Wrath Of A Mad God Part 26

Alenburga stood motionless for a moment, then said, 'The boy's right. This is not a human army we face.' He looked at the Emperor. 'Majesty, is there any way for your magicians to get us close enough to the front so that we can observe them?'

'I will request it, at once, General,' the Emperor answered.

Looking from face to face, Alenburga said, 'Well, then, let us wait, and while we wait, let's have something to drink. My head is still pounding like an anvil.'

Erik grinned. 'I know what you mean.'

Chairs were brought by servants and refreshments appeared swiftly. While they waited for the summoned magician, the ad-hoc military leadership of the Tsurani Empire foreigners all started to get to know one another.

Kaspar pointed. 'Look over there!'

It was the morning after they had taken command of the Tsurani forces, and General Alenburga and his staff were on top of a hill overlooking a widening of the trail above the River Gagajin. Alenburga looked to where his second-in-command pointed and saw that a new stream of Dasati Deathknights was joining the fray.

Miranda, at Kaspar's left hand, said, 'They must have opened another portal within the sphere.'

The Black Mount now occupied a large portion of the north end of the valley, and now rose higher than any of the surrounding hills. It was clearly growing in size as Miranda had predicted the night before after arriving from Midkemia. She and a score of Tsurani Great Ones had attempted every type of mystical a.s.sault on the structure of the sphere, to no apparent effect. What Miranda had encountered while escaping the first sphere seemed to have proved to be of no benefit in trying to a.s.sault this larger sphere. The Deathpriests had it seemed learned to counter human magic.

After a few minutes, Alenburga said, 'd.a.m.n.'

'What?' asked Erik.

'What do you make the rate of casualties to be, von Darkmoor?' asked the Supreme Commander.

Erik said, 'Twenty to one.'

'Closer to thirty to one,' said Kaspar.

'The Tsurani are easily the most fearless warriors I have ever seen,' said the old General from Muboya. 'I am honoured to have been given command over diem.' He took a moment and inclined his head in respect to Lord Jeurin of the Anasati, who was barely more than a boy, but ruling lord of one of the most important houses in the Empire. It had been a political decision to place him on the staff, but Kasper had come to recognize that he was a quick study, and had appointed him as a third aide, along with Tad and Zane. The young lord acknowledged his General's praise of his soldiers.

Alenburga said, 'But I dislike wasting their lives to no good purpose.' He turned to Kaspar. 'Take a position south of the hills, where the river empties into the plains. I want you far enough away that the Dasati must charge you, but close enough that you can cut them off if they try to flank you to the southwest or south-east. These Dasati may not be human, but I know what warriors in armour look like; I haven't seen any cavalry or siege engines yet, so expect an infantry charge.' Miranda and the Great Ones had speculated to the General that the Deathpriests had used some enchantment to keep the Deathknights alive long enough to wreak havoc on the Tsurani, but were either reluctant or unable to use that same magic on the Deathknights' mounts or machines from the Dasati plane. Miranda had tried to explain why the Dasati needed to stay within the sphere to survive, or needed a magic to adapt them to Kelewan's atmosphere and energy state, but the General waved away the details once he understood the basic concept: once outside the sphere, the Dasati became overwhelmed by the energy of this level of existence and started to die after a few hours.

Kaspar nodded. 'Unless they come at us mounted on flying rugs, we'll be ready.'

'Now, here's the tricky part. I need you to come up with a battle plan to slow them down. I want them to take three days to cross territory that should only take one. Can you do that?'

Kaspar nodded. 'I already have an idea.'

'Good. Get one of these magicians to get you down south and start scouting the terrain.'

After Kaspar did as he was instructed, Alenburga stood silent for a while, watching the conflict below. He measured each confrontation and watched with stunned admiration the heroism of the Tsurani warriors. He spoke just loudly enough for Erik and Miranda to hear him. 'Had I had ten thousand of these valiant men with me, I would have conquered from the whole of Novindus. What astonishing bravery.'

