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Toryn rode with the six Amayans. Their horses galloped faster than he thought possible. They skimmed across the plain as if flying. But Toryn had little time to admire their agility. The towering black clouds to their right, swelled to such heights they would surely brush the faces of the gods.

Leagues ahead, lightning bolts flashed. Eryn cried out. ‘It begins. Ah! The enemy summon the Reapers.’ She shouted over to Toryn. ‘They’ll strike fear into your forces. We must arrive before all is lost.’ Midnight surged, almost throwing him from her back. The air chilled as the clouds rolled over their heads bringing winter to Ormsk. He fixed his eyes ahead. Eryn assured him they followed the same path as the Amayan host riding to Draegelan’s side centuries earlier. Toryn had to succeed. Eryn and her sisters would boost his strength yet further. With their help, he hoped to reach far back to summon the Verses of the Amayan charge. But the warlocks had to be engaged elsewhere if he had any chance to gain access to the Song. Toryn could only maintain the illusion for minutes at most. But if it worked, it would unsettle their opponents and help turn the battle.

A bright, blue light flashed across the clouds. Eryn roared. ‘Amayan Fire! Lady Harlyn is truly an Amayan.’ She yelled into the wind. ‘Elodi challenges the Reapers! Our sister needs us. Ride on. Ride on.’

Elodi bawled against the howling wind. ‘Sound the command!’ The trumpeter raised the horn to his lips, but the instrument was wet and his mouth dry. He shook the water free and tried again. The call went up. It sounded weak in the din, but it reached the ears for whom it was intended. The call repeated along the lines. Elodi gripped her reins, willing the fuses to light in the downpour. Across the trench a few sparks flashed in the gloom. The first Ruuk reached the shallow ditch. Her jaw clamped tight. To her left, a cask erupted, quickly followed by three more, then two to her right. Great gouts of mud were flung high, along with many Ruuk, obliterated by the Shreeks’ Rage. Elodi gaped at the destruction, knowing the brave souls lighting the fuses may well have shared the fate of their victims. She bellowed to her trumpeter. ‘Archers!’ His call echoed along the lines. Five hundred arrows streaked over their heads. In the face of the all-out attack, it seemed a paltry response, but every arrow that found a target would mean one less foe to fight. The arrows continued to fly, but as the mud and smoke settled from the blasts, Elodi groaned.

The cask in front had failed to ignite — a grinning Dorlan rode straight at her.

Elodi turned and yelled to Aldorman. ‘We charge. We meet them at speed.’ Her captain gave the command. The remaining Knights of Calerdorn leveled sixty lances and launched their attack. Elodi’s blade burned hot in her hand as she urged Sea Mist towards Dorlan, looming large at the head of the dark horsemen.

The two ranks collided. Steel clashed upon steel, and knights on both sides fell. Dorlan wheeled Draego to drive at Elodi. She thrust out her sword and hurled a blazing bolt at the legend’s chest. But his shield was equal to her attack. Sparks flew as he deflected her strike to take down a knight at Elodi’s side. Sea Mist stumbled in the mud but held his ground. Dorlan swung his great blade. Elodi ducked under a blow that would have removed her head. She pulled back on the reins and sliced at his sword arm. But Draego reared, taking Dorlan out of range. The huge horse kicked. Draego’s iron shod hooves narrowly missed Elodi’s face as Sea Mist swerved. She shot a glance behind. Her knights had the upper hand against Dorlan’s imposters, but as he pulled Draego back to face Elodi, he felled two more with a sweeping blow. He turned and sprang at Elodi. She veered around the bloodied tip of his sword aimed at her throat, then swung back at his neck. But his armor easily resisted her blow. She cried out as her arm jolted as if she had struck a rock.

