Spirit Past (Book 8) (27 page)

Hoping to render them less dangerous, he rushed them from behind. Catching the trailing members off guard, he managed to slash three upon their lower arms. The wounds were not severe, just deep enough to cause minor pain and force them to drop their weapons. Before they knew what had happened, he snatched up their swords and raced back into the alley. He threw the blades out of sight and rushed around the corner of a general store.

The guards hesitated. They remained spread across the wide road which led to the infern, and they looked toward many of the side streets and alleys that emptied out toward their position. After a long and uncertain pause, they began a slow march forward.

The three in the rear that were weaponless appeared dazed. They knew they could no longer assist in attacking the infern. Their empty hands would be useless against the black armor that protected the half-demon. Still, they remained with the platoon. The influence of the serp dulled their judgment even as it urged them onward.

Letting the soldiers advance slightly down the road, Ryson came at them again from a different alley. He disarmed four more in a similar manner, and again grabbed their weapons from off the ground. Rather than retreat to another alley, he tossed the newly obtained swords up on a nearby rooftop.

Remaining in the street, he ran around the entire platoon, hoping to confuse them with his speed. He never came close enough to any one soldier to recklessly endanger himself, but he made his presence known. He had to make it clear he would deter them in any way possible.

The ploy worked. The soldiers reformed into a tight group and placed their focus upon the delver as opposed to the half-demon further up the road. They might have been steadfast in their purpose, but they suddenly had to regard the delver as a threat to their mission. If they all lost their weapons, they would have no way to attack the infern.

Once he had their undivided attention, Ryson called for the cliff behemoth. As Dzeb rushed over toward the soldiers, Ryson bolted back toward the infern. He remained out of the half-demon's sight and then dodged into yet another alley to scout out additional roads leading to the infern.

Dzeb's towering approach left the soldiers even more uncertain. They had hoped to adjust their formation to compensate for the delver's speed and were suddenly left facing a determined giant. Clustered together in the center of the street, they never had a chance.

The behemoth moved with a swiftness that seemed impossible for one of his size. He stamped one foot thunderously down upon the road, and then leapt at the startled guards. He took hold of the closest soldier, the tall and muscular sergeant who was in command. Dzeb's grip remained firm and he would not allow the soldier to strike out, but he was also careful not to cause injury. He swung the sergeant backward into the center of the platoon and achieved his desired results.

The large guard within the hold of the mighty titan could not avoid crashing into his comrades. His shoulders acted like a battering ram as he smashed into the chest of one guard after another. Those that were struck fell back into other guards, causing them to collide into the soldiers behind. The entire platoon became one jumbled mass, and soon they were on the ground in a confused pile.

Dzeb plucked their weapons from their hands or from the ground. He flung them high onto surrounding rooftops as Ryson had done. With the entire platoon disarmed, the behemoth returned to Jure's side, leaving the soldiers stunned and unable to follow through with their intended violence.

"There will be more," the giant responded with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Maybe a great deal more," Jure confirmed. "We can't let them kill the infern, but we can't harm the guards, either."

"I have no intention of doing so."

"I know you don't, but we're going to have to think of something. Macheve is going to adjust her attack."

"Godson will show us the way."

Ryson dropped down from a nearby rooftop and revealed everything he saw.

"I checked the streets and did one quick scout from the rooftops. The fire in the east is still burning. Either Macheve is ignoring that infern or the elves have kept it safe."

"I doubt Macheve is just focusing on one," Jure offered.

"That's probably the case, but we have to hope the elves can hold out. We have bigger problems. More soldiers are headed toward us, from just about every direction. They're breaking up into smaller groups and moving in from all angles, using the side streets. Macheve must have seen how we handled the first platoon. She's not going to make the same mistake again."

"And time is working against us," Jure added. "If Macheve starts calling on more soldiers, then the attacks will become more varied. Archers may be our biggest worry."

"The infern is still wearing its black armor," Ryson reminded the wizard. "That works to our advantage. A distance shot from an arrow or long throw from a spear probably won't do the job, unless they get lucky."

"It may not depend on luck. The infern isn't protecting itself. All it will take is one clear shot. With the soldiers spreading out, it's going to be easier for one to slip by. The guards we disarm will find more weapons and return."

"What if we move the infern, carry it or teleport it out of the city?"

"I had thought of that before. Reiculf will just send more."

"He may anyway."

