by James Wymore
"The fuses must have gotten wet!" Drake hollered above the din.
"Draw them up to the trees!" Richard commanded. He ran up the hill himself, only doubling back once a small cliff of rocks was near him. He turned back to the bridge, where there were literally dozens of Hyzoi coming up off the path every few seconds. If that bridge did not fall soon, they would all be dead in minutes.
Richard closed his eyes, remembering the meditation they taught him in the Selest Seminary. Exposed to the spring afternoon sun, it took only two seconds to fill his heart with fire. He knew exactly where the explosives were rigged under the bridges. He reached out with his mind and sparked the damp containers with a tiny blaze.
A massive explosion thundered in his ears, and shook his feet enough to make him stumble. He opened his eyes in time to see dozens of Hyzoi flying through the air. Unable to reverse with a crowd behind them, dozens more ran or were pushed off the new burning ledges. At least fifty of the cursed creatures tumbled down the tall cliffs. Except for forty of them already beyond the bridges, the rest of the army stopped in its tracks, several of them being stranded on the parapet between bridges.
Richard turned his attention to the enemies already beyond the bridges. They were more than he'd wanted, and the soldiers of Winigh were beginning to back away from the too formidable foes. He leaped boldly from the rocks, landing sword down on one of the fat monster's necks. The sheer force drove the tip through the armor without the need for a second blade. He immediately rolled and took another surprised enemy from the side. This new side attack served to distract the rest of the group enough that the soldiers rallied and pressed back.
Biting deep and then swiveling blades into the compromised natural armor, they cut down the interlopers. When it ended, they had lost five of their own.
Richard saw the Hyzoi already struggling up the side of the hill. "To the forest!" Elwood cried. "Dark as the trees, do not let them see you until your blade is already in!"
The warriors raised a battle cry, and then fell eerily silent as they began spreading out and blending into the woods. Richard watched them transform from soldiers into hunters. This role they had trained for their whole lives.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Drake and Bowen held back with Richard. "Why do you not enter the woods?" Drake asked.
"Somebody has to be here to deal with any who break through," Richard said darkly.
"Then I stand with you," Bowen declared.
Drake nodded. He picked up the oil lamp. "Those monsters won't know which houses to attack. It shouldn't be hard to rig the smaller ones to burn once they enter."
"Not that one," Richard pointed to Jewel's house. "Just set the doors so we can lock them in and start the fire from the outside."
Drake rushed to the closest log house and began affixing brackets where a bar could hold the door.
"You think forty hunters will keep all those monsters from overrunning Winigh?" Bowen asked. The light of life had gone out of him. Richard saw only the shell of the man he owed his life to, without heart or hope.
"They have to," Richard said.
"I saw your magic," Bowen noted.
"Came back with my memories," Richard said. He expected Bowen to ask about them. However, all interest in such matters had left the man as he watched one after another of his friends and family die around him. "Maybe you should use it to melt off the rest of the snow on the path."
"I'm nowhere near that powerful," Richard said. "I should be. The Schoolmaster at the Seminary told me over and over how important it would be someday. I just never listened. My magic is an extension of my position—one I scorned when I should have embraced it."
"Maybe you should get studying," Bowen offered. Even as he said it, he looked away knowing it was an absurd suggestion motivated by desperation. "It may be our only hope."
Two Hyzoi burst out from the trees. They turned and rushed at the men standing in the open space. Richard side stepped his, quickly slicing up and into the monster's rib plating. A quick spin lodged the hunting knife deep under the wound and brought the foe down.
Bowen, having spent his time with water pumps, catapults, and other war devices, was not as adept. His axe bit in, but he missed with the long knife. The monster swiped Bowen's side with razor claws, ripping through his coat and drawing blood. Bowen pushed away, landing a glancing blow with his axe on the crocodilian head. The creature turned the opposite way, lashing out with a stubby, muscly tail and knocking Bowen off balance. Elwood leaped over his fallen foe and drove the s-curve of his blade deep into the chink left behind by Bowen's axe.