Nyomae shut out the dreadful cries of the battle. She was aware of arrows and rocks striking the shields of the First Horse encircling her, but she could not afford to be distracted. She calmed and entered the Song. Her way was clear, but Nyomae was certain the warlocks would come as soon as they sensed her intention. She found the Verse of the possessed Dorlan. His shadowy figure was encircled by a blazing light, defying any to enter; but enter she must. Elodi’s Verse burned bright, but Nyomae feared the Amayan could not sustain her power for long. Behind Dorlan’s form, a darkness laid its claim. It looked as if two giant hands guided him as an entertainer would a marionette. Nyomae saw what she had hoped to find: Dorlan’s true soul was indeed trapped within his body. But his spirit appeared as a dim light, a flickering candle struggling against a breeze, powerless to act. He had the misfortune to witness what he had become, and the shameful acts he was forced to commit. Inside, Dorlan wept.

Nyomae began her journey. She surged back through the Song, passing from verse-to-verse through Dorlan’s long life. The deeper she went, the brighter his entrapped spirit shone. It gave her hope. Nyomae found the Verse she sought and stopped. This was the moment Uluriel had captured him after centuries of serfdom had drained his strength. This was the moment Nyomae had a chance to undo the wrong.

Dorlan stood on a frozen plain in Nordruuk. His tattered clothes offered little protection against the bitter gales. A chain around his scarred neck tethered him to a large metal spike driven deep into the ground. He held a hammer. Before him was a mound of large rocks. Nyomae bit back the anger. The once mighty warrior was now a slave, forced to break stones and build walls for the Ruuk.

She readied herself for the fight to come. Her voice echoed as she spoke his name. Dorlan. But the one word uttered in the Verse, stirred Uluriel, and at once she knew Nyomae’s mind. Uluriel’s worldly form was far to the north. She did not partake in the battle, but what dark art she performed, Nyomae could not tell. But now her hand was forced. Uluriel would have to join the fight.

Her cry penetrated Nyomae’s Verse to alert the warlocks at Roth’s Doom. And they came.

The piercing screech threw many off their horses. Elodi clung to Sea Mist’s neck as he reared. Dorlan roared as he charged. Elodi braced to meet the attack, but he wheeled Draego and drove at the First Horse protecting Nyomae. She circled her sword over her head. ‘After him!’ She kicked Sea Mist on. Ahead, the great warrior smashed into the line of knights. The three riders who turned to challenge Dorlan were flung from their saddles. But others readily took their fallen comrades place, reforming the shield around Nyomae. Elodi saw her. She stood amid the brawl with her head bowed as if in quiet study in Abernost.

Elodi rushed to the aid of the knights facing Dorlan. He bellowed his scorn, slashing, and jabbing his heavy blade at those in his way. More fell, but others rode at him, ready to sacrifice their lives to guard Nyomae. Elodi delved into her diminishing reserves to summon strength. Deep within she found the fire that burned bright in her race. It kindled once more. She drew it up her spine, into her arm, then launched a bolt through her blade at Dorlan. He swung his shield but was too late to block her strike. It slammed into his chest. He wavered, but as Elodi raised her sword, Dorlan recovered, turned, and aimed a blow at Sea Mist’s neck. She hauled back on the reins. The blade missed, but Elodi was thrown from his back. She slipped in the mud as she clambered to her feet. The freezing rain drove into her face, stinging her eyes as she struggled to find Dorlan.

The hammer slipped from Dorlan’s grasp as he beheld Nyomae. She revealed what would become of him if he did not aid her. He threw back his head and wailed as he saw his blade strike down knights fighting under the banner bearing his shield. He turned to Nyomae and appeared to recognize her kind. She spoke again. I will free you from this torment. But I need your strength. She gestured behind him. A rider approaches. She will enslave you if we do not act. A shadow sped across the plain. Uluriel of that time had come for Dorlan. But she was not alone. The air above her whirled as if a maelstrom drove her on. Nyomae knew it to be Uluriel’s presence from the north. She had infiltrated Nyomae’s Verse to assist her past self. Nyomae held her fear at bay as the cries of the warlocks from Roth’s Doom drew near. It had to be now. Nyomae took Dorlan’s cold hand. She reached back in his Verse to find him just before the battle at Talaghir. She only needed a remnant of his spirit to bring to this moment. But she needed Dorlan to be ready to accept the gift of his past spirit. Open your mind, Dorlan. I bring you strength.

