Erik fought.
What had begun as a moderate push, a probing engagement to discover potential weaknesses in the defenders’ line, without warning had turned into an all-out offensive. Erik kicked the man he had just killed, letting him roll back down the ridge into the trees below.
All along Nightmare Ridge, the Kingdom Army struggled with the invader, a slaughter unmatched since the Riftwar. Erik looked around as he found himself in a relative lull. The wounded and dead were being dragged away by their comrades, and others quickly drank from water buckets carried by the boys from the baggage trains.
Jadow came running along, Sergeant Harper behind him. ‘They’ve turned our northern flank,’ said Harper, blood splattered across his face. ‘Jerome is dead, and his entire company with him. Duko’s got men on our side of the ridge and they’re pushing us to the south.’
‘Damn!’ said Erik. He turned to a runner and said, ‘Orders to the Flying Company –’
Jadow interrupted. ‘There is no Flying Company. I sent them in as soon as Harper reached me. They’re up there right now.’
Erik rubbed his face, feeling as if fatigue were ground into his skin like grit. His thoughts were chaotic from lack of sleep and constant fighting over the last two days. ‘All right,’ he said to the two sergeants. ‘Take every third man from here, and bolster the north. If you can’t hold, pull back, and when you get to the first defensible position on our side of the ridge, facing north, dig in. You hold them there, and if they turn east and go down the mountain, they’re the Army of the East’s problem.’ He turned to the messenger and said, ‘Go to Darkmoor. Tell Prince Patrick we have a turned flank on the north and are trying to dig in. We need reinforcements. Got it?’
The young soldier said, ‘Yes, sir!’ saluted, and ran to his horse.
Erik turned to see Jadow and Harper already pulling every third man off the ridge and leading them northward. He saw Dash standing a short way off, his sword drawn and blood all over his well-cut tunic and trousers, and he said, ‘I thought I told you to read dispatches.’
Dash smiled. ‘There’s nothing in there that can’t wait, and it seemed an extra sword was needed.’
Erik nodded. ‘You have that right.’
Suddenly the enemy was pushing over the ridge again, and Erik became embroiled in the struggle.
Tomas said, ‘Something is coming!’
Pug said, ‘I can feel it, too.’ He paused, then said, ‘I recognize that presence. It’s Jakan!’
Nakor said, ‘Sho Pi, you and the good Abbot must hide.’
Sho Pi said, ‘I will stay with you, Master.’
Nakor grabbed the younger man and propelled him toward a hole in the wall. It was the dusty underground remnants of the last battle that took place in the ancient city created by the Valheru, beneath the destroyed city of Sethanon. ‘My protection trick could hide us from the Nameless One’s hearing, but it can’t stop an angry demon who wants to come here! In there!’ insisted Nakor. ‘Hide in that hole, for what is coming may destroy us all, but at least the rest of us have some means to protect ourselves!’
The broken masonry was the result of the titanic battle between the dragon Ryath, whose sleeping body was now occupied by the Oracle of Aal, and a Dreadlord, used by Nalar as a distraction as the spirits of the Valheru attempted to reenter Midkemia. ‘Get down and stay out of sight.’
Nakor hurried back to stand next to Miranda, while Pug and Tomas took up stations on either side of Calis. Miranda said, ‘Can you protect yourself?’
‘I’m tougher than I look,’ said Nakor, but his grin was gone.
Calis was lost within the dismantling of the Lifestone, his face a mix of rapture and calm. His eyes were now fixed upon a spot at the center of the stone, which was growing smaller as more and more shreds of the life energy flew from it.
Miranda said, ‘Whatever he’s doing, it’s making me feel good.’
‘If we weren’t facing the coming rage of a Demon King, I think we’d be enjoying this.’
Miranda felt a large speck of the green life force pass through her stomach; and her eyes widened and she said, ‘Oh!’
Nakor giggled. ‘That looked interesting.’
‘It felt interesting,’ she said. She ran her hand over her stomach. With a look of mixed apprehension and uncertainty, Miranda said, ‘Something’s going on.’
Nakor looked around the hall, which was now almost universally illuminated in green light, and he said, ‘The life structure of this world is being set right. It’s a healing, a rejuvenation. Ancient souls trapped in that thing for centuries are being freed to return to the universe, as they were intended to do.’ He glanced at Miranda. ‘Some of the side-effects might prove very unexpected.’
Miranda said, ‘I don’t doubt it.’
Tomas’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head, as if listening to something. ‘It’s coming.’
‘What is?’ asked Miranda.
‘Jakan,’ said Pug. ‘It can be the only thing on this world to disturb the harmony of life to the point where we can sense its approach.’
Tomas held his sword. ‘I think soon. Within the next hour, two at the latest.’
Pug glanced at Calis, who was still consumed by his task. ‘Will he be finished?’
Tomas said, ‘I do not know.’
They waited.