"How deep is it?" Richard asked when the second beast did not rise again.
"It's not bad," Bowen said, without even looking down. Richard didn't press the issue. There wasn't time to do anything about it anyway.
One or two at a time, the enemy crashed free of the forest only to be cut down by Elwood and Bowen. A small band of five came farther from the east. Before Elwood could get between them and the big house, Drake was hollering and drawing them after him.
The group sprinted toward Drake, moaning with blood lust and exulting in the freedom of open ground after bushwhacking so far. Drake ran into the small cabin just before the group charged in behind him. Richard and Bowen both lurched forward, stopping when they realized it was too late to help Drake. Why had he done something so foolish?
Suddenly Drake leaped out a window too small for the monsters to fit through, and had the bar blocking the door. He turned the lamp over on the wooden walls and then lit the whole thing in a glorious conflagration.
His smile was infectious. Richard turned to deal with another monster, which emerged from the foliage. By the time the building had burned enough for the Hyzoi to break out, they all died of smoke inhalation.
"Clever," Bowen said when Drake joined them again. "How many lamps do we have?"
"Only two left," Drake said. He pulled out his thick sword. "But it's better than none."
The remains of three small houses still smoldered when the hunters of Winigh emerged from the forest. "They are marching through the trees," the red bearded man cried, as thirty men and women rushed from the woods. "They have formed a long line and are slowly plodding through. We can't fight them like that."
"Do you know how many are left?" Richard demanded.
"At least a hundred."
"Everybody in the big house," Richard commanded.
"We'll never defend it against them," Vince said.
"We aren't going to defend it," Richard said. "Follow me."
With nowhere else to go, the people of Winigh rushed in behind their leader. He marched them into the kitchen and down into the storage tunnel. Their numbers having dwindled so much, they all fit in the long, underground hall. More than half of the survivors were children. Bowen helped Richard arrange a heavy cupboard over the door so when they lowered it, the shelving crashed down on top. It wouldn't slow the Hyzoi. They only hoped it would camouflage the entrance.
Richard made only one sound. "Shhh. Save your magic. We will need it later." Everybody followed his orders.
Somehow, amidst the pitch dark and tight crowd, Jewel managed to find Richard and slip her fingers into his.
They waited for hours as Hyzoi marched above them, tearing the whole house apart. In silence, they ate and drank what they could find on the storage shelves. Most leaned against shelves. A few children lay on the shelves. Many slept, taking advantage of a rare moment of rest.
Richard sat on the wooden stairs, sword in hand, listening for any sign they might be discovered. He tensed when he heard the shelf kicked and broken above them, but the Hyzoi did not try to lift the trap door. Half resting, he let his mind indulge in memories. He'd never cherished his life growing up. Having recovered it, after being without it for so long, everything seemed sentimental and important now. He searched his rediscovered thoughts for any tidbit of information that might help now. The moment he came up with surprised him.
"If it can't be used to attack the Hyzoi, what's the point of having magic at all?" the prince asked, tired of the lessons. He hoped to draw the Schoolmaster out, and get a break from the mind-numbing meditation exercises.
"The point, Highness, is that you are meant to support the soldiers, not be one of them. Your power is not for you. It is for them. We can get more soldiers. But what they cannot get is another Selest High Priest. Your magic can bring warmth to soldiers camping in the cold. It can save the lives of the poor, who may not have enough to heat their houses." Seeing his words fall on deaf ears, the gray haired man refastened his long red coat and started again. "Perhaps, with sufficient power, the heat of your magical fire might be used to help the cold-blooded Hyzoi. If they saw us as a resource, they might not want to destroy us."
"I don't think so," the prince said. "The only resource they see us as is food."
"My brother was one of the ambassadors," the Schoolmaster said with a deep breath that stopped Richard from arguing. "He said there is hope for negotiations. He believed the Hyzoi felt wronged by us somehow. He told me many times we just needed to find the problem and make restitution."