But part of his broken spirit resisted, wary of the sudden power after the decades of servitude. Uluriel screamed. Defy her, Dorlan! She brings only death. I offer you life.

Nyomae pleaded with him. You have seen what you will become. Trust me, Dorlan, and you will be free.

Dorlan’s gray eyes met hers. Help me, Imaari. I wish to be free. With his consent, his former spirit returned and reclaimed the warrior’s broken body. He threw back his head and cried out. His bent back straightened, his shoulders widened, and his eyes blazed. Dorlan grasped his chains and tore the spike from the ground. He circled it over his head, then lunged and hurled the chain to ensnare Uluriel’s horse. It stumbled, throwing its rider onto the frozen ground. Dorlan took up the hammer and charged at Uluriel. She regained her feet and swirled her arms in the air, desperate to mount a defense. But not in a thousand years of preparation could Uluriel stop the man hurtling towards her. As he ran, he regained his full stature and power, resembling the warrior who had challenged Ormoroth at Talaghir. Uluriel turned and fled.

But the battle was not yet done. Uluriel’s dark form from the present took shape. She stepped out from the churning smoke. Nyomae staggered back. Uluriel’s physical form had entered the Verse. For a moment, Nyomae thought she beheld a Draedalak, a demon of old. Uluriel had grown stronger, and more terrible, following her expulsion from the Archon. But the might of the Dark Verses consumed her mortal form, thus her flesh and bones suffered to wield its most dreadful power.

Uluriel’s mouth gaped wide. Her eyes burned red. She threw out her arms and screamed. The air about her whirled, spinning faster and faster until the Verse itself screeched, pained by the chaos it had to bear. The vortex swelled. Above the dreadful din, Uluriel’s fell voice shrieked, calling on the Evil One to strike down those who dared defy her.

A hand grasped Nyomae’s. Dorlan stood at her side. Together, they held their ground as Uluriel unleashed the tempest. The power of the Elorym ignited in them both. Nyomae shot out her hand. The bolt pierced the gale, tearing it asunder. It struck Uluriel. The air burst, throwing Nyomae and Dorlan from their feet. But Uluriel was gone, expelled from the Verse.

Yet still the danger had not passed. Nyomae spun around to face the two warlocks as they tore through the fabric of the Verse. But Ormoroth’s captains had not foreseen who would stand against them. They hesitated. Before them, the mighty Dorlan of Talaghir, and at his side, a noble Imaari, burning with the blazing light of the Elorym. Not even ten warlocks could defeat them at this time. But Nyomae’s strategy was revealed. As fast as they came, the warlocks withdrew, racing back to Roth’s Doom to exact their revenge.

Elodi staggered over the fallen. Ahead, Dorlan had stopped. He sat upon Draego, gaping at the knights he had slaughtered. He held up his bloodied sword, then turned to see Elodi. Two knights charged at him. Elodi cried out, bringing them to a skidding halt. Nyomae had done it! Dorlan was free. And he lived. Sea Mist came to Elodi’s aid. She leaped onto his back and drove on to meet Dorlan. His sword arm hung limp by his side. Tears streamed down his face to merge with the icy rain. He stared at the carnage. ‘What have I done? With my own hands I have slain those riding under my banner.’

Elodi grasped his forearm as he moved to sling his sword away. ‘You have been possessed by our enemy. But now you are free, Dorlan. You’re free.’ She pointed to the Ruuk stomping through the mire towards them. ‘Ride with us! Fight, Dorlan. Right the wrongs the enemy have wrought upon you.’

Dorlan’s eyes widened. He wheeled Draego and leveled his great blade at the advancing enemy ranks. He bellowed. ‘For Harlyn! For the realms!’ The Ruuk front line faltered. Draego charged.

