‘Well, we’ll never have to find out, will we?’ said Hirad. ‘Because either we’ll have beaten them or we’ll all be dead.’

The Raven reached the stunning setting of Triverne Lake deep into evening. The fading light reflected off the lake’s surface, picking out the extraordinary beauty of the landscape. Triverne Lake lay at the base of the Blackthorne Mountains. The lake waters, touched by magic, were sheltered, giving perfect conditions for the vibrant green vegetation that bordered them on three sides. Only the eastern shore was open. In the half-light, little of the colour of the vegetation that burgeoned among the trees was visible. But the sense was there of a spectacular matting that clung far up into the foothills before the cooler air running off the mountains let only hardier scrub, moss and heather grow plentiful. Last time he was here, Hirad remembered the calls of thousands of birds. This time it was quiet and as the longboat nudged the shore, it was clear that the beauty was tarnished.

Thraun trotted over the open ground towards them as they climbed out of the boat. Hirad brought his clothes and left them in a pile on the shore. The wolf trotted up to them and sniffed them closely, a contented growling in his throat. The rest of The Raven walked away up the short beach to give him a little privacy.

‘There’s been fighting here,’ said Darrick.

The Unknown nodded. ‘Indeed there has.’

The ground underfoot was broken and scuffed deeply. Grass lay flattened and dead, the earth was cut and scored, scattered with loose clods. Far to the right, haphazard stones thrust twenty feet into the air, remnants of an EarthHammer casting. And everywhere were the dark stains of blood and the blackened scorches of spell impact.

‘Strange, eh?’ said Hirad.

Darrick agreed. ‘You’d have expected some scraps at least but this place has been cleaned.’

‘Thorough, these demons, aren’t they?’

‘So sure it was them?’ said The Unknown.

‘Spell battle at the birthplace of magic,’ said Darrick. ‘And recently, too. Hirad’s right, I’d say.’

‘How recent do you think?’ asked The Unknown.

Darrick shrugged. ‘Hard to say. Looks fresh. Forty days maximum? I’m guessing though.’

‘Where’s an elf tracker when you need one, eh?’ said Hirad. ‘Hey Thraun, what do you think?’

The shapechanger was pulling on his shirt as he trotted over from the longboat. Hirad watched him kneel and touch the ground. He crumbled earth in his palm and rubbed grass between his fingers. He breathed deeply over the bloodstains and scorch marks. And finally he sat back on his haunches and gazed all around him.

‘The air is still bad,’ he said. ‘And the blood is human. Less than twenty days since a man walked here.’ He turned towards them. ‘But who?’

‘Now that is an extremely good question,’ said Denser, coming to the shoulders of the warriors. ‘After all, Blackthorne is sure every free mage is in one or other of the colleges.’

‘Looks like he was wrong,’ said Hirad.

‘How many involved in the fight, do you think, General?’ asked The Unknown.

‘Given the combat area, upwards of fifty swords and magic,’ he replied. ‘The Gods only know how many demons.’

‘Hmm,’ The Unknown sighed. ‘This isn’t good. I think we can forget any ideas of a fire tonight. We should take the longboat across the lake and sleep under tree cover. Tomorrow, let’s see if we can’t piece together what happened in the light of day. Any objections? Good, then let’s get to it and remember, there have been demons here. They’ll know this place now and the mana flow around here. We’re not safe.’

Hirad found himself quite happy at the prospect of sleeping under the trees. He hoped it would remind him of the rainforest, a place he would very much rather have been.

Chapter 21

‘South-east quadrant!’ yelled Blackthorne. ‘New attack. Luke, commit the reserve.’

Blackthorne was already running to the northern incursion. Flags in the castle towers signalled Luke’s shouted order, flashing green and white in Blackthorne’s periphery. He ran down the central stairway and through the arched hallway, leaping down the wide castle steps and on through the courtyard gates. Shouts came from all around him. Men, women, children. Running, screaming, calling out alarms or orders.

Above him the ColdRoom lattice held firm, but circling around it incessantly were demons. Soul stealers all, with their leathered or gossamer wings, their long taloned fingers and bald skulls on which the skin writhed in tune with their excitement. They were every hue he had ever seen, from the deepest blue to the most vivid of red or yellow. Their shrieks echoed around the buildings and their threats chilled his heart.

Beneath the lattice, spotters stood on every vantage point, watching the skies. They could come in anywhere. Usually it was in groups but occasionally they had taken to trying to snatch a vulnerable individual alone. It was a nervous time but they were holding.

Blackthorne called a guard to him and barrelled through the tight streets in front of the castle. He could hear the sounds of the battle on the northern periphery of the ColdRooms where he had stood six days before with The Raven. He had thought at the time that Ferouc would not take kindly to their escape. He had been right.

Entering the cleared ground, Blackthorne assessed the situation. Not thirty yards from him, thirty of his men had formed a tight square, shields and maces a barrier against a concerted attack by a greater number of demons. Circling just above and outside the lattice other enemies waited, and on the ground more squads of swordsmen darted into the backs of the demons, striking hard and running away before they could be overwhelmed.

It was exactly as Darrick had taught them and Blackthorne grinned fiercely. The demons were attracted to the largest spread of life energy and had left themselves open to the counter. Satisfied though he was with their defence, these attacks marked a change in Ferouc’s attitude. But more than that, they told of the swiftly increasing strength of the invaders. While still vulnerable within the ColdRoom lattice, they were no longer merely sitting targets. Their power lasted long enough for them to make meaningful incursions and the length of time they could fight within the mana-free environment was growing.

Next to Blackthorne, his mage looked on in concern. The young woman’s face was thin from lack of food and the worry lines etched deep on her pale features.

‘What it is, Kayla?’

‘They’re different somehow,’ she said. ‘I can see a mana signature encasing them. It’s like they’re coming in on bubbles of mana energy which isn’t dissipating like it should.’

‘That explains a lot.’ It was as Ferouc had said in earlier conversations. Mana density was growing. He didn’t really need Kayla’s confirmation. It was getting very cold now.

A burst of noise from the south-east told of the reserve engaging the demon attack there. Blackthorne wiped a gauntleted hand across his mouth and tightened grip on shield and sword.

‘Kayla, back to cover. Three of you go with her. The rest, with me. Time for some fun.’

Blackthorne ran in, feeling the cold air fill his lungs, blowing away the cobwebs from his mind and body. Ahead of him, the demons were upping their frenzy. More fell from the sky to join those attacking the square. Beyond the thrashing limbs and beating wings of the blue, black and green soul stealers he could see the faces of his men. Scared for their lives but determined. They focused on what Darrick had taught them. Heavy body blows to weaken. Drive them back, don’t break ranks. Shields up and to the fore. Don’t blink, don’t flinch.

A tall, wiry demon staggered backwards from a mace blow to the chest, its flailing hand missing its target by a hair’s breadth. Blackthorne scythed his sword through its back, slicing its left wing from its body. Dark blood sprayed and the creature screeched and tried to turn. Blackthorne backed up one pace. The demon’s skin writhed. Veins pulsed and its colour snapped to a startling blue. Unbalanced by the loss of its wing, it couldn’t face up to attack and Blackthorne drove his sword deep into its gut and heaved it up and out. It dropped.