Nature Mage (44 page)

“That once the power has been used up, it will be gone?” Gaspi answered.

“Exactly,” Hephistole said with a small smile. “The power held in the wall was undoubtedly great, but we don’t know how much of it has been used over the years, and it would be foolish to rely on it.” 

Gaspi suddenly remembered something Professor Worrick had said. “What about enchanted weapons?” he asked. “Professor Worrick said you had a few.”

“Another good thought,” Hephistole said. “We’ve had a look at the few we have, and the enchantments have faded on all but two of them. There are a pair of scimitars enchanted to be so sharp they can cut through anything, and a two-handed axe that has a similar enchantment to the first one you placed on Taurnil’s staff - it hits very hard. We don’t know the origin of the swords, but the axe is centuries old. It used to be handed down from War Leader to War Leader of the Uurgal empire. In our language it is called Bonebreaker. We’ve loaned the swords to the winner of this year’s tournament, a blade master called Sabu. Bonebreaker is in the hands of a giant called Baard.”

“I remember both of them,” Gaspi said excitedly. “They were amazing.”

Voltan leant forward. “They are good fighters, and weapons will be a help, but they’re only two people. We’re looking for more of a strategic advantage.”

Gaspi furrowed his brow, wracking his brains for anything else that might be useful against the demons, but absolutely nothing came to mind. “So, basically, we’re going to light a bunch of fires and turn force strikes into fire strikes by using magic to manipulate burning tar, and then run behind the wall and hope it kills some of them. Then we start fighting again, inside the college?” Gaspi summed up.

“Unless we can think of anything else, that is exactly what we’re going to do,” Hephistole said. “I have to admit that it would be nice to have another weapon in our arsenal. But if this is all we’ve got, then we’ll have to make do. Thank you, Gaspi, for your time,” Hephistole said. “Please be careful not to alarm your classmates; but be ready, young Mage. If the alarm sounds, leave everything you’re doing, and prepare to fight. The most important thing is that you keep those fires burning.”

“Got it!” Gaspi said, with more confidence than he felt. He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry.

As he was about to step on the transporter Hephistole called out behind him. “Oh, and Gaspi...I hear you made peace with Everand.”

“It was more him than me,” Gaspi said, “but yeah - we made peace.”

“Thank you, Gaspi,” Hephistole said with a warm smile. Gaspi nodded, unsure why such a small detail mattered at a time like this.

“No problem,” he said, and stepped onto the transporter.

Chapter 33

Gaspi and Taurnil were sitting on the city wall, overlooking the crowd of people gathered outside its gates, trying to get in before the lowering sun finally set and the gates were closed. Footsore villagers led wagons full of personal belongings and provisions, and after up to two days travelling, they were not feeling very patient. Raised voices, bleating goats, and braying donkeys made quite a cacophony, punctuated by the barked commands of city guards trying to bring some order to the scene.

“Glad I’m not on duty today,” Taurnil said, his legs dangling over the edge of the wall as he overlooked the milling crowd.

“Totally,” Gaspi responded. “Wonder how many more we can take in?” The last week had seen the city filling up with more tents and wagons than Gaspi had imagined could fit into the overcrowded city. He couldn’t see Hephistole turning anyone away, but the city just wasn’t big enough for any more people.

Jonn had persuaded Taurnil’s parents and Emea’s Ma to stay in the city rather than risk the journey home. If there were demons out there in the countryside, then trying to leave right now would be madness, especially when the people who could protect them would all be locked up here in the city. Hephistole had found them an empty residence within the college grounds, and both Taurnil and Emea had been particularly happy that they would be safely behind the added protection of the wall.

A lot of the residents wanted to stay in their homes, so the villagers were the ones who had been steadily moved into the college, which was now brim-f of strangers. Gaspi thought the city residents would have been happy to leave their homes to these visitors and move up into the college themselves if they understood what might be coming, or just how important the wall might end up being in any defence. The irony of it all was that there might not be an attack at all.

Taurnil ran his hands along the length of his staff. “Do you always have to carry that with you?” Gaspi asked, thinking once more that his friend was being a bit overzealous.

