Part 26 (1/2)

Alenburga stood motionless for a moment, then said, 'The boy's right. This is not a human army we face.' He looked at the Emperor. 'Majesty, is there any way for your magicians to get us close enough to the front so that we can observe them?'

'I will request it, at once, General,' the Emperor answered.

Looking from face to face, Alenburga said, 'Well, then, let us wait, and while we wait, let's have something to drink. My head is still pounding like an anvil.'

Erik grinned. 'I know what you mean.'

Chairs were brought by servants and refreshments appeared swiftly. While they waited for the summoned magician, the ad-hoc military leaders.h.i.+p of the Tsurani Empire foreigners all started to get to know one another.

Kaspar pointed. 'Look over there!'

It was the morning after they had taken command of the Tsurani forces, and General Alenburga and his staff were on top of a hill overlooking a widening of the trail above the River Gagajin. Alenburga looked to where his second-in-command pointed and saw that a new stream of Dasati Deathknights was joining the fray.

Miranda, at Kaspar's left hand, said, 'They must have opened another portal within the sphere.'

The Black Mount now occupied a large portion of the north end of the valley, and now rose higher than any of the surrounding hills. It was clearly growing in size as Miranda had predicted the night before after arriving from Midkemia. She and a score of Tsurani Great Ones had attempted every type of mystical a.s.sault on the structure of the sphere, to no apparent effect. What Miranda had encountered while escaping the first sphere seemed to have proved to be of no benefit in trying to a.s.sault this larger sphere. The Deathpriests had it seemed learned to counter human magic.

After a few minutes, Alenburga said, 'd.a.m.n.'

'What?' asked Erik.

'What do you make the rate of casualties to be, von Darkmoor?' asked the Supreme Commander.

Erik said, 'Twenty to one.'

'Closer to thirty to one,' said Kaspar.

'The Tsurani are easily the most fearless warriors I have ever seen,' said the old General from Muboya. 'I am honoured to have been given command over diem.' He took a moment and inclined his head in respect to Lord Jeurin of the Anasati, who was barely more than a boy, but ruling lord of one of the most important houses in the Empire. It had been a political decision to place him on the staff, but Kasper had come to recognize that he was a quick study, and had appointed him as a third aide, along with Tad and Zane. The young lord acknowledged his General's praise of his soldiers.

Alenburga said, 'But I dislike wasting their lives to no good purpose.' He turned to Kaspar. 'Take a position south of the hills, where the river empties into the plains. I want you far enough away that the Dasati must charge you, but close enough that you can cut them off if they try to flank you to the southwest or south-east. These Dasati may not be human, but I know what warriors in armour look like; I haven't seen any cavalry or siege engines yet, so expect an infantry charge.' Miranda and the Great Ones had speculated to the General that the Deathpriests had used some enchantment to keep the Deathknights alive long enough to wreak havoc on the Tsurani, but were either reluctant or unable to use that same magic on the Deathknights' mounts or machines from the Dasati plane. Miranda had tried to explain why the Dasati needed to stay within the sphere to survive, or needed a magic to adapt them to Kelewan's atmosphere and energy state, but the General waved away the details once he understood the basic concept: once outside the sphere, the Dasati became overwhelmed by the energy of this level of existence and started to die after a few hours.

Kaspar nodded. 'Unless they come at us mounted on flying rugs, we'll be ready.'

'Now, here's the tricky part. I need you to come up with a battle plan to slow them down. I want them to take three days to cross territory that should only take one. Can you do that?'

Kaspar nodded. 'I already have an idea.'

'Good. Get one of these magicians to get you down south and start scouting the terrain.'

After Kaspar did as he was instructed, Alenburga stood silent for a while, watching the conflict below. He measured each confrontation and watched with stunned admiration the heroism of the Tsurani warriors. He spoke just loudly enough for Erik and Miranda to hear him. 'Had I had ten thousand of these valiant men with me, I would have conquered from the whole of Novindus. What astonis.h.i.+ng bravery.'