Erik crouched low as another flight of arrows sped overhead. The instant they had passed, his own archers rose and fired back. The attack had picked up intensity all afternoon, and now he feared he was about to lose domination of the ridge.
Suddenly enemy soldiers were atop the ridge and he was again facing hand-to-hand combat. The determination of his men was unmatched, but their endurance was flagging.
No word had reached him from the north since he had sent Jadow and Harper to reinforce the northern flank, and the men he had sent were now critically needed here. Erik worried that he might have compromised both positions in an attempt to protect them.
The press of battle took his mind off worries for a moment, as he felt the line around him sag, as more and more of the enemy appeared and fewer and fewer defenders stood next to him. Erik let his sword swing like a scythe, cutting down attackers like wheat. He heard men scream, grunt, and curse on all sides, and focused upon the moment. The battle was now in that place he knew where no amount of coordination was possible; the battle would be decided by the strength of the men who fought it. If the defenders had more resolve, they would win.
Erik saw two enemies before him, and in that instant he felt in his soul that the battle was lost. He struck down the first man, shattering his shield with a tremendous blow, but barely dodged a thrust by the second.
Then a third man and a fourth came at him, and in that moment, Erik knew he was going to die. He slashed out and took the second man in the face, cutting his cheek to the bone, which shattered as the blade dug in. He pulled back his sword and tossed the man as a cat tosses a mouse, sending him into the two men who came after.
Erik knew it was just a matter of moments, and he was determined to take as many of the enemy with him as possible before he was overwhelmed.
He struck out against one man, and took a sliding blow to the ribs that caused him to turn suddenly, opening himself up to another sword thrust. A blade struck his left arm, glancing off the leather of his gauntlet to leave a long angry red cut on his forearm.
Erik took a glancing blow to the side of the head, and his knees weakened. He couldn’t stand upright, and as he tried to step back, his heel slipped, saving his life. Erik fell back, struck rock and dirt, and rolled head over heels a dozen yards. He came to rest on his back, staring up over his boots at five enemy soldiers rushing down the hill to end his existence.
As the first man reached Erik, his sword held high overhead to deliver a killing blow, a goosefeather shaft appeared in the man’s neck. He seemed to take a step, go to one knee, then fall face down at Erik’s feet.
Erik scrambled back as the other four men turned, looking to their left, Erik’s right, and another arrow lifted an attacker off his feet, propelling him backward. Only a longbow could unleash that much power. Erik looked and saw a half-dozen men in leather standing a dozen paces down the trail, firing at the attackers while children ran forward.
Erik blinked. They weren’t children but dwarves, dressed in armor and carrying war hammers and axes. Shouting their war cries, they were charging into the invaders, cutting them down.
Strong hands reached under Erik’s shoulders and hauled him to his feet. ‘How are you, man?’ asked a familiar voice, and Erik turned to see the smiling face of Jadow Shati.
‘Better,’ said Erik. ‘Much better.’
Sergeant Harper said, ‘We were being handed our heads, sir, when suddenly the lads who were trying to kill us got very concerned about their own rears.’ He grinned, ignoring the dried blood spattered on his face. ‘The dwarves and elves were coming down the ridge, doing a grand job of slaughter as they went.’
As if a wind blew away a cloud of smoke, the dwarves and elves cleared the ridge before Erik’s eyes. A dwarf wearing a large gold torque, and carrying a hammer of obvious power, approached and asked, ‘You the officer here?’
Erik nodded. ‘Sir?’
The dwarf smiled. He set down his hammer, drew himself up to his full height, slightly under five feet, and slapped his chest with his balled fist. ‘I am hight Dolgan, King of the Dwarves of the West, chief of village Caldara, and Warleader of the Grey Towers dwarven people!’ Then he smiled and said, ‘It looks as if you could use some help.’
Erik grinned. ‘With thanks.’
An elf approached and said, ‘I’m Galain. Tomas asked us to come through the ridge line from above Hawk’s Hollow, making sure that uninvited guests weren’t hanging about.’
Erik smiled. ‘Your arrival was most timely.’
‘Well,’ said Dolgan. ‘Better late than never, and it’s still a bonny fight. My lads will be pleased to thump a few heads.’ Lowering his voice, he said, ‘Tomas has been forthright with what is at stake, and I pledge we will keep these murderers on the west side of the ridge.’
Erik said, ‘Thank you.’
Jadow said, ‘You’ve got a few wounds here.’
Erik sat on a rock and Jadow began field dressings.
More of his men came down the ridge from the north, and Harper reported, ‘We’re rolling them south, sir.’
‘Good,’ said Erik. ‘Keep the pressure on. If we can collapse them down around Darkmoor, we can win this fight.’
Erik waited until his bandages were finished, then stood and returned to his observation point, a large rock that gave him a good view of the immediate battlefield.
Below the ridge line, the enemy was dug in behind some sheltering rocks. The elven bowmen had turned the twenty yards of open space above them into a killing ground, and none ventured from behind the rocks.