Erik said, 'They'll die to a man to save this world.'

Lowering his voice even more, Alenburga said, 'They can't.'

Erik looked at his new commander, a man whom he had quickly come to judge as being perhaps the best strategic thinker he had ever encountered, as worthy of friendship as he was obedience. So as not to be overheard by those nearby, Erik said, 'Why?'

Turning to look at Miranda, Alenburga asked, 'As the Black Mount expands, the Dasati create new portals, yes?'

She could only nod.

All the colour drained from Erik's face. 'The rate of their attack will only increase...' he almost whispered.

'And while I was never the student of mathematics I should have been as a boy, the area of that sphere doubles and redoubles all the time, correct?' the General asked.

Again, Miranda nodded. 'It is exponential.'

'So where there may be four gates by the end of today, in a few days there may be eight, then sixteen in a week, or sixty-four in a month?'

Miranda said, 'Instead of dozens of Dasati rushing into this world each minute, there'll be thousands.'

Alenburga nodded, as if this confirmed his worst fears. 'We need to regroup. Men are dying needlessly down there.' He saw a brilliant flash of light near the edge of the sphere and said, 'And not only soldiers. Get the magicians out of there, Miranda.'

Miranda, not used to military protocol did not immediately leap to do his bidding but said, 'Why? They are doing the most harm to the Dasati.'

Patiently, the General explained. 'True, but when they are tired from killing Deathknights, they become easy prey for the Deathpriests. I'm guessing the Dasati have a great many more Deathpriests to spend than we have magicians. Besides, I have a better use for our magicians than throwing huge b.a.l.l.s of fire around.'

'What?' persisted Miranda, as the General turned and began walking down the hill.

He turned. 'I rarely have to explain myself,' he said, 'but you are no soldier, and I need you to be clear about what I propose, so that you can make these Tsurani Great Ones understand. More than anything else, the one advantage we possess is the terrain. I may not know it well, but Lord Jeurin and the other Tsurani field commanders do, and we must use that advantage. The second benefit you're about to gain us is something any field commander would sell his soul for: rapid communications. If the Tsurani magicians don't find it beneath their dignity, they can rapidly carry commands and intelligence between the battlefield and my headquarters, and we will profit immeasurably. Battle plans and tactics rarely survive the first hour of a fight, and the general who can adapt the quickest, who can order his troops to the best position available fastest, will win the day, even if his forces are outnumbered.'

'So you think we can defeat the Dasati?' asked Miranda.

'No. It's going to be impossible. We're losing thirty soldiers to each of theirs, and while we have an advantage in the power of the magicians, they are mortal and will fatigue. Eventually enough of them will fall that that seemingly endless flood of Deathpriests will overwhelm whoever's left. No, all we can do is slow them down, and the more time we gain, the more time you have.'

'For what?' she asked.

'To get as many people through the rift and off this world as you can. We will fail. Barring some intervention by the G.o.ds, we cannot hold this world. We must evacuate.'

Miranda was silent for a moment, then she said, 'I understand. I will get to the a.s.sembly with all haste and begin to prepare a way for us to evacuate as many as we can.'

'I don't know where you're going to put them,' said the old general from Muboya, 'but anyone you can't get though the rifts will die here.'

As Miranda vanished, Alenburga saw Erik von Darkmoor looking at him quizzically. 'What?'

Erik said, 'You're going to stay, aren't you?'

'And you?'

'I'm a lot older than you, my newfound friend. If anyone should stay to the last, it should be me.'

Alenburga smiled. 'And I, my newfound friend, think it would be impossible to go back to sitting around a table with my lord ruler, listening to political chat and social gossip, knowing I quit this struggle too soon. I have no wish to die, but if I'm going to survive, I'll be the last one through the rift, and if I die, let it be saving as many lives as I can save.'