Jure couldn't argue. He even wondered why the daokiln only sent two inferns and why Macheve placed them so close to their own defenses. It couldn't have just been a coincidence. It was more likely that Reiculf was just toying with them, forcing them to expend as much energy as possible. They would tire protecting the one infern, and the elves in the east would face the same dilemma.

"We'll deal with that problem when it happens," Jure noted, holding to the only bit of optimism he could find. "Ansas placed us here for a reason. He knew Connel would be attacked, so we have to hope it works out in our favor. Maybe he and Enin can douse the fireball and close the gateway. For now, we focus on the infern closest to us."

"I'll do what I can," Ryson offered. "I'll concentrate on the back alleys and the rooftops. It's where I have an advantage."

"Good," Jure agreed. "Dzeb, can you cover the main roads to the south and east? Keep the soldiers away?"

"I will do as you ask."

"I'll watch the north and west. I can use force barriers to block them. I don't want to use too much energy, we'll probably need it."

The dire warning did not surprise the delver. Ryson looked up at the fireball. It remained in the sky with the swirling smoke a reminder of the evil waiting to engulf the city. And it
was
evil that prepared to attack them, evil born of hate, evil so sinister it had to be cut off from the rest of existence.

That thought raised the delver's awareness, and he began to understand the depth of Reiculf's wickedness. Uton had been far from perfect. It suffered from its own injustices, as did Connel. Pain and suffering caused by selfish and despicable deeds plagued every corner of the city, as well as every portion of the land. He could not dismiss the sins which existed before the hate of Demonspawn rushed to their gates, and yet it paled in comparison to the malice which hungered to consume them.

A far more ominous evil had been freed and found a way to reach into Ryson's world, and such powers did not care about rules or honor. The delver felt as if they stood at the foot of a great dam, but instead of water, a swell of corrupt shadows waited impatiently to cascade down upon Connel. Those shadows were held back by an unsteady wall, and like a poorly arranged tower of twigs, it was ready to collapse.

"If Enin is going to do something, he better hurry," Ryson offered, but he could not hold long to such meager hope. He doubted anything could stop the despair ready to enter Uton. Eventually, evil would have its way.

Holli neared exhaustion. The continuous arrival of more and more soldiers, along with the vicious struggle of those already trapped within the vines, forced her to increase the strength of her spell. Additional grasping stems shot up from the streets, and several platoons were pulled to the ground. In some areas, Connel appeared more like a jungle than a city, with dozens of soldiers trapped in the thick brush.

As the magical energy within her dwindled, she called to Haven for assistance.

"I am nearly spent. You will have to stop them when the vines collapse."

The emerald energy began to crackle around her, and with one final burst, the green magic faded away. Holli fell to the ground, still conscious but unable to remain on her feet.

"You do not have much time," the elf whispered to the sorceress. "The vines will remain but they can no longer resist."

Haven looked down the long streets and narrow alleys of Connel. The movement which possessed the green stems vanished. The vines remained, most wrapped tightly around the human soldiers' arms and legs, but no new strands sprung from the ground. Without having to fight against additional attacks, the guards slowly gained the advantage.

Sensing the end of resistance in the stems which held them, the soldiers pulled angrily at the vines, shredding them to pieces. Once they regained hold of their weapons, many cut at the plants with daggers and short swords, sliced themselves free from the long strands that clung to them. A few managed to rise to their feet and began kicking away the debris.

Haven knew what would follow. The soldiers would regroup but ignore the elves. They would not set upon Holli in response to her attack. They would instead place their fury upon the infern waiting for its own inevitable demise. The willful killing of a half-demon would not go unnoticed. The action would incite the darowks, and every shadowy demon would break through the gateway that connected Connel with Demonspawn.

She could not let that happen.

Connel was not her camp; she felt no binding association to the inhabitants of the city. Humans were as foreign to her as the dwarves who preferred dark underground places, but she could not completely dismiss them, leave them to some horrible and undeserved fate.

Yes, they were different in some ways, but they were also similar in many others. They shared the same bond between body and spirit—her magical senses allowed her to see that beyond doubt—and if she allowed the humans to suffer due to her indifference, her own spirit would pay the price.

Intent on saving the humans without injuring them, she faced yet another dilemma. The direct solution was to use the power of her light to break the hold of the serp, to free the soldiers' minds of foreign influence. She could not, however, free every soldier with one massive casting. Such a spell would require substantial control to avoid damaging the memories and identities of each guard. She did not have the time for such an incantation.

