Delver Magic Book III: Balance of Fate

by Jeff Inlo

Chapter 18

  Sy considered what he heard so far from the elf. The news was grim, but not completely unexpected. The captain of Burbon’s guard knew something of significance had transpired to the east, and he made it clear that the report the elf gave him was not truly a surprise.

  “I’ve had reports come in from all different sources over the past day and a half,” Sy confirmed. “I’ve heard from scouts and merchants traveling the roads. It’s been pretty clear Connel was the target of something big. None of the news was good, and most of it came from fairly reliable sources. It’s getting rather common to hear about strange events and strange creatures, especially from those that travel this far out. When reports start to pile up, though, you know it’s time to worry. I was just about to call for Ryson and ask him to go scout the farmlands to the west of Connel when I was sent word you were at the gate.”

  Lief Woodson waved aside any need for such an endeavor. “I can tell you anything you need to know. I have been tracking the goblin movements for some time. I was hoping they would lead me to Sazar. Unfortunately, I never was able to pinpoint the serp, though I am absolutely sure he is in control and currently in the city.”

  “From what you’ve told me, I would have to agree.” Sy shook his head in disgust. “I knew this serp was going to be a problem the first time I saw him. I just didn’t dream he could cause this much trouble.”

  “Indeed, he is now a great danger. His army is large and well coordinated. They moved through the forest with a single purpose, and yet they never formed into one large unit until they hit the hills outside of Dark Spruce. When they came together, they moved with care and avoided detection until they were ready to attack. They took over the city without resistance. ”

  “The fact they took the city without having to fight isn’t really a great surprise to me, either,” Sy said. “Connel was pretty much devastated by the dwarves. I know they were focusing on rebuilding their army ever since the dwarf attack. They seemed to be moving fairly well along to that end, but there’s no way they could have trained enough soldiers in this short time to really form an effective brigade. From my reports, the only unit of any true experience that was not decimated by the dwarves was their cavalry.”

  “Their cavalry left the city under the banner of surrender. They were allowed to leave without casualties. They moved out of the city from the south and then turned due east. They rode out well beyond the farmlands, beyond my sight.”

  Sy raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  The conversation was interrupted as three individuals quickly entered Sy’s command post. Lief Woodson had asked for Ryson and the wizard Enin, but he was more than somewhat surprised to see Holli. The sight of her opened up a painful wound.

  “So here is where you’ve decided to live out your exile?” Lief asked of the elf guard.

  “It seemed reasonable,” Holli replied simply.

  “An elf guard living among humans? Even if it is a human town you have previously helped protect, even if there are those here that you can call friend, it seems very wrong. You were trained to protect the elves of the forest.”

  “Now I am training in a different way. While I do feel I help protect the people of this town, my true duty is to the wizard.”

  Lief eyed Enin, but Sy cut off the conversation.

  “Lief asked that I bring you here,” the captain stated with authority. “He has some rather bad news. We were all wondering what Sazar would do when he teamed up with the sorceress, well now we know. An exceptionally large force of goblins reinforced with shags, hook hawks, and razor crows has taken Connel.”

  “Connel was attacked?” Ryson blurted out in obvious concern.

  “Attacked is not the appropriate word,” Sy responded quickly. “From what I have heard, the goblins encircled the city and forced a surrender. Every report I have, including from Lief who was in the city at the time, indicates that the people in Connel surrendered and there were very little casualties.”

  “This can’t be right,” Ryson argued. “How could he force Connel to surrender? He’s a lousy serp.”

  “A serp with the assistance of a powerful sorceress,” Sy reminded him. “Lief has reported to me the size of the goblin army was massive enough to completely surround the city. You know how big Connel is. Think of how many goblins it would take to encircle the whole city. Now add some shags for support and hook hawks for aerial assaults and it’s not unreasonable to believe that Connel surrendered, especially after the beating they took from the dwarves.”

  “But why Connel?” Ryson persisted, “And what’s he doing there now?”

  “As your captain stated,” Lief answered, “I have been in Connel. The serp appears to want to hold the city for his own gain. He has used the goblins not to kill the inhabitants but to control them. He has herded them into Connel’s center. Bloat spiders encircle the city at its very edges. They have spun vast webs to block access to the city. Those few roads that are clear are guarded carefully. I have heard his orders as they were delivered to the people that live there. They are to toil for the serp’s behalf. For the most part, they will be allowed to resume their daily lives, as long as what they do serves the better good of Sazar. Just call them slaves.”

