“Do we wait for the Bard?” Lily asked as they watched the possessed zombies begin to form into small groups.

“Can we assume he is actually coming?” Bud asked.

“Good point,” Lily pulled a face.

“We have this,” Bud said, pulling his bow from his back and stringing it. He kept one eyesocket on the gathering forces as he filled his quiver with dry arrows. Wet fletching didn’t guide well, and it would weigh down the arrows. He ran his hands over his belt, checking his potions, knives, and weapons. Beside him, Lily did a few stretches and spun her spear a few times.

“We will need to infuse our strikes to affect the ghosts,” She said distractedly.

“If things get too bad, just vanish,” Bud said. She ignored him, but he turned and stared at her. “I mean it.”

“I will,” She promised with a grimace. “But I won’t run unless I have to.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” Bud nodded. “This may get a bit hectic.” He flexed his fingers as he dropped to one knee.

“I have your back,” Lily promised, her hands shaking slightly.

“Just keep calm and keep killing,” Bud advised with a laugh.

One, two, three breaths to calm himself, and then he began.

Arrows rained down on the remaining zombies, shattering their skulls, severing their necks, or slamming through sockets. They fell as he fired, the arrows in his quiver constantly replenished from his storage. His initial focus was on the unpossessed to prevent them from serving as vessels for more ghosts.

It didn’t take their enemy long to figure out what was happening. A group began to move towards the walls while more conjured bows or started to cast spells.

Beside Bud, Lily waited.

The first return fire clattered against stones far to the left of him, and he smiled as the spells splashed against empty stones. The first ghosts to make it onto the wall likewise charged in the wrong direction, pursuing enemies only they could see.

Bud ran out of zombies and began to target the possessed. His first arrow bounced off the ghostly armor, but the second elicited a fading scream as the mana-tipped arrow slammed through the armor and killed the zombie host.

The groups began to scatter as he kept firing, trying to hide behind cover.

It was still like shooting fish in a barrel. They seemed confused and stumbled in their borrowed bodies.

And each stumble cost them as the arrows rained down from the walls.

“They caught on!” Lily warned as the ghostly mages began to target random areas of the wall with their spells, and more possessed climbed onto the walls, swinging their weapons wildly as they moved.

“I noticed,” Bud said, charging a shot. He loosed into a distant group, the mana packed into the arrowhead, detonating as the blow struck. Three of the five possessed died, their spirits screaming as they were destroyed.

He checked around, seeing that most of the remaining ghosts had taken to the walls, over thirty of them moved along the ramparts.

“Let’s go,” He grinned at Lily and dropped over the wall into the courtyard.

Lily landed next to him and rolled upright.

“Keep us hidden for a minute, okay?” Bud asked as he began to charge a pair of arrows with everything he could fit into them. Lily nodded, putting her hands out to either side of them. A little bubble appeared around them, and sounds became distant and quiet.

Bud kept charging until the arrows vibrated and glowed, then pulled the bow back with both arrows nocked.

He released, the arrows flying in twin arcs and striking the skeletal guards like mortar rounds. Two massive explosions followed, and when the dust and smoke cleared, nothing was left but bone chips and scattered rock.

“Vanish,” Bud commanded Lily, “Stirke them from the sides when they don’t expect it.”

“Got it,” She nodded.

“Do NOT get into extended combat,” Bud said as he stood, drawing his sword and dagger. “Hit and vanish.”

Lily rolled her eyes but nodded.

“Too much time around, Wendy,” Bud muttered to himself as the possessed ran down from the walls to surround him.

“Good afternoon,” Bud smiled at the possessed form surrounding him, his weapons held loosely at his sides. “Can we talk?”

A ghostly night roared and struck out.

Bud moved, pouring mana into his sword and dagger as he stepped into the blow. The knight's sword missed, and Bud buried his dagger in the thing’s eye. It slumped to the floor as the spirit was banished.

He stepped back,

“Is that a no?” He asked mildly.

More attacked, but their strikes were hampered by the forms they possessed. No matter the skill they had in life, they were using the rotten bodies of zombies. That made them slow.

Bud was not slow, and he deflected, dodged, and then struck. Each blow was a stab, and each stab was to the head. It was not easy, but it was far from hard as he moved constantly, unable to tire. Mana was always pouring into his weapons as the tides constantly refreshed his mana pool.

And so he fought, and the possessed died. A few of the smarter mages began to back away, starting to cast spells to slow or capture, but they died as a spear reaped their lives, its wielder only visible for a scant second as she struck and then vanished.

Several ghosts released their bodies, fleeing back into the castle as the numbers thinned and Bud showed no signs of slowing. Some screamed, seeing the archer breaking free and coming for them. Their spells slammed into their comrades, and they gasped before a spear claimed their vessel.

Bud and Lily kept working methodically through the courtyard until the last of the ghosts had fled or been banished, and the last zombie lay with a smashed skull or severed head.

