Sha-Kaan's eyes flashed and Hirad felt the brief surge of anger.
“Ilkar, I don't think—” he began.
“I'm just explaining what I know,” said Ilkar.
“Then you know very little!” Sha-Kaan's voice whistled around the hall, booming from the tapestry-clad walls. “The DemonShroud gives the Arakhe access through your dimension and so the column projects from their dimension on a course through interdimensional space until it strikes another it cannot yet pierce—Skies know where that is. It is not contained within Balaia and the weakening of your fabric is feeding them more power than you can imagine because the essence of your dimension is flowing into interdimensional space where they can drink their fill. They have the strength to overpower your Council.”
“Trust him, on this,” said Hirad, feeling Sha-Kaan's short patience wearing thin. “I've no idea what he's talking about but I'm sure he's right.” Ilkar nodded but Denser spoke up.
“One question, Sha-Kaan, if I may?”
Sha-Kaan's head moved smartly to spear Denser with his cold blue eyes.
“Ah,” he said, and Hirad could taste his disdain. “The one who stole from me. You should feel fortunate that I have not chosen to take your life in return. But as we say, when the Skies blacken with the wings of your enemies, you will chew even the rotten stalks to fuel your fire. Remember that and ask, thief.”
Hirad glanced behind him at Denser who had gone quite pale. His eyes, though, didn't waver or flick downward.
“Dawnthief was our only hope of survival—”
“Do not test my temper, thief, your reasons are not important. That you stole was. Speak.”
Hirad sighed. Denser took a deep breath.
“I would ask how you know so much, how—”
“How can I be so sure? Because one of my strongest young Kaan lies on the edge of death after encountering the Arakhe in a place where they should not have been. They overwhelmed him in his own melde-corridor. And before you ask, yes that should be impossible.”
“What can be done, Great Kaan?” asked Hirad, fearing the answer.
“We have one chance and for that, I need your human strength and magic. And your souls.”
“We're bait,” muttered The Unknown.
Sha-Kaan favoured the Big Man's response with a chuckle, a dry rattling sound deep in his throat.
“Yes,” he said. “But bait laced with poison.”
The Raven looked at each other, a general shifting unease broke their stillness.
“I will explain what you must do.” Hirad looked into the Great Kaan's eyes. He saw and felt no intent to harm, only a desire to survive and to win. He nodded his head and listened.
Thraun moved warily to the opening from which the scent of the animal flowed. He knew what he saw was wrong and the thought worried at his mind as he approached. He could see into the opening, saw the lights flickering there, but looking past it, could see nothing but the land. He growled but the growl became a whine of deep-seated fear. The opening led to man-packbrother; it also led to the animal whose power so scared the wolf. But it led to nowhere—it was not the forest, it was not the open space, it was not the water or the sky.
Thraun sniffed at the base of the opening, seeing the grass become stone and tasting the odours that came from within. There was wood and oil, there was man and elf, all of which comforted him. But lying deep over the scents he knew, were alien taints he could link to nothing. He picked up his head and looked inside, seeing the lights and the stone. The trail of man-packbrother, a trail tinged by fear but not terror, was clear as were those of the other men and the elf.
He glanced behind him, heart hammering in his chest, saw the places where they had rested, all empty, took one last fill of the lights in the sky and padded carefully into the opening.
Hirad regarded the face of each of The Raven with great solemnity. Sha-Kaan's words still rolled around his head, the dual dangers of which they spoke difficult to comprehend. As usual, the Great Kaan had given them a choice while giving them no option whatsoever.
They could trust that the Julatsan Council had the power to snuff out the demon threat but if they hadn't, Balaia would be deluged by demons flooding every corner on a wave of pure mana. It was the air they breathed but would kill every man, woman and child it touched; its concentration would drive the air from lungs and, worse, leave souls at the mercy of the demons, the Arakhe as Sha-Kaan called them. Balaia would become an extension of their dimension and the Kaan would lose their melde and ultimately their lives.