"We are filth to them," the prince said. "How can we make restitution for that?"
"That's too narrow a definition. Anyway, the point is, you won't know all the ways your magic can help the people of Sel. You must take it on faith until the time comes to use it and justify your efforts. I assure you, such a time will come."
Richard nodded with bitter regret.
Eventually, the sounds faded. When Richard couldn't hear even the faintest scuffle of clawed feet, he risked pushing up on the floor. The tiny beam of light cut the darkness and pained their eyes. Richard pushed the door up until he could see out with one sideways eye, scanning what was left of the once warm house. The Hyzoi had overturned or broken everything they could get their webbed hands on.
Richard knew they hadn't gotten a flow of water this far south yet. So if the Hyzoi were gone, it was either to go back where the water was, or move on to search the rest of Winigh's homes. He walked slowly to the door and glanced out. From this angle, all he could see of the monsters were heading south down the pass to search more houses. On foot, it would take them at least a day.
He went back in the storage hall, leaving the door up for light and air. To the quiet and exhausted people he said, "It's time to head for the pass."
"But it's still snowed in," Drake said. "We can hide out here until the Hyzoi retreat."
"Sooner or later, they will come back. Eventually, they will find us. We have to try," Richard insisted. "If we stay here, it's only a matter of time. And the only other way out of Winigh is the beach."
Everybody nodded. Saying, 'the beach,' was the same as saying, 'suicide.' A few tears fell in silence. "Can we get out through the other door?" Richard asked.
He heard people trying it from that side. When they stopped grunting, a man called, "It's blocked."
"Okay." Richard climbed out. "Come this way. Bring only what food you can carry in your pockets for the journey. We have to travel light and fast."
As people began moving up out of the cellar, he said to Vince, "Lead them up the pass fast. Don't stop until you reach the snowed in rise. The cliffs should keep the Hyzoi from reaching the path unless they enter from this side."
Vince began walking toward the door.
"Run!" Richard called to break the spell of quiet they were all still under. "They will see you soon!"
The line began rushing out the door and beyond the burned and broken homes of the homestead. Richard noticed the few left all had the Selene weapons Macey and Bowen had salvaged. They must have picked them up when others fell. Jewel stopped and held Richard's hand a moment longer. "You, too," he said. "I need you at the front of the line."
She kissed him and joined the others. Drake and Bowen waited with Richard. He didn't send them ahead. When the others were all moving, he said, "We have to cover the back."
"There are a few goats still alive in the barn," Bowen said looking across to the new building. "The Hyzoi were probably saving those to eat later. Should I round them up and bring the sleigh?"
Richard nodded. "Bring them all. We can use them for a barrier on the path, if nothing else." He closed the trap door and followed the line out. Even at a run, the group wasn't moving nearly as fast as he wanted. Bowen fell in behind them, with two goats pulling a wagon and four more tied to the back.
Richard called back a few archers with full quivers. "You help us cover the back of the line," he said.
Nobody talked, using all their energy for hiking and just keeping it together. They put six of the younger kids in the wagon. Several times, Bowen started to ask about the plan once they reached the peak, but he held his tongue. Before they made it that far, the Hyzoi were already chasing them up the steep road.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sprinting in surges, only two Hyzoi fit next to each other on the path. The last time they sprinted, they came within thirty feet before they had to stop and rest. The sight of them urged the townsfolk to run, until they got into deep snow and moving at any speed was a great effort. Bowen took the wagon and goats to the front, pushing as much of the snow aside as he could to try to clear the path.
As they watched the Hyzoi shrink below them and eventually fade behind trees, Richard knew the next time the monsters sprinted, they would be in battle again. He turned to watch the group sloshing through wet snow.