  Ryson grew more enraged by the moment. “He’s just going to take over Connel and work the people to a slow death?”

  “I’m afraid for some death will come much quicker,” Lief continued with what he knew of Sazar’s plans. “While most will be allowed to live in order to benefit Sazar, the followers of Godson, they are another matter entirely. Sazar needs to send humans to Tabris so that she may test her spells upon them. I assume it is payment for the power she has granted him. The human that was mayor of Connel when we were dealing with Ingar’s sphere—the one named Consprite—he has somehow joined the ranks of Sazar. He has convinced the serp that this group of Godson followers would be the best to send to Tabris. Of this, I am sure. I heard it myself and saw them take the first prisoners from the church to be brought to the Lacobian Desert. This included their leader, the Reader Matthew. They left before I did and are therefore already on their way to Tabris. And when those followers are no more, you can bet he will send another group and another group, and on and on.”

  “We can’t let this happen!” Ryson demanded.

  “No, we can’t,” the elf answered bluntly. “That’s why I’m here. I could do nothing alone. In fact there is little that anyone could do except…”

  Lief turned to Enin. He was about to continue until he looked deeply at the expression on the wizard’s face. He then looked at Holli and his suspicion was confirmed.

  “You knew this!” Lief accused. “You knew Connel had fallen to Sazar.”

  “Yes, I did,” Enin admitted sadly.

  “And you did nothing to stop it?!”

  “No, it is not my place.”

  Lief’s eyes opened wide in shock. “I came here to gain your assistance. I thought once you knew of what was going on you would be more than willing to put an end to this. You have the power to wipe the city clean of Sazar’s filth.”

  “Power?” Enin questioned. “People say I have been blessed with power. That is only partially true. What I really have been blessed with is a true and complete understanding of that power. That is the true gift I have received. I understand what I can and can’t do; what I should and shouldn’t do. I understand the gift can be changed at any time or taken away completely. I always act within the boundaries of that understanding.”

  “What in the name of Godson does that mean?” Lief demanded.

  “It means I can’t interfere.”

  Rage filled the elf. “Interfere?! This is not interference. It is your responsibility, your duty! Fire upon your soul if you do nothing! You alone have the power to destroy this dark army and you would stand there and tell me you won’t because you think it would be interfering?!”

  Enin held to his position. “It would be.”

  At this point, even Ryson
regarded Enin’s words with bewilderment. “Enin, this isn’t interference. Sazar attacked Connel. We can’t just stand here and do nothing about it. At some point, you have to accept that this serp can’t be allowed to get away with anything he wants. People, good people, are going to die. You can stop it.”

  “And when I do and free Connel, where does it end?” Enin asked. “Tomorrow I hear that goblins are raiding an outpost near the Colad Mountains, do I go there and destroy them or is an outpost too small to care about? The next day I find that river rogues are attacking a small elf camp, do I assist them or should I just worry about humans? The day after that I hear that razor crows are swarming over an algor desert community, do I wipe the air clear of them, or should I simply keep my attention on these surrounding lands?”

  He paused only for a moment to look around the room at the faces that revealed more surprise than understanding. He continued with his own concerns of the consequences to his actions.

  “And when I’m done providing my assistance to all those I deem worthy, what happens next? I have opened the door for every spell-caster in the land to do the same. The problem is that each spell caster may not be of like mind. Perhaps there are sorcerers out there that wish to help the dark creatures. Would that be just as acceptable?”

  “Help the dark creatures?” Lief asked in absolute disgust. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m telling you there are consequences to my decisions, consequences you don’t understand.”

  “What I don’t understand is how you will allow an army of dark creatures to run free and cause great harm to others. You have the ability to save these people and yet you deny them that aid!”

  “I can’t tell you how much I feel for the people of Connel,” Enin replied with great empathy. “I wish I could help them, but I can not act solely on sympathy.”

  Sy stepped in between the elf and the wizard just as Lief was about to explode with anger. The captain, however, turned his attention to the wizard.

  “Enin, this isn’t just about Connel. What’s going on has put everyone here in danger. The elf is more right than probably even he understands. It’s not simply just a matter of saving the people of Connel. We also have to save ourselves. We face all kinds of threats, some of them direct, some of them indirect. I swore to protect the people of this town. Keeping them safe also means keeping them alive. No one is going to be left living here for long with Connel in Sazar’s hands.”