Elodi snatched Harlyn’s banner from the ground. She held it high and cried out to her knights. ‘Ride! Ride with Dorlan.’ Sea Mist raced to join Draego. Her heart swelled as she rode side by side with Dorlan into battle. The line of knights stampeded at the Ruuk, but none could keep abreast with Dorlan and Elodi. Their swords blazed with a blinding fire as they sliced through the Ruuk. Dorlan roared his battle cry. His challenge echoed across the field, filling the enemy with dread, and his allies with hope. None could stand before him. Draego outpaced Sea Mist and Dorlan surged ahead, slicing through the Ruuk as if harvesting wheat.

At the rear, Uleva cowered, unable to evade Dorlan’s eyes. A wall of Ruuk shields rushed to surround their commander. But they could not withstand Draego’s charge. The wall shattered as his hooves clattered down on their shields. Dorlan slid from his horse and strode at Uleva. A green haze shimmered about her, but to no avail. Elodi caught up just as Dorlan brought down his blade to splinter the sphere… and split open Uleva’s skull. The air erupted as she perished. All about were flung back, leaving Dorlan and Elodi to stand alone. But just as Elodi dared to hope they could win the battle, Dorlan’s light began to fade.

But his deeds for the day were not yet done. He mounted Draego and drove on through the reforming lines of the Ruuk. Elodi did not follow. The sleet had turned into hail, hurling stinging ice into her face. She glanced down. The ground would soon freeze. The Norgog would come. Elodi surveyed the field through the blinding hail. The enemy’s center was routed, but a fierce battle occupied both her flanks. To her left, the Archonians held their ground against the Ruuk, but only just. Broon’s mounted knights had outflanked the Ruuk, but their numbers were not enough to prevent their relentless push forward. And to her dismay, Elodi knew the hungry aralaks would soon be unleashed.

To her right, the Archonians and Galabrant’s reserves had lost ground and veered inward to avoid being outflanked. But behind the Ruuk, the wraithlike creatures were ready to strike. Elodi searched for Dorlan but failed to find him amid the mayhem of battle. Sea Mist slipped. The ground was quickly turning to ice. It would not trouble the Norgog, but if her forces lost their footing it could prove pivotal. Elodi grasped Aldorman’s arm and yelled. ‘Reform! Reform the front line. The First Horse will join us.’ She turned Sea Mist and gasped as the barrage of hailstones numbed her skin. The line withdrew.

The Archonians at the center had anticipated the Norgog advance and had formed a shield wall four deep. Elodi marshaled the last of her knights on the right flank; the First Horse took the left. Elodi knew the horses were vulnerable to a direct blow from a Norgog’s hammer. Thus, it would be folly to attack the brutes head on. But perhaps she could trap them against the Archonian shields and strike at their flanks with their lances. Elodi turned. She had little in reserve at the rear. It would not be wise to split the three hundred Archonians standing ready, but where should they be deployed?

Bardon rode up. He gasped for air. ‘Dorlan is lost?’

She yelled over the Ruuk cries urging on the Norgog advance. ‘Alas, I believe his life has burned out. But he has done us a great service.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘What of Nyomae? Can she fight?’

Bardon shielded his eyes from the hail. ‘She has collapsed. We have taken her to the healers. She lives, but I doubt she’ll recover before the battle is done.’

‘Then we fight on.’ Yet Elodi was exhausted, and the Amayan Fire had all but burned out. She stood in her stirrups. ‘I can see nothing in this storm. Our hope now lies with Toryn, the Amayans and the forces of Omstrad. But what of the west? Have our forces made it through the pass?’ The ground trembled.

Aldorman cried out. ‘Ma’am! The Norgog attack.’

‘By the Three!’ Midnight pulled up as they rounded the last hill. Toryn gaped. To their right, the fury of winter lashed the plain with hail, driving on the dark ranks of the enemy. Standing against the maelstrom, the forces of the realms braced to meet the onslaught. Their banners flailed in the wind, clinging defiantly to the poles staking their claim to the land.

Eryn pointed. ‘Look! The realms push through the center. A great knight rides. And… an Amayan.’

