pathetic attempt at a block.
Darrick smashed it aside, stepped up and rammed his blade through the soldier's stomach, pushing the body away with his foot, freeing his sword and reversing it across the chest of the second man whose guard wasn't ready. He fell on to his back, clutching at his ribs, gasping. Darrick stood over him and rammed his blade through the man's heart.
Looking up, he saw Vuldaroq already under the guard of Ren and Aronaar, Ren's dagger to his neck and Aronaar's bow sweeping the area, looking for threat.
'Bring him,' said Darrick.
The trio hurried Vuldaroq back to the house and into relative safety.
'You'll pay for this, Darrick. Desertion and now treachery against Lystern. You'll hang. I'll see to it personally.'
Darrick turned and grabbed Vuldaroq's injured arm, bringing a whimper from the mage.
'One more word and I'll bleed you right here, fat man,' he grated. 'Your unholy alliance with the Black Wings has brought us to this and now you are going to do my bidding. Understand?'
Vuldaroq was scared, Darrick could see it. His face was white with
the pain of his injury and the sweat was dripping from his brow. To exemplify his point, Darrick twisted the arrow. Vuldaroq squealed.
'Understand?'
Vuldaroq nodded. They moved swiftly up the corridor, picking their way over bodies and rubble, the fighting getting nearer and louder with every pace. Darrick had his blade at Vuldaroq's back now, Ren and Aronaar just ahead as they approached the ballroom.
Inside, Protector bodies lay still and Dordovan mages moaned.
'Cover them, Aronaar,' said Darrick. 'Right, Ren, let's stop this thing.'
Erienne flowed gendy over Lyanna's consciousness, feeling her tension and pain, and soothed them away. She burrowed deeper, finding the core of her magic, where the mana writhed and pulsated. She followed its tendrils to where they ate at her body, leaching her strength and destroying her. She reached out to ease the first ones from their hold but they lashed out and she felt a blow as if slapped that sent her mind reeling.
She gathered herself and came in again. Remembering the words of the prophecy. The mother shall stifle the destruction within, laying her mind bare to its power and accepting the death herself that was promised to the Innocent. For the Innocent to fail, surely so must the mother.
She moved in closer. At the centre of her child's mind, a monster was suffocating her. It sucked on the mana and gorged on her life energy, drawing both to it to make itself stronger, a living force with one aim, the death of its host. Dordover had triggered it and Lyanna had fed it unwittingly, the Al-Drechar too frail at the last to protect her from herself. And Lyanna was fading fast. Her last burst had fed it such power and it pulled the spirit from the tiny girl.
Focusing her mind and her mana energy, she surged in, the monster opening its claws to greet her.
No, Mummy.
Lyanna?
Tou mustn't go there. That's a bad thing.
But it's within you, my sweet, and it must be taken away or you will die.
But if you go there, it will kill you, too.
I know, darling. But I'll always be here, inside you to help you as you grow.
You won't. Erienne sensed crying. She crept further down. You'll be dead. You can't die.
There is another way.
Erienne halted. That had been another voice. Recognisable in an instant.
Ephemere, get out of my child's mind.
Erienne, Erienne, haven't you ever understood? This is not your child's mind. It is the mind of the One. The mana construct of us all.
What do you mean? Erienne's heart raced.
The One isn't like a College magic. It has form. It is an entity that, once awakened, joins with a mage mind to bring a single harmony. And now it is awake but it can't stay here.
Why not? Erienne felt a brief confusion before the import of Ephemere's words sank in and she felt herself go cold. Don't you dare hurt her, you old witch, or by the gods I'll kill you myself.
Lyanna can't feel pain any more. But her body is too young to contain what was awakened within her. We tried to teach her, to make her stronger. But she doesn't have the physical maturity to contain the One mind.
I can save her, Ephemere. Tinjata was very specific. Get away and let me do it.
He was wrong. He didn't read all the signs correctly. You are here because you are the mother of the child. Because you alone have the empathy the One mind requires to survive now the Innocent cannot. That is what you are laying open to the One. I thought you understood, Erienne.
Understood what?'
Oh, my dear Erienne, we aren't letting you into her mind to save her.
Hirad barely blocked the blow, the sword point nicking his right cheek to give him a cut to mirror the one he already sported. He lunged forward, his speed surprising the Dordovan in front of him who leapt back, his blade coming across his body to knock Hirad's aside.
Behind, they massed still and The Raven had nowhere to run any
more. With Denser and Ilkar unable to cast, there was no backup and he felt himself tiring too quickly. Beside him, The Unknown grunted with every blow. One of the Protectors was down, another two plus Aeb were already carrying injuries, and the Dordovans were rotating their attackers where they could, keeping fresh while they wore their opponents down.
Hirad looked for a gap and hurried his sword in an upward arc, his enemy swaying back to dodge the blow. The man came in quickly and Hirad dropped to his haunches, the blade whipping over his head, coming up as he brought his own weapon down, clattering it through the back of the soldier. He dropped. Hirad backed up. He looked again over the heads of the enemy, trying to gauge their numbers. Too many. Too damn many.
'Unknown?' he said, using a two-handed grip to deflect a lunge to his head. He steered the enemy weapon aside and thrashed back quickly, his opponent stepping smartly back to evade.
'Keep going,' said The Unknown, though his breath was short and there was desperation in his voice. 'Believe.'
Beside The Unknown, Aeb clattered his axe into the chest plate of a Dordovan and he crashed backwards into his companions. Hirad's opponent was knocked off balance and the barbarian seized his chance, whipping his blade into the man's throat, seeing it torn out to spray blood high. The victim fell choking, hands dragged him aside and yet another moved up to take his place.
Something had to give. Hirad, his arms aching and lungs burning, roared to clear his head again and swore that it wouldn't be him.
Darrick was in no mood to wait. They were behind the fight, looking at the Dordovan forces pushing inexorably on. He could see Hirad's sword rising and falling, blocldng and sweeping. But he could also see the direction of the battle, and his friends would die.
'Call them off,' he said.
Vuldaroq said nothing.
'Ren, I think we should get their attention. Fire until they notice you.'
Ren sighed, stretched her bow and let go the arrow, seeing it slam into the back of a Dordovan neck. The man pitched forwards into those in front.
'Call them off,' repeated Darrick. His sword point dug a litde deeper and his free hand rested on the arrow once more. 'If my friends die, so do you. I promise you.'
Ren fired again, another soldier fell and those at the back of the line were turning quickly. Some of them advanced. Ren nocked another arrow and bent the bow. Darrick moved his blade to Vuldaroq's neck and held up his free hand to keep the Dordovans back.
'Your move, fat man,' he whispered. 'Either we all live or we all die. Choose.'
Hirad could see movement at the back of the Dordovan press but couldn't see exactly what had caused it. Men were moving away and the shouts of encouragement had turned to those of warning. The pressure
