Authors: Greg Curtis
“Take cover!”
She yelled it out at the top of her voice and then when people stopped and stared at her she yelled it again. Still, most didn't listen to her. But they all jumped when the far side of the valley suddenly started hurling orange fire balls into the sky. Then the ground started shaking violently and everyone ran for cover as fast as they could. They didn't know what was happening but they knew it was bad.
More fire burst free from the far end of the valley, spreading out like a flood and instantly covering the chimera in their tens of thousands. They screamed and panicked and ran, but there was no escape, and most of them quickly fell and disappeared into the lake of fire.
Hail started falling. Huge chunks of ice as large as a man's head, that crashed down everywhere. Some fell in the mountains, some in the valley and some in the city, and soon Erislee found herself running and dodging wayward hail stones herself. The more so because every hail stone that crashed exploded and sent shards of ice flying in all directions. Some of them were sharp and cut her. Others were just heavy. Still, when they smashed into people it was like being punched. More than a few of her soldiers went flying.
By the time she'd made it into a building lightning was dancing across the entire mountain range, blinding them all and leaving a tang in the air. Meanwhile any of the chimera that had survived the fire and the hail were running and screaming. She could see them from the doorway where she was standing, a carpet of ants streaming across a slice of bread, save that they weren't running in any one direction. They were running in every direction. Some of them were actually running towards the lake of fire that still covered half the valley and though she couldn't imagine it she suspected some would actually run right into it.
Then the first thunder clap hit and she knew things were only going to get worse. She knew it because the thunder wasn't in the air. It was in the ground. And each blast sent soldiers and chimera flying. Flying high into the air only to come crashing down on their companions. That must have been a signal of some sort because the lake of fire suddenly started to spread, and soon it wasn't covering half the valley; it was covering all of it. A league across and a league wide! That wasn't a lake any more. That was an ocean. The odd thing though was that she didn't feel hot as she peeked through the doorway at the fire only a few hundred paces away and a few hundred below her. She was freezing cold. The hail was covering the ground, bringing the temperature down until it felt like the middle of winter.
For a while Erislee wondered if she'd done something diabolically stupid. If she'd doomed them all to a painful death. But the longbow had been sent to her for a reason and she had to trust in the Goddess.
In time it became apparent that the fire wouldn't rise up any higher and she knew that at least they weren't going to burn. But many would be hurt and killed by the hail. She knew that even as she watched soldiers in their hundreds pouring out of their make shift shelters in the lower levels of the city to run for higher ground They were stampeding up the stairs and a number of soldiers were hurt and killed as a result. In addition, every so often another would fall to an ice stone or get swept off the stairs by an explosion of ice. Many more however, made it to shelter.
Then, as loud as it was the thunder grew unexpectedly worse. A series of massive explosions in the ground shook the entire city and made the buildings tremble with fear. Some of them crumbled before her eyes as a result of the violent shaking. But that was nothing compared to what she could see happening on the far side of the valley where the disaster was centred. There, where the three wizards had died, the mountains themselves were collapsing. Huge avalanches of rock were sliding down the mountains and bringing with them not just trees but entire forests. And where they hit the valley floor they disappeared into the lake of fire and vanished without trace.
It didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon. Avalanche after avalanche slipped down the distant mountains while the lightning and hail crashed down all around and the lake of fire swelled, For a while she wondered if this was the end of the world?
But finally someone did do something. Someone had realised that this catastrophe had to be fought, and Erislee watched as a whirling mass of dust laden air suddenly came screaming down from the mountains behind them, chilling them with its bitter cold, and then rushed on down into the valley. And as she watched the hail and the lightning being pushed away from them by the wind she understood. It was Dina, using her magic to try and protect them from the worst of the disaster. But what even she could do against this nightmare Erislee didn't know.
The battle of the elements continued for what seemed like ages. Maybe it was only ten minutes or so in the real world. But in her head it felt like centuries were passing. Centuries of fear and danger. Of world shattering destruction. And then finally the last part of the disaster unfolded. The sky turned black.
She remembered having read about that in Marni Holdgood's reports. But this was so much worse than the commander had described. The sky had turned completely black and the only light anywhere was that coming from the ocean of fire filling the valley below. People cried out with fear when they saw it, and she nearly joined them. It was as though the world had just ended and the sun had died. And when the huge blood red rents appeared in the blackness above them, it seemed as though they had just opened a doorway to the underworld and something massive was trying to claw its way in. But at least the lightning and the hail had stopped falling. They were almost through the worst of it. Or at least that was what the commander's report had said. Erislee clung to that hope as she stood there staring into the abyss.
