Only the mist that blanketed the ground helped to shroud them, but with fire blazing, that advantage was lost.
“Help me push it off,” Vir shouted as Badal finally arrived at his position, hunkering next to the Acira and putting a finger to each of the downed demons’ necks.
“The pilot’s dead. The other rider is still alive, but barely. He will not survive long.”
One by one, Order Acira touched down, dropping off more raiders then taking off, though Vir barely noticed. There was something about Badal’s tone that knotted him with worry.
Vir stared at the gray demon. “What are you saying? We can save him!”
Badal returned Vir’s gaze. “It’s too dangerous. We have only a small handful of precharged healing orbs. If we use it now… That’s assuming we can push the Acira off of him.”
No way. Just because they didn’t have healing magic?
“You’re not even going to try to save him?”
An Ember spell crashed into the ground, just a single pace away from another Acira as it dropped off a demon. The Acira panicked, veering to the side, but the pilot took to the air just in time, aborting his landing.
“Look around you. This is a battlefield!”
That’s…
Badal grasped Vir’s shoulder. “It is a commander’s duty to make the tough choices. To decide who lives and who must die. My duty, and I do not bear it lightly.”
“You’re not even trying!” Vir shouted, panicking. Every second they wasted, the trapped demon inched closer to death. “It’s not too late, Badal. We just need a few people!”
“How many lives would you have me risk to save a brother with a mortal wound?”
Vir bit his lip. He had no response to that.
“Do you think I want this?” Badal roared, breaking his calm mask. Vir knew then that he’d been wrong. Badal did care. He just never let it show.
“I want nothing more than to return home with all those brave souls who left. But war doesn’t care about our feelings! It doesn’t care whose lives it reaps, or why. That’s my job. It’s up to me to minimize death wherever I can.” Badal took a breath, then continued in a lower voice. “I swear to you, his sacrifice will be remembered.”
Order Acira were already taking to the skies, narrowly avoiding bombardment spells that continued to rain from above.
Vir turned away. “Fine. I’ll get him out. If I do, can you have a healing orb on standby?”
Badal hesitated, then nodded. “Be quick about it. We’re sitting ducks against this bombardment.”
That was all Vir needed to hear. Vir brought his katar to bear and cut off the straps securing the stuck demon’s armor, letting it fall free. Then he activated Dance of the Shadow Demon, sinking into a shadow beside him and pulling the demon down with him. The only reason this worked was thanks to the demon’s diminutive size, just about Vir’s equal. Without his armor, he fit… barely.
Vir exited from the shadow of Badal’s Acira. The demon raised a brow at Vir’s ability, and two Order healers hauled the injured demon onto their Acira and took off.
“They’ll treat him in the air. Too risky down here,” Badal said, then brought a whistle to his mouth. He blew three times, piercing the night with a high-pitched screech.
An Acira descended moments later through the mist, and Badal scrambled on the instant it touched the ground, retrieving a crossbow.
“Forgive me, brother. We cannot retrieve your body,” he whispered, before firing it at the dead demon.
Badal then withdrew an arrow that had been dipped in oil and mounted it onto his crossbow. Striking it with some fire steel, he lit it ablaze, then fired at the grass next to the dead Acira.
Vir Leaped aboard, barely staying on his saddle as the Acira took off. The fire spread wildly, quickly enveloping the Acira in a ring.
“A necessary evil, to ensure the Kin’jals don’t find his body,” Badal said softly.
The aerial bombardment broke off as both Kin’jal Acira landed near the one Badal had just abandoned, careful to stay out of range of the fire.
Ordinarily, it would be a supremely foolish tactical decision to land when their enemies circled the skies in such numbers, but the Kin’jals knew they wouldn’t be touched.
“Let’s go,” Badal said softly.
The Order Aciras rejoined their V formation, this time with one fewer Acira to their number.
So this is what war looks like, Vir thought as they flew the rest of the way, his mind lingering on the demon they’d nearly abandoned. Tough choices indeed. Could I ever make such a hard call so easily?
Vir wondered what thoughts ran through Badal’s mind. Did he grieve for his fallen friends? Or had he done this so many times that it no longer bothered him?
“We have arrived,” Badal called, ordering the pilot to set the Acira down. The layer of mist from earlier covered the ground here as well, reducing visibility to near-nothingness. Perfect conditions for approaching unseen.
The great beast beat the wind and touched down in the golden plains that ringed the garrison fortress. They landed out of sight, but not so far that the demons would be unable to reach it.
“Best of luck, brothers,” the pilot said, clasping Vir and Badal’s arms before they debarked.
“And to you,” Vir murmured back.
Then the others arrived.
Vir heard the raiding force before he saw them. The sound of dozens of Acira’s wings beating heavily to slow their speed was truly something to behold.
The force was so great, they dispersed the mist, creating a small pocket of visibility.
Vir expected them to land, but none did. Their warriors jumped off when they were a few paces off the ground, reminding Vir of the Altani elite soldiers who’d rappelled off their skyships in Daha.
Who’d win, I wonder. The Order’s Demons or the Altani?
He didn’t need to think long. While demons possessed superior physiques to humans, the Altani’s mejai advantage was insurmountable. Vir hoped the Order never went to war with them.
Or Kin’jal, Vir thought, sneaking a glance at the castle. The Balarian Warriors’ sheer numbers would overwhelm the Order in an instant.
“Any concerns, raise them now,” Badal said, addressing his troops.
Silence was their only reply.
“Then you have your missions. Execute.”
The Balindam and Tash squads broke off, disappearing into the mist like ghosts.
“That just leaves us,” Badal said. “You have free rein on this one, Vir. Show us what you can do.”
“I will.”
Vir wasn’t flustered. The opposite, in fact. It was night. The ground was rich with prana, and he was acting alone on a mission to save innocent demons.
An inner warmth filled him, like an untamable fire that burned with confidence and hope.
A wraith of the night, Vir Leaped into the mist, disappearing from sight and sound. Aboard the Acira, he’d been a useless bystander. But as a demon of shadows, this was his element.
Let’s go save some lives.
45THE RAID
“What would you suggest we do, madam?” Garrison Commander Rohin asked, head bowed deferentially.
Don’t ask me! That’s your job, isn’t it?
Only through pure strength of will did Maiya suppress the sigh she wanted to let out so badly. It had been this way ever since the raid began. Her presence seemed to have turned this veteran commander into a meek man-child incapable of making decisions.
“Commander Rohin. I am but an observer, here to inspect the garrison and ensure Kin’jal’s interests are met. Nothing more. You are still in command. What would you suggest we do?”