Refuge: Book 5: Angels & Demons

by Doug Dandridge

  The Ellala moved to surround them, and the pair found themselves beset on all sides. Kurt felt the pain of some wounds, blades that had gotten through the chinks in his armor. Jackie grunted in pain, then cursed as she returned the blow. Suddenly the press around them fell away as Gregor and Izabella slammed into the other side of the enemy formation, and toke down half a dozen elves in a couple of seconds.

  Kurt wiped his blade on the surcoat of one of the elves as he looked over the wall. Some of the outer wall towers were still held, and some few Ellala were on the tops sniping at people below, and being hit in return. Those towers didn't matter. They would take them in time, and there was nothing the defenders could do about the alliance army moving through. He looked across the bridge, where a line of legionnaires were marching toward the other fort across the river. There were still some Ellala falling back on the bridge, fighting a delaying action and not slowing the humans down in the least. Most that were on the bridge were hurrying to the gate on the other side, to reinforce the fort that still stood.

  "What now?" asked Jackie.

  "Now we plan our assault on the other tower. We've taken the outer fort, and they've reinforced the inner." He really didn't like that last part, but it had been thought necessary to reduce the number of defenders in this fort. He thought they still could have taken it, even with its full complement of defenders, but it was too late to cry over spilt milk, as the Americans said. It was done, and they still needed to take the other tower so they could march their army across. They could take quite a few of them over by boat, but that would take more time. It would take much more time to ferry over the cavalry and the wagons. So they needed this bridge.

  "I could use some rest," said Gregor, leaning against one of the crenellations.

  "And some rest we will have," said Kurt, looking at the legionary officer who was his aide, who had just come to the top of the tower. "Give the men some rest, excepting those watching the enemy held towers and the bridge. Food, and some sleep for those who can snatch it."

  Delgado would need some time to reorganize his force as well, in order to assault the tower. Moreover, he would lead his people against it from the other side. It would be much harder to take than this one, with much greater loss, but it was necessary if they were to get to the city of the Ellala Emperor.

  Chapter Te,

  "They have taken the fort on the close side of the river, my Emperor," said the messenger, his head almost on the floor, trembling in fear. "The tower on the far side still stands."

  The Emperor lurched to his feet, growling in anger like a rabid animal. He had hoped the fort wouldn't fall, and the enemy would be delayed in crossing the river. Now he knew that was a false hope. There was no way they could have stopped the enemy, only delay them. They could still delay them with the final tower. It would not be easy to take, but these humans had proven they could do the impossible, so the difficult would happen sooner or later. Probably sooner.

  "Leave," ordered the Emperor. Relief flashed across the face of the messenger, and he staggered up to his feet.

  "And send in my Archpriest of Bothar."

  Moments later the summoned man entered, his red robes fresh and spotless, as befitted someone in his position. Still, the man smelled of death, an odor that no amount of bathing could get rid of.

  "Are your people ready?"

  "We are, my Lord," said the man in a sibilant voice, his eyes locked on the emperor's. This was a man who feared no one but the gods he served, and for good reason. He was the most powerful necromancer in the Empire, after the Emperor. And even the Emperor couldn't do without the power of the man and his minions.

  "How many can you summon?"

  "I think we can bring forth at least forty, my Lord."

  "So few," growled the Emperor, his red glowing eyes narrowing,

  "They will all be greater demons, my Lord," said the priest, his eyes still locked on those of the half litch. "And we may be able to bring something even greater."

  The Emperor felt a thrill run through him at the thought. There were very few beings more powerful than a greater demon. Those that were could defeat armies by themselves, or so it was said.

  "And can you do something to aid the soldiers at the bridge?"

  "I might be able to do something, my Lord. Not enough, I am sure, but something to bleed the enemy some more. Maybe a couple. And they will have a hard time ridding the area of those I do call."

  "Then do it," said the Emperor, a cold smile playing across his face.

  * * *

  "Fire," yelled the gun captain. With a short but loud hiss, the cannon released its projectile, a cloud of steam following it from the muzzle.

  The projectile flew toward the door, moments after a shimmering field appeared in front of the hard metal portal. The ball struck the shimmering field and slowed to almost a stop, hitting the portal and bouncing away without leaving a mark.

  "It's one of those damned inertia fields," said Delgado, looking over at Levine.

  "Your weapons have blown through them before," said the old immortal.

  "And they were traveling at a much higher velocity than these things," said the general, looking over the battery of guns set up in the courtyard. He was glad they had the guns, and he expected big things from them in the future. But they weren't as good as the one hundred twenty millimeter guns of the tanks, or even the lower velocity howitzers.

  "Maybe the mages can help," said Levine, waving a hand to attract the attention of Drake and the rest, who were sheltering behind the shields of an infantry company in reserve.

  Delgado looked over as the mages, the once mentally ill of Earth, came running over, men with shields moving between them and the enemy. He still didn't trust all of them. The young physicist, Drake, was trustworthy. The woman, Heidle, had almost destroyed the Refuge valley with her tornadoes, at the same time the enemy dragon fleet was threatening them with destruction. She had lost her mind, mad with power. Supposedly she had recovered, and had not slipped into madness again. But once a madwoman, always a madwoman, as far as he was concerned.

