James concentrates on the bridge and meets resistance as the mage begins to counter what he’s trying to do. A sudden thought comes to mind from a story he had read, ‘First mage casts a spell, second mage counters, third mage casts spell to help the first, fourth casts spell to help the second, then the army shows up and cuts them all to pieces.’ If he wasn’t experiencing it, he’d laugh.
Two of the enemy break through the lines of defenders and come straight toward him. Jorry and Uther move to meet this threat and quickly take them out.
The contest of wills between James and the Empire’s mage continues, as each tries to get the better of the other. Suddenly, the resistance eases up and James is able to finish his spell.
Crumph!
The area in front of the bridge explodes upward, enemy troops are flung into the air. Suddenly, the prickling starts again and before James has a chance to recover, a bolt of force strikes him in the chest and knocks him backward off the wagon.
Hitting the ground hard, he has the wind knocked out of him. Coming to his knees, he tries to get his breath back as Jiron comes to his side.
As Jiron helps him to his feet, he sees Miko running toward the fighting at the gate, sword in hand. “Miko!” he tries to yell at him, but he can’t get the volume needed to be heard. He watches as Miko begins to wade into the attackers, his sword moving so fast that the eye can hardly keep track of it.
“We’ve got to help him!” James cries out to Jiron.
“He’s too far away,” he replies. “We’d never be able to get to him!”
James watches a moment as Miko, in the state he’s in, inadvertently kills a defender that had been coming to his aid.
The dust clears from where the explosion had occurred and they see that the bridge and the mage are still standing. More troops are pouring across the bridge and working their way through the hole he’d just created to continue the attack on the defenders.
The attackers fall like grain to the scythe as Miko strides into them, totally oblivious to the many minor cuts he’s receiving. The line of soldiers that were pushing the defenders further into the city, buckles as Miko cuts a swath through them.
James tears his eyes away from Miko and back to the mage. The prickling sensation spikes again and another bolt of force flies toward him. Ready for it this time, he’s able to deflect its trajectory and it passes by harmlessly.
He throws two stones in quick succession but they bounce harmlessly off the invisible barrier. Though the mage was untouched by the missiles, he does have the minor satisfaction of seeing them striking soldiers next to him.
The attacker’s push into the city is at a standstill with Miko there. No one can stop him and the defenders are rallying around him. More archers are arriving from their positions on other parts of the wall and their arrows are having a devastating effect.
Lord Pytherian can be seen there amidst the line of defenders as he encourages them on to propel the invaders back. His sword is almost as deadly as Miko’s to anyone who comes close.
James sends his senses out to the barrier around the mage, trying to understand it and find a weak point that can be exploited. Suddenly, he finds it and realizes he should’ve thought of it before.
He redirects his senses, searching for what he needs. When he finds it, he lets loose an enormous surge of power. The one place the mage’s barrier does not cover is the soles of his feet.
Suddenly, an old root from a bygone tree breaks through the ground under his feet. The force of it hitting the mage’s foot sends him reeling, the unexpectedness of it breaks his concentration. When the prickling sensation stops completely, he knows the barrier is down.
He cocks back his arm and with another great surge of power, sends a slug speeding toward the staggering mage. The mage tries to erect another barrier but is too late. Striking his upper chest, the slug blasts through and he topples backward into the river.
A cry rises from the defenders when they see him fall, and Lord Pytherian shouts above the din, “Now! Beat them back!” With unbridled ferocity, the defenders wade into the attackers.
James, fatigued and staggering a little, looks over the battling fighters. Miko stands near the gate, momentarily still as the attackers keep their distance. They’ve learned that to come near him is to die. His sword periodically moves in a blur as it strikes a bolt out of the air as it flies toward him.
“Come on!” James cries to the others. “Now’s our chance to get him out of there!”
Running toward the fighting, James steers around pockets of fighting as he tries to get close to Miko.
Jorry, Uther and the others form a ring around him, taking out any attacker who gets close. Jiron, with knife in one hand, runs next to James. “Will he leave the battle?” he asks.
“I hope so,” replies James. “If he gets out of the gate, we’ll never get him back!”
“James!” he hears Lord Pytherian shout. He looks back and sees him pointing out of the gate. Turning his attention to the gate, he sees a large group of Parvatis coming across the bridge. If they get in it might turn the tide against the defenders.
“Jiron!” he exclaims. “Stop them!”
“How?” he replies. “I’ve only got one arm!”
“You’re the Shynti, remember?” he explains.
Jiron suddenly understands what he’s talking about. Reaching into his tunic, he pulls out the necklace with the three stones. “Right!” he says. To Jorry and Uther, he says, “You guys come with me, the rest of you stay with James.”
Jiron makes for the gates with Jorry and Uther who deal with any attacker foolish enough to come close.
James hurries over to Miko where two attackers have engaged him. James is startled when he realizes he’s grown another couple inches and has developed muscle mass on his arms and chest. Battling is causing this!
Miko cuts the head off one and comes back with a slice that takes off the swordarm of the other. Before he has time to realize what’s happened to him, Miko strikes out twice more, taking off a leg and putting his sword through the man’s chest.
As the man hits the ground, he hears James and the others coming up behind him. He turns quickly and holds his sword at the ready.
“Miko!” James hollers to him, looking him eye to eye. It might be just his imagination, but it almost looks as if there’s a red flicker within his pupils.
Enemy soldiers attack James’ group while they’re standing there staring at each other but Illan and the rest move to engage them, keeping them back while he deals with Miko.
“Miko!” he cries one more time. Miko’s eyes blink and his sword lowers a fraction. “It’s James! Time to go!”
His sword drops lower as he says in a barely audible whisper, “James?”
Nodding his head, he says more softly, “That’s right, it’s me.”
A confused look comes over his face as he gazes at the dead stacked around him. When his gaze finally comes back to James, a tear begins to well in his eye and a frightened look comes over him.
Dropping the sword, he moves to James who puts his arm around his shoulder and leads him away from the battle. Illan and the others fall back with him until they’re once more behind the lines.
James suddenly remembers Jiron and looks to the gate. He sees him standing there in front of the Parvatis holding the necklace out to them. Jorry and Uther are watching his back as their leader pauses and examines the necklace. James can see him nodding his head.
“Milord!” he hears someone holler from the gatehouse. “It’s fixed!”
“Understood!” Lord Pytherian shouts in reply. “Fight ‘em back boys! Let’s get this gate closed.”
While Jiron and the Parvatis are standing before the gate talking, they’re blocking the way for the enemy soldiers behind them who are trying to get through to continue the attack. As the last of the attackers fall within the city and the defenders begin to close the gates, Jiron says something to Jorry and Uther who move back within the city. Jiron goes with the Parvatis away from the gates, back toward the bridge.