Erik nodded, smiled, and put his hand on the General's shoulder. 'I wish we could have met sooner.'

'I wish it as well. I'm tired of Kaspar beating me at chess, and I hear you're not particularly good at the game.'

Erik laughed, despite the carnage below. But after a moment, the mirth died as he turned his thoughts to the b.l.o.o.d.y business ahead.

Martuch, Hirea, Valko and Magnus watched as Pug closed his eyes. He said, 'I have only done this a few times on my world, and never here, so I do not know how likely I am to succeed.'

Pug was attempting to use mystic sight to peer above the hidden room in the Grove of Delmat-Ama and see what the sudden eruption of noise was. It sounded as if thousands of people were racing through the orchard above, making far more noise than had been heard even during the height of the Great Culling.

Pug's vision rose through the darkness that was the solid soil beneath the grove, and suddenly he could see. He had never been rigorous in practising this particular spell and wasn't especially gifted at it. But within a moment he had no doubt as to what was occurring up there.

He opened his eyes. 'They're killing everyone.'

'Who?' asked Martuch.

'Everyone,' Pug repeated. 'The TeKarana's legion is herding everyone towards the Black Temple. It's as if they're beating the brush to drive vermin from a field or herding game animals towards hunters.'

Martuch and Hirea looked at one another, then Hirea said, 'Never in the history of our people has there been anything like this...' He shook his head. 'We must do something.'

Pug sat back, tired from his exertions. 'We must wait a little longer, I think.'

'Why?' asked Martuch. He stood up, obviously ready to climb the ladder and see for himself what was going on.

'If you were conducting such a ma.s.sive operation,' said Pug, his tone revealing his impatience at having to explain, 'and you knew that some of the Lessers you sought out were very adept at hiding, what would you do?'

Hirea looked at Martuch and even to Pug and Magnus his expression was easy to read. 'You'd leave behind Deathknights to follow after at some long interval to catch those coming up for air, you fool.'

Martuch looked as if he might draw his sword and turn on his old companion, but after a moment of a silent inward struggle he let his hand slip from the hilt of his weapon and then he sat down in his chair, frustration on his face. 'This is obscene,' he said softly.

Hirea agreed. 'This is why we do what we must.'

'What do you suggest?' asked Martuch of Pug.

'We wait. We will soon hear the second wave of those driving the stragglers before them, I am certain.'

'What then?'

'We find Valko and the others, then see if there's any remote possibility we can locate Nakor and Bek. But we will indeed have to move soon, for the Dark One has made his commitment; he's using tens of thousands of lives to expand his invasion of Kelewan, and I am certain he will use every life on this world if he must to take it.'

'Every life?' asked Hirea, for even though he understood much of what Pug had told him of the Dread and the creature known as the Dark G.o.d of the Dasati, he still couldn't quite grasp the enormity of the concept.

'Why not?' said Magnus. 'He has eleven other worlds. There are many more millions of Dasati to kill on Kosridi if he runs out here. And when Kosridi is barren, he'll start on another after that.'

'How did we become like this?' asked the old trainer.

'Generations of lies and manipulation,' said Magnus.

Pug nodded his agreement. 'Let me tell you of what I know of the Chaos Wars.' He began to tell the two old fighters about the visions he had on the Tower of Testing in Kelewan and other stories and tales, woven together in a long narrative about the fall of the Two Blind G.o.ds of the Beginning and the rise of the Valheru on Midkemia, the banishment of the Dragon Lords, and the Battle of Sethanon after the Riftwar. He told the story without embellishment, and when he had finished, both of the old Deathknights sat silently.

Finally Martuch said, 'Do you think that war extended here?'

Pug said, 'I think that war existed in every aspect of reality. I think from the Chaos War down to the struggle we face today, the fight is all the same: the balance of the universe has been distorted and we are caught up in the conflict to restore it.

