Blood and Fire (Book 3) Read online

  ‘Could be a day too late,’ Dridif finished his sentence.

  Jensen nodded grimly.

  ‘Wot about the others?’ asked Dridif.

  ‘The Barbarians of the north are sending all the men and women who can hold a blade but it will take them three days ta arrive. The archers from the freetowns of the south will be here tomorrow but they are only nine hundred in number …’

  ‘Ya want ta say that things don’t look good, do ya not, Jensen the Willow?’

  Jensen knew better than to answer that question but his lips did tug downward to form a small grimace.

  ‘Well,’ continued Dridif, ‘things have been bad ever since Bane rose ta power. Perhaps things will get worse but we are no strangers ta dis; we are Sylvarisians and we will do wot needs ta be done. Come fire, famine or plague we will press on. So, Jensen …’

  ‘Yes, ma’am?’

  ‘Keep writing.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  Hiding his frustration and doing his best to put on a brave face in front of the other councillors, Jensen put quill to parchment and began writing a new missive addressed to the people of Quicktide Bay offering them one hundred thousand florins from his rapidly diminishing wealth plus favourable trade agreements should they come to aid Sylvaris in its time of need.

  Stix and Stones sat astride their mounts and watched the flow of reinforcements as they streamed in from distant garrisons. They were predominantly Shades and Rhinospiders but the brothers were confident that Stoman soldiers, although moving more slowly than their shadowy and faster counterparts, would arrive later in the day.

  ‘That’s a lot of manpower,’ muttered Stones.

  Stix flashed him a grin. They usually only worked with each other but Stix was excited by the idea of command. Ordering thousands of soldiers around wasn’t something they got to do every day.

  Stones stroked his chin as he contemplated the numbers. ‘There are too many to house in the Embassy of the Winds,’ he muttered.

  ‘No matter,’ said Stix. Twisting in his saddle, he pointed his finger at a nearby Stonesinger. ‘You, come here.’

  The Stonesinger didn’t enjoy being bossed around but he knew better than to complain to someone riding a stone monster. ‘Yes?’ he grunted.

  ‘We need somewhere else to garrison all these men. Suggestions?’

  ‘There’s a large temple on the southern face,’ he said after some thought. ‘It’s not as large as the Embassy of the Winds but it’s big enough to hold a thousand men and has room to stable Rhinospiders too.’

  ‘What do you think?’ Stix asked his brother.

  ‘It’ll do,’ replied Stones. ‘And it’ll make it easier to distribute our forces around the perimeter of the mountain.’

  Stix turned to the Stonesinger. ‘See it done.’

  The Stonesinger nodded before departing.

  ‘Brother,’ Stix raised his eyes to the heavens, ‘shall we?’

  Stones grinned. ‘By the Seven Hells, yes!’

  Cackling like two twisted children, they took to the skies on their beasts of stone.

  19

  Howly-Howly Monsters

  ‘Crack my Realm!’ growled E’Jaaz as he turned aside a pack of Shades with a wave of Will. He ducked to allow Nibbler to spit a jet of flame over his shoulder, then spun round to deflect a blow from a club-wielding Stoman that was intended for Marsila’s head. Locked in a battle with two Stonesingers, Marsila simply didn’t have the resources to defend herself from all sides.

  ‘Hurry it up, Charlie!’ shouted Nibbler. ‘It’s getting a little tense in here!’

  Charlie, her back to the action, was concentrating on the wall in front of her. The pendant, held tight in the socket, lost its glow and the last traces of a Gateway diminished as she relinquished her Will.

  ‘It’s another dud!’ she retorted. ‘Let’s go to the next –’

  ‘No!’ cried Marsila. ‘Take us back to the campsite. We need to re-evaluate our plans.’

  Pressed on all sides by frothing adversaries, Charlie couldn’t afford to ask the reason why. She simply tore open a Portal and threw herself through. The others followed in a more controlled fashion. Will and lightning blazing, they stepped backwards, keeping the enemy at bay.

  Once they were through, Charlie slammed the Portal shut.

  ‘Eight temples!’ spat Marsila in sudden fury. ‘Eight in four hours! It’s not good enough. Not good enough at all.’

