'Elves,' said Ranyl. 'TaiGethen, Al-Arynaar. They are apparently far more deadly than the myths suggested they were.'

Dystran sighed. 'Yes, but even so, we had a complex enough illusion pattern. What happened to that?'

'It was fine until the mages started to get sick or exhausted,' said Ranyl. 'They couldn't keep it up. By the time they reached the forward campsite, it was unsustainable. Yron was surprised at the tenacity of the temple defence and from then on the elves were closing in. We were lucky anyone got away.'

Dystran drained his gla.s.s and refilled it, his earlier good humour ebbing away. He was still buoyed by the thought of the elven text he craved - the key to their longevity - but the scale of the disaster that had befallen his raiders would leave a bitter taste.

'What about the elders? When can we expect the demands?'

'I've no idea,' said Ranyl. 'But we can replicate the text quickly enough. We'll have the time. I'll word a particularly compelling apology.'

'Do that.' The Lord of the Mount stared at Ranyl, whose eyes were sagging, drawn with fatigue and pain. He'd be taking the loss of life personally. 'I'm sorry. You'll have lost friends.'

Ranyl shrugged. 'It's not so much that. There's something else you should know.'

'Someone drop the writings in the sea, did they?'

'The Raven were there. Fighting with the elves.'

Dystran was about to dismiss this final item of information with a wave of his hand but stopped in mid gesture, cold trickling across his mind. He almost shouted again but checked himself.

'How the h.e.l.l did they get involved? Why?' He was bl.u.s.tering and he knew it, but their presence raised so many questions. 'How did they know what we were trying to do? And why, G.o.ds burning, was I not told they'd left Herendeneth?'

Ranyl waited until he was sure Dystran had stopped asking questions.

'It's impossible for them to have known our mission to Calaius. I feel it was a coincidence, though admittedly a very unfortunate one.'

'I'll say it is.'

'Please, my Lord. Yes, it is unfortunate, but I think we should turn our minds to why they were in the middle of the rainforest at all. They're up to something. As to why you weren't told they'd left Herendeneth, it's because it wasn't a question that was ordered asked of the Protectors.'

The smile reappeared on Dystran's face. 'Well, we can soon put that right, can't we? Denser's still Aeb's Given mage, I take it?'

'Yes, my Lord.'

'Well, get to finding out exactly what The Raven were doing there. Find out what they know. Aeb can't refuse to answer a direct question.'

'Should we not rescind the Act of Giving for this Protector?'

'What? And give up our spy in the camp? I think not, Ranyl. He may be powerful muscle but he's only one man.'

'You should know that Denser swore to hunt Yron down,' said Ranyl.

'Did he? Well, that may answer some of our questions about what they know now, if not why they were there in the first place.' Dystran thought a moment. This was an unexpected and potentially serious irritation. 'They mustn't be allowed to get their information, whatever it is, into the hands of anyone friendly towards the elves. And that means Heryst and Lystern. Presumably they're after Yron.

'Come up with a plan. We need safe pa.s.sage for Yron, Erys and the research team from Herendeneth. It may be necessary to clear a path. But that's not all. The Raven are a risk I'm not prepared to take. I want them caught or killed.'

A black cat trotted smoothly into the dining room and leapt onto Ranyl's shoulder, where it turned to face Dystran before morphing into the demon form of the old man's Familiar. Dystran screwed up his face.

'I can't understand why you are determined to keep that thing,' he said. 'How long have you had it now? Must be decades.'

'Friend,' corrected the Familiar, stroking Ranyl's face.

The old man smiled. 'He's right. And, more than ever, I need companionship. Dying is a lonely business.'

Dystran shuddered. 'Not me. Think I'll stick to women. G.o.ds, why do they have to be so ugly?'

He took in the monkey-sized winged and hairless body, the pulsating veined head and the tongue which hung from its fanged mouth, dribbling spit onto Ranyl's collar.

'It can prove useful for the uninitiated victim,' said Ranyl.

'I'd keep it as a cat if I were you,' said the Lord of the Mount.

'But the cat can't talk. And the cat can't fly.'

'They are of little real use though, talking pet apart.'

'Not so, my Lord,' protested Ranyl. 'Indeed, I am encouraging more of our mages to adopt them now we have some limited linkage back with the demon dimension. They are useful as spies, and unless you know how are particularly difficult to kill.'

'Perhaps you should send them after The Raven then, prove to me they are worth the revolting body and endless drool.'

'Perhaps I will.'

It was early evening seven days after Selik's brief and predictable meeting with Blackthorne and Gresse. He had brought his men to a stop half an hour's walk from the garrison at Understone. He wanted them to rest because in the early hours of the morning they had to be at their ruthless best.

They lit a fire in a shaded copse, knowing the light would not be seen in Understone, and ate very well from a deer one of his archers brought down with an astonishing shot as they rode into their temporary campsite. As he watched them eat and talk, even share the odd s.n.a.t.c.h of song, Selik knew they felt it. This was the march of the righteous. No one could stand before the G.o.ds and stand in their way.

