at his cheek. Cold pain fired into his head and he was knocked back against the ground. He felt faint for a moment, his vision dimming for a heartbeat. Fear flashed through his body and he grabbed at his chest as if that alone would keep his soul in place if the demons could really touch it.
He saw more spells detonate and heard the heavy thud of steel against flesh. A hand gripped his shoulder. The Unknown hauled him upright. At his feet, the bodies of two demons. One moved feebly, the other had been decapitated. Dark gore ran down The Unknown's sword. He shrugged.
'I think we frightened them off,' he said.
Hirad breathed deep, feeling blood on his face. He wiped at it gingerly with a gloved hand. The demons were retreating, those that could. The ground was littered with their bodies. Twenty, perhaps more.
'We'd better get moving. Anyone else hurt?' he asked.
Shakes of heads greeted his question. He nodded. Erienne smiled at him, looking a little tired but satisfied.
'I'd call that a successful test,' said Denser, hugging her to him.
'Just about,' said The Unknown, leading them on towards Black-thorne. 'What was that pirouette?'
'Something Auum taught me.'
'I'd have preferred it if you'd just ducked and rolled.'
Hirad smiled. 'I'm still learning.'
'Hmm.' The Unknown pointed at his cheek. 'You were lucky. If you hadn't turned your head, it would have had your eye. You feeling all right?'
'A little cold around the wound but otherwise fine.' He chuckled, though his body trembled along its length. 'Can't just grab our souls, can they?'
'Fortunately not.'
They crested a rise and looked down the last mile to Blackthorne. The town was teeming with activity. Demons on the ground and in the sky hurried about tasks. Many were headed towards the castle where Blackthorne's flag still flew proudly. There was a gathering of people, clearly none were demon captives. They held weapons and the bark of orders carried across the quiet space to The Raven.
'Welcoming committee?' said Darrick.
'Reckon Thraun must have got through safely,' said Hirad. 'What next?'
The Unknown began trotting down the slope, the others following him. Left and right, the elves moved further ahead. 'Let's not
keep them waiting. I hardly think the demons are going to usher us in. Can you hang onto that wound until we're inside?'
'It's not so bad,' said Hirad.
'Good. Erienne, ready for a repeat dose?'
'No problem.'
'Let's go, Raven.'
Wary now, demons flew high, tracking them all the way. Dead ahead, a formation was building above Blackthorne. It was large, over a hundred, and spread like a net over the town, covering their route in. The Raven were committed now but Hirad shared an anxious glance with The Unknown at the scale of the force laid out before them. Whatever it was that Blackthorne had planned, it needed to be effective.
The Raven ran on, having no option but to trust themselves and their friend on the other side of his ColdRoom protection. Hirad found himself trying to look everywhere at once. Left and right to check the elves, about and behind him to make sure The Raven were one, and ahead and above him to try and second-guess the next action of the demons.
But it was quickly clear that the demons were unsure. The slaughter of twenty-plus of their number by The Raven had undermined their sense of automatic domination and inside Blackthorne the Baron was making no secret of the fact that he was ready to strike out. It bought The Raven the time to make over half the distance to relative safety. It was a hiatus that couldn't last and duly, with The Raven and elves passing the outlying farm land, the demons moved.
'Watching, Raven,' warned The Unknown. 'Let's try and keep moving. Erienne, you're up.'
The hoots and croaking cries of demons choked the air, echoing across the open space. Hirad felt a chill down his body and gripped his sword tighter. His cheek burned where he had been caught, a numbness spreading to his jaw. Moving in towards the outskirts of the town, the Raven line tightened appreciably. Auum and Duele fell in behind the mages, leaving Rebraal and Evunn scouting ahead, bows in hand.
'We're moving too fast,' said Denser. 'Erienne can't hold this pace and cast.'
They slowed. Darrick dropped back to the other side of her, Hirad and The Unknown directly in front. From above, the cries of the demons intensified to a stunning crescendo. They packed and attacked.
'Dear Gods.' Hirad almost froze. 'We're in trouble.'
'Holding positions, Raven. Spells at full spread!' shouted Darrick. 'Let's give ourselves a chance.'
They stopped again, needing the cohesion of a static formation to give them any chance at all. Hirad could hear Denser murmuring words of encouragement to Erienne.
'We can't afford that, Denser. Cast. They're on us.'
'Can't afford for Erienne to fail either.'
'We can't afford that for any of us. Please, Denser, not now.'
'Got it,' said the mage, an edge to his voice.
'Come on, Baron,' whispered Hirad. 'We need you.'
He couldn't count how many demons were coming at them this time. It had to be twice the number of the first probing attack. Enough to overwhelm them if they weren't all right on their game.
From the direction of the castle came simultaneous deep orange and blue flares. The sound of a detonation and the cries of hundreds of men followed it. More spells struck out, tearing at the demons still hovering over Blackthorne. They were joined by those of the elves. DeathHail flayed across the clear blue sky, more IceWind surged behind it, catching the leading edge of the demon attack. But still they came on and Blackthorne's intervention was too late.
Sudden calm fell in the air, pressing on Hirad's ears. Behind him, Denser swore.
'Cover your eyes,' he shouted. 'Now!'
'Do it, Raven!' ordered Hirad.
He closed his eyes and put an arm across them. An instant later there was a flat crack. Searing light ripped across the sky. Hirad could see the glow through his squeezed-shut eyes as it flared through the flesh of his arm. Screams filled the air all around him.
'Safe!' called Denser.
Hirad looked up. The sky was a confusion of blinded demons. They crashed into one another, flew very high to escape the chaos or tried to land, tumbling. Some hovered where they were, their fists wiping at their faces. But most blundered on, trying to use other
senses to reach their prey but distracted by the pain that would be pounding in their skulls.
Hirad and The Unknown glanced at each other, The Unknown nodded.
'Raven!' roared Hirad. 'Raven with me!'
And they ran hard, all pretence at an organised fighting line gone. SunBurst was a spell rarely used and easily combated by area reverse castings. But when it worked, its effects were spectacular but, as they all knew, short- lived. The demons' sight would return and soon.
Auum's Tai and Rebraal took the lead, racing through Blackthorne's all but empty streets. In places, demons and humans alike clung to walls or sat with heads in hands, briefly united in their distress. Where they filled the road, the enemy were unceremoniously beaten aside.
Closing on the area of the town still under Blackthorne's control, Hirad had an idea. He sheadied his sword.
'Unknown!' He grabbed at the big man's arm as they ran. 'We can save some. One each.'
The Unknown nodded. 'The others will follow the lead. Take the young, we can carry them.'
Ahead, Blackthorne's men were beating a path clear for them among the disoriented demons who nonetheless tried to fight back. Spells roared out, engulfing hapless victims, and cudgels and clubs knocked sense from any who got too close. Hirad shot past an opening and saw a small boy, perhaps ten years old, yelling for his mother,