  The day had not progressed smoothly. They had encountered resistance from the very first temple they had visited and it was a pattern that had repeated itself as they fought to investigate each and every prospective Gateway. Stoman soldiers had been waiting at one, Shades at another, Rhinospiders at the third, and at times – like the last temple – they had been confronted by all three.

  ‘We must move faster,’ continued Marsila, ‘and be more efficient.’

  ‘How?’ asked Charlie, who was every bit as frustrated with their progress. She could practically feel the tick-ticking of time passing them by. ‘How can we move faster when we have to deal with that lot at every place we stop?’

  ‘We forget the aggressive defence and switch to passive. We form a shield at each temple.’

  E’Jaaz spluttered. ‘At each temple? That’s going to drain us and drain us fast. I don’t know about that, Marsila. Perhaps we should stick with what we’ve been doing already?’

  ‘No. We have to speed things up and this is the only way,’ said Marsila in an unyielding voice.

  ‘What’s a shield?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘A barrier of Will,’ explained Marsila. ‘If we throw a wall of Will around us nothing short of a behemoth or a cadre of Stonesingers will get through. With a shield in place we can spend less time fighting and more time crossing Gateways off our list.’

  Charlie looked slightly confused. She couldn’t quite get her head round the idea of a shield of pure Will.

  ‘You’ve done this before,’ said E’Jaaz. ‘Lady Dridif told us you blocked the top of Narcissa’s Ivory Tower with a wall of Will. A shield is the same thing but with the three of us we’ll be able to project it around us like a sphere.’

  ‘Oh … so what’s the problem, then?’ said Charlie. ‘If it’s as simple –’

  ‘What Marsila is neglecting to mention is that holding a shield for an extended period of time is fatiguing. More so if people are pressing against it. Sure, holding one for thirty minutes or so is no hardship, but for hours on end? Against non-stop attacks?’

  ‘What choice do we have?’ asked Marsila. ‘If you’ve got a better suggestion I’m all for it.’

  There was silence.

  ‘So shield it is,’ said Marsila with a grim nod. ‘Let’s get it on.’

  ‘Whoa!’ protested Charlie. ‘Hold up. I know you’re all awesome at being Keepers but I’m still new to this game, so before we go rampaging off can someone please explain how I make this shield? It won’t be a good look if your sides of this shield are up but mine is down.’

  ‘Uh … sorry, Charlie,’ began E’Jaaz with a sheepish look. ‘Perhaps we should have explained a little better. You don’t have to worry too much about the technique. So long as you maintain your part of the Triad, Marsila and I can tap into your Will to fuel the shield. Just concentrate on testing the Gateways and we’ll worry about keeping the Stomen off your back.’

  Charlie paused for a second. Part of her mind was distracted by the beauty of the landscape and the wonder of the Winged Mount rearing overhead. With its unusual, top-heavy peak, it really was a marvel. Oddly enough, something about its shape cried out to her.

  ‘Now why does that look so weird?’ she muttered.

  ‘Excuse me?’ asked E’Jaaz. ‘I didn’t quite catch that.’

  ‘From Wings on high seeking prey …’ whispered Charlie.

  ‘Charlie?’

  Charlie blinked. Snapping out of her thoughts, she returned her attention to the present. ‘Never mind. If you guys think you can
handle this shield, and if you think it’ll speed the process up, I’m more than game. So like Marsila said … let’s get it on.’

  Summoning her Will, she held it out and waited for the other two to merge theirs.

  ‘Don’t you guys think it’s weird that we haven’t bumped into those howly-howly monsters from last night yet?’ asked Nibbler. He stared accusingly at the landscape as though it were guilty of holding back the surprise.

  Marsila slapped her forehead and stared at Nibbler in disbelief. ‘You had to go and say something like that, didn’t you?’

  ‘What?’ protested Nibbler.

  ‘As if times weren’t tough enough, you had to go and jinx us.’

  ‘Huh?’ said Nibbler. He still wasn’t following her line of thought. ‘How’d I jinx us?’

  ‘By mentioning those things. Everyone knows that if you talk about something the chances of it coming true are much more likely. It’s like saying, “Oh, it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain today,” only for it to pour five minutes later.’

  Muttering to herself about the foolishness of Hatchlings and how ‘howly-howly monsters’ was an idiotic name, she tore open a Portal and stalked through. The others scrambled after.

