Voices of authority were beginning to be heard over the chaotic shouts of the poorly prepared Balaian men. There was concerted running in the direction of the stockade. Time to snuff out the voices. Time to render the Black Wing army leaderless.

Chapter 48.

Auum and his Tai sprinted down the main street, ignoring the white faces of fear they pa.s.sed, heading for the heart of the army, such as it was. Rebraal was with them, sword bloodied, a gash on his thigh but grim belief on his face. In front of them, men were gathering about thirty yards in front of the stockade. Twelve men had formed a line across the street and others were behind them. Crossbowmen stood on the flanks.

The Tai unhitched bows and nocked arrows as they ran, releasing shaft after shaft at the crossbowmen. Auum's first arrow was wild but his second found an enemy arm. Duele, who was their best archer, saw his first shot rip into the mouth of his target and his second drive deep into a stomach. The bolts that came back were few and inaccurate.

Discarding his bow, Auum unsheathed one of his swords and snapped open his pouch of jaqrui. The enemy had begun moving towards them now but were still some forty yards distant. The ClawBound pair raced in along the left, inducing more panic in the strangers' ranks.

'At will,' said Auum.

Jaqrui wailed and whispered across the open s.p.a.ce, another sound to add to the cacophony and another killer unleashed against the milling Black Wings. Auum flicked out three jaqrui. They were his last. One cut into the back of a running man's neck, pitching him forward into the mud. The second bounced off a mail shirt and the third chopped into a sword hand, slicing away two fingers.

They were closing with the swordsmen when The Raven beat them to it. Rushing from between two buildings, they fell on the left-hand edge of the line, the barbarian hacking deep into the neck of the first man, kicking out into the stomach of the next and plunging his sword into the back of a third.

The enemy bunched and turned. The masked Protector exploded into a group of four, his twin weapons whistling through the air, burying themselves in flesh. The quiet powerful blond man with the animal eyes took the arm from one man and straight-punched his companion in the chin. Both victims dropped.

The Tai entered the fight. Auum backhanded his blade into the chest of one man, drove the heel of his palm into the same face to knock him from his feet and delivered a killing thrust to the chest. He rolled right, a blade thudding into the mud by him. Darting to his feet far too quickly for his opponent to follow, he stabbed straight through the man's groin. He screamed and fell, blood pulsing out and down his legs.

The ClawBound roared together, the panther clouting a hapless Black Wing across the jaw with one paw and landing on top of her victim and biting down hard on the neck. Weaponless but never helpless, the bound-elf jabbed straight-fingered into the girth of his target, caught the sword arm in his other hand and bit forward himself, his teeth shearing through nose and tearing away. He spat out the flesh and flew in again.

Auum crashed a fist into his next enemy's chin, spun, and delivered a straight kick which caught the man on the point of his jaw. He stumbled back, bringing up his sword in defence, but Auum had dropped to his haunches. He swept away the Black Wing's legs and broke the man's neck as he fell, catching his head and twisting hard. He stepped away from the battle, knowing he was covered, and turned to see where they had positioned themselves. While a great number of the strangers had run, panicked way beyond organisation, the braver were on their way back. He could see weapons glinting in the early light and heard more orders bringing men into the street at their backs. It wouldn't be long before they were cut off and overwhelmed.

Fortunately, The Raven had seen the danger too and FlameOrbs soared out over his head.

'Press in!' shouted Darrick, slashing at the arm of a Black Wing, his sword biting deep. 'We need to break them. Come on. Erienne, Orbs to the rear. They're ma.s.sing.'

Hirad hadn't noticed. He had cuts on both arms now and the edge of a blade had nicked his left ankle as its owner had fallen dead but he didn't care. This was what he lived for. Next to him, The Unknown hammered in blow after blow, his ma.s.sive muscles delivering awesome power only matched by Aeb. The Black Wings were falling back before them, and with no escape right because the TaiGethen were there, were breaking towards the stockade.

The barbarian closed with a wiry old fighter, his tattoo dulled with age. Probably a man that had served with Travers. Their swords met high and Hirad pushed back hard but the man stood his ground, driving his heels into the mud for purchase. His fist whipped in. Hirad saw it and angled his head, the blow missing him left. He stepped back smartly, hauling his sword in front of him and striking out again. Slightly unbalanced, the Black Wing only just blocked. Hirad struck again, right to left. Another block. Jabbed straight. Blocked again. The man was good. But not that good.

