The Etiquette of Parley
“I’m afraid we really must be on our way, good sir.”
The dhampyl was incredulous. Anthelis had his chin at a slightly upturned angle as he had finished his last statement, and presently was still frozen in that pose. His eyes did not so much blink as they did close and let his jaw stretch before opening again, which they did like an unfurling mainsail and jibsheet, one after the other.
“What?” He dropped flatly.
Nicodemus took in a deep breath and lowered his eyes to the dirt. “I understand your urgency, but we cannot.”
“You cannot?” One of Anthelis’s lids drooped slightly as he alternated which direction his chin pointed in. “Must I repeat myself, necromancer?” Each of the next words was followed by an impatient pause, “One of my men has been slain just last night!” This last word was punctuated with a hiss as a violent tremor shot Anthelis. “What do you not comprehend?”
“He said it’s your own damn problem, pasty.” Lady Balthes took a step forward.
Nicodemus turned to her and showed the white of his eyes, giving a curt shake of his head. He turned back to Anthelis, resuming a humble, innocent, shoulder-drooping stance. His palms were up. “I mean no disrespect good sir, but I must decline. You see…”
Anthelis stepped forward and seized Nicodemus’s cowl, “No, YOU see here,” bringing the human’s face mere inches away from the dhampyl’s chiseled scowl and barred fangs, “In the name of the Empire and the Naman-Imria, I order you to do your DUTY!”
“I can’t…”
An ironclad knee shot up into Nicodemus’s gut, knocking the wind out of him.
Lady Balthes drew her crossbow. The two dhampyl warriors accompanying Anthelis slid their shields from their backs in one fluid movement as a hail of bolts thunk thunk thunked into the wood. The nin’ki was already emerging from the shadows behind them, knife drawn. The two robed figures that had been standing motionless twenty paces away now took labored steps forward in unison.
Anthelis threw down Nicodemus into the mud of the road, drawing his blade and snarling. Nicodemus, prying his face from the muck, held out his hand to his comrades and desperately cried “NO! BACK!”
Lady Balthes was shocked. The nin’ki, although he wasn’t in the same direction or privy to the meaning of the words, understood the gesture well enough, pausing. The two robed figures halted immediately. Anthelis looked down at the feeble necromancer.
“Feeling brave?” and delivered a sharp kick to the frail man’s ribs. And then another.
“Lower your weapon, m’lady,” one of the dhampyl goons hollared.
Lady Balthes was unsure what to do next, feeling indignation and disgust well up in her throat.
Anthelis kicked Nicodemus again, this time harder and in the face, spinning him onto his back. He waited for the mage to begin casting a spell, and smirked when he saw Nicodemus merely close his eyes and purse his lips. The dhampyl got down on one leg and drew the necromancer up with his left hand, driving his right gauntlet into his prey’s nose, producing a loud squishy cracking sound. Then another caught Nicodemus’s jaw. Then another to the temple and a quick jab in the chest. He paused, fist raised as if to deliver another blow, and when Nicodemus didn’t move, only flinched away, he laughed out loud before landing a second series of hard-knuckles about the mage’s body. His tempo eventually slowed as he tired, so Anthelis stood up and went kicking Nicodemus. His friends stepped up to join him.
“Stop it!” cried Sarah. “You’re going to kill him!”
Lady Balthes clenched her teeth, whispering something that only Tessijah heard, “Get up and do something damnit…”
The dhampyl men all broke into laughter now. One bellowed, “Call upon your great retinue, necromancer! They could bludgeon us with their breasts!”
Lady Balthes raised her crossbow again and took aim. Through his broken mouth, oozing blood, Nicodemus gurgled a moan, “No…,” and feebly raised his hand to her before one of the warriors brought his boot down upon it. The spectacle continued for ages.
Finally, they were satisfied. Smug, they walked right past Sarah and Lady Balthes and Tessijah. Anthelis spat on one of the cloaked undead as he moved past, calling behind him, “You’re a disgrace to your order, human.”
The three assailaints disappeared into the night.
Sarah was the first to hover over the beaten body. Her hair fell over his face, mingling with the blood. “Oh Nicodemus,” she shook her head in disbelief, “say something.”
“Is it over?”
Lady Balthes scoffed and strode ahead. She curled her lower lip out and her brows met together in an angry ‘V’ as she cursed. Tessijah knelt beside the mage and asked, “Can you stand?” Nicodemus slowly put weight on one arm, and sobbingly admitted, “I don’t think so.” Tessijah and Sarah helped him to his feet, and with a lot of effort, carried him down the path. Lady Balthes kept them a stone’s throw back, brooding over her choice earlier that morn.
And so they walked, through the night, again in silence.