Here and there, nyadds were bursting into flames. In some cases they fell and burned, with a kind of sad resignation. In others, the fireswathed nyadds lurched and stumbled, and shrieked as they blazed. Some ran into the forest, illuminating its depths. The smell of charred flesh filled the air.
The Wolverines waded in and helped the process along with their blades. But what was happening to the trees was a more effective weapon. Shortly, only a handful of nyadds were left standing, and those not for long.
Stryke scanned the carnage. “Let’s get out of here!”
“What about this fire?” Spurral said, nodding at the burning trees. “We can’t just leave it to spread.”
“We’ve no time for fire-fighting.”
“You’d destroy an entire forest?”
“Look at it. I doubt we could put it out now if we tried.”
“And you’re not going to?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Dynahla interrupted. “You’re forgetting the magical nature of the world we’re in. This place takes care of itself. Only I think we should get out while we still can. The fire’s going to surround us soon.”
They left before it did. The fire burned on at their rear, throwing its light after them so that they cast long shadows. But before long it faded, then died as the forest overwhelmed all but its memory.
The band met no more hostility, and eventually came to the forest’s end.
They emerged on the top of a gentle slope running down to a green expanse. Crossing this was a dead straight artificial waterway. They couldn’t see far enough to say where it came from or went to.
There were several barges on the water, and one very large one tied-up next to a small cottage. This was weathered red brick with an unkempt thatched roof. Figures moved around it.
Coilla cupped her eyes. “Looks like… gnomes.”
“Miserable bastards,” Haskeer said.
“That canal runs north,” Stryke realised. “And they’ve got a barge.”
Coilla nodded. “Think it’d take all of us and the weapon?”
“I reckon. But we’d have to let the millipedes go.”
“Shame.”
“Let’s see if we can parley.”
They headed down to the waterway. The panic started before they reached it. Seeing an orcs warband charging towards them, mounted on giant multi-legged insects and towing a black tube, was enough to unnerve the gnomes. It sparked an exodus. They scrambled into wagons and headed off along the towpath at speed.
“Rude buggers!” Haskeer exclaimed. “They could have given us a hearing.”
Jup shrugged. “Saves us having to negotiate.”
Stryke didn’t waste time. They got the weapon onto the barge, which proved a tough task. Then the band embarked and they cast off, using the barge’s oars. There was a small sail too, and Stryke had it unfurled, despite little wind.
As they moved away they saw the liberated millipedes undulating towards the forest. Everybody was sorry to see them go. Except Standeven.
28
The waterway took them through terrain that was mostly flat and lacking in any particular landmarks. All they saw was an expanse of green, dotted with the odd tree or rock. An occasional low hill, glimpsed in the distance, became an event to be remarked on. Taking advantage of their stately progression, the band rested, fed themselves and maintained their weapons. Curiously, they met no other boats.
As best as they could estimate it, more than a day went by as they slowly glided towards their unknown destination. Some in the band wondered if there was a destination, and whether the canal might not go on for ever. Those who thought there must be a destination speculated on how they would know it. The only certainty was the north star, and they were still heading straight for that.
Into the second day they saw the peaks of a mountain range ahead, and also noticed something strange about the star above it.
“It’s definitely getting bigger,” Coilla decided.
“I think you’re right,” Stryke agreed. He turned to the shape-changer. “Dynahla?”
“It’s to be expected the nearer we get to our goal.”
“You mean we are, at last?”
“It’s in the air. Can’t you feel it?”
Haskeer gave a prolonged, noisy sniff. “I can’t.”
“Take my word for it, Sergeant; our destination’s imminent. Though we shouldn’t get too excited. It may be closer only in distance.”
After that, the star and the mountains it crowned rapidly grew larger.
Eventually the problem of where their destination would lie was solved: the canal came to an end. It terminated in a modest dock, which had the benefit of a winch that proved sturdy enough to unload the barge. But that was the end of their luck as far as the weapon was concerned. Without beasts to help with the burden, it had to be moved bodily. The band was hardly keen on the idea, but they had experience of hauling siege engines over long distances. Once roped up, they found it took about half the band to pull it, which meant they could labour in shifts.
Now as big as a harvest moon, and rivalling the sun, the star was suspended above whatever lay behind the mountains. Fortunately there was a wide pass cutting through them. They made for it.
Halfway along, the pebbly stone floor of the vale began to be covered in patches of fine sand. By the time they got to the end of the pass there was nothing but sand underfoot, and it was quite thick. They had to work even harder to negotiate it. The temperature was also noticeably hotter.
Ahead of them was a low ridge of granite. Leaving the weapon at its base, they climbed the gentle incline to see what was beyond. Lying on their bellies, they looked out at the beginning of a vast desert. More arresting was what stood on it in the near distance. It was a pyramid, the largest any of them had seen, and it seemed to be made of milky glass. At its apex was what looked like a massive, multifaceted gem. Sunlight glinted on it.
“What in hell is that?” Coilla said.
“Something legendary,” Dynahla explained. “If I’m right, it’s the Prism of Sina-Cholm.”
“Which is?”
“An artefact created by the wizards who built this world.”
“What does it do?” Stryke asked.
“It kills.”
“How?”
“Can you get one of the archers to send an arrow its way?”
“Sure. It’s in range. But I don’t think an arrow’s going to hurt it.”
“That’s not the point.”
Stryke shrugged and ordered one of the grunts to string-up.
“It might be an idea if we all kept our heads down,” Dynahla suggested.
The archer loosed his bolt and it soared towards the pyramid. It had almost reached it when an intense white beam shot from the gem at the apex, striking the arrow and obliterating it.
“It targets anything that approaches,” Dynahla said.
“Is there somebody in there operating that thing?” Pepperdyne wanted to know.
“No, it functions entirely by itself. It works by drawing energy from what passes for the sun here, concentrating it and using it to defend itself.”
“Do we have to tackle it?” Stryke said.
“You know the nature of this place by now. It’s there because it’s the next thing we have to overcome. Maybe the last thing. Fortunately, we have a chance because of that.” He nodded at the weapon parked below them.
“Won’t the pyramid just destroy what we fire at it?”
“What if we were to fire more than one thing at the same time?” Coilla suggested.
“That’s not a bad idea. Think it might work, Dynahla?”
“Your faith in my knowledge about this place is touching, Stryke. Frankly, I don’t know. But it’s worth a try, isn’t it?”
They needed a spot where they could get the weapon to see its target, and where there was some kind of shelter for the band. Scouts found such a place not far from the incline they climbed. It was a ground-level slab of stone big enough to accommodate the weapon, and with a perfect view of the pyramid. There were enough sizeable boulders strewn around it to give the Wolverines cover. They set about hauling the weapon to it.