The lieutenant nodded. 'Lead on.'
Canted to one side, shrouded in black mist, the ruptured basalt groaning like a living thing, Moon's Spawn drew ever closer to the keep's parapet.
Beneath the vast, overwhelming weight of Kurald Galain, the Seer crouched in his madness, head tilted to stare up at the edifice, the Finnest cradled with desperate possessiveness in his arms. Off to one side, the Matron seemed to be trying to claw her way through the tiles beneath her. The pressure was unrelenting.
The two Seguleh had not reached the rooftop unscathed, and the K'ell Hunters were proving more than their match. Both masked warriors had been driven back over the low ringwall, leaving trails of blood. Even so, Paran had never before seen such a display of skill. The swords were a blur, seemingly everywhere at once, and the K'ell Hunters were being hacked to shreds even as they pressed on. The captain had thought to help the two strangers, but had concluded that he'd prove more a hindrance.
Paran glanced back at the sky to the north.
Dragons, diving towards the city, waves of power lashing down to thunder in the streets, against buildings, darkness billowing.
Great Ravens, wheeling, voicing triumphant cries.
'Uh, it's not going to clear …'
The captain frowned at Quick Ben's strange statement. Clear? What's not — he snapped his head round, back to Moon's Spawn. Oh.
The base of the floating mountain was directly opposite, sliding ever closer. So close — towering, filling the sky.
'I thought Rake would at least come down in person for this,' the wizard went on. 'Instead, he's elected something … uh, less subtle.'
Like obliterating this entire keep and everyone in it. 'Quick Ben-'
'Aye, we'd better make our move.'
A huge black panther flowed from the stairwell, paused, lambent eyes taking in the scene on the rooftop, then fixing on the Seer.
Quick Ben was suddenly on his feet. 'No!' he shouted to the beast. 'Wait!'
The panther's huge head swung to the wizard, eyes blazing, lips peeling back.
'I don't think it wants to wait.'
Tail lashing, the panther drew a step closer to the cowering Seer — whose back was to them all-
' Damn! ' Quick Ben hissed. 'Time's now, Talamandas!'
Who?
Moon's Spawn struck the parapet roof's wall with a grinding, grating crunch. The inexorable wall of stone ploughed forward-
The Matron screamed-
Wet, streaming basalt pinned the K'Chain Che'Malle where she lay, then seemed to gather her in. Blood sprayed, bones snapped, Moon's Spawn's apex edging across the rooftop, leaving in its wake chewed tiles and smears of blood and flesh.
The Seer shrieked, backpedalled — directly towards the panther, which suddenly coiled-
Moon's Spawn sank suddenly, dropping a man's height, punching through the roof.
Tiles dipped beneath Paran, bricks buckling on all sides — the world swayed.
Quick Ben struck. Sorcery tumbling out, hammering into the panther's flank — sending it flying, claws skittering-
'Follow me!' the wizard screamed, lunging forward.
Paran, struggling to maintain his balance, reached and grasped the wizard's rain-cape, was pulled along. So it's now — to cheat them all. Gods forgive us.
The Seer spun to them — 'What?'
'Talamandas!' Quick Ben roared as they closed with the Seer, the wizard throwing himself onto the Jaghut-
Warren opening round them-
— and away.
Portal closing — then flaring as the panther plunged through it in pursuit.
Moon's Spawn settled further, and the parapet burst apart, bricks snapping out to all sides. The two Seguleh darted back from the K'ell Hunters, leapt the low wall behind which Paran and Quick Ben had hidden, and raced for the far end of the roof. Behind them, where the Seer had crouched, a massive chunk of basalt split away from the apex in a gush of saltwater, plunged down to bury the two K'ell Hunters, down, through floor after floor, into the bowels of the keep.
Gruntle staggered, shoulder striking a wall, leaving a red stain as he slowly slid to a crouch. Before him, bent over in exhaustion or pain, kneeling, or standing, blank-faced and ashen, were eight Capan women. Three little more than children, two others with grey in their tangled, sweat-matted hair, their weapons hanging from trembling hands. All he had left.
His Lestari officer was gone, dead, what was left of his body somewhere out in the killing field beyond the wall.
Gruntle lowered his swords, leaned his head back against the dusty stone facing, and closed his eyes.