Needing to change his point of attack, Hirad leapt to the left while his sword moved right, sweeping across his enemy's body, forcing him to block away. He saw his peril just too late, began to turn square, but Hirad sent in a haymaking punch with his left hand that caught him on the ear and sent him stumbling into the path of Aeb. The Protector split the fighter's skull with his axe, gore and brain spattering the ground and his mask.

Erienne's FlameOrbs lit up the sky, racing away to the right to splash down on undefended bodies. What small order existed in the forty or so gathered there dissolved in an instant and the air was filled again with the screams of the burning and dying.

'Raven!' called The Unknown. 'Pushing left, let's go!'

The Black Wing resistance on the street was faltering; some had already made the run back towards the stockade and the remnants, just five, were staring full-face at death. Thraun and Darrick went at them, the pair working like they'd fought together all their lives. The shapechanger's powerhouse blows rained down on the Black Wings, the sword in his hand wielded like a twig, while Darrick's fencing skills left little to chance, his quick feet making him so hard to track. They'd downed another three before the final pair turned tail and ran.

'Come on, Raven. They can't be allowed to shut the gates.'

Hirad led The Raven down the street. He glanced at the stockade. Not a man moved on its parapet. They were close now, he could feel it. He ran as fast as he could but with ten yards to go the TaiGethen cruised past him, the ClawBound pair right behind them, Rebraal on their shoulders. They seemed to be making almost no effort and Hirad found himself wondering just how fast they could go.

'Keep inside the shield!' shouted Hirad. 'There'll be archers in there.'

Rebraal heard him and relayed the message, the elves all slowing. In a group, they chased the two survivors into the compound of the stockade. There were men ahead of them. Dozens of them. Hirad slowed. Behind him, the gates swung shut with a thud, the bolts thrown across. He looked quickly around him. Archers and crossbowmen now lined the ramparts. Swordsmen emerged from buildings to their left and the shadows on their right.

The Raven, a TaiGethen cell, a solitary Al-Arynaar warrior and a ClawBound pair. And they were surrounded by seventy at least. Too many.

'Any ideas?' asked Hirad.

The panther growled but was held in check by her partner. The enemy were waiting.

'We can't take all sides on at once,' said Darrick. 'What have we got spell-wise to disable one side? Somewhere we can back against.'

'Denser's got to keep up the HardShield,' said Erienne. 'I can't deal with the area on my own.'

'Keep thinking,' said The Unknown.

A door ahead opened and a man walked out. Smeared face, one milky-white eye. Selik.

'Welcome to Understone,' said Selik.

'I could take him from here,' said Ren quietly.

'Don't do it,' said Darrick. 'We need time to think.'

'Now, as you can see, your valiant but doomed efforts to take what I have in my possession are at an end. Actually, I'm hurt you think that I wouldn't want to return the statue fragment myself.'

'Anything that hurts you is fine by me,' said Hirad. He was desperate to rush Selik but knew he'd never make it across the open s.p.a.ce. 'But we don't have to fight here. Just give the thumb to us and no more of your men will have to die.'

'I fail to see that you are in any position to make demands, Hirad Coldheart,' said Selik. 'And in case you hadn't noticed, you are harbouring mages. I am at war with mages.'

He waved a hand and a dozen arrows and crossbow bolts hurtled down, all bouncing from the HardShield. Ren's answering shaft took one of the archers down.

'As we can see, you are shielded,' said Selik.

'And you are not,' said Hirad. 'The next arrow is for you.'

'Unwise,' said Selik. 'You would all be killed as a consequence. I am aware of your skills but even you will see this as a situation you have lost. Put your weapons down and I might spare your lives. Erienne, it would be delightful to remake your acquaintance.'

Erienne ignored him though a shiver pa.s.sed across her body.

'We don't have time for your games,' said Hirad. 'We have a sick elf here and you are holding the cure.'

'Oh, I am sorry,' said Selik. 'Ilkar off-colour, is he?'

'This is getting us nowhere,' whispered Darrick. 'Unknown, any thoughts?'

The big man shook his head.

'I have,' said Ilkar.

'Am I interrupting something?' asked Selik. 'I think I made myself clear, did I not?'

'What exactly?' asked Darrick.

'A mage can reverse the flows from any spell or construct and in doing so draw mana in from a wider area.'

