Featherdown wasstanding discussing the fight with Quab when one of his juniorwizards teleported in about a hundred paces away asking for him.The young wizard was directed to him and he came running over.
‘My Lord, I come with grave news. Twin Towers has beenattacked by troops from Panmagica I was sent to advise you. Thereis a battle raging there right now.’
‘By the Powers Quab, it looks like the war has begun. Quick,go and find Heteronymous he will want to know about this. I will goand see what I can do. I will be back shortly.’
Chapter 24 Evacuation
Heteronymous swore astring of obscenities when told of the Panmagican attack on TwinTowers.
‘I thought Featherdown was going to close the gateway.’ hesaid to Quab.
‘This young wizard from the guard may be able to tell us whathappened.’ suggested Quab.
‘Yes Sir. I was off duty having a drink with some friends inthe Ugly Bear when I heard the Dragon Alert warning of an impendingattack on the gateway. All the town’s people began pouring into theinn and all the guards in the inn raced back to the barracks to gettheir gear and join the defence.’
‘Our wizards and about half of the guards had taken updefensive positions by the time I arrived. I asked what hadhappened and the senior wizard said that Wizard Curbut had arrivedwith orders from the Druid Council to open the gateway. The Dutyofficer was not prepared to open the gate until Lord Featherdowngave the order. Two of our wizards sided with Curbut and demandedthe duty officer open the gate. He still refused so Curbut killedhim and they ran for the gate overpowered the guard detail thereand went into the gate building and the alarm wassounded.’
‘By the time we were in our positions. Panmagican troops beganpouring out of the gate building. I took up position with CaptainChantalot. We attacked them with spells and arrows. Then some ofour wizards came under attack by invisible fighters that seemedresistant to magic damage. I was asked by the Captain to goinvisible and come here. He told me there was a battle on here aswell and wasn’t sure whether the High Wizard would be available. Bythe looks of it we were victorious sir.’
‘Yes.’ said Quab but at a terrible cost.
‘We’ve lost a lot of druids.’
‘What level of alarm was sounded?’ asked Quab.
‘Dragon Alert sir as directed by Lord Featherdown.’
‘Good that means most of the people should be in the Ugly Bearinn and the commercial teleporter disabled.’
‘I’m not too sure about the commercial teleporter sir. Therewas some fighting there.’
‘Okay we had better get ready in case we need to go there.’said Heteronymous and called for the druids to return. They werecurrently spread all over the battlefield moving bodies, andsearching for any remaining enemies and healing injureddruids.’
‘Ten minutes later the druids had gathered and Featherdownreturned.’
‘I’m afraid I was too late. It was almost over when I arrived.They’ve got at least three hundred troops on the headland andanother hundred in the town. There’s wizards and priests fromseveral temples there suggesting it’s been organized by the Unityof Wisdom. There’s a lot of our townspeople in the Ugly Bear butthey have taken a large group of women and children to the Gatewaybuilding as hostages I presume.’
‘I saw High Priest Kelnor there with the leader of the force.I know the leader well. I’ve fought against him before. He’s afellow called Firestorm. I thought he retired.
‘They really mean business if they got him out of retirement.He’s an Archwizard and Battlemaster with a very nasty reputation.He’s killed thousands of people, mainly innocents.’
‘Dam useless defence plan Featherdown.’ saidHeteronymous.
‘No it has generally worked as planned. It has partiallyfailed because we had a traitor within.’ repliedFeatherdown.
‘It seems they have resurrected your pet wizard who seems tobe a key feature in a lot of our problems lately. I thought I gotrid of him when I disintegrated him but it looks like the priestshad a contingency plan in case that happened.’
‘Yeah I’m sorry about him. We got that one wrong.’ repliedHeteronymous.
‘You have my approval to disintegrate him again if you get thechance.’
‘Anyhow we have a short window of opportunity while they waitfor our response.’ said Featherdown.’
Before theycould discuss the issue a druid teleported in and was escorted tothem.
‘I’m looking for the High Druid.’ he stated.
‘That’s me.’ said Heteronymous, ‘The other one’sgone.’
‘I have orders here from the Inter-World Druid Council. I amto take charge of the druids on Mudrun and we are going to withdrawfrom the world until further notice.’
Featherdownlooked at Heteronymous.
‘You’re not going to quit are you?’
Heteronymousgrabbed the orders read them and then tore them up.
‘If you think we’re going to run out on Mudrun like a bunch ofscared schoolgirls you’re an idiot and so are the druid council.Look around you. See that blood, that that belongs to my friends.Panmagicans killed over seventy of our brethren today. I’ve beenliving on of this patch of dirt for over a hundred years and nobodyin the Druid Council or anywhere else is going to move me or any ofmy druids away. Go back to the Council and tell them Mudrun hasjust announced its independence. If we see anyone from the Councilthey will be treated as the enemy and summarily dealtwith.’
‘You can’t do that!’ said the druid from theCouncil.
‘He just did. Mudrun is now independent. All foreign invaderswill be dealt with. You are now an invader and have about 10seconds to leave or you will never leave.’ saidFeatherdown.
‘You won’t get away with this. The druid council will notsanction your actions. There will be recriminations.’ replied thecouncil druid then he teleported away.
‘Well that’s fixed our course of action.’ saidHeteronymous.
‘I guess I better tell our merry band that we are now outlawsin the eyes of the Inter-World Druid Council. I hope the Lady lookskindly upon us.’ And he left to gather the druids for anannouncement.
‘I can’t believe he just did that.’ said Quab.
‘I though he was just a cranky old bear with no fight left inhim.’
‘Quab nobody on the council expected him to do anything else.I suspect the other High
