Terimak watched in annoyance as the confusion rippled outwards from the fires and looked with puzzled eyes at the bright weaving light that one of the enemies seemed to be wielding. The sword, as he realized it was after a moment, seemed to contained a great deal of power and with a start Terimak realized that this must be one of the strange demons. Though he looked more like a man than any demon Terimak had seen. Perhaps Mistrew hadn’t summoned up demons at all but had merely found a way to arm some of his retainers with weapons strong enough to injure demons. Pitiful to look at really but the blades power must have explained the confusion. He snorted once seeing that Ormang had arrived, finally, at the scene and watched with anticipation as his demon lord attacked the stranger. The conclusion of the fight left him stunned for a moment though before his anger got the better of him.
“Fools!” He stepped forward, the recent energy he had gathered pouring into his hands, merging with power from within himself as he bound power and pain into the spell, making it strong enough to stop a man’s heart. He would take the sword for himself and study how it was that Mistrew had bound such power into the blade. And he released the bolt at the stranger as they cleared the fearful ring of his troops, a eye searing bolt of power that struck the warrior squarely in the back. Terimak’s laughter was loud as he waited for his vision to clear. His laughter ended immediately though when he saw the stranger, staggering to be sure, his back smouldering from the spell, but undeniably alive. Terimak could only look in surprise and then somebody revealed themselves. The power blazing within the form could only be Mistrew himself, diminished greatly but somehow he had hidden his power to get this close to Terimak, and Terimak hadn’t prepared for such a challenge. Terimak fled from the hill to put it’s protection between himself and his foe, dragging his honor guard with him. He put that warrior out there with protections purely to draw me out! He knew I would strike him down! “After the strangers! Kill them all!” he screached even as he lashed about him with tendrils of pain to anybody within reach of his spells.
Narn staggered as the blast of power struck him, almost going to his knees and his teeth snapping shut in the sudden agony. It passed but the pain didn’t and he could feel the cracking of the skin on his back even as he tried to remain standing. He only vaguely heard Tel’mar’s shouts, but he could feel Riulan’s power as she released her cloaking spell. He felt the hands guiding him along as they left and managed to get on the back of a horse as they rode. And for a time all he knew was the pounding of the road and the pain searing through his body as he felt his horse led along the path.
Riulan saw the bolt strike Narn and she recognized the killing blast of power. Like all around her she was shocked to see him still standing but she knew that whatever hold he had on the enemy was broken now that they had seen him injured. She threw away the spell Erimbril had taught her to hide her power. She began weaving a shield, looking for the source of that bolt even as she heard Tel’mar ordering two of the scouts to lead Narn to the horses and the rest to cover their retreat.
Her spell snapped into place as the enemy troops and demons began moving and the first of them encountered the glowing blue shield she had tied into place with something akin to surprise.
Tel’mar grabbed her arm briefly, barely even giving the shield a glance and turned her back towards the horses behind them. “Come my lady. Lord Narn is mounted and we must escape now.” She nodded briefly and they ran to horses, two of the scouts already setting off with Narn’s mount guided between them. As the rest of them set off Riulan heard the sounds of the enemy as they went around the barrier she had left, moving through the forests. Tel’mar’s breathless words echoed her thoughts as they rode, “We’ll never escape them if we stay togethor.”
“Perhaps not but if we split up they will surely overtake and destroy one of our groups. I may have a better way.” Riulan began forming the power around her, holding on to the horse tightly, hoping that no branches came out of the night while she was busy, weaving again the spell to shield her power against detection. At the same time she formed images of the group, weaving the starlight into the images. Remembering the hounds she pulled the scent of the horses and bound it up as well into the spell, and pointed away from their path, towards the north. As soon as it was released an image of the group, running flat out shimmered into existence and raced to the north. Shuddering with the strain of the casting Riulan gathered power again from herself and used it to scour the path behind them, catching the scent and traces of their passage, and trying to hide them, at least for a time.
She came out of the trance, the group still racing headlong through the forest, to see all of the scouts glancing back at her with wonder and not a little fear in their eyes. She called to Tel’mar as they rode, “That should delay them at least and now nobody will be killed should they pursue.” His look was troubled before he nodded in acceptance and spurred to the front, “To the rally point!”
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