T. Church - Return to Canifis

Kara looked for the mountain that Arisha had pointed out a few minutes before. It was on a different side of the balloon now.

“We are heading west,” she cried, looking to the morning sun to verify her thought. It rose, behind them now, and Kara turned her back on it to look toward the Salve. The river was undeniably closer now. Small breaks in the reflecting light signified the presence of islands, and she wondered if they would be able to see Varrock at all once they were above the Salve.

Kara laughed. It was honest laughter and unbidden, and it sounded and felt all the better for it. It seemed like a long time had passed since she had done so.

She turned back to the east, to feel the sun on her face again.

As she did so, she caught small and inconsistent flashes of silver among the clouds.

Kara blinked, to make certain her eyes hadn’t been dazzled by the sun.

But the silver flashes remained.

“Theodore, do you have Ebenezer’s spyglass?”

“Yes,” he replied. “What do you see?”

“Pass it over, and I’ll tell you,” she replied.

“Could it be a flock of birds?” Castimir suggested hopefully.

Kara didn’t reply as she took the spyglass. She put it to her eye and tried her best to compensate for the jostling balloon beneath her. Once, she caught sight of something blurred in the telescope, but before she could focus it the tension in her safety line fought back against her arm and the vision vanished.

“Anything?” Harold asked impatiently.

“Not sure,” she replied.

But I’m certain it’s no flock of birds.

She sighed in frustration and levelled the spyglass again. Whatever the silver flashes were, they were closer now.

And this time she found what she sought in an instant.

It was something she had never seen before, but she knew what it was straight away. That the picture-of a winged creature, with its silver armour, red eyes set in a reptilian face, and clawed hands-would stay with her forever. She gasped aloud.

“What is it?” Karnac cried. “You’ve seen something haven’t you? I can tell by your face.”

“It’s the Vyrewatch,” Kara replied. “It must be. Dozens of them. They will be on us within the hour. Two at the most.”

“Then they will reach us before we reach the Salve,” Castimir said. “That makes sense. Didn’t think it would be so easy to escape from this place.”

“Remember, Castimir, no fire magic,” Arisha cautioned.

“Don’t worry,” he replied. “All my fire runes are in my satchel. Not taking any chances with this hydrogen. I have no urge to plummet to the ground in a blaze of glory.”

“Karnac, will the sun not destroy them?” Theodore asked.

“No. Not in this land,” came the answer. “Direct sunlight might weaken them, perhaps enough so that they will abandon the chase, but they will not tire. The dead do not know fatigue, and normal weapons are little hindrance to them. No, Castimir’s magic is the best and only hope we have. I hope you are up to it wizard.”

Kara bit her lip. There was no way Castimir could fight off so many. They would have to think of something else.

“Can we not go faster?” Theodore asked. “Maybe drop some weight, or fly to a higher wind?”

Despaard shook his head.

“If we go higher, we might find an easterly wind and be pushed back toward them,” he replied grimly. “Better to stay on our course. So much for Gar’rth’s word.”

“A grim situation,” Castimir murmured. “Seeing our enemy come on so slowly, and yet knowing that there is nothing we can do. Can’t get much worse than that, can it?”

Suddenly someone screamed from below. Karnac disappeared back down the rope ladder, only to return a minute later, his expression tense.

“Look, on the ground, if you can,” he cried. “It’s the werewolves! Still they pursue us!”

Kara peered earthward through the green wisps of mist. Soon enough, she caught sight of dozens of the creatures, running below, always in pursuit.

“If you are tempted to speak again, Castimir,” she said, “please don’t.”

The wizard grumbled, then fell silent. Kara saw he had closed his eyes.

If only it were really so easy to make them disappear.

Over the next hour the sun lost its warmth as the Vyrewatch drew nearer. Kara looked at her friends, hoping to see some expression that might lift her own spirits.

Only Castimir can help us now.

The wizard had opened his eyes and now kept his gaze held steadily on the approaching enemy. At his side, Arisha helped him organise his runes.

Theodore leaned toward Kara.

“How many wolves do you count?” he asked quietly.

“At least sixty,” she replied. Certainly at least one for each of us. Maybe they will fight among our corpses, like dogs after scraps. She smiled grimly, though the thought was far from humourous.

“Do you think your adamant sword will be any good against the Vyrewatch?” the knight asked.

“I doubt it. Not unless they plan on attacking us directly,” she said. “Their best course would be to cripple the balloon, and then engage us on the ground, if any were left alive after the fall.”

Castimir’s face paled as he overheard her words.

“Nothing like looking on the bright side,” he said angrily.

Suddenly Despaard shouted out in warning. The Vyrewatch were near now, the gap closing quickly, coming in two waves, five in the front, the rest behind. Even without the spyglass, she could see the detail in their armour. The second wave broke off and flew higher.

But for those who were ascending, the gap widened again.

“Aha!” Harold growled triumphantly. “They’ve dropped back. It’s doubtful they will catch us now!”

“Don’t be too sure,” Despaard observed. “They might have sensed a higher current which could speed them along. Keep an eye on them. And don’t forget about the first wave.”

Kara watched as the Vyrewatch gamble seemed to fail. The vampires wasted precious minutes climbing, and once again they were only silver flashes, as they had been when they first appeared.

Within a few more minutes, even these had disappeared.

But still the five came on, closer now than ever. From higher up, the sun intermittently shone in her eyes and masked their presence.

She put one hand in front of the sun, and found the five Vyrewatch in the shadow of her palm.

They are within range now , she observed. But is it worth attempting a shot?

They will probably try for a sudden dive, to expose themselves to our fire for as short a time as possible. And Castimir will be their first target.

A bowstring twanged from behind her. A black arrow passed overhead and through the line of their pursuers. One of the Vyrewatch dipped its wing slightly and moved to the left. Even had it not bothered, the arrow would still have missed by a wide margin.

Kara heard Arisha curse.

“Castimir, use your magic only when you are certain of it,” the priestess shouted. “The Salve is no more than fifteen minutes away. We just need to buy time.”

The wizard’s reply was lost to Kara on the wind. Quickly, swaying unsteadily from her position, she readied an arrow and raised it toward the sun, her eyes narrowed against the light.

I don’t have to hit them. I just need to slow their flight. If I can force them to dodge, it might buy us precious minutes.

She aimed at the nearest and breathed out, ignoring the cold that numbed her fingers.

Then she released the bowstring.

The arrow flew upward but missed by at least ten yards, caught in the violent wind. Two more arrows arced overhead, and then a third and a fourth, all going wide. Kara turned behind as she notched a second to her bow. Now Despaard and Harold were reaching for their quivers.