"There--do you sense it?" Leti whispered softly. The Heart crystal in the center of the conference room glowed and flickered, bathing those in the circle with a gentle lavender light. "She's doing it; she is actually cutting the fabric of the Essence, laying our world bare to him."
Ikawa looked across the room at her, and though for a moment their eyes caught and held each other, he felt so very distant from her. She was now a demigod burdened with an awesome responsibility to protect the realm, while he was still merely a sorcerer, the holder of a minor fiefdom.
Boreas, who had arrived only moments before the war council had begun, shifted in his chair and glared with a cold anger. "She's opened the gate."
"How long do you think we have?" Leti asked, looking over at the only ally whom she and Tulana had been able to summon. Communication had been next to impossible, so thorough had Patrice's jamming been. If not for Tulana's strength, and the crystal shard forged by his grandfather, they might not have reached even Boreas. All attempts to reach Aleena had failed, and Reena, whose realm was on the other side of the world, would not respond, so distant was she now to the concerns of others.
"The barriers are the strongest bonds ever forged," Boreas said darkly. "Even with Horat's crystal it will take days. She needs to bring through hundreds of his demons first; they in turn must channel all their energy back into the portal to stretch it wider. We have three, maybe four days before Gorgon himself can cross through."
Leti settled back in her chair and sighed. Boreas was silent, while Tulana, sitting next to him, pulled on his beard and cursed.
"And Jartan?" Mark asked.
Leti shook her head and looked at Pina, who was now in charge of the gateway portal.
"Jartan's forces have gone through fourteen jumps on this campaign, eleven of which are into Gorgon's outer realms. Picture it as a long thread leading into an unmapped darkness. Two days ago the thread was cut at the fifth jump point inside Gorgon's territory."
"It was a perfect defense," he said evenly. "The deeper in Jartan went, the more he had to leave behind to protect each point in our communications line. I would assume that after the fifth jump point was outflanked and taken, Gorgon's people followed up the line, cutting point after point."
"So Jartan's still cut off and there's no hope of contacting him?" Tulana asked.
Pina nodded. "Jartan might not even know yet that he's been cut off, or could assume that it's a minor harassment to his rear and continue to press forward. It could be weeks before he comes back. If he followed standard battle doctrine, he would have kept a strong point midway on his communications line. Hopefully that point will hold, but even it could be outflanked and cut off."
"A masterful deception," Boreas commented.
"Obviously well planned," Pina replied, with a slight hint of admiration for the professional skill of his adversary. "I suspect Jartan will perceive this merely as a delaying and harassing action and will continue to press his attack into the heart of Gorgon's realm."
"And we lose Haven," Leti said grimly. "The whole thing fits together so nicely. Lure the gods off Haven, lead them on a wild chase, then cut straight into the heart of our realm."
"But it hasn't all gone according to plan," Ikawa replied, the slightest edge of rebuke in his voice.
Boreas and Leti looked up at him.
"Vena was supposed to steal the Crystals of Fire without our even being aware that they were gone. The portal would have been opened, again without our being aware of it. If our attention had not been drawn to it, and at least some of her shielding penetrated by the power of the Heart"--he pointed to the massive gem glowing before the group--"Gorgon might already be among us."
"There's been a delay of nearly ten days as well," Ikawa continued forcefully. "I dare say that Gorgon's forces have taken a terrible beating from the gods while he waited for the crystals to be retrieved."
"We must fight our way through," Boreas pointed out. "It'll take us three days to reach her realm. We'll have no levies of armed men available--there is no time to march them down there. I am bringing all my sorcerers; when I left I had already passed the word to marshal here."
"How many will that be?" Leti asked.
"Just under seventy with warrior skills--and that will strip my realm bare. Twenty are already here with me"--he paused--"including Giorgini."
Ikawa looked at Mark, who stiffened, but did not comment.
"We have only a hundred or so from Jartan's provinces," Leti said, "and most of those are not of the top echelon. We can get another forty or so from the free guilds and minor fiefdoms."
