The Eighth Warden Bk. 02 Ch. 21-22

It would be pointless to waste time trying to line up a shot against an eye or some other vulnerable spot from this distance, and with the creatures running around as quickly as they were. Shavala set her bow down behind her. She'd have to be closer to the battle to call fire. She was about to run down the hill after Sarette when another thought occurred to her. The storm was still building above the courtyard, and another lightning strike was imminent.

Meritia had taught her a way to guide a lightning bolt to a target by manipulating the air. She tried it now, and the bolt struck a tree south of the courtyard, splintering the trunk. Branches showered the ground. Between the thunder and the explosion, the sound was deafening, and this time, all the combatants in the courtyard stopped what they were doing to stare. The pause was only momentary, though, and soon the snow beasts renewed their attacks.

The storm was too dangerous to play around with, but it wasn't over yet. More lightning would fall whether Shavala wanted it to or not. Perhaps Sarette could have controlled it better, but she was otherwise occupied, ducking and weaving her way through the battle. Shavala couldn't let the storm just do what it wanted—Corec and Boktar were wearing metal armor, and the rest of her friends were standing at the top of a hill. To prevent them from attracting the lightning themselves, she'd have to keep control over it.

She was able to direct the next blast away from the battle, to a taller tree, but she got lucky on the third. One of the snow beasts had ranged away from the fight, pulling a large stone out of the rubble of a collapsed wall. As it prepared to throw it, Shavala took aim and let loose.

If the creature made a sound as it died, it was impossible to hear over the thunder. It dropped to the ground immediately, its fur on fire and its arm a mangled mess.

The storm was already building up the power for another strike. Shavala could do nothing other than manage it as best she could.

#

The hair on Katrin's arms tingled, and for a brief instant, she thought she saw a flash of white trailing up from the ground ahead of her before lightning struck at the exact same spot, the thundering boom so intense it almost knocked her backward.

What was Sarette doing? Or was it Shavala? The elven woman shouted something, but all Katrin could hear was the ringing in her ears.

The next lightning bolt was on the far side of the battle, giving her a chance to recover. It struck in between two of the snow beasts, knocking them off their feet.

"What's going on?" Ellerie yelled. Treya had helped her back to her feet after she'd collapsed.

"I'm trying to stop it!" Shavala said. "Maybe cold air?"

The other three women shared looks of confused concern, but there was nothing they could do to help, and the battle was still raging.

Ellerie shrugged, then said, "Gregor, the tall one on the right!" She whispered the words to a spell. Three small darts of light shot from her fingers, striking the snow beast in the back, and Gregor's crossbow bolt followed soon after, hitting its leg.

It whirled around, searching, then roared when it saw the group on the hill. Ellerie cast her spell again and hit it in the face, knocking it to the ground, but its cries had caught the attention of others nearby. Four of the beasts charged the hill, two coming straight at them and the others running wide out to each side, trying to flank them.

There was no time for the flute, so Katrin sang as loudly as she could. It was a children's lullaby, one her mother had sung to her when she was a child. She felt silly singing a lullaby at the top of her lungs, but she had to make sure the snow beasts could hear her over the noise of the battle. It wasn't the delivery of the song that mattered, but the intent behind it.

The two beasts ahead of her slowed down and stopped, swaying back and forth. Their eyes blinked closed, and they slammed into the ground with heavy thuds. Katrin kept singing, hoping the fall wouldn't wake them up.

Treya ran for the one coming around to the right. She'd removed her boots and coat before the battle, despite the cold, and now her fists and feet glowed with white light. She dove into a roll just as she reached the snow beast, its swing passing above her. Coming up, she punched at its knee with both hands, causing it to stumble.

Ellerie's face had gone gray from the effort of her spellcasting, but she extended her hand toward the creature coming from the left. Before she could start another spell, lightning struck again, hitting the beast at the back of its neck and streaking down to its right foot, which started smoking as the creature fell. Katrin turned back to her own opponents to make sure they were still down. She continued her song, not sure how long the effect would last if she stopped.