Erik looked around, and saw a boy holding his horse, and signaled for him to be brought over. He told Jadow, ‘Send a patrol up the line and make sure they’re not trying to climb back up there. I’m riding to Darkmoor to inform Patrick of the dwarves’ and elves’ arrival.’
As he mounted his horse, he said, ‘King Dolgan –’
‘Just Dolgan will do,’ interrupted Dolgan. ‘No need for titles.’
‘Dolgan, how many men are with you?’
‘Three hundred dwarves and two hundred elves. Enough for a right grand fight.’
Erik smiled. ‘Fine.’ To Harper, Erik said, ‘Hold here until I return.’
Harper said, ‘Right, sir!’
Erik rode south, and as he did he saw that the assault on the enemy’s northern flank by the elves and dwarves had sent ripples down the line, stalling the assault. A stable line was established, and while the exchange of arrows was constant, the fighting was now sporadic.
He reached Darkmoor in an hour’s time, and only a reinforced barricade from the northern gate to the foothills north of the city kept the route open. The enemy had burned every building in the foulburg to the west, and the buildings to the north were abandoned.
Erik rode with an escort he had picked up at the outer limit of the city’s defense, men wearing the tabard of Darkmoor. The big northern gate was barred, while the small sally port cut within the gate was left open. Erik rode through, and on to the castle.
He went straight to the Prince’s conference chamber, and reported. After he told Patrick of the arrival of the dwarves and elves, the Prince said, ‘Now it makes sense. We’ve been facing steady pressure all day.’ He pointed to a map. ‘While you’ve freed up the northern flank, we’ve had reports from the south that the same withdrawal along the ride is taking place –’
Erik said, ‘The dwarves from Dorgin.’
‘We can assume that much,’ said the Prince, ignoring the breach of protocol. ‘That’s putting inordinate pressure on the center.’ He stuck a finger on the city of Darkmoor. ‘We have mounting attacks here, and we are close to losing the outer wall.’
Erik looked around the room. He was the only other officer present, the rest of the room being staffed by runners and scribes. Erik volunteered, ‘The Army of the East?’
Patrick said, ‘I sent word to bring up the bulk of the army, but they won’t be here until tomorrow morning.’ He pointed to another map, one of the city. ‘Here we have three potential weaknesses.’ He outlined the overall defense of the city and the areas of concern. Erik calculated. ‘Let me bring down a squad from the northern flank, and plug this breach here.’ He pointed to the center of the three potential breaches. ‘If we plug that, we can move to either flank as needed.’
‘Can you get a squad down here in time?’
Erik motioned to a runner. ‘With Your Highness’s permission?’
Prince Patrick nodded.
Erik said to the runner, ‘Head north, on the fastest horse you can find, and tell Sergeant Jadow Shati to come here with as many mother-murderers as Harper can spare. He’ll know what I mean.’
The runner glanced at the Prince, who nodded, and the messenger ran from the room. Patrick said, ‘Your wounds?’
Erik looked at his bandaged lower left arm and ribs and said, ‘I got sloppy. I’m fine.’
Patrick smiled. ‘You don’t look fine, Captain, but I’ll take your word for it.’
Just then Greylock entered the room, dirty, sweating, and bloody. He said, ‘I need the reserves now, Highness.’
Patrick shrugged. ‘Take them. We have nothing left to lose.’
Erik glanced at the Prince and said, ‘I’ll go with the General. I think we need every sword at the wall.’
Patrick drew his sword and said, ‘Very well.’
Greylock turned and grabbed the Prince of Krondor’s tunic. To lay hands on royalty was a hanging offense, but at that moment he wasn’t a General offering insult to his liege lord, he was the old Swordmaster of Darkmoor training an impulsive young soldier. ‘Highness, your position is here. And if you go get yourself killed, and we win this war, then I have some very difficult explaining to the King and I would rather be spared that conversation with your father. Be a good lad and do your job, and we’ll do ours.’ He released Patrick’s tunic, then brushed aside an imaginary speck of dirt, saying, ‘I think that’s it.’ Turning toward the door, he said, ‘Erik, shall we go?’
Erik followed, leaving a chastened ruler, who swore as he realized his commander was correct.
The demon bellowed as he swooped down toward the abandoned city of Sethanon. He challenged any who might interfere with his goal, and none answered.
Jakan landed before a destroyed gate, leading into a burned-out keep. He looked around and saw no one.
Something called to him and he felt frustrated he could not locate the origin of the call. He turned, bellowing a challenge toward every compass point. No one answered.
Screaming his rage to the sky, he set out searching, looking for something to fight, someone to kill, the source of the calling that sang to him, pulling him toward a goal he didn’t understand, but one which filled him with a hunger that surpassed anything he had known before. Then a thought came to the demon. The demon didn’t recognize that the thought was not his own, that a vast and evil being an unimaginable distance away was reaching out to plant in the demon’s mind knowledge: how to reach the Lifestone.
