‘So shouldn’t we wait these two days? Let Heila complete whatever it is needs doing?’ asked Endorr. There was a murmur of disagreement from Torvis, put into words by Vilif.
‘No, young Master, I think you misunderstand who are the enemies to which Heila referred. In two days, I suspect the demons would be strong enough to sweep the containment aside. Heila was presumably upset because he can no longer be certain.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Barras. ‘And in two days, so many more will die in the Shroud. We cannot wait.’
‘But his offer—’ said Endorr.
‘A lie,’ said Kerela, her expression set and determined. ‘Come, my friends, the longer we delay, the greater our chances of failure. Join with me around the candle and remain strong. We cannot afford to weaken or the demons and not the Wesmen will take Julatsa. And then they will take Balaia.’
The Raven gathered close to Sha-Kaan, the wood and oil odours of his hide mixing uncomfortably with the sourness of his breath and the heat from the fires. They were in a defensive formation, the dragon and the humans back to back, he taking three quadrants, they the fourth. Hirad stood flanked by The Unknown and Will, Thraun beside the little man. Behind them, Ilkar, Erienne and Denser, ready to prepare on Sha-Kaan’s word.
They couldn’t feel the movement of the corridor, though Sha-Kaan assured them they were approaching Julatsa and he was merely waiting for the right time to breach the Shroud. Indeed, the calm was unnerving and Hirad found it hard to credit that they had moved anywhere. It was his trust in Sha-Kaan that made him believe.
‘You will know when we touch the DemonShroud,’ said Sha-Kaan. ‘The walls of this hall will shake and you will stumble. I will try and steer a steady path but I must strike at the heart of their power if we are to stop them and allow your mages to close the Shroud.’
‘How soon?’ asked Hirad.
‘Very. They have begun their preparation. Your casting should commence shortly.’
‘Before we start, remember what this spell actually is,’ said Ilkar. ‘We’re constructing a Cold Room by creating a shell inside of which mana cannot flow. We will maintain it using thread streams of mana stamina from within us. The process will be very draining. The Cold Room will not stop the demons but it will hurt them to enter it and weaken them extremely quickly. The absence of mana flow around your weapons will allow you to damage them but kills won’t be quick and you should be striking to keep them back.
‘We’ll colour the shield pale green. You’ll be able to see through it but don’t step outside of its bounds or your weapons will be useless and your soul will be lost.’
Hirad and The Unknown nodded. Will turned to Thraun whose wolfen eyes bored into his face.
‘Stay beside me always,’ he said. ‘Don’t leave my side for a moment.’ He drew his dual short swords, unable to keep the quiver from his arms. Thraun looked up at him, a growl rumbling in his throat.
‘Are you sure they’ll attack us?’ asked Will.
‘There can be no doubt,’ said Sha-Kaan, his voice tone altered as he steered the corridor towards Julatsa, along the trails and markers given to him by the stricken Elu-Kaan. ‘Our presence will disrupt their energies, acting like a stopper in a bottle. Your souls will attract them like dragons to prey, deflecting their attention. Soul-taking Arakhe have little discipline when temptation is put in their way.’ He swung his long neck around and over their heads to face them. ‘One more thing. Expect the Arakhe from anywhere. They are not bound by our laws. They could come from above you or from beneath your feet as well as straight at you. Their touch is like fire, their bite like ice and their eyes will try to prise the souls from you. Strike hard and strike often. Show them no fear.’
He locked eyes with Hirad for a moment and the barbarian felt a flow of thanks tinged with anger. Sha-Kaan blamed their casting of Dawnthief for all that had come since and he wouldn’t forgive quickly.
Hirad turned to the mages. ‘You ready?’
Ilkar nodded. ‘Just keep your sword sharp.’
‘I wonder what colour demon blood is.’
‘Well, now’s a good time to find out,’ said Denser. ‘Find out a lot, will you?’
Hirad smiled. ‘As much as I can. Let’s go Raven. Great Kaan, the casting will start on your word.’
‘Excellent. Begin at once.’ Sha-Kaan returned his head forward. A ripple ran through the corridor. Hirad adjusted, knees unlocked. He drew his sword. Behind him, the mages sat back to back. They couldn’t afford a fall to break their concentration.
Ilkar found he wasn’t scared of the union of the three magics. Indeed, since his first enforced link with Denser, to save Hirad back in Septern’s long barn, the idea had fascinated him as he knew it did the Xeteskian.
With all three minds attuned to the mana spectrum, Ilkar watched as the streams of orange-, deep blue- and yellow-hued mana indicating Dordover, Xetesk and Julatsa respectively ran together over their heads. Each mage was encased in a sheath of colour while above them their magics mixed like the plaits of a rope, each strengthening the other two.
Then, with the stream coiling and thrusting, seeking outlet, the trio tipped their heads back so that their skulls touched and clasped hands left and right to complete the circle. Erienne, who had most knowledge of mana exclusion constructs, led the casting.
‘One magic, one mage,’ she said.
‘One magic, one mage,’ repeated Denser.
‘Just get on with it,’ said Ilkar, feeling the warmth between Denser and Erienne through the mana flow which now encased them all in a single tri-coloured tulip.
‘I’ll speak the words but we must all reinforce the shape. Keep your colours for now and push out to form one side of an equilateral triangle. Bring the sides in and rotate.’ Erienne’s voice was barely above a murmur.
Ilkar felt a tremor through the corridor but ignored it, concentrating on the slowly moving four-sided pyramid shape above their heads. Erienne let it settle before moving on.
‘Divide and angle out your sides. Allow the apex to break.’ A six-sided shape formed from the pyramid. ‘Mirror and double, base to base.’
It was a fairly simple construct and now, almost formed, the two pyramids flush and rotating in opposite directions, Ilkar could see where the shape was going and where the difficulty lay. Erienne confirmed his view.
‘All right; we need a spike at either end, each one rotating opposite to the pyramid beneath, each six-sided with consecutive panels of each College mana to bind it securely and to produce the shape to force mana around the outside of the whole. The pyramids must continue rotating during spike construct.’ She fell silent and the air around Ilkar hummed with effort.
It was a trick of the mind, the ability to maintain and construct simultaneously. Partitioning was a skill taught early but learned long. Ilkar had no doubt they’d all mastered it but this was different. If the pyramids stopped rotating, the spell would backfire with consequences Ilkar guessed would be severe. Perhaps memory loss, perhaps blindness. Maybe death.
Denser’s panels appeared almost immediately, rotating opposite each other, apexes touching.
‘I am secure,’ he said and Ilkar wondered briefly what Dawnthief had actually done to him. It should have been impossible to produce the panels that fast. But it had its benefits and gave Ilkar a target for his own panels.
Imagining a gentle breeze, he set the thought aside, knowing it would sustain the pyramids’ rotation for a short while.
Despite the two-way pull on his mana flow, Ilkar, using subtle movement of his still-clasped hands, dragged mana with mind and intonation, matching Denser’s triangular panel sizes. He forged them deep yellow and robust, snapping them into place instants after Erienne’s. Now the pyramids held counter-rotating spikes at either end and the spell could be completed.