Or, there was a way that might threaten the Arakhe enough to deflect them from their apparent goal. But the description of the task and the risks it posed to them all, dragon and Raven, simply took the breath away. The rewards, however, were great indeed. An end to the current demon threat and a way past the Wesmen army into the College of Julatsa.
And so, Hirad studied them all. For some, the answer was easy. Ilkar just nodded and The Unknown Warrior held Hirad's gaze as if to challenge the fact that he had to be asked at all. For himself, Hirad would do the Great Kaan's bidding so long as The Raven agreed. All of them.
Will was scared. Gods in the sky, they all were. But he had suffered already from the sight of a demon and the thought of facing an untold number took the colour from his face and brought a quiver to his limbs.
“We may not have to fight them,” said Hirad.
“But we will have to see them,” said Will.
“We'll protect you.”
“Only Thraun can do that.”
Hirad had forgotten about the wolf. Still presumably outside, he knew that the shapechanger had to be with them, or Will would not be. And The Raven never fought apart. Never.
“And if Thraun is here?”
“Then I will stand by you,” said Will. Hirad nodded and turned to Erienne and Denser, standing close together.
“We can't do it without you,” said Hirad. “Mainly because you're Raven but we need you to help Ilkar with the mana shield or whatever it is.” He was addressing himself principally to Denser but it was Erienne who spoke.
“This is a tall order but we can do it. I don't think we really have a choice,” she said. She placed a hand on her belly and anxiety clouded her face for a second.
“There is always a choice,” muttered Denser.
“What, similar to the one you offered us with Dawnthief?” Hirad growled. “Your turn now.”
“I didn't say I wouldn't go.”
“But if you do, you have to be there,” said Hirad. “All there, all the time.”
Sha-Kaan, who had remained quiet throughout the exchange, brought his huge head forward on his long neck and spoke over Hirad's shoulder.
“He speaks correctly, thief. Your skill is undoubted but if you are anything less than attuned, you will be a hindrance and a risk to us all. What do you say?”
Denser bridled at Sha-Kaan's choice of words but Hirad's frown stayed him. Instead, he managed what passed for the briefest of smiles.
“I have nothing more pressing,” he said.
Sha-Kaan looked at Hirad, neck in a “u” to face him, head and muzzle alone almost as tall as the barbarian.
“Well?” he asked.
Hirad grinned. “Take it as a yes, Great Kaan.”
“Excellent.” The head withdrew. “Strike your camp. We will not return here.”
“What about Thraun?” asked Will.
“Thraun?” Sha-Kaan looked for clarification.
“The shapechanger,” said Hirad. “The wolf.”
“Ah.” A pulse of forest images and blood filled Hirad's mind. “I have touched consciousness with him. He is here in the corridor somewhere. He will come. His bond with you, little human Will, is very strong. Like a dragon with his Dragonene.”
The tension on Will's face broke and he nodded and looked round.
“Go and find him, Will,” said Hirad. “The rest of us will clear the camp.”
“Hurry,” said Sha-Kaan. “The C
ouncil will act soon.”
Hirad led The Raven from the chamber and back, briefly, into Balaia.
With General Kard again outside the Heart, and with Endorr's LightGlobe illuminating them, the Julatsan Council minus the sacrificed Deale stood in the Heart and prepared to talk again to Heila, the Shroud Master.
The small chamber, centre of Julatsan magic, was cluttered with Barras’ selection of the College's most critical texts. They were stacked high in the spaces between the eight smoothed greystone segments and covered swathes of the stone flags that spiralled inward from the door to the Heart, hiding each councillor from those adjacent as they stood flush with the wall.
Kerela frowned at the obstacles spread all over this most hallowed of rooms, and Barras couldn't help but smile.
“We always said we should expand the Library,” said the old elf negotiator.
“I'll have the plans drawn up as soon as we've seen off the Wesmen,” said Torvis. A chuckle ran around the Heart, easing the tension.
Kerela held up her hands to restore quiet.
“Please, my friends,” she said. “We are here to disperse the DemonShroud protecting us from the armies of the Wesmen. Its raising took Deale from us and his soul is still under thrall to Heila and will remain so for we know not how long after the Shroud is gone. He may never be released. For the soul of Deale, I beg of you a moment's contemplation.”
