Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

A Timely Test

"Is it some sort of shield?" the Kaal Eran commander quietly asked the returning scout, the demon soldier with its helmet visor up in order to talk face to face with its superior.

"Not as far as we could tell, commander," the scout, a pale-faced female, reported. "We detect no Wielder energies involved. Or mortal magic of any kind. Yet, as insubstantial as it appears, it has resisted all attempts to penetrate it."

The commander nodded, considering the scout's report, along with the other reports he had already received as he stared at the shifting bubble that now enclosed the ancient First Alliance fortress. Shield or not, they needed to get through it if they were to assault the fortress and the two Wielders taking shelter within. Their dark masters willed it so, and as such, it must be done.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he considered what few options his battered landing force had left. Perhaps one of the negative energy cannons could penetrate it, or a mobile crystal cannon. Unfortunately, most of their heavy armor had been lost in the attempt to establish a beachhead, the Piceans, as always, most devastating in their defense of the Reuthan shore. Over two-thirds of the force they had sailed from Maedorin with now littered the bottom of the bay. The force that escaped the treacherous straits leading out from the demon city, that is. If they counted the heavy transports and escort vessels they began this newest invasion with, they had already lost over four-fifths of their force.

Considering that made the commander shift uneasily. Such losses, even at this late stage of the invasion, were more common than not when they were forced to sail directly from Maedorin. They, however, had little choice. The growing treachery by the human forces allied to them was making the use of secondary sites, such as Uepolua and Earthforge, untenable. 

In fact, the report detailing the loss of the second portal to the Abyss being built at the ancient elven fortress of Earthforge over one of the planet's greatest power nodes to renegade forces had come almost like a physical blow, shock rippling through the ranks as it was made known. Originally his regiment was supposed to be supporting reinforcements for the main force scheduled to enter Reality through the second portal. Now they were the only force.

The commander didn't need to look over his shoulder or check the crystal pad in his hand to know they were far too few to make a serious assault on the ancient, rebuilt fortress that housed not just one, but two Wielders. Still, the dark masters had changed their plans of invasion just a few turns ago, with some of the great ones actually turning their full attention to a city far to the north. And they wanted the commander's force, as reduced as it was, to keep the two Wielders' attention as long as possible, to prevent them from going north to help that city until the great ones were done with it.

So, keep the Wielders' attention they would.

"Lieutenant," he called out and one of the demons standing close by with a splash of rank on its armored sleeve took a step forward. "Double check our surviving inventory for anything heavier than a hand blaster." He turned to look at the shimmering bubble surrounding the fortress.

"We're going to try to smash our way in!"

"Well?" Patrik hissed, eyes hard as he stared at Charon and his gaggle of Chain Islands wizards, clustered as they were around the table heaped high with page after loose page of parchment, each page covered from top to bottom with tight script.

"I ... I don't know, my Lord Wielder," the grizzled old wizard hoarsely admitted, rubbing a weathered hand over his face, clearly exhausted. He and the other wizards had been working non-stop since Shawn had erected the time-stopping bubble that even now encapsulated the Dagger and everybody within almost five days' ago.