'That might prove unfortunate,' Nai said to no one in particular. The soldiers exchanged glances, but kept silent as they followed him into the old kitchen. The only reminder of the room's former role was a great iron stove, rusted into uselessness by years of rain sweeping In through the shattered window. Someone had nailed up a lew boards so there was no gap large enough for a person to climb through, but there were gaps to see a little of outside. As Mikiss trailed in he pulled out his own sword, as much for comfort as anything else.

Nai, peering between boards, said, 'Looks like locals. My master's pels will soon see them off – ah, they're running in all direction'. Some are making lor the courtyard.'

'Pitchforks and flaming brands?' Shart asked. Nai gave the soldier a deeply unfriendly look as the brothers shared a snigger and barrelled out of the rear door.

Mikiss heard a cry of alarm break off as Keneg roared, then the clash of steel, followed by shrieks.

Major Amber grabbed Mikiss by the shoulder and gave him a shove towards the door. 'Come on, then, sir, just your average angry mob. You've been trained, they haven't. Stick close to me and you'll be fine.' There wasn't time to argue even if Mikiss had dared, as he found himself swept along into the courtyard where Keneg and Shart were facing down half a dozen men. Two more were already down, lying there clutching their wounds and screaming.

Mikiss realised that Amber was right, so he raised his sword and ran at the nearest enemy. Swords took training, clubs didn't; the man raised his weapon preparing to smash it down on Mikiss, only to find Mikiss' blade buried in his gut. On the right, Amber was wielding his two blades with lethal efficiency, catching a club on one and hacking into his assailant's knee with the other, then following that up with a blow to the man's neck when he fell to the ground, wailing like a child.

Suddenly there was a bright burst of flame. Everyone hesitated, turning to see what had happened.

Mikiss looked around the illuminated grounds and saw men stand¬ing in groups wherever there were gaps in the vegetation, wildly fight¬ing off the strange figures assailing them. One such group was being attacked by three bony, bloody figures dressed in rags. They had no weapons that Mikiss could see, but one stopped a club in mid-swing, then swiped a palm across the man's face with such force the man spun around and collapsed in a heap on top of one of his comrades.

But the weirdness of that little group paled into insignificance next to what was going on in the centre of the grounds, where a creature something like a massive hairless bear stood hacking at anyone within reach of the double-headed axes it brandished in each hand. When it had cleared a circle, it leapt, a clear ten yards in one stride, and began again.

Mikiss started shuddering uncontrollably when he caught sight of a man just hanging in the air, flailing madly as unseen claws shred¬ded his flesh and droplets of fresh blood sprayed all around him from severed arteries.

The Menin soldiers ignored the horrific scene, but took advantage of their enemies' momentary distraction to dispatch the last of the men in the courtyard.

'Where has that light come from?' asked Amber angrily, scanning the grounds.

Shart reached out a hand, pointing off to the right. 'There, there's a mage in that bunch.'

A large group of men had formed a circle just inside the grounds, and were hewing a path through the injured and dead towards the house. One of the walking corpses burst into flames and blundered away.

'They're not locals; they're fighting as a unit,' Major Amber sud denly announced. The foreigners were now providing the only serious assault on the grounds; everyone else was dead or dying.

When Mikiss saw someone point towards them, he opened his mouth, ready to shout. But he closed his mouth in horror as a nearby bush started shaking violently, then lashed out with supernaturally long branches to envelop the man who'd pointed. A shadow crossed die still-hovering light and the branches slewed sideways and grabbed the man beside him instead, tugging the helpless figure into the body ol (be bush. Three of the attackers ran forward to help their comrade, but branches whipped at their faces and drove them back.

'The master will be pleased,' Nai commented brightly as the at-lackers struggled in vain to save the man, but all too soon it was over as, with one last shuddering moan, the man fell silent and the bush stopped shaking. Someone called out something, and in the next instant the bush burst into purple flames and an unholy howl echoed through the air.

'What the hell was that?' Shart asked.

'Just one of the master's pet projects,' Nai said airily. 'We hadn't had a chance to test it properly before.'

'They're a determined lot, I must say,' the major remarked, 'and as it doesn't look like your defences are going to stop them, and we don't have the numbers, we should get back inside.'

The foreign unit was inching its way towards the house, hampered at every turn by the new horrors springing up. The giant creature had killed every man in its vicinity, and now it turned towards the remaining group. The bright flare left Mikiss' eyes watering as he tried to make it out, but all he could be sure ol was the dark skin, a mass of criss-crossing scars and tattoos, a low-hanging jaw with unusually sharp canine teeth, and horns that curled forward past its eyes.

'Come on, you bastard,' Amber growled, grabbing Mikiss by the arm and dragging him back inside. 'Shart, check the other side of the house; let me know if there's anyone out there as well. Nai, your master had better get more involved or we're in trouble. There must be more than one mage out there.'

Shart ran into one of the front rooms. There was a clatter as some¬thing broke under the soldier's weight. Then he called back, 'Soldiers at the gate, pikemen of some sort – maybe the city guard. There are women in white standing before them. They've not come through yet.'

'Damn, White Circle mages? How in the name of the Lowest Pit did they get here so fast?' Amber looked at his men, assessing his options, then ordered, 'Nai, go and tell your master we need a diversion.'

'That won't be necessary,' said a calm voice from the cellar stair, making them all jump. Isherin Purn loomed suddenly from the kitchen shadows and stepped into the hallway, a smile of quiet pleasure on his face and a red flicker in his eyes. 'Nai, please fetch my books from the study table.'

'We've got at least three separate parties surrounding us, two with mages. You have an escape route planned?' Amber snapped.

Purn glared at him, and both the major and the messenger recoiled. The necromancer was a thin man, and hairless, no taller than Mikiss. He was believed to be around sixty winters, but his face remained unlined. Mikiss guessed that was some dark pact. It gave the necro¬mancer an air of unearthly, timeless cruelty.

'Major, you will modify your tone of voice with me.' Purn's voice sounded distracted, as though the physical world were only part of what he had to concentrate on at any one moment. 'I have released the wards on the boundary and triggered all the invocations within the grounds.'

'They hadn't all been triggered already?' the major asked, a little taken aback.

'The magic is complicated; you will not understand it,' Purn said. 'All you need to know is that there will be more appearing as we speak, drawn by the murder already done. They are free to leave the grounds now, and you will be just as great a target as any other mortal nearby'

'Isn't that going to make this even harder?' Amber asked, trying to control his temper.

'Not at all, as long as you stay close to me. In the general chaos they will cause it will be simple enough to go unnoticed.' Purn turned at the sound of his servant returning, laden with a bulky canvas bag slung over his left shoulder. 'Ah, excellent, Nai; you are sure you have them all?'