"I brought up ten from Landra, and we can pick up another ten from occupation duty in Sarnak's old territory," Pina interjected. "Those of Minar's provinces closest to us can throw in another forty or so."
"Twelve from my territories," Tulana said coldly. "I had to leave seven behind to protect my cities from the Cresus."
"And there's us," Ikawa said.
"Around three hundred then, who can make it here in time," Boreas said. "Calling up transport people and other nonmilitary sorcerers, we might get four hundred total."
"And the gods know how many hundreds of demon warriors and lords will have already passed through by the time we get there," Leti pointed out.
"It doesn't look good," Valdez grumbled.
"There's nothing else we can do," Boreas snapped. "We have to attack."
"Frontally," Valdez said, "against a fortified position with wall crystals, and the odds already against us?" He gave a snort of disdain and walked around the Heart crystal to face Boreas. "We'll be slaughtered on the first assault."
"So we stay back here and hide, like frightened children?" Boreas growled.
"Are you accusing me of cowardice?"
"If your people had done their proper job, that woman never would have infiltrated our ranks."
"I take responsibility for that," Valdez snapped.
"You damn well should."
"If you want satisfaction, I'm ready to meet you any time," Valdez shouted.
Boreas leaped to his feet. "Here and now, if you don't like what I said."
"Damn you, we're suppose to be fighting on the same side," Ikawa roared, coming up to stand between Valdez and Boreas.
Leti came up beside Ikawa and angrily put her hands on Boreas shoulders. "Valdez is the best security advisor in Jartan's realms. He's better than mine, he's better even than your Farnak. If she got past him, she'd have gotten past any of our people."
"I don't need you to defend me," Valdez said slowly, his voice brimming with rage.
"I need all of us to work together," Leti shouted. "If you two want to kill each other later--if there is a later--then go ahead."
Ikawa took Valdez by the shoulders and gently pushed him away from Boreas. "Not now," he whispered. "First Patrice, who has insulted you far more by what she did."
"But I must redeem my honor," Valdez whispered, torment in his eyes.
"You've never lost it."
Valdez was silent, and Ikawa felt his throat tighten. He could understand the torment of this man. Through an unprecedented security breach, an enemy had stolen into the heart of Jartan's realm and opened the way for attack. The guilt was slowly killing the man.
"For the common good of us all, don't cause a breach between our people and Boreas."
Valdez looked into Ikawa's eyes, and for the first time since coming to Haven, Ikawa could see confusion in the old warrior's face.
"We settle it later," Valdez growled, breaking free from Ikawa and looking back at Boreas.
The demigod merely nodded.
"Yet I still say that a frontal attack on Patrice's city is suicide," Valdez told the council. "She might believe that word has yet to reach us of the danger and it'll be several days before we can respond. But nevertheless her defenses will be deployed. Hours before we hit, she'll know we're moving in. In fact, she'll fully anticipate our arrival."
The room was silent for a moment.<
br />
"There is no other way," Leti said finally. "Perhaps with the Heart crystal we can cut our way in."
"The damn thing's a wonderful weapon," Boreas replied, "but cumbersome. It'll take my strength, and yours as well, just to move it. In an air battle it'll be next to useless, and we'll have to fight our way across twenty, maybe fifty miles, before we even reach the walls where the power of the Heart can be brought to bear in its full strength. Even if we breach the walls and knock out her heavy crystals, we'll still have to fight our way over and into the palace, cut our way through, and then finally smash the portal down--a position which will be swarming with Gorgon's denizens."
The room was silent again as everyone in the chamber considered his words.
"Then we'll have to try from another direction," Tulana said quietly.
"I figured we'd get around to this sooner or later, and I didn't feel like wasting my breath first," he went on. With a snap of his fingers, one of his sorcerers stepped forward and unrolled a chart on the table before the Heart Crystal.