"Hold the line," he said to Drake and six others who had intentionally fallen back to guard the escape. "Don't even try to kill all of them. We are beyond that now. All you do is hold them back. The ones behind will push the front bodily into your swords. You have the higher position. So when you kill one, kick it back into the group to narrow the path. Bring fallen trees to block the way. Wait for them to be blocked before you try to run."
They all nodded, hiking backward up the path. They had to constantly check their feet on the slippery snow, packed by the feet before them.
Richard rushed toward the front. As he came around the turn to the left, he saw the wide expanse of snow, where he'd been knocked unconscious by the bomb fragment. The deep snow down to the west had been ripped away by the avalanche. Up at the top, however, a good four feet covered the road.
Jewel and Bowen stopped at the front of the group when they reached the avalanche's boundary.
Vince offered, "Maybe we can tie ropes around the people in the front. If the snow slips, we pull them back. If not, we carve a path and push through."
Richard wagged his head. "We don't have that kind of time."
"What, then?" Bowen asked. He had a wild look of abandon, as if he wanted to drive the goats straight across, heedless of the consequences.
"First, I need to try something," Richard said. He took a deep breath of freezing air. The strong scent of pine filled him just as he heard the battle resume below.
Richard reached out for the sun. He channeled the desperate need of those around him. He bore the mantle of their fates on his shoulders. All this he fueled into his heart where the magical light burned. Jewel's eyes went wide, but he didn't heed her warning.
The temperature began to rise. The very brightness of the sun seemed to grow. The sound of melting snow increased. For long minutes, Richard brought the heat. When he opened his eyes, the field looked no different. If he had a day, after a long night's sleep, he might be able to do this. As the men and women down the slope cried out and their swords clanged on rocky armored hides, Richard knew he did not have the time he needed.
He stopped and turned back. "I just don't have enough time… or enough magic."
Suddenly, Bowen turned the sleigh and whipped the goats. "Jewel, fix the magic. I'll fix the time."
"Wait!" Jewel cried. "Bowen, no!"
The sleigh already rushed down the hill, riding up on the high side of the road. People began moving out of his way as Bowen urged the shaggy goats into a run.
Richard wanted to stop Bowen, but he had no strength left and no idea how. They watched Bowen charge past the long row of ragged Winigh citizens, past the line of defenders, and into the tight ranks of large Hyzoi warriors. By the time he reached them, the sleigh and goats were running so fast down the hill that they could not be stopped. The sleigh slid around sideways on the snow, but Bowen didn't care. He just kept the goats frenzied until the vehicle chased them into the waiting enemy. Jumping free at the last minute, Bowen's sleigh rolled as the Hyzoi leapt on the goats. The whole mess tumbled, knocking down a dozen enemies and wedging the wooden vehicle sideways across the narrow road. Bowen came out on the wrong side of the makeshift wall, but he didn't fall before hacking into half a dozen monsters with the axe Richard had sharpened by hand so many months ago.
Drake led the fighters back to the new barrier where they took up chopping down any Hyzoi jumping over the mess.
Richard continued to watch, dumbfounded, long after any sign of Bowen had disappeared. He thought his heart should stop beating, but it continued to live on anyway. Numb, body and soul, he felt worse because he could not muster any emotions amid the shock. His only thought was of Macey. He could not imagine the two separately. In the moment, it gave a cold comfort. They had saved him, and now they were together in death.
To her credit, Jewel didn't cry. She turned back to her husband with her eyes closed. "Bowen's right. We can help you."
"How? We've reached the end. All I can do now is go down and help hold off the Hyzoi."
"No," Jewel said, popping her eyes open and staring into his. Richard knew if he could see magic the way she did, fire would be tracing the line from her to him. "Use your magic again."
"But it will take…"
She put a finger on his lips to stop him. "Please try."
Richard felt his will fail. All the training of a lifetime could not stop Jewel from taking charge. And he let her. It felt so good to let somebody else be in charge. It felt like he was Elwood again, and the weight of Sel did not rest on him. He kissed her to draw strength.
