‘ We’re catching up!’ exclaimed Bel excitedly. It was true – gradually, along a parallel path, they were closing the distance to Losara. As the sun began to rise, it was easier to make out the strange party they chased. The First Slave rode upon a sleek black horse with Losara gliding behind, while the shadowmander variously trailed them, caught up, streaked ahead …yet always stayed within its range around Tyrellan.
Ortem appeared on the horizon, its buildings long ago spilt out from behind the old circular wall of the city proper. Its people would have no warning to draw back inside, and even if they did, the mander would follow.
‘He’s overshot the mark,’ said Bel. ‘We can still wedge ourselves between him and the city!’
Beneath him Taritha was coated with sweat, but to her credit she did not slow. Bel steered her towards Ortem while to the side Losara seemed to do the same, yet he could not quite approach at a direct angle without putting Bel inside the mander’s range – something Bel knew he would not do.
‘Bel!’ shouted Querrus warningly. A bolt of blue energy sped over the land towards them …no, not towards them, towards Taritha. Quickly Bel reined her in, and she slowed just a jot, enough so that the bolt passed just before her nose.
‘He’s trying to kill the horse!’ said Querrus, outraged.
Bel reached around his neck and pulled free the Stone, looping it around his wrist. With one hand he held it out, ready, while with the other he grasped the reins. Another bolt came, sizzling a brown streak in the grass as it flew close to the ground, and Bel held on tight with his legs as he leaned down to dangle the Stone in its path. The bolt was sucked up with a dull whoomph , and Bel felt the hairs on his knuckles burn.
‘And ahead!’ warned Querrus.
Before them, rents were appearing in the ground, earth cascading inwards.
‘Speed or safety?’ said Querrus.
‘Speed!’
Taritha leaped, and with her already great momentum, for a moment they seemed to fly. They landed with a jolt beyond the holes as several more energy bolts came rushing in. Bel made deft work of snatching them up into the Stone. As they drew closer to Losara, the mander raced towards them, hitting its limit only a few paces away. Taritha whinnied in fear, and Querrus whispered to her reassuringly. The mander hissed and snapped, though it was still too far away to reach them.
They arrived just outside Ortem, and drew up on the main road that ran up to the city gate. There were farms scattered about, and Bel watched helplessly as the mander tore away, to smash through the walls of a freestanding home and quickly silence the screaming inside. Then it moved on to the next one.
‘We have to get word to those people,’ said Querrus.
‘No,’ said Bel. ‘We must stay here.’
‘But –’
‘They will die,’ said Bel. ‘Better those few than a whole city.’
Over the plain, Losara had also come to a standstill. Across some half a league they watched each other, as between them the mander made short work of the scattered buildings and poor folk inside.
‘Thought you might sneak off in the night and put your creation to work, eh Losara?’ said Bel. ‘Thought you might casually fell a major city or two? Yet you find yourself in the same predicament as before – you cannot approach!’ He bared his teeth as though standing face to face with his counterpart. ‘What now, Losara?’
As if in answer, his other began to move again. Not quickly, but deliberately, circling the city widely. As he did, Bel moved Taritha to keep them between his counterpart and Ortem. At the northern side, again they stopped.
‘How does Taritha fare?’ asked Bel.
‘She’s fine,’ said Querrus. ‘Well rested and well fed. She could do this all day.’
‘Good,’ said Bel.
Losara suddenly broke away to the north.
‘Arkus!’ cried Bel. ‘He’s positioned himself ahead of us in terms of the next place.’
‘Fort Tria?’
‘Fort Tria,’ said Bel.
Again they were off, this time to the north, but Losara had a head start, and there weren’t the leagues they’d had previously to catch up.
‘Can you attack them?’ called Bel.
‘I doubt it would do any good!’ shouted back Querrus. ‘They are so far ahead, the dreamer would see my spells coming with plenty of time. It will only slow us if I do.’
‘Then,’ said Bel, ‘I see no other choice.’
There was adrenaline pumping through him already, but in the face of what he was about to try, it quickened. He began to sense a glimmer of the path, was glad for its presence – but then grew confused and irritated as it seemed to suggest a different direction, back east towards his army.
‘Useless,’ he muttered. Then came the terrifying thought that maybe a battle raged back there, now that nothing stood in the way of the two armies – but surely they would not commence without their leaders? And he was damned if he wasn’t going to try to stop Losara tearing down Fort Tria.
Hang you, path.
He urged Taritha on, no longer trying to catch up with Losara himself, but instead to drive himself right into the shadowmander’s territory.
‘What are you doing?’ shouted Querrus.
‘Forcing his hand! If he fears that the mander will kill me, he must fall back!’
The mander was at the edge of its perimeter, dancing backwards to keep up with its anchor, almost comical if not for how murderously it stared at them. Beyond it, Tyrellan and Losara rode directly towards the grey walls of Fort Tria in the distance.
‘Can you send Losara a message?’ said Bel.
‘I can.’
‘Tell him we’re going to keep on coming straight, whether that puts us inside the mander’s range or not!’
They were almost upon the creature now, galloping full pelt.
‘Does he reply?’ said Bel.
‘No,’ said Querrus.
‘Very well, Losara. Prepare to be steered.’
Veering wildly, Bel sent Taritha dashing past the mander into its domain. It snapped at their heels and spun after, and Querrus dug his hand into Bel’s side even tighter.
‘If the horse has any reserves,’ called Bel, ‘now is the time!’
‘I don’t think this is a very good idea,’ wailed Querrus.
Taritha put on another burst of speed, but it was a fitful one and came in spurts. The shadowmander leaped and sailed past behind them, hitting the ground some way off and rolling to its feet in an instant.
‘Losara says pull back!’ said Querrus. ‘The mander will kill you both!’
‘Tell him I’m not heading anywhere but Fort Tria!’ said Bel. ‘It is his course that must change!’
The mander ran ahead of them, turned, and prepared to leap again. As its feet left the ground, Bel urged Taritha directly towards it.
‘Heads down!’ he shouted, and they ducked as the mander went flying over.
‘Look!’ said Querrus.
The two shapes ahead were now moving to the left, away from Fort Tria. The mander hissed angrily as it was suddenly pulled away, once again to a safe distance from Bel. They continued until they stood between the mander and the fort, still a league or two away. In the early morning there were lights showing in the windows, though not in great number – many of the fort’s inhabitants would have travelled already to join the Kainordan army.
Not even a worthwhile target, Losara , thought Bel.
Out on the field Losara stopped, and set down on the grass next to Tyrellan. Elated, Bel lifted the Stone into the air and gave a roar.
‘Bel,’ said Querrus.
‘What?’
‘He just disappeared.’
Tyrellan was still standing there, little more than a smudge on his horse at this distance, while the mander ran madly about – but there was no Losara to be seen.
‘He’ll be here in a moment,’ said Bel, slipping the Stone back over his head.
Sure enough, from the grass, the Shadowdreamer erupted.