Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

Enemy of My Enemy

<<How did we not sense them until they were almost upon us?>> Ciradaan tightly asked, his voice rumbling with Kata energies as he peered through a distance scope at the demon beachhead, slowly growing despite the nearly constant bombardment by Picean forces just offshore.

<<My guess is the Abysslords somehow masked their minions' presence until it was too late,>> Shawn grimly replied. He needed no distance glass to see the black armored demons as they extricated themselves from their damaged landing craft and prepared to advance on the fortress. He could feel their filthy chill a thousand leagues away.

And yet ... there was something different about these ones versus the ones they had previously faced. The demons they had already encountered had all been creatures of great strength, using portals to jump directly into battle, their magic powerful enough to resist, if not outright defeat the abilities of a fledgling Wielder. In fact, he could still feel the pain of the deadly black lightning as it had ravaged his body high atop Achane Gorae seemingly forever ago.

The demons on the beach, however, were not dark monsters of power like those had been. They were, for a lack of better word, diminished. Was it the masking magic still at play that made these demons feel less powerful? Or were they actually less powerful?? Could there be different levels of power amongst the Kaal Eran, a fact that none of them were aware of until now?

Then the young Wielder of the Star was grimly pushing his thoughts aside to refocus on the demons at hand. Demons that were preparing to advance on their beach-side wall.

<<Patrik and I both felt their attention shifting off us to some point in the north. At first, we thought something up there had caught that attention. Now, however, I think that was a diversion, to get us to drop our guard against their dark magic cloaking this attack force.>>

<<Recriminations aside, my Lord Wielder, our enemy is upon us,>> Najthin rumbled, looking somewhat strange in his Kata armor. <<Once again we are caught less prepared than we'd like to be.>>

<<Indeed,>> Fenoran agreed from Ciradaan's other side, the Lusinoran monarch also clad in Kata armor. <<If they had given us one more day, we would've been finished the Kata testing and the elves would've had full access to the lore of the ancients.>>

<<Don't forget the humans would've had battle magic,>> Patrik pointed out as he strode towards them, his Wielder armor shimmering with dark red light even as the Earth, just visible over his shoulder, danced with runic power.

<<Master Charon has barely had half a day to reason out how humans can tap into their own ancient language and lore to gain battle magic. As clever and skilled as that venerable old wizard is, I doubt that's enough time even for him.>> He came to a halt beside his brother, the two Wielders grim and dangerous in full armor and newly augmented power, thanks to the bridge.

<<Is it time that you need, friends?>> a strange voice asked, the Vanje it spoke touched by a strange locution. <<Because, if that is so, I sense the two in the runic armor have the capability to gather as much time as you need.>>

Heads snapped around to catch sight of the owner of this new voice and found not one, but three heavily cloaked figures slowly making their way across the nearest wall top towards them. Shawn's eyes narrowed as he sensed demonic energies swirling around them, but not the type of energies generated by Kaal Eran. 

Demons, but not the enemy. What were these creatures, then, and what in the Maker's name did they want? Not trusting the answer, he began to spin runes in his mind to prepare for a possible attack.