‘Heila, your offer is both generous and tempting. Very tempting,’ she said. ‘And in any other circumstance, I would gratefully accept it. However, the lives of countless thousands of Julatsans hinge on the Shroud’s immediate dispersal. With due sorrow and regret for the plight of Deale and all those taken, I cannot agree to this.’

Heila’s brows arrowed in and his face contorted in a rage that suffused his feelings in blue swirls of writhing mana. His breath clouded in a sudden cold that swept the Heart and his fists unclenched to reveal wisps of pure white essence that voiced human screams as they were snatched back through the portal.

‘We will fight you, High Mage, and souls like these will, I promise you, suffer an eternity of torment far from the heavens in which they belong. They are lost as you will be. I name you, Kerela of Julatsa. You are mine.’

‘You cannot touch me, Heila,’ said Kerela, though the demon’s words had clearly shaken her. ‘Prepare your underlings for the dispersal of the Shroud. Goodbye.’ Kerela terminated the link and Heila vanished without another word. Mana howled again along the column but Barras was both ready for it and equal to it. With a solid grunt, he sealed the portal.

There was quiet in the Heart for a moment. Barras wiped wispy grey strands of hair from his face and puffed out his cheeks. Torvis and Vilif exchanged frowns. Endorr spoke.

‘What did he mean, “we will fight you”?’ asked the young mage.

‘Presumably, they will resist our capping and dispersal,’ said Cordolan.

‘No,’ said Kerela. ‘It will be worse than that. The demons seek souls and something is giving them the strength to challenge us now they have a foothold in Balaia. I think they may try and break the containment.’

‘What?’ Seldane gaped, then her brow creased. ‘Can they do that?’

‘Ordinarily, no,’ said Kerela. ‘But ordinarily, they wouldn’t feel they had the power to threaten us in our own dimension. Now, they obviously think they can.’

‘So shouldn’t we wait these two days? Let Heila complete whatever it is needs doing?’ asked Endorr. There was a murmur of disagreement from Torvis, put into words by Vilif.

‘No, young Master, I think you misunderstand who are the enemies to which Heila referred. In two days, I suspect the demons would be strong enough to sweep the containment aside. Heila was presumably upset because he can no longer be certain.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Barras. ‘And in two days, so many more will die in the Shroud. We cannot wait.’

‘But his offer—’ said Endorr.

‘A lie,’ said Kerela, her expression set and determined. ‘Come, my friends, the longer we delay, the greater our chances of failure. Join with me around the candle and remain strong. We cannot afford to weaken or the demons and not the Wesmen will take Julatsa. And then they will take Balaia.’

The Raven gathered close to Sha-Kaan, the wood and oil odours of his hide mixing uncomfortably with the sourness of his breath and the heat from the fires. They were in a defensive formation, the dragon and the humans back to back, he taking three quadrants, they the fourth. Hirad stood flanked by The Unknown and Will, Thraun beside the little man. Behind them, Ilkar, Erienne and Denser, ready to prepare on Sha-Kaan’s word.

They couldn’t feel the movement of the corridor, though Sha-Kaan assured them they were approaching Julatsa and he was merely waiting for the right time to breach the Shroud. Indeed, the calm was unnerving and Hirad found it hard to credit that they had moved anywhere. It was his trust in Sha-Kaan that made him believe.

‘You will know when we touch the DemonShroud,’ said Sha-Kaan. ‘The walls of this hall will shake and you will stumble. I will try and steer a steady path but I must strike at the heart of their power if we are to stop them and allow your mages to close the Shroud.’

‘How soon?’ asked Hirad.

‘Very. They have begun their preparation. Your casting should commence shortly.’

‘Before we start, remember what this spell actually is,’ said Ilkar. ‘We’re constructing a Cold Room by creating a shell inside of which mana cannot flow. We will maintain it using thread streams of mana stamina from within us. The process will be very draining. The Cold Room will not stop the demons but it will hurt them to enter it and weaken them extremely quickly. The absence of mana flow around your weapons will allow you to damage them but kills won’t be quick and you should be striking to keep them back.

‘We’ll colour the shield pale green. You’ll be able to see through it but don’t step outside of its bounds or your weapons will be useless and your soul will be lost.’

Hirad and The Unknown nodded. Will turned to Thraun whose wolfen eyes bored into his face.

‘Stay beside me always,’ he said. ‘Don’t leave my side for a moment.’ He drew his dual short swords, unable to keep the quiver from his arms. Thraun looked up at him, a growl rumbling in his throat.

‘Are you sure they’ll attack us?’ asked Will.

‘There can be no doubt,’ said Sha-Kaan, his voice tone altered as he steered the corridor towards Julatsa, along the trails and markers given to him by the stricken Elu-Kaan. ‘Our presence will disrupt their energies, acting like a stopper in a bottle. Your souls will attract them like dragons to prey, deflecting their attention. Soul-taking Arakhe have little discipline when temptation is put in their way.’ He swung his long neck around and over their heads to face them. ‘One more thing. Expect the Arakhe from anywhere. They are not bound by our laws. They could come from above you or from beneath your feet as well as straight at you. Their touch is like fire, their bite like ice and their eyes will try to prise the souls from you. Strike hard and strike often. Show them no fear.’

He locked eyes with Hirad for a moment and the barbarian felt a flow of thanks tinged with anger. Sha-Kaan blamed their casting of Dawnthief for all that had come since and he wouldn’t forgive quickly.

Hirad turned to the mages. ‘You ready?’

Ilkar nodded. ‘Just keep your sword sharp.’

‘I wonder what colour demon blood is.’

‘Well, now’s a good time to find out,’ said Denser. ‘Find out a lot, will you?’

Hirad smiled. ‘As much as I can. Let’s go Raven. Great Kaan, the casting will start on your word.’

‘Excellent. Begin at once.’ Sha-Kaan returned his head forward. A ripple ran through the corridor. Hirad adjusted, knees unlocked. He drew his sword. Behind him, the mages sat back to back. They couldn’t afford a fall to break their concentration.

Ilkar found he wasn’t scared of the union of the three magics. Indeed, since his first enforced link with Denser, to save Hirad back in Septern’s long barn, the idea had fascinated him as he knew it did the Xeteskian.

With all three minds attuned to the mana spectrum, Ilkar watched as the streams of orange-, deep blue- and yellow-hued mana indicating Dordover, Xetesk and Julatsa respectively ran together over their heads. Each mage was encased in a sheath of colour while above them their magics mixed like the plaits of a rope, each strengthening the other two.

Then, with the stream coiling and thrusting, seeking outlet, the trio tipped their heads back so that their skulls touched and clasped hands left and right to complete the circle. Erienne, who had most knowledge of mana exclusion constructs, led the casting.

‘One magic, one mage,’ she said.

‘One magic, one mage,’ repeated Denser.

‘Just get on with it,’ said Ilkar, feeling the warmth between Denser and Erienne through the mana flow which now encased them all in a single tri-coloured tulip.

‘I’ll speak the words but we must all reinforce the shape. Keep your colours for now and push out to form one side of an equilateral triangle. Bring the sides in and rotate.’ Erienne’s voice was barely above a murmur.