“Do you always carry your magic with you?” Taurnil asked.

“Never mind,” Gaspi said, sensing the inevitability of a losing battle. “Sorry Taurn...I don’t mean to be tetchy. All this is just making me nervous, and you being battle-ready all the time doesn’t help.”

“Better to be battle ready without a battle, than not ready when the battle comes,” Taurnil said.

Gaspi couldn’t really argue with that. “Fair enough,” he said.

They sat on the wall after the sun set, and into the first hour of darkness. Several groups of villagers were still lining up to enter the city, but after they were through the heavy gates would swing shut for the night, regardless of who came knocking. A long howl sounded faintly in the night. Gaspi sat up straight, his eyes scanning the darkness outside of the city walls. It was probably just a plains wolf, but something about the sound had sent a shiver down his spine. He could tell from Taurnil’s posture that he was alert, too.

“Did you hear that?” Gaspi asked.

“Yup,” Taurnil said, staring out into the night. They waited like that for a few long minutes, but nothing else happened.

“Probably just a wolf,” Taurnil said gruffly, but just then it sounded again, and this time it was much nearer. Every hair on Gaspi’s body stood up at the sound. It was like the howl of a dog or wolf, but deeper and harsher; a ripping, painful sound that made him think of broken glass and ragged flesh.

“Who goes there?” shouted a magician stationed along with the guards on the gate. Gaspi and Taurnil were on their feet in a moment, staring out at the dark, waiting for it to resolve into some kind of recognisable shape.

“Taurnil...your staff!” Gaspi exclaimed. Taurnil’s staff was glowing a faint blue - the same colour it had flared when Gaspi had enchanted it. “That can’t be good,” Gaspi said, scanning the darkness even more keenly now, his stomach writhing in nervous anticipation of what he was sure was coming for them. A bright globe of light flew from the hand of the magician below them, illuminating the ground for hundreds of meters around the gate. What it revealed was a scene from a nightmare, causing every muscle in Gaspi’s stomach to clench.

Staggered along the length of the wall was a ragged line of creatures Gaspi recognised all too well. The man-shaped bulk of heavy-shouldered figures were revealed only by their refusal to reflect the light. Each of them was revealed as a swirling abyss of impenetrable darkness, its bulky shape tapering away to nothing below the waist, gliding leadenly over the ground, heavy as a mountain. Gaspi looked right and left, seeing as many as ten demons spread out along the wall, inexorably approaching the city. Between them were hundreds of fearsome dogs; dogs at least half again the size of the biggest hounds Gaspi had ever seen. They seemed to be covered in a kind of fibrous armour, and were unnaturally heavy at the shoulders. As light flared around them, they broke into a vicious snarling that ripped hoarsely out of ruined throats, and spoke to Gaspi of a rapacious hunger to tear flesh and crush bones beyond repair.

The demons lifted their black, featureless heads, and howled. No memory of the attack at the gypsy camp could prepare Gaspi for the impact of that sound. It ripped at his sanity like a freezing wind, tearing the loose edges of his self loose and spinning them off into darkness. Next to him, Taurnil’s staff flared bright blue and his friend held it up in front of them, shielding them with light. Protected by the magic of Taurnil‘s staff, Gaspi felt the impact of the sound decrease noticeably, and his senses returned.

“Taurnil, get down there. I have to go and make sure the fires are lit,” Gaspi said, aware in that moment that he may never see his friend again. Their eyes met in understanding.

“Stay safe, my friend,” Taurnil said. With that, he vaulted over a low wall and sprinted down the stairs, his glowing staff leaving an imprint on Gaspi’s vision even after he’d disappeared from view.

Gaspi jumped as a loud warbling sound started abruptly, vibrating through the air, as if it came from all sides. The magician on the gate must have triggered the alarm. Everything in Gaspi wanted to run out after Taurnil, but he knew what his duty was. He ran down the steps and away from the gate, heading to the nearest barrel of tar. He found it quickly and set it alight with a flick of his wrist as he ran past. Residents were stumbling out from their houses, looking around in sleep-dazed confusion.