Toryn’s heart lurched. ‘Elodi!’ He knew she would lead from the front, but how would she fare amid the slaughter?

Eryn stood on Moonbeam’s back. ‘Ah, but the knight’s strength fails. He’s heading into a large force of Norgog.’

Toryn watched in horror as Elodi and her knights retreated. ‘They must be almost spent. The right flank is almost overrun.’

Eryn clasped his arm. ‘Then do it now, Toryn.’

Toryn shut his eyes and ears against the battle. ‘My way is clear.’ The woman he loved fought for her life. He had to be at her side. This was not just for the Five Realms. This was for Elodi. He bowed his head and tried to listen to his breath against the howling wind.

The hills turned green in the sunlight as he began his long journey. Time would slow down in the world where he stood, but he could not afford to linger in the Song. All could be lost if a warlock became aware of his plan. The seasons raced past as he sped through the Verses of the old hills as if flicking through the pages of a book. He slowed. Two great armies emerged on the plain below. He saw the mighty Draegelan; his presence burning bright in the Verse. Toryn flinched as he laid eyes upon Ormoroth. His dark form distorted the Song, stretching the sinews of his Verse as it strained to endure his presence.

Toryn twisted away to focus on the hills. He squinted into a blinding light. A force of more than a hundred Amayans charged across the lower slopes. He wove his hands around the shape of their formation. He could sustain the illusion for only a short time back in the present day, but that could be enough to turn the battle. His flesh burned as they seemed to ride through him. Eryn cried out. ‘They come! Our sisters come!’

The Verse shattered and the sounds of battle assailed Toryn’s ears. But now the realms had an ally they could never have imagined. Midnight whinnied. She tossed her head, then turned to join the Amayans of old as they raced across the plain.

The Norgog charged. Elodi clenched her teeth as their hammers smashed down onto the Archonian shield wall. The line buckled but shoved back. Despite the ice beneath their feet, the guards to the rear dug in and held the formation. But the hammers began to find their targets, splitting helms, cracking heads, and shattering shoulders. Elodi took a deep breath. ‘Now!’ Aldorman and her knights wheeled around the shield wall’s left flank, while Bardon and the First Horse took the right. Sea Mist kicked out at the Norgog as Elodi jabbed down at the tough skins of their necks. The Archonians began to give ground as the great weight of the Norgog drove forward. Elodi hacked, while her knights drove their lances into the Norgogs’ thick hides. Her sword was now a mere mortal blade; the Amayan Fire was long spent. The skills learned from her master counted for nothing. Blades slashed, jabbed, and gouged. Lances pierced and twisted, but also snapped. Hammers swung and slammed down. Armor broke, flesh split, and bones shattered.

‘Ma’am!’ Aldorman yelled. She glanced up. It was if the sun rose for a second time that day. The Archon’s words echoed in her head. Rise and send these demons back to the darkness. The sky cleared on her right flank. A ray of light blazed across the field as if a great beacon was lit. Elodi peered into the light. Her heart leaped as she beheld a great host of warriors racing down the slope. The Norgog faltered.

Elodi cried out. ‘Fight on! The Amayans come.’ The Archonians gained ground. Above, war raged as the blue sky fought to reclaim their territory from the winter clouds.

The battle raced towards Toryn as Midnight hurtled across the grasslands. The ground swelled, both remembering and welcoming the return of the Amayan host. At his side, Eryn and her companions burned with the Amayan Fire. Their swords blazed first blue, then with the brilliant white of a full moon. The air shimmered and crackled as the host raised their hundred voices. Toryn’s spirit soared as their battle cry flooded his soul. But to the Ruuk, the Amayan challenge pained their ears and filled them with dread. Toryn could barely breathe. The Amayans surged as if a great wave, glistening from within, growing ever taller, ready to crash upon those who dared to defy them.

Ahead, the Ruuk on the flanks prepared to meet the attack. But none did so willingly. Even the hardiest Ruuk quailed in the path of the proud horses bearing fearsome warriors wielding flaming swords. The Ruuk in the front rank turned, desperate to fight their way through their own lines, choosing to take their chances against the Archonian shield wall. But many fled blindly in all directions, startled by the fierce light of the Amayan onslaught. But there was to be no escape. Deserters collided with the shreeks who smote them down with their fearful whips, forcing them back into the fight.

