The surprising addition of the Shanthi was a small source of hope. He had not expected the mission to Lenai’s people to succeed, and he was glad to be proven wrong. Once again, Jason Bennett had proved his worth. Baruun told them that, although Reyga was greatly respected because of his protection of Lenai, it had been Jason’s actions during the Sho tu Ishta that had moved the Shanthi to join their cause. He shook his head. The young Far Planer was a constant source of amazement and irritation.
If anyone but the High One had told him that hundreds of Shanthi were at the gates of Lore’s Haven, he would not have believed them. Even with the news coming from the High One, he had to see them for himself. When he saw the ranks upon ranks of the new arrivals, he immediately began thinking of possible ways to use their unique abilities. He had fought beside Lenai more than once. He knew the leader of her people would be a kindred soul. The two of them, along with their most trusted men, discussed possible options most of the night.
They now fielded a force of over ten thousand. Even with the addition of their new allies, however, he was afraid it would not be enough to change the outcome of the battle. Although the Shanthi were deadly warriors, he knew that some of the creatures they faced could be even deadlier. He also knew enough to keep such thoughts to himself.
He saw that the cat-man’s ears were still cocked his way. “I think we may be more popular than I had realized,” he said for Seerka’s benefit.
Seerka looked over at him, his eyes bright with amusement. “Well! There may be hope for you yet,” he said with a wink.
In spite of their situation, Gatlor could not completely suppress a grin as he shook his head. The Ferrin’s confidence bordered on arrogance.
Loremaster Brin moved up beside him. “Captain Gatlor, there are a number of weaknesses in the stone ahead. Cavities have been hollowed out underneath the surface. Enough weight on them will cause them to collapse.”
“Traps,” he said.
“Aye, it would appear that the Grithor have been busy.”
From Brin’s other side, the High One said, “Can you shore up the earth so that we may pass safely?”
“Under ordinary circumstances, yes, but I have no doubt that there are Grithor saiken watching those areas. They would counteract any moves we might make to strengthen the stone.”
“Then can you go ahead and collapse them instead?” Gatlor asked. “At least that way we would be able to see them and go around.”
“We could do that,” Brin said, “but we will need to be closer.”
Gatlor estimated the distance between the two armies. “Can you do it now? We will need to adjust our approach to avoid the pits.”
Brin looked toward the enemy. “Yes, but we will need to hurry.”
Brin and three of his students rode out ahead of the Haven army until they were midway to the enemy. Then they split into pairs, one pair moving to the left, with the other moving in the opposite direction. When they stopped, one student from each pair moved a little ahead and raised a shield between them and the approaching horde. As Brin and the remaining student extended their hands toward the ground, the shields flashed and popped where occasional arrows flew into them.
Gatlor heard a barely discernible rumble, and then the ground in front of the Ruby Loremaster and his students crumbled and disappeared with a crashing roar, leaving gaping holes in the parched earth. As thick clouds of dust rose into the air, the students dropped the shields and the four wheeled their horses and charged back toward the Haven army. One of the horses squealed and stumbled as an arrow struck it in the flank. The woman got her mount under control and they made it safely back to the army.
Brin pulled his horse to a stop by Gatlor. “There are more cavities around their army. Further proof that there are Grithor saiken working to prevent any collapse unless we are above.”
“Is there anything else between the traps you exposed and where we are now?”
Brin shook his head.
“And the traps still hidden, is there a way through them?”
“From what I could see, yes,” Brin answered. “But any attempting it would need members of my Order guiding them.”
“Have some of your students prepare for that,” he said. “We may need to send horsemen around to flank them if possible. Also, if they can, have them collapse the traps as they pass so that we may see them as well.”
“I will lead them myself. I have much to settle with Bodann and his ilk,” Brin grated as he turned his horse away.
Gatlor nodded. If Brin had not chosen the path of a Loremaster, he would have made a fearsome warrior. He looked to the High One. “High One, if you would?”
The High One raised his staff and sent a flare of dimsai into the air. The army came to a halt. Gatlor moved his horse out a little ahead and turned to face them. He looked out over the men and women, all prepared to fight to the death to save what they loved. Human, Dokal, Ferrin, Yellowtooth, all stood side-by-side watching him expectantly. Even a few Rodinn. He did not know how useful they would be in the battle to come, but had not felt he had the right to refuse them the chance to fight. A warrior’s heart was not determined by the size of the body in which it beat.
“Warriors, hear me!” he shouted. “Yes, I said warriors, for that is what you are. Some of you have trained your entire lives for just such a moment as this. Others had not raised a blade until just a few days ago. But you are all warriors nonetheless. For a warrior is not defined by the weapon in his hand, but by the passion in his heart.” He rode across the front of the ranks as he spoke. “And that passion, the willingness to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, the desire to protect those you love, the fire to strike at those who would destroy all that you know, burns in all of you, from the largest to the smallest.” He raised his sword over his head. “Today, our enemies will feel the heat of that blaze!”