  “If Sazar is foolish enough to attack here, I will defend my home.” Enin stated simply. “If it comes to that, then it is not interfering. If I am brought into the conflict, then I am free to act. There is a difference, however, between defending and attacking.”

  Sy stood silent as if trying to comprehend what the wizard just said to him. He revealed that he could not.

  “I have to admit, I don’t understand your logic at all,” Sy stated firmly. “You’re not making any sense whatsoever, but that doesn’t even matter. If you’re telling me you can defend your home, then you better start thinking about doing it now. I was serious when I said we were in danger. I meant all of us, everyone in Burbon.”

  Holli presented a question of her own at this point. “You think Sazar would attack Burbon in greater numbers to offset the wizard’s power?”

  Sy looked at Holli only for a moment. He looked back at the wizard with a discerning eye. He spoke of Enin with brutal honesty.

  “I’m not even sure how to answer that right now. I’ve got the feeling Sazar could increase his numbers a hundredfold and he still wouldn’t be a true threat to Enin. Truth is, I wonder if anything could offset his power, if he’s willing to use it. But it seems like he’s unwilling unless he’s attacked directly. The problem is Sazar doesn’t have to attack us directly. He doesn’t have to come to Burbon’s walls, he can starve us out. We depend on Connel’s farms for food and supplies. With those cut off from us, we don’t have many options. I mean really, what can we do? How long can we last? Maybe we can start farming the surrounding fields and hope to protect them, but how long will that take? Maybe we can even hunt in Dark Spruce, but that’s going to be tough going during the dormant season. What then, Enin? Will you help us destroy Sazar’s army when we start to starve?”

  Enin said nothing.

  Sy simply turned away from the wizard. “Well, I’m not going to wait for an answer from you because I already know enough of what’s going on out there.” Sy then pointed to the map on his wall. “Even before the dormant season began, I’ve had my scouts go on long patrols. I’ve sent Ryson out dozens of times to cover areas throughout Dark Spruce and up to the Colad Mountains. Each time I ask them to report on the number of goblin raiding parties they come across. I’ve been keeping track of their movements and numbers for some time and the information is anything but encouraging news. Their numbers are swelling by leaps and bounds. I have no idea how they end up appearing in this land, but I know more come each day. Before today I thought they were broken up, splintered in hundreds, maybe thousands of small groups all over Dark Spruce, the Colad Mountains, and Godson knows where else. But now it seems like Sazar is bringing them together. He’s apparently brought enough together to take Connel, but the thing is, I don’t think he’s done yet. I think he’s only got a fraction of what’s out there.

  “Now, think for a moment what happens when all these goblin packs that are spread over the forest, the mountains, and maybe even the desert hear that a serp has taken a human town the size of Connel. You don’t think for a moment they’re not going to seize on this and head for Connel? How many will end up there? Would anyone have the time to count that high? And once they’re there, what do they do? They storm every surrounding farm and take everything they can lay their hands on. And what do we do?

  “The simple point is we are not in an enviable position any more. I don’t care how powerful Enin is. We now sit with Connel controlled by Sazar. He’s got Godson knows how many goblins and who knows what other creatures. Our supply lines are now in very grave danger. We have Pinesway abandoned, so no help there. Dark Spruce is right on our doorstep, past that to the Northwest is the Colad Mountains and more dangerous creatures. To the southwest is the Lacobian Desert and I don’t even want to think what might be waiting for us out there. Yes, we had it good for a while thinking that none of these creatures would dare anger our good wizard, but those days ended when Sazar took Connel.”

  Sy paused then turned to the delver. “Ryson you told me about what you saw at Pinesway, when that sword of yours gave you a vision of what Sazar wanted then. He wanted to make Pinesway a breeding ground for goblins to grow his army. Do you think he wants any thing different now? Problem is it’s not an abandoned little town at the edge of Dark Spruce. It’s Connel on the edge of some of the richest farmland around. He’s going to make humans work on those farms for him. Put this all together and it’s not a good story for anyone, especially us.”

  “So what do we do?” Ryson asked.

  Sy looked one last time at Enin, but when the wizard offered nothing further, the captain took control. “We need to hit the serp now. We hit him with whatever we can muster. We either drive him and his forces out of Connel, or we have to actually start thinking about evacuating Burbon, moving east out of his reach.”

  “And how do you intend on forcing his goblin army out of Connel?” Holli asked. “I have seen your guard in action against the dwarves and I know your current strength. They are excellent defenders, but this action would call for offensive tactics. They would be vastly outnumbered with the goblins fully entrenched in the city. These are not welcoming odds for you.”