In time the tears in the sky started stretching out wide as if someone was pulling them apart, and the baleful red glow covered the land for as far as the eye could see. It was a terrible light to see the mountains in. But the thunder was lessening all the time and the ocean of fire was starting to burn low. It seemed that they really were coming through the other side.
But it took time. After the death of Alenda Goldeneyes she understood it had been only a few minutes before things had returned to normal. This time it was a good half an hour before they could see any blue sky above. When it finally appeared however, it was a sight to bring joy to her heart. To everyone's heart.
People started clapping when they saw it, and in time cheering. And little by little the cheering turned into screams of uncontrolled happiness. And as the blue slowly returned and the baleful red and black faded the happiness grew. They didn't know what had happened but they knew that they had survived. And when the last of the fire in the valley finally went out and they could see the empty land filled with ash, they cheered louder still. Where there had been soldiers and fifty thousand chimera there was now only ash and fire. The enemy was gone.
Erislee and the others slowly emerged from their shelters to take in the scene before them, and the cheering grew louder. Much louder. It was like a disease sweeping through them in waves. Soon everyone was screaming their heads off with overwhelming relief and hysterical laughter. Erislee would have done the same if she wasn't so staggered by what had just happened. And by the understanding that she had caused it. That she had nearly killed them all. Twice.
In the end she managed a small smile at about the same time that the sun reappeared in the sky above them. Its golden yellow light reminded her that there was hope. That even though they were in danger, that they had a terrible war to fight, they weren't alone.
But as she stood there, staring at the sun and feeling its warmth on her face, she had to wonder if she was fit to lead these people. They trusted her. But did they have any reason for that trust? They had been outplayed by their enemy. Out thought and trapped because of her own ineptitude. She had no business leading an army. She was a huntress not a war master. But she was also a high priestess to Artemis. And thanks to a miracle from the Goddess herself the enemy's trap had turned against him and now the enemy was destroyed and they were completely victorious. From twelve Circle wizards allied against them they were now down to seven, and those seven would have to be reeling in shock. Or they would be when they heard about their defeat.
The enemy had also lost a massive army – his second one – and his dream of retaking and once more controlling the Rainbow Mountains was gone. Whatever forces Terellion had left would have to be withdrawn and kept to guard his remaining lands while he desperately tried to rebuild his armies.
One of the war masters had once told her that preparing for war was a little like a board game. You gathered your pieces and got them in position while looking for every possible advantage. But when the actual battle came the board game ended and you just rolled the dice instead. They had just rolled the dice and all of the Circle's plans and strategies had been turned aside in a heartbeat.
“You want to tell me what just happened?”
Erislee heard Dina from somewhere behind her, but she didn't turn around to look. She couldn't really take her eyes off the scene in front of her. At a huge valley of soot, fire and ash and mountains beyond it that had half fallen down. And in it all not a single enemy was still standing. She didn't speak either. Instead she just raised the bow in her hands and let the wizard see for herself. It wasn't long before Dina was standing beside her, studying the weapon. Staring at it with eyes as round as saucers. But not touching it she noticed. She wasn't that bold.
“The gods be praised! How? How could Harl have crafted such a weapon?” Dina drew in her breath loudly.
“I don't know. But he did.” Finally she spoke and her voice was somehow intelligible when she was sure it shouldn't be. But then she also knew she was speaking the truth. “This is truly the warrior wizard's work. But it is more than that. So much more. It only starts with a wizard. A master smith. But it is divine. A weapon of the gods themselves. And no wizard ever could create such a thing. There are not even legends of such craftsmanship.”
“It is Artemis' hunting bow. Not the Goddess' bow itself but a copy. A copy that contains within it the very essence of the original.”
“The boy does not follow Artemis. In fact she would be last of the gods he would follow.” Dina sounded doubtful, and Erislee knew she had reason for that doubt.
“I know. But apparently he takes commissions from her. Because not only is this the bow of the Huntress, but it was brought to me by her servants the griffins.”
Dina said nothing after that for a long while, thinking perhaps about what she'd said instead. Or maybe she was just trying to come to terms with the impossible. But when she did speak again it was to say something that was also on Erislee's mind.
“We need to see the boy. If he is now crafting the weapons of the gods we need to see him urgently.”
Somehow Erislee wasn't thinking that Dina was suggesting it so that they could thank the warrior wizard for his work. Perhaps there was a reason for her concern. But for her there wasn't. In the end the arcane smith had done the bidding of the Huntress. She only wanted to understand how that had come about. How one so lost could serve. And to thank him.
Chapter Thirty Two
Three dead! Three of his Circle dead! It was unthinkable. It was impossible. It couldn't be!
But as he lay there on the floor of his library, bleeding from the nose and the ears, his head trying to rip itself apart from the inside, Terellion knew it was true. It had happened.