The fighters raised their voices and weapons into the air as they shouted and cheered. He waited for the noise to die down, and then went on. “Today we fight, not just for victory, but for the future of our land. Remember what you have learned, and hold nothing back. Today will decide all of our tomorrows. I am honored to go into battle with you, for I know that your actions today will be such as what legends are made of. Now, let the ring of our steel echo throughout the land as a warning to those who would come against us! Let us go and make our mark upon the ages!”
The army roared its approval and surged forward as the saiken sent blazing bolts of dimsai into the air overhead. The battle for Teleria had begun.
Battle for Teleria
Gatlor wheeled his horse toward Bodann’s army and charged forward, the Haven forces right behind him. An instant later, the enemy began their own roaring, hissing charge. He watched the enemy ranks spread out, as the leading creatures opened space between them and the ones behind. When they were within three hundred paces of each other, he looked over his shoulder.
“Now!” he shouted.
Kalen sent a flare of yellow dimsai skyward. The Haven fighters halted their charge. Across the front of the Haven army, Topaz saiken ran forward and created scorching winds, blowing dust and grit into the faces of the advancing creatures. Gatlor knew this would be countered by the opposing saiken, but he only needed a few moments. Two hundred archers ran out and sent arrow after arrow high into the air. The Trellin, Manarachs, and other creatures would not see their death approaching as they shielded their eyes from the dirt-laden wind. The front of the enemy army fell into disarray as the arrows fell among them.
Bodann’s saiken responded quickly, sending up a shield overhead to protect the fighters from the falling arrows, which flared into ash as they hit the shield. When he saw that the arrows had been countered, he turned and signaled. Reyga raised his staff and sent a green flare of power into the air.
Gatlor called to Delani. “Loremaster Delani, I need to know exactly how this tactic fares.”
Delani nodded, then looked to the sky, her face taking on a d
istant expression as she linked her mind to the hawk flying far overhead.
*****
Bothan watched the clouds of dirt and grit envelope the front of his army.
“Poor little Loremasters. What do they think a wee bit of dust will do?”
He sent a mental command urging his fighters forward. Peering through the haze of dirt, he could just make out figures rushing forward from the Haven army. Then a cloud of another kind soared up over the dust and arced toward the leading edge of his army. The front ranks wavered, as scores of fighters stumbled or fell under the attack. Then he saw flashes of light as a shield sprang up over his forces.
“Aye, well done, lads. Well done. Now they’ll have to fight like men, face to face.”
A man scrambled up the hillside toward him, his frantic feet sending rocks and scree flying in all directions. “Lord Bodann! Lord Bodann!”
“What is it?”
“My lord,” the man panted, “they have Shanthi.”
“What of it?” he sneered. “We have Shanthi too.”
The man shook his head sharply. “Meaning no disrespect, my lord, but you misunderstand. They have Shanthi!”
His attention jerked back toward the battlefield as a new roar went up from his forces.
*****
Jason watched the arrows flash into nothingness against the shield. Then a green flare of dimsai soared into the sky. He knew what was coming next. He concentrated intently and a rainbow of auras appeared across the battlefield. On the hillside opposite where he stood, he saw a sickly glow like a diseased star. That must be Bothan.
To the right of Bothan’s army, Jason saw what looked like fog as a mass of disembodied auras approached the enemy fighters. He heard a roar rise up as the concealed Shanthi carved into their ranks. Scores, and then hundreds, of the enemy fell against the invisible onslaught of the Shanthi warriors. He remembered the look on Lenai’s face when the Trellin had attacked them. He shuddered to think what it would be like to face an army of warriors like that.
But for all the damage the Shanthi were doing, it was still just at the fringe of the massive force. Their attack was taking its toll, but it would take much longer to do any significant damage. It was just a matter of time before the enemy came up with a way to counter the tactic. Then it happened. He saw Manarachs forcing their way toward the perimeter of the army, shoving other fighters aside. When the creatures reached the edge, they began throwing silken threads and nets into the empty air. As they descended, some of the threads caught on invisible bodies. The Manarachs and Trellin furiously attacked the Shanthi entangled in the webbing. More were caught as the Manarachs cast their silk again and again. As the Shanthi died, their broken and slashed bodies became visible in the grit of the battlefield.
He was vaguely aware of a pain in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. “Get out of there,” he whispered.
He pounded his fist against his leg in frustration at his own helplessness, and wondered if Lenai was one of the Shanthi in the attack. Then another green flare lit up the sky, and he saw the fog begin moving away from Bothan’s army. They were calling the fighters back. The relief he felt was short-lived. Once they realized their nets weren’t catching anything, Trellin and Manarachs poured after the retreating forces.
Without warning, great sections of earth collapsed and vanished into a chasm in front of the retreating Shanthi. The fighters changed direction, moving parallel to the abyss as they ran. This allowed the enemy pursuit to close the gap between them and the Shanthi. More silken threads flew out, and more Shanthi bodies appeared on the ground. Moments later, a column of horsemen charged out from the Haven ranks toward the fleeing Shanthi, a bright red star leading the way. That must be Brin. As the horsemen charged around the flank of Bothan’s forces, the main section of the Haven army surged forward.
