‘I have been working here trying to keep men sane but even Ifind it hard to keep them from my dreams. Most of you know that inPanmagica illusions are only used for entertainment and to scarethe children. Here they take on a life of their own and so do thedreams. The creatures people dream have been known to come aliveand kill them and all others around.’
‘I know you won’t believe me so I will show you an illusionand you judge for yourself.’
‘Now conjure your big beast.’ said Featherdown to Granwellusing mindspeak while he cast a mass suggestion.
‘Remember this is only an illusion.’
A mightythunder lizard appeared fifty paces from Featherdown and roared.Many of the troops nearby paled and stepped back a couple of paces.More than one wet his pants.
The lizard tookone look at the dragon and decided that it was an enemy, roaredagain and charged. Rose sent out a column of liquid fire at it andthe lizard burst into flame screamed in pain and collapsed in ablazing heap to the ground. Several seconds later it vanishedleaving only a dark smouldering area and the stench of burningflesh.
‘That was an illusion.’ broadcast Featherdown.
‘Imagine if one of the monsters in your dreams come true. Howcould you fight, you’re on your back asleep. Imagine the carnage.You and your friends ripped apart. Blood on the walls and bits ofyour flesh scattered randomly around the room; an arm here, a legthere and your battered carcass lying in the corner.’
There weremurmurs everywhere among the troops.
‘I am from Panmagica like you. I am a mind wizard and thereare others like me here as well. They can seed your minds withcreatures that will come alive and murder you and your companionswhile you sleep. I don’t wish to harm any of you but I am sworn toprotect this place. Please release your hostages, take your weaponsand supplies and go back through the gate.’
‘Quick you better get out there fast he will start panickingthe troops.’ said Kelnor.
Firestormnodded and hurried out.
Featherdowncast a mass suggestion using mindspeak to scratch the itch. Hereand there soldiers subconsciously started scratching.
Firestorm movedto the front and used a herald power on himself.
‘This is Archwizard Firestorm. You have just seen an excellentexample of a mind wizard trying to cause fear and confusion beforea battle. We are stronger and smarter than that. Bring on yourwyverns and we will show them as little mercy as we show any othersthat try to stop our glorious troops from Panmagica doing theirsworn duty. Either get your Archwizard Featherdown to surrender orbring on you worst.’
‘There is a second problem here which your leaders didn’t tellyou about.’ said Featherdown.
‘The insects here spread a plague that that causes horrifyingpain and death over a couple of days. Fungus grows all over yourbody and your insides rot. It generally starts by a small insectbite that creates an incurable itch. When you see others near youscratching it could be the plague.’
One soldiernearby complained that he was itchy and needed a plague cure.Others noticed that they were scratching or saw others scratchingand started asking the priests to do something about it. Firestormrealized that he would soon have a major morale problem on hishands unless he got rid of Aquitain.
‘This meeting is over. You have 30 seconds to leave or youwon’t leave.’ yelled Firestorm.
‘All troops sound off the Panmagican Battle chant.’
Featherdownquickly remounted the dragon and as they took off all the troopsbegan singing the battle chant that was designed to raise moraleand block mental attacks. The troops all over the headland and townjoined in heartily rendering the chant that was Featherdown’ssignal for the druids to do their job.
The two druidsin the hidden chamber beside the gateway, chuckled when they heardthe guards above start gustily singly the battle chant and went towork. Lever one was pulled down, this stopped the chamber frombeing flooded. Lever two was pulled down, this lit up the hiddenchamber and tunnel going down to the teleport circle with greenlight and finally lever three. This lever rotated the wall in thepit upward.
Suddenly thepeople looked over and saw a green-lit area and one druid startedcalling ‘Run Dragon Run!’ The children were up and off like hares.The parents were a bit slower suddenly realizing what was happeningand moved chasing the children. The pit was cleared in about 20seconds and the druid rotated the wall back down again before thealarm was given above. Unfortunately there was an invisible magehunter hiding in the pit and he also ran through with the town’speople.
As children randown the length of the tunnel the druid at the other end begansending groups of them off to the western teleport marker using theteleport circle as quickly as he could. The mage hunter waiteduntil all the people had passed leaving the druid at the end thenattacked from invisibility grabbing the druid around the neck andcutting his throat. He then opened the wall using the lever andyelled for his colleagues to come down.
The yelling washis downfall. A couple of the townsmen came back down the tunnel tosee what the noise was about and saw the dead druid. They yelled awarning and tackled the wizard hunter. The druid at the teleportcircle end turned to a bat and flew down the tunnel changed to abear and ripped the head off the mage hunter while another of thetownspeople closed the wall off.
He healed aknife wound on a townsman checked his dead druid friend, thenchanged to a bat again flew down the tunnel and continuedteleporting the townspeople away. Finally he retrieved his deaddruid colleague and teleported himself away just as the people atthe pit end began to break through the wall.
The two druidsin the tunnel next to where the troops were held had no trouble atall. The procedure went like clockwork. The troops cleared the roomin 15 seconds and the wall was down again by twenty. It would be atleast five minutes before anyone would notice they