  “No, they are not,” Sy admitted, “and I have no intention of leading my soldiers on a suicide mission. There is, however, sufficient help to the east. Fort Nebran lies within a day's ride, additional outposts exist less than a day away from the fort. Lief has also told me that the contingent of Connel’s cavalry escaped to the east when the city surrendered. I would bet my best h
orse that they went to Nebran as well. When they hear what’s going on at Connel, they’re not going to need much incentive to return.

  “I’ve had dealings with the officers at Nebran before, and believe me they know the score. They’re thankful that our town sits between the farmlands and Dark Spruce. Word has spread of Enin and they know Burbon serves a nice buffer. When they hear an army of dark creatures has bypassed us and taken Connel, they’ll know that they’re the next target in line. If we consolidate all our numbers, we can assemble a sufficient force to at least have a chance. With a little luck, we might be able to take back the city.”

  Holli offered one last bit of concern. “What of the bloat spiders? Lief said they have encased most of the city with their webs. How can we attack the city if we can’t get through the webs?”

  “Actually, I believe the spiders will at first work to our advantage. It’s not just a matter of limiting what enters the city, it’s also a point to consider how fast Sazar can get his forces out of the city. He may not be able to meet us in the open field. If we know that in advance, we can make it work to our advantage.” Sy turned to Lief. “This does, however, raise a question. If the city exits have been covered by the webs of bloat spiders, how did you manage to get out?”

  Lief responded without hesitation. His tone held the simple ring of truth as opposed to any arrogance in what he was able to accomplish. “I am an elf, not a human. I can climb up and down the sides of your structures. The spiders only covered the free paths of the streets knowing that humans would not be able to jump rooftop to rooftop to avoid their webs. They did not know an elf was present within the city.”

  It was then Ryson that raised a concern of his own. “What about the people trapped in Connel?”

  Sy frowned and did not answer.

  Ryson pressed with his own understanding of the matter. “If you attack Connel, those people in there are going to be trapped with the goblins. Sazar could use them as hostages or simply kill them to keep them from getting in the way.”

  “The city is surrounded by webs, Ryson,” Sy reminded him. “I can’t get them out. There’s no secret passage way that’s going to get them out. I don’t have that kind of magic.”

  Everyone looked at Enin, but the wizard simply stared at the floor. Ryson, however, quickly ended the uneasy silence as his face lit up like a flare.

  “But there is!” Ryson exclaimed.

  “Is what?” Sy demanded.

  “A secret passage, there is a secret passage. Remember the dwarves attacked Connel just like they attacked Burbon. They dug tunnels under the city and attacked by appearing in the city’s center without giving Connel’s army advanced warning. We can use those tunnels to get the people out.”

  Sy stood silent, but only for a moment. Then he quickly dampened the delver’s proposal. “The dwarves blocked those tunnels after they left the city in ruins.”

  “They just block sections, so the humans couldn’t use them to follow them back to Dunop.”

  “Exactly, that means we can’t get through them to get to Connel. It’s enough of a block that we wouldn’t be able to dig through in time. We can’t wait forever to hit Sazar. We have to do it now.”

  “We couldn’t dig through, but the dwarves could.”

  “You think the dwarves are going to help us?” Sy questioned. “The dwarves didn’t just attack Connel, they attacked Burbon as well. And it wasn’t just a small disagreement, it was a nasty battle. We lost a lot of lives and they lost much more. Our wizard here decided to help then and we forced them to retreat. Now I know you told me that they attacked because their queen ordered them to and I know she’s gone now, but it’s hard for me to believe the dwarves are going to be willing to assist us after all of that.”

  “They owe us, or at least they owe me,” Ryson said simply. “I saved Dunop from the shadow trees. I also asked for the cliff behemoths to come to Dunop. They did and stopped the sand giants. All I’m going to ask the dwarves now is that they clear a few tunnels so we can get to Connel. They owe me that much.”

  “They may not think they owe you anything at all,” Sy responded flatly.

  Lief turned to Sy and declared his own considerations. “No, they are stubborn, they are greedy, they are arrogant, but they are also very proud. They understand that the delver saved their city. That, they can not deny, and thus they can not deny the debt they owe him. For them to turn down a simple request would be beyond my comprehension. I believe they will have to do what he asks out of their own desire to clear that debt. To deny him that simple request would be an act of dishonor. I believe that would be beyond them.”

