An explosion rocked the ground. An enormous ball of flame shot into the sky south of the village. The heat of it burst against their faces as they watched it roll upward into the night.
“How much time?” Ethis drew his sword. “I would say. . not enough.”
“The Ancients!” Urulani swore from the deck of the ship as she watched the fireball climb high into the night. “Those are the inner defenses. They slipped past the outer two!”
“How close are they?” Drakis called up to Urulani.
“One hundred yards from the edge of the village,” she replied. “They are very close, prophet-man!”
Belag turned at once to Drakis. “They know we have ships, and their objective is to destroy every breathing thing here. Their first move will be to cut off our escape.”
“That means they’ll try to take the beach,” Drakis nodded as he drew his own sword, “probably from the sides-or at least they’ll try to destroy the ships.”
“If they manage either one, we’re finished,” Ethis agreed. “We’ve got to protect the flanks of the beach until the ships are away.”
Drakis turned to the manticore. “Belag, you and Ethis take the east end of the beach. Gather as many of the Sondau raiders as you can. There’s a jumble of boulders about a hundred yards down there just above the seawall. . do you see it?”
“Yes, Drakis,” the manticore nodded.
Two more explosions erupted over the treetops, followed shortly by a third. The beach was getting crowded with people from the village, many of them readying the boats and others tossing supplies and children in as well. The Sondau raiders were just as readily tossing the children back out, shouting for others to wait until the ships were ready to sail. The cries and confusion were both rising precipitously around them.
Drakis kept talking to the manticore. “Take anyone you can gather there. You’ll have a good view of the eastern side, and the position is defensible. Fall back below the seawall if you have to and make your way back here, got that?”
Belag nodded.
“Ethis!”
“Yes, Drakis?”
“It looks like you’ll get your wish after all,” Drakis said. “Don’t let them through. If they close off this beach it’s all over.”
The chimerian nodded; then, drawing his two long scimitars from their scabbards at his back, he followed quickly on the heels of the manticore.
Drakis turned to Mala. “You get the Lyric aboard this ship. Help Urulani get it ready to sail. . do anything she says. . and wait for me here.”
“Drakis, don’t go,” she said, her voice in near panic. “I’ve seen you go off to battle so many times but. .”
“I’ll be back,” Drakis repeated. “I’ve got to come back. . you’re here.”
Mala nodded then looked away, unable to watch him go.
Drakis turned, slapping Jugar on the back. “Let’s go, dwarf! Have you ever actually been in a battle or do you just talk about them?”