When the bridge blew and the army was forced to proceed further north to find a bridge to cross the river, his rage almost got the better of him once more. But logic won out and he continued as he had been and simply kept pace with Black Hawk.
Finally, once the army made it across to the eastern shore, he knew it was time. Quickening his pace, he moved to close the gap for the attack.
Their horses on the verge of collapsing, James and Jiron see the cloud of dust that hangs over the battlefield. Too late to join their comrades before the onslaught, they arrive shortly after it’s begun.
From the ranks of the defenders, a flight of crossbow bolts is launched through the air and lands with devastating effect among the Empire’s charging cavalry. They see Illan marshalling his forces and repulsing the initial attack of the enemy. The recently freed crossbowmen send another volley toward the Empire’s cavalry and more riders fall.
The bulk of Black Hawk’s Raiders face off against the foot and cavalry to the north. On their southern flank, the Hand of Asran work to counter the magical attacks from mages. James’ skin crawls from the amount of magic being used down there. When before he sensed magic it was a mere tingling or prickling, this time it’s like bugs crawling over and under his skin. A light flares brilliantly followed by the roar of an explosion a moment later.
“The Hand is holding its own,” observes Jiron. The flash of a startling white light tells them Miko is there with them.
Illan’s force is completely surrounded except on the side where the mages are hammering away at the Hand. James removes a piece of rope and secures himself to the saddle. Scanning the battlefield quickly, he finds what he’s looking for then turns to Jiron and says, “Follow me.” Kicking his already tired horse, he races across the desert.
Rather than riding toward the mages like Jiron thought he was going to do, James angles toward the rear of the enemy soldier’s line. They’re almost upon them before the enemy even realizes it. Shields spring to life as James encases them both in protective barriers.
Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!
Explosions rip through the ranks of enemy soldiers, clearing a path for the charging steeds.
Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!
Dozens of men and horses are thrown into the air as the ground erupts beneath them. Crumph! Again and again, James unleashes the power of magic to clear a path to the beleaguered men in the center.
“James!” Scar calls out after the first explosion.
“It’s Jiron!” cries Stig as his mace pulps the soldier’s face that he’s locked in combat with. Using his shield, he pushes another man aside as he strikes out at yet a third, crushing the man’s shoulder with a thunderous blow.
Crumph! Crumph!
Suddenly, Jiron’s horse collapses and he’s thrown free. The shield surrounding him winks out as he lands amidst enemy soldiers. He comes to his feet quickly with knives at the ready and begins laying into them with amazing speed. As packed in as the enemy soldiers are, their own numbers hamper their ability to use their swords. Knives flash and men fall before they’re able to defend themselves.
Oblivious to Jiron’s predicament, James continues on toward their line. Crumph! All of a sudden, the way is clear to the defenders within the ring of attackers. Kicking his horse, he races for the opening. Jorry and Uther are there and stand aside as he jumps over the ring of dead before them.
“James!” they cry as he lands among them.
“To Jiron!” they cry once James is past and the fighters from The Ranch wade into the enemy in an attempt to come to his aid.
Off to his right he sees Delia and the other slingers loosing slugs as fast as they can. Next to them, Hedry and his archers target the enemy crossbowmen that stand further back. Many within the defender’s circle lie dead with bolts protruding from their bodies.
“Glad you could make it,” Illan shouts as he comes toward him. All of a sudden there’s solid bang as a crossbow bolt strikes Illan’s helm. Leaving a dent, it gets deflected away. Several other fresh dents show upon his helm as well.
“Didn’t want to miss the fun,” he says. Glancing back, he sees Scar and Potbelly reaching Jiron’s side. Scar’s double swords take the enemy out as Potbelly rushes through the opening. Using his knife to deflect a sword’s thrust, he follows through with his sword and drives it to the hilt in the soldier’s chest. Side by side with Jiron, they begin to fall back to their line.
Jerking his thumb to where the Hand is battling the mages, Illan says, “They really need you.”
“On the way.” Untying himself from the saddle, he dismounts quickly and works his way through the defenders to where the Hand and Miko are battling the mages. One of the brothers lies unmoving on the ground, Brother Willim and the other three face the mages with green glows surrounding them.
As fast as green shoots begin to leave the earth, a mage burns them with fire. Bugs appear and are quickly destroyed. Another brother cries out as his chest cracks open. Falling to the ground he soon lies still.
James runs forward, his shield shimmering around him. Summoning the magic, he lashes out…
Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!
…but has little effect other than throwing dirt in the air to create a smokescreen to obscure their vision. The mages themselves remain untouched.
He comes to a stop between Brother Willim and Miko. With Star raised high and shining brilliantly, Miko turns to him. “Knew you would come,” he says.
“We can’t hold them much longer,” says Brother Willim as he throws another seed in the air. Moving forward rapidly, it grows into a ball of tangled vines and lands near the leading edge of mages. The vines move rapidly upon the ground and entangle the feet of two of them. Yanking them to the ground, the vines begin to squeeze and tighten, constricting like a giant snake.
Then another mage comes to their rescue and the vines literally explode off of the two trapped men.
“I’ve already lost two brothers,” Brother Willim states. “You’re the Gardener, do something.”
Gardener?
Turning back to the mages, he lets the magic surge forth and the ground begins to rumble. Suddenly, the earth cracks open but then slams shut again as opposing magic works against him.
A cloud of birds swoops down from the sky toward the mages. Bolts of energy fly from the assembled mages and begin taking them out before they can close. Explosions of fire light up the sky as whole groups of birds are incinerated in massive fireballs.
James reaches to the clouds to pull them in but magic again works against him and his effort goes to naught. The dust from when the ground exploded is beginning to settle and he looks across to see one of the mages, an older one, staring at him. It almost seems as if time pauses as the two stare at each other. Then the mage raises his hand and the onslaught begins.
When the ground erupted, Kerith-Ayxt felt it was slightly different than the magic of those he faced when the attack first began. Then when he stared across the battlefield and saw the mage he couldn’t believe his eyes. Never has anyone succeeded in escaping Baerustin.
It must have been he who had attempted to crack open the earth beneath them and to summon a storm. The High Lord Magus had easily countered such basic magics. He is amazed at the lack of finesse this mage has in what he tries to accomplish.
Now to finish it. Raising his hands above his head, he summons the magic. And with the knowledge of centuries of mages behind it, lets it loose.
The tingling sensation flares worse than ever as the mage raises his hands. Pouring more of his reserve power into the barrier, he extends it to encompass Miko and the rest of the Hand. When the full force of the mage’s magic strikes the barrier, James is literally knocked backward a step and the shield collapses. Reinstating the shield again, his mind boggles at the amount of magic that was just used against him.
Miko and the Hand continue to counter what the rest of the mages are throwing at them; fireballs, lightning, and many other types of destructive magic. All they’re able to do is simply keep them at bay without any opportunity of using offensive magic of their own.