stood on the ramparts of the Understone garrison and looked down over the army assembled before him. The sun was warming the earth from a clear blue sky and a gentle breeze ruffled his cloak. Men, women and youths from two dozen towns and villages were standing looking up at him. Refugees scattered across the land had come to his side to avenge what had been done to them.
Most of them were tradesmen or farmers. There was a scattering of militia and soldiers but the vast bulk of the estimated two thousand seven hundred would be holding swords in anger for the very first time. Some would run, others would be heroes and many would die. That was the way of war. He scanned the pinched and hungry faces, the eyes looking to him for leadership, for a way out of their darkness. They had come to the right man.
‘My friends,’ he said, his voice loud, carrying across the silence. ‘You are all standing here because the time has come to right a great wrong. The time has come to win back the land of Balaia for its God-given people. To take it from the mages who destroy it so casually. To make it pure again.
‘Because make no mistake, our land is riddled with the disease of magic and only the righteous can purge that disease. And I am looking at the righteous here and now.’
A great roar erupted from the crowd below, fists and weapons punched the air. Selik held up his hands for quiet.
‘You have all seen the war spread. It has torn down our peaceful towns and is destroying our beloved land. And now it is our turn to strike. Last night Lystern joined the war, as we knew they would. Even those who preach peace have betrayed us now. What more evidence do we need that, if we let it, magic will kill us all? So we will join the war. We will fight on one front only and that front will be Xetesk.’
A murmur ran through the crowd.
‘They are the dark heart of magic and they must be thrown down. And once the surviving colleges see our power and the righteousness of our fight, they too will fall before us. We are on a march to victory. Nothing can stop us.’
Another roar.
‘My friends, this is a great day to be a Balaian. Return to your commanders, strap on your swords and prepare to march!’
Selik turned to face Devun, a smile broad across his ruined features.
‘It’s finally happening, my friend. What Travers began a decade and more ago, I will finish. When will you reach your positions south of Xetesk?’
‘Three days, Captain.’
‘Excellent. I will join you in the field as soon as I can. There are more reserves coming in and I need to be here for a while yet. Meanwhile, you know the plans and the people trust you. It’s beautiful isn’t it?’
‘Sir?’
‘Light will dawn on a new order, an order not dominated by the evils of magic. We will all live outside the veil of fear. We are the righteous.’
‘So what happened to you last night?’ said Hirad to Denser as they rode from their camp the following morning, heading to the west of Xetesk, aiming to throw any pursuit off the scent.
‘Some of their mages were sharp. As we flew in to drop the HotRain, I could see them casting. I veered away when Erienne cast but got clipped by the edge of a ForceCone. The jolt knocked my concentration all to pot and it was all I could do to hang on to the shape until a few feet from the ground. We were lucky.’
‘That’s what you call luck, is it?’
‘Could have been DeathHail. Then we wouldn’t be riding with you at all. As it was, I managed to get my legs under me as we landed but I was going way too fast.’
‘Bad moment,’ said Hirad. ‘How’s Erienne?’
‘Well the arm’s not broken but it’s sore. It’s a good job we’re a couple of days from more action or she’d have trouble casting.’
Hirad was silent for a moment. He didn’t feel in control of the situation and that made him uneasy. There were too many variables. Too much to go wrong.
‘Are you happy with this hare-brained scheme we cooked up last night?’ he asked.
Denser shrugged. ‘I don’t really see any alternative. If we’re going to try and snatch Yron, then we have to have accurate information on his location in the college