She looked to Scheff, but she knew she could not ask for his assistance. He had the ability to incapacitate the soldiers, but his blindness would prevent him from effectively utilizing any defensive spells. He could not see the mayhem, would not be able to isolate the guards. If he used his power over the storm, he could end up destroying the city. She felt a pang of guilt as she recalled the spell that permanently removed his vision.

Scheff's condition, however, guided Haven to a response. To save Connel, she needed to prevent the guards from killing the infern, and they could not kill what they could not see.

She considered the spell she used on Scheff, but immediately dismissed it. Scheff had been infused with Reiculf's magic. Though the guards were under the influence of the serp, they were not complete slaves to Reiculf. The daokiln might have gained control of their minds, but he had not fully taken their essence as he had accomplished with Scheff. To incapacitate the soldiers, a temporary blinding would be sufficient.

Just as she prepared the spell, a familiar voice commanded her to halt.

"Hold!" Shantree shouted. "We have the help we need!"

Haven looked over her shoulder to see the elf elder followed by a legion of dwarves. The stout warriors carried no weapons, but it was clear they were ready to defend the city, even if it was necessary to battle Connel's sworn human protectors.

A burly dwarf in the front shouted commands, and every dwarf immediately, almost gleefully, fell into formation. They formed diamond-shaped battle squads and each collection of dwarves rushed up the street like canoes riding atop fast moving rapids. When they came across the dwindling vines of Holli's magic, their heavy boots pressed through the tangled masses with unyielding determination.

The squads at the forefront bypassed the first soldiers, leaving them to dwarves further behind. Instead, the leading battle patrols moved directly to the infern, encircled it, and formed an impressive barrier around the half-demon.

The infern glanced about at the stout warriors. It sneered in contempt. The half-demon did not appreciate the presence of so many intruders, and it finally decided to make its displeasure known.

With a quick turn, the armored monster turned its flames down toward the street. It swung about, creating a circle of shooting fire. The jagged, amber flares engulfed each dwarf, but the result was not as the infern envisioned.

The dwarves ignored the blaze, for it was the heat born of demon fire. The magically resistant warriors knew what they faced, and prepared themselves for the inevitable attack. A half-demon's flames might singe a few dwarf hairs, but it could not break through their inherent defenses. Once the flames passed, they spit out the taste of burning rock and glared in absolute defiance. Each dwarf remained standing, uninjured, and determined to block any human's path to the half-demon.

The remaining dwarves leapt into immediate engagement with the human soldiers. The sturdy warriors carried no weapons, but blades and cudgels were not necessary for the task at hand. They considered the guards of Connel allies and friends. They understood the soldiers had fallen under a spell of influence, and they would not punish the humans for the diabolical acts of a serp or the daokiln.

Moving with decisive quickness, the brawny dwarves grappled with the guards. Many took hold of two humans at a time. With robust yanks and sudden twists of arms and legs, they locked the limbs of the guards under their control. They could not afford to be gentle with the soldiers, and though they caused no permanent harm, the dwarves showed little compassion in completely restraining their adversaries.

Crazed with fury, frantic to reach the infern, the guards fought desperately against their foes. They did not show their shorter counterparts the same respect and attempted to use their weapons against their enemies. Thankfully, many of their longer blades still remained entangled in the vines. Before they could free them, they found themselves in the unbreakable grip of resolute hands. The few soldiers holding short swords or daggers attacked recklessly, and they were quickly disarmed by warriors who excelled in close quarters combat.

As the humans continued to fight without tactics, they fell quickly to the battle trained dwarves. Many were tied up in bunches and left to squirm in the middle of the street or at the dark end of some narrow alley.

More soldiers arrived upon the scene—all with weapons in hand—but the dwarves had taken strategic positions to surprise them. Waves of dwarf fighters plowed into the guards before the humans could raise their spears or long swords. Once more, the soldiers were quickly disarmed and wrestled to the ground.

During the melee, Shantree moved to assist Holli. The elder helped the weary guard to her feet.

"You did well," Shantree praised.

"So did you," Holli replied. "A wise tactic."

"But only a temporary solution. The dwarves are tireless and can handle many waves, but there is a risk to injury. We also cannot keep the humans shackled indefinitely. We must find a way to free them of the twisted influence which inflicts them."

"I could block out Macheve's control," Haven offered. "It will take time, but I believe I can free many of them."

