air, cool mountain scents and the call of birdsong flooded into the chamber.
‘Go!’ commanded Dridif.
‘Charlie come for us as soon as –’
‘Go!’ insisted Dridif, cutting Nibbler’s words short.
Nibbler, Crumble and Jensen forlornly made an exit.
‘If there be any man or woman here that cannot wield a sword I command that ya leave too.’
There was a rumble of vague protest.
‘This is no time for empty words. Survival is at stake! Hericho, Jaylance, Treddit. I know yer minds are sharp, but it has been years since ya took part in any sport. Go! Pheranice, Lago and Stupper – yer services over the years have been great, but it is time for ya ta take yer leave.’ One by one she singled out councillor and servant alike until there was a steady stream of old faces retreating from the room. ‘Captain.’
‘Ma’am?’
‘Send a third of yer men and the wounded who can walk with them. I would see that our young Hatchling has some protection on his quest.’
‘Ma’am.’ The captain barked some orders and soon armed figures joined the others on the far side of the Portal.
‘Charlie!’ cried Nibbler. ‘I –’
Marsila let the Portal go, cutting short any further goodbyes. Charlie scowled, but Marsila ignored the look.
‘Where’s this army of yours?’
Charlie stood tall, realizing that she had duties to attend to rather than bemoaning absent friends. ‘Let me show you.’
She opened a Portal then staggered beneath the sudden weight.
‘Be careful,’ muttered Marsila. ‘Open too many Portals too quickly and your energy will swiftly deteriorate.’
‘Uh,’ grimaced Charlie. ‘Yeah, I’m kinda familiar with that.’
‘Captain, take those saddles through,’ said Dridif.
Once the guards had deposited the saddles they tried to return, but Dridif held up her hand. ‘Stay with the Keepers, assist them with the saddles then aid them as best ya can.’
‘Is this it?’ enquired Marsila. ‘Are we good to go?’
Dridif nodded. ‘Ya are.’
‘Any last words of wisdom?’
‘Grind the enemy ta dust.’
Marsila gave the First Speaker a grim smile. ‘You’ve got it.’
51
Triad
It was still raining on the Great Plains.
The stone soldiers, standing in the long ranks where Charlie had left them, disappeared into the gloom.
‘Seven Heavens,’ muttered E’Jaaz, ‘those are big.’
Marsila spun around in a slow, disbelieving circle as she tried to count the gargorillas in their entirety. ‘It’s like one of those fairy armies the Winged Ones used to tell me about when I was a child.’
A roll of thunder boomed overhead.
‘Let’s get to it,’ said Charlie, a determined expression on her face. She could feel the seconds ticking by and with it came a helpless sense that Sylvaris, beyond the horizon and beyond her reach, was being crushed into oblivion.
The Treman captain instructed his men to fasten the saddles round three of the silent gargorillas. Once their task was complete he hesitantly approached Marsila.
‘Wot of us, my lady?’
‘Wait until we’ve gone through, then you and your men can take care of any stragglers that this lot leave behind.’
The captain nodded gratefully then went to attend to his men, leaving Charlie alone with the two Keepers.
‘All right, Charlie,’ began Marsila. ‘I don’t know what training you’ve had, if any, but working with two other Keepers to form a Triad is not something that is easily learned. And today of all days, time is the one thing that we don’t have …’
‘Just tell me what needs to be done.’
‘We need to share our Wills: one common goal, one shared ambition.’
Charlie, growing more and more impatient as each minute passed, had to subdue the urge to scream with frustration. She had to stay calm. She had to stay focused. If she lost her cool now people would pay for her mistakes. But knowing that didn’t help; if anything it only added to her overwhelming sense of burden. Biting her lip and digging her nails into her palms, she did her best to control her breathing. ‘OK: one goal, one ambition. I’ve got that.’
‘Are you sure?’ asked Marsila.
‘No, of course I’m not sure!’ retorted Charlie. ‘But we’ve got no choice. Look, if you and E’Jaaz just start doing whatever needs to be done I’ll watch and see if I can learn.’
E’Jaaz shrugged. ‘That’s worth a try.’
The gargorillas on either side of the small party glowed with a warm reflected light as both adults summoned their Wills. Golden fists raised, they turned to face the east.
Charlie blinked. She could feel it. Something that tugged at her. A sense of wanting filled her and, not knowing quite what was happening, but realizing that she had to go with the flow