Time was almost upon them. There were still karron moving up to the edge of the shell, sorting themselves into dense lines. And overhead, two masters floated. One with the tentacled underbody, the other a rather plain-looking blue demon, small but clearly
important, given its position. Pheone moved in front of her charges, Diia'heth near her. They knew what they had to do. Each one had casting instructions and direction. That they would fail was inconceivable.
A movement caught Darrick's eye to the right beyond the shell's periphery. At first he thought it demons flying in to join the attack but the movement was erratic and had the air of a chase. He brought it to Auum's attention. There was growing consternation among the demons as they too became aware of it. The level of noise, building steadily, had an angry edge to it. Strike-strain left the shell to intercept.
'It is humans,' said Auum. 'Three. Two carrying the other one.'
'Coming this way?'
'Yes,' he said.
Darrick raised his eyebrows. Something had to trigger the attack. He had expected it to be the demon masters. Perhaps it would be this random event. What he couldn't afford was for the Al-Arynaar to be distracted.
'Eyes front!' he ordered. 'Check your targets.'
Rebraal translated his words and focus was restored. The same could not be said of the demons and there was just a small chance that this would work in their favour. It was a chance that did not come off. The trio of flyers, skimming the tree line, dipping and rising suddenly to shake off a growing tail of pursuers, closed on the shell. High above, the masters raced to the back of their main force. The noise rose to a deafening volume and the karron came to shambling readiness.
'Ready!' called Darrick. 'Remember your roles. Do not deviate, do not falter. Diia'heth, cast when ready.' He turned to a flagman. 'Now. Signal the disperse.'
Up on the roof of the lead wagons, flags were waved. Inside the right-hand one, the casting mages dispersed the ColdRoom structure. Demons howled, sensing victory, and from above they poured down to attack. Immediately the flags were seen, the wagons behind began rolling forwards, bringing the remaining ColdRooms closer.
'Come on, come on,' muttered Darrick.
The front line of Al-Arynaar was motionless, lost in casting. The General looked anxiously up to the heavens. The sky was full of
demon bodies, clamouring for their souls, gibbering their desire. The karron upped their pace, trotting over the packed ground, arms pumping, the weapons that replaced their hands glistening. They were followed by packs of reavers and flanked by clouds of strike-strain. This was going to be close.
As one, the elven mages raised their heads. Pheone snapped out an order and the spell barrage was unleashed. ForceCones jabbed into the air, scattering the onrushing winged demons which squealed their displeasure. They were the lucky ones for now. Immediately following the Cone deployment, bright yellow light flashed across the early morning sky. FlameOrbs arced out. At least fifty wheel-sized globes fizzed through the damp air. Steam trailed in their wake.
The karron could see them coming and warning cries echoed out but they could do nothing to protect themselves. Harsh magical fire burst across and through the demon lines. Karron directly beneath the Orbs exploded under their impact. Gobbets of flame splattered far and wide, eating into defenceless flesh. The detonation of spells sent fire hurtling into the sky, trapping three reavers not fast enough to move. Black smoke belched from bodies and trailed behind those falling from the sky.
On the ground, blinded and agonised karron collided with one another as the ordered advance became a chaotic rout. The air stank of charred hair and flesh, it reverberated to the screams of those caught in the holocaust. And the elves had only just begun.
Now, Dila'heth's voice sounded once more and IceWind delivered appalling damage to the still-advancing flanks. Flesh sloughed from bodies, eyes were frozen and voices were stilled in throats. Karron fell shattering to the ground, dark bodies scorched blue and hairless by the cold. Strike-strain fell like fruit from a tree in a gale, cracking on the ground. A terrible wailing was taken up across the battlefield. It was demon rage and it struck at the heart.
Darrick turned his head. The second wagon pair was moving into range, and would fill the space in between the lead pair, bringing with it the respite of a replacement ColdRoom.
'Advance!' he roared.
Dila'heth and Pheone brought their mages back from the mana spectrum and they split left and right, running back along the sides
of the train. The Al-Arynaar and Raven moved forwards towards the demon lines and the ColdRoom covered them once more.
It had been a devastating blow and Darrick was tempted to let the mages strike again. But stamina was finite and the Gods alone knew when they would next be able to replenish. Looking forward through the clearing smoke, he could see the rents they had torn in the demon force. But even now it was beginning to reform and if they were to break through and reach Xetesk, it had to be now.
Chapter 33
I can't do it, Cleress, I can't.
Oh my child of course you can. Tou are a most able student.
Don't bloody patronise me. Want me to start calling you (old woman'? Tou weren't there. Tou weren't in my mind. That casting should have worked exactly the way of the first. The fact that it didn't means I cannot be trusted to do this right every time and if I don't, my friends will die.
If you don't try they will die anyway.
Erienne had a sensation of movement but nothing more. Her awareness was otherwise limited to the roar of the One magic force surging around her mind and body and the attempted calming of the frail and distant Al-Drechar elf. Erienne was not dead and therefore The Raven must have made it to the Julatsan carriages. She was, she presumed, aboard one of them. And if she concentrated very hard, she felt a comforting strength nearby. She knew who it would be.
And you think my giving them false hope will make it better?
Don't be stupid, Erienne. Tours is not a false hope. The power you oversee can be the difference. All you have to do is understand where you went wrong. Explain what happened.
Erienne bit back her retort. It would have made her precisely the schoolgirl she had been about to deny.
I didn't go wrong, Cleress, I didn't. I had worked out the gauge of the casting so well and it worked exactly as I had planned. Tou would have been proud. I mapped the mana trails, plotted the link lines to the demons and removed the linkage that held their blood vessels together. It was perfect. But when I did it again in just the same way, there was some form of surge within me and although the casting began, I had to shut down but I wasn't ever in complete control of that decision. It was
like my body sensed the danger before my mind did. What happened? Why can't I repeat? I have to be able to repeat, it's all we have.
Erienne felt her anxiety rising and the One power bore down on her. As ever she fought the entity, imagining it was a spider whose legs she had to pry from her mind to stop them crushing her. Abruptly, the pressure eased and Cleress's presence pushed the power aside.
Calm, Erienne. It knows your fear and it feeds off it. Remember what we showed you.
It's so hard, Cleress. I'm so tired.
I know. But listen to me. Tou pose so many questions yet the answers are there before you. I am proud of the casting you made. It shows true understanding of the potential of the One and demonstrated your control over the entity.
But—
Please, let me finish. Tou are the one who always felt the entity had more sentience than it actually possesses in reality. It was we who explained to you that it is your mind that gives it this virtual life. What you imagine, it can become. That is why you need to control your mind so closely when you release the power.
Tou're saying I caused the problem with the second casting?
We have all of us done the same. Tou crossed a waypoint in your understanding though I know it feels like failure to you at the moment. What you realise is that it is as we have always said. Casting with the One is essentially very simple but it is the feeding of power that is the complex part of the equation. I would stake my life that all you did the second time around was relax just that iota, as if you couldn't quite believe how easy it was.
Erienne thought to reply but Cleress wasn't finished.
Think before you respond. Recall what went through your mind as you prepared the second casting and saw how easily it all slotted into place. Examine your process. If at any moment you felt that it was too easy, that would have been enough. That would have relaxed the muscles of your mind to let the wrong gauge of power out. The One became what you imagined, just that little bit slack. And in a One casting, that can spell disaster.
She was right. She was absolutely dead right.
So what should I do? Next time there may not be a sanctuary.