Toryn drew his blade. He yelled against the gale. ‘For Elodi!’

Eryn roared. ‘For Tanis! For Eleni!’ She wheeled her sword above her head. ‘And for Amyra!’

The host thundered into the Ruuk. Toryn braced as Midnight plowed four deep, trampling all before her. Caught in the glare of Amayan Fire, the Ruuk stood no chance. Wedged between Archonian shields and the great horses of old, they were crushed and slaughtered.

The left flank of the Ul-dalak army were routed, never to reform.

Eryn leveled her sword at the swirling darkness swallowing up the last of the fleeing Ruuk. ‘To the shreeks!’ Toryn’s hold over the Amayans began to weaken. But the ghouls had to be defeated before they assailed the mortal Archonians. Eryn led the charge at the shreeks. This was a battle of the old powers, and not for the Archonians. The guards lined up and drove their shield wall into the flanks of the Norgog still battling at the center.

Toryn rode with the Amayans as they challenged the Ul-dalak’s grim forces. Behind, a towering warlock commanded the dark ranks. Eryn cried out. ‘Vordrak!’ She urged Moonbeam forward. ‘We shall avenge.’

Vordrak shot an arm skyward. A bolt erupted from the retreating clouds. It struck the ground and exploded, throwing up shards of ice and gouts of mud. But Eryn and her sisters would not be denied. They rode on through the debris, but a deep crater slowed their pace. Eryn cried out in frustration. The warlock and his beasts knew they were no match for the Amayans, choosing to flee to fight another day.

The light about Toryn dimmed, then vanished as the last of the Amayan army returned to their time. He tried to follow Eryn, but Midnight staggered. A spear had pierced her shoulder, and many arrows stuck in her flanks. Blood poured from her wounds. Midnight fell. Toryn slid from her back as the fearless mare took her last breath. But he had no time to thank her. To his left, the Norgog fought on, refusing to give ground without sacrifice. Hammers battered shields as Archonian steel thrust through the gaps.

Toryn desperately searched the carnage for Elodi. His heart lurched. Her red hair tussled in the breeze beneath a flurry of hammers seeking to crack her skull. Toryn slipped and stumbled over both the dead and the dying to reach her. But each time he lost his footing, he lost sight of Elodi. And when he did manage to locate her, she appeared farther away.

‘Toryn!’ He swiveled to see Gundrul and his force riding down the last of the Ruuk.

Toryn thrust out an arm. ‘To Elodi.’

‘Here. Take my hand.’ Gundrul hauled him up onto his horse. The captain yelled over his shoulder. ‘Looks like your surprise worked.’

‘Maybe on this side.’ He held onto Gundrul as his horse gained speed and lurched through the melee. ‘But the battle rages to the west. We must reach Elodi.’

‘Hammerskulls!’ The captain bellowed. ‘Ride on! Lady Harlyn’s in peril.’

The Norgog heard the horses. They turned, squatted, and swung their cruel weapons to meet the charge. Gundrul’s front line collided with the Norgog. Toryn cried out as the iron hammer heads sank into the soft necks of their valiant mounts. Dozens were hurled from their screaming horses to be pummeled to death by the Norgog behind. Toryn leaped from Gundrul’s horse and grabbed the hammer of a Norgog as it swung at an unhorsed rider. He drove his blade into its neck, then twisted to yank it free. But his opponent did not fall. It snarled, wrenched the sword from Toryn’s hand and grabbed his throat. A horse stumbled on the boggy ground and crashed into them, freeing Toryn from the Norgog’s grasp. Mercifully, the Norgog began to tire as the sun appeared in the clearing skies.

