“We will start moving the women and children as soon as full dark arrives. We’ll move them in small groups to keep it as quiet as possible. Then we’ll get the men through the city gate just before dawn when the guard on the Trilene and Dellar walls will be at its least watchful.”
Taela frowned. “Why can’t the men leave through the canyon too?”
Belan scratched his ear and kicked a pebble down the steps of the balcony. “If we all just disappear, they will come looking for us and we might all end up either trapped in the canyon or caught out in the open grass land. Neither scenario is a good one when there are so many to protect. This way works better. It gets those who can’t defend themselves to a relatively safe place while the rest of us leave another way. That way if there is battle, the innocent aren’t caught up in it. Then, if things go as planned, we can collect those in hiding.”
Kellinar’s gaze swept the familiar streets around him. “It will be difficult to move them in the dark.”
Belan nodded. “Difficult yes, impossible no. It helps that the city guards have abandoned lighting all of the lamps in the Mallay.”
“It helps and hinders at the same time.” Kellinar glanced at the sun. Still early afternoon. How was it possible for a day to move so slowly?
Taela approached and placed a hand on his arm. “Please sit down or find something to do. You’re driving me insane with all of this pacing.”
Kellinar ran his hand over the braids on his head. “You’re right. The day will go faster if I’m not staring at the sun.” He gave her a quick kiss and headed inside the caves to help.
The sun sank toward the horizon as night climbed into the western sky to replace it. Silence hung heavy over the district as families shared the evening meal together, aware that it might be the last time they saw each other.
Like the last few nights, the city guards lit the lamps around the Mallay gate and left the rest of the district plunged in darkness. Only a small sliver of moon hung in the sky, not enough light to give them all away.
Several of the younger thieves rushed out into the blackness as Kellinar waited with Belan, Anevay, Serena, and Taela on the terrace. In the silence he made out the scuff of a shoe against stone, and quiet whispers as women comforted children frightened by the sudden change as the first group rounded the corner.
Women, children and several elderly ascended the stairs with heavy packs on their backs, and one or two carried a chicken in a small wooden cage. The sleepy hens clucked softly as they were carried past and disappeared into the caves. At least once they got through the caves that fronted the terrace there would be light to see by. The anxious feeling that had been growing all day began to get worse.
“Shryden where are you? I need you here.”
“Don’t worry. I will be there by the time you leave the city in the morning.”
“Why won’t you tell me where you are? Why won’t Paki answer Taela?”
“We don’t want to get your hopes up.”
“What are you talking about?”
Shryden didn’t reply. What was he up to?
The arrival of another group pulled him from his thoughts. The women passed silently, many carrying babies or toddlers while their older children clung to their sides, their eyes wide with fear. A few women led a goat or two. Older children had dogs on tethers or carried cats, puppies, and kittens. Kellinar hoped the animals had sense enough to stay quiet for a while.
The night crawled by as the sliver of moon made its sluggish way across the sky. Kellinar barely sensed an imperceptible change in the sky as the last group of women disappeared into the caves. A sigh of relief escaped him. If nothing else, that was done.
The men slowly gathered in the streets, waiting to be told what to do next. Belan, and the thieves not occupied by the women and children, came out of the caves with small one-shouldered packs on their backs.
The men of the Mallay carried the same over one shoulder. In their free hands they clutched swords or quarterstaffs. Kellinar fell into step beside Belan as he walked toward the Mallay gate. Anevay, Serena, and Taela walked with him. The thieves followed behind them, mixing with the men of the Mallay as they stepped into the street. As they walked, the men stopped to open pens and coops, freeing the animals that would be left behind.
Kellinar noted with relief that the soldiers at the gate bore the colors of the Vesnar House. Maybe, just maybe, this would work. Then one of the dragons, obviously not his since the blue still hadn’t made an appearance, could open a large Slide to somewhere, anywhere, and they could get everyone through. It wasn’t the same as all-out war, which they were still prepared for, but given the odds, this was a better way. Freedom would be achieved either way and he would help the Mallay people face the loss of their home and figure out what to do with them all.
As they approached the gate, the soldiers swung them open. Lords Vesnar and Telain met them on the other side of the thick arched opening in the wall. More soldiers, some on foot and some on horseback, held tight up against the outside wall where they would be less visible. Kellinar recognized three faces from the Trilene District’s lower houses as well as a good many faces from the Dellar. None of them were Serena’s parents.
Lord Telain rode up to them on a heavy bay horse. “So far everything seems to be going smoothly. At this point, even if the Trilene attacked, the most they can do is chase us further away. I think we have this one and much easier than I expected.”
Kellinar’s hackles rose. Was the man an idiot? He must be. Who proclaimed victory before it was in hand?
Apparently, Belan agreed. He glared up at Telain with a cold look. “You should never tempt the Fates in such a way.”
Vesnar shook his head. “Telain, you—”
The sound of shafts zipping through the sky made them all turn. Arrows tipped with fire rained down into the Mallay from the Trilene and Dellar walls. They landed on the tightly packed thatched roofs of the buildings. An orange glow began to fill the sky as the district caught fire.
