Lisa teleported away, leaving the others to gather themselves for the next leg of their journey. Riser stood gazing out across the horizon with an odd look in his eye.
'Do you really think she'll be okay?' he said.
Ranno glanced in his direction. 'She has grown in strength since she came here, and she has the Eye. She can replenish herself if she needs to.'
Riser nodded. 'What if the lords find her before she can make it to the island?'
'They won't find her if we distract them.'
'What do you mean?'
'We need to raise an army. Maybe we shouldn't be too quiet about it. Maybe a few rumours will make Malkor waste his time worrying about us rather than Lisa.'
'I'm not sure I like the sound of that.'
Ranno picked a stone from the ground, tossing it in his hand. 'There are no good choices here.' Pulling his arm back behind him, he threw the stone high towards the horizon, its arc travelling further than Riser had ever seen a stone fly before.
'How did you do that?'
'If you want to help Lisa you'd better open your eyes. When the battle starts it'll be too late to start learning.'
Turning, Ranno walked away leaving Riser alone with his thoughts.
* * * * *
Kuerolong was standing a hundred metres away. He sent two hawks into the sky as Ranno approached.
'A message?' Ranno said.
Kuerolong stared up at the sky, watching the hawks as they took different paths, growing smaller and smaller until they disappeared towards the horizon. He struck a lonely figure against the baron scrub land around him. 'I'm sending a message to my cousin in the south.'
'Soarolong?'
'Yes.'
'How long will it take to reach him?'
'Two days. Maybe less if the wind turns.'
Ranno had fought alongside Kuerolong's cousin in the past, turning the tide in several significant battles. Soarolong was equal to his cousin in many ways but he lacked Kuerolong's vision. He fought battles rather than wars, seeking victory rather than lasting peace. Still he was a formidable ally.
'Can he really stop the cleric army?' Ranno said.
Kuerolong turned towards him with steam rising from his wet snout. His big black eyes reflected the sunlight as he tossed his head back and snorted twice. 'He cannot destroy them. He'll be vastly outnumbered. He can only stall them. He can kill a great many, but they will drive him back. The best he can do is delay them to buy Rachel some time.'
'Will it be enough?'
'It has to be enough. The minotaurs can't fight this war on their own. Our numbers have fallen greatly since the Iridium Wars. The land has taken time to recover and our newborns are few and far between. The domed city belongs to the humans. This is their war. They must fight too if they have any hope of survival.'
'They will fight when Rachel warns them. They fought a war already - amongst themselves.'
'Then they are divided.'
Ranno shook his head. 'They fought a rebellion. It has been quashed now. Those who remain are united.'
'Do they really have the will to fight such a war as this?'
'I think they do. They're not like the docile people in the remote settlements. The domed city has seen much suffering in its time. The people have spirit. There are soldiers amongst them.'
Kuerolong let out a deep, hearty laugh. 'You've been living amongst them too long, Ranno. Your eyes are closed to how weak they are.'
Ranno frowned. 'They're not strong like minotaurs but there is strength within them. Lord Hades shaped them well.'
'They'll need more than strength if they are to overcome Lord Malkor. He's never been defeated. How many times have we waged war against him, you and I?'
'It's different this time.'
'I hope so. Mount Thunder cannot rise to the call again. It's tunnels are mostly empty now, its chambers cold and quiet.'
'It was once a great place,' Ranno said, remembering huge wood fires burning in hundreds of caves, each filled with minotaurs as they ate and drank, growing strong beneath the mountains. Their numbers had been decimated during the Iridium Wars.
'Yes, it was,' Kuerolong said, his black eyes staring up at the sky as he remembered Mount Thunder's past glories. 'But things are different now.'
'We'll build an army at Los Verion,' Ranno said, 'one made of humans and minotaurs and every type of creature.'
'We can do that,' Kuerolong said, resting the butt of his halberd on the ground beside him. 'My second hawk was to Lelorong. He can send an advanced party to Los Verion, but we shouldn't stay too long.'
'Why?'
'The lords ignore us so long as we are scattered across the land in small numbers. As soon as we gather in one place they will pounce upon us. There is danger in numbers. We have been taught this lesson too many times.'
Ranno nodded. 'Still we must gather. It is better that Lord Malkor is preoccupied with us rather than Lisa or Rachel. We are better able to defend ourselves in this perilous land.'
'That is true,' Kuerolong said. 'We must do what we can to distract him.'