"My forces are already moving. Just remember I'm the one who thought it up when it comes to reward time later."
Chapter 15
"This is Red Team calling in," Walker said, breaking comm link silence. "I've got many, many bandits coming up at twelve o'clock."
"Fifty at least," Kraut shouted, winging up alongside Walker. "No, make that seventy-five plus."
"Seventy-five plus," Walker repeated into his crystal.
"What are bandits?" a voice crackled through the interference that Patrice's defensive teams were putting down.
Walker looked over at Kraut and shook his head.
"The guys in the black hats. The enemy!"
"Acknowledged," came the curt reply.
"They're coming up through the cloud layer," Kraut shouted, pointing forward and below.
Several miles ahead, Walker could clearly see the first specks, flying in a loose weaving formation. More and more appeared, coming up on an intersect path with Walker, Kraut, and their thirty companions.
"Christ, will you look at those demons," Walker yelled.
Behind the first wave of enemy sorcerers, half a hundred forms appeared, black and red against the early morning clouds, their mighty wings slashing through the air.
"Magic users all, I bet," Walker said coldly.
"White or Black leader?" the comm link asked.
"Negative on that," Walker replied. There was no sign yet of either Patrice or Gorgon, at least.
The two groups continued to close.
"I'm sensing more coming up out of the city," Kraut announced. "Maybe fifty--more like sixty, at least."
"They must have picked up the main van of our attack group," Walker shouted. Looking back over his shoulder, he tried to pick out where Leti and the other one hundred and fifty sorcerers were keeping to the upper cloud bank ten thousand feet above him. He focused his attention for a moment, scanning. There--he could barely sense them. Leti was cloaking the group well, but at this range they might be noticed.
"Let's keep acting like the bait that we are," Walker said, avoiding the comm link. The enemy would know that this small formation was a forward recon and bait--thirty sorcerers approaching Patrice's city could be nothing else. The trick was to make the bait so enticing that they'd make a stab nevertheless, and then get jumped from above.
"They're breaking into two groups." Kraut pointed forward.
The range had closed to less than two miles, and Walker could now see that the demons were spiraling upward in tight circles, going for the upper cloud bank, while sixty sorcerers were banking out in a wide circle, holding the same altitude as the "bait."
One of Jartan's elderly sorcerers came up to hover by Walker's side, giving him a nervous glance. Walker smiled. "Let's get closer in."
The sorcerer said nothing, but it was obvious that he wasn't happy.
"Come on," Walker shouted. "It's gonna be a good scrimmage!"
Judging carefully, he watched as the sixty sorcerers continued a wide banking turn, positioning themselves to come in on Walker's right, while the demons continued to spiral up.
"Something on our left--they're coming straight up from the ground below," Kraut yelled.
Walker looked down. A quarter mile below, he saw scores of demons breaking through the scattering of clouds and ground fog.
"Imada, how you doing?" Walker looked at the boy beside him. He would have preferred if the lad had stayed with Ikawa, but he had insisted upon being in the front of the action, and Ikawa had finally relented.
Imada said nothing, but his eyes were cold, as if eager for contact. There was something about him that gave Walker the chills.
He looked forward again. A couple more seconds, just a couple more, and then break and head straight back out, pulling the attackers in under Leti, who could hit them from above.
"Contact--we have contact!"
Stunned, Walker looked back over his shoulder.
A ripple of fire slashed through the clouds above.
"Damn it, they were in the clouds, shielded and waiting for us," the voice over the comm link screamed. "We're getting hit on..." The channel went dead.
Several bodies came tumbling out of the clouds, trailing fire and smoke.
"Break, left and down!" Walker screamed. Winging over, he started into a near vertical dive. When he looked back, the rest of the group was following, and Kraut was closing in alongside. Farther back he could see the demons who had been spiraling up now cutting over, knifing through the air, while the group that had been circling to the right started to dive as well, coming in behind them.
"Stick to me like glue," Walker shouted to his group.
