Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

New Powers

The Kaal Eran commander looked at the shoulder-mounted crystal cannon his lieutenant had managed to salvage from the ruins of their landing craft. It was the heaviest weapon they had. If he was human, he would've sighed with resignation knowing they were all about to die at the hands of the Wielders with such poor weapons at their disposal. Still, the great ones had commanded it.

"Deploy, lieutenant," he commanded then turned to another of his officers as the first turned away with a salute. "Assemble. We march on the fortress."

Shiana frowned as she looked up at the time bubble surrounding the fortress and watched it slowly flex inward before returning with a shiver to its former place. Before her, ranks of human soldiers in Chain Islands black and Mamran tartan still waited to be tested, the crystal that performed the test forgotten, for a moment, in her hand.

"Well, that can't be good," she muttered. Then she was pushing her observation aside.

- The demons are testing the time bubble, Shawn, - she silently sent over the blood bond. - And it's holding ... barely. I'd say we've less than a turn of the Glass Majora before they breach. -

- Damn it, - Shawn quickly sent back, his concern coloring his mentally sent words. - What about the testing? How many do you have left? -

Shiana paused to quickly make a head count.

- Nearly a full company, - she swiftly reported back a moment later. - The testing is going well, though and quickly. I'm sure I can get the rest done before the demons breach. -

- Then that's your task, my twin. I'll finish what testing I'm engaged in as well then turn my attention to preparing the defenses. -

- Consider it done, Shawn. - Then, out loud: "Alright, I need the next candidate in line. Let's go, friends, we haven't much time!"

As the next soldier, a hard-bitten woman from the Chain Islands, stepped forward, Shiana held up the crystal.

"I need you to focus on this crystal shard, sergeant," she ordered. As the grizzled non-com turned her hard blue eyes onto the crystal, Shiana nodded.

"Good, good. Now, can you make it light up?"

With a surge of dark power, the shoulder-mounted negative energy cannon hammered another blast into the shivering mirrored wall surrounding the old mortal-built fortress. Grimly the commander watched as his lieutenant worked the dark beam across the bubble's near face, gauging how far the bubble flexed under the beam's unrelenting pressure. Being so engaged, he was in the perfect position to see the bubble finally rupture after what seemed like an eternity, a tear that slowly opened behind the tracking beam blast.

"There!" he barked, pointing at the tear, no wider than a hand width. "Focus all your fire there!"

With flashes of dark light, the ranks of demons behind him opened fire with their hand weapons, slashing at the peeling edges of the tear. Shuddering under the multiple impacts, the bubble heaved several more times before, with a great eruption of stale air, it exploded outward into a thousand fragments, leaving the mortal-built fortress naked once more.

Clenching his fist victoriously, the commander half turned to order the advance. Only to come up short at catching sight of the line of figures standing at the ready atop the fortress walls. What was this now? If he was to go by build and height, they were elves. But no elf wore plate armor. His eyes narrowed as they swung bows to the ready.

Now those elves used, from all reports he had read. But their primitive weapons were useless against the Abyss-hardened metal of their armor. What did these fools expect to accomplish?