The ClawBound nodded once more and looked at his panther. The big cat tore another bite from the fish trapped beneath its paws and walked over to him, muscle and bone fluid beneath its glossy black coat. Cat and elf stared at one another in silence, the communication that passed between them in a language and form closed to all but the bound pairs themselves.
And once they were done, they disappeared back into the forest. Auum turned to the Tai.
‘Yniss speed us to the mouth of the Shorth before our enemies,’ he said.
Out in the forest, the throaty growl of a panther rose in volume and pitch, spanning the miles of land between it and its fellows spread throughout the northern sectors. The growls grew to a roar, climbed to a high-pitched whine and then descended back to the original deep guttural sound before repeating over and over. Within the complex of sounds, Auum knew the message was being carried to his people.
He led the Tai in prayer again before they began their run to the estuary.
Erys flew high above the canopy, following the course of the River Shorth. He had never known such fear in his life as when the elves had attacked their camp. He had been amazed that he had been able to cast but had later reflected that the fear hadn’t really settled on him until some hours later. Then, hiding in the branches of a banyan tree, he had shivered and shuddered and tried to still his heart and the moans that escaped his mouth.
He knew he was no coward but it was right to fear something against which you had no defence and no hope. The snakes and lizards that came by him as he sat held no fear whatever. Indeed he had hoped in the dim recesses of his terrified mind that one of the snakes would bite him and he could die in a relatively painless way. But he was no threat to them and so they left him alone.
Eventually, the fear released its grip and he dozed fitfully through the night, tied to the branch on which he had sat all the day. The morning had brought fresh rain and fresh fear but he had been driven by the memory of Captain Yron, exhorting him not to fail. So he had climbed as high as he dared, into the tall exposed branches of the banyan that were the home of eagles. And here he had gathered every scrap of concentration his tired mind could muster and cast ShadowWings to bear him up into the safety of the sky.
He was secure up here but somehow he couldn’t shake off his nagging anxiety over what lurked below. The ship was two days’ flight away, more like three given his state of stamina. He was having to fly slowly and keep his mind fixed firmly on the mana shape that kept the wings at his back. ShadowWings was such an easy spell to master. Even after half a night’s sleep he should have been able to partition his mind enough to think ahead, but it was all he could do to keep from plummeting into the river.
Mid morning, he was looking for a place to land and rest for a while, to refocus his mind. He was constantly staggered by the scale of what lay below him. Right now, the sun was shining fiercely down on the river-veined mat of almost unbroken green that was the forest canopy. It rolled up hillsides and into deep mist-filled valleys from which the light bounced in dazzling rainbow colours. Great faces of rock sheared up, punctuating the green, and he knew that behind him spectacular mountains bordered the forest, silent sentinels gazing down on all they protected.
Blinded by the vastness, he flew lower, travelling directly along the river course and about seventy feet above the water, keeping clear of the overhanging branches that sought to snag him and send him tumbling.
A growl emanated from the forest. From his left and behind at first. And quiet, from a single animal, he thought, and far away. But the intensity gained, the pitch climbed and dropped. It was alien and it sent Erys’s pulse racing. Moments later it was taken up by other throats, the calls ricocheting across the rainforest. Birds scattered into the sky, a tumult of wings scrabbling at the air, their squawking momentarily drowning the roars.
But they came again, one very near. Erys rose sharply, the sound uncomfortably close. Looking down as he passed the bank of the river, Erys could see the source. He shivered again at the memory. The panther and elf, standing close, the animal lost in the chorus, the elf listening, intent. Fascinated, Erys circled, watching the pair set off at speed into the undergrowth. He lost them quickly but followed the direction of their travel, moving a little higher into the sky.
He badly needed rest but their movements had worried him. Like they were homing in on something. He flew forward, scanning for a likely quarry, and what he saw almost took the wings from him. In a tiny open space and hurrying to their feet were Yron and Ben-Foran, though something was very badly wrong. Ben-Foran leaned heavily on Yron, who seemed to be trying to push him towards cover.
Erys circled, losing height fast. Yron had half dragged Ben away from the open space. His axe was in his hand and he was searching the forest but it was plain he couldn’t see anything. The panther would be on them in moments.
‘Oh, hell.’
Erys flared his wings back and landed hard in the clearing, scattering the embers of the dying fire.
‘You’re looking the wrong way,’ he said, already forming the simplest shape next to ShadowWings.
‘Erys, I—’ began Yron.
‘Keep back,’ said Erys, took his courage and concentration in both hands and waited.
Not for long.
Eighty pounds of sleek black muscle exploded from the forest. It took a bound to see its target and leapt straight for Erys’s throat. The mage almost lost it. Almost. Yellow fangs, long and sharp, mouth gaping and eyes boring into him, the panther powered forward.
Erys braced himself and cast at the instant of impact, his hands clamped around the huge jaws. Fire erupted in the panther’s mouth, scorched along its nostrils and into its eyes. The panther howled in agony and rolled off Erys as it landed, running blindly towards the river, dying as it went, limbs beginning to buckle, all grace gone as it blundered into trees and bushes.
An inhuman wail emanated from the forest. It scoured the depths of anguish and dredged pain like Erys had never heard. It was a sound that clawed at his ears and lashed at his mind.
Below, at the river, the panther thrashed and roared, trying to extinguish the magical flame. From the forest stumbled its master. The elf clawed at his face, seeing nothing, his mouth bellowing agony, his legs boneless. He stumbled and fell, arms a blur as they sought to dull the phantom fire.
‘Dear Gods.’
Erys scrambled to his feet, a crushing pain in his chest. He looked down on the convulsing screaming body, searching for a way to help. Yron stepped from behind him and smashed his axe into the elf’s chest. The screaming stopped, as did the thrashing at the water’s edge. Erys took a pace back, gaping at Yron and the dead elf at his feet.
‘Believe me,’ said Yron. ‘You didn’t want to face him when his mind cleared. Now tell me you’ve got enough stamina to help Ben. He’s dying.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ said Erys, walking to the slope to look down at the body of the panther, already food for piranha. He felt shaken and clutched himself around the chest, taking in a pained breath. ‘Trouble is, I think that cat broke most of my ribs.’
Ilkar stood in the temple again with Rebraal. The desire to kill had dissipated but the anger remained. They were shoulder to shoulder not far inside the doors, which had been hastily rebuilt and rehung on the original hinges by the Al-Arynaar, six of whom were now lying inside, the Elfsorrow killing them. Rebraal could not take his eyes from the statue. Ilkar could not take his eyes from Rebraal.
‘I understand your anger,’ he said.
‘No, you don’t.’ Rebraal stopped but Ilkar knew there was more to come. ‘I never dreamed this. We fought so hard, Ilkar; you should have seen the magic and arrows fly. But they were so many. Meru saved me even though he was dying. Even then I thought we had time to regroup and kill the rest. Why did they have to do this? Why this?’ He gestured at the disfigured statue. ‘Yniss save me but I have failed the elves.’