  "You wanted us over here, General Levine?" asked James as they came up behind the guns.

  "We're having a problem with that field they have up protecting the gate," said Levine, gesturing toward the tower. "I was hoping that you might be able to do something about it."

  "The problem is, the guns can't generate enough force to get through the inertia field they've put up," said Delgado, pointing to the tower. "What little they have is absorbed, and what gets through might as well be spitballs."

  "Katherine could probably just send a tornado at them," said one of the other mages.

  "That I will not do," said the woman, a horrified expression on her face.

  No, she won't, thought Delgado. That kind of display of power could send her tumbling back into the realm of madness. He would as soon cut her throat now than risk his army to one of her rages.

  "Perhaps you can impart some momentum to the balls as they leave the cannons," said Levine. "Do you have that kind of control?"

  "I…don't know," said Katherine in a soft voice.

  "But you can try," said James, smiling. "I know you have the power. Now, we just need to refine your control. And here is your needed practice."

  Katherine nodded, then looked over at one of the guns. "Get ready to fire. On my command."

  The gun crew nodded and went about their preparations, loading the water into the chamber, then setting the trigger with the glowing gem. As soon as the ball was shoved down the barrel they turned and looked at the weather mage.

  Katherine had meanwhile been whispering words under her breath, whether as a spell or simply to focus her thoughts, no one could tell. She opened her eyes, which were now a glowing blue, with hints of the dark white of storm clouds. A wind started to rise, first a gentle breeze, rising to a light gale, then rising until it was shrieking around the guns. Men cowered, holding onto their helms, many closing their eyes.<
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  She gestured at the gun several times, a flash of energy leaving her hands to impact the cannon. The gun fired without the captain having to pull the lanyard. The ball flew from the barrel, kicked into motion by the wind that increased its speed slightly, only to hit the field and die in the air, bouncing from the door without leaving a mark.

  "Well, that didn't go well," said Delgado, glaring at the door, then looking over at the woman.

  "Give her a chance," said Drake, putting a hand on Katherine's shoulder. "Try another one."

  Katherine nodded, then moved next to another gun, this one already prepared to fire. She went through the same motions once again, and yet again the gun fired without any need of a crew. The ball barely made it through the barrier to bounce from the door.

  "Again," said James, pointing to the next gun over.

  "I'm not accomplishing anything," she complained, shrugging her shoulders.

  "And you won't if you don't try," said James.

  Katherine nodded once again, and performed her magic with the third gun. Again the ball barely made it through the field.

  "It's got to be weakening the magic," said Levine hopefully.

  Delgado didn't see it. So far she had sent three balls into the field, and the door seemed to be laughing at her efforts.

  The fourth ball seemed to pick up more of the wind, and hit with a noticeable clang as it bounced from the door, still without noticeable effect.

  "She did better that time," said Levine.

  "And it still got us nowhere."

  Drake shot an angry glance at the general, and Delgado felt a shiver run up his spine. The young mage could turn him into a pile of ash in an instant, and his army would not be able to do anything to prevent it. He shook his head at the thought. Drake was not a murderer, nor would he use his fire magic against the army, but it was still frightening to be around people of such power, useful though they were.

  The fifth gun went off, and this time a concentrated gust of wind kicked it in the rear, slamming it through the inertia field and actually putting a dent in the door. The sixth gun did even better, and the door shook from the hit.

  The first gun had been reloaded. Now archers from the tower were showering the gun positions with arrows, trying to stop the assault. A glowing wall appeared before the guns, and every shaft that entered it turned to ash, to shower slowly to the ground, while their heads dropped as half molten objects. Katherine used the gun, and this time the inertia field dropped like it ran out of power. Delgado thought it probably had, since mages had to put energy into constructs like that, and each assault used up some of that power.

  The second gun fired, and a highly concentrated blast of wind caught it and flung it into the valve they had been attacking. With a high shriek of tearing metal one of the hinges ripped away, and the door leaned out on the remaining sagging point of contact.

  "Get the men ready to rush the door," ordered Delgado, looking back at his aide.

  Another gun went off, this time battering the door that first flew back into its frame, then fell outward until it was halfway to the ground. The next shot finished the door, which fell to the ground with a clang.

  "About time I earned my keep," said Levine, pulling his sword from his sheath and jumping over the embrasure the guns had been set behind. He trotted toward the tower, the assault company at his back.

  That was when a sound like sails booming in the wind came to them, and every eye looked up. Delgado felt his knees weaken as fear rushed through him at the sight of what was dropping from the sky. A huge humanoid creature, at least ten meters tall, with another meter of horns protruding from the head. Red skin, with wings that flared out twenty meters. The general had seen demons before. His tank brigade had run into them when they first got to the planet. They had killed the ones they faced, though he had lost men and vehicles to them. But this thing looked a whole lot deadlier, and his people no longer had one hundred twenty millimeter guns to fire at them.

