"Do you think she would attempt such a thing here?"
"I am sure of it," said Artoch. "Such magic is powerful, and the dead are fearless."
"How can we defeat her?" asked Shaluhk.
"It will not be easy. You must fight her in spirit form."
"But she occupies the body of Voruhn. How do I compel her to enter the spirit realm?"
"I can not say," said Artoch, "for I am a master of flame, not a master of spirits."
"That is little help," pondered Kargen.
"You can do it, Shaluhk," Artoch assured her. "You have faced her once and come out on top. You can do so again."
"But it was Uhdrig who saved me," she replied, "and it cost her her life. Am I now to sacrifice mine?"
"I do not know," said Artoch, "but the answer lies within you. Dig deep, Shaluhk, and know that we watch over you."
The room fell silent as Artoch began to fade. Shaluhk wanted to ask more, but by the time she had sorted out her questions, it was too late; he had gone.
"That was less helpful than I would have wished," she said.
"At least we know for sure it is Khurlig who is to blame."
"Am I to be forever plagued by her spirit?"
"It is not your fault," said Kargen. "She has been searching for an opportunity to return, and Voruhn provided that."
"Yes, but why, out of all the Orc tribes, did it have to be the one we need help from?"
"She occupied your body once. Maybe she is drawn to you somehow?"
"I know so little of such things."
"Do you think Laghul could offer more insight?"
"Perhaps," said Shaluhk, "but she is not here, and I must soon face Khurlig. What shall I do?"
"You must follow the advice of Master Artoch. Look inside yourself, and find the answer you seek."
"How? I need something that can affect her while in spirit form."
"What would happen if Voruhn were to die?"
"I assume Khurlig would return to the spirit realm."
"Are spirits weak when first they die?" asked Kargen.
"Yes, it takes time for them to coalesce."
"Coalesce?"
"It is the name we give to the forming of their spirits. When someone dies, their spirit lingers awhile in the physical world. Over time, their physical image begins to fade as their spirit strengthens."
"And this happens whenever someone dies?"
"It does, though sometimes a spirit will linger for a much longer time as if trapped between worlds."
"A true ghost," said Kargen.
"So I am told, but I have not experienced it for myself."
"Does a shaman coalesce faster?"
"Magical ability has no effect on such a thing," said Shaluhk. "Why?"
"It occurs to me that Khurlig is a powerful shamaness. She will want to retain her power, would you not say?"
"I would agree with your statement."
"She is currently within the body of Voruhn. I am guessing if her physical body dies, it would be like dying all over again."
"How does that help us? We are trying to keep Voruhn alive."
"True, but Khurlig does not know that. If we can convince her that her host is dying, I think she will abandon the body. She will think it better to be strong in the spirit realm rather than weak from death."
"I see your reasoning, but that still does not help me. I can not see how to convince Khurlig that Voruhn is dying."
"A spell?"
"She is more experienced in magic than I," said Shaluhk. "She would be able to counter whatever I threw at her."
"Then magic is not the answer."
"I am not sure what you mean."
"Think like a hunter rather than a shaman, Shaluhk. If I were faced with such a foe, how would I deal with it?"
"You would kill Voruhn," she replied. "But is that not what we are trying to avoid?"
"When I was badly burned, you brought me back from the brink of death. Had it not been for your healing, I would not be standing here today. You can bring people back from the edge of the abyss. You have done so before."
"That is a dangerous game," said Shaluhk. "Placing someone near death without actually killing them would be very difficult."
"I imagine it would," said Kargen, "but I think we are looking at this all wrong."
"In what way?"
"What do we know?"
"We know Khurlig is within Voruhn's body and that Voruhn is trapped in the spirit realm."
"And what does Khurlig know?"
"Presumably anything Voruhn does," said Shaluhk.
"Which means she is unaware we know her true nature. Would you not agree?"
"I would. That gives us the element of surprise."
"We also suspect her attention will be split. She will still have to keep control over Zahruhl during the fight."
"Yes."
"Maybe it is not what we do that counts; rather it is what she thinks we do."
Shaluhk smiled. "Are you suggesting a ruse?"
"You are the expert when it comes to plants. Can we convince her she has been poisoned?"
"Difficult. She is much more experienced than I in such things."
"Then we need to mimic the behaviour of a poison."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"I have no idea," said Kargen, "but perhaps Rugg does."
"Rugg? What would he know of such things?"
"He is a master of earth, remember? The world of the forest is his domain. Is nature not full of such things?"
"Would that not be seen as interference? There are strict rules concerning trial by combat."
"I am sure Zahruhl, once freed of his domination, would be more than willing to forgive our actions."
"And if he does not?"
"Then we are banished from the Stone Crushers. So you see, we have nothing to lose."
"You forget, bondmate, there is a very real possibility he might kill you. Then where would we be?"
Kargen thought it through. "If I am to die, then I will linger in the physical world until you are ready to join me."
"That is not your decision to make," she replied.
"In that case, I shall do my best not to die."
Bait
Autumn 1104