And there had been no warning. Nothing. His bond with the three dead wizards was as tight as that he had with any of the others of the Circle. Very tight. He concentrated most of his efforts on keeping them under his control, because he knew that they would be the key to his ascension. So he would have known if they'd been in fear or even in combat. But they hadn't been. They had been at peace. Resting. Waiting for the attack to begin. And all three of them had heard his instructions on the matter. He had been very clear. They would not enter the city until the rebels were dead. All of them. They knew he would not allow them to risk their lives. They knew why. And though he hadn't been watching them closely he knew they had been obeying him. Right up until one by one they had suddenly felt that crushing pain in their chests and died.
“Sir!”
The attendants were all over him, trying to mop up the blood that was pouring out of his head. Trying to comfort him. And all he could think was that he hated them for it. The annoying women just wouldn't leave him alone.
“Go away!” Terellion yelled at them with all the strength he had. The agony in his head was just too terrible for him to deal with their annoyance just then. He needed to be alone. “Go jump!”
He needed them gone. He needed to pull his thoughts together. He needed a little peace. And a few moments later he heard the screams from somewhere outside as they hit the stone of the courtyard. They'd jumped off the balcony!
Stupid damned women! He cursed them for being so dumb. Why had they done that? But it didn't matter. Some might live. Most probably wouldn't. But it wasn't important. The only thing that mattered to him right then was that he be alone with his pain. Alone with his rage and fear as he tried to work out who had done this to him and how.
It had to be the accursed High Priestess though how he didn't know. She and her army had been trapped in the city they had already broken. Outnumbered massively, they had been waiting to die. But when Tyriole, Immelda and Harriss had been commanding the massive army that had been massing in front of her, waiting to destroy the entire rebellion, she was the enemy they faced. So who else could have killed them?
So had she somehow managed an assassination of her own? Three assassinations in truth? From a league and a half away and with a battlefield filled with chimera between them? Or had the three Circle wizards given the order to attack and then somehow lost the battle despite having overwhelming numbers? Without him permitting them to attack, or even being aware of it? That didn't make sense. Especially not when he had been in their thoughts and knew they hadn't even been thinking of an attack. They had simply been relaxing, waiting for him to give the order. Not one of them had been in a hurry. Not one of them had had a single thought other than those he told them to think. They hadn't in many years.
Either way he knew as he lay there with his head trying to rip itself apart it didn't matter. The three of them were dead. He had felt their passing. He could still feel the crushing pain as something had ripped their chests apart. And the binding had suffered yet more damage. Terrible damage. It would survive, though for the longest time as he'd lain there he had thought otherwise. But he knew it couldn't survive many more deaths. Certainly nothing like this. Not three at once.
To add to his woes he guessed the army had gone too. Fifty thousand chimera! It was the largest single army he had ever had ever raised. Now there was no one left to give the order to attack. They would just sit there, waiting. Slowly starving to death. And they would actually starve. He had sent hundreds of extra thralls with the army to control them. And every one of those thralls had been instructed by him to do nothing without his express command through the wizards. Instructed in the way only he could command.
It had been necessary. The one thing he could not have afforded was for his army to attack in groups. For each unit to attack as it arrived. Because then the High Priestess and her pox ridden soldiers might have won. Protected by the city walls, out numbering his individual detachments, they would have destroyed them easily. In order to be certain of victory he'd had to have all his soldiers and beasts attack at once. He'd had to simply overwhelm their defences and then crush those in the city.
He also didn't know how many soldiers she had. Ten thousand? Twenty?
Now though she would undoubtedly gain more soldiers. When word of her victory spread they would flock to her banner.
Xin was going to be angry. The army were more than just an army to him. They were his feeders. Whoever or whatever they killed, a part of their life flowed through them all the way back to the gate in Lion's Crest and then through to the demon king in Tartarus. Now he had fifty thousand less chimera to feed him. He would be very angry. Hopefully he would also be hurting as greatly as Terellion was. Hopefully he would be angry as well. Angry with the rebels that was. Not with him he hoped though Terellion was sure that the demon king would save some special anger just for him. He also doubted that Xin would give him any more chimera.
At the start Xin had been very generous with the chimera. They had poured out of the gate night and day, quickly overrunning the city and in time the Kingdom of the Lion. But as time had gone on the rate at which new chimera had emerged from the gate had slowed. It was almost as though he'd had a massive army of them just waiting for Terellion, but once that had been used up, it had been harder for the demon king to provide more. And maybe that had been exactly what had happened. Though of course it led to an obvious question. How could Xin have known he would be wanting his army in the first place? He had to raise them after all – didn't he? It wasn't as if he could just hire them. Or were they simply his normal standing army? Did demons normally have armies to protect themselves?