  As Sy looked silently at the map on his wall, he considered the many factors they now faced. In his mind, he calculated the risks of involving the dwarves and the advantages of freeing the humans of Connel. At the same time, he ran through different scenarios in his head regarding the possible upcoming battles with the goblins entrenched in the city.

  “Let me just think about this for a moment,” Sy stated as he continued to review his map. “Maybe, just maybe we can use Sazar’s own tactics against him. He surrounded the city to cut them off from any hope of escape. We can cut them off in the same way, cut them off and keep them focused on what’s happening just outside the city.”

  Sy made a quick calculation of the forces he would need and the soldiers he believed would be available for the attack.

  “Actually, this could all work in our favor if we time it right,” the captain offered as he turned his attention to Ryson and Lief. “If you really think we can get the dwarves to open up those tunnels for us, we might have a chance to get those people out of there. We all have to realize that you’re not just going to be able to guide them all out under Sazar’s nose, but if I can get a sizeable force to attack the city, Sazar can’t afford to watch over the people they’ve got caught in there. We start the attack right at nightfall at the perimeter and Sazar is going to have his attention on us. At the same time, you can start moving as many people out as you can. Even if we fail to initially defeat Sazar, we can still succeed by removing his work force. On the outside of the city, we would have him surrounded. Maybe we can’t get him out of Connel, but at least we would have him contained, and with no prisoners, no hostages, and no way to get out to the farmlands. Also, he won’t be able to send humans to Tabris. If we’re right about what’s going on with her, that’s going to hurt his relationship with her. If she suddenly decides to break off the deal and strip him of any extra powers, I’m guessing he goes back to being a regular serp and he won’t be able to control that many creatures scattered all over Connel. Even if that doesn’t work, we can even think about just burning the city to the ground.”

  Holli nodded. “It is a sound plan. You would also succeed in cutting off any new dark creatures from joining Sazar.”

  “Exactly,” Sy agreed. “We’re still going to have to try and do everything we can to engage the goblin horde to keep them occupied, but at least now we have other options available to us if we can’t get them out of the city.”

  Ryson now offered his own understanding of what needed to be done. “It has to be me that goes to Dunop. I’m the one that has to make the request. You also can’t send any of your soldiers with me through the caves. It will slow me down and I need to rely on speed.”

  “I don’t intend to. I agree with you and I also can’t afford to spare any. The few that I can leave behind will have to guard Burbon. I was hoping, however, that Lief would go with you. You can use another pair of eyes, and from what I’ve seen, an elf won’t slow you down that much.”

  “I can live with that,” Ryson stated as he looked to Lief expectantly.

  “I shall accompany you,” Lief agreed with little fanfare.

  Ryson considered the events that transpired the last time the two were together and wondered if Lief would be able to control his anger in the midst of so many dark creatures. “You realize we have to go unnoticed, especially when we are in Co
nnel, so you can’t simply run off and start attacking the goblins. Our objective is to get everyone out alive, not to start a war once we get in there.”

  Lief’s eyes narrowed. “You might no longer believe this, but I can maintain control when necessary. I was able to get in and out of Connel without being noticed. Do you think I could have accomplished that if I just started attacking goblins?”

  “No, I guess not,” Ryson conceded. “I just wanted to make sure we agree on what our main purpose was here.”

  The elf simply heaved a heavy sigh.

  “I wish to accompany them as well,” Holli interjected. “I can help them and while we need to keep the party small, I think three is better than two. We can all move swiftly and quietly. When we reach the inner streets of Burbon, I can assist in guiding the humans to the tunnels.”

  Enin finally spoke up. “You wish to go with them?”

  “I need to go with them,” Holli answered. “I feel it is my responsibility.”

  “How so?” the wizard asked.

  “You said that when Tabris decided to join with Sazar it represented her turn toward an evil path. By your own admission, you used that decision as the reason you were willing to make me stronger. If she did not turn toward evil, I truly wonder if you would have trained me at all. That being the case, I believe that I must do all that I can to counteract any evil this sorceress does. She is responsible for Sazar gaining control of so many creatures. Without her power, he would be left to raid abandoned outposts in the northern wilds. Do you understand?”

  “Whether I understand or not is immaterial,” the wizard said revealing little emotion. “If you wish to go with them, that’s your choice.”

  “It is not my choice alone. I came here to be your guard, thus my first duty is to you. If you do not want me to go, if you don’t see the need, then I would stay here. I have to answer to my duty, and that is to you.”