'It never made any logical sense to me that this was only some internal struggle between those forces we call good and evil; for even evil exists within a paradigm that requires a balance with good, or if all is evil the term loses meaning.

'There is nowhere in my plane of existence where evil predominates as it does in the Dasati Empire, yet here you are, and with other agents of the White, you seek to restore the balance. Because evil cannot exist without good to contrast with and to balance it.'

'I don't understand,' admitted Hirea. 'Yet I will accept your explanation.'

'It's not simple,' said Magnus. 'But somewhere before history, a breach was made between what is our collective, real universe, including all the planes of existence, and the Void. It is from the Void that the thing you call the Dark One came. He distorted the balance of this universe so much, disrupted the normal give and take between opposing forces so severely, that he was able to supplant the Dasati deity of evil and grew in power after seizing his place and driving out all the original Dasati G.o.ds.'

Knowing that Pug had mentioned the Talnoy on Midkemia, Magnus added, 'We may never know who gave the Dasati G.o.ds safe haven on my world, but there they remain, and perhaps if they were to return... perhaps the balance in this realm would return that much faster.' He let out a slow breath. 'But for that to happen, the Dark One needs to be destroyed, I think.'

A sound from above caused everyone to fall silent. Feet were pounding on the ground above, followed by others in close pursuit. Pug said, 'Soon. We can move soon.'

'I hope Valko and his knights are safe,' said Magnus.

'They are safe or we are all lost,' said Hirea.

'Where are they?' asked Pug.

'We have one place, prepared against this day, that has never been used before. It is very close to an ancient entrance into the palace that will lead us to the heart of the TeKarana's private apartments. It is our plan to burst into those apartments from below, to kill the TeKarana before his Talnoy guards overwhelm us and claim the throne.'

'Claim the throne?' asked Pug. 'How is that possible?'

Martuch and Hirea exchanged glances, then Martuch said, 'It is easy to forget that despite your appearance and your ease with our language, you lack fundamental knowledge of our culture, human.' He pointed to his friend. 'Should I kill my friend in battle, that is one thing. I gain honour for my house and society, and can take what I will from his body as the spoils of battle, on the field. But should I kill my father, I become ruling lord of my house, as Valko did when he killed Aruke. And if I kill my liege lord, overpower him and take his head, then I am ent.i.tled to keep all that which was his.'

Hirea finished: 'If Valko kills the TeKarana, he becomes becomes the TeKarana. Why do you think the TeKarana keeps an army of fanatically loyal Talnoy with him at all times?' the TeKarana. Why do you think the TeKarana keeps an army of fanatically loyal Talnoy with him at all times?'

Magnus said, 'But that means...'

'Someone must kill the Dark G.o.d,' finished Pug. 'Or Valko's reign as the TeKarana will be a very short one.'

'What do you propose?' asked Alenburga.

Kaspar said, 'The Tsurani are as brave as any soldiers I've ever seen, but they lack a sense of organization above the company level. Coordinating this could prove difficult.' He looked towards young Jeurin of the Anasati. 'My friend, I have a very difficult task for you.'

'Whatever I must do, Lord.'

The entire Tsurani command structure was now located in a makeshift pavilion erected on a hillock near the river, less than half a mile from where the river emptied into the plains. They could easily see the dust raised from the fighting a short distance upriver and soon they'd be able to hear the sounds of battle. The Tsurani were being slowly rolled back, and Kaspar was seeking a plan to thwart the Dasati advance as Alenburga had requested. Miranda and a half-dozen magicians had just arrived after beginning the evacuation and were standing off to the side, ready to do whatever the General bid them.

The General looked at Kaspar who spoke to the young Tsurani lord. 'I need you to take the vanguard, there'-Kaspar pointed to a position half-way between their current location and the first rolling hills on either side of the river- 'and I want two detachments of as many soldiers as we can muster on either side. Lord Jeurin, you must retreat, very slowly, drawing in the Dasati. We will surround them and press in.'