It’s huge, or it will be. And it’s offensive in nature, no doubt of it.’
‘Who’s casting it?’
‘Xetesk.’
‘Do we have anyone in the vicinity?’ Heryst kneaded his forehead.
‘Yes. We have representatives with the Dordovans,’ said Dunera, head dropping to her chest. ‘They have refused to leave and I have already commended their souls.’
Commander Senese ran along the back of the Dordovan lines, urging his men to greater efforts. Three days they’d repulsed comfortably the Xeteskians’ attempts to push them out of the northern streets. But now this.
Dawn had seen fierce fighting on three fronts, with Protectors in every attack. His men were holding but only just, keeping key intersections secure as well as the southern edge of the Park of the Martyrs. But in the mana spectrum, something much, much worse.
They’d been following its development for hours; a cooperative spell that must be taking the combined stamina of over fifty mages. And planning defence and reaction was taking most of his magical resource, leaving this as a battle almost entirely without spell attack. Somehow, though, he had to break the enemy onslaught.
‘Don’t falter!’ he called. ‘Push on. You can break them.’
The power of the Protectors was awesome. Huge men, masked and silent, their dual sword and axe attacks directed by the soul mind so quickly and accurately. But Dordover had to stand up to them. To be exact, the scared men in front of him had to.
One of those men took an axe in his chest. He was cast into those behind, threatening for a moment to cause a breach in the line, but Senese filled it, sword deflecting a low strike.
‘Keep going!’
Their commander’s presence fighting alongside galvanised those near him. The din of order and weapon increased, and the Xeteskians’ grinding advance was halted. Senese wheeled his blade and drove it at a Protector’s heart. Without looking, the masked man whipped his axe across to block, following up with a sweep of his sword. Senese ducked, yelling a warning. The blade whistled just over him, slicing through stray hairs on his head and burying itself in the skull of the man next to him at the end of its arc.
Blood and brain sprayed into the air. The victim tumbled sideways to the ground. The Protectors stepped up their pace. Senese moved to block and thrust again and felt a presence at his right shoulder.
‘Sir!’ It was one of his field captains, a brave young man named Hinar. ‘Drop back. You’re needed at command!’
Senese flat-bladed a Protector across the mask, sending him staggering. Hinar saw his opportunity and thrust forward, his point piercing the enemy’s armour and penetrating his stomach.
‘Go, we can hold!’ Hinar re-gathered himself to turn away an axe, the heavy blow making him gasp.
Senese forced a regular Xeteskian soldier back and ducked out of the combat, another man immediately moving to take his place. He ran back towards the ruined bakery in which he’d set up his command post. The lead mage met him halfway.
‘We’ve got to pull back,’ said Indesi, his face terrified, his hands grabbing at Senese’s jerkin. ‘We can’t defend against this spell.’
‘Find a way,’ barked Senese. ‘We are not running.’
‘It’s too big, it’ll destroy us.’
‘Then combine your shields and talk up your mages.’ Senese stopped and spun Indesi round to look at the fighting. ‘See those men? Up against it but they believe. Start believing yourself.’
‘But—’
‘And where will we run to, eh? Those bastards will chase us all the way to Dordover. We can’t let them run the supply route from here to Xetesk. I will not yield.’
‘Then break through right now or they will win anyway.’ Indesi’s voice was toneless, dead almost. ‘You don’t understand.’
‘I understand we cannot afford to lose this town. That’s what I understand.’
A piercing scream from inside the command post went straight through Senese.
‘What the—’
But Indesi wasn’t listening. He turned and ran to the door, shouted into its lantern-lit interior.
‘Weave the defence grid. No gaps, dual skin.’ He looked back over his shoulder at Senese before disappearing inside. ‘It’s coming. I warned you.’
Senese shuddered and began to run back towards the line. Perhaps there was still a chance. There were still men running across the small courtyard to the line he was defending. The enemy mages had to be right behind the Protectors. Surely the spell would be targeted by line of sight.
He opened his mouth to shout but swallowed it. A blue glow, brighter than the sun, washed over the buildings ahead, casting stark shadows down alleys, behind