Allan COLE - Wizard of the winds

Luka came to his feet. The ground was littered by many other demon corpses.

Then he came out of his shock and realized most were still mounted and uninjured. They were only confused, milling about wondering where their enemy had gone.

Luka saw the fleeing humans racing south toward a group of low dunes. They'd thrown down their dart tubes in their haste to escape an overwhelming demon force. From the dunes he saw a long line of horsemen dash out, each leading another animal.

The prince shouted for his fiends. He did not mean to let the humans escape.

Someone brought him a mount and Luka bounded into the saddle and led his warriors on yet another charge. But this time he had the enemy's back to him.

Snarling as wildly as his clawed-mount, Luka closed on the humans. He was so close he could hear their laboring breath.

He dropped his sword point low to take the first man in front of him.

"Now, Master? Gundara asked.

"Yes, now! Safar answered.

The little Favorite stomped on the table.

There was a deafening explosion and Luka's mount reared, shrieking in fear, claws pawing the air.

A cloud black as night and stinking of sulfur burst up between him and the fleeing humans.

Monstrous forms, all frighteningly ugly, all human, swirled out of the cloud, gnashing and grinding their flat teeth.

Luka heard his warriors howl in terror and knew they were experiencing the same thing. He tried to call out to them not to panic, to keep going until they reached the other side of the smoke curtain. But no one could make out his commands from the cries of hysteria.

Then it came to him that he was alone.

All his warriors had retreated and he was alone in the sulfurous darkness, filled with nightmare forms.

Luka wheeled his mount and retreated as calmly as he could.

When he'd cleared the smoky curtain he saw his father bearing down on him on his big white elephant.

"Why did you stop? his father shouted. Why didn't you go on?"

There was a thinly failed accusation of cowardice in his father's questions and Luka hated him for it.

"The humans caught us by surprise, Majesty, he said. It seemed best to regroup. Besides, it was only a small force, and most of that was illusion."

Manacia jabbed a talon at the ebbing curtain of smoke. Are you telling me Protarus isn't waiting out there?"

"I don't believe so, Majesty, Luka answered. I think he waits where our scouts say he waits. Near the place of the Two Rocks. This was only a diversion. He was testing us."

"Well, you're a fool to think that! Manacia snarled. He's out there, all right. I can feel it. He rapped his golden mail. In here I can feel it. He tapped his demon nose. And I can smell him. I can smell the human wizard, too."

Lord Fari had come up in time to hear the last. Are you certain, Your Majesty? he asked. I too sense a presence out there. But perhaps it is only another illusion."

Manacia snorted. Bah! I'm surrounded by fools and cowards."

He shouted for an aide. Sound the attack, he commanded.

A moment later the air was filled with the cacophony of trumpets and drums and booted feet and clanking mail as Manacia's vast army poured across the empty plain, seeking humans to kill.

To support them, Manacia gathered his best wizards together, including Fari, and they made a mighty spell.

Boiling clouds filled the skies. Lighting cracked Thunder rolled. Horrible beasts, dragons and winged lions, raged across the heavens.

Manacia worked himself to exhaustion, forming and casting war spell after war spell.

Several hours passed and the first scouts returned from the main force to report there were no signs of even a small band of humans to be found, much less a whole army.

By now Manacia had collapsed on his traveling bed, surrounded by his wizards. He'd just heard Fari report that the huge magical hammer they'd created had been for naught.

After Fari heard what the scouts had to say, he dared to approach his king. I think it is clear, Your Majesty, he said, that all our efforts are being wasted. There's no one out there."

"So I'm the fool, am I? Manacia raged.

"Not at all, Majesty, Luka broke in. Lord Fari meant nothing of the kind."

The old demon was surprised to see this unprecedented show of support from the Crown Prince.

"It is Protarus who is the fool, Majesty, Luka said. How dare he toy with you? And such empty gestures. A few were hurt, even killed. But it's like a flea bite on a camel's ass. Nothing more."

Manacia was roused from his weariness. He slammed one taloned fist into the other. I'll teach him to trifle with me, he said.

Again, the demon king shouted for his aides. We march for the Two Rocks at dawn, he commanded. We've seen Timura's magic. And it's nothing. Now let's see if Protarus can fight!"

Safar waved and the battlefield vanished. Gundara hopped onto his shoulder and quietly accepted his sugary reward. Safar turned to Iraj.

"Manacia should be good and angry now, he said.

"Good, Iraj said. He gave a hard jerk of his head. Now, he'll get here quicker."

The night before the battle Safar and Leiria made love for the first time in a long time.

In the beginning Leiria was fierce, but later she wept.

Safar held her, letting her weep. Suddenly she raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I would never betray you, Safar, she said, hoarse. Never!"

Safar was surprised at this announcement. He wondered what could be its cause.

But all he did was hold her closer.

And all he said, was, Of course not. Murmuring it over and over again. Of course not."

Until she fell asleep.

On the second dayjust as the sun reached its highest pointManacia's scouts came to the place of the Two Stones. There they found Protarus waiting.

His forces were arranged strangely. The main group was focused in the centerbut pulled well back from the rock columns as if they offered some sort of shield, rather than just two incredibly tall pillars springing out of an otherwise empty wasteland.

Out to the side were cavalry wings, all bristling with the small bows of the plains warriors. Behind them were ranks of slingmen, all on foot. The slingmen were thinly guarded by small cavalry detachments and a few well-armed foot-soldiersmuscular men with short heavy spears in each hand and axes in their belts.

The scouts roamed the edges, letting their witch sniffers loose to find the magical center. The creatures looked like squat dogs with hyena faces. They dashed about, scratching at the ground and sniffing the air.

In the end they returned to their demon masters, tails between their spavined legs to show failure.

Safar watched the scouts ride offheading north toward the Demon Moon where Manacia's forces were slowly moving forward.

He was perched on the crown of the westernmost rock column and had an excellent view. With him were Leiria, and four wizard helpers. There was a similar number posted on the opposite column, commanded by Horvan, his most able mage.

The spells he'd cast to shield the rock columns from the witch sniffers had been child's play. What had not been child's play was getting on top of those rocks. The task had been so difficultthe rocks so sheerSafar's plan had nearly been wrecked before he started.

Iraj's soldiers were all men of the plains. Mountains were unknown to them. The highest any had ever climbed was to the backs of their horses.

Safar had watched in awful suspense as the team Iraj had selected attacked the first rock column and failed time and again. They would get no higher than ten feetfifteen at the mostthen come off the smooth rock all flailing arms and shrill cries, like clumsy chicks falling from their nest.