The Raven ran on, having no option but to trust themselves and their friend on the other side of his ColdRoom protection. Hirad found himself trying to look everywhere at once. Left and right to check the elves, about and behind him to make sure The Raven were one, and ahead and above him to try and second-guess the next action of the demons.

But it was quickly clear that the demons were unsure. The slaughter of twenty-plus of their number by The Raven had undermined their sense of automatic domination and inside Blackthorne the Baron was making no secret of the fact that he was ready to strike out. It bought The Raven the time to make over half the distance to relative safety. It was a hiatus that couldn’t last and duly, with The Raven and elves passing the outlying farm land, the demons moved.

‘Watching, Raven,’ warned The Unknown. ‘Let’s try and keep moving. Erienne, you’re up.’

The hoots and croaking cries of demons choked the air, echoing across the open space. Hirad felt a chill down his body and gripped his sword tighter. His cheek burned where he had been caught, a numbness spreading to his jaw. Moving in towards the outskirts of the town, the Raven line tightened appreciably. Auum and Duele fell in behind the mages, leaving Rebraal and Evunn scouting ahead, bows in hand.

‘We’re moving too fast,’ said Denser. ‘Erienne can’t hold this pace and cast.’

They slowed. Darrick dropped back to the other side of her, Hirad and The Unknown directly in front. From above, the cries of the demons intensified to a stunning crescendo. They packed and attacked.

‘Dear Gods.’ Hirad almost froze. ‘We’re in trouble.’

‘Holding positions, Raven. Spells at full spread!’ shouted Darrick. ‘Let’s give ourselves a chance.’

They stopped again, needing the cohesion of a static formation to give them any chance at all. Hirad could hear Denser murmuring words of encouragement to Erienne.

‘We can’t afford that, Denser. Cast. They’re on us.’

‘Can’t afford for Erienne to fail either.’

‘We can’t afford that for any of us. Please, Denser, not now.’

‘Got it,’ said the mage, an edge to his voice.

‘Come on, Baron,’ whispered Hirad. ‘We need you.’

He couldn’t count how many demons were coming at them this time. It had to be twice the number of the first probing attack. Enough to overwhelm them if they weren’t all right on their game.

From the direction of the castle came simultaneous deep orange and blue flares. The sound of a detonation and the cries of hundreds of men followed it. More spells struck out, tearing at the demons still hovering over Blackthorne. They were joined by those of the elves. DeathHail flayed across the clear blue sky, more IceWind surged behind it, catching the leading edge of the demon attack. But still they came on and Blackthorne’s intervention was too late.

Sudden calm fell in the air, pressing on Hirad’s ears. Behind him, Denser swore.

‘Cover your eyes,’ he shouted. ‘Now!’

‘Do it, Raven!’ ordered Hirad.

He closed his eyes and put an arm across them. An instant later there was a flat crack. Searing light ripped across the sky. Hirad could see the glow through his squeezed-shut eyes as it flared through the flesh of his arm. Screams filled the air all around him.

‘Safe!’ called Denser.

Hirad looked up. The sky was a confusion of blinded demons. They crashed into one another, flew very high to escape the chaos or tried to land, tumbling. Some hovered where they were, their fists wiping at their faces. But most blundered on, trying to use other senses to reach their prey but distracted by the pain that would be pounding in their skulls.

Hirad and The Unknown glanced at each other, The Unknown nodded.

‘Raven!’ roared Hirad. ‘Raven with me!’

And they ran hard, all pretence at an organised fighting line gone. SunBurst was a spell rarely used and easily combated by area reverse castings. But when it worked, its effects were spectacular but, as they all knew, short-lived. The demons’ sight would return and soon.

Auum’s Tai and Rebraal took the lead, racing through Blackthorne’s all but empty streets. In places, demons and humans alike clung to walls or sat with heads in hands, briefly united in their distress. Where they filled the road, the enemy were unceremoniously beaten aside.

Closing on the area of the town still under Blackthorne’s control, Hirad had an idea. He sheathed his sword.

‘Unknown!’ He grabbed at the big man’s arm as they ran. ‘We can save some. One each.’

The Unknown nodded. ‘The others will follow the lead. Take the young, we can carry them.’

Ahead, Blackthorne’s men were beating a path clear for them among the disoriented demons who nonetheless tried to fight back. Spells roared out, engulfing hapless victims, and cudgels and clubs knocked sense from any who got too close. Hirad shot past an opening and saw a small boy, perhaps ten years old, yelling for his mother, his fists buried in his eyes. The barbarian slithered to a stop, darted back down the passage and grabbed him, throwing him over one shoulder, heedless of the knocks he’d take.

‘Safer with me, boy,’ he said.

Panicked, the child began to beat on Hirad’s back, his frenzied screaming reaching new volume. Hirad didn’t have time to pause. He glanced right at the end of the opening and saw the demons regrouping and charging through the air.

‘Time to go.’ He sprinted for safety. ‘Come on, Raven!’

Erienne and Denser had picked up a mother and baby between them and were chairing her to the line. The Unknown, typically, had one infant over either shoulder. In the midst of the crowd of demons milling in their path, Auum and the elves got to work.

They were a blur, kicks, punches and pulls driving the demons back and away. The mages killed with FlamePalm and close-focused IceWind. Ahead, the humans had retreated to the safety of the ColdRooms, edges marked by stones in the earth, and were beckoning them on. Darrick was furthest ahead, carrying something in his arms. The Unknown was behind him. Hirad dropped his pace to see Erienne and Denser to safety.

With the enraged screeches of the demons closing in on them at frightening speed, The Raven reached the relative sanctuary of Blackthorne’s domain. Hirad carried on running for thirty paces until a familiar voice yelled at him to stop.

Lungs labouring, chest heaving and sweat running down his face and mixing uncomfortably in his cuts, he pulled up and turned round. Blackthorne was striding towards him, a broad smile on a face that couldn’t quite believe what it was seeing. Hirad released the hysterical child into the arms of others and greeted the Baron with a long hug.

‘Couldn’t you have sent a note?’ asked the Baron, stepping back. ‘I’d have cleaned up a bit.’

‘Well, we sent Thraun,’ said Hirad. ‘Clearly he got here.’

Hirad looked around for the wolf, a little worried he wasn’t immediately apparent.

‘He did but he was hurt,’ said Blackthorne. ‘Don’t worry, we’re looking after him, but it was a demon bite. He should be dead.’

Hirad chuckled. ‘Like me, eh?’ He pointed at his cheek. ‘The Raven aren’t that easy to kill.’

‘So I’ve noticed.’

‘Is he still a wolf?’ asked Hirad.

Blackthorne nodded. ‘But he’s calm enough. I’ll take you to him.’

‘And at the same time you can tell me how you worked out from one wolf that we were coming. He’s not exactly talkative like that.’

Blackthorne put an arm around his shoulder and began to lead him back to the rest of The Raven who were standing or sitting in a group, drinks in hands, looking back at the demons clustered outside the ColdRooms.

‘Later, Hirad. First of all, you should rest. We’ll talk later over food and wine and you can tell me what by all the Gods falling you are doing here. But let me tell you this one thing. However much a wolf Thraun is, his eyes are still human. I recognised him straight away and where he goes, The Raven go.’