Toryn sensed the tide had turned. He and Gundrul slashed a path towards Elodi. He heard her call. ‘They weaken! Drive them back.’ But Toryn slipped and fell onto a stricken Norgog. Its large hands seized Toryn’s neck. Dark eyes bored into him as its fingers dug into his throat. Lights flickered at the edge of his vision. His numb hand failed to get a grip on his sword. With his left, he fumbled for the Nordleng dagger in his belt. His sight blurred as his fingers closed around the handle. He pulled it free and thrust it deep into his assailant’s side. Its eyes bulged; its hold released. But as Toryn fought to regain his feet, a large Norgog fell dead on top of him and pinned him into the mire. Mud clogged his mouth as he fought to breathe. Toryn writhed, knowing in seconds he could suffocate in the filth of the battle. He saw a patch of light and kicked out, dislodging another lifeless Norgog. A hand grasped his and yanked him free. He glanced up to see Amyndra. Blood streamed from beneath her dented helm, but her grip was strong. She ducked as a hammer swung at her head, then lunged, thrusting her sword at another behind Toryn. He spat out the mud, thanked her and rejoined the battle.

Ahead, Elodi fought on. Her eyes blazed through her mud and blood-caked face. The Amayan blade had dulled, but it rose and fell with renewed ferocity, cleaving any who broke through the few of her knights still on horseback.

The last of the storm clouds retreated. The strength of the Norgog waned in the sunlight and they struggled to fend off the blows from Gundrul’s determined force. To Elodi’s rear, Archonian shields pushed forward, forcing the stubborn beasts of Nordruuk back. Toryn ran to her side just as she slid from Sea Mist. He lunged and caught Elodi before the mud claimed her. He wrapped his arms around her shivering body and pulled her close. ‘You’ve done it! You’ve all but defeated them.’

Elodi stuttered. ‘Our left. What of the left?’

‘The battle rages on, but the flank holds.’ He turned as a wagon lurched across the mire. ‘They bring water.’

Elodi gratefully accepted a flask, drank, and poured the rest over her head. She gasped. ‘The horses. Don’t forget the horses. Bring them water.’ She recovered and stood without aid. ‘Thank you, Toryn.’ She managed a brief smile and clutched his hand. ‘It’s good to see you. But the day is not done.’ She looked up and led Toryn and a limping Sea Mist to a nearby mound. ‘What of the Amayans?’

Toryn pointed. ‘They pursue the warlock who killed Amyra. But I could not sustain the others for long.’

Elodi sighed. ‘Long enough. That was a decisive moment. We’d have lost the right flank had you not come.’ She turned to the tents at the rear. ‘Nyomae freed Dorlan. Together, we crushed their center. Alas, we could not keep up with him. But he slew Uleva. That is one less to fight another day.’

Toryn beamed. ‘Good news indeed. Does he live?’

‘I cannot be certain. Nyomae believed his life would be short following his release. We may have routed their center and left. But what of the west?’ She sank to her knees. ‘Can you see, Toryn? My sight and strength fail me. I’m spent.’

Toryn used the farsight. ‘The Ruuk are retreating, but… ah! The Aralaks come.’

Elodi struggled to stay upright. ‘Who commands them? Can you see Uldrak?’

‘Yes, but he flees north. The spiders attack alone. I imagine their hunger drives them on.’ He groaned. ‘There must be five or six hundred. And there’ll be more if they secure more food for their nests.’

Elodi grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. ‘Then we must ride to aid the Archonians.’

Toryn held her. ‘But you’re weak. We cannot let you fall, not right at the end. You have achieved a remarkable victory at the center. I and Gundrul will deal with—’ A dozen horns blared across the plain.

Elodi straightened. ‘That is not a call of our enemy.’

Toryn searched. ‘Spears, Elodi, spears! It must be Ruan. He’s made it through the pass.’ Their tips caught the last of the sun before it dipped behind the distant peaks of the Kolossos. And more followed. He grasped Elodi’s arm. ‘A force of at least a thousand are with them. They attack the spiders. Those creatures are no match for Ruan’s spears. They scatter. And the riders pursue and hack them down. You’ve won, Elodi. You’ve won!’