Jommy felt Jims hand tighten on his shoulder. Jim pointed at himself and Jommy, then back up the hill. Jommy pointed to a small outcrop a hundred feet back up the trail, and Jim nodded. They moved through the rain which was letting up a bit, causing Jommy to curse under his breath. He wanted more cover, not less, and the weather had picked a very inconvenient time to become more clement after days of punishing him.
When they reached the outcrop they both lay down, ignoring the soaking mud. The men from the boats had spread out to form a perimeter and a few began unloading what looked to be supplies.
Looks like they plan on staying a while, repeated Jommy.
A third boat! whispered Jim.
The third boat put in to the right of the others and more sailors leaped out, hauled it on to the beach and quickly began unloading provisions. More crates were passed along and Jim observed, They may be murderous dogs, but theyre disciplined.
Jommy observed their efficiency without comment.
Jim whispered, Those head-scarves. Saw something like that on some corpses down in the south Sunsets, about a weeks sailing out of Freeport.
Who are they?
Wouldnt rightly know: these are the first ones Ive seen who werent dead. We came across a smoking hulk, burned down to the waterline, beached on an island with no proper name. The ship was known to my captain, but the corpses wearing those head-scarves were unknown to any sailor on that ship. Bit of a mystery as no man living was around to tell us the story of what had happened. We can only assume that the captain and crew of the burned ship had been carried off as slaves.
The sound of movement from behind them caused both young men to turn around. Kaspar and Captain Stefan were coming down the hill in a crouch. Stirrings amongst the undergrowth revealed that men were moving into position to encircle the landing party.
How many? asked Kaspar, his eyes scanning the cove.
About thirty, said Jommy, and they have a spell-caster of some kind in their midst. The crew seems downright afraid of him.
Jim said, Looks like some pirates out of the Sunsets, General.
Kaspar muttered, What are they doing here?
Jim whispered, If you sail straight west out of the Sunsets
You end up in the Sea of Kingdoms, finished Kaspar. I know how they got here. What I want to know is why. To Captain Stefan, Kaspar said, Pass the word. I want prisoners. Especially that magician if we can manage it.
Magicians, said Jim, as if it were a curse word.
Jommy exchanged glances with Kaspar. I said Ive known some good ones.
Kaspars smile was rueful. And Ive know some who were bloody monsters, returned the General. Captain?
Sir?
Are the men in position?
The Captain turned and made a slight hand gesture. Wherever he looked up on the hill, Jommy couldnt see the returned signal, but the Captain said, In position, sir.
Kaspar nodded. Captain, whenever youre ready
What is that? asked Jim, pointing.
The others didnt need Jim to explain what that was, for they saw it too. The magician was holding a staff above his head and a pillar of light appeared around him, reaching up into the clouds. A hollow voice speaking in a language unfamiliar to either onlooker answered seemingly from the air around the magician.
Then a figure appeared before the spell-caster, a shadowy thing draped in smoke. Even through the constant sound of the rain they could hear the air thrum with energy and crackle as if sparks were dancing off metal. The thing spoke and again that hollow voice echoed alien words. The magician replied in the foreign tongue and the creature looked around, surveying the area.
The hair on the back of Jommys neck stood up as it seemed to lock gazes with him. The figure began to resolve itself into a man-like form, easily seven feet tall. Its shoulders were impossibly broad, and it appeared to have no neck. The creatures skin, dark-grey blue without any apparent blemish, rippled and pulsed, as if air flowed under a silk cloth, and the face was featureless, save for two red flames where eyes should be. The skin hardened and began to look like black rock.
Now, Captain, said Kaspar softly.
Captain Stefan stood up, holding a white cloth in his left hand, and made a single chopping motion.
Chaos erupted.
From the ridge behind them shouts rang out, while arrows arched through the air to strike several of the men on the beach. Instantly three things occurred, as Jommy drew his sword. The men on the beach fanned out in precise order, not panicking, keeping their wits about them, and seeking cover wherever possible behind the bulwarks of the boats, ridges of sand, and some large piles of driftwood. Several bowmen on the beach returned fire, but they were shooting blindly into the thicket on the hillside while those above had clear targets on the sand.
