CHAPTER 24
Haldren’s magic blasted a path through the gap against the canyon wall. For every new group of worgs that stepped up to defend the narrow way, Haldren had another spell ready to scour them with fire or sear them with lightning. As the Lord General had predicted, the narrow gap actually proved a hindrance to the worgs rather than a defensive advantage. Perhaps recognizing that fact, the worgs soon fell back and ceded the gap to Haldren.
Haldren seemed as swept up in the thrill of his power as the soldiers were, ready to storm into the canyon and obliterate any resistance the worgs tried to offer. Cart, though, suddenly realized the flaw in their plan, and he tried to hold Haldren back. “Lord General,” he said, “there might be a problem.”
“Damn right there’s a problem,” Haldren barked. “I’m thirsty. Somebody give me a drink.”
Tesh tossed a waterskin to Haldren, who drank deeply while Cart tried to explain.
“We expected the worgs to concentrate their defense in the gap, but they don’t fight like that. If they see a significant threat, they fall back and regroup.”
“They can only fall back so far,” Haldren said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “We’ll catch them all.”
“No, Lord General, that’s just it. They’ll do exactly what we hoped to do to them-they’ll harry us and fall back, again and again, slowly wearing down our strength until we decide to retreat. But then we’ll have to fight our way through the gap again-they’ll block it from behind us.”
Cart was relieved to see the Lord General pause at least long enough to consider his warning. “What do you suggest?”
From his tone, Haldren clearly had no expectation that Cart could produce a better suggestion. He bit back a soldier’s curse that sprang to mind, and considered the situation. “I suggest we fall back and circle the canyon as the other squads are doing. We’ll wear them down from the outside in, like peeling an onion.”
Haldren grinned. “I suggest a different simile,” he said. “I say we pit them like a cherry-continue in until we find their heart, then cut it out.”
A chorus of cheers drowned out Cart’s attempt to protest further, and he shrugged. Perhaps Haldren was right-he’d had no difficulty yet in dispatching every worg they met. There didn’t seem to be any reason to expect more trouble. That was exactly why he did expect it.
Haldren’s confidence seemed fully justified, even if Cart also had good reason for his trepidation. They advanced slowly through the canyon, encountering occasional packs of worgs who nipped at their heels briefly before retreating, usually with at least one worg dead and no serious harm done to Haldren or his squad. Cart had been correct in his reading of the worgs’ tactics, but Haldren had apparently been right in assessing the threat they posed.
After routing the third group of worgs, the group advanced steadily for an hour without seeing any more of the demon-wolves. Distant howls assured them that there were still worgs to fight, but no more attacked them, even as they drew close to the end of the canyon. Near the canyon’s head, it was a narrow, jagged cut in the earth, and Cart couldn’t see more than a dozen yards ahead of them at any time. Tesh scouted at the front of the group, wary of an ambush.
When Tesh fell to his knees, Cart’s first thought was that he’d been hit by an enemy arrow-but of course the worgs didn’t use arrows. The scout had crept up to the next turn and peered around a rocky buttress jutting from the canyon wall, and whatever he saw sapped his strength. Cart ran to his side.
“What is it?” he demanded. “Keep it together, soldier.”
Tesh got to his feet, but he was pale and unsteady. He said nothing, only waved a weak hand at the canyon ahead.
Cart looked around the corner, and his limbs suddenly felt like lead. He saw Verren first-spread-eagled on the canyon floor, his guts ripped out and strewn across the ground, linking him in a line with the other members of his squad, crossing the width of the canyon. As mangled as their bodies were, their faces were all intact, wrenched into expressions of terrible pain. The worgs had wanted to make sure the dead soldiers’ friends would recognize them.
Haldren strode forward to stand behind Cart. “What is the problem?” he asked.
“It’s one of our squads, Lord General,” Cart said. His mind felt blank, and he couldn’t remember the name of the squad’s sergeant.
“All dead.”
“Idiots,” Haldren spat. “Let me see.” He pushed past Cart. “The worgs left them as a warning.”
“That’s more than a warning,” Haldren said. “That’s a barrier.”
“Lord General?”
“They used the bodies in a ritual to create a wall we can’t penetrate, at least not right away. I can get it down, but it will take some time.”
“A wall?” Tesh said. Wide-eyed, he looked back along the canyon. “That means we’re trapped here.”
“They’ll attack here, certainly,” Cart said. “We’ll have to fight them off before you take the wall down.”
For the first time, Haldren seemed nervous about the possibility of a worg attack. “I’ll start on the wall now. There’s a chance I can get it done before they attack, and we won’t be boxed in. If not, I can pick up where I left off after we’ve killed them all.” He turned the corner and started toward the bodies, but turned back after a few steps. “Cart, keep the others back. They don’t need to see this.”
Cart put a hand on Tesh’s shoulder and steered him back to the rest of the squad. He addressed the sergeant, Kovin. “We wait here-there’s a… an obstacle ahead that only Haldren can clear. Watch our rear, but catch your breath while we wait.”
Kovin ordered Tesh and another soldier back to the last turn in the canyon, and told the other two to rest. Tesh still looked pale, and he hung his head as he walked. His companion was turned toward him, talking with her hands, inquisitive. She wanted to know what he had seen, but Cart could tell Tesh wasn’t talking. Good, Cart thought. Perhaps in the act of lowering the wall, Haldren could also remove the bodies, or at least put them into a less unsettling position.
Cart was still watching when the pair reached the bend in the canyon and a worg erupted around the corner, slamming into Tesh’s companion and knocking her to the ground. Tesh gave a shout and drew his sword, but four more worgs came around the corner.
“Tesh!” Cart called. “Fall back!” He broke into a run, yelling over his shoulder for Haldren. Tesh couldn’t do anything for his companion, but maybe Cart could, if he could get there fast enough.
Tesh tried a cautious withdrawal at first, backing away from the worgs with his sword and shield in front of him. When the worgs started edging around him, threatening to surround him, he turned and ran. A large worg pounced at him but fell short, raking its claws along his back and making him stumble but not fall.
By the time Cart reached Tesh, there were half a dozen worgs between him and the corner where Tesh’s companion had fallen, and he couldn’t see her anymore. He paused, debating whether to charge into the midst of the worgs to save her, but quickly realized he was too late. In the instant of calm before the breaking storm, he raised his shield and checked his grip on his axe, bracing for the worgs’ assault.
He let them push him slowly back toward the others, moving to intercept any that tried to get behind or past him, buying them time to ready their defense and-he hoped-get Haldren away from the wall. But the farther back he moved, the more worgs came into view around the corner. There were at least two worgs for every one in his party, and he was sure he hadn’t yet seen the end of the demon-wolves.
At the edge of his vision, he saw something move behind him and almost lashed out with his axe before he realized it was Ashara.
“What are you doing?” he said. “Get back!”
“No. Cover me,” she said. She put a hand on his back and he felt magic course through him, cool and exhilarating.