  People started yelling, and men panicked, running furiously for cover. Levine set his feet and looked ready to fight, but the general was not sure that even the immortal could handle this creature.

  "You men, stay by your guns. You mages," he yelled, looking at Drake. "Do what you can, or that thing is going to slaughter us."

  The general wasn't sure why the enemy had waited this long to deploy this weapon, but he saw his campaign going down in ruin if they couldn't stop it.

  * * *

  Commodore Steffan Hauser stared in disbelief as two huge forms dropped from the sky, their flapping wings slowing their progress. One was coming down on each side of the river over the two forts. Neither seemed to have noticed his small flotilla of six galleys, a fact for which he was truly thankful. Each ship had a large ballista aboard, and he might be able to put a heavy shaft through them, with luck. He doubted there was that much luck in the world.

  "If only we had some cannon," said Lieutenant Jeff Bridges, the commanding officer of the vessel.

  If only, agreed the commodore in his thoughts. But there weren't enough of them, and the army got what was available. To the commodore it made sense to arm the galleys, at least a couple of cannons per ship. So far, the ram-equipped galleys had been more than a match for any of the river craft of the Empire, so guns had not been needed, but against a demon?

  Screams and yells started to echo over the water, and Hauser crossed himself like the good Catholic he was. His faith might not save his life on this planet, but it would save his soul.

  * * *

  "General Kurt. You have to see this. Back at the other fort."

  Kurt looked back that way, far enough that he didn't have to worry about fire from the fort they were besieging. The gate on the other side of the tower had been breached, the attack was about to go in, and the only job his force had was to keep the enemy from escaping from this side.

  The big immortal sucked in his breath as he saw the creature flying down into the far fort. He wasn't an expert in demonology, and didn't have to be to recognize that this thing was trouble. And something that his people wouldn't be able to handle.

  [We have one coming down here as well] sent Levine, the nervousness of the ancient man coming in over the transmission.

  Kurt thought that if something could scare the ancient man, it must be trouble. There was nothing he could do about that demon. He needed to handle the one coming into the other fort.

  "Come on," he shouted to the other immortals, then started running full speed over a kilometer down the span of the bridge. There was yelling and screaming ahead, the sounds of people dying in agony and fear. He knew what they must be feeling, those who were fighting back, their blades or arrows bouncing off the rocklike skin of the demon.

  [I won't bounce off its skin, my master] sent his blade into his mind.

  [Can you kill it?]

  [If I am used skillfully and with strength, yes. But you must protect yourself, for this thing can kill you as well.]

  Kurt ran through the open gate, across the chamber, then through the other gate, coming out in a courtyard that was pure chaos. Two score of men were down, some crushed under the clawed feet of the creature, others ripped apart by the talons on its hands. Several men were attacking it with long spears, and the demon bit through one, then grabbed the other and lifted its wielder into the air, to fling him against a wall. The man slid down the stone, leaving a red trail of blood behind.

  I wish Paul were still here, thought the German immortal as a shiver of fear ran up his spine. Paul had gone with the cavalry on a sweep. They had thought that he wouldn’t be needed here, but the largest immortal with the huge hammer would definitely have come in handy right now. He had to hope that the four of them could handle it. And what about Levine, who had no other immortals with him? Kurt dismissed that worry. Levine was the most capable of them all, and he had the mages with him.

  Kurt yelled at the top of his lungs and ran forward, his sword held to deliver an overhead st
rike. Jackie was right on his heels, both swords out and blazing with power.

  The demon turned to face the immortal, its eyes widening as it recognized the threat of the Paladin blade. It flapped its wings and rose up in the air above the reach of the immortal, its fiery eyes boring down into those of the man, freezing his marrow.

  Jackie took a running leap into the air, leading with Ice. The enchanted blade sliced into the foot of the creature, freezing the flesh around the cut. The demon let out a booming roar and reached down to swat the woman, who was already dropping back to the courtyard. She landed on her feet in time to look up to see the talons heading her way. Kurt's blade sliced into the hand, cutting off the thumb.

  The monster roared again, this time releasing a gout of flame that struck at Kurt, dissipating as it entered the protective field of the Paladin blade, proof against all infernal projections of power. The demon swung his head to the side and played his flames over a couple of legionaries, setting one on fire, while the flames did nothing to the other.

  "Get all the unprotected out of here," yelled Kurt as he swung his sword at the monster, who, with a flap of his wings, moved out of reach. Kurt cursed, squatted down and jumped as high as he could, his great strength pushing him ten meters off the ground despite the weight of his armor. The tip of his blade entered the bottom of the demon's left foot, pushing deep into the creature's flesh and releasing a flood of black ichor.

  The blood burned as it hit Kurt in the face, and he felt his stomach turn as it entered his system through his skin. He forced himself to hold onto his sword as he fell onto his back, the blade pulling free and ripping out through the front of the member. Kurt spit out some vomit that had risen through his throat and wondered if this was another way to kill an immortal, with whatever poison was in the blood.