Men raced past Jommys position, soldiers wearing Keshian and Kingdom tabards, and Jommy leaped to his feet, shouting, Come on, Jim!
The conjured creature roared. It stood defiantly, arms spread as if ready to charge or be charged, and the men approaching could feel waves of heat coming from it as the volume of smoke rising from its black-rock skin increased.
Men faltered as they raced towards it, whilst those waiting for the onslaught were emboldened. Jommy half-ran, half-fell down the hillside, passing several soldiers who were brought to a halt by the demonic beings outcry. Suddenly he realized he was passing the vanguard and in front of him waited weapons poised to cut him down, plus some creature from an impossible nightmare.
Jommy started to back away, but one of the raiders charged him, ignoring arrows that were still raining down from the hillside. The raider took a step forward then was impaled by a long shaft which knocked him backwards. Jommy crouched, waiting for the others to catch up. He glanced backwards, and saw the soldiers were either motionless or retreating.
He understood why a moment later. The conjured creature was growing! The thing was now a good two feet taller than it had been before and much broader across what Jommy considered to be its shoulders. The arms appeared brawnier, and decorated with what seemed to be burning metal bands, twisting rods of some hot metal that gave off so much heat that Jommy could feel it through the rain. Cracks in the rocky skin now appeared and from them tiny flames issued.
Jim! shouted Jommy, Lets get out of He glanced around and realized Jim Dasher was nowhere in sight. Damn, muttered Jommy as he quickly backed away. Hes either a coward or a lot smarter than I am!
A pirate raced at Jommy and swung a vicious overhead blow with a weighted cutlass, a blow that was likely either to break Jommys blade or cleave him from shoulder to stomach. Training and experience lent the young man the reflex to knock the blade to the right while dodging to the left, avoiding most of the force. The sand on the beach was terrible footing, so Jommy ignored the impulse to spin and slice the mans spine, instead electing to throw a right elbow at his jaw. Pain shot up his arm to his shoulder as he connected, and the mans eyes glazed over. Stepping back, Jommy slashed sideways with his blade, slicing the mans neck. As blood spurted upwards, Jommy continued to back away, unable to take his eyes off the horror that rose up before him.
Kaspars voice cut through the air: Hit them hard: now!
Kaspars voice cut through the air: Hit them hard: now!
The soldiers were well trained, and despite their growing sense of dread as the conjured being rose up to a height of nearly nine feet, they charged. Those on the beach were dedicated, fanatics even, but they were not trained soldiers, and suddenly the left side of their defence collapsed.
With nowhere to retreat, they fought viciously, but within seconds the soldiers of Kaspars command had killed half a dozen and had the rest retreating through the water to the scant protection offered by beached boats. Jommy faced a more determined defence, as soldiers from the Kingdom, Roldem and Kesh joined him in attacking the middle, mere yards away from the creature.
The raiders fought like men possessed, as if they were more afraid to retreat back to where the smouldering creature waited than die facing mortal men. Then the creature strode forward, and the man next to Jommy howled in agony as the diabolical being snatched him up by the neck. The sound of searing meat replaced the choked-off cry and the apparition tossed the soldier aside like a broken toy. Jommy saw flame coming from the creatures hands and could feel heat waves emanating from it as its appearance continued to evolve. The grey-blue skin was now crisscrossed with glowing red cracks, looking like nothing so much as molten metal under a rock crust, and where rain struck it sizzled and gave off tiny explosions of steam.
Jommy leaped backward, almost falling as he crashed into a soldier coming up behind him. Sir! the man shouted in his ear. Another two boats have put in to the north and more of the bastards are coming down on our right flank.
Jommy hesitated, then realized the soldier must be waiting, and that he was a senior officer, or at least as far as the men near him were concerned. Something had to be done to avoid a total rout. On me! he shouted. Rally to me!
Men hurried to him while the now-flaming monster snagged another screaming man and ripped his arm off while his torso was engulfed in fire.
Form circle! shouted Jommy, and the men nearby gathered in a tight knot around him. To the soldier who had warned him of the move on their flank, he shouted, Find the General, and tell the others to fall back to wherever he is. Well hold them here! Go!
The messenger ran off.
Shield wall! was Jommys next command, and the trained soldiers linked shields and suddenly he and two others, both irregulars from Krondor, stood in a tiny fortress of shields.
