Trudi Canavan - The High Lord

He nodded. Beckoning to Gol, Cery crouched by the trunk of another tree. As he saw what lay beyond, he felt his heart sink.

The University doors were closed and Sonea and Akkarin stood on the steps. The three Ichani were less than a hundred paces from them, advancing confidently.

“You and your friends have done well,” Savara murmured, “if this is all that remains of Kariko’s allies. Perhaps you have a chance, after all.”

Cery smiled grimly. “Perhaps we do. We’ll just have to see.”

Sonea blinked as an image of herself and Akkarin, seen from above, entered her mind. From the angle of the view, the watcher must be behind them, on top of the University. She caught a sense of Balkan’s personality, but no thoughts or emotions.

— If we can sense this, so can the Ichani.

— Yes, Akkarin replied. Block out the images. They’ll distract you.

— But it will alert us to any trick the Ichani try.

— And warn the Ichani of ours.

— Oh. Should you tell Balkan to stop?

— No. The Guild should see this. They might learn—

“Akkarin.”

Kariko’s voice echoed across the grounds.

“Kariko,” Akkarin replied.

“I see you’ve brought your apprentice. Do you intend to trade her for your life?”

A chill ran over Sonea’s skin as the Ichani looked at her. She stared back, and he smiled maliciously.

“I might consider taking her,” Kariko continued. “I never liked my brother’s taste in slaves, but he did show me that Guild magicians can be surprisingly entertaining.”

Akkarin slowly started down the steps. As Sonea followed, she took care to stay within the blended magic of their shield.

“Dakova was a fool for keeping me,” Akkarin said, “but he was always making stupid mistakes. It is hard to understand how a man with such power could have so little grasp of politics or strategy, but I guess that is why he was Ichani—and why he kept me.”

Kariko’s eyes narrowed. “You? I don’t think so. If you are such a master of strategy, why are you here? You must know you can’t win.”

“Can’t we? Look around you, Kariko. Where are all your allies?”

As Akkarin and Sonea reached the bottom of the steps, Kariko stopped. He was about twenty strides away.

“Dead, I suppose. And you killed them.”

“Some.”

“You must be worn out, then.” Kariko glanced at the other Ichani, then back at Akkarin. “What a perfect end to our conquest. I will avenge my brother’s death, and at the same time Sachaka will finally have revenge for what your Guild did to our land.”

He lifted a hand, and the other Ichani followed suit. Strikes flashed toward Sonea and Akkarin. She felt magic batter their shield, more powerful than any strike she had encountered before. Akkarin sent a trio of strikes in reply, but all curved inward to attack Kariko.

More exchanges followed, and the air hummed with power. As Akkarin continued striking at Kariko and ignoring the other Ichani, the leader frowned. He said something to his companions. They moved closer, leaving only a narrow gap between their shields.

— Strike Kariko from beneath, Akkarin instructed.

As Sonea sent heatstrike through the earth, Akkarin sent more curving down on Kariko from above. The other Ichani shifted their shields to meet Akkarin’s strikes just as the ground began to steam beneath Kariko’s feet.

Kariko glanced down, then said something quietly. His companions increased their attack.

— Keep striking at Kariko from all directions.

Kariko appeared to have resigned himself to being the main target. He concentrated on shielding, while the others attacked. Sonea resisted a smile. This was all to her and Akkarin’s advantage. Shielding took more power, so Kariko would be tiring faster.

It seemed they would stand and blast each other until one side finally weakened. Then the ground shifted violently beneath her. She staggered and felt a hand grab her arm. Looking down, she saw a dark hole forming below her feet and sensed a disc of power.

— Hold the shield.

She forced her attention back to their barrier, taking the full brunt of the Ichani’s attack so that Akkarin could concentrate on levitating. The air was full of grass and dirt and strikes. Akkarin moved them backward, but the shifting area of earth followed them. Through the dirt-filled air, Sonea saw the Ichani marching across the disturbed ground toward them.

Akkarin sent a dozen strikes at the Ichani. At the same time, a dozen weaker ones streaked from the direction of the gates. The Sachakans glanced to the side.

Sonea gasped as she saw the figure standing just inside the gates. Blue robes swirled around the man as he walked forward.

“Lorlen!” Sonea gasped. But how could that be? Lorlen was dead. Or was he...?

Kariko sent a blast of energy toward the Administrator. It flashed through the magician and struck the gates. The bars of metal shattered, filling the street beyond with glowing spears and fragments.

Lorlen had vanished. Sonea blinked. It had been an illusion. Hearing a chuckle, she looked up to see Akkarin smiling grimly. Kariko and his companions looked unimpressed. They resumed their assault with greater ferocity.

Akkarin threw a rain of strikes at Kariko, testing the Ichani’s shield. Kariko sent powerful blasts back. Akkarin sent a great net of heatstrike out, curving around to hit Kariko from all sides, just as Sonea had done in her last bout against Regin in the Challenge. Sonea frowned as she remembered that battle. In the second fight Regin had saved his strength by shielding only when a strike hit. Could she do the same. It required concentration...

She focused her will and refined her shield, leaving it weaker behind and above, but not so weak that she could not strengthen it quickly if she needed to.

— Be careful, Sonea.

She watched the Ichani closely, ready to react if any strikes should change course.

“LOOK TO THE GATES!”

The voice came from the top of the University. Looking up, she saw Balkan on the roof of the building, pointing toward the gates. Spinning around, she took an involuntary step backward as she saw broken and bent black spears flying toward her—the remnants of the gates. They clattered into her shield and fell to the ground.

When I say so, go to the Arena. I will hold them while you take its power... wait... She glanced at him to see his eyes narrowed with concentration.

— The Ichani are weakening, Akkarin sent.

Sonea looked at the Ichani. Kariko stood straight and smiling. The rest of the Ichani looked no less confident, but the strikes against her shield had weakened.

Akkarin took a step forward, then another. Kariko’s face darkened. Sonea followed as Akkarin began to walk toward them. She sent her own strikes at the Ichani and felt a surge of satisfaction as they backed away.

Then, as she felt soft dirt under her feet, something slammed against her mind. She pushed it away, but it returned to hound her again.

— Mindstrike. Shut it out.

— How?

— Like—

Something sliced up the side of her calf. Sonea stumbled and heard Akkarin gasp. Looking down, she saw the leg of her robe flutter open to reveal a long cut. Akkarin grasped her arm.

But instead of supporting her, he let his full weight drag her to the ground. She landed on her knees, turned to looked at him and her heart froze.

He crouched beside her, his face was white and twisted with pain. Bright red drew her eyes to his hand, which was wrapped around the glittering handle of a Sachakan knife.

The knife was buried deep in his chest.