By midmorning the city was as clear as they could make it. No more non-demonic images showed up in Elan’s sight, and Kaern called a halt to the operation as they regrouped at the temple.
“That went better than expected,” he said, looking over the dozens, or perhaps hundreds, whom they’d managed to gather. “Elan, tell your friend that there are people coming through.”
Elan nodded, but before she could say anything, Merlin’s voice was in her ear.
“I heard him,” the specter said, sounding begrudging. “Transport will begin shortly. Move people onto the platform in groups. I will be quarantining them when they arrive.”
“What?” Elan asked. “What’s quarantine mean?”
Kaern nodded approvingly. “He’s going to keep them separate from whoever else is there, in case the demons…or I…have been infected with something. It’s the correct thing to do, Elan.”
Elan nodded slowly, filing yet another new word away for future reference.
She did not like feeling stupid, yet that was where she repeatedly found herself lately.
They got people onto the platform through a combination of reassurances, threats, and implied bribes that none of them had any clue whether they could actually make good on. The trio didn’t care, though, not as long as people were gotten clear of the city as quickly as possible. There was still too much to do and not remotely enough time left for them to do it.
Despite the fright engendered by the flash of light and vanishing people, the transports were handled reasonably quickly and with surprisingly little objections. Kaern said that fear made people panicky and uncontrollable, but terror…real, deep-down existential terror made them either brave or resigned. Either of those emotions played into the trio’s needs at the moment, thankfully.
When the last group was ready to go, Kaern put a hand on Caleb’s shoulder.
“You’ve been a great help, boy,” he said, “but it is time for you to go.”
Caleb turned red. “No chance. I’m with you.”
Kaern shook his head. “Elan and I will be moving fast. You won’t be able to keep up, and we will not be able to slow for you.”
“I don’t care. I’m with you,” Caleb insisted. “If I can’t keep up, I’ll catch up.”
The older man hissed, annoyed. “Boy, you’ll never get anywhere in time to help. At best, you’ll come in after it’s all over; at worst, you’ll be alone in the badlands for as long as you can survive.”
Elan hesitated, but finally spoke. “He’s right, Caleb. I…I can move really fast now. Maybe we can get another set of armor for you later…”
“I. Am. With. You,” Caleb out stubbornly. “I’m not leaving, and unless you’re planning on attacking me here and now, you cannot make me.”
Elan and Kaern exchanged glances before Kaern sighed, resigned to the decision.
“Fine. We cannot slow for you,” he stressed. “We lost too much time saving people here…but, if you’re determined, that’s your right.”
Elan nearly looked rebellious, seemingly considering attacking Caleb for his own good. She could do it, she was sure. The armor she wore was amazing, unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life, but as she considered it, she realized that it wasn’t her call to make.
“Fine,” she said, a hint of petulance sneaking into her voice against her will before she shifted her attention. “Merlin, that’s the last of them.”
“Confirmed. Transport initiated.”
A flash of white light wiped out their vision for a few moments, leaving them all alone in the Ancient Redoubt-turned-temple.
“Time to go,” Kaern said, turning and walking out through the shattered doors.
Elan and Caleb followed him, the lights within flicking off as the power was cut off from Avalon at Merlin’s behest.
*****
The sight of the river was both relief and concern for Simone.
They needed the water, badly, so there was no option but to halt the group there. It was a vulnerable position to be in, however, and that was assuming the water was entirely safe.
Concerns mattered little, though, compared to the very real danger of people dying of thirst before they even had a chance to evade the pursuit she was certain was after them. With water, they could push on. Even if there were sickness in the water, that was just something they would have to deal with once the immediate threat was past.
So she didn’t stop the majority of her charges from rushing forward to the river, some throwing themselves into the water as they sought to drink. Those were fools, but it wasn’t her place to curb their idiocy at the moment.
She held back the guardsmen, however, keeping discipline as best she could as she addressed them.
“We need to post a perimeter watch,” she ordered. “I will have runners bring water skins to volunteers.”
A couple dozen or so volunteered, albeit wearily. She nodded to them, and they backed out of the group and moved to fill in the requested perimeter.
“The rest of you will drink in groups while the remaining stand watch,” she ordered. “Rest as best you can, but stay alert. We are not out of danger yet.”
With their marching orders given, the weary guardsmen broke apart and their leaders got them organized as quickly as they could so that they could each drink in turn without overly compromising the rest. Simone left them to it, looking around the area with tired eyes.
It was a river delta, with surprisingly lush vegetation for the area. A veritable paradise compared even to the city, but utterly incapable of fortification.
They were sitting ducks just waiting for the hunters to pick them off.
*****
The general looked on ahead, pleased with the situation as it was playing out.
Certainly he would have preferred to wrap everything up neatly at the humans’ city, but in war the unexpected was almost the norm. No one had predicted one of the Forsaken, let alone the thrice-bedamned Wanderer involving himself.
The losses were insignificant, however, when compared against the gains.
The human city was now theirs, though what use it would be the general didn’t know or care. Likely it would be razed or left to rot. It depended on how well he finished his job from this point on.
The captives they had were nearly dead from exhaustion, but that didn’t matter either. If they were weak enough for this to kill them, then they weren’t strong enough to be of any value other than food anyway.
All that mattered was that the remaining humans be shattered beyond any ability to mount resistance into the future.
“Lord General.” A Sixth Circle demon approached, saluting roughly.
“What is it?” the general asked, mind shifting from his train of thoughts to the present.
“Advance scouts have returned with report of the humans,” the demon hissed. “They have reached a river and stopped for water.”
The general nodded. “Good. How far ahead?”
“An hour, at our current rate.”
He didn’t need to think hard on it. “Increase the pace. We’ll end this, once and for all, for the Circles.”
“For the Circles.”
*****
“How far ahead do you think they are?” Elan asked as they ran.
Kaern considered it for a moment. “Not as far as you might think. Simone was moving with wounded and elderly. That will slow her a lot.”
“Could the demons have caught them already?” she worried.
He laughed, legs pumping easily. “Marching demons is like herding cats, and they’re keeping prisoners too. No, they’ll not be moving much faster. We should have time.”
He spared a look to the unspeaking third party of their little group, both surprised and impressed that Caleb had hung with them so far. It wouldn’t last. There was no way an un-augmented human could keep up the pace he and Elan were setting. But while the boy had no breath to speak, he was still doggedly keeping with them.