Mercedes Lackey - The Wizard of Karres

Pausert suddenly had an idea. "Hantis. Are these men armed with some form of grenade?"

She nodded and pointed to things that looked like Indian clubs on the belt of the nearest guard.

"Could you 'port those, Goth? I'll shield you and you 'port those around the far corner up there."

Now Goth grinned. "Sure, Captain. You can even push me forward like a screen while I do it."

Pausert traced the klatha patterns with his mind. "I think we'll settle for just holding this place until Hantis' nasty ancestor gets back."

"He's not so bad, Captain. Pul likes hi . . ." Goth was in her shield. A grenade vanished from the guard's belt. Nothing happened.

"I think they have to be armed first," explained Hantis, speaking hastily to one of the guards. He took a Sprite-grenade off his belt and twisted the base, and held it up. It vanished from his grip. An explosion occurred further up the passage. The other Sprites began doing the same for Goth.

* * *

Deep in the castle, the Leewit was getting desperate to get out of her new quasi-captivity when a strange wild horn-call sounded, echoing through the walls. The Sprite children dropped the cards, and their green catlike eyes widened. "What's that?" asked the Leewit warily. There were distant clanging noises, now.

"The Warcall!" said Lisol, looking terrified. "It means the castle is being attacked."

"Great Patham!" said the Leewit, irritably collecting her precious cards and stowing them in a pocket. "Stupid clumping place—can't even play cards in peace. I think I'd better go, little 'uns."

"You can't," said Ta'himmin. "Shutters are down. We're all supposed to go to the Star-hall, now. With Mamma and Pappa if they are here or else with the nursebeast."

Sure enough, the nursebeast arrived. There was no time for the Leewit to hide, and besides there seemed little point. The creature looked about as dangerous as belly-button fluff. It was big, furry and distinctly cuddly. The two little Sprites flung themselves on it and clutched it.

"Come, Leewit," commanded Lisol. "We must go."

The huge fluffy beast didn't seem worried by an extra person in with its charges. It just fussed them towards the door, snuffling anxiously to itself.

Out in the passage, where she'd been trying to get for the last hour, the Leewit realized things were even more serious than she'd realized. The passage was occupied by several armed and nasty looking Sprites. "Get back! Get back into your chambers!" yelled one. Further down the passage something exploded.

But the nursebeast was determined to see her charges through to the right place, no matter what explosions happened or orders anyone gave. She hooted mournfully and ambled forward.

One of the Sprites shot her. The nursebeast squealed in surprise and pain.

The two little Sprites shrieked and clung to her.

"Get out of here!" yelled the shooter. "Go. Back to your chambers, before I shoot you too!"

A moment before the Leewit had been really frightened. Now she was just mad clear through. She didn't even think about which whistle to use. That one busted up machinery something awful.

And . . . that gun would never fire again. The Sprite who'd been holding it was hopping around, clutching his hand and hissing. "Quick," said the Leewit. "Hold my hands, you two. Let's get them under nursebeast and carry her back."

Scared, the two little ones did their best. But the big fluffy creature was heavy, and bleeding. And there were more Sprites coming. The Leewit whistled again.

* * *

Behind the remains of the barricade, Pausert heard a familiar high-pitched whistle. It was like having his ears pricked with a hot needle. And it was on the wrong side of the barricade! Then the second whistle . . .

The captain seemed to detect a terrible urgency in that whistle. He reached into himself, knowing there was desperate need and knowing that klatha power came not when you wanted it, but when you were ready for it. He pictured the Leewit in his mind: a little blond waif, her cold gray eyes staring at him, and began to weave the klatha pattern around her. She seemed larger than he'd envisaged, so he made space. He didn't want to accidentally cut pieces of the Leewit off, so he made the pattern include all that was alive. And then, pattern completed, he picked up his Sprite-rifle and began running forward. He was unaware that the rest of the little outpost had followed him, or that more Sprites were coming up behind that, led by a shrimp with attitude. All the captain knew was that he wasn't going to be stopped short of the Leewit. Goth's 'porting of grenades had kept heads down ahead of them.

Now, as Lord Nalin's cohorts put their heads up, they found themselves facing what seemed to be a wave of fury. Sprites are more klatha-sensitive than most humans. The creature running towards them, one of the survivors later said, seemed at least fifteen feet tall and as unstoppable as an avalanche. And they were already rattled by the exploding grenades that had appeared from nowhere.

Afterwards the captain admitted that he'd even forgotten to fire, while he was running forward.

Those behind him made up for it.

Lord Nalin's loyalists were not all Nanite-infected. Few of them were, actually. These were just foot soldiers following their lord's orders, who really didn't want to be there at all, fighting the High Lord. They turned and fled. Some of them fell over the barrier of the large cocoon shielding Leewit, two little Sprites and a huge furry beast of some kind. The beast was wounded and bleating plaintively.

The captain got there, and, as he stopped, Arvin's Sprites surged past. There were several hundred of them, and High Lord Arvin was in the van. So was Hantis, accompanied by Pul. A panting Vezzarn and two other Sprites he'd co-opted came up with a makeshift stretcher—and Goth, still in her own shield cocoon.

Catching his breath, the captain decided that the Leewit could wait until he'd liberated Goth. If he could lipread she was saying some pretty awful things, and he didn't know if the Sprites had soap anyway.

Calming himself slowly and deliberately, the captain retraced the pattern that shielded Goth.

"What did you leave me behind for, Captain?" she demanded as she bounced to her feet. "You agreed to stay behind me ." It was one of the few times he'd ever seen Goth hopping mad. She even stamped her foot. "What's the point of me staying around until I'm marriageable age if you're going to do STUPID things like that!"

"Er," said Pausert. "The Leewit was in trouble."

Goth was not mollified. "The Leewit's always in trouble." Crossly, Goth glanced at her little sister. "I'd say leave her in there, out of trouble for a change. Save us all some grief. Except those two Sprites seem to want to get to the others that are in with her." She pointed to two anxious Sprites who were trying reach into the shield cocoon.

Pausert realized they were trying to get to the two small Sprites in there, and that the Leewit was signing frantically at him.

He took a deep breath and retraced that pattern too.

Instantly the passage was overwhelmed by yelling.

"Captain!" The Leewit tugged at his sleeve. "The nursebeast's been shot!" She dragged him towards the fluffy thing.

It was definitely bleeding and in pain. He knelt beside it and parted the rich fur, looking for the wound. "Give me the vibro-razor, Vezzarn. Let me just cut the fur clear, here."

He did, exposing the entry-wound. The beast turned its long neck to try and peer at it. Its beery-brown eyes had a look of entreaty that made Pausert feel terribly helpless. Goth and the Leewit were kneeling beside him. So, on the other side of the fluffy creature, were two small Sprites and what were apparently their parents. Sprite soldiers streamed around them as the captain felt around the wound cautiously, wishing he knew more about first aid and more about alien physiology. At a guess, the creature had a bullet lodged in its lung—if it was built like the creatures he was familiar with.