The Raven Collection

More arrows arced over them. The elves replied in kind, shafts fired on the run hissing past, slapping into the water around them. Jaqrui wailed and whistled. Yron ducked reflexively.

‘Faster,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to go faster.’

Erys responded and the two men upped their pace. Yron felt the water become shallow again and relief flooded through him. He looked forward, seeing naked fear on the faces of those only seventy yards in front of them now and he thanked the Gods he had no time to look round. He didn’t need to. He knew how fast an elf could run.

‘Stay with us, Ben, we’re so nearly there,’ he said.

Ben’s words were little more than grunts of pain. ‘If our luck holds.’

‘It’s holding,’ said Erys. ‘Keep going.’

On they ran. More arrows splashed around them, others flew past seeking elven targets. Jaqrui fizzed and keened. A panther roared.

‘Oh dear Gods,’ muttered Yron.

He could hear his men now. Yelling at him, pleading. The second roar was close, so very close. Some of his men moved further forward and began to form a line. Thirty yards to go. Twenty.

A huge impact sent them all sprawling. Ben screamed. Yron felt his left arm torn half out of its socket. He rolled over and came to his haunches.

‘No!’ he bellowed. ‘No!’

The panther had leapt on Ben’s back and taken him down. Yron ran forward, hitching out his axe; the animal looked up, yellow eyes boring into him. It made to spring again.

Erys was shouting. ‘Yron, no!’

Very deliberately, the panther bit down, snapping the boy’s neck. ‘Bastard!’ Yron made to move but felt arms around his shoulders, forcing him back.

‘We’ve got to go, now!’ Erys’s face was right in his.

Yron could see the elves closing in just a few yards away. He saw his reserve ru

‘I’m sorry, Ben,’ he said, the tears misting his vision. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Rebraal had seen the action on the right bank of the river and came ru

‘Ru

Denser turned, losing the shape he’d been creating. In front of him, Hirad blocked a strike to his chest, shoved his attacker back with a grunt and rained down blow after overhead blow, swearing as he bludgeoned.

‘We’ll push hard,’ said Denser.

‘You must get to the estuary. We must catch them.’

‘Hirad!’ shouted Denser. ‘Ru

Hirad nodded. He crashed his blade down a final time, smashing the weakened defence aside and crushing his opponent’s skull, blood and brain spraying into the air.

‘Raven! Pushing right. Go!’

Darrick and Aeb responded immediately, arcing in, driving the defenders back towards the river. Aeb upped the rate of his strikes, delivering overhead with his axe and sweeping horizontally with his sword. Around the back of them TaiGethen came ru

‘Let’s give them space!’ shouted Hirad. ‘Denser, the archers!’

‘Got you. Erie

Denser uttered a short incantation. ShadowWings appeared at his back. Erie

‘Ready,’ said Erie

Denser angled his body horizontal to the ground and tightened his grip on Erie

Erie

Denser circled while Erie

‘Angry about something?’ he asked.

‘You could say,’ she said. ‘My head is killing me.’

Denser cruised in low over the left flank. Below them The Raven and Al-Arynaar were breaking the last of the resistance. With TaiGethen in behind them, the enemy were cut off and frightened. And while the Al-Arynaar, unused to in-line battle, were able to make little headway, The Raven had no such trouble and corpses littered the ground in their wake. One massive strike from Aeb finished it. His axe smashed through an unprotected skull, top to bottom, the force of the strike taking the weapon through the man’s shoulder and shearing off his right arm. The survivors turned and ran.

‘Go, go!’ shouted Hirad, and The Raven charged after the fleeing enemy as they sought to dodge the TaiGethen, pursuing them through the gap in the cliffs, along a sandy beach and out into the flat, silt-filled estuary.

‘Stay up,’ said Erie

‘Anything in particular?’

‘I thought HotRain.’

‘It’ll do the job.’

Denser swooped low. ‘Hirad, we’re going forward, see if we can’t disrupt the ru

‘Be careful.’

The mage pair headed up once more. Denser could see panthers in among the elves, joining the push forward, their enigmatic partners sprinting close behind, unarmed and unconcerned. The defenders on the other bank were falling back, trying to maintain an orderly retreat with the Al-Arynaar and the awesome TaiGethen pressing forward with increasing ferocity, though they were outnumbered almost three to one.

Denser flew on over the heads of the defenders and out into the estuary. A small knot of men was ru

‘I don’t fucking believe it.’ He dived for the knot of men. ‘Let’s get those ru

‘Suits me.’

Denser flew in fast and low, keeping tight control of his concentration as his fury threatened to boil over. Erie

Sudden blue light mixed with the orange of the spell as the HotRain crackled uselessly over the shield covering the ru

‘Dammit,’ snapped Erie

Denser growled his frustration and wheeled once more, looking down on the faces that craned to see who it was that attacked them. Arrows came from the night, flicking close but harmlessly by. And from somewhere DeathHail sheeted up at them, forcing him into a desperate climb and turn. Too close. Gripping Erie

‘We’ll hunt you!’ he called, as he rushed skywards beyond sight and arrow range. ‘Don’t you realise what you’ve done?’

‘Calm down, Denser,’ said Erie

‘Tell you when we land.’

The Raven were being left behind, refusing to sacrifice their discipline for a headlong charge. Not that it mattered. The TaiGethen and Al-Arynaar were outpacing everyone else.