'Rest!' ordered Selik, once the carca.s.s was stripped. 'Sleep if you can; we have justice to serve.'

There was no complaint. They knew he was right. Come the end of the night some of them would be dead but a blow would have been struck. The first of many. While they slept, Selik watched and reflected. He had little need for rest these days, his mind churning endlessly with thoughts of duty and destiny.

When it was time to wake his men, Selik did so feeling like a father waking reluctant children. He served them hot tea himself, feeling closer to them than at any time and starkly responsible for what he was about to begin. For a moment these twenty men with dreams of their own - who wanted life, had wives and children - were more than just p.a.w.ns to him. They were people he should nurture and protect. Just for a moment.

The walk was made in total silence. All the talking had been done. In the blank dark of early morning, deepened further by the looming shapes of the Blackthorne Mountains at their backs, the Black Wings took up their positions. It had been relatively simple. Anders, the garrison commander, posted no guards outside the compound, having long since abandoned the ghost town to its ethereal residents. This mistake allowed the Black Wings to lay their trap and, when they were ready, to spring it.

Across the quiet of the night came the sound of a lone horse, galloping hard. Its rider could be heard urging it on, begging it for more speed. The animal tore up the last twists and turns of the southern path before bursting into view in the dark cloudy early morning, sprinting for the only puddle of light it could see. Understone barracks.

Voices were raised inside. Feet could be heard running on earth and wood and the odd lantern was hung outside the walls, augmenting the firelight within and the braziers ranged along the top of the stockade.

The rider swung into the street and slewed to a halt in front of the gates in a cloud of dust, horse steaming and sweating, froth oozing from under the saddle and dripping from its bit. The rider all but fell from his mount, staggering to the gates and hammering on them, pleading with those watching from above to let him in, fear threatening to overwhelm him.

'Please! Please let me in. Dear G.o.ds, they're right behind me. Please!'

'Who are?' demanded a voice. 'Calm down, man.'

'Black Wings,' gasped the rider. 'Can you not hear them?'

And there it was. The unmistakable sound of multiple hoof beats echoing across the town.

'You're a mage?'

'What else?' shouted the man, desperation edging his voice. 'Don't leave me out here to die, I beg you. Please.'

A brief conversation was ended by an order barked down from the parapet. A heavy plank slid back from its mountings and one of the braced stockade gates began to creak open.

'Now!' shouted a voice slurred by paralysis.

A dozen pairs of hands shoved at the gates as men ran from the shadows either side. Simultaneously, a quartet of arrows whipped up to the parapet, punching two men from their feet to thump lifeless onto the earth below. More followed, volley after volley, while the Black Wings drove the doors back.

Shouts ricocheted across the compound as the Black Wings pushed through. Selik headed them, moving left to slash his sword into the back of one of the men trying to keep the gates shut. His men piled in behind him, laughing as they came, slapping the gates back the last few feet and trapping one hapless college soldier against the stockade wall.

'Split!' yelled Selik. 'Gain the ramparts. Loose groups. Watch for spells. Go!'

He sped on, breath wheezing into his part-paralysed chest. He ran straight across the compound, stables to his left, barrack buildings ahead. Devun was at his shoulder, others either side, and he felt energy flood through him.

The door to the wide low barracks building opened and men spilled out, half dressed, half asleep, still buckling leather as they came. Anders led them. It was too perfect. Selik swept back his hood and struck hard, right to left. Anders, distracted, missed the blow, which sheared into his left arm and on into his unarmoured ribs. The garrison commander went down in a welter of blood, not even having the breath to scream as the blade sliced through his lung and heart.

The fight against magic had truly begun, and as Selik blocked a disheartened sword thrust and the first spell bloomed behind him, he still had time to remind himself to praise Devun for his superb acting performance before the compound gates.

Chapter 36.

Aeb lay alone. The Calaian Sun was three days from Balaia and sailing well, easing through the water and eating up the distance. Above him, on the sun-swept deck, The Raven trained. He could hear Hirad shouting orders and The Unknown urging better cohesion. He could hear the occasional ring of steel, the creaking of the ship's timbers and the snap of the sails on the masts.

But he couldn't be with them because, like Erienne, who spent so much of her time lying still under the tutelage of the Al-Drechar, he had been called to commune with the Soul Tank. He felt the unease as soon as he opened himself fully. It was uncomfortable, drowning for a moment, the intense feelings of brotherhood he had with every Protector, near or far. It was what kept him sane and focussed; it was his life. His soul mingling with those of the other three hundred and twelve now left, still mourning those lost, still joyful in their own union. Still so powerful.

To be called to commune was a seldom-used level of psyche in the Soul Tank. It was as close to an interrogation as the Protectors ever got, not that the voices were ever silent. Aeb could always hear the voice of every soul. He would hate the emptiness if they were taken from him and that was what he feared most about being freed.

