Allan COLE - Wizard of the winds

This struck the men of Plains of Jaspar particularly well and they all thundered their approval.

"What do you say, lads? Iraj shouted. Shall we wait until Manacia brings the fight to us?"

This was met with a resounding NO!"

"Shall we carry to the fight to him?"

This drew an overwhelming YES!"

"Then let's go to him, lads! Iraj thundered. Let's catch him with his breeches down and buried to the hilt in some demon whore."

The skies shook with their roared approval.

As it so happened, Manacia was pleasuring himself with an enthusiastic demon maid when the news of the attack came. He wasn't buried to the hilt, but he was definitely considering such an action when someone scratched at the entrance to gain his attention.

Manacia tumbled out of his harem tent, buttoning up his breeches. Why do you disturb me? he roared.

His aide gibbered, then pointed south. Forgive mmm-mmm-me, Mmm-ajesty! But Pppp-protarus is attacking!"

Manacia's eyes shot south. It was dusk, but it was the eerie dusk of the Demon Moon, and the figures he sawhuman warriorswere cast large and bloody red.

The demon king was no hysteric. He'd dealt with surprise attacks before. He calmed his fears and shouted for his generals to counter.

It was a Jaspar blood charge. No quarter given, none asked.

It was a screaming mass of horsemen, but not a man among them offered himself as a target. Each rode bareback, a thick leather harness girdling the horse's body, a slender rope lead to its mouth.

They whirled about the harness strap, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes hanging beneath the horse's belly. As they circled their mounts, they fired a constant stream of arrows from their small bows, so many that the sound was like a plague of biting flies descending in a black cloud on a cattle herd.

It was a mad charge, a charge where death was no consideration.

Arrow swarms disturbed the dusk with their black flight.

The screams of the demon wounded defied the desert calm.

And then they were among the demons, dropping their bows and drawing scimitars. Slashing this way and that.

They drove straight up the middle, nearly reaching Manacia himself, who was clambering aboard his elephant.

Iraj led that charge. He was a monster soldier, a soldier who could not be hit when the demon arrows swarmed back. His sword was a monster sword no blade could counter, no pike could match, no battle ax could confront.

He swept through the demon ranks. He was the arrow point, his men were its wounding flare, and the Demon Moon was his target.

He drove through the massed soldiers, aiming for the moon's blood spot, then he whirled and attacked the other way.

Iraj saw Manacia clambering on his elephant. A king-against-king fury took him and he struck toward his ultimate enemy.

But then Manacia's guard swarmed around him, spears tipped with deadly magic were hurled at himcountered by Safar's amulet which he wore about his neckand Iraj wisely turned aside.

He led his warriors out of the demon horde, doing even more damage in his retreat than in the initial assault.

Gundara shouted, Shut up, shut up, shuuuttt up!"

Safar broke in. Quit arguing with your brother. I'm trying to concentrate."

"It's not my fault, Master, the little Favorite whined. Gundaree won't stop bothering me."

Safar fought for calm. He'd learned from Methydia that Art and Temperament came in the same package. If you couldn't deal with the Temperament you had no business telling Art what to do.

He offered some treats.

"Here's two for you, he said, and two for Gundaree. And if you behave yourselves, and aren't greedy little Favorites, there'll be two more for each of you when the job is done."

Leiria nudged him. They're coming, she said.

Safar looked north. Night had fallen, but the Demon Moon was so bright all was clear. He saw Iraj and his menabout two hundredstreaming toward him. Behind them came Manacia's army. It was huge thing, a black plains gobbling beast, gathering momentum as it came.

As Manacia had guessed, Iraj wanted the his enemy to come at him through the pillars where the main human force waited. If Iraj could squeeze the demons in from the sides, packing them so densely when they came through the pillars that they could barely move, the odds against the humans would be vastly reduced.

Although Manacia had fallen for Protarus trap, the surprise attack and false retreat, he was no fool. The pursuit was orderly. Only one large group of demons, led by Crown Prince Luka, Safar guessed, was directly involved in chasing Iraj. The rest of the army was spread out across the plain, sweeping toward the humans in a broad wave so deep and strong they'd almost certainly be overwhelmed.

Safar motioned to his wizards. They touched brands to a heap of desert brush and dried dung. It burst into flames, flaring out so quickly the wizards had to jump back. Then it became steady, returning to a more comfortable size, and the wizards started tossing special powders on the fire. It hissed and boiled, sending up a shower of multi-colored sparks. Safar saw a similar glow on the eastern pillar and knew Horvan had joined him in the spell.

He let his mind slip down and down and then he was in a cold gray place with no top or bottom or sides. He called out, Where are you, Ghostmother? It is I, your friend Safar Timura, come to find you."

There was no answer. Safar called again, Come to me Ghostmother. Come to me please. I am in difficulty and have need of you."

Safar suddenly felt a presence. It was heavy and animal-like and smelled powerfully of cat. Then the grayness wavered and he could make out the faint of image of the old lioness.

"I am Safar Timura, Ghostmother, he said. Do you remember how I helped you with your cubs?"

The lioness whined, the sound coming close to his ear.

"Will you help me, Ghostmother? Safar asked. As I helped you."

Another whine. And it came to him the old lioness had agreed.

"Thank you, Ghostmother, Safar said. Wait here until I call, please."

Safar's head came up and he was suddenly back on the rock pillar again, the flames of the magical fire dancing and showering sparks only a few feet away.

He saw Iraj and his troops had almost reached the gap between the pillars.

"Get ready, he said to the wizards.

Manacia felt a warning buzz of enemy magic bloom into life. At the same time he saw the magical fires burning at the tops of the rock pillars.

The demon king gnashed his fangs in delight. There you are, Timura! he growled. I've got you!"

He pulled back his claw, readying a soul-blasting spell.

Iraj and his cavalry swept through the gap.

"Go! Safar shouted.

Four glass globes were hurled into the fire.

Out on the red-lit plain four white hot explosions erupted along the western edge of Manacia's oncoming army.

Then four more shattered the sky on the east as Horvan's wizards hurled their globes.

"Again! Safar shouted.

Manacia was nearly hurled from the howdah by the force of the explosions. He was momentarily blinded, but when his vision cleared his first thought was that it'd returned too soon.

The explosions had punched big holes in his army's outermost wings. Other blasts followed and he heard screams of terror and pain. Then the wings started folding in on themselves as the soldiers on the edges scrambled toward the center to escape the blasts.

Manacia shouted orders to make them return to their positions, but in the chaos no one heard.

Furious, the Demon King's eyes swept up to westernmost tower of rock. He felt the presence of a powerful enemy wizardTimura!