Hidden Fire Section 10

Kai's head began to ache, warning him that his sources were ebbing, just as the last woman passed through the open portal to safety. As he reached out to wave the portal closed, he saw Aroostook appear in the image. Kai groaned to himself. He could only hope that they had sent enough gold through with Baron Powell's wife to placate that old bigot.

As another explosion rocked the foundations, he wearily waved the portal closed. He trudged up the hall, even as more stretchers passed him and into the gate chamber. The next shift of refugees was assembling already.

As he joined the Baron on the walls, the big man was cursing roundly at some hapless bowman whose misfired arrow jutted from the Baron's shield. As he saw Kai, he turned and the bowman made a quick escape.

"Bad enough the enemy is throwing fireballs at me, but now my own man nearly shoots me in the back! Next time we hand out bows to untrained merchants, by the gods, I am going to insist on a practice round first!"

"Fireballs?"

"Aye, big burning balls of flame that explode and destroy everything near. Yet they have no catapults or seige engines. And even more oddly, they seem to be thrown by a Tiassan girl, according to our lookouts." He took Kai's arm and led him away from the bowmen guarding the wall. His voice lowered. "My lady and my boys, they are safe? How soon can you send more of my folk through? I fear we will not last long against such an enemy."

"Yes, they have passed through safely and the next shift of folk are gathering already." Kai looked at the folk manning the walls and readying themselves for battle in the courtyard below. "There are simply too many people. If I split my strength between holding the portal open and defending your walls, I think I will need at least one good night's rest to replenish my sources. If I do not rest soon, I will simply fall into trance sleep, whether I wish to or not. Frankly I don't fancy being helpless right now. But first I need to deal with these fireballs. The Keep must hold for a day or so more at least."

"There-just below us. That girl of all people is the source of all this destruction. The rest of the army is just sitting back and waiting while that slip of a thing batters down our walls!" The baron shook his fist at his men and roared, "Damn you, archers! Someone get an arrow in that girl! She is practically right under our noses. Can't a one of you shoot straight?"

Kai looked down to see if he could spot this girl who had cast the flames. To his shock, he recognized the caster. She was Misty's friend, the kitchen girl. She was no mage...

Several bowmen sprang to their lord's commands and fired arrows down into her. She laughed musically as they struck her. "You think this can hurt us?" She laughed again, as she pulled the arrows from her unbleeding flesh. "Where is the fire girl? Tell us now! Give her to us, and we will leave your pretty little town."

"Fire girl? What in the hells is it talking about?" Baron Powell turned to Kai, brows creased in puzzlement. He shouted back down from the wall. "All our women and childen have been sent to safety. You will find no girls here!"

The girl creature shook her head and laughed again. "No matter. We will find her if I have to destroy every petty human town in all the lands. Starting with yours." She threw back her head and screamed. Kai's hair stood up on the back of his neck at the terrible sound.

He paled as he realized that his worst visions had been true. "That is no Tiassan maiden, at least not anymore. She is demon ridden by the Scourge, Baron. We cannot fight it alone. I must summon..."

"Get down!" The baron leaped at Kai, knocking him to the ground. A hissing, crackling hot mass passed just where he had been standing. It landed in the crowded courtyard below and exploded, sending bodies flying.

Then, with a roar, the entire Gorangan army threw themselves towards the walls. The Scourge was lost from view within the roiling masses of charging soldiers. Hundreds fell, as the Baron's bowmen sent arrow after arrow singing into the enemy, but still grappling hooks and ladders were cast up against the walls and the enemy surged up them, seemingly unstoppable.

"We will not last long. There are too many of them and far too few of us, but we will give them one hell of a fight." The Baron drew his sword.

"Hold Baron, and I will try to even the odds a little." Kai closed his eyes and drew on Air. He drew deeply on his source and seized the gentle breeze and warped it. He sent it leaping and twisting, first into a tiny dust devil, growing ever larger until he unleashed a whirlwind into the enemy lines. It plucked the climbing men and their ladders from the wall and tossed them high into the air. Wood and debris and soldiers spiraled high, and then rained down on the army below. Kai released the wind and sent it spinning off into the enemy lines, scattering them.