“Well done,” Bud beamed at Lily as she faded back into sight next to him, cleaning a bit of zombie off her spear.

“Thanks,” She grinned. “What’s next?”

“Next?” Bud grinned, “Next, I need to collect my arrows again.

Lily looked around at the courtyard; scattered arrows lay all over.

“Oh, come on!” She protested. “Really?”

“It isn’t all fun and games as an archer,” Bud nodded, pulling arrows from the nearest zombie.

=============

The great hall that served as the entrance to the castle had obviously been intended to inspire awe. It was massive, with an abundance of chandeliers hanging above while thousands of candles burned on every available flat surface.

“Good thing this place is made of stone,” Lily said as she looked around. “If this place was wood, it would have been cinders years ago,”

“But who lit the candles?” Bud asked, his eye sockets roving the great hall for any sign of movement or life.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“They’re ghosts,” Lily said. “What else have they got to do?”

“I suppose,” Bud frowned. “But why would ghosts need the light?”

“Ambiance?” Lily offered.

Bud merely grunted. Something in here was moving, he was sure. He just couldn’t catch the actual movement happening. His attention was drawn to the gargoyles that decorated the top of the room. Or did…

Bud drew his bow in a flash, spinning and firing. His arrow sank into the apparently stone form with ease, and a scream came from the creature as it landed on the ground, thrashing as it tried to pull the arrow from its chest.

“Gargoyles!” Bud called.

“I noticed,” Lily said, her spear smacking two away from her as she stomped down on a third. “Eww!” She cried out as the small creature mushed beneath her foot. “Aren’t they supposed to be stone?”

“Apparently, they are not,” Bud muttered as another arrow pinned one of the creatures to the floor.

The attack stopped as quickly as it started, the creatures crawling onto furniture or back up the walls. Their flesh changed colors as they moved, matching where they sat.

“That’s pretty creepy,” Lily said, wiping her foot against the floor as she tried to get the last of the gargoyle off her boots.

“Some kind of camouflage,” Bud said, his eyes flicking between the creatures. He was acutely aware he had already lost track of several of them.

“Now we know what the candles are for,” Lily said, watching the flickering light. “Makes them even harder to track.”

“Definitely feeling like a trap.” Bud agreed. “Let’s move towards the stairs.”

“The stairs are out,” Lily said as the but of her spear sent another of the gargoyles flying.

Bud spun, his sword skewering a leaping gargoyle while his dagger stabbed another that crept along the floor. Every step towards the stairs revealed more of the creatures. Hidden nooks and gaps in the floorboards, they came from everywhere.

“What’s the plan?” Lily asked as Bud saw sweat start to roll down her neck.

“They have to run out eventually,” Bud muttered.

“Great plan!” Lily said and sent a pulse of mana through her spear. The explosion blasted a hole in the attackers, and they stepped a few inches closer to the stairs.

“Got a better one?” Bud asked as the Gargoyles started to back away. Bud felt a chill in his bones. This couldn’t be good.

“Hey, it’s work-” Lily said as a shadow dropped towards her.

A massive gargoyle slammed down where she had been, the impact sending Bud flying into the line of waiting gargoyles. The last thing he saw before they swarmed him was the pool of blood spreading under the giant creature.

Bud poured mana into his body, driving the mana tides faster through his system.

Punching, kicking, and biting, Bud fought his way clear of the swarm. His bowstring was snapped and bitten through. His dagger was left in a gargoyle. He struggled up, grabbing a gargoyle in each hand and using them to beat their brethren apart.

He looked up as a shadow loomed over him, seeing a massive arm coming at him from the left. Bud dove backward, feeling the wind of the strike pass inches from his back as he rolled. He leaped to his feet again, flying backward as his knotwork gleamed beneath his armor.

Ducking another blow from the giant creature, Bud spun, flicking throwing knives at the remaining gargoyles before he dove over the giant’s tail as it lashed at him.

He kept moving and kept dodging as he whittled down the numbers.

Patience was something he and his enemies shared, and both were silent as he kept his deadly dance going with the giant.

Once the last of the gargoyles had finally died or fled, Bud jumped back, restringing his bow as he backflipped through the air.

The massive gargoyle roared as he chipped away at it, arrows barely impacting the flesh. All he needed was time to charge a decent shock, but no matter how he moved, it was always there.

A glancing blow knocked him into the candles, which tumbled down around him. He rolled, only to see the grinning giant’s foot falling towards him. With a wall behind him and one to his side, there was nowhere to go.

Bud raised his arms and hoped enough of him would be left for Bert and Bell to put him back together.

The gnarled foot slammed down next to him, sending bits of candle spraying into his face and sides. Then it slammed a fist into the floor and continued on its way. He watched as it swung and stomped at the empty air.

“Don’t just sit there!” A voice hissed from above him. “Shoot it!”

Looking up, Bud saw a shadowy figure fluttering just below the roof.