“Sir! Sir!”
Suddenly more people were bothering him, soldiers who'd apparently come when they'd seen the others fall to their deaths and then found him. But Terellion was in no mood to suffer their attentions any more than he had been that of the others.
“Go away! Jump!”
They did as he commanded and a short while later he heard the sounds of metal smashing down on stone – and more screaming. He paid it no mind save to know a little satisfaction that at least something was happening as he'd ordered.
But what of White Tail? The thought suddenly occurred to him. He'd sent the annoying faun out with a contingent of harpies to back up the other three wizards. He was the last one they'd been waiting for before the attack would begin. He couldn't have been far away. Perhaps only a few more days travel.
White Tail could save the day! Terellion suddenly understood that. Another Circle wizard arriving could give the order to attack. And then the pestilent High Priestess and her rebellion could finally end. And those soldiers could then go on to return the Rainbow Mountains to him.
But he could also be killed. He had to remember that three of their number had been slaughtered while they were protected by the most powerful army in the five kingdoms. Killed without warning. And if White Tail died would the binding still hold? Or would it collapse and with it kill him? Lying there Terellion feared it would collapse. It had to be very close even now. In fact he feared it might still collapse anyway. It felt quite unstable to him.
He couldn't risk White Tail dying. Not now. Not until the binding had recovered. If it did recover. And maybe not even then. If that meant that fifty thousand chimera had to starve to death and the High Priestess enjoyed an immense victory that was simply the price that had to be paid. Terellion could not let his own life be placed in jeopardy.
Besides, White Tail had other duties to attend to.
He had given the faun orders to hunt down the wild man who had killed Alenda once Midland Heights was retaken and the High Priestess dead. No matter what else happened Terellion was determined that that savage warrior should die. The vicious brute had tried to kill him after all, and that could not be tolerated.
But then a new thought occurred to Terellion. Where was the faun now? Was he in immediate danger? Could he have been taken and was now about to die? Could Terellion be about to lose yet another Circle wizard? Four in one day? It was unthinkable! But he had to think it.
“White Tail!”
Terellion called to the faun but heard nothing back. But that could mean anything. The faun was a problem to control. Not in the way Maynard had been. The faun didn't resist his control. Like the others he didn't even know he was controlled. But still he had the same gift that Terellion did and it granted him a little natural resistance. Not enough. Despite the faun's view that he was the most powerful of the wizards of the mind around, he was in fact nowhere near strong enough to stand against him. But still, sometimes it made it difficult to control him.
Most likely he knew – or he hoped – that the reason he couldn't get an answer from White Tail was that the faun was unconscious. Terellion himself would have been unconscious had not his attendants rushed to him and woken him up. Either way the faun wasn't dead. He would know if he was. And he had more important things to worry about.
“Bring me my war masters!”
Terellion yelled his order out as loudly as he could, expecting to hear the sounds of running feet hitting the marble. But there was no sound. No one came running. And as he lay there and slowly tried to roll on to his hands and knees before he stood up, he wondered why. Where were they? Had they run away? And where were his attendants? He called to them, expecting them to rush to his side and help him up. But they didn't come either.
What was this? Treachery?
Eventually though when he managed to crawl to his knees and look around he realised the truth. He was alone. There was no one in the chamber. The soldiers and the attendants had all gone. Clearly they had run away. And that made him angry. That they should desert him in his time of need! The miserable worms! He had always known they were worthless. Everyone was. They weren't like him! That was why he had to control them. Otherwise they would do whatever they wanted. But then, even as he was thinking about how to punish them for their betrayal he suddenly remembered what he'd commanded them to do.
In time he made it to his feet and staggered over to the balcony and looked down to see his attendants and soldiers lying there maybe forty feet below him. Some were moving. A little. Most though were lying still as blood pooled around their bodies. And all around them others were tending to them, trying to work out what had happened. Some of them were staring up at the balcony and at him, their faces filled with simple minded confusion. Others were calling for healers or loading bodies on to stretchers. Probably it was a good thing he thought, that they were doing their duty. But the one thing that wasn't happening he noticed was any sign of them rushing to serve him. And that was their true duty. They should have known it.
Terellion yelled down at them, ordering them to tend to him, annoyed that he should have to. Annoyed also that there were no pretty women among them. Who was going to decorate his walls and tend to his needs now? He swore at the gods for their petty vindictiveness. It seemed that on top of all his other problems he now had to recruit another entire personal staff.
Why was Tyche cursing him with such misfortune? But he knew the answer. It was because she too was a woman! A worthless, petty woman!