Vesnar stared in stunned disbelief. “What in the name of the Fates are they doing? Trying to drive the people out?”
Kellinar’s eyes traveled up the wall of the Trilene District. Standing among the guards were Lord Dobrane and Oksana. He knew for a fact she hadn’t been there earlier. She must have waited until Miya and Latia had flown afar near the end of the evacuation. “They didn’t do this to flush us out; they did it to keep us from getting back in.”
Anevay started to follow his gaze but Kellinar didn’t give her a chance. He shoved her and Taela back against the wall and out of the path of arrows. “Call your dragons back, now! It’s a trap!”
Two Slides opened as Miya and Latia burst through and landed quickly. Serena and Anevay sprinted across the sloping ground and leaped into their saddles. In seconds the dragons leapt into the air and disappeared into another Slide as a hail of arrows sailed through the empty space they left behind.
Belan turned worried eyes on him. “Where did they go?”
“Someplace they can properly fasten their safety straps without becoming human pin cushions,” Kellinar said, reaching for Shryden with his mind. “Shryden, my friend, I really need you now.”
“I’m coming. It took longer than I expected, but I’m coming now.”
Several dogs and cats streaked past them, fleeing the streets and burning buildings behind them. Kellinar and his allies waited as tension coiled tightly among them. The boiling point had been reached, the pot was about to explode.
Suddenly, the air filled with Guardian Slides and Shadow Jumps. The quiet crackling of spreading fire in the Mallay ripped apart as Kojen poured through a black swirl. Two more black Jumps opened releasing the Turindar and Hanover armies.
The Slides spun open a moment later. Through the ash and embers floating on the breeze over the Mallay wall, Kellinar saw Mernoth come through with a wave of Defenders and mages. Another Slide opened as Shryden flew through with an army of men beneath him. Armore
d men on horses galloped through the Slide along with foot soldiers bearing the standard of Las Fane.
Another Jump opened and more Kojen along with several people poured out of it with yet another Shadow Dragon. As Shryden landed, a Slide opened and Paki came through. Kalila rode beneath her, with the army of Markene.
Kellinar fastened the catcher strap and leaped into the saddle. He had only a moment to see Paki lift off again before everything converged and battle consumed the world. Shryden swung his head and burned through a wave of Kojen before leaping into the air. Two more Slides opened as the blue climbed higher. Kirynn and Vaddoc with a bunch of Shaderian Border Guards and soldiers came through one.
Maleena, Mckale, and men flying the Calladaran standard came through the other Slide with…Kojen wearing chainmail with bright red handprints on the front? And wingless dragons? He wasn’t sure what he was seeing.
“The Ke’han, Anevay told you about,” Shryden sent. “Not a lot of them, but it looks like they brought Nagas and Nagis with them.”
More dark Jumps opened as Shadow Riders flooded the sky. Far more than Kellinar had expected. Shryden rolled away from the green shadow fire. As the blue came out of the roll and dived at the nearest black dragon, Kellinar saw Jocelynn and Varnen along with the two riders from Haraban Slide into the battle.
He didn’t have time to worry about them. Shryden slammed into the black, ripping and tearing through the dark scales with his teeth and claws. Kellinar threw up a shield of air, blocking a weave by the rider of the black while working a separate weave and throwing it at the rider.
The black tore away from Shryden at that moment and the weave missed.
Syrakynn dodged through the aerial battle after letting Kirynn off to battle on foot, the way her rider preferred it. A Shadow Rider chased after Adirynn and Jocelynn. Syrakynn made a sharp turn and dived at the Shadow closest to the pair. Slamming into the back of the black from above, she flexed her claws, sinking the talons deep.
The black screamed, faltering under the weight of the older, larger red. Before its rider could turn and throw a weave, Syrakynn clamped her jaws over the human and ripped him from the saddle. His body crunched in her powerful jaws before she spit him out, tossing the lifeless body though the air.
Beneath her, the Shadow wailed as it disintegrated. Bits and pieces flew off as Syrakynn ripped her claws free. Without bothering to watch the desiccated carcass fall to the ground, she dodged a wave of green fire and turned on the next Shadow, a part of her keeping track of Kirynn in case her rider needed her.
Mckale fought a mixture of Kojen and men. The Kojen mental attacks came up against his dragon shield and failed, making them easy fodder. Even the men who came up against him lacked not only the training but the speed and stamina of the bond. He worked methodically, taking no notice if it was Kojen or human, his blades were already drenched in the blood of both.
Tellnox skimmed the battlefield spreading a wide band of fire through the enemy ranks as he went. There would be fewer opportunities to do that as the armies mixed further. Soon such a move would kill as many allies as it did enemies.
To his left, a large group of Border Guards worked their way through more Kojen. Several of the guards went down screaming. Mckale looked away, he couldn’t think about anything else at the moment except survival. Off to his right, Mernoth drove a Shadow Dragon and its rider into the ground. The gold tore at the black even as the Shadow shriveled beneath him.
Another down, too many to go. How had the Shadow numbers grown so quickly?
Kalila hung back from the battle that raged just beyond the cover she’d taken. The Defenders assigned to her stood their ground, prepared to die for the queen they’d sworn fealty too.