Next Kai concentrated and pulled even more strongly on his Water and Earth sources. As the Gorangans reorganized and began to charge again, the ground bubbled and churned under their feet. It slowly softened, trapping hundreds of soldiers in a wet morass of quicksand. Their screams reached Kai's ears, as they were pulled down in its deadly grasp. He shuddered--a truly terrible way to die.

"Oh, good lad!!" the baron clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over. "That put fear into them!"

"That should hold them back for a while. With any luck, your lady wife and your gold may have convinced the mages to send aid soon. I am so sorry, Baron, but I simply must rest now..." His head felt as if someone was stabbing him with sharp knives, and his vision blurred as he fought off trance sleep. He sank to his knees, leaning against the crenellations.

"A well deserved rest. Lad, if I have not said it already, thank you. If you had chosen to abandon us, we would already have fallen. On my oath, I will repay you somehow." The baron signalled for some stretcher bearers. Kai sank gratefully on the pallet and fell into the deepest of trances.

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Kai was awakened by the delectable smell of hot coffee. He sat up and saw a steaming pot and mug were sitting on a tray on his desk, left by some thoughtful servant. Was it only yesterday that Misty had brought him a similar tray? A pang went through him as he rose and poured a mug full. He gulped it down, and it chased the remaining cobwebs from his mind. He sat the mug back down and reached within, testing his power reservoirs. Earth was still too low to be much use, but Earth had never been his strong suit. Air and Water--now there was more than enough there to hold the portal for a few hours.

He poured himself one more mug, and carried it along as he headed down to the portal chamber.
The baron was there already consulting with one of his warleaders. Kai hurried to his side.

"Baron Powell, I'm ready to begin. I'd advise that you send as many men as possible through on this trip, I will hold the gates open for as long as I can."

"I've left a skeleton crew of volunteers on the walls. The enemy has been probing that quicksand of yours all night. They have been hauling timber in from town and are trying to bridge it, but so far everything keeps sinking. How much longer can we count on that lasting, lad?"

"I'm surprised it's lasted this long." Kai laughed. "My old Earth master was always telling me I was hopeless with that element." He gulped down the rest of the coffee and handed the mug to the baron. "Time to get things rolling."

Kai stroked the portal mists, and they parted to again reveal the huge white chamber in the Mage's Citadel. This time the room was not empty. Two young mages stood guard at the door. Both looked up, startled, as the portal cleared, and then took off, running out of the room.

"You may begin moving through the Between Ways now." Kai closed his eyes and slowly fed power to the gate as the soldiers began passing through.

It felt like hours later when the touch of a hand on his shoulder startled him and broke his concentration. The portal slipped from his grasp and misted over.

"Sorry, Lad. I just wanted to tell you that the last of us are ready to pass through. I have called my elite in from the walls. They report that the cursed enemy has finally bridged the mire and are at the walls again. Can you reopen the gate?"

Kai's vision blurred and he felt his legs weaken. He touched his sources and found only Water left. It would suffice. He looked around into the grim faces of the Baron's elite guards.

"Are all your men here now? I have strength left to hold the portal open briefly. We will have to pass through quickly."

"Aye, all are here and ready."

Kai reached out to touch the mist only to snap his hand back in horror as it solidified before him. The gates were gone, swallowed in a twisted mass of emerald, diamond, sapphire, and ruby crystals.

"They- They've sealed the gate! With all four elements! Those cowards!" Kai cursed and threw all his remaining power against the seal. With a sharp crack the slab split, but did not fall.

He spun about and seized the Baron's arm. "There is no escape this way for us! The mages have sealed the Citadel. Is there any other way out of the Keep?"

"There is one way, but it is dangerous. Thomas, Jared--gather and saddle up our horses. Kent and Robert, gather supplies. Then join us at the reservoir. Quickly, men!" He turned back to Kai. "You can ride, can't you?"

As Kai shook his head, he heard the baron mutter a curse under his breath. He shouted after his men. "Jared, make sure one those mounts is gran's palfrey!"