  20

  Menacing Skies

  The shield glimmered.

  Every time a Stoman pounded against it with clenched fists or a Shade slashed at it with extended claws, it resounded with a noise that was reminiscent of a dropped bouncy ball.

  BOOOOOING-BOING!

  Charlie felt slightly dazed. It was a bit like being inside a golden bubble, only this was a bubble that wouldn’t pop or break, no matter how hard the Stomen attacked it.

  ‘Stay focused, Charlie,’ insisted Marsila. ‘We’re doing well but you’ve got to keep your mind on the job.’

  Charlie pushed her thoughts aside and forced her Will upon the pendant secured in the keyhole.

  Thirteen. They’d cleared another thirteen Gateways in the space of two hours. Much faster than their earlier eight but the cost was higher too. All three Keepers were feeling the strain. The dark circles beneath Charlie’s eyes had reappeared, sweat beaded across Marsila’s brow and E’Jaaz’s fine clothes were starting to appear rumpled. Maintaining a shield of Will against the Stomen’s non-stop attacks was no easy feat.

  As Charlie continued to funnel her Will into the pendant the familiar outline of a door and the sound of a screaming jumbo jet receded. It was another failure.

  Stowyrm

  ‘All right,’ said Marsila, ‘we’ve cleared this sector – let’s move on to the next.’

  Dashing through a Portal, they made a swift retreat.

  As they reappeared in a different region they hastily took cover between a scattering of rock spires.

  ‘You want me to do my thing?’ asked Nibbler.

  ‘If you would, my rascally Hatchling,’ said E’Jaaz. ‘Make haste too, otherwise Marsila will scold both of us with her beautiful but rather fiery tongue.’

  Marsila scowled at that. Nibbler, deciding that now would be a bad time to dawdle, beat his way into the air with great flaps of his wings. The three Keepers watched him depart with envy. Each of them would have given almost anything to enjoy the freedom of the sky and a chance of relief from the constant pressure of maintaining a Triad.

  ‘At least we are progressing,’ began Marsila. ‘We checked fourteen Gateways yesterday and twenty-one today. That’s thirty-five in total. And with each additional Gateway our chances of stumbling across the right one increases. If we maintain this pace we might even –’

  A sudden trumpet blast shattered the calm.

  Another trumpet joined the first, then another, until it seemed that countless instruments tore the air with their strident alarm.

  ‘Oh, for the Sacred Realms!’ cursed Marsila. ‘What now?’

  Fearing an attack, they checked the surrounding landscape and the skies above them, but relaxed as they spotted Nibbler gliding calmly overhead. For now, everything remained peaceful and free of threats.

  ‘Well, it’s obviously a warning or signal of some sort,’ mused E’Jaaz. ‘But for whom?’

  An unpleasant shriek, deep and filled with fury, cut across the klaxon call of the trumpets. It was answered by a second howling voice.

  ‘Oh no …’ sighed Charlie. ‘That can’t be good.’

  A titanic form lurched over the side of the Winged Mount and hurled itself up into the sky. Seconds later, another joined it. With a flash of dragonfly wings and glistening scales, the two beasts corkscrewed up into the air. Their long maggot-like bodies were packed with muscle and their tails, lashing from side to side, were covered with barbed spikes.

  ‘Are … are those Wyrms?’ asked E’Jaaz in a disbelieving voice.

  ‘If they are, they’re like none I have ever seen before,’ muttered Marsila. ‘Look at them. They’re huge!’

  They stared with wide eyes and slack mouths at these things, these new predators that coiled and writhed through the sky and whistled and barked in gluttonous delight.

  ‘What do you think it would take to stop something that big?’ asked E’Jaaz. ‘Could you stop something that big?’

  ‘I don’t know, but you can bet we’re about to find out,’ said Marsila with a grimace.

  ‘Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Nibbler!’ screamed Charlie as she saw the two things speed towards her friend. ‘Nibbler, look out! LOOK OUT!’

  She almost thought he hadn’t heard but at the very last moment he managed to wheel aside, leaving the beasts to claw and bite upon empty air. Then, in an act of what seemed like madness, he spun through the air in a tight figure of eight until it was he that was chasing them. Lips peeled back in a fierce grin, he unleashed a massive jet of flame that lit the sky with a burst of red.