Damn them, if only his own people were around him, he wouldn't be so worried, but there was only Kraut, Imada, and the rest were aging warriors from Jartan's and Storm's courts. The outlanders had introduced a whole new level to aerial warfare here on Haven, flying in tight formation, jumping, slashing through, and then pulling out as a team. They had won Allic and his warriors over to this system, but few others understood the tactics, and he feared that once combat was joined they'd follow their old instinct to break apart and engage in individual combat.
"Don't mix it up. Hit them, then go for the clouds and fog bank!"
The range closed with frightening speed. Walker lined up his shot on a demon who, roaring with battle lust, was winging up to meet him.
A ripple of bolts shot up from the enemy, several striking Walker's shielding so it glowed white-hot.
Damn, they've got power, he thought grimly. Snapping through two hundred yards, he continued his dive straight at the enemy. Half of the demons were already jackknifing over, building up their own speed to cut in alongside Walker's group as they cut through.
Walker lined up his foe and slashed out with a bolt. Kraut hit the same demon as well, loading his shield. Walker fired again, diving so close that he could have touched the demon as he dived past. The demon's shielding exploded, and his wings went up in flame. Trailing oily black smoke, he tumbled out of the sky.
They cut through the group, a number of demons swinging in to race alongside, trading blow for blow.
Walker jinked left, sparing a glance back. The swarm of enemy were streaking in from behind. To his horror he saw four of his companions twisting to engage in single combat.
"Stick to me!" Walker screamed.
A white-haired sorcerer scored a killing shot, knocking his demon over with a blinding flash. At the same moment his shielding snapped, hit by three bolts from above, and the man disappeared in an explosion of fire and smoke. The other three, helplessly caught, were swarmed under as the groups closing in from behind cut through them, hitting with half a hundred bolts.
"Keep moving--don't stop!" Walker shouted. The rest of his group, with an almost equal number of demons dogging their flanks, raced downward. The low clouds and fog seemed to race upward with terrifying speed. He hit the cool blanket of mist but continue
d his dive. The trick now was to out fly the enemy. The plan had been blown. Leti and her strike group were going to have to be on their own for the moment. But at least Walker could tie up six or seven times his own number, trying to kill as many of Patrice's allies as possible without losing any more of his own sorcerers.
"Don't slow down and hang on my tail!" Walker broke through three hundred feet, then a hundred. Pulling out at the last possible second, flying through the heavy fog, he skimmed through the edge of an open field.
A horrifying scream rent the air. Sickened, Walker looked back to see another of his sorcerers smashing into the ground at top speed. The demon who had been trailing him, too intent on his prey to notice, also slammed into the ground.
Twisting and dodging, Walker flew full-out, cutting through the field. He spared a quick look back and saw Kraut and Imada and most of his surviving sorcerers still behind him. Directly ahead he could sense a forest. A demon cut out of the mist, trying to swing in front of him. They traded bolts; then Walker sensed a narrow trail into the woods and raced straight at it. A grim laugh escaped his lips as the pursuing demon slammed into a tree.
"Hang on!" Walker screamed as he swept down the path at top speed, sensing rather than seeing the twists and turns of the trail. Bolts of energy slammed through the forest, exploding the trees into balls of fire.
"Red Leader, Red Leader, situation?" It was Leti.
"A little tight at the moment!" Walker cried.
"Same here. We need your support."
"I think it's the other way around!" he shouted.
His attention shifted for a moment as he looked up. His heart felt like it was surging into his throat as he jinked left at the last possible second, cutting so close to a towering pine that a shower of branches and needles exploded around him.
"Take care of yourself, Walker!" Leti cried.
He found himself laughing. "What else can I do?"
The path before him split into even narrower trails. There was no time to choose, so he cut left. If he dared to slow down, the demons, who were probably flying above the forest, would get ahead and into position to pounce whenever he and his group finally emerged from the woods.
Crystal Sorcerers Page 25