Demonstorm

'Then we must hope it is behind us.' The Unknown looked down at Erienne and Denser. Both were struggling with the cold. 'Come on, let's move on. Can't have The Raven's mages catching cold.' He helped the pair to their feet. 'Not far now.'

'I hope you're right,' said Denser. 'My cloak wasn't made to carry this much mud.'

'I'll have a servant clean and dry it the moment we arrive.'

Denser smiled. 'And have him draw a bath too, would you?'

Auum trotted down a shallow slope to the right of the crag. Beneath his paint, the elf s face was impassive but The Unknown thought he could detect the ghost of a smile.

'What have we got?'

'Shelter,' said Auum. 'This way. But quick and quiet. The cursyrd are beyond these hills.'

Hovering behind his new karron force, Ferouc berated Blackthorne for his stupidity and cursed him for the time he was wasting. It merely served to fire his spirit. He led his warriors out of the castle keep and down the steps, driving headlong into the karron taking lumps out of his walls. He carried long sword and kite shield, his armour was his ceremonial chain and in his belly his anger was a cold knot.

Blackthorne thundered his shield into an enemy, knocking it backwards. It flung out a pincer but didn't connect. The Baron stepped after it and drove his blade into its gut, wrenching it

sideways before dragging it clear. The beast died at his feet, belching dark blood.

He roared his approval and swung hard at the next. Its hammer limb sheared off.

'Yes!' His shield blocked a pincer and he reversed his blade into its face. 'Keep them moving backwards!'

Twenty men had run out with him to stop the destruction of his castle. The shields half of them wore represented all the armoury had to offer. But all carried swords sharpened or maces that gleamed in the half-light.

At his right-hand side, one of his men struck out, catching a karron on the side of the head. Its skull was crushed but still it came at him. One pincer gripped his shoulder and the spike limb flashed in, driving straight through his chest. The man was flung back to slide on the marble floor of the keep. The karron died under a welter of blows.

Blackthorne cursed and struck out again. His shield thumped into a karron left and his sword flicked out right, nicking a pincer limb. Gore sprayed into the evening air. The limb coiled quickly and snapped out at him, glancing into his side. He felt the air knocked from him but his armour held. He rebalanced quickly, fending off a hammer and striking right to left, carving into unprotected flesh.

Above the karron, reavers screeched their displeasure.

'Beware overhead,' warned Blackthorne.

To the left of his tight line on the steps and under the overhang of the grand door stones, one of his men took a hammer in the side and was flung into those next to him. Three men went down. The karron, moving faster than they had any right to, bounded up the steps and slaughtered the trio where they had fallen.

Blackthorne's eyes narrowed. He flung himself left. His sword drove through the chest of a karron rising from its bloody task and his shield jabbed up and took a second under the chin, the force snapping the creature's neck. A third swung at him but he caught the blow on his shield, bracing his feet and chopping down through the karron's shoulder.

Reavers prepared to dive on them. Left and right now, the karron attack was faltering. More were massing but Ferouc hadn't ordered them in.

'Back off!' ordered Blackthorne. He pointed his sword at Ferouc. 'One day it'll be you, Fidget. For every man that dies, we take six of yours. Sound familiar, you bastard?'

'You fight against the inevitable, Blackthorne. Two days and you are crushed.'

Blackthorne made sure he was the last man inside. Five of the twenty lay dead. Some of their weapons had been snatched away but their bodies would have to lie where they fell.

'Your ambition is not matched by your ability, Fidget. You won't beat us. You don't have the will.'

He stepped back inside the castle and the doors were swung shut behind him. He handed his sword to a footman and clapped the man on the back.

'Another bloody nose, eh Daniel?'

'Yes, my lord,' agreed Daniel.

But Blackthorne could see in Daniel's eyes the futility of their actions. He wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder and walked with him back towards the kitchens, the only place they were truly safe.

'Don't lose faith, youngster. We have very determined friends out there. They won't let us down.'

It wasn't much of a cave but they could at least get out of the worst of the chill sweeping across the land. The space was dank, dark and cold but sitting close together they shared warmth. The indent in the crag that Auum had found went back no more than ten feet but was overhung by a further six, making it reasonably defensible from air attack. He and Evunn stood just in shadow at the entrance, looking out over the bleak landscape and searching the sky for evidence that they had been discovered.

Just within earshot and above the wailing of the wind, they could hear the low rumble of demon activity. It was the sounds of calls and orders mixed with the whip of thousands of wings and the tramp of innumerable feet.

'So he did get us close then,' said Hirad.

'Very,' said Rebraal. He smiled. 'He did well.'

'Except we all smell absolutely terrible.'

'Makes a change from it just being you, doesn't it, Hirad?'

'My, my, Xetesk-man, I admire you for still trying. But like I said to Ilkar, you have a long way still to go.'

Under his right arm, Erienne was shaking. 'Still cold?'

Erienne snorted. 'No, Hirad,' she managed. 'It tickled me, that's all. I think Ilkar would have been proud of that one. Remember those furs you used to wear?'

Hirad nodded. 'They weren't the most fragrant.'

The Raven laughed.

'All right,' said The Unknown. 'Let's get serious. We need to do several tilings. Hirad, you have to contact Sha-Kaan, bring him here as soon as you can. Eilaan, confirm that the mana is concentrated where we think it is. Denser, do what you do best and warm this place up a little, would you? We might as well be comfortable. Thraun, Ark, see about preparing some food. Erienne, get yourself some sleep when the temperature goes up. We're going to need you.'

She looked up at him and all the doubt was back in her eyes. 'I hope I don't let you down.'

'No chance,' said The Unknown. 'Now listen, everyone, we seem to have been fortunate up until now but if there's one thing guaranteed to bring on demons, it's spell casting. I don't see there's any harm them knowing we're here. A ForceCone will keep fiiem out of the cave until the dragons arrive. But if any of you want to empty bowels and bladder, I suggest you do it now. We don't know what length of wait we'll have. Denser will pause until you get back. Any thoughts?'

There were no dissenters.

'Good, then let's get to it.'

The group broke up and immediately the biting cold returned. The Unknown put his back to a wall and beckoned Erienne over. He held his arms out and she moved gratefully into his embrace.

'Gods falling, but I hope people aren't too long taking a leak,' she said.

'You don't feel the need?'

'Too cold to be out there,' she said, snuggling in closer. 'Good job my husband's not the jealous type.'

'How do you know he's not?' Denser's voice carried back to them from just outside the cave.