Barras dropped his head forward on to his chest as did they all. Deale's had been the supreme sacrifice, his soul now at the mercy, though that was a complete misnomer, of the demons. It was a sacrifice Barras and Kerela felt keenly. Heila's preferred choice would have been either of them.
“Thank you,” said Kerela. “And now we will summon Heila, Shroud Master.”
With eight reduced to seven, the Council's task was that much more difficult. Kerela could spare only three to anchor the column and the sweat quickly covered the brows of Endorr, Torvis and Seldane as they struggled to maintain its integrity. Despite a single dangerous flare as the disc descended, they held firm, eventually settling to allow Barras to open the gateway.
As he edged it open, a surge of ice-blue mana light powered along the cylinder, all but dragging the lid from his mind's grasp.
“Something is wrong,” he said, his voice straining as he concentrated on control.
“Are you stable?” asked Kerela.
“Barely,” replied Barras.
“Can I continue the summoning?” Kerela's voice was urgent.
“You have no choice.” Barras could dimly feel perspiration running down his back. The mana still surged up the cylinder to dissipate against the walls or feed into the Heart construct where it added to the power the Council could draw on.
To Barras, Kerela's words of summoning were a faraway murmur as he bent all of his age, experience and sheer bloody-mindedness to the task of maintaining the gateway. Somewhere, the demons were drawing on a power that fuelled huge pressure in the mana they were projecting through the small portal and into which, Kerela placed her head to conduct the Summoning.
He couldn't understand the behaviour. Disappointment that the Council were about to force the dispersal of the Shroud, perhaps. Just being difficult, certainly. But in the deep of his mind, Barras felt something more sinister. Its root hung just beyond his reach, just beyond his comprehension. It was there though, like a marker for a thought he couldn't quite grasp. They would have to be careful.
Abruptly, the battering at the portal ceased, the column disappeared and Heila was among them once more. He was larger this time, both in height and girth, his azure blue colouring so bright it partially obscured his features. He rotated slowly for a while, arms and legs crossed and back ramrod straight, taking in the scene inside the Heart.
“I had not thought to be here so soon,” he said, his voice betraying his irritation.
“We were always honour-bound to limit our need for the Shroud as far as possible,” replied Kerela calmly.
“Ah, we are here to discuss dispersal, not extension.”
“You are surprised?” asked Kerela.
“At the discussion, no. At the timing, yes.”
“It is not in your gift to choose the time of dispersal.” Kerela's tone was tense.
“But circumstances change, do they not, High Mage?” Anxiety crackled in the air. Barras frowned. Nothing had actually changed, had it?
“Meaning?” Thank the Gods for the steadying influence of Kerela. If she felt nervous, she didn't show it.
“The dispersal of the DemonShroud is not currently in our best interests. To do so now would inconvenience us.” Heila's expression never changed. His every utterance carried no emotion, no betrayal of his desire. Yet every word carried with it the power of his position. Few stood taller in the hierarchy understood to control the demon dimension—a dimension in no way as chaotic as popular myth depicted.
“Inconvenient?” Kerela laced the word with total contempt. “Might I remind you, Heila, that the dispersal of the Shroud is not contingent on the convenience or otherwise to you. It is conferred following a decision by the Julatsan Council. Your agreement is sought to ensure that none of your people are caught as the Shroud is capped. It is not something we have to do. It is a courtesy we observe in the hope that you will look mercifully on the souls of those caught in its embrace. The spell of dispersal is not something you can resist.”
Heila smiled, revealing close ranks of needle-sharp teeth. “I am aware of the limitations placed upon us by the construct of your mana shape and it is most cunningly crafted. All I ask is for two more days for us to reap full benefit of the power it has temporarily given us. We too have enemies to fight. If you grant me these days, all the souls of those taken will go free.” There was a sparkle in Heila's eyes above the brightness of his skin, or rather the chosen colour of the mana encasing him.
