Part 35 (2/2)

The panther had leapt on Ben's back and taken him down. Yron ran forward, hitching out his axe; the animal looked up, yellow eyes boring into him. It made to spring again.

Erys was shouting. 'Yron, no!'

Very deliberately, the panther bit down, snapping the boy's neck. 'b.a.s.t.a.r.d!' Yron made to move but felt arms around his shoulders, forcing him back.

'We've got to go, now!' Erys's face was right in his.

Yron could see the elves closing in just a few yards away. He saw his reserve running in to block their path. He saw more arrows and spells, FlameOrbs lighting up the sky giving him a last look at Ben-Foran. His strength abruptly went and his men dragged him away, his gaze locked on the body.

'I'm sorry, Ben,' he said, the tears misting his vision. 'I'm so sorry.'

Rebraal had seen the action on the right bank of the river and came running up from the elven line, which was driving the enemy inexorably back. The Raven were trading blows with more competent soldiers now, progress slow but still sure.

'Runners are through,' he shouted.

Denser turned, losing the shape he'd been creating. In front of him, Hirad blocked a strike to his chest, shoved his attacker back with a grunt and rained down blow after overhead blow, swearing as he bludgeoned.

'We'll push hard,' said Denser.

'You must get to the estuary. We must catch them.'

'Hirad!' shouted Denser. 'Runners broken through right.'

Hirad nodded. He crashed his blade down a final time, smas.h.i.+ng the weakened defence aside and crus.h.i.+ng his opponent's skull, blood and brain spraying into the air.

'Raven! Pus.h.i.+ng right. Go!'

Darrick and Aeb responded immediately, arcing in, driving the defenders back towards the river. Aeb upped the rate of his strikes, delivering overhead with his axe and sweeping horizontally with his sword. Around the back of them TaiGethen came running, forcing themselves into the gap, sprinting away behind the strangers' lines, dealing mayhem and death.

'Let's give them s.p.a.ce!' shouted Hirad. 'Denser, the archers!'

'Got you. Erienne, ForceCone. I'll carry you.'

Denser uttered a short incantation. ShadowWings appeared at his back. Erienne nodded and he swept her into his arms and straight up into the night sky. He could see a group of half a dozen archers kneeling in a circle, loosing off shots at the TaiGethen elves.

'Ready,' said Erienne.

Denser angled his body horizontal to the ground and tightened his grip on Erienne, who hung below him, his arms clasped under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her legs locked around his. He heard her mutter and drag at the air with her fingers as she finished the preparation. He flew over the archers, just thirty feet above their heads. One looked up instinctively, shouted and angled his bow. Too late.

Erienne jerked her arms downwards. The ForceCone flared out, battering the archers to the earth. Bows and limbs snapped as the pressure of the spell beat relentlessly down, compressing everything beneath it into a six-inch-deep indentation in the soft ground, perfectly circular and ten yards across.

Denser circled while Erienne maintained the Cone until the pleading and crying out had stopped. She thrust her arms again, hard. Denser imagined, only too easily, the ribcages crumpling. He wheeled back towards The Raven before any fire could be brought to bear on them, magical or otherwise.

'Angry about something?' he asked.

'You could say,' she said. 'My head is killing me.'

Denser cruised in low over the left flank. Below them The Raven and Al-Arynaar were breaking the last of the resistance. With TaiGethen in behind them, the enemy were cut off and frightened. And while the Al-Arynaar, unused to in-line battle, were able to make little headway, The Raven had no such trouble and corpses littered the ground in their wake. One ma.s.sive strike from Aeb finished it. His axe smashed through an unprotected skull, top to bottom, the force of the strike taking the weapon through the man's shoulder and shearing off his right arm. The survivors turned and ran.

'Go, go!' shouted Hirad, and The Raven charged after the fleeing enemy as they sought to dodge the TaiGethen, pursuing them through the gap in the cliffs, along a sandy beach and out into the flat, silt-filled estuary.

'Stay up,' said Erienne. 'a.s.suming your arms are up to it. I'll prepare again.'

'Anything in particular?'

'I thought HotRain.'

'It'll do the job.'

Denser swooped low. 'Hirad, we're going forward, see if we can't disrupt the runners or the defence.'

'Be careful.'

The mage pair headed up once more. Denser could see panthers in among the elves, joining the push forward, their enigmatic partners sprinting close behind, unarmed and unconcerned. The defenders on the other bank were falling back, trying to maintain an orderly retreat with the Al-Arynaar and the awesome TaiGethen pressing forward with increasing ferocity, though they were outnumbered almost three to one.

Denser flew on over the heads of the defenders and out into the estuary. A small knot of men was running towards one of ten or more rowing boats. Out in the bay, three s.h.i.+ps were moored, flags fluttering atop mainmasts. One unfurled lazily as he watched, caught in a wash of pallid moonlight. It was unmistakable.

'I don't f.u.c.king believe it.' He dived for the knot of men. 'Let's get those runners.'

'Suits me.'

Denser flew in fast and low, keeping tight control of his concentration as his fury threatened to boil over. Erienne released the spell, sending a focussed cloud of HotRain spearing down, flaring in the sky as it fell, each drop of magical fire the size of her thumb.

Sudden blue light mixed with the orange of the spell as the HotRain crackled uselessly over the s.h.i.+eld covering the runners.

'Dammit,' snapped Erienne.

Denser growled his frustration and wheeled once more, looking down on the faces that craned to see who it was that attacked them. Arrows came from the night, flicking close but harmlessly by. And from somewhere DeathHail sheeted up at them, forcing him into a desperate climb and turn. Too close. Gripping Erienne tighter still, he took a last look down, meeting the eyes of a man he recognised.

'We'll hunt you!' he called, as he rushed skywards beyond sight and arrow range. 'Don't you realise what you've done?'

'Calm down, Denser,' said Erienne. 'What's got into you all of a sudden?'

'Tell you when we land.'

The Raven were being left behind, refusing to sacrifice their discipline for a headlong charge. Not that it mattered. The TaiGethen and Al-Arynaar were outpacing everyone else.

Denser saw a TaiGethen come alongside a fleeing warrior, snap out an elbow and send him cras.h.i.+ng to the ground, hands over his nose and mouth. The elf stopped and spun gracefully like a dancer, then stepped in to finish the man off, skewering his brain through an eye.

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