" Murrk will never aid humans. He is well content with the treaty worked between us." Krek swayed to and fro in a dizzying motion. The spider' s agitation did little to bolster Lan' s idea of possible help from the valley.
" It might not be necessary. Let' s see how Iron Tongue' s rockets work."
Even as they climbed the battlements, Lan focused on the rocky crags jutting on the east and west flanks of the city state. The canyon that had provided the defense was being turned against them now.
On the walkway, Iron Tongue chortled and rubbed his hands together.
" This will do them just fine. Launch!"
Lan turned and shielded Inyx from the back flare of the erupting missile. Its tail ignited and lashed backward with the pent- up power of a released fire elemental. For a long instant, it hung suspended, then overcame inertia and blasted forth to arc up and come down amid the front ranks of Claybore' s advancing army. The explosion was as blinding as the launch.
" There. That' ll show them."
" They still march on us," came Rugga' s tired voice, " it will take more to stop them this time. Much more."
" The rockets will do it." Iron Tongue clambered up onto a stone pillar and shouted at the top of his lungs, " Die, fools! You will turn and run and die before Iron Tongue' s might!"
Lan felt the full unleashed power of that voice. The Voice. Even partially guarded magically against it, he felt the gut- level urge to obey the command. He prevented Inyx from turning and throwing herself on her sword.
" He is careless. He becomes: crazy." Rugga barely spoke. Noratumi moved closer and whispered to her. The woman quickly nodded. They moved to one side.
The tiny dramas being played out on the battlements of Wurnna didn' t interest Lan. The wavering of the invisibility spells to either flank did. He concentrated on the western side, his magical powers insinuating themselves, turning, twisting, subverting. The party scaling the cliff flickered into sight.
" Iron Tongue," called one of his observers. " The western face."
" They receive a rocket. Now!"
The missile exploded yards from its target. Through squinted eyes, Lan saw flesh boil off still living skeletons. Dozens perished under the attack.
" The other face," he said quietly. " Don' t forget the other cliff to the east."
Iron Tongue swiveled another of the rockets and launched it. This one went wild, going far off target. But Lan saw the true power of the projectiles. The exploding power stone disrupted the invisibility spell- he knew then that it distorted all magics within a certain radius. Even as he drew power to aid his own spells, so could the stone rob power when suddenly released.
The next rocket blew apart the hardy band clinging to the rock face.
" Do your worst, Claybore. You' ll never take my city!"
Lan said softly to Inyx, " There is barely enough power stone left for five rockets. That won' t be enough. Already new parties attack the heights."
" So? The spiders?"
" I' m afraid so. Especially now." He looked to the east. The commander of the new group moved with jerky movements that were only too familiar. This group would attain the heights over Wurnna. Kiska k' Adesina would see to it.
" Magic! Claybore attacks with magic!"
The cry pulled Lan Martak from a deep, dreamless sleep. He rolled over, freeing himself from both cloak and Inyx' s embrace. He sat up and stared into the starless sky.
Starless?
" What is that demon of a sorcerer doing? He' s blotted out the stars." Lan concentrated and sent his mote of light blazing into the firmament, only to have its brilliance snuffed out. The curtain of inky darkness slowly descended, threatening to cover the city.
" What' s he doing?" Inyx stirred herself to full combat readiness, even though she knew this wasn' t to be a battle of swords but of magics.
" I don' t know. But let' s see if he can contain this."
Lan drew on the power from the magical rock, formed it, shaped it into a lance, held the spear, and thrust it directly upward, twisting it and applying more and more pressure. When he thought his brain would explode with effort, the magical spear ripped through.
The sky ignited with the light of a million stars, once more normal.
" He uses the same magics I used to form the ebon dragons. I never realized they were so potent." Lan' s words died when tornadoes of fire whipped across the plain in front of the main gates of Wurnna. Dancing and bobbing, those cyclones touched earth and life perished. Again he drew on the power stone and again he dissipated Claybore' s magics.
" Can you keep this up for long?" Rugga and Noratumi had joined him on the battlement. Rugga' s anxious question went unanswered as he concentrated on Claybore' s next thrust in this magical duel.
Rain fell. Cold rain. Cold, burning rain. Every droplet seared and singed naked flesh, ate through stone, bored straight for the core of the planet. Lan slipped and stumbled, Inyx supporting him. He sapped her power, then Noratumi' s, and finally Rugga' s. He drew on all their inner strength to form an umbrella above the city. The rain mercifully stopped instants before the young mage knew he could no longer shield even himself from it.
" So," said Iron Tongue, boldly walking onto the battlement, " he tries again. This time I will fix him." Iron Tongue bellowed and chanted, cursed and conjured spells and sent the full force of his tongue- powered imprecations rumbling down the valley. Lan wondered if it affected Claybore at all, but if it stopped his grey- clad troops, the effort wasn' t in vain.
" There will be more," Lan told Iron Tongue. " I can' t stop it all. Even with Rugga' s help, I can' t. I doubt the full power of those remaining can hold Claybore off indefinitely."
" You may prove too weak. I will not. I am Iron Tongue, ruler of Wurnna." He threw his head back and laughed, the rolling guffaws mocking the very sky.
And as if offended, the sky retaliated.
Huge boulders fell from above, dropping onto buildings, smashing people and roads and anything else in their way.
" What' s he doing now? Stop them, Lan. Nullify Claybore' s spells."
" I can' t, Inyx. Those are real. Claybore, or one of his pet mages, propels the rock magically, but the rocks are real. Too real."
Tiredness assailed him. He felt his knees shaking in reaction to the enormous powers that he had tapped, that he had allowed to flow through him. Lan knew k' Adesina had finally scaled the cliffs and established the sharpened edges of the pincer closing on Wurnna. Unless those heights were retaken, all would die within the city.
" The rockets, man, use the rockets." Rugga tugged at Iron Tongue' s arm.
" There aren' t any more. The last of the projectiles was used this afternoon." Iron Tongue appeared confused. " We: we can use the power stone from the streets. Rip it from the building foundations: Let the spires fall. We have enough."
Lan shook his head. What Iron Tongue advocated would take months of hard work. The power stone had become an integral part of the city, strong enough for building purposes but too diffuse magically for real defensive work.
" Another! Duck!"
A boulder twice the size of the first crashed into the center of the city. Shock waves raced outward. Even if the destruction to life and property hadn' t been so severe, the falling rock would have taken its toll. Few inside the walls would fight if they were demoralized and fearful. Soon enough the mere thought of the empty sky would work its horror on them- every instant would be spent in dread of still another missile from heaven.
" We can' t last a day like this," moaned Jacy Noratumi. He took Rugga' s hand and pulled her close.
" You must," said Lan. " You must!" Even as he spoke he knew the city' s life was numbered only in hours unless something was done to thwart the dismembered mage. The attack came from too many directions, both physical and magical. He needed to blunt one of those prongs before success could be achieved. He silently motioned to Inyx and Krek and they slipped away. Only one course of action suggested itself. It might be a fool' s mission, but they had to try.