Barras heard Seldane gasp and there was hesitation in Kerela's voice as she spoke.
“Heila, your offer is both generous and tempting. Very tempting,” she said. “And in any other circumstance, I would gratefully accept it. However, the lives of countless thousands of Julatsans hinge on the Shroud's immediate dispersal. With due sorrow and regret for the plight of Deale and all those taken, I cannot agree to this.”
Heila's brows arrowed in and his face contorted in a rage that suffused his feelings in blue swirls of writhing mana. His breath clouded in a sudden cold that swept the Heart and his fists unclenched to reveal wisps of pure white essence that voiced human screams as they were snatched back through the portal.
“We will fight you, High Mage, and souls like these will, I promise you, suffer an eternity of torment far from the heavens in which they belong. They are lost as you will be. I name you, Kerela of Julatsa. You are mine.”
“You cannot touch me, Heila,” said Kerela, though the demon's words had clearly shaken her. “Prepare your underlings for the dispersal of the Shroud. Goodbye.” Kerela terminated the link and Heila vanished without another word. Mana howled again along the column but Barras was both ready for it and equal to it. With a solid grunt, he sealed the portal.
There was quiet in the Heart for a moment. Barras wiped wispy grey strands of hair from his face and puffed out his cheeks. Torvis and Vilif exchanged frowns. Endorr spoke.
“What did he mean, ‘we will fight you’?” asked the young mage.
“Presumably, they will resist our capping and dispersal,” said Cordolan.
“No,” said Kerela. “It will be worse than that. The demons seek souls and something is giving them the strength to challenge us now they have a foothold in Balaia. I think they may try and break the containment.”
“What?” Seldane gaped, then her brow creased. “Can they do that?”
“Ordinarily, no,” said Kerela. “But ordinarily, they wouldn't feel they had the power to threaten us in our own dimension. Now, they obviously think they can.”
“So shouldn't we wait these two days? Let Heila complete whatever it i
s needs doing?” asked Endorr. There was a murmur of disagreement from Torvis, put into words by Vilif.
“No, young Master, I think you misunderstand who are the enemies to which Heila referred. In two days, I suspect the demons would be strong enough to sweep the containment aside. Heila was presumably upset because he can no longer be certain.”
“Yes,” agreed Barras. “And in two days, so many more will die in the Shroud. We cannot wait.”
“But his offer—” said Endorr.
“A lie,” said Kerela, her expression set and determined. “Come, my friends, the longer we delay, the greater our chances of failure. Join with me around the candle and remain strong. We cannot afford to weaken or the demons and not the Wesmen will take Julatsa. And then they will take Balaia.”
The Raven gathered close to Sha-Kaan, the wood and oil odours of his hide mixing uncomfortably with the sourness of his breath and the heat from the fires. They were in a defensive formation, the dragon and the humans back to back, he taking three quadrants, they the fourth. Hirad stood flanked by The Unknown and Will, Thraun beside the little man. Behind them, Ilkar, Erienne and Denser, ready to prepare on Sha-Kaan's word.
They couldn't feel the movement of the corridor, though Sha-Kaan assured them they were approaching Julatsa and he was merely waiting for the right time to breach the Shroud. Indeed, the calm was unnerving and Hirad found it hard to credit that they had moved anywhere. It was his trust in Sha-Kaan that made him believe.
“You will know when we touch the DemonShroud,” said Sha-Kaan. “The walls of this hall will shake and you will stumble. I will try and steer a steady path but I must strike at the heart of their power if we are to stop them and allow your mages to close the Shroud.”
“How soon?” asked Hirad.
“Very. They have begun their preparation. Your casting should commence shortly.”
“Before we start, remember what this spell actually is,” said Ilkar. “We're constructing a Cold Room by creating a shell inside of which mana cannot flow. We will maintain it using thread streams of mana stamina from within us. The process will be very draining. The Cold Room will not stop the demons but it will hurt them to enter it and weaken them extremely quickly. The absence of mana flow around your weapons will allow you to damage them but kills won't be quick and you should be striking to keep them back.
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