroute program.”The armor was designed to cannibalize parts of itself to support primary systems.
“Nathan,” Simon said, “I’m blind.”
“It’s okay, mate,” Nathan said calmly. “I’ve got you.”
As he dropped to one knee to clear the field of fire, Simon heard Nathan’sblade cleaving flesh, then there was a burst from the Spike Bolter. The sound of a body hitting the stone floor echoed in the hallway.
“Simon, let me see your hand,” Danielle said.
Simon lifted his hand and felt it taken. She guided it to her shoulder.
“Open your sensor array,” Danielle said. “Feed off mine.”
“Doing that will limit your sensors,” Simon said. All
