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Darius, Septor and Mavick had found their way to the west of the central mountains, and found the bodies of the dead Plutonians scattered, bloody and broken amongst the rocks. Sky rats were busy feasting on the flesh their large talons and hooked beaks had torn from the cadavers, and small tunnel weasels had succeeded in burrowing into the soft bellies and were gorging themselves on the Plutonians’ innards.
The smell was atrocious.
‘There must be hundreds here,’ Darius said, matter-of-fact. ‘No survivors, by the looks of it.’
‘No sign of Damanacree amongst them?’ Mavick asked.
Septor shook his head. ‘Not that I can see. He’s a big brute, and would be easy to spot.’
‘So, where do you think he is?’
‘Probably heading for the castle.’
‘Well,’ Darius said, eyeing the bodies. ‘It doesn’t look as if he’s getting it all his own way.’ He noticed an Icarrion weapon and bent to pick it up. ‘Looks like our army has been busy.’
‘I’m sorry we missed it,’ Mavick said.
Darius began to worry that Astra had been caught up in the battle and that she may even be dead.
As if reading his thoughts, Mavick said, ‘The girl’s all right. I feel it in my bones.’
‘You and your bones,’ Septor said archly. ‘I’ve never known them to be right... not once.’
‘But, let’s hope he’s right, this time,’ Darius put in.
‘We won’t catch them before they get there.’
‘No,’ Darius agreed with Septor. ‘But, at least they’ve left their siege ladders behind.’
Dozens of sturdy wooden ladders lay abandoned on the ground, a testament to the soldiers hurried departure from the scene.
Darius eased around his friends and stared at the sky. ‘The sun is beginning to drop.’
‘So, what are we waiting for? Best we make tracks and get after them before our army gets more of the fun,’ Septor said.
Mavick eyed the ground and said, ‘Talking of our army... these tracks suggest its hot on the Plutonians’ heels... chasing the survivors, no doubt.’
‘How fresh are they?’ Darius hunkered down and examined the marks in the sand.
‘Half a sun, I’d say,’ Mavick replied.
‘And, moving at double pace.’ Darius stood up and stretched his weary limbs. ‘I don’t think we’re going to catch the action.’
They could find some shade and rest up - rather than going on a futile run in the hope that they’d find them - and all three were in two-minds about what to do. But, they were nothing if not game, and, with silent agreement, they turned west and followed the tracks.
They had hardly gone more than a few steps before a wave of hot air blasted over their heads and atomfire rent the sky.
It stopped them dead.
‘What?’ Darius uttered in astonished apprehension.
‘Atomfire,’ Septor said, his brow furrowed. ‘Someone’s sure getting it.’
Immediately, as one, they went off at a run.
*
THE BELEAGUERED SURVIVORS of Damanacree’s splinter force had reached the castle mere moments before the Icarrions and were shooting diamond arrows up at anyone they saw moving on the ramparts. The bugle signal had already been sent, and a fierce murmur of elation spread amongst the troops when their signal was returned. But, their elation was short-lived. They had no ladders, and their supply of diamond arrows were soon depleted, and suddenly the Icarrion army was at their backs.
Panic swept through the Plutonian ranks and what little order there was soon disintegrated. It was every Plutonian for himself.
The Icarrions closed in. Half of their force detached itself and began to hack its way through the Plutonians to the left of the great wall, whilst the remaining half formed a tight wedge and cut its way through to the rear gates.
The noise of battle was deafening and, soon, the clash of swords and the screams of the dying reached the ears of those behind the walls. A royal guard peeked over the rampart and, on seeing his army engaged in ferocious fighting, turned and hollered down at the rear gatekeeper to open up.
Atomfire rained its deadly fire down on top of both forces’ heads. It was no respecter of friend or foe and many died beneath its exploding power. The Icarrions knew they had no option but to leave the fray and rush through the now open gates – leaving dozens of Plutonians alive to retreat and join Damanacree at the front of the castle.
Inside, in the courtyard, fires had already taken hold and the timber structures were furiously ablaze.
Many had died where they stood and there was no longer any defence that the remaining castle inhabitants could muster, so the sight of the two thousand strong army was more than a welcome sight, but – when the main gates were suddenly breached – all feared that the arrival of their army was much too late.
*
DAMANACLEE WAS JUBILANT. The gates had been breached and he was poised to lead his triumphant troops through them, secure the castle, and then head to take the capital. When he saw what awaited him, he stalled and signalled the retreat. He didn’t have the numbers to rely on success in hand to hand combat. He would have to depend on his atomfire weapons.
The Icarrion army wasn’t about to make it easy for him to gather his force and align his weapons. They rushed through the main gates, harrying his troops, and cutting down any stragglers in their path.
Damanacree was forced to turn and face them. Thankfully, for him, two of his lieutenants had read the situation ahead of him and had already signalled for the weapons to be brought forward. They had done a good job up until then, and – even at such close quarters – they would pound the castle to dust and, hopefully, draw the Icarrion army’s attention away from cutting a path through Damanacree’s foot soldiers.
