Talarius nodded, acknowledging the honor with which Lord Tommus was entrusting him, and took the horn. “Demon lord, if you had told me I would be doing this when you first — er, met me? Well, I have absolutely no idea what I would have thought.” Talarius shook his head, giving Tom a rueful grin. He had almost said, When you had first taken me hostage before remembering that Stainsberry was there beside him. Although Iskerus has probably shattered that illusion, Talarius thought sadly to himself.
“This should be a good battle. I only wish the gravity canons and other high-tech equipment worked in Nysegard,” Tom said.
Talarius laughed. “Now that would not have been a fair fight. Even I would admit to that.”
Tom grinned and chuckled as well. “Good luck. I shall see you on the field of battle.”
“To all of our luck!” Talarius raised the horn as a salute.
“To luck!” Stainsberry agreed.
Antefalken spoke up. “I am going to be out there ahead of you. Be sure and crank up your armor before sounding the horn. It’s going to be dark and these balls are not that great in low light.”
“As you wish, bard. Who am I to argue the dictates of posterity?” Talarius replied.
“All forces are in place,” Baba Smert' hissed at Daerth Tromlane. Exador was not sure whether the old, moldy crone bones’ hiss was a statement or question.
Daerth Tromlane looked up from his command mirror and nodded. “We are set, even as Atun sets,” the Storm Lord intoned.
“The Citadel of Light makes its final stand,” Praelgeis hissed.
Exador was not completely certain, but he thought he sensed glee in the lich’s voice. He had not realized the creatures had any positive emotional responses.
“That’s interesting,” Ramses observed. Exador turned to look where Ramses was pointing. “Note that about half the Sky Wardens, those that were rotated out of combat, have changed formation and are all heading out over the sea.”
Exador used his demon sight to enhance the somewhat distant aerial force.
“This is most unusual,” Baba Smert’ hissed. “Abandoning their position above the Citadel, even as our most significant attacks are nigh?”
“Now they seem to be turning and getting into column formation, as if they are about to charge back to the battle field,” Ramses said, giving a play-by-play commentary to what they could all clearly observe for themselves.
“Whoa! Who’s the torch?” Ramses asked as a bright light suddenly flared at the head of the columns.
Exador focused his vision on the bright object. “There’s a second blue torch lighting up about twenty feet to his left.”
The first bright object was a silvery knight in glowing plate armor, riding a heavily barded flying horse. Exador blinked to see the flag and colors of a Knight Rampant of Tiernon. “That’s an Astlanian Knight Rampant! Like the apostle we saw earlier,” he told the others. Why were there Astlanians here, particularly given the interdiction?
“The blue knight,” Praelgeis hissed. “He wears the colors of the El Ohîm!”
“We cannot allow the Tribunal to learn of our beacons,” Baba Smert’ hissed.
“It would cause undue attention that we cannot afford,” Praelgeis agreed.
“We will need to ensure he is disposed of,” Daerth Tromlane intoned.
“Exador?” Ramses said with a note of concern in his voice. “Does that first knight, with the giant sword, look familiar to you?”
“What do you mean?” Exador asked, peering closer and at the sword in particular. He then zoomed in on other details, including the coat of arms on the flying horse’s overcoat.
“Uhm, correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t that Sir Talarius? The knight who was dragged down to the Abyss by Lenamare’s demon?” Ramses asked.
“Gnome’s balls!” Exador cursed. He glanced back at the seven Storm Lords in the command center area. “That knight was last seen being dropped through a portal to the Abyss by a demon belonging to my enemy, Lenamare. If Lenamare’s demon is here, we might have some difficulties.” Exador shook his head. Based on what Morthador had reported, this could in fact be quite serious indeed.
“What does that mean?” Praelgeis hissed.
“Lenamare’s demon — and I say that not knowing whether the demon works for Lenamare or Lenamare works for the demon — has reportedly raised an army of demon orcs in the Abyss,” Exador said.
“Demon orcs?” Baba Smert’ hissed in a very high-pitched tone. Exador noted that all the Storm Lords’ eyes were suddenly glowing extra-bright red. Apparently they were familiar with demon orcs, or D’Orcs as Morthador had called them.
“Yes—” Exador started to say when the most gods-awful, bone-chilling horn sounded. Or it would have chilled him to the bone if his current body actually had any real bones. He turned his attention back to Talarius, only to see him charging through the air, leading the Sky Wardens and blowing the horn.
“The Trumpet of Doom!” Praelgeis shouted furiously.
“It cannot be!” Baba Smert’ hissed in shrill denial.
As the horn’s disquieting blare finally ended, a ball of fire appeared in the air behind and above the two knights.
“This cannot be!” Daerth Tromlane boomed. “A Doom Gate! Inside the interdiction?”
Exador noted that several of the Storm Lords were hissing and cackling amongst themselves in their revolting raspy-hissing-clicking language. One which he really had no interest in having translated into Universal.
“Is that music?” Ramses asked.
“What the…?” Exador asked, frowning as a strident marching anthem blared outward from the oncoming knight. Exador noted three demons fanning out in front of Talarius, carrying large boxes. Presumably these boxes were the source of the music.
“Whoever is coming is bringing their own theme song!” Ramses exclaimed, sounding a bit too enthusiastic given the situation. “I’ve always wanted to do that!”
While they were distracted by the music, Exador suddenly realized that the ball of fire behind Talarius had been expanding into a ring! “How on Nysegard are they opening an Abyssal Gateway inside the beacons?” Exador shouted at the expanding ring.
“That’s not the Abyss on the other side! That’s atunlight! They are about to fry the entire freaking army!” Ramses shouted. The shouting arguments, or discussions, or whatever they were, of the Storm Lords was quickly escalating.
Suddenly, from the not-quite-an-Abyssal Gateway, a very large version of Lenamare’s demon emerged, brandishing a brightly glowing metal wand.
“Doom has returned!” Praelgeis shouted, practically in Exador’s ear. He turned to see the Storm Lords staring and pointing in shock at the large demon.
“Orcus is alive! This is not possible! We made sure he was permanently dead!” Daerth Tromlane screamed angrily.
Suddenly, behind Lenamare’s demon, a group of very large demon orcs were coming through in formation. A lot of them. A very lot of them. Exador shook his head as fanning out to each side of the D’Orcs came a second wave of normal demons. Hundreds and hundreds of them — much more than a thousand, in fact.
“What are those?” Ramses asked.
Exador saw what Ramses meant. Above and below the D’Orcs, even as the demons were to the right and left, flew some very ugly winged — wolves? No. wargs? D’Wargs? All were flowing from the ever-expanding fiery hole in the air.