Page 37 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
"Dear gods, Aspic." Timms stood frozen, then shook himself. "All right. I'm off. Luck to you both."
With his departure, the night was silent again except for the retreatingtriptriptripof Timms' running hooves.
"Aspic." Geoffrey's voice was a hoarse whisper as he sank into a crouch with his face in his hands. "What am I going to do?"
"I'm not sure." Aspic knelt down to wrap Geoffrey in a tight embrace. "I wish I had a good answer. But you're amazing, and I believe in you. I'd say the first step is to get these little menaces contained."
"We need to attach them…attractthem," Geoffrey mumbled against Aspic's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here with me. I hope you know that."
"I do now." Aspic set him back and placed a tender kiss on his forehead. "Bait, then? That makes sense. Maybe if we—"
Raw, terrified screams pierced the night, and Aspic immediately forgot his thought. They both leaped up and raced out into the street, searching for the source of that heart-wrenching terror.
"This way." Aspic pointed down the street, trying to suppress the thought that it was the way to Mrs. Pickle's house.
The screams went on unabated, but the first people they encountered were Ishi and Katya, neither of whom were screaming.
Geoffrey caught Ishi by the arms. "You need to get inside!"
"We know," Ishi shot back. "We had to come out to get someone."
"It's that blasted fool Cormac," Katya growled, all glowering dragonborn menace. "He laughed at Timms and said he was going to see what all the fuss is about. I'll bet my thumb claws that's him shrieking."
"Come on, then." Aspic called out over his shoulder as he ran off again. He hadn't run so much since leaving the cities behind. "If it's the shells, don't get too close."
Following the screams proved horribly easy—they led to a figure thrashing on the ground in an apparent wrestling match with himself. Though as Aspic drew close enough, the figure resolved into Cormac flailing in a desperate attempt to fend off the shells and limestone chunks leaping on him and biting him. Aspic used his claws to swat one away from Cormac's face and booted another away that tried to latch onto his thigh, but there were so many, and while Cormac wasn't his favorite person, there was so much blood…
"Geoffrey!"
Ishi gasped when he caught up. "Gods. Why are they attacking him like that?"
Aspic had wondered the same, though they were mostly concentrating on Cormac's neck and chest, where his family necklace clattered and clicked with his flailing. "I think it's the bones in his necklace. I'm not sure they can get through the protective enchantment, but they're trying really hard."
"Step away," Geoffrey said behind him, his voice cold and sure. "Step away, love. Ishi, step back."
Blue necromantic fire flickered around both Geoffrey's hands and ran the length of his wand. Aspic scrambled back crabwise until he was behind Geoffrey while Ishi and Katya wisely did the same. The fire expanded into a line between Geoffrey's hands, then to a waist-high wall before Geoffrey shouted in that strange language and the wall rushed outward, washing over Cormac and hurling the shells and stones away.
As they flew, it was clear they weren't only clams and mussels any longer. Their numbers were growing.
Geoffrey held the wall against them, tendons straining in his neck with the effort. "Take him and run! Get behind locked doors!"
After a moment's shocked hesitation, Ishi bent to gather the battered and sobbing Cormac in his arms, and with Katya at his back making certain the shells stayed clear, he spread his huge raptor wings and took off in the direction of Mrs. Pickle's house.
Geoffrey let out a hoarse cry and let go of his wall. With the outward force abruptly gone, he collapsed to his hands and knees, panting, and Aspic rushed to cover him as the shells charged. He shouted his defiance as the zombie horde washed over them, but they kept on leaping, trampling over Aspic's back, with apparently no interest in Aspic or Geoffrey. They were just in the way.
"Are you…?" Geoffrey panted.
"A little bruised, maybe. You?" Aspic slowly sat back, though he kept hold of Geoffrey's shoulders to support him.
"Dizzy. Need… breath." Geoffrey offered him a rueful smile. "No bone… on you?"
"Oh. Ha. I think that was almost a joke." Aspic couldn't quite laugh. The image of Cormac being murdered one shell bite at a time was still too disturbing. "No shells. No bones. No rocks in my pockets."
"Good. Good." Geoffrey sat down hard, rubbing at his chest.
Katya called out from the dark, "What now?"
"Door to door." Geoffrey gave a vague wave at the town. "Tell people. What's happened. Tell them…"
