The other line of gods had been closer and directly in front of where I’d opened the portal. They’d had no time to generate a formidable shield wall. Several levitated above the floodwaters, but many others were swept along with the tide.
Maybe a quarter of the flow still missed the opening and swept past it into the rest of the park, carrying some creatures, trees, and boulders with it. Those creatures I’d have to locate and remove when everything else was settled.
Maintaining the portal was a tremendous drain on both my and Tess’s energy, but I had to hold it open until the land between the two portals was free of interlopers. The river, once on the far side of Rowle’s portal, was no longer constrained. It must have spread out and gathered up the mages who were holding the portal open. I saw their portal beginning to flicker, a sure sign it was about to fail. The muddy river looked clear of anything but ice floes and debris. I canceled my own portal and then tried to close the other portal again. This time, it collapsed in on itself and winked out of existence. I kept energy in the tattoo until I was sure the portal was locked. That would keep anyone from creating another portal between our world and theirs at this location.
With the closing of my portal, I felt my energy beginning to increase through my tap on the ley lines.
Releasing Tess’s hand, I turned to her and smiled. “That worked better than I hoped.”
She returned my smile. Her face was filled with lines from the sudden loss of energy, but she’d recover quickly. We all did when we could tap ley lines from this close.
The line of gods on our right began taking out the surviving gods on our left but many of those escaped through portals rather than face their opponents much greater numbers.
I looked for Rowle. I didn’t think he’d be foolish enough to get caught by my trick, but I could always hope. Then I saw him, levitating over the muddy field that had been his army. He was gliding toward us.
“Heads up, Tess. The real fight is about to begin,” I said.
“The real fight? What was that we just did?”
“That was the preliminaries. Rowle is the real threat. Until he is defeated our world will never be safe.”
A lightning bolt came from the overcast sky and slammed into our shields.
While concentrating on reinforcing my shield, I slipped a hand into my pocket and took out the three copper rings.
Rowle kept up the lightning until the local charge dissipated. It would take a little time for the charge to rebuild.
I had surprised Rowle with one of my meteors once, and I didn’t expect him to fall for that one again. Still, I started my last meteor back toward us. If I timed its impact well enough, I might penetrate his shield.
“Don’t aim at him with your crossbow until he’s too close to miss. I don’t want him realizing what kind of broadheads you’re using.”
“You think he knows they can penetrate a shield?” Tess asked.
“Maybe, but even if he doesn’t know it, you’ll only get one shot, and you’ll have to be ready to aim and fire before he thinks about it,” I added.
Our energy levels were rising, but as long as I had to keep shoving power into my shield, I’d never get back to full strength.
Rowle was gliding toward us, still about twenty feet, or so above the mud. I lowered us back to dry ground and slipped the three copper rings onto my left ring finger.
I activated my wind tat and sent it swirling, slowly forming a tornado as I had during my last fight with Rowle. I didn’t expect the same trick to work twice, but you never know unless you try.
Rowle spotted the funnel as soon as it began to pick up speed. He activated his own wind tattoo and set another cyclone to spinning opposite of mine. That was a neat trick. This side of the equator cyclones, tornados, or whatever spin counterclockwise. To force the wind clockwise was impressive.
He was still moving toward us. In another minute, he might be in range of Tess’s crossbow.
I raised my left hand and activated my lightning tattoo. A bolt of electricity split a jaded path across the sky and struck Rowle’s shield. It didn’t slow him down.
I considered using night magic, but he was still outside the range of effect. I’d have to get him closer. The trick with the waterfall wouldn’t serve me again; he’d see the portal forming and levitate above it.
Rowle floated lower as he neared our position. Could he want to talk? I didn’t really care to talk with him again. Surely, by now he understood that I’d never join him.
Rowle was fifty feet away and about ten feet above the mud when Joe Leatherneck appeared at his side and swung a massive forepaw at him.
The impact didn’t penetrate his shield, but it sent him careening into the mud. Joe chased after him. Rowle may have been surprised by the bear’s attack, but when he hit the ground, it was feet first. His face had darkened in anger, and he raised a fist toward the spirit bear. “Leatherneck, you old fool! You should stay out of matters that don’t concern you.”
Joe didn’t respond, verbally. He rose up on his hind legs to his full height of nearly twenty feet. Joe’s lower legs sank up to his knees in the mud. Stretching out his paws, Joe placed one on either side of Rowle’s shield as if he were going to bear hug him. I thought Joe must be out of his mind.
But then Rowle’s features changed from anger to fear. Joe was actually pressing his shield inwards.
Rowle raised his right hand, and a tattoo glowed black.
Damnit, I’d seen him use that spell before.
Black ooze began to flow