Shavala sat down on the ground abruptly beside her, crossing her legs and putting her face in her hands. The lightning had finally stopped, and the storm clouds were lighter than before.

Treya's opponent was the only threat remaining nearby. Gregor turned his crossbow on it, calling out to warn her.

Bobo's cudgel was shaking in his hand, but he drew Katrin's dagger from its sheathe. "If you can keep those two down, I'll go...take care of them," he said.

She nodded, not able to reply and sing at the same time.

#

Corec swung his glowing blue blade into the snow beast's side as thunder rolled over the courtyard yet again, echoing off the buildings. The sky had been cloudy all day, but the lightning storm had seemed to come out of nowhere just as the battle began. With how close the strikes were falling, someone was likely to get hit if they didn't take shelter soon.

His opponent fell, and another jumped over it to take its place. Corec deflected a wild stab from its spear, then swung but missed, the tip of his blade brushing through the beast's curly fur. The creatures had a longer reach than any opponent he'd fought before, even a bit taller than the ogres.

He and Boktar had been lucky so far, but they were at risk of being overwhelmed. The only point in their favor was that the snow beasts were so large, they got in each other's way. Only a few could crowd around at one time.

Corec blocked the monster's spear again, but then Sarette came out of nowhere, slashing her own spear—which was crackling with blue light—against its leg. There was a flash and the beast collapsed, already dead.

The stormborn woman was gone just as quickly. Boktar grunted to Corec's right, dropping his hammer and using both hands to brace his shield against a blow from a club. The force drove him to his knees and the shield fell to the ground. Corec rushed between the two combatants, whipping his sword around in an arc to parry the club as it fell again. The blade cut through the thick wooden handle, snapping the club into two pieces. The snow beast stopped to look at it in confusion, and Corec thrust his sword into the creature's gut.

Sarette rejoined them, her spear no longer glowing, and helped Boktar to his feet. He was gripping his left elbow and made no move to retrieve his hammer or shield.

Corec ran for the next snow beast, dodging away from its swinging club. As it charged past him, heading for Sarette and Boktar, he slashed at the back of its ankle. The beast crashed to the ground, and Corec stabbed down into its back, killing it.

Another of the creatures came near. Corec tried to block its club, but the glow of the strengthening spell faded from his blade, and the snow beast's weapon found some weakness in the metal. Corec's sword shattered into a dozen pieces, and he was left holding just the hilt.

Tossing it to the side, he ran to get inside the beast's reach, making it harder for it to swing at him. He grabbed the creature's arms, his strength spell strained to the limit. Sarette swung her staff-spear at the back of the snow beast's knee, hamstringing it, and as it collapsed, Corec wrestled it to the ground. Boktar's hammer was nearby. Corec grabbed it and swung the pointed end down into the creature's head, stilling it.

He stood, gasping, just as another snow beast came for him. Three of the village men who'd sprung the spear trap rushed in behind it, felling axes in hand. Fergus wasn't with them. They attacked the beast from behind, overwhelming it before it even knew they were there.

There was an eerie silence across the courtyard. After the thunder and the howling, the quiet seemed almost unnatural.

"Is it over?" Sarette asked, peering around. The creatures were all down, either dead or dying.

"We finished off the two that got caught in the spear trap," one of the refugees said. Corec thought his name was Tomas.

"How's Fergus?" Corec asked him, peering around for the headman.

Tomas exchanged glances with the other two men. "He didn't make it."

"But...I saw it. He just got knocked out!"

"Whatever hit him got him on the temple."

Corec looked away, leaning over and resting his hands on his thighs. Fergus's role had been simple—just trigger the trap and run. He and his people were never supposed to have been in any real danger. They weren't supposed to have joined the fight either, but they'd insisted on keeping their axes nearby just in case. At least the other three were still alive, but Fergus was dead, after Corec had promised to take care of things.