“Get inside, and stay there!” Gaspi shouted, and seeing his magician’s robe, they obeyed without question. Gaspi ran from barrel to barrel, calling flame to them with  the lightest touch of his power. The streets were filled with tents and wagons, and Gaspi was forced to shout at people until he was hoarse, telling them to abandon their belongings and get into a house. Most people did what he said, but there were plenty who seemed to think they knew best, or who weren’t willing to leave their wagons. Gaspi didn’t have time to persuade them, and ran on.

He ran upwards into the city, lighting barrels. He came across one that was already crowned with flickering flame. Voltan had drilled all the college’s magicians apart from the Healers in the defence plan, and seeing they had reached their stations, Gaspi had to make a choice; run around and make sure the fires didn’t get put out, or go and fight where he was most needed. There wasn’t really a choice to make; turning on his heel, he sprinted back towards the gate.

Emea was with Lydia in the dormitory when the alarm sounded. “It’s started,” she said, as both girls leapt to their feet. Both girls had been asked if they wanted to take part in the fighting, and they’d said yes. Emmy had been asked because of her exceptional healing powers and Lydia because she was strong at most spell work and mature enough to handle herself under pressure. Of all the students only they, Gaspi, Everand and Ferast had been given the chance to help out, and Ferast had refused.  “Gaspi’s down at the gate with Taurnil,” she said frantically, her heart knotting with fear. “We’ve got to get to them,” she urged.

Lydia placed a restraining hand on her arm. “They both know what they’re doing, Emmy,” she said firmly, “and we need to be here.” All those who were going to be involved in the defence had been prepared for the eventuality of battle, and whereas Gaspi’s role was to keep fires burning and to directly combat any demonic forces head on, and Taurnil’s was to fight with the guards, Emea was assigned to the infirmary to heal the injured, and Lydia was to defend the college at the gate should the incursion get that far.

Emea tugged at her arm, trying to pull away, but Lydia strengthened her grip. “Emmy!” she said, firmly.

Emea stopped struggling, her shoulders dropping in defeat. “Okay...you’re right,” she said. “But I’m at least coming with you to the wall, until people start getting wounded.”

“Alright - let’s go,” Lydia said, and the two of them marched through the campus to the college gate. Other magicians assigned to the gate were already milling around when they arrived, including Everand, who gave them a determined smile. Emea was relieved to see Voltan there, his face intense and furious as a thundercloud. His warlike countenance was very reassuring in this situation. She recognised a couple of the older students she’d seen around the campus, as well as a few teachers. Lydia stood at her side, a determined look on her face, and Emea wondered how her friend managed to keep calm.

Voltan had taken a flaming brand from a sconce in the gatehouse, and lit two large barrels of tar. “Listen up!” he said commandingly, and everyone fell silent, giving him their full attention. “Try not to use the tar up too fast. Shape a sphere like this,” he said, gesturing with a hand to bring a globe of tar up about three times the size of his fist. Flames flickered from it, causing the air around it to shimmer in the heat. “We don’t know exactly how effective this will be until we try it, but it should hurt them. If they break through the wall and we run out of tar, move back to the next set of barrels. Everyone clear?” he asked, looking round the group, as everyone gave their assent.

Seeing Emea, he made a beeline for her. “Shouldn’t you be at the infirmary?” he asked.

“No-one is injured yet,” Emea answered as firmly as she could in the face of his fierce gaze. “And what if someone gets injured here and needs me right away?”

He looked at her steadily for a long moment. “So be it!” he said, and moved on to speak to another magician.

Emmy smiled weakly at Lydia, who gave her a quick hug. “Looks like we’ll fight them off together, then,” Lydia said bravely.

The sounds of battle could be heard from the lower city. There was a dreadful baying that sounded like a pack of demented dogs, the screams and shouts of men fighting for their lives; but worst of all were the unearthly howls that made her shudder right down to her toes. As those particular howls drew nearer, so did the screams. These weren’t the battle screams of fighting and wounded men, but something more primal; the kind of sound she imagined a person could only make if they were being broken by unbearable terror. She and Lydia shared a glance as an especially long scream pierced the night. They both knew what kind of creature could cause a person to make that sound, and it wouldn’t be long before they’d be facing it once again.