Cassian glared at the fire and resolved not to ever let Elias know he’d had to resort to using magic.

Not that I’ll ever see him again, he thought. 

He huffed in amusement as he thought back to the thief telling him to stay until morning, as if Cassian would ever listen to anything he said. As if he’d not wanted to be free of the thief from the moment he skulked into his life and wrecked the shattered pieces of it Cassian had been struggling to keep together. No, Cassian would most certainly not be in the area come morning. With any luck he’d be far enough that the thief would give up on following him. 

Briefly, he thought of just what sort of reaction the thief would have when he realized Cassian was long gone. He almost wished he could stay to see what promised to be quite the show. With a little laugh that might have been closer to a cackle, Cassian poked at the fire as he sat before it. 

Smoke rose from it, swirling up into the air until it was carried off by the breeze. A hint of its acrid scent was left behind but Cassian didn’t mind. Not when it helped to drown out the smell of the town nearby, carried by the wind. Sometimes, he wondered whether it’d been worth it to have that particular sense enhanced with magic. It was useful enough when searching for ingredients, just as Ethelred had claimed, but it could be more trouble than it was worth.

At least I’ll know when Ethelred is near, he thought. 

The stench of decay that clung to everything the older necromancer touched was unmistakable. It was a thing that had long since buried itself into the deepest recesses of Cassian’s memory—a spark that ignited a blaze of mental image Cassian would rather not deal with. He pushed away those thoughts, not wanting to think of either Ethelred or a certain thief he was thankfully free from. 

He scrunched up his nose as an unpleasant odor reached him. The barest hint of it was enough to have him grimace before it was gone. For a moment, Cassian thought he might have imagined it, conjured up by thoughts of Ethelred. And then, the smell was back, stronger than before and Cassian was leaping up to his feet without even thinking about it. 

There was a spell on his lips and magic ready to spark at his fingertips. His gaze searched his surroundings, staring into the darkness beyond the light from his still crackling fire. Every rustling sound, every shifting shadow made his heart set a frantic pace within his chest. The stench of rot pervaded the air setting a heavy feeling of dread on Cassian’s shoulders. 

An unsettling sort of stillness settled over the area with only the fire burning behind Cassian and the wind sweeping through. It was broken an instant later by a loud crashing sound as something burst out of the treeline. 

Cassian couldn’t really make out what it was he was looking out past the hulking shape and white teeth glinting in the firelight. A spell burst out, the first he could think of, and silvery sigils poured out of his outstretched hand to form a shield between Cassian and the creature. He had a second to feel relief as the silver shimmer of the shield fell into place before the beast lunged towards him. 

There was a shattering sound and the night was speckled with fragments of Cassian’s magic. 

The pieces of the shield sparkled as they scattered before fading away. Cassian was thrown back by the force of the magic breaking apart. He landed with a grunt, his back aching from the impact. Cassian had no time to dwell on the pain. 

A large shadow loomed above him and he rolled away just before sharp claws tore at the space he’d just occupied. The creature stood on hind legs, towering over Cassian even if he’d been standing at that moment. In the light of the fire, Cassian could make out matted fur, wet patches glistening as the beast shifted. It turned beady eyes towards Cassian, its wide maw open to reveal sharp teeth. 

For a moment, Cassian was surprised by the mundane beast he was staring at. A bear—that was all it was. And yet, there was a feeling of wrongness emanating from it, the shape of it twisted and made more vicious than it had been in life. It was the cloying stench of decay that made it clear what it was Cassian was staring at. 

Another of Ethelred’s tricks. His mind was quick to settle on a culprit. 

Still, something felt wrong. For all that Ethelred would rather send his puppets to do his dirty work it wasn’t like him to use a simple beast. Especially not when Cassian was involved. 

What does it matter, Cassian thought to himself, standing and facing the creature. Whatever Ethelred was planning wouldn’t change what Cassian had to do. 

A spell left his mouth and sent magic flowing out of his hand, its palm pointed at the creature as it moved towards Cassian. Like serpents striking their prey, Cassian’s magic swirled through the air until it crashed against the undead bear. 

Or at least, it should have. 

There was a sound like an explosion sparks of silver scattered in the night. The bear moved towards Cassian without so much as a short pause. Cassian’s spell had no effect. 

Cassian just barely managed to avoid a full swipe of the bear’s claws. He still felt the sharp pain as his arm was just barely caught, the claws tearing through his flesh and making him stumble over his own feet. He fell and twisted around in time to cast another spell, this one taking the form of a gleaming silver shield. Not a moment later, the bear struck against it, sparks flying and the shock of it reverberating through Cassian’s body. 

He could feel his spell wearing thin, each hit chipping away while Cassian tried desperately to reinforce it. All the while, he could only think of the fact that he was trapped. 

As he lay there, Cassian couldn’t help but marvel at this being how he would die. It was a ridiculous position to be in and an even more ridiculous one to die from, especially after all that he’d survived. He was only glad that it would put a wrench in Ethelred’s plans. 

“Hey! Get off him!” 

That familiarly grating voice had the odd effect of making Cassian want to scowl while also feeling somewhat relieved. The beast still towering over him turned away, his unseeing eyes focusing on something behind him. Cassian took his chance to get away. 

He scrambled up and put some distance between him and the bear. He turned back to look just in time to see the thief throw a flaming log at the undead beast. Cassian could have laughed because what was that supposed to do?

Clearly, whether they survived would depend on him. 

Cassian ignored the pain on his arm, readying a spell when he noticed something curious about the beast that’d attacked him. There was something white and thin protruding from its back, the light of the moon illuminating it enough that when Cassian squinted at it, he realized what he was looking at. He felt his blood run cold at the same time that all the pieces came together. 

The staff, he thought, the pain in his arm and the feeling of his own blood trickling down it all but forgotten. He turned to the thief who was doing his best to lead the bear towards him without getting his head knocked off. 

“It has a piece of the staff!” Cassian called out. 

The thief glanced at him, a look of confusion on his face. It was there for only a moment before he was forced to duck and roll away. Cassian scowled, knowing there was no hope of them communicating properly while they were busy running away. He raised a hand, a spell coming to life and flowing out as he spoke in a long dead language. His magic burrowed under the earth, a low rumbling sound serving as a warning. A moment later the ground beneath the beast gave out, caving in and trapping it there for the time being.

Cassian had no hope of it holding for very long, but it would have to be enough. The thief hurried towards him, green eyes traveling to his still bleeding arm and flashing with alarm before they settled back on Cassian’s face. 

“Your arm—”

“Doesn’t matter. That thing’s repelling my magic. It has a piece of the staff stuck to its back,” Cassian said in a hurry. “I can’t get to it.” He looked pointedly at the thief. 

“Oh, you’ve got to be joking.” The thief looked at Cassian with a look of disbelief. It didn’t last long before it was replaced with resignation as they heard the creature struggling. “Fine, got a plan?” 

“I’ll distract it, you get the staff.” 

“No plan, got it.” 

Cassian glared but the thief just ignored him as there was a roar and then the creature was charging at them. Their time had run out. Cassian just hoped they could manage to work together long enough to survive.