XXXVIII

Watching from atop the plateau, Yoreno stood next to Dantera as warriors, both men and demihuman coalesced at the foot of the slope before them.

They had a great advantage of height. But the enemy had the advantage of numbers—though probably not quality, despite the clear evidence of magic users in their ranks.

“We can do this,” Yoreno said.

“Do you think so, Yoreno?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Behind him, the others were preparing for the fight. Mai was saying something to Sorika, but Yoreno wasn’t paying attention.

He heard the incantations of magic as Mai put down wards around them. Yoreno glanced back at them. Lev was near the edge, an arrow knocked to his bow. Dell had his sword out, and Dorrin shoved his dagger scabbards closer to the front of his hip.

Yoreno unslung Ito Farralia and held it before him.

Dantera glanced at the sword.

“Take it,” he said, gesturing.

Dantera shook her head. “No. I do not want it, Yoreno.”

“What?” he asked, confused. “But… it’s Ito Farralia—your sword.”

She turned to face him fully. “I do not deserve such a weapon of my ancestors,” she said. “I… I am too ashamed to use it any longer.”

“But that’s nonsense,” Yoreno protested. “The queen was acting irrationally, and unfairly.”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps she did not. It does not change the fact that she is our queen and I am only a knight.” Then more quietly, she muttered, “A knight errant no less.” Her eyes rolled up towards the sky.

“We’re going to find King Branlin’s assassins and bring them to justice. We’re going to march them back to Aevalin and all will be put to rights. You will see.”

“Hmph,” Dantera scoffed. “You have a lot of faith, Yoreno. But I do not do this so that I can go back to Aevalin. I do this because I must—because those bastards snuck into my homeland and killed my king under my very nose.”

“They’re coming!” Dell called. “Yoreno, Dantera—they’re coming up the slope.”

“Well,” Dantera said. “I suppose we can talk later. For now, we have to fight. I just wish we had some tall shields. This is not good.”

“We can handle them!” Mai said from behind. “The first warriors to make it up the path will be engulfed in flames.”

“Not bad,” Dantera said. “I have a few tricks ready for them as well.” She walked over to the edge and reached into her satchel and brought out some clay vials. “Magical explosives.”

“Where did you get those?” Mai asked.

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Dantera turned, and with a grin she said, “I have my ways. Now… can you light this for me?”

“Uh,” Mai said. Then she nodded. “Of course I can, my lady!”

“I am no lady.”

“I’m—I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say.”

“Just light this thing, yes?”

“Oh, right!”

Mai lit the wick hanging out of the clay vial. It was sealed well with wax, so whatever was inside could be knocked about inside of a bag without risk of spilling its contents, Yoreno observed.

“Perfect,” Dantera said. Then she brought the other vial and lit that with the already sparkling fuse from the first. She walked to the edge of the plateau and lobbed them over the sides. You might want to cover your eyes.” Then she lifted her arm.

Yoreno did the same, and then the magic cracked and exploded. As he opened his eyes, Yoreno saw that six men were lying on the ground on the switchback, several others scrabbled to their feet, screaming and retreating.

Lev loosed a shaft and it hit one of the retreating attackers.

“Good shot, Roaming Lion,” Dantera said.

The look on Lev’s face—his grin—was that of a child receiving praise from a beloved parent. “Thank you.”

Some shafts loosed at them by the enemy made their way up to the plateau, but by the time they made it up there, they moved at such slow speed that they missed by far margins. Dantera didn’t even flinch.

As the enemy warriors made their way up, Lev continually loosed arrows. Mai stepped forward and screamed an incantation, sending a fireball down at them. The effect was similar to that of Dantera’s first and only effort thus far.

“Very good,” Dantera said with a nod.

Mai smiled.

“We need to keep them from getting up here,” she continued. “Thin them out so our archer and knights can take care of them.”

“I see a barrier,” Mai said. “They have sorcerers. I sense the auras.”

“How many?”

“At least three, my—…I sense at least three.”

“Mmhm,” Dantera said with a nod.

Then the mounted warriors made their way up the switchback, skirting past the approaching soldiers on foot. One of them at the head had long billowing robes.

Thunder rumbled overhead and suddenly a bright light flashed from below. Yoreno winded, sucked in a deep breath as he put his arm over his eyes. “What is that?”

“It’s a magical flare,” Mai said.

“It’s blinding me.”

“That’s the point! Keep your eyes closed.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Lev said.

“They’re coming!” Dell called over his shoulder.

“Dell,” Mai said. “Back away. My runes will kill you.”

“Right!”

He did as their mage instructed and Lev also moved further back. “Mind if I use you for cover, Yor?”

“Go ahead,” Yoreno said, moving more toward the center of the plateu. “Just don’t shoot me in the back by accident.”

“That would be a waste of an arrow.”

Dantera chuckled. “I miss the good old days of being in an adventuring party with bad odds marching up to deliver a painful death.”

Lev laughed.

Yoreno glanced to his right, saw that Sorika was exiting the mouth of the cave. She had her daggers ready, but they were the smaller ones she used for throwing. She was intending to stay out of sight as much as possible—attack the enemy from the flank when they least expected it.

“Who can I hide behind?” Dorrin asked.

“Me,” Dantera said. Then she pulled her wickedly curved sword out of its scabbard. The weapon was filigreed in luminescent red magic.

“Whoa!” Dell said. “Is that a magic sword?”

“Right you are,” Dantera said.

“As impressed as I am,” Dell said, “I don’t think you want Dorrin using you as cover.”

She frowned, glanced at Dorrin and then back to Dell. “And why not?”

“He might accidentally shoot you,” Yoreno added.

She looked at Dorrin again. “Truly?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Yoreno?” she asked, her tone searching for confirmation.

He shrugged as if to say, “maybe… maybe not.”

“All right,” Dorrin said. “I’ll just be over here.”

Dantera glanced back at Yoreno with a skeptical eyebrow raised.

“He means well,” Yoreno said.

“Indeed.”

“They’re coming!” Mai said.

The beasts thundered up the path and came over the horizon. The first two trampled over Mai’s runes and exploded in a plume of fire and purple flames.

“Yes!” Dell called. “Come and get us, you swine!”

But the first few that had been killed were far from the last, as five more mounted warriors, including their mage, charged forward onto the plateau.