"That is also only a temporary solution," Shantree explained. "Your power is impressive, but you must remember we are dealing with more than a serp. With each soldier you free, Reiculf's magic can enslave dozens. You will expend your energy and we may yet have need of it. No, we must stop the manipulation at its source."

"That would require us to find Macheve," Holli offered, "and she could be anywhere within Connel, perhaps even beyond the edges of the city, hiding behind some hill or barn."

"Haven, can you locate the serp by following the path of her influence?" the elder questioned.

The elf sorceress considered the request and then quickly cast a minor spell of light reflection. She directed the golden magic toward the human guards in hopes it would reveal some trace of Macheve's control.

She noted a great deal of distortion surrounding each soldier. The warped flow of magic appeared to roll across Connel from every direction. There was no concise path of energy leading to some point in the city or to a farmhouse beyond Connel's outskirts. Even as the sorceress refined her spell, she could not isolate a source or even pinpoint a heavier concentration other than the independent masses which enveloped each human guard.

"All paths have been concealed," Haven revealed. "I believe the serp is allowing Reiculf's magic to engulf the city from every direction. She may be the conduit for the daokiln's power, but she is spinning it into the surrounding lands and then directing it toward the city center."

"That makes sense," Holli added. "It would allow her to gain control of nearly every soldier throughout the city without having to create direct links."

"That is an awesome display of power," Shantree admitted.

"Reiculf's magic would allow for such a display."

"Then there is little else for us to do. We must wait for further direction from Enin and Ansas," the elf elder acknowledged, though she said the sorcerer's name with an obvious tinge of disgust. "The dwarves will help us protect the infern, and we can remain watchful for other disturbances."

#

Enin and Ansas appeared at the western edge of Connel, very near the infern protected by Ryson, Jure, and Dzeb. Both powerful magic casters immediately glanced toward the fireball hanging over the southern section of the city.

"The gateway remains closed," Enin stated optimistically. "The inferns must still be alive."

"You have the ability to communicate with your elf apprentice, yes?" Ansas asked.

"I do."

"Then do so now. Determine their status."

Enin did not appreciate the commanding tone of the sorcerer, but he could not deny the wisdom of the directive. He focused upon the magical connection that linked him with Holli's consciousness. He did not probe deeply into her thoughts, but rather made his appeal clear. Without speaking, the elf and wizard quickly shared their knowledge over the lines of magical communication. Pleased with the news he received, Enin willingly relayed the elves' situation to the sorcerer.

"Macheve is deploying a fog of influence across the entire city," Enin explained. "The serp is forcing hundreds of Connel's guards to attack the infern. Shantree has attained the assistance of the dwarves and they are holding the soldiers at bay. There is no immediate threat to the half-demon as the dwarves are well-positioned and understand the full scope of the danger we face."

"I don't believe anyone appreciates the full scope," Ansas muttered, but he appeared pleased with the elf elder's strategy. "With the dwarves protecting the infern, we can afford to remove the elves from that section of the city. Teleport them all here now."

"But what if..."

"Do not argue with me!" the sorcerer insisted. "Because of your rash decision, Gnafil will be here any moment. We will need all the strength we can muster, and that still may not be enough."

Enin curbed his anger and did as Ansas instructed. Following his link to Holli and using her as an anchor, the wizard reached out to the elves and brought them to his side. He noticed their surprise and tried to explain his actions.

"I am sorry that was so sudden, but we need your assistance here. There is..."

"Apologize to them later," Ansas declared. "Recall Jure. We will need him as well."

"But he is guarding the other infern," Enin argued.

"Let the delver and the cliff behemoth protect the half-demon! Gnafil will be here any moment. We have to be ready to destroy him before he understands what's going on."

"He already knows," a voice called out from the opposite end of the street, "as do I. Go ahead and recall the wizard. It will not help you."

Ansas turned about and saw the serp Macheve watching him with a sinister smile. Frustration exploded within the sorcerer, but he said nothing. He knew they had lost. It was a simple calculation. Gnafil would appear in mere moments and they would be caught between two pawns of the daokiln. Even if he combined his magic with Enin, Haven, and Scheff, they would not be able to overcome the force ready to crush them.

Enin would survive, as would Scheff and Shantree. Reiculf would gain control of them and the daokiln's power would expand. For Ansas, there would be no path to victory. He would be spared as well, but for different reasons. They would force him to Demonspawn. He knew Reiculf would want to punish him for daring to challenge the daokiln's desires.