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through, hitting them with enough speed that it'd be difficult for them to follow.
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The formation was right below him, and Mark picked the last sorcerer in the unit. He could almost
imagine a ring sight silhouetting his target. The imagery seemed to help him concentrate, and he waited
until his target filled the entire circle.
Now!
A blast of fire cracked from Mark's wrist, striking his opponent between the shoulder blades. There
wasn't any doubt on this hit. The flyer crumpled, his back shattered. Trailing fire, he fell.
Instantly Mark found another target and fired as he dove past the startled enemy.
The strike was nearly perfect. The others got off their shots, each striking a foe, and several enemies
simply disintegrated in midair. Mark slammed out a third bolt, winging an enemy who was rolling into an
evasive. The injured sorcerer tumbled end over end, disappearing into low lying clouds.
Following Mark's lead, his battle group continued to dive, weaving and turning to throw off the feeble
return fire.
Mark pulled up into an Immelmann turn, ready to pounce on anything that was following. But the enemy
formation had been broken by the onslaught. Their surprise thwarted, the surviving sorcerers fled back
towards the southwest.
"They're in retreat," Storm shouted. "In after them!"
"Straight into their own air defenses?" Mark protested. "We don't know what they've got on the ground
over there, and our surprise has been blown. Let's tighten up and keep our eyes open."
He looked towards Allic's formation, several hundred yards below, still fighting demons. He was
tempted to order a dive into the battle, but felt it best to keep formation in case the Torms had more
surprises waiting.
Anyhow, Allic was more than holding his own against the demons.
Thunderclaps echoed and rolled against the sides of the pass, counterpointing the shouts of the
thousands below, who paused in their own game of slaughter to watch the carnage above.
The first formation of demons, shattered by the concentrated blasts of Allic and his companions, broke
to either flank, their phosphorescent wings shimmering green. The second group swooped downward.
While holding formation above the main fight, Mark's team fired into the advancing line. With an almost
fatalistic determination the demons pushed their attack home, breaking through the line of fire. Within
seconds they seemed to swarm over Allic.
A white-hot fire exploded in the middle of the fight, lighting the countryside bright as noonday.
"What the hell was that!" Mark threw an arm across his eyes.
Even above the roar of the explosion he could hear Storm's cry. For long, frightening seconds he flew
blind.
Blinking, he looked down. Everything was reversed, like a photographic negative. The flare was still
burning with blinding intensity, but through his squint he could see that the flaming object was dropping,
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tumbling away from the fight. Mark looked at Storm, and saw the terror in her eyes.
"What was it?" he screamed.
"Probably a red crystal hitting the defensive screen of someone powerful," she cried.
Allic! The flame was right where Allic had been. Christ, he wanted to go down, but not now. He had to
hold position up here. If it was Allic, if Allic was dead, there was nothing they could do to help him now.
He tried not to think of it.
Mark watched as the flare, once a living body, fell away.
"There he is." Storm's voice nearly broke with relief.
Mark followed to where she pointed and could see Allic still flying, his companions pulling in closer, a
protective wall.
Mark, still blinking, scanned the sky above and to either side, wondering what the enemy might throw at
them next.
But Madia's forces only pulled back to the protection of their own lines.
Storm, Mark, and the rest of his crew swung into air-support formation above Allic and followed him in
as they made a low approach towards the embattled line holding the edge of the pass.
Half a dozen bolts of fire snapped out from the Torms as they came in across the field, but the shots,
tossed out at extreme range, were wide. The enemy fire slackened and at last stopped as ground forces
followed the lead of their superiors in the air, and grudgingly pulled back for a respite before the next
battle.
Still scanning the sky above them, Mark weaved back and forth, waiting for Allic to land.
"He's on the ground," Storm called. "Let's get in."
This was the vulnerable time, Mark realized, as they went down. If anyone lurked in the cloud cover,
they would hit now.
But all was quiet as they alighted near the center of the camp.
Exhaustion washed over Mark. The adrenaline rush of combat was past, and he trembled. All around
him was chaos, shouting men, the cries of the wounded; and over it all the stench of fire, fear, and death.
Allic was off to one side, being led towards the tattered remains of a tent, and leaning on one of his
sorcerers for support.
Together Storm and Mark pushed through the mob towards Allic, who smiled wanly at them.
"Sheena's dead," Allic said weakly. "I sensed the red crystal in his hand even as he tried to hit my
shielding. There must have been a powerful warding spell on him--I should have noticed him much, much
sooner." He paused.
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"I thought it would hit me, and I tried to drain off my defense shield. Then Sheena pushed me aside and
threw herself on the demon. She's gone, gone to save me."
Allic looked straight at Mark, and for a second he thought Allic was wondering if he would have made
the same sacrifice for his lord. He hoped he wouldn't be asked.
Chapter 16
"Did you get him?"
The demon was still bent over, gasping for breath. Macha waited patiently.
"My brother did as you commanded," the demon gasped. "One of Allic's guards blocked him."
Macha gave a characteristic shrug and turned away.
"The pledge to my family to release the bond of punishment on our sire, will you still honor it?" the
demon asked.
There was a grumble of anger from Macha's aides. The word of their lord had been questioned.
"Your brother failed," a lieutenant barked. "Your sire will burn forever in living torment as far as I'm
concerned."
Without a word Macha walked away from the group and looked towards the encampment,
strengthened now by Allic's presence.
Macha knew enough of battle to know that a plan, any plan, was fine when drawn up on parchment, or
discussed around a table--but it was far different when placed in action.
These offworlders had been the most difficult part to judge so far. First, with their weapons that shot
bolts of metal. He had hoped that the retreat would become a rout when Pina's forces hit the top of the
defile. But the offworlders had slowed his advance long enough to allow them to dig in.
The fools--they should have fortified this pass long ago. That alone had given him cause for a moment of
doubt. Valdez was nobody's fool--a man who plans an attack must also plan for defense--and he could
not understand why Valdez had not seen to fortifying in preparation for war.
Macha shook his head. Allic was far too easy to read, and he had almost regretted the plan, knowing he
was playing on Allic's famous impetuousness and foolhardy bravery. A commander, Macha thought,
should lead with his mind, not with his heart. It had been a good plan, but plans unfortunately didn't
guarantee success.
Macha shrugged. They'd wait for dawn.
He looked back at the demon, who glowered at him defiantly.
"Your family pledge is fulfilled. Your brother passed into the shadows with his attempt. I shall give the
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order to have your sire released from the mines."
The demon's look of hatred turned instantly to shocked surprise. Bowing low, it withdrew into the night. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]