  KKRR-WHUMPF!

  The trumpets fell silent.

  The rushing wind and the crackle of flame were the only things to be heard. Nibbler, certain of victory, hovered motionless in the air waiting for his opponents to plummet, flaming, to the earth.

  The beasts, screaming furiously and still very much alive, burst through the cloud of smoke, trailing embers and half-spent flame behind them. Enraged and flying far faster than before, they gave chase. They hooted and bellowed as they pursued Nibbler up and down in an endlessly elaborate game of aerial cat and mouse. The sky soon seemed a ruined mess of fire, black smoke and twisting, clawing bodies. But for all the chaos and power being unleashed in the heavens, it swiftly grew apparent that this was a fight Nibbler could not hope to win.

  ‘Open a Portal,’ said Charlie.

  ‘To where?’ asked Marsila.

  ‘Anywhere! It doesn’t matter where, we just have to make sure it’s big enough for Nibbler to fly through.’

  ‘OK,’ said Marsila, sensing what Charlie had in mind. ‘Triad up, but let me take the lead.’ Grunting with the effort, she tore open a rift. After a moment’s pause she allowed the diameter to shrink. Charlie gave her a sharp look. ‘We don’t want it so large that those things can fly through too,’ explained Marsila.

  She hastened through to the other side. E’Jaaz joined her.

  ‘What are you doing?’ asked Charlie. ‘What about Nibbler?’

  ‘Charlie, you don’t want to be on that side of the Portal when we shut it. We want those things over there and Nibbler and us over here!’

  Feeling stupid, but still craning her neck round to keep an eye on her friend, Charlie stumbled through the Portal.

  ‘He hasn’t seen us,’ said E’Jaaz with a frown.

  ‘Form a flare,’ instructed Marsila.

  ‘And hold open a Portal that size?’ spluttered E’Jaaz. ‘Are you trying to make this as difficult as possible?’

  ‘So make it a mini flare!’ snapped Marsila. ‘Just get it done.’

  E’Jaaz pushed a small column of his Will back through the Portal. Charlie followed suit. Marsila, jaw tensed with effort, joined hers to theirs. The flare exploded into a fountain of golden sparks. Th
e dogfight in the air stuttered to a halt. Nibbler, quick to take advantage of the moment, pulled his wings in tight and, with the wind shrieking about him, plummeted earthward. Moments later the beasts gave chase but Nibbler, moving so fast that he actually blurred, took the lead and shot through the Portal.

  ‘Close it!’ commanded Marsila. Her eyes grew wide as the two beasts drew closer. Their mouths gaped open horribly, allowing the three Keepers to see right into their disgusting gullets. Shriek after terrible shriek flew from their maws, so strong, so loud and powerful that the Keepers flinched. Fighting to maintain a grip on their Will, they forced the Portal shut.

  21

  Clipped Wings

  As the Portal closed, Charlie had a last fleeting impression of brutal teeth and lolling tongues. Oddly enough, she was certain she caught a glimpse of something or someone hunched upon a saddle.

  Groaning, she rubbed her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to rid her ears of the ringing caused by the beasts’ shrieks.

  ‘There!’ said E’Jaaz and pointed back towards the Winged Mount.

  They could see, now miles away, the two things writhing through the air.

  ‘Down,’ instructed Marsila. ‘Keep yourselves low to the ground. I doubt they’ll be able to see us from such a distance but I think it wise not to make it any easier for them to find us.’

  They turned to watch Nibbler who, having bled off his great speed, was now able to return safely to earth. Looking slightly shell-shocked, he trotted towards them with one wing held outstretched.

  ‘Erm …’ he muttered, ‘does one of you guys want to pull this out?’

  They all stared at the barbaric-looking arrow sticking through the membrane of his wing. Charlie was horrified.

  ‘Does it hurt?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s weird but no, no it doesn’t.’ He reached over to pinch his wing. ‘It’s just, y’know, skin. I think it would hurt a lot more if it had hit muscle or bone.’

  Charlie’s brow furrowed as she examined the arrow. There was something familiar about it. Careful not to damage her friend any further, she pulled it out as smoothly as possible. ‘I’ve seen these before …’