FIREFANGED

Chapter 21 (Return trip to Hell)

Emotions ran wild in the meeting room, mostly mine. Glenn and Loeb were there, along with Duke Ragir and the other two Vigils. Raven clung to my side as I struggled to control my temper. Thorn fought the urge to take charge. Snow, for once, was at a loss, and I could sense the deep-seated fear he tried to hide.

"What are the chances of another outbreak so soon after the last?" I pressed.

"We don't even know if there is an outbreak. We'll have to send scouts to investigate further before mobilizing," said Snow. "How certain are you of this?"

"Certain enough to go myself. I'll ride with your scouts," I said.

"Perhaps it isn't a large outbreak. You would have both noticed that," said Loeb. "And it wouldn't take that many demons to threaten Lockrun and its small militia."

"The area was fully cleansed when we left a month ago," added Glenn. "Could it be stragglers emerging from caves?"

"Lockrun has walls made of timber. There aren't that many mines in the area," I said. "Maybe it's Bastian all over again."

"That would be a worst-case scenario with too many perils to name," said Snow. "Ara, please take your whole team and a couple of Corbin's scouts. They'll be able to get you there in less than a week with everyone riding hard."

We left Berykholt at dawn, leaving nothing of ours behind, well, except for one thing. I had handed Lynda a small, leather-wrapped bundle containing a pair of golden amulets and asked her to keep them safely hidden in her keep. They were too valuable to risk falling into the wrong hands. Each member of my small team of five sentinels and three dark elves carried the small Storm Company badge on their left breast. I carried a different storm locked inside me, fighting to save it for the demonic plague that I was sure had invaded Lockrun.

Corbin had offered us Mott Duncan to act as the lead scout and guide for our trip to Lockrun. Mott also brought Sentinel-scout Ernest Tappen, one of his day patrol troopers. I had ridden with Tappen before and was glad to have the familiar face. Our path would be fastest following the road south toward Stonnberg, then cutting east onto the road to Lockrun. The rough terrain of the Southern Everest range left us little in the way of good shortcuts.

We pushed our horses hard and had reached the outskirts of Stonnberg by the end of the second day. We took to training among ourselves each evening while we rested the horses. It helped ease our saddle-sore muscles and calmed the anxiety and anger that I felt. I was sure I could kill any demon we found in Lockrun, but I wouldn't know the situation or how many we faced until we got closer.

With such a small team, our battle plan for fighting a greater number of demons was sorted quickly. We defined three separate groups. Volk would anchor the line group with Hicks and Gunner to one side and the Martell brothers on the other. Sevin was better than advertised, and I could see how Hicks and Gunner both looked up to him for his skill. When placed between Volk and Sevin, Keil could hold his own. Raven and I paired off as the right flank aggressor pair. Yser and Andy took the left flank as a defender and decoy pair. Each small group would be responsible for its well-being and would operate as it saw fit, without the need for any orders once a fight began. As the aggressor group, Rae and I would target any alpha demons first. At the same time, our bodyguards would use their quickness on the left side of the line, drawing the enemy's attention away from us. Of course, this would only work on an enemy party of suitably small size, probably not more than a dozen lesser demons at once.

Much to my relief, Raven showed masterful skill with her elven blackblade. Having Andarion the Blade as a godmother and Ylamil blood to protect had given her finely polished skills while growing up. She was able to go head-to-head with Andy or Yser during sparring sessions, and her half-blood stature gave her a small advantage in size and strength. I was hoping the elves' ability to wield their weapons with two hands would offer them enough power and quickness to take down any demons they faced. We emphasized the need to go for kills with every possible attack as a wounded demon was usually just as dangerous as a healthy one.