Nakor looked upward. No one heard the demon roar, but they sensed it. ‘He’s near.’
Tomas nodded, holding the golden blade in his hand. He glanced at Pug and said, ‘I didn’t realize how much I missed this.’
Pug said, ‘I really wish you didn’t have to use it.’
Miranda said, ‘I feel the same way.’
All waited as the demon above stalked the city, searching for the source of his hunger. ‘Maybe he won’t find us,’ Nakor said.
‘Want to bet on that?’ asked Miranda.
Nakor grinned. ‘No.’
Pug said, ‘If he doesn’t figure out how to shift his place in time slightly, he could look for us for years and not find us.’
Nakor said, ‘If he’s stupid, maybe, but I think the Nameless One might turn him in the right direction.’
‘Right,’ said Miranda, glancing upward. ‘You would think of that.’
Again they felt the demon’s rage, reverberating through the ground into the chamber.
Miranda looked at Calis, who stood with eyes closed and hands on the Lifestone. The gem was now half the size it had been when they had found it, and the specks of green energy were flying through them constantly. Miranda said, ‘Nakor, you look younger.’
Nakor grinned. ‘Am I handsome yet?’
Miranda laughed. ‘Hardly, but you do look younger.’
‘It’s the Lifestone,’ said Pug. ‘It’s rejuvenating us.’
Miranda’s forehead furrowed. ‘That explains it,’ she said as she put her hand on her stomach.
‘What?’ asked Nakor.
‘Cramps. I haven’t had them for a hundred and fifty years.’
Nakor laughed.
Suddenly the room erupted in a howl of rage, echoing through the rocks from above.
‘I think,’ said Nakor, ‘he’s very close.’
Erik stood on the wall overlooking the main gate. A huge ram was being rolled toward the outer wall and Manfred shouted, ‘Fire!’
Catapults unleashed a veritable rain of rocks, and many of the attackers were struck down, but the ram rolled toward them. It had a wooden roof, protecting the men below, and Manfred said, ‘If they breach this gate, they’re into the inner city. We can’t fight house to house. We’ll have to fall back to the citadel.’
Erik said, ‘Reinforcements are on the way.’
‘Well, they’d better get here in the next hour,’ said Manfred. ‘Otherwise we’re going to be overrun.’ He turned and shouted, ‘Oil!’
Cauldrons of hot oil were poured over the wall, showering scalding death over those below. Men screamed and some retreated, but another wave rushed the wall, carrying scaling ladders.
‘Down!’ shouted Greylock, and Erik and his half-brother both acted instinctively, ducking behind the wall over the main gate to the city as a hundred arrows flew overhead.
Men who had been slow to react screamed, many falling from the wall into the city streets.
Manfred crouched next to Erik, both with their backs against the cold stone of the city walls. Manfred looked around at the injured and dying. ‘If your reinforcements don’t get here in the next ten minutes, I’m giving the order to withdraw.’
Erik, hunkering down, said, ‘They can’t get here in ten minutes.’
‘Well, then we’d better begin an orderly withdrawal.’ He turned to a man in the tabard of Darkmoor, with a sergeant’s chevrons embroidered above his heart. ‘Tell the men to withdraw by sections. Start at the south wall, and get them to High Street. We’ll fight our way back from there. Destroy the catapults. We can’t allow them to be turned on us.’
A thunder of hooves and Erik risked a glance between two merlons. Saaur riders were massing at the far end of the gate. Erik said, ‘Manfred, as soon as that gate is open, you’re going to have a company of Saaur riders coming through!’
Manfred turned to glance over the wall. ‘Always wondered what they looked like –’ His eyes widened. ‘Mother of gods!’
‘We need to leave now,’ suggested Erik.
Manfred agreed. To the sergeant he said, ‘Burn the catapults, then general withdrawal. Every man for the citadel!’
Word was passed and archers fired down into the streets below, while men with poles pushed over scaling ladders. But as soon as the withdrawal began, ladders were again put up and invaders began climbing.
Manfred and Erik ran down the stone steps to the street. Already chaos was let loose. A few civilians who had been too stubborn or too stupid to evacuate were now in the streets with sacks over their shoulders, running for the citadel. Wounded soldiers were being carried by healthy ones, and a few bowmen kept their heads and fired at the enemy as they came over the wall, but generally the retreat was turning into a rout.
‘Have you seen Greylock?’ demanded Manfred.
‘Not since he went to look over the southern wall.’
‘I hope he makes it,’ said Manfred. An arrow struck the ground inches from his boot and he jumped.
Erik grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him hard to the left, almost yanking him off balance, as three more arrows flew through the spot he had just occupied.
‘Thanks,’ Manfred panted as they hurried around a corner.
‘Archers usually work in groups,’ said Erik.
They ran down a cross street and turned to their right, then left again, and Erik could see the lights from the citadel’s highest tower above the rooftops. The streets sloped upward, toward the old castle, and by the time they reached High Street the thoroughfare was clogged with terrified refugees, out-of-breath soldiers, and men carrying their wounded comrades.