===========

Lily saw the shadow falling toward her, but it was too late to move. She swallowed hard and shifted to her pixie form just as the massive form slammed down. She flew as fast as she could beneath the swinging arm, dodged the tail, and finally felt the invisibility spell take effect.

It was a great spell; it really was. She just wished it was instant.

Dodging leaping gargoyles and swinging limbs proved a challenge as she dove and twisted herself through the air.

Once she had enough distance, she tried to stop, only to see several small heads tracking her. Could they see her?

She flew from side to side, watching them track her as they started to crawl slowly forward.

They could see her?

How?

Lily finally noticed the little dust motes that filled the area and realized her mistake. They might not be able to see her, but they were watching the dust and seeing the small changes left by her wings.

“Bugger,” Lily muttered. It was a word she had picked up from her Lord and was just too apt NOT to use. She dove aside just as the first of the gargoyles leaped at her.

She flexed her mana, sensing the air around her. It was still, except for around the fight. Lily didn’t precisely fancy her chances of dodging that much action.

Out of ideas, she flew in a wide arc, moving toward the battle while the tracking gargoyles kept following.

She sent a blast of wind in one direction, leaped off a wall, and then flew directly over the giant gargoyle. Hovering just above and behind the head, she was finally able to stop and get her breath back.

Bud was glowing as he fought, his mana cycles already active, but she didn’t dare go that far. Even big, ugly here would notice something like that.

So that meant minor spells only.

Lily got to work, using illusionary flashes, gusts, and shadows to buy Bud the space he needed to fight. It was tough going. She never ran out of mana, but at the same time, her normal spells would attract too much attention this close to a creature.

It was a masterclass in subtlety, with a failing grade equalling immediate death.

But hey, no one said being a pixie would be easy.

The battle seemed to stretch for hours, even if it was much shorter in reality. She was going to make a mistake; she knew it. There was no way this could keep working…

Bud was sent flying, and Lily chose that moment to move. She darted into a shadowed corner, far from the giant creature, and hovered there.

Before she had a chance to get her breath, she saw Bud was pinned. Free of the limitations of proximity to the giant, she cast an illusion, placing it just as the invisibility took effect on Bud.

It was not a second too soon.

A giant foot slammed down next to Bud, and Lily cast again and again.

While the massive gargoyle chased an illusion, she waited for Bud to shoot.

He didn’t; he just lay there!

“Don’t just sit there!” She hissed in irritation, “Shoot it!”

Bud’s glowing sockets frowned at her, clearly confused.

“Shoot the bastard!” She hissed again, “I can’t keep this up forever, you know!”

She watched Bud clamber up and start to charge a shot, which rapidly became a problem.

The arrow was glowing! She cast a shadow illusion to counter it, but the glow kept increasing. She cast another over the first and then a third; the damn arrow was going to light up the whole castle!

She cast a new illusion, but her split focus slowed it, and the gargoyle’s fist passed straight through it.

The illusion popped, and it growled.

“Ah, shit!” She sighed as it spun, eyes fixed on her.

“I need more time!” Bud demanded.

“Fine!” She hissed back. “I’ll just go play target dummy, shall I?”

She flew out, letting her own skin begin to glow until she was a darting ball of light. The giant gargoyle swung at her, and she dove under its fist. She darted past the tail and slammed her spear into one toe.

It roared at her.

She laughed and spun away, shooting up and stabbing it again, this time in the nose. Blood flowed from the wound, and she dropped as it slapped at her.

Lily laughed as it punched itself in the face and then yelped as the flailing tail almost got her.

“Any time now!” She called back.

“Almost there!” Bud called.

She darted around the creature, her spear flashing into joints and weak spots as she flew by. Lily rolled in the air, feeling a kick miss her by millimeters, and jumped off the wall, casting an illusion in multiple directions.

The gargoyle chose poorly, and she landed on the snout, stabbing her spear into one eye as she grew to human size.

The rapidly growing spear slammed through the back of the eye and into the brain just as the claws closed around her neck.

“Get off!” She yelped as the claws suddenly went slack, the spear pushing out the back of its head. “Oh, wow!” She laughed, riding the corpse down to the ground. “That worked better than expected.”

She dusted her hands off and looked over at Bud, a glowing arrow nocked and now… pointed at nothing.

“Your mouth is kind of hanging open, did you know?” She asked.

“I was…” He gulped, “I thought you were dead!”

“Huh?” She looked around and only now remembered the blood illusion she cast just before she changed. “Well, sorry?”

“Do not do that again!” He said severely. “You can’t make me worry like that!”

He fired the arrow blindly out the open doorway and into the courtyard, where it detonated with a rolling thunder of sound.

“Sorry,” Lily said, blushing slightly.

“Promise me,” Bud demanded.

“I promise!” Lily said, seeing his tension.

“Good,” Bud shook his shoulders to loosen them up. “Let’s get ready to move.” He started to gather his items, muttering to himself as he did so.

Lily looked at his back, feeling a warmth in her chest.

It had been a long time since someone other than her sister cared if she died.