‘Not appprooo… ch.’
‘You cannot move him,’ said Densyr. ‘We’ll all die if you do.’
‘You aren’t talking to a room that cares terribly much,’ said Sol, but he looked over at his family and the desperation within them was clear for all to see. Young Hirad had his face buried in his mother’s chest. Jonas’s eyes were everywhere. And Diera was glaring at her husband.
‘Sol. Don’t let this be the end. Just don’t. We deserve better.’
Sol stared at Densyr. ‘My family are three of those you have sworn to save. Help them.’
Lines dropped past the balcony window.
‘Here they come,’ said Miirt.
She drew her twin short blades. Auum did likewise, giving Densyr a telling look as he turned away to join her. Ghaal moved to the opposite balcony doors, standing ready with the ClawBound pair. Thraun and his wolves gathered near the table. Sirendor moved to stand with Sol. Blades taken from college guards were in hand.
‘We can get away,’ said Jonas. ‘Sha-Kaan will take us.’
‘We cannot bring him into a battle like this,’ said Sol. ‘The Klene would get ripped apart. Someone tell me about Hirad.’
‘Alive,’ said Thraun. ‘Just about.’
There was the thud of heavy boots on stone from somewhere above. Possibly on the roof, possibly an upper balcony. All eyes glanced up.
‘The door,’ said Sol. ‘Thraun, your job.’
‘I’ve got it.’
‘Ilkar, how are we doing?’
‘Not good,’ said Ilkar. ‘Densyr is right. Moving Septern will certainly bring mana feeding back into the Heart. Probably enough to destroy it. And even if it didn’t, he’s too far gone to move. He’ll die.’
Sol closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, Densyr saw him stare at his family. Diera was rocking young Hirad. Jonas tried to comfort them both.
Densyr began to weave a spell. ‘I’m sorry, Sol. But we’re all in this together now.’
‘We should run for the catacombs,’ said Ilkar.
‘No,’ said Densyr. ‘That’s where they’ll be going to attack the Heart.’
‘But well defended surely?’
‘Extremely.’
‘Then why-’
‘Come on, Ilkar, think. Full of souls, full of mana. Full of wards.’
Outside, the lines jerked and jumped as more Garonin began the descent. There were the sounds of breaking timbers from above and footsteps on the stairs. White tears flooded down to impact the courtyard and walls. The tower complex rocked under the weight of spells and energy. A bright light flashed at ground level.
Densyr held the shape of his chosen spell and faced the door. He felt a strange calm descend on him, like a fond memory soothing nightmares away. So different yet so very much the same. Standing with The Raven, facing ridiculous odds. Backs against the wall.
And trapped with no place left to run.
Nowhere in this dimension anyway.
The call to arms rang out, bells ringing a discordant tone, a sound that was picked up across the west and north of the city. General Suarav looked to Brynar.
‘Let’s put this aside. We have a college to defend. Stand with me.’
Brynar, from the entrance to Densyr’s tower, over which he had cast his Ilkar’s Defence, took but a moment to nod his head and dismiss the spell. College guard ran at him.
‘Hold!’ bellowed Suarav. ‘Touch not so much as a hair on his head. Secure the stairway. Guard every level. The Raven won’t harm the Lord of the Mount; they’ll protect him now. Trust me. Brynar, organise your mage teams. Just as we rehearsed. Someone find me Chandyr. I want lookouts stationed by the west gates. I want the citizen commanders waiting to distribute their teams to their designated tasks. I’ll be outside the tower complex. Move it.’
On his way past, Suarav grabbed Brynar by the shoulder.
‘I won’t forget this, you little bastard. You had better prove yourself one fucking big hero today, do you understand me?’
‘I will die protecting those who protect the people of Balaia,’ said Brynar.
Suarav grunted. ‘Good enough. Go.’
The general rubbed a hand across his face, picked up his pride from where those damned elves had left it and ran out into chaos and fear. White tears spat into the ground. Two guards were ripped apart right in front of him. Burning corpses already littered the ground. He could see spells arcing out into the ruined eastern city as the enemy closed in on the college. Stone rippled and broke under the weight of enemy fire.
Above, the bulbous machine pulsated. It was enormous, casting a malevolent shadow across the whole college. Dozens of lines hung from it and Garonin slid down them one after another, landing on towers, the dome of the complex and heading for the ground.
‘Where are my defensive mages? I need the walls bound up now. And bring those bastards down to earth. Brynar, get more concentration above.’
Sliding down the lines, Garonin leaned out and triggered their weapons, showering the pure energy of the white tears over the college. Brynar, out in the open, had gathered a group of mages together. One knelt to shield the other five, who were all forming the shapes for their spells.
IceBlades raced away from open palms, spreading as they rose. Frozen shards of mana ripped into Garonin bodies, sliced through lines and plunged into the fabric of the machine. Enemy soldiers fell to the earth, and where they landed, guards swooped to finish off any survivors.
More Garonin were on the lines now. More lines were dropped from the machine, and up on the hanging carriage Suarav could see frenzied activity. Above, the clouds were beginning to build and darken. Brynar nodded at Suarav and set off with his mages to find another angle to cast.
‘Keep it up, youngster,’ Suarav said. ‘Redemption is at hand.’
Chapter 31
Garonin swung onto the balconies. White tears flashed into the chamber, smashing portraits hung on the walls and setting fire to a tapestry rescued from the library during the demon invasion. Nothing would save it now.
Densyr held an Ilkar’s Defence steady across the doorway. Garonin poured fire into it. Auum could see the sweat beading on the mage’s face. Next to him, Miirt ducked a swinging weapon and planted her elbow into an enemy gut. She jumped up and reversed her fist into his helmet, knocking him back. Auum straight-kicked into his face, sending him over the edge.
‘Sol, call out status,’ said Auum. ‘Direct us.’
‘Understood,’ said Sol.
The tower rocked above. Loose masonry fell past the balconies. The thud of Garonin fire could be heard and felt as it pounded into the upper floors of the tower. A volley of spells flew up from the courtyard. More Garonin lines dropped. Three more soldiers landed on the balcony in front of Auum.
‘Get down inside!’ called Auum.
White tears lashed into the chamber. Auum threw himself forward, cutting his blades across and out in front of him. He felt them bite deep into flesh through armour not designed to defend against blade attack. A Garonin howled in pain and fell across him. Auum rolled and kicked, shoving the wounded man aside, ramming a sword up under his chin.
A weapon was on him. Miirt’s blade flashed across Auum’s vision. The weapon fell, a dismembered hand still clutching it. Auum arched his back and sprang to his feet, burying his blades in the midriff of the same soldier. Miirt round-housed the third, taking him clean off the balcony.
