Prophecy of Power: Quarry

Chapter 3

Elias and Allyn slipped to the edge of the trees to watch the battle, hardly wet, as minor wards kept their clothes dry and repelled most of the rain. Elias's headache felt tolerable after the exercise.

Amid battle-cries and the clash of sword against halberd, the mounted soldiers held back well over double their own numbers. Bloody bodies were strewn on the new-grown grass between the road and the trees, and just as many lay on the mud-churned road. Horses were down too, one still kicking and trying to stand. The ground seemed as red as it was muddy.

Elias tapped Allyn's arm. "Looks like we're too late. You'll never know now. Let's go."

Allyn rubbed water from his nose. "In a moment. I want to find the one with power."

"What? You're not going to find anything amid this racket. Let's go!"

Allyn ignored him.

Elias winced as a rider on the near side of the battle took a cleaving blow to the chest. As he fell the horse bolted, knocking several men aside and dragging its rider by the stirrup.

"Nasty way to die," Elias murmured as the horse bolted down the road, its dead rider leaving trail in the mud.

The men in white tabards on the opposite side of the circle moved back to regroup and then charged in a line, the spiked tips of their halberds dangerously sharp. Two went down from crossbow bolts, but the rest met the horsemen together.

Elias nudged Allyn as a cold feeling came over him. "Ready yet?" he asked urgently. "My wards are reacting. The fight must have attracted the faspane."

Allyn shook his head. "Keep watch for now."

Elias stared across the storm-swept battle. "A few minutes more. Then we go." He checked the trees for faspane.

"String your bow. We might need it," Allyn said.

Elias gave him a dark look. "If you get us into trouble..." he warned, but removed the bow's protective sleeve. He didn't need Allyn's urging to defend himself.

Allyn pushed a branch aside. "Without getting closer, there's no way I can study their auras with enough depth."

"I told you! A hundred auras all flaring with violent emotion isn't exactly ideal."

"We need to do something," Allyn said. "Otherwise whoever holds the power will most likely be killed."

"Better them than us! Let the faspane pick over the remains. It'll keep them off our backs." Better this end now than at the Silver Well.

Allyn grabbed Elias's shoulder. "Whoever it is could be important to us. You must know that!"

Elias shrugged Allyn's hand away. He was sure what his destiny would be if they continued down this path. He'd face Phoenix, and he'd lose! "Whoever it is will shortly be dead without intervention from the Higher Realm, and so will we if we don't leave!"

The shouting increased as the north of the circle opened and three soldiers charged the attackers. Lances smashed through chain mail and the riders' swords hissed free of scabbards. A man ran in and jabbed his halberd at a charging soldier, but the rider veered and ran him down. The three slashed at their enemies until horsemen at the open ends of the circle kicked forward to surprise those charging at the first three.

More halberd-wielding men circled to try to hold them, but another group of horsemen charged, forcing the attackers to defend. For one brief moment, Elias wondered if the attackers would charge the broken circle. It was the obvious flaw in the plan. Instead they tried to hold them back. Their plan wasn't to kill and loot then, but to subdue.