The Lengthening Shadow

Rivenhand grabbed Blackcog as he ran past. “Blackcog! Haul some machines up here! Kill the enemy an’ make sure they’re dead!” The hall was chaos. Somehow, an engineer named Cinlor had managed to haul up a grendana from the lower levels and fired it. Samuel ducked as the flaming boulder flew over his head and smashed into the wall, crumbling the stonework and wooden frames. Vurgal brought an additional thirty Destromancers to deal with Vi’lle, Tarsch, and Crackwillow. Blackcog spurred several war machines into action, firing bullets and long, huge arrows at the army. Cinders flew from the grendana’s napalm tank as it pumped the flammable, explosive liquid onto rocks and then lit and fired.

Heingg and Iolargh grabbed weapons and met Fangedeye on the stairs. The Sergeant was breathless and bleeding from from an arrow wound. “Haven’t you heard? There’s an army invading the Bluff! Get the soldiers to all levels. I’ve told Verband to man the balconies, but the enemy is in the hall and moving into the upper levels. Sound an alert everywhere! Nobeast is to be inattentive or shirking; this is not a drill. Tell everyone, this is not a drill!”

Gasher looked down from a balcony into the cave. The enemy had breached the barricade, thankfully leaving the White Master in the hall. Verband the fox ran over and peered at the scene as well. The ferret called an alert to everyone outside. “They’re in the Bluff! Prepare for battle! Draw swords! Riflebeasts, load and pick your targets down below through the murder holes! Penrue, Shredface, form regiments four by thirty. Watch all entrances to the balconies!”

Verband slapped him in the face. “I’m captain up here! I give the orders, not you! When this is over, I’ll… blasted furnaces of Hell!” An arrow thudded into his chest and the fox fell dead. Gasher grabbed his sword and took charge. “Dodge the arrows! You’ll hear ‘em comin’ before ya see ’em!” Another dart struck Lorndal the rat between the eyes. “What did I just tell ya? Dodge the damn arrows!” Penrue grabbed a stoat and swung him around, taking two bullets that would have finished the ferret. Dolrin the rat swung a rifle around and fired down through a murder hole. Zinj, one of Alrack’s foxes, crumpled to the floor. Another, Brownfleck, one of Alrack’s riflebeasts, shot the rat through the head, felling him on the spot. It broke out into a firefight between Brownfleck’s squad and Gasher’s. Bullets flew everywhere, pinging off walls and occasionally killing a beast who was in the way. Brownfleck leapt up onto crags and crannies until he reached the balconies.

Gasher was waiting for him. They both drew swords and circled. The fox jumped onto a crate and threw a volley of small knives at the ferret. Gasher stopped mid-swing, staring down at the small blades embedded in his chest. He died instantly. Brownfleck grabbed the ferret’s weapon and some armor, strapped it on, and jumped back down into the