Tome of Bill (Companion): Shining Fury by Rick Gualtieri Read Free Book Online

on either side of the head and proceeded to gouge out his eyes – driving its skeletal thumbs deeper until the hapless knight fell to the ground twitching beneath it.
    Stunned silence met this atrocity. The Templar appeared to be aghast at this unexpected turn of events. As for our enemies, they’d begun their attack in eerie silence and continued it that way.
    I wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. I had to ... needed to ... face this enemy head on and win. I opened my mouth to shout a battle cry meant to rouse the stunned knights into a counterattack, but before I could do so, a flash of red light rent the air and a beam of pure energy slammed into the monster still defiling Brent’s body.
    The creature was bisected head-on by the blast. Its cauterized remains fell over on either side of Brent’s body. Though the two parts still continued to twitch, it was no longer a threat.
    “You assholes might want to take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Meg shouted, still aglow from her spell.
    That broke the impasse. The Templar were apparently just as eager to not be upstaged by the Magi as they were to follow my lead. Those still in the fray redoubled their efforts, moving to hack off arms and legs.
    Bernadette raised her hand, and half a dozen more of her men drew their weapons and stepped in to help.
    The others accepted it gratefully. For some reason, these things had to be destroyed utterly in order to be stopped.
    That was fine by me. It was a task I was made for.
    * * *
    Chaos reigned for several minutes before we found a good rhythm to our madness. Hacking the creatures to pieces was a gruesome affair, but necessary. Even dismembered, hands still grasped and jaws still tried to bite.
    Burning or blasting them to dust became necessary, and that’s where Meg, her sisters, and I came in.
    I stepped back, having just used my aura to burn another of the creatures to ash, and took stock of the situation. Meg was doing the same to two others. Beams of energy lanced out from both of her hands, her magic seemingly well suited to the task. Several yards past her, Kelly and Veronica stood together pouring power into a burning pile of what had been arms and legs.
    While this went on, Bernadette barked various orders at the Templar.
    Seeing the situation under control, I took a deep breath and forced my power back down. I sheathed my sword, as always feeling an odd pang of regret whenever a battle ended, and was forced to be myself again. How much easier would life be if I could stop thinking about things and just let the instincts inside of me free to do as they pleased? I’d considered the appeal of that endless times since the fateful kiss which had awakened this power inside of me, but tempting as it was, it just wasn’t me.
    I walked over to Bernadette just as she sent three brothers scurrying away on some task. “Looks like we’re about finished here. I’m sorry about Brent.”
    “He was a fine lad, and he died in the service of the Lord. We should rejoice, for even now his spirit soars to its heavenly reward. But it’s not his spirit I’m worried about right now. I’ve sent three of the faithful to fetch shovels. I think it best his body be burned along with the rest of these wretches. After that, we’ll bury the remains and consecrate the ground.”
    “We really don’t have time for that.”
    “We have injured. We’ll make the time while they’re being tended to. Brother Brent has earned that much, and it will be a mercy for these pathetic creatures.”
    “Oh?” I asked, surprised. Normally Bernadette was quite gung-ho in her fire and brimstone attitude toward the supernatural.
    “Yes. Did you not see them? Vampires and their ilk...” She cast a sidelong glance at the three witches. “They have chosen the path of darkness willfully. These abominations, however, seem to be victims of it. Killed and then reanimated against their will as mindless horrors. We cannot in good conscience turn our backs on