Erik said, 'They'll die to a man to save this world.'

Lowering his voice even more, Alenburga said, 'They can't.'

Erik looked at his new commander, a man whom he had quickly come to judge as being perhaps the best strategic thinker he had ever encountered, as worthy of friends.h.i.+p as he was obedience. So as not to be overheard by those nearby, Erik said, 'Why?'

Turning to look at Miranda, Alenburga asked, 'As the Black Mount expands, the Dasati create new portals, yes?'

She could only nod.

All the colour drained from Erik's face. 'The rate of their attack will only increase...' he almost whispered.

'And while I was never the student of mathematics I should have been as a boy, the area of that sphere doubles and redoubles all the time, correct?' the General asked.

Again, Miranda nodded. 'It is exponential.'

'So where there may be four gates by the end of today, in a few days there may be eight, then sixteen in a week, or sixty-four in a month?'

Miranda said, 'Instead of dozens of Dasati rus.h.i.+ng into this world each minute, there'll be thousands.'

Alenburga nodded, as if this confirmed his worst fears. 'We need to regroup. Men are dying needlessly down there.' He saw a brilliant flash of light near the edge of the sphere and said, 'And not only soldiers. Get the magicians out of there, Miranda.'

Miranda, not used to military protocol did not immediately leap to do his bidding but said, 'Why? They are doing the most harm to the Dasati.'

Patiently, the General explained. 'True, but when they are tired from killing Deathknights, they become easy prey for the Deathpriests. I'm guessing the Dasati have a great many more Deathpriests to spend than we have magicians. Besides, I have a better use for our magicians than throwing huge b.a.l.l.s of fire around.'

'What?' persisted Miranda, as the General turned and began walking down the hill.

He turned. 'I rarely have to explain myself,' he said, 'but you are no soldier, and I need you to be clear about what I propose, so that you can make these Tsurani Great Ones understand. More than anything else, the one advantage we possess is the terrain. I may not know it well, but Lord Jeurin and the other Tsurani field commanders do, and we must use that advantage. The second benefit you're about to gain us is something any field commander would sell his soul for: rapid communications. If the Tsurani magicians don't find it beneath their dignity, they can rapidly carry commands and intelligence between the battlefield and my headquarters, and we will profit immeasurably. Battle plans and tactics rarely survive the first hour of a fight, and the general who can adapt the quickest, who can order his troops to the best position available fastest, will win the day, even if his forces are outnumbered.'

'So you think we can defeat the Dasati?' asked Miranda.

'No. It's going to be impossible. We're losing thirty soldiers to each of theirs, and while we have an advantage in the power of the magicians, they are mortal and will fatigue. Eventually enough of them will fall that that seemingly endless flood of Deathpriests will overwhelm whoever's left. No, all we can do is slow them down, and the more time we gain, the more time you have.'

'For what?' she asked.

'To get as many people through the rift and off this world as you can. We will fail. Barring some intervention by the G.o.ds, we cannot hold this world. We must evacuate.'

Miranda was silent for a moment, then she said, 'I understand. I will get to the a.s.sembly with all haste and begin to prepare a way for us to evacuate as many as we can.'

'I don't know where you're going to put them,' said the old general from Muboya, 'but anyone you can't get though the rifts will die here.'

As Miranda vanished, Alenburga saw Erik von Darkmoor looking at him quizzically. 'What?'

Erik said, 'You're going to stay, aren't you?'

'And you?'

'I'm a lot older than you, my newfound friend. If anyone should stay to the last, it should be me.'

Alenburga smiled. 'And I, my newfound friend, think it would be impossible to go back to sitting around a table with my lord ruler, listening to political chat and social gossip, knowing I quit this struggle too soon. I have no wish to die, but if I'm going to survive, I'll be the last one through the rift, and if I die, let it be saving as many lives as I can save.'

Erik nodded, smiled, and put his hand on the General's shoulder. 'I wish we could have met sooner.'