“It suits you,” grinned Bakhai as he adjusted a quiver of arrows so it hung comfortably on his back.
“A bow?” asked Rejji. “That won’t help you close up.”
“I picked up some daggers too,” replied Bakhai. “I did pretty good with a bow at Fardale and it doesn’t glint in the sun to give away my position.”
“I trust your judgment,” smiled Rejji. “Let’s get Voltak and leave this accursed city.”
Rejji strode back towards Mistake and Mobi who were at the far end of the room. Suddenly, the staff grew hot in his hand. His first reaction was to drop the staff, but then he saw the black-cloaked figure enter through the door and sneak towards Mistake’s back. He dropped the torch and called out an alarm as he charged towards the hellsoul. The hellsoul turned and raised its sword. Rejji swung the staff at the hellsoul and heard a resounding crack as it connected with the hellsoul’s head. The hellsoul’s head lolled to one side and it collapsed to the floor. As Rejji stood over it, ready to swing again, the body of the hellsoul disappeared in a wisp of smoke. An empty black cloak and a sword on the floor were the only things left.
“That is one powerful staff,” commented Mobi as he helped Mistake hoist a large sack onto her back. “Now that you have it, I suggest we get out of here.”
“That is one hellsoul that will not get up again,” stated Bakhai. “Did the staff do that?”
“I think so,” nodded Rejji. “The staff felt warm just before the hellsoul entered the room. Let’s go get Voltak and leave the city.”
Rejji picked up the fallen torch and climbed the stairs. He proceeded carefully along the hallway and parted the velvet curtain so he could see into the throne room. Nothing moved in the room and he held the curtain open for others to pass through before going through himself. Rejji led the way back to the front door, which was still barred.
“How do you suppose he got in?” asked Rejji. “If the door was open, I would expect more of them in here.”
“He might have already been inside,” suggested Mistake. “The real question is how do we get out.”
“Not through this door,” frowned Rejji. “This staff is downright hot in my hand. I suspect there quite a few hellsouls on the other side of it.”
“The king always had a private entrance,” informed Mobi. “I would suspect it would originate in his private residence, if we can find that.”
Rejji nodded and Mistake held the other torch up and led the way back through the palace. It took them over an hour to find the king’s chambers and locate the latch for the private entrance. Rejji led the way down the small tunnel until he came to another door. He held the staff close to the door and nodded.
“I think it is safe,” he announced as he laid the torch on the ground and fingered the latch mechanism.
The door opened to reveal a large bush. Rejji peered through the branches of the bush and saw that they were in a large garden. The garden appeared well maintained, but Rejji was not fooled by the appearance. He remembered the lack of dust in the temple library and pushed through the bushes.
“I think we are behind the palace,” Bakhai said softly. “I don’t think trying to cross the square would be a good idea. Maybe we should head down a street or two before heading towards Voltak.”
“Sounds like a good way to avoid them,” nodded Mistake as she tossed her torch inside the tunnel and slid the door closed.
“I could go get Voltak while you make for the gates,” offered Mobi.
“No,” Rejji stated. “We stick together. If this staff can kill the hellsouls then we have a chance of getting out of here, but only if we stay together. Let’s go the opposite way from the gates and then swing back towards the temple.”
Nobody objected and Rejji turned and led the way out of the garden. Bakhai nocked an arrow and Mistake withdrew a dagger. The group reached a street and Rejji leaned out far enough to look both ways before scampering across it. When he reached the next corner he again looked both ways and then turned towards the temple. The first of the three blocks they had to traverse went without incident. At the next cross street Rejji saw a hellsoul in the street leading to the square and he pulled his head back in and waited for several moments before checking it again.
“It’s gone,” he said softly and then he ran across the street.
The second block was also trouble free and Rejji was beginning to feel their chances of reaching the temple were pretty good. As he stuck his head around the next corner, a hellsoul was only a few paces away and it saw him. The hellsoul raised his sword and attacked. Rejji swung his staff at the hellsoul and hit him hard around the waist. The hellsoul staggered, but it raised its sword again and attacked again.
“The staff didn’t kill it,” Rejji scowled as he heard the snap of a bowstring.
Bakhai’s arrow sailed past Rejji and hit the hellsoul in the chest. The hellsoul fell to the ground.
“Touch the staff to him now,” suggested Bakhai.
Rejji did as Bakhai suggested and the hellsoul dissipated in a puff of smoke.
“It vanquishes them if they are dead,” stated Mobi. “At least they can’t rise again. Why didn’t the staff alert you to him?”
Rejji looked sheepishly at his hand holding the staff. “I guess I have been gripping it so hard that I did not feel the subtle warmth. I will try to be more careful.”
Rejji sighed and ran across the street as the others followed. He concentrated on holding the staff more lightly and being more sensitive to its warnings. They made the end of the third block uncontested and Rejji felt the staff before sticking his head around the corner to peer at the temple. There were no hellsouls in sight and Rejji turned the corner and raced up to the end of street where the square met the temple. He peeked around the corner and surveyed the square. At first he thought it was empty until he look closer to the palace at the far end of the square. Hundreds of hellsouls were gathered outside the palace.
“They are gathered at the far end of the square,” Rejji reported. “Bakhai, go with Mobi and help him with Voltak. Mistake and I will cross the square and wait on the other side for you. Don’t dally.”
“I can handle Voltak alone,” stated Mobi. “I would prefer that Bakhai wait with you. His bow will come in handy for covering my run if they detect us.”
Rejji nodded and the group sprinted along the street. Mobi peeled off as they passed the temple and the rest continued on across the square to the safety of the buildings. By the time they had crossed the square and turned to watch the hellsouls, Mobi was already out of the temple with Voltak over his shoulder. The strong Qubari ran the rest of the way to meet up with the group.
“Do you want to take turns carrying Voltak?” asked Bakhai. “I do not want you getting too tired to run.”
“Do not worry about me,” Mobi half chuckled and half gasped. “Mistake has the heavier burden and she seems to be doing fine.”
Bakhai looked at the large sack of gold on Mistake’s back and shook his head. Rejji let Mobi catch his breath and then led the group down the street towards the gates. They had covered three blocks before they heard the shriek behind them. Daggers filled Mistake’s hands and Bakhai nocked an arrow.