Archers,” Shona said. “Shields.”
It seemed to Dally as though even before the bell struck twice, the sky was filled with a rain of arrows. They hummed through the air, softly whispering chords of death.
The fiends responded with bellows and flames.
Shona shouted, “Halberds to the fore!”
There were only a few wands among them, and those were kept hidden. But all the mages could manage shields. The troops armed with the long spears were protected from the belching fireballs as they reached across the barricades and stabbed hard.
And still the arrows flew.
In the chaos of battle, the town hall’s roof remained a haven of quiet intent. Ainya said, “My lady, it appears the rearmost enemies are returning to the forest.”
Shona said, “Mistress Edlyn, signal your team.”
In response, Edlyn stepped well back from the railing and murmured briefly. A few seconds passed where nothing changed. Then Dally felt the air begin to coalesce around her.
A lightning bolt seared down from a perfectly clear sky.
Even though she had known what was about to happen, still the shock caused her to jump. They had discussed the tactic at length. How to alert Edlyn’s most distant mages when the watchtower bell would be overwhelmed by the clamor of battle. And not, if at all possible, alert their foe to the leaders’ position.
The flash came and went, but it was enough for them all to see the fiends massed upon the meadow. Hundreds of them. More.
They waited in silent tension.
Then two meager spells shot forth from positions to either side of their station. Silent blasts of force that rippled across the field, strong enough to cause the fiends in their path to tumble about. The masking shadows were blown away. But the spells did no real damage.
Nor were they meant to.
Two of Edlyn’s mages and their supporting troops had all scratched themselves deep enough for the wounds to bleed freely. And then the same spell as Dally had used was cast forth. An insignificant display of magery. One that sprayed mists of fresh blood over the entire field, attempting to drive the enemy into an uncontrolled bloodlust and draw them to their doom.
The fiends bellowed with one insane voice and threw themselves at the village.
Shona screamed, “Now!”