My brothers, it is joy to share my mind and soul with you, pulsed Aeb.

He could sense them all near him, feel the warmth shot through with anxiety as they responded in kind to his greeting. The Tank was agitated.

We must know where you are, Aeb, said Myx, one of the Lord of the Mount's honour guard. The Master worries.

It was what Aeb had been fearing. Thus far, he had kept the details of his mission from the Circle Seven but now his complex loyalties were set at odds. He was sworn to protect Xetesk but above that, he was given to Denser and stood by Sol. Sol, the beacon of hope, Sol the brother who had regained his soul. He felt a helplessness. Betrayal was coming. He knew it, his brothers knew it. All they could do was mitigate the scale.

Ask as you are ordered, said Aeb. I will respond as I must.

They could not refuse to ask a question they had been given and Aeb could not refuse to answer. To do so could invoke punishment from the demons who channelled the paths between their bodies and their souls. Nothing scared them but that.

Aeb listened and answered, and when the Communion was done, went to find Denser. There were things his Given had to know.

The Calaian Sun sailed into the Bay of Gyernath three days later, still at least a day and a half behind the Xeteskian force but with the advantage of a stop-off at Blackthorne to get a first-hand and trustworthy account of the current situation from the Baron.

Aeb had been as careful as he could during his questioning in the Soul Tank. He had been forced to admit that The Raven had joined elves seeking revenge for the desecration of the temple and the return of the stolen texts. The Raven's original mission was also now known to the Xeteskians but Dystran would a.s.sume it had failed as The Raven hadn't persuaded a single mage to come with them. The fact that a dozen were on board and plenty more were a.s.sembled at Ysundeneth was not something Aeb had been required to reveal. After all, no one had asked him.

For his part, having been given complete licence by Denser to ask whatever he felt he could, Aeb had gleaned some useful information. More than just the Xeteskian task force had landed at Arlen. The ship carrying the surviving researchers and Protectors from Herendeneth had arrived two days later and both groups were travelling north under guard.

Potentially more worrying from The Raven's point of view was that Xetesk was effectively surrounded - by Dordovan forces to the south and by Dordovan and Lysternan forces north. Lystern had not yet struck a blow against Xetesk but Dordover was attacking at every opportunity, trying to disrupt the precarious link between Xetesk and its forces in Arlen. The fluid situation would make The Raven's job of catching Yron all the more difficult and gave them much to ponder during their lengthy walk from the bay to Blackthorne.

Anchoring in mid channel, they'd landed at a deserted jetty surrounded by squat warehouses. Nothing looked particularly permanent.

'Just a stopgap till Gyernath gets back open, I expect,' The Unknown said.

'Certainly isn't up to Blackthorne's usual standard,' agreed Hirad.

He scanned the horizon, took in the Blackthorne Mountains at the head of the bay and the mist-covered peaks of the Balan Mountains to the east. He felt a pang when he saw them. The Balans had been his home for almost five years when the Kaan dragons began their exile on Balaia. Anger invaded his thoughts. Only one Kaan dragon left here now thanks to Xetesk, and he living on borrowed time.

'Good to be back though, isn't it?' said Denser, coming to Hirad's shoulder. 'Feel that fresh cool air and the lack of a million mosquitoes.'

'And snakes, rats, spiders and ants,' said Erienne.

They were right. It smelled different here. It smelled good. It was home. Hirad chuckled and looked across at Erienne. She looked pale and tired despite almost constant rest. A frown creased her brow and in her eyes there was a depth that he found a little unsettling, like she was focussed on something elsewhere.

'You all right?' he asked.

'I don't know,' she admitted. 'I've slept most of the voyage but my mind is full, like I've been studying non-stop. There's so much to take in. I can't really explain it.'

'Just as long as they aren't hurting you,' said Hirad.

Erienne smiled and placed a hand on his arm. 'No, Hirad, but thank you.'

Behind Erienne, Thraun was standing on the edge of the jetty sniffing the air. Darrick was by him, looking about, before shouldering his pack and wandering off towards the warehouses. Aeb, as always, stood silent and close to Denser and The Unknown, his axe and sword crossed over his back in their snap fastenings.

Another boat nudged against the jetty. Al-Arynaar and TaiGethen jumped out and jogged away to join their brothers and the ClawBound where they were gathering on a rise. Ilkar and Rebraal were with them, the two brothers deep in yet another heated conversation. Hirad watched as one of the Al-Arynaar mages spoke to them briefly, nodded curtly and moved away as if being near Ilkar upset her somehow. More words were exchanged before Ilkar clutched Rebraal in a half-hearted embrace and Ilkar strode over to The Raven, shaking his head.

'Another happy family discussion?' asked Hirad.

'Oh, it's not him,' said Ilkar. 'Not this time. Come on, let's go.'

He cast about for his pack and picked it up off the jetty, throwing Hirad's to him at the same time.

'And are they coming with us?' Hirad jerked a thumb at the elves.