  “No, your first duty is to yourself.” Enin looked about at everyone in the room. “I know all of you don’t think too highly of me right now, but perhaps this will help explain, even if it is only slightly.” The wizard turned back to Holli. “I’ve spoken at length about choice and not interfering. You have a choice, as does everyone in this room. If you believe it is important for you to go with them, then I would never stand in your way. I will not take that choice from you. Everyone here wants me to solve this problem. I’ve tried to make it clear that there are consequences in that action. I know my arguments seem weak in the face of what everyone is talking about, but you all need to decide for yourselves what you must do.”

  Enin turned and walked to the door. “I still want you as my guard when you return, but more importantly, I want you to do what you think is right. Good luck to all of you.”

  Without waiting for anyone to respond, he walked out the door.

  Sy did not let the silence last. He had already begun working out his plans and he now wanted to move quickly. “How long do you think it will take for you to get to Dunop, convince the dwarves to help get the tunnels cleared, and get into Connel?”

  “Getting to Dunop is easy,” Ryson answered. “Not sure how long it will take for us to see someone of authority to convince them to help us. That’s the true unknown. When I left last time, Jon Folarok was basically comatose. He had withdrawn in the wake of Yave’s rebellion against him and he showed no sign of coming out soon.” Ryson turned to the elves. “Do either of you have an idea of what’s going on down there?”

  Lief spoke up first. “When we delivered Petiole to the dwarf city, Jon Folarok was still king. There appeared to be order in the city and we have heard no further rumors about the dwarf separatists that wished to end the rule of the monarchy.”

  Holli concurred. “Every report I heard revealed stability has returned to Dunop.”

  “Well at least that’s good news,” Ryson replied with a show of relief. “Just about every dwarf down there is going to remember me and my sword. I ran around the whole city to kill the shadow trees, so I don’t think there will be a problem getting in. Once we’re in we need to accompany the dwarves to the tunnels to Connel and allow them time to clear them.”

  “Dwarf construction is a marvel to watch,” Lief added. “It will take little time for them to clear a path.”

  Ryson made a quick calculation based on that. “Dunop isn’t that far from Connel, so if everything goes smoothly, it should only be three or four days.”

  Sy nodded in satisfaction. “I’ll give you a couple of extra days as a buffer. I’m going to need time to assemble the forces I need to take care of my part. I’ll organize the guard here today, determine what I need and what I should leave behind to guard Burbon, and then we’ll ride for Fort Nebran. With their aid, I can have the force ready to move on Connel in three days. It will take another day to reach Connel from the Fort.”

  Sy tapped his fingers on the desk in a counting fashion before continuing. “We will begin our attack during the evening, right before nightfall, six days out from today. You should already be under Connel at that time. When you hear us attacking and you believe it's dark enough, you can begin. Get topside and start sending as many people as you can to the tunnels. Hopefully, in the cover of darkness, Sazar’s attention should be focused on us. If they do spot the humans fleeing, they will think they are seeking shelter from the coming battle. I doubt Sazar will care about them.”

  Sy tried to play out the battle in his mind. He considered the sequence of events and revealed his own hopes. “I honestly believe we can raise enough of a force to surround Connel. That will be more than enough to keep Sazar focused on us. Whatever happens during the battle, we won’t make any attempt to move toward the inner sections of the city until daylight, if at all. Some of this is going to depend on how Sazar reacts, but all of our assaults will be focused on the outskirts of the city. As we attack, it should draw more of their forces to the city’s outer boundaries. With just the three of you, you’re going to have to move fast, but I’ve seen you all move and if you coordinate it well, I think you have a good chance of getting a large portion of them out of there. Is there anything I’m overlooking?”

  Lief pointed out one potential problem. “We must all be wary of the hook hawks and the razor crows. With their ability to fly over the city, Sazar will have eyes that can see great distances.”

  “Good point. Not sure if there’s anything we can do about them, but I’ll work on it. Anything else?”

  Holli offered what she knew. “Bloat spider webs are difficult to cut, but they will burn. They will not burst into flame, so the surrounding structures should not be in danger of catching fire, especially with the current cold in the air. The problem is it takes time for the smoldering strands to break apart. By that time, the spider is aware of your presence and will attack.”

  “Good to know, anything else?”

  No one responded. Sy offered his last sentiment. “We know what we have to do. As Enin said, good luck to all of us.”