He had no faith in his order. Jommy knew that should the advancing monster strike the front of the shield wall, several of them would be instantly incinerated and the defensive position would collapse. But it was the only thing he could think of doing to buy a few minutes for the rest of the men to fall back to wherever Kaspar waited.
The creature stood motionless for a moment, and the magic-user pointed at the men clustered around Jommy with his staff and shouted something in the alien tongue. The creature took a great stride towards them and Jommy shouted, Steady!
The creature halted for a moment, and raised his fist up high above them. Jommy shouted, Turtle! He dropped his sword and sat down hard, yanking the two men next to him down to keep them from injury.
The men raised their shields overhead, and braced themselves as they would for a barrage of falling arrows. The flaming monsters fist, now the size of an anvil, crashed down on a pair of shields, causing one man to go to his knees and the other to collapse completely.
Bloody hell! said one of the irregulars, his eyes wide in terror.
Scatter! shouted Jommy: confusion was the only way to save as many men as possible. The two irregulars crawled away, while the soldiers did as they had been trained, each man running off directly away from the centre of the turtle, putting as much space as possible between themselves and their comrades. Those in the front fell straight back, then turned and fled.
Kaspars own archers had attempted to hurt the creature, but their arrows were having no effect, the iron heads bouncing off the things hide while the shafts burst into flame. Waves of heat rolled over Jommy, as if he were standing before an open oven.
With a sweep of arms now as long as a spear, the creature knocked men aside as if he were playing with children. Whatever he touched burst into flames: men lay screaming and dying.
As Jommy pulled back, the creature seemed to notice him, and started towards him. Jommy braced himself, sure that in an instant he would be either crushed or burned to death. As he raised his sword to defend himself he saw beyond the creature a figure rising out of the surf. Water dripping off his face, his clothing soaked through, Jim Dasher seemed to appear out of nowhere as he came up from a low crouch to stand behind the magician. With a deft move so fast Jommy could barely follow it, the Krondorian thief raised his hands before him, crossed at the wrist, and flipped something over the magicians head. Suddenly the spell-caster was yanked backwards as Jim brought his knee up into the magicians spine, and even with the pounding of the surf, the tattoo of the rain and the screams from dying men Jommy could hear the snap of the mans spine. Blood sprayed from the magicians neck and he waved his arms for a brief instant before going limp.
As the magician died, the creature faltered, and then stopped and looked around as if waiting to be told what to do next. He howled, an echoing sound that grated on the ears and sent shivers through Jommys body. Then the monster lashed out, first one way, then another. Men scattered, even those wearing the black head-cloths more intent on putting space between themselves and the apparition than in continuing the fight. Jommy threw himself backwards, avoiding a sudden reversal of direction by the flaming creature, and rolled on the sand, coming to his feet in a crouch, his sword ready.
Then he saw Servan running in his direction, shouting something that Jommy couldnt make out, but pointing directly at him. At the same instant Jommy sensed someone behind him and realized that Servan wasnt pointing at him, but at something behind him. He fell to his left, rolled and turned, seeing the blade cut through the air that would have taken his head had Servan not warned him.
Jommy didnt even think of trying to stand, but instead lashed out with his sword, cutting the man across the heel, severing the tendon. The man screamed and almost fell on top of Jommy. Jommy now shoved his sword point into the raiders armpit. Blood flowed down the mans side as the raider tried to retaliate with a looping blow designed to take Jommys arm off.
Jommy rolled again hearing the sword strike sand. Now he was on his back. Knowing this was as poor a position for a fight as could be, Jommy kept rolling until he could again see his opponent. Then someone stepped over him and a sword point thrust down, ending the raiders life.
Servan reached down and pulled Jommy to his feet. Weve got to fall back! shouted the young nobleman. That thing is still killing anything near it, and its getting hotter by the minute.
Jommy didnt need his companion to tell him that; he could feel waves of heat rolling off the creature. Steam exploded from every step it took in the wet sand. Men on all sides were still locked in struggle, but there was nothing remotely organized about the conflict, and Jommy knew there was no way to coordinate any sort of counter-attack or even organize an orderly withdrawal. We need to have everyone fall back to that big rock over there! Jommy shouted, pointing with his sword.