'I said, put your weapons down. There's no room for debate,' said Selik.

Hirad held up a hand. 'Ren, put your bow on him. Don't shoot,' he said before turning to Selik. 'Actually, we're just debating whether to surrender or go down in a blaze of glory. You can attack now if you want but you're first to die, Selik, and we'll see fifty of your men go with us. Or you can wait and maybe we'll all stay alive.'

And he turned his back on their captor, who just shook his head at the Black Wings' questioning glances. 'Be quick about it. I am impatient for your surrender.'

Erienne looked square at Selik and put a finger to her lips, feeling the voices of ancients in her head. Something flooded from her across the s.p.a.ce to the Black Wing captain. She wasn't sure she was in control of it but she knew it had worked.

'Wait,' she whispered. 'Wait.'

'Erienne?' asked Denser.

'Just buying us a few heartbeats. It'll wear off momentarily.'

None of the Black Wing soldiers was moving. The sounds of the world about them had faded. It was as if they were standing in a painting, looking at still life.

Hirad hadn't noticed the change. 'Are you helping us, Ilkar?'

'Look,' replied Ilkar. 'I'm dying already. But we needn't all go. I can make the difference you need.'

'You're staying with us and we're getting you out of this,' said Hirad. 'We'll get the thumb and stop the plague.'

'Hirad, you don't understand. There is no cure. I've got Elfsorrow and I will die of it. All you can do is stop more catching it. And I'd rather die trying to save my friends.'

Hirad felt stunned. He'd a.s.sumed there was hope. He'd come charging in here because he could still save Ilkar. And now he found he couldn't.

'You didn't tell me,' he said.

'Would it have made any difference?'

'Probably not.'

'So I'm going to do this.'

'What?' asked Hirad.

'Ilkar's suggesting a focussed backfire,' said Erienne. 'He can form the shape of a spell like FlameOrbs then detonate it within himself. And because the shape is within him, it will hold together for longer and draw in far more energy than it should.'

'But how . . . ?' began Hirad.

'I'll have to be high up.'

'No way,' said Hirad. 'No way. There has to be another answer.'

'Hirad, there isn't.' Ilkar clutched his arm. 'Please let me do this. It's all I've got left.'

The reality hit Hirad like a hammer. His grip on his blade weakened and he let it fall. The thump was unnaturally loud on the packed ground.

'That's better,' said Selik from behind them.

The sudden resumption of reality made Erienne jump. She wanted to repeat the casting but realised immediately she didn't actually know how. There was so much she still had to learn.

'Shut the f.u.c.k up, Black Wing,' grated Hirad, not turning. 'You can't die, Ilkar. You were there at the start. We can't do this without you.'

'You don't have any choice,' said Ilkar. 'I am dying and you can't save me.'

Hirad fought to keep himself together. They were in a desperate situation already and Ilkar had just made it worse. He couldn't afford to lose control now. He set his jaw.

'Please, Ilkar, don't.'

'I have to,' said Ilkar. 'Goodbye, Hirad.'

'No.' Hirad could feel his throat tighten.

'You have always been my closest friend,' said the elf. 'Don't forget me.'

Hirad looked around at them all, their desperate faces. At the tears flowing down Ren's cheeks as she fought to keep her aim, not daring to turn round. He felt the briefest of kisses on his cheek, saw Ilkar caress Ren's head, heard an incantation and then he was gone, shooting up straight into the sky.

'Get back down here!' shouted Hirad. 'Ilkar, no!'

Arrows followed Ilkar skywards, none of them even close to their target.

'What's this?' Selik's voice was laden with sarcasm. 'The Raven flying away, are they, Hirad? Those that can. Some bond.' He laughed.

Hirad would have pitched after him then but The Unknown had a strong hand on his shoulder.

'Wait,' he said. 'Soon.'

Hirad craned his head high. Everyone in the compound was doing the same. He watched as the elf manoeuvred himself above a parapet and ten archers, underneath which upwards of fifteen soldiers stood ready.

'Ilkar!' called Hirad. 'Fly away. Please fly away.'

But the words caught in his throat. He leaned into The Unknown, felt the big man's hand tighten and waited.

Above the compound Ilkar hovered, the pain in his stomach excruciating and threatening his concentration.

'Just one more time,' he said to himself. 'Just one more time.'