The Choice of Magic - Michael G. Manning Page 0,170

destroying their cohesion, while Fulstrom’s company moved on, wreaking havoc in the camp and scattering the Darrowan reserves who were still trying to form up.

Sven called out to Will from his left, “We might just win this th—” His words cut off suddenly. Will glanced over and saw a long, leaf-bladed spearhead pulling back—it had just gone through Sven’s cheek and the back of his throat. The old soldier collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth.

Their formation had begun to disintegrate, and Will froze in horror as he watched soldiers of both armies trample Sven’s dead body. A shadow caught his attention, and he saw a spear coming toward him. He had been too distracted, and now it was too late. Time slowed to a crawl as his heart sped up, but there was no way he could avoid the thrust.

A larger shadow eclipsed the sun as Tiny’s massive form bulled forward, the edge of his shield knocking the spear away. Thrusting with his own weapon, Tiny impaled the Darrowan. Will saw the big man’s face and was shocked by the rage he saw there. Snarling, Tiny lifted the man he had skewered and swung him sideways, hurling him off the spear and back into the enemy mob.

Tiny’s spear had cracked under the weight of the man he had thrown, but he bent and snatched another from the ground and moved on. As he passed by, Will heard him scream, “Get up!”

Ashamed of his weakness, Will jumped up, lifting his shield and following his friend. He had lost his spear somewhere, but it wasn’t his best weapon anyway. Staying close to the big man, he began using the source-link spell again, incapacitating as many of the enemy as he could. Together, he and Tiny destroyed the knot of rallying Darrowans, and Company B began surging forward once more.

Their line was gone. The enemy soldiers had lost all cohesion, and many of them began to run, followed by the Terabinian soldiers. Sergeants and lieutenants yelled continuously, trying to restore order to their own men, but the Terabinian army was hot on the heels of the routing Darrowans. Order was gone, and the battlefield devolved into a rioting melee in which it was hard to identify friend and foe.

Will stayed close to Tiny, and when he looked to his right, he saw Dave was still with them as well, though the man seemed to have gone mad. Spittle flew from Dave’s mouth as he spat out a constant stream of incomprehensible curses. The ex-thief’s voice had failed him at some point, but his mouth continued to open and close as he screamed and stabbed at anyone who got close to Tiny’s right side.

Ahead, Lord Fulstrom and Company E ran rampant through the enemy camp, scattering the second half of the enemy force before they could form a cohesive force that might turn back the Terabinian army. As Will watched, the baron stood in his stirrups and began drawing power from his elemental, forming a large fireball above his raised hands. Before he could release it, though, streams of fire erupted from the enemy, coming at him from two different sides.

The baron was incinerated, and the massive ball of fire above his head exploded, devastating the men around him. In the span of a few seconds, half of Company E was gone. The world seemed to pause then, as soldiers on both sides stopped in horror to stare at the awful carnage. Will could feel the battle teetering on the edge of a blade. Given the slightest push, it might topple and fall either way.

For once, he was the first to recover. “For Terabinia!” he screamed, charging across the open ground in the direction of one of the two sorcerers who had slain Lord Fulstrom. Tiny and Dave went with him, and the Terabinian army began to move again, becoming a raging mob as they charged forward.

Will only had eyes for the dark-robed sorcerer. He feared to look elsewhere and lose sight of the man. He and his squad mates were ahead of the Terabinian charge, but he couldn’t stop to worry about that. The sorcerer was surrounded by a small, protective guard composed of four men, but otherwise he was alone. His eyes met Will’s, and Will saw them harden as the sorcerer gathered his power to destroy them.

They were less than twenty feet away when a massive ball of fire flew toward them. Acting almost on instinct, Will did what he had