It was too much for him to take. His heart pounded in his chest and his thoughts were an incoherent jumble. Then one thought stood out clearly: If he really did have power, he needed it now.
He looked skyward and raged at the heavens. “NYALA!!” Then his eyes went wide as a flood of memories washed everything else from his mind.
*****
Brin watched Delani as she monitored the attack through the eyes of her hawk. At the first sign of trouble, he and his saiken would lead the mounted warriors to the aid of the Shanthi. His desire for vengeance and retribution warred with his self-control as he waited.
“The Shanthi are attacking, and many of the enemy are falling,” Delani said.
Brin looked at Bodann’s army. Their advance had slowed as they looked toward the commotion behind them.
“Wait,” Delani said. “Manarachs are casting trapsilk and ensnaring the Shanthi. They cannot fight back. The Shanthi are falling and more Manarachs are coming.”
“Loremaster Reyga,” Gatlor said, “signal the Shanthi to fall back.”
Reyga nodded and sent a green flare of dimsai into the sky.
After a moment, Delani nodded. “The trapsilk is now falling empty to the ground. The Shanthi have withdra— Traps! A pit has opened up behind where the Shanthi were. I cannot tell if any fell, but the enemy is pursuing.”
“Loremaster Brin,” Gatlor said, “take the mounted warriors to help the Shanthi. Once you have gone, we will press the attack from here. Perhaps we can pull their attention back to us and away from the Shanthi.”
Brin nodded and kicked his horse into motion. “Ruby saiken, mounted warriors, to me!” he shouted as he rode across the front of the army.
Within moments, they thundered around the far end of the southernmost pit. Up ahead, he could sense a concealed pit to the right, with the open chasm to the left, leaving a narrow strip of solid ground in between. They charged toward the ribbon of ground to keep the enemy from attacking before they could flank them.
“Ride along the edges,” he told his students, “so that the riders behind can see the safe way. If you can, collapse the weakened earth so that the pit can be avoided by others.” When they nodded he pulled his horse to the side and slowed.
“Watch where the saiken ride,” he called to the warriors as they passed him. “Do not stray outside their path.”
After the last of the riders had passed, he fell in behind. A subterranean rumble told him his students were triggering the trap. He saw dust rising from the earth to the right side of the column of riders, and then the ground crumbled away, leaving a deep ravine. The riders at that side of the column fought to keep their mounts under control as the horses shied away from the chasm that suddenly appeared beside them.
Ahead to his left, he could see the enemy chasing the invisible Shanthi. He saw dust rising from the ground, but could not tell if it was due to unseen feet or the shaking earth. He hoped the pit between them and the Shanthi ended soon so they could turn and aid the retreat.
Then the creatures noticed the riders and altered their course toward them. He nodded to himself. Better to chase a foe that can be seen than one that cannot. At least if they were coming after the horsemen, the Shanthi could make their escape. Now it was just a matter of where the fissure between the two forces ended that would determine the next move.
Shouts from in front of him grabbed his attention. He had to rein in sharply to keep from running into the horses ahead of him that were sliding and skidding to a stop. Thirty paces ahead, a horse reared, its rider frantically trying to bring it under control. Because of the suddenly crowded conditions, the horse came down on the back of another, causing that one to jump. The first horse reared again, and fell backward into two other horses behind it. Before Brin could do anything, all three horses and riders plunged into the yawning gulf.
“What happened?” he shouted. “Why have we stopped?” He looked toward the front of the column of riders and saw the group milling around uncertainly. Meanwhile, the leading creatures from Bodann’s army had reached the edge of the crevice. It would only be a matter of moments before they started sending arrows or blasts of dimsai into
the midst of the riders.
He carefully urged his horse forward through the mass. The soldiers moved aside as best they could. Glancing to his left, he saw that more and more of Bodann’s creatures were lining the chasm, hissing and grunting as they looked for a way to get at the Haven fighters.
He saw the reason for their halt before he reached the front of the column. The crevices to either side had curved away and then toward each other to join at the front. The ground they stood on was an island in an ocean of emptiness. All that joined this platform to solid ground was the narrow stone bridge they had ridden across. He gritted his teeth in frustration. They would have to go back. He hoped their distraction had been enough to allow the Shanthi to escape.
He turned his horse around and saw that going back was no longer an option. The creatures had reached the entrance to the spit of land and were now blocking it. He watched as they advanced toward the trapped riders while more gathered behind them. He heard a cry from his right. One of the riders, caught by a line of trapsilk cast across the chasm, was desperately trying to keep from being pulled over the edge. Brin blasted the Manarach with a bolt of dimsai, then sent two more blasts in rapid succession toward the rock just below the opposite edge. As the power exploded against the rock, it crumbled away carrying several Trellin with it. He forced his horse around once more.
“Beryk!” he shouted to one of the senior saiken that had accompanied them. “Open a portal back to Lore’s Haven. Hurry!”
A blast sent splinters of rock into the air as one of the enemy saiken returned Brin’s greeting. The edge underneath two of the horsemen began to crumble. He used his power to shore up the rock long enough for the riders to move their mounts.
From a Far Land Page 30