Jiron looks at the crossbowmen above them who’re raining down bolts as fast as they can load them. Then he glances below him where the soldiers there have already reached the first rest stop and are closing the distance rapidly to the second.
He turns to James and yells over the roar of the wind, “Can you distract those on top for a moment or two?”
Aleya overhears him and asks, “How can he do that?”
Ignoring her, James says, “Maybe. It’s all I can do just to keep deflecting the lightning and maintain the barrier. What do you plan to do?”
Leaning close so he can hear, Jiron lays out his plan.
James looks at him and nods, “I think I can help with that, just give me a moment.”
“Okay,” says Jiron. Then looking down at the men coming up the stairs he says, “But don’t take too long.” Turning to Aleya, he says, “Stay with him. Keep him safe, he’s our only hope.”
“What do you mean?” she cries out.
“He’s a mage!” he explains.
Her eyes widen as they look anew at James. Nodding her head, she takes out her knife and comes to stand near him.
When Jiron sees the nod from James, he begins moving to the edge of the stairs.
Flash! Boom! Flash! Boom! Flash! Boom!
Three consecutive bolts of lightning strike the ridgeline, throwing the crossbowmen to the ground. A scream of terror can be heard as one of them is knocked off the ridge and falls past them on his way to the bottom.
Jiron begins climbing out onto the sheer cliff face, moving quickly with hand and foot holds. He steadily makes his way out from the stairs, moving precariously as he tests each grip before continuing on.
Another tingling spike and James creates yet another polarity disparity and the bolt strikes further up the stairs. The concussion rocks them and he looks in fear at Jiron who’s hanging a thousand feet above the valley floor.
When the bolt hit, he lost one handhold and had hung there fearing he’d lose the other but had managed to regain his lost handhold. Taking only a moment to calm his shaking nerves, he again begins moving further out along the cliff face. A quick glance back at the stairs shows James on the ground with Aleya standing protectively over him. Bolts are cascading around them as they strike the barrier before being deflected away.
Moving quickly, he works his way further along the cliff face away from the stairs. The strong gusts of wind which seem to almost be slamming into him make his grips upon the cliff precarious at best. When he finally judges that he’s gone far enough, he stops his lateral movement and begins climbing up, hoping to gain the top of the ridge behind the crossbowmen.
Flash! Boom!
Another bolt of lightning flashes down and strikes the cliff face further away from him than the last one, this time not causing him to lose his grip. Glancing down a moment, he sees the soldiers coming up the stairs have already reached the second rest stop, halfway to where James lies exposed on the steps under the barrage of bolts.
The number of crossbowmen above them had been reduced by half when the bolts of lightning struck in their midst, only eight now remain. Two of the crossbowmen suddenly lay their crossbows down and draw their swords as they begin coming down the stairs toward James and Aleya. Their fellow crossbowmen continue firing bolts.
Aleya replaces her knife in her belt when she sees them beginning to come down the stairs toward her. Removing her bow from where it’s slung across her back, she places an arrow to the string and takes aim at the two soldiers approaching. Even with the wind whipping as hard as it is, if they come close enough, she’s not likely to miss.
Seeing her there with bow in hand causes them to pause. One of them runs back up to the top and returns with two shields, one of which he gives to his partner. Holding the shields out before them, they once more progress toward James and Aleya.
James is panting now, the exertion of maintaining the barrier as well as redirecting the lightning is taking its toll. He had already been bordering on exhaustion from the climb, and all the magic he’s had to do since is bringing him to the brink of unconsciousness.
Another spike and he increases the polarity disparity further up the stairs near where the two soldiers are coming down toward them.
Flash! Boom!
The lightning strikes near them and the concussion of it throws one from the stairs as he falls screaming to his death below. The other is thrown off his feet and begins tumbling down the stairs toward where Aleya waits with her bow. When he comes within range, she lets loose her arrow and watches as it flies straight toward him, striking him in the side. Before he has a chance to recover, she lets loose with another, taking him full on in the back, severing the spinal column. With a cry, he comes to a stop and she can hear his moans and wailing from where he lies on the steps. Paralyzed, all he can do is lie there as his lifeblood slowly drains from him. After several minutes, his cries cease and all that can be heard is the wind whipping the side of the ridge.
As Jiron reaches the top of the ridge, the ruins of the old watchtower loom above him. Only a few feet of level ground separates the walls of the tower and the edge. Peering over the top, he finds no one near. They’re all over by the top of the stairs, raining bolts down upon James and Aleya.
Pulling himself up, he takes but a moment to assess the situation before drawing his knives and advancing upon the five remaining crossbowmen.
Flash! Boom!
Another bolt strikes further down the ridge face as he comes up behind the men. He pushes two screaming over the side before engaging with the third man. A quick strike drops him to the ground, the last two crossbowmen turn to see him upon them.
A bolt flies within inches of his face as one quickly takes aim and releases. Throwing their crossbows to the ground, the soldiers draw their swords and advance upon him. The first one strikes out as the second moves to flank him.
Crossing his knives, Jiron grabs the descending sword between them and kicks out at the soldier’s groin. Twisting the sword at the same time as his foot connects causes his opponent to lose his grip on the sword. A quick twist with his knives and the sword goes flying over the side of the cliff.
The second man who was flanking him, screams a war cry as he hacks down with an overhand strike. Twisting to the side, he narrowly avoids being cleaved in two. As he twists, he strikes out at the first man and catches him in the shoulder with one knife before bumping him with his shoulder.
Crying out from the pain erupting in his shoulder, the soldier stumbles back off balance and goes over the cliff. His scream echoes as Jiron turns to face the final attacker.
Having missed with his first strike, the man again tries to bull his way through Jiron’s defenses with brute strength. Slashing at him with both hands gripping his sword, he knocks one of Jiron’s knives to the ground as Jiron tries to deflect the soldier’s attack.
Barely deflecting the strike at the cost of one of his knives, Jiron lashes out with his foot and catches the soldier in the chest, knocking him backward. Following him, Jiron grabs the man’s hand that’s wielding the sword and prevents him from being able to attack.
He knees the man in the stomach hard, causing him to bend over and then follows through with another knee to the face. The soldier’s head snaps back as blood begins to cascade from his now broken nose.
Jiron pauses a moment and watches as the man staggers back a few feet. He wobbles a moment before falling backward to the ground.
Coming over to where the man lies prone on the ground, he sees that his neck is bent at a crooked angle and his eyes are staring off at nothing. Nudging him with his foot to make sure he’s dead, he then goes over and retrieves his knife before moving to the top of the stairs.
Aleya and James are already on their way up. He’s leaning heavily upon her as they make it up one step at a time.