Some hand to hand fighting was inevitable and, from her viewpoint on a waggon at the rear, Analaision watched with bated breath as her husband engaged with one Icarrion after another – ducking, slashing and cutting them down – before the atomfire began to do its worst.
Massive explosions caused the Icarrion soldiers to panic and fall into disarray. They soon became easy prey to the less startled Plutonians and their numbers were rapidly reduced.
Damanacree saw the outcome of the battle turn in his favour and prepared, once more, to storm the castle.
*
MACHA STOOD BESIDE Astra atop the highest peak of the hills directly to the west of the castle. Their view of what was happening below was horribly clear.
The wind howled and tugged mercilessly at Astra’s hair. She swayed, buffeted by its strong gusts, and her eyes darted wildly as she took in all that was happening in and around the castle.
Bastross had already began to make his way towards the battle – determined to help – and Bill Collins, with Sam in his arms, stood with Zax and Cauldronia in shocked silence.
As the castle was assaulted by yet another wave of atomfire, and as Damanacree’s soldiers began to cut down the Icarrions throwing themselves at them, Astra raised the crystal and began to mutter what she hoped was the right spell.
Cauldronia stepped forward and added her voice to Astra’s and the crystal began to glow and change from a bright crimson to a hot blue.
‘I think it’s working,’ Macha said urgently.
Astra, her face glowing – lit by the blue fire of the crystal - ignored her, closed her eyes and repeated the spell.
She felt it in her fingers first and, surprised by the fierce tingling, opened her eyes.
‘’Don’t stop chanting the spell,’ Cauldronia warned.
Then, she felt the strange power move across her hands and up her arms and, suddenly, terrifyingly, great orbs of raging fire erupted from her palms and hurled themselves across the sky and down into the thick of Damanacree’s army.
The sheer power in the firebombs blew great holes in the mass of fighting soldiers and their bodies were blasted to smithereens.
Astra now knew what to do and, concentrating fiercely, she threw back her arm and hurled orb of burning orb down and down, over and over until, exhausted, she dropped to her knees.
It wasn’t over. Once the firebombs ceased, what was left of the Plutonian army regrouped and focussed their attention on manning the atomfire weapons.
Exhausted, Astra could do no more.
‘It’s Ozzy,’ Zax exclaimed, pointing to the sky where the dragon circled. ‘He’s joining the fight.’
*
OZZY SWEPT ACROSS THE blazing castle, then rolled effortlessly until he was facing the enemy. He roared and sent column after column of fire down on their heads and destroyed most of the deadly weapons, as well as annihilating most of the enemy soldiers.
It seemed that there was nothing left for the Plutonians to do but retreat and everyone watching from the hills breathed a sigh of relief.
It was almost over and then Astra screamed.
A burst of atomfire had caught Ozzy square in the chest. Its force sent him skittering across the sky.
The pain was as he remembered, only this time the atomfire reached his heart before he could do anything to stop it. There was no healing water and, just before he plummeted to the ground, he heard the hysterical scream as it was carried to him on the wind.
*
IT WASN’T OVER. ANOTHER player had entered the fray. Two huge spacecrafts appeared on the horizon and landed a short distance from what was left of both armies.
Astra didn’t see them and didn’t hear Macha ask how, in the name of the Sun God, had the spacecraft managed to avoid the magnetic dampening field to get that close to the castle? She was on her knees, weeping, and didn’t feel Jaq’
drag her up onto her feet.
‘You have to see this,’ he said, shaking her. ‘Look, Astra... look.’
She looked.
The huge doors of both spacecraft opened and thousands upon thousands of armed creatures emerged.
Jaq’ recognised the leader. It was Sytor.
They could only stand and watch. There was nothing more to be done. The crystal was, once again, dormant and Astra was exhausted and was on her knees once more - doubled up with grief at the death of the dragon.
Macha placed a hand gently on her shoulder and drew her close. ‘We did all we could,’ she said. ‘We have nothing to reproach ourselves for.’
‘What will we do?’ Zax asked. ‘Sytor will claim the throne for himself, and he is well supported.’
‘We’ll get my daughter out of here,’ Bill barked. ‘We’ll put all this nonsense behind us and go home.’
‘No,’ Astra whimpered. ‘It’s not over. There is so much to avenge.’ On those words, she clutched the crystal to her bare abdomen and, eyes staring almost manically, she pressed it against her skin and allowed it to take her.
‘What’s going on?’ Bill stepped forward, concerned. ‘What’s she doing?’
Cauldronia shook her head. ‘I have no idea.’
Moments passed and, when Astra opened her hands and spread her arms, the crystal was clearly visible – deeply embedded in her flesh.
When she spoke once more, her voice was no longer a whimper. Her words were strong and clear. She said, ‘I am queen of Icarrion. I will avenge Flozanya and I will avenge Ozdyrion. I will return to free my people and take what is mine.’