Looking over the blood soaked battlefield, she wasn’t sure they wouldn’t be called on to do just that. She glanced nervously at the sky through the branches over her head. If Sadira or Ranit caught sight of her…
The battle filled a massive area outside the Mallay gate. The smaller villages clustered near the city had been swallowed by it. Smoke billowed thick in the air as the villages burned to the ground. The Mallay itself was fully engulfed, the embers flying on the air and setting more fires. Her eyes burned and she held a cloth pressed to her nose and mouth. The stench of burned flesh choked the air as the Shadows carelessly burned enemy and ally alike.
The Guardians had ceased shooting flames at the boiling battleground, unwilling to burn their allies.
A strangled roar drew her eyes to the sky. In horror, she watched one of the larger Shadow Dragons rip out the throat of a blue dragon and drop the lifeless body onto the combatants below. Kalila’s heart stopped. A scream rang out over the battle rising above the din of the melee as Tania, the blue’s rider, threw herself recklessly at her opponents in an attempt to reach her dead dragon.
The heavy swung sword of a Kojen cut the dragonless rider down. Tears rolled down Kalila’s cheeks as blood sprayed through the air. Tania fell to the ground, her body trampled under the feet of soldiers from both sides as her sightless eyes stared at the sky.
Belan led the men of the Mallay in the only direction he could take them, straight through the middle. The men who followed him fought and died all in the hope of freedom from the Mallay and the Shadow Dragons. Many of the men were well acquainted with the quarterstaff and held their own fairly well. Only a handful of the men who had attempted to use swords were left.
As they cut a path through the battlefield, Belan prayed to the Fates they would meet no Kojen. The Fates weren’t listening. Belan took the throat of a Turindar soldier with his sword and turned to find a large group of Kojen wading through human enemies in their direction.
This would be the end, none of the men, not even himself, were trained to deal with this. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. They would at least go down fighting. With a roar to the men behind him, he charged forward. They didn’t hesitate to follow him.
When they were almost within closing range when long, low-slung creatures that looked like wingless dragons swarmed over the Kojen, ripping the beasts to shreds. In seconds all that was left of the Kojen were dismembered scraps.
Belan had only a moment to stare stupidly at the blood soaked ground where the Kojen had been before the battle reclaimed his attention. He had to get what remained of the Mallay men out of this mess. The dragon-like creatures moved with them, keeping pace and helping to make a path. Whatever kind of dragon they were, Belan was glad they were here.
Kirynn carved through Kojen and human, taking both down without hesitation. She kept her mind closed to the sounds and smells of the battlefield. She welcomed each Kojen that dared approach her and felt nothing for humans that fell to her blade.
There would be no easy end to this battle. No fire weave that could save them. Too many friends were mixed with enemies. She fought with every expectation of death; this was not going to end well. Not that it mattered, if one had to die, this was the way to go.
A part of her mind remained locked with Syrakynn, if the dragon died, Kirynn would make sure she was only a step behind.
Vaddoc beat back Kojen with one sword while his other arm pushed a group of three children from one of the villages back a few steps. Their screams of terror blended with the noise of battle. He didn’t have time to comfort them. Vaddoc wove a heavy shield of light, altering it so Nydara and Paki would be able to get through it, and glanced back to make sure of the children’s position before throwing it up around them.
Nydara or Paki would grab the children as soon as they could. They’d already plucked quite a few women and children from the protective shields he’d put around them. Where the dragons took them Vaddoc didn’t know, somewhere safer than here he was sure.
He cut through another Kojen, the heat from the burning houses at his back. More children and their mothers fled in every direction. Vaddoc cursed under his breath and ran after a woman clutching a toddler and dragging a small child by the hand.
The woman screamed and stumbled as a Turindari soldier swung a sword at her head. Vaddoc deflected the blow, using his second sword to take one of the man’s legs off. He took only seconds to ensure the man wouldn’t rise again before throwing a shield around the woman and her two children.
Shouts pulled his attention and he turned to see several men from the burning village armed with pitchforks, scythes, and whatever else they could grab defending a larger group of women and children from Turindari soldiers.
Even as Vaddoc moved to help them, several of the village men went down on swords and pikes. One woman went wild as a soldier broke through. She grabbed a large pot and smashed the soldier in the face. He yelled curses as the clay pot broke on his face and helmet, and hot water scalded his skin. His yells didn’t seem to faze the woman; she snatched up a heavy rake and began to beat the man with it as she screamed curses back at him.
Another woman, emboldened by the actions of the first, grabbed a cooking knife and ran toward the downed soldier.
Vaddoc left the women to their battle and joined the village men, fighting alongside them. Little by little the line was strengthened as women joined them with whatever they could find that would serve as weapons.
Emallya fought against the Kojen. How many times had she seen battles like this? How many years during the War of Fire had her nose been filled with the stench of blood and death as the noise of combat raged around her?
A Kojen rose up against her and she took it down, ignoring the blood that splattered across the ground as it fell. A Hanoverian soldier yelled something she couldn’t make out as he attacked her wildly. In two swift moves she took his life.
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