‘Make way!’ shouted a voice and Erik saw Manfred had been recognized by one of Darkmoor’s soldiers. ‘The Baron’s here! Make way!’
Erik stayed close to his half-brother. They bullied their way through the press and made it to the edge of the drawbridge. Soldiers lined the sides of the bridge, frantically waving through those moving across it.
Erik and Manfred both slumped to the cobbles in the bailey as soldiers ran to their aid. ‘Water,’ gasped the Baron.
Erik gasped, ‘I forgot how tired you can get running at this altitude.’
‘I forgot how tired you can get just running,’ said Manfred.
A bucket of water appeared and Manfred drank from it, then passed it to Erik, who gulped from it as it poured over his chest and arms.
Manfred shouted, ‘Sergeant!’
His sergeant appeared, and said, ‘M’lord?’
‘Word to the lookout above. The moment he sees the enemy at the other end of High Street, close the drawbridge.’
Erik said, ‘Manfred, you can’t wait that long. You’ve got to start clearing it now or you’ll never get it closed in time.’ He pointed to the flood of humanity, the civilians with slow-moving carts, the old men and women on foot, who were trying to squeeze through the gatehouse, and who were only succeeding in getting in one another’s way. ‘Look!’
Manfred studied the situation, then said to the sergeant, ‘Clear the drawbridge. Tell those on the other side to hurry to the eastern gate. We can keep that one open a little longer. The others will have to make do as best they can.’
Both men knew that being trapped outside the citadel was a death sentence.
Manfred stood and motioned for Erik to follow. ‘We’d better report to the Prince.’
Erik rose and moved after his half-brother. They trudged through the central entrance to the keep and from behind could hear the angry shouts and tearful pleading of those being forced away from the entrance in anticipation of the gate’s being closed.
Manfred led Erik up the stairs to the office occupied by the Prince.
Patrick looked up and said, ‘Full retreat?’
Manfred said, ‘Everyone is moving back here.’
Patrick looked at Erik. ‘Greylock?’
Erik motioned toward the city. ‘Out there somewhere.’
Patrick said, ‘Damn!’ He glanced out the window and saw fires beginning in the outer districts of the city. ‘Is there anything good in all of this?’
Erik said, ‘The one good thing is they’re now fighting on three fronts. We’ve got men along the ridges with the dwarves and elves who will be harrying their flanks, and if we can hold out until morning, the bulk of the Army of the East will be here.’
The Prince motioned for them to sit and both men did. Manfred said, ‘Unfortunately, the Army of the East will be on the wrong side of the city walls, and unless someone slips out and opens the gates for them, we may have a serious problem.’
Erik said, ‘Manfred, you have any secret passageway to the eastern gates?’
Manfred shook his head. ‘Nothing that clever, sorry to admit. The palace is lousy with bolt-holes and passages, but the old city walls are just solid stone with a few storage houses built in. We’ll have to wait, and when morning comes, if we must, we might be able to sally forth and seize the eastern gate closest to the citadel, letting our army in.’
Erik said, ‘We have a long afternoon and a longer night ahead, Manfred.’
Manfred said, ‘Highness?’
Patrick remained calm in the face of all the ill news. ‘I need a situation report as quickly as you can get one to me. You and Erik find out how many of our men made it back, how many we think might still be out in the city fighting, and what we need to do to defend this citadel. Food and water are not problems, as this matter will be decided within one day.’
Erik and Manfred both rose, bowed to the Prince, and departed. Outside, Manfred said, ‘I know the disposition of the units assigned to the castle, so I’ll start there. You head down to the courtyard and see who got here, and get them organized.’
Erik smiled. ‘M’lord.’
Manfred looked at Erik. ‘Mother always feared you’d attempt to usurp the office of Baron. Right now I’ll give it to you.’
Erik smiled. ‘No thanks. Then I’d be the one to have to climb all those stairs to the towers.’
‘As I suspected, a practical man.’ Manfred turned to quickly climb the steps to the next level of the keep, while Erik headed down toward the courtyard.
Suddenly it went quiet.
Pug held up his hand and tilted his head as if listening.
Then the demon stood in the room.
Nakor whispered, ‘I didn’t know demons could transport themselves.’
‘Or time-shift,’ added Miranda.
Then the demon realized he wasn’t alone in the cavern. A roar that rattled the rock walls, causing dust to fall from cracks in the ceiling, shook everyone to their bones.
Pug unleashed his first spell, while Tomas interposed himself between his son and the monster.
Crackling blue energies sprang up around Jakan, who howled. But he wasn’t screaming from pain but rather in outrage at what he saw before him, Calis manipulating the Lifestone, freeing the trapped energies within.
‘No!’ the beast bellowed in the tongue of Novindus. ‘It is mine!’
To Pug, Jakan resembled Maarg, but a leaner, more muscular-looking version. There were no accumulated rolls of fat, nor was he covered in as many tortured skins of his victims. Pug noticed that his tail was pointed, lacking the serpent’s head Maarg had possessed.
Jakan struck out at Tomas, but Tomas had reflexively put up his white shield, causing the mighty blow to skid along the surface, leaving no mark on the golden dragon embossed upon it. Then Tomas’s blade slashed out, and Jakan howled as he drew back, a venomous red-black poison dripping from his wound. It hissed and smoked where it hit the stones.
Miranda sent a stream of energies toward the creature, and struck him hard enough to move him a little to his left. Tomas seized the moment to strike while Jakan turned to see from where the new attack came. Tomas’s blade bit deep in the creature’s right thigh, and Jakan lashed out with his right hand, claws the size of daggers swiping at Tomas.
Tomas turned the attack and thrust, again drawing poisonous blood.
‘Press the attack!’ cried Nakor.
Pug loosed a bolt of energy, a blue spear of light that passed through the demon’s wing, ripping a hole the size of a man’s fist. The demon stepped back, his wings brushing against the stone wall of the cavern, and lashed out again at Tomas.
Tomas stepped back, preferring to dodge the blow rather than attempt to block it.
The creature hung back, obviously confused by the sudden opposition. Then Nakor shouted, ‘It’s healing!’
Pug watched and saw that the first wound Tomas had caused was closing rapidly.
Nakor said, ‘The Lifestone! It’s healing the wounds.’
Pug calculated. Calis had reduced the stone to less than a third its original size, and it appeared that the diminution was accelerating, giving him hope they would be done with this trial in less than an hour, but that meant keeping the creature at bay until Calis was finished. Pug turned to Miranda and said, ‘Rest. Tomas and I will try to keep this creature away from Calis until we’re done. If one of us falters, you must take over.’
He turned and hurried to stand as close as he dared to the monster, and he crossed his wrists. A stunning bolt of red light shot out, striking Jakan hard enough in the face to slam him back into the wall.
Tomas didn’t hesitate. He hurried forward and delivered a murderous backhand slash with his sword, cutting deep into the creature’s leg and sending a gout of poisonous blood spurting across the stones. The blood smoked upon contact and a stench of rotting things filled the air.
Jakan howled in a murderous rage and leaped at Tomas. Tomas tried to move back and succeeded in getting far enough distant that the demon didn’t land atop him, but it put Jakan close enough that he could attempt to seize Calis.
A clawed hand the size of a man shot out toward Calis, and Tomas reacted by slashing down as hard as he could with his golden sword. He hacked through a wrist four feet thick, and the creature screamed in pain and pulled away, his hand severed from his body.
A stream of the foul black blood shot through the air and drenched Calis, who screamed in pain and fell back from the Lifestone.
‘Calis!’ shouted Miranda, and she and Nakor ran to him. Immediately Pug and Tomas threw themselves into the battle. Energy lashed out, and Tomas struck with his sword, forcing the wounded demon back. Jakan clutched the bleeding stump of his arm to his chest, letting them force him to the wall.
Nakor hurried to Calis, grabbing one of his hands, while Miranda took the other, and they dragged him out of the pool of black blood. Instantly the Lifestone ceased being active.
Calis lay on the floor twitching as his skin burned, peeling as if he had been bathed in acid. He clenched his teeth and kept his eyes closed, and made low animal noises of agony. Miranda and Nakor both felt their hands stinging and quickly wiped their hands on their clothing. Holes appeared in the fabric, but at least their hands stopped burning.
Miranda looked around and saw the servants of the Oracle huddling in the farthest corner of the great hall, sheltered behind the recumbent form of the dragon. She ran to them and said, ‘We need help!’
The oldest member of the band, the one who had spoken to her before, said, ‘There is nothing we can do.’
Miranda grabbed the old man by the arm, hauling him to his feet. ‘Think of something!’
She dragged the old man closer to the scene of battle and pointed to Calis, who lay moaning. She pointed at him and said, ‘Help him!’
The old man motioned for two others to come, and they managed to get Calis completely out of the pool of demon blood. The leader motioned for them to carry Calis around to the other side of the Lifestone and then he said to Nakor, ‘If he can be made to work his will on the stone again, it may save him.’
Nakor’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. ‘Of course, the healing energy!’ He looked at Miranda. ‘It’s like reiki! It serves him first.’
Nakor turned to the two servants of the Oracle and said, ‘Hold him close to the stone.’
They did so, though every movement caused Calis to moan in agony. Nakor took Calis’s hands, burned and blistered as they were, and placed them on the surface of the stone. Nakor said, ‘I hope this works.’ He made several passes in the air over the hands, and muttered a few phrases, then he placed his hands over Calis’s.
Nakor felt warmth under his hands, and looked down. A faint green light bathed Calis’s hands and his own. ‘The energy flows,’ he said. He waited for a minute while the battle between Pug, Tomas, and the demon continued, neither side being able to gain the upper hand.
Nakor said to the two servants of the Oracle, ‘Hold him here. Keep him in contact with the stone.’ Then he ran to Miranda’s side.
Miranda said, ‘This isn’t working.’
‘I know.’
Pug let loose with a blast of mystic energy, invisible to the eye but causing the air to sizzle as it struck the demon. Tomas showed no sign of tiring, for his Valheru-created armor protected him from any incidental harm. The demon would have to get claws on Tomas to cause him serious injury.
Pug fell back. ‘The best we can hope for is to keep him at bay. How’s Calis?’ he asked Miranda.
She pointed and Pug looked. Calis sat upright, held in place by the two servants, and a green glow was now suffusing the air around him, shrouding him in an emerald-colored nimbus. Pug watched for a moment, and said, ‘He’s getting stronger.’
Nakor said, ‘Yes, as he continues to hold the gem it heals him, and as it heals him he becomes strong enough to continue his work on it. Look!’ Nakor pointed.
Calis’s eyes were now open, and while his expression showed he was still in a great deal of pain, Tomas’s son was once again unlocking the Lifestone.
Again the room was filled with tiny motes of green energy, life being returned to its rightful place. Pug pointed to the demon’s severed hand, which was fading from view, and to the bleeding stump which was now in the process of growing a new one. Pug said, ‘This is healing the demon, too.’ Then Pug’s eyes widened. He said to Miranda, ‘Do you know a powerful spell of binding?’
Miranda said, ‘Powerful enough for that thing?’
‘You only need confine it for two minutes.’
She looked dubious, but said, ‘I’ll try.’
‘Tomas!’ shouted Pug. ‘Keep it back for another minute!’
Pug closed his eyes and began chanting while Miranda did the same. Suddenly crimson bands of energy surrounded the creature, seizing him and crushing his mighty wings across his back. Then they constricted, and Jakan howled in pain.
‘Tomas!’ Pug shouted. ‘A killing blow!’
Tomas drew back his golden blade, then plunged it deep between two of the crimson bands, almost to the hilt, piercing whatever served as Jakan’s heart. The demon’s black eyes widened, and blood began to flow from his mouth and nose. Tomas yanked loose his sword.
Pug dropped one hand and suddenly the room was still as the demon vanished.
They all stood in silence a moment, then Miranda said, ‘Where is it?’
‘Gone,’ said Pug. ‘We couldn’t kill it, but I knew some place it couldn’t survive.’
Nakor said, ‘Where?’
‘I transported it to the bottom of the ocean, between here and Novindus. It’s a trench more than three miles straight down.’ Pug suddenly felt tired and sat down on the stone floor. ‘I found it doing some random searches of the planet years ago, and remembered what your father said at the end.’ He looked at Miranda.
‘He said, “They are creatures of fire.”’ She laughed in nervous exhaustion. ‘Now I remember. I wondered what he meant.’
Nakor sat down next to Pug and said, ‘That’s wonderful. I hadn’t thought of that.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s obvious.’
‘What’s obvious?’ said Tomas, putting away his sword and coming to join them.
Nakor said, ‘Even the biggest demon is little more than a fire elemental at heart.’
Pug said, ‘Once I fought some air elementals near Stardock and by forcing them into contact with the water, destroyed them.’ He pointed to the space the demon had occupied and said, ‘A dunking won’t kill Jakan, but trying to swim upward through three miles of seawater, with Miranda’s bands around him and Tomas’s wound to his heart, will.’
Nakor said, ‘That’s wonderful. Now it’s over.’
‘No,’ said Pug. He pointed to Calis.
Calis now sat unaided, and again had his eyes focused upon the heart of the Lifestone, which was now less than a fifth its original size. Already the wounds on his face and hands were fading as if they had not existed.
‘He will be done soon, I think,’ said Nakor. ‘We can wait.’
Tomas said, ‘Men are losing their lives while we wait.’
Nakor said, ‘It is a sad thing. But this is more important.’
Dominic and Sho Pi came from their hiding place, and Dominic said, ‘He’s right. This may be the most important thing ever done by a mortal on this world. Now the strangled life of this world is set right, and the order of things will begin to return.’
‘Begin?’ asked Miranda.
Dominic nodded. ‘You don’t correct damage on this scale quickly. It’s been centuries, millennia, in the making. But now the healing will begin. The way is open for the return of the gods, now, where before the Nameless One blocked their return.’
‘How long do we have to wait?’ asked Miranda.
Nakor laughed. ‘Several thousand years, but’ – he stood up – ‘each day things will be a little better than the day before, and eventually the old gods will return, and then this planet will become as it was supposed to be.’
Pug said, ‘Do you think we’ll ever find out what drove the Nameless One mad?’
Dominic said, ‘Some mysteries never are solved. And even if we found the answer, we might never understand it.’
Nakor reached deep into his bag and pulled out the Codex. He handed it to Dominic. ‘You take this. I think now you can do some good with it.’
‘What about you?’ asked Pug. ‘As long as I’ve known you, I’ve judged you the most curious individual on the planet. Don’t you want to continue to decipher that thing?’
Nakor shrugged. ‘I’ve been playing with it for more than two hundred years. I’m bored. Besides, Sho Pi and I have work to do.’
‘What sort of work?’ asked Miranda.
Nakor grinned. ‘We have to found a religion.’
Pug laughed. ‘A new scam?’
‘No, I’m serious,’ said Nakor, attempting to look injured, and failing. He grinned. ‘I’m the new patriarch of the Order of Arch-Indar, and this is my first disciple.’
Dominic looked aghast, and Tomas laughed. Pug said, ‘Why?’
Nakor said, ‘If these old men can bring back the Matrix, someone still has to bring back the Good Goddess, to offset the Nameless One. Else Ishap will have nothing to balance the Nameless One with.’
Dominic said, ‘A … worthy ambition, but …’
Miranda finished for him, ‘Ambitious?’
Dominic could only nod slightly. ‘Very ambitious.’
Pug slapped Nakor on the shoulder. ‘Well, if anyone can do it, it’s our friend here.’
Calis said, ‘It’s over.’
They turned to look at him, and as he spoke, he put his hands under the tiny remnants of the Lifestone and with a gentle motion, tossed it into the air.
Like a thousand emerald butterflies, the last of the life energy trapped for centuries flew, and then the room was again dark. The servants of the Oracle relit torches that had been allowed to go out during the battle, returning a gentle yellow glow to the huge chamber. The jeweled dragon slept, undisturbed.
Calis rose, steadily. His clothing was still damaged from the demon’s blood, but he appeared unharmed. He crossed to his father, and the two embraced.
Tomas said, ‘You were incredible. You–’
Calis interrupted. ‘I merely did what I was born to do. It was my fate.’
Pug said, ‘But it took courage.’
Calis smiled. ‘No one in this room today can be accused of lacking courage.’
Nakor said, ‘I can. I don’t have much. I just couldn’t think of a good way to get out of here.’
Miranda said, ‘Liar,’ and pushed him playfully.
Calis looked at his father and said, ‘Mother will be surprised.’
‘Surprised at what?’ asked Tomas.
Pug said, ‘You look different.’
‘Different? How?’
Nakor reached into his bag and felt around a moment, then produced a hand mirror, silver-backed glass. ‘Here, take a look.’
Tomas took the mirror and his eyes widened as he saw what his son had meant. Gone was the alien edge to his appearance, what he judged the Valheru legacy. Now he looked mortal, a human male with elvish ears. He looked at Calis and said, ‘You’ve changed as well.’
Dominic said, ‘We’ve all changed.’ He pulled back his hood and Pug said, ‘Your hair!’
Dominic said, ‘Black again, right?’
‘You look as you did when we traveled to Kelewan, so many years ago!’
Miranda said, ‘Give me that mirror,’ and snatched it out of Tomas’s hand. She inspected herself and said, ‘Gods! I look as if I’m twenty-five again!’
Then she turned the mirror toward Pug and his eyes widened. Looking back at him was a face he hadn’t seen since he had returned from Kelewan, a youthful man without a hint of grey in his hair or beard. ‘I’ll be …’ he said softly. Then he flexed his hand and said, ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘What?’ asked Miranda.
‘Years ago, I cut my right hand, damaging it enough I’ve never since enjoyed full strength in it.’ He stared at it a moment, flexing his fingers again. ‘I think it’s completely healed.’
Nakor said, ‘How old do I look?’ He took the mirror from Miranda and inspected himself. ‘Hmmm. I look about forty.’
‘You seem disappointed,’ said Miranda.
‘I was hoping I’d be handsome.’ Then he grinned. ‘But forty’s not bad.’
Calis said, ‘I now understand what that key was the Pantathians were forging with the captured life, and what the alien presence was.’
Tomas said, ‘The Nameless One?’
Calis shook his head. ‘No, some other presence. Perhaps those creatures who created the rifts for the Pantathians. But one thing was clear, that alien key would have permitted Maarg or Jakan to use the Lifestone.’
‘As a weapon?’ asked Dominic.
‘No,’ said Calis. ‘As distilled life energy. That’s food to demons. Can you imagine Jakan ten times the size and with a hundred times the power he had moments ago? That would have been the result of a demon using that key to tap the Lifestone.’
Miranda shook her head in amazement. ‘And we still don’t know how all these different players, the demons, the Pantathians, those’ – she looked at Pug – ‘what did you call them?’
‘Shangri,’ answered Pug.
‘Shangri, got together,’ finished Miranda.
Pug said, ‘There are still mysteries, but we have to put them aside for a while.’
Calis nodded. ‘There is but one thing we need to do now.’
‘What’s that?’ said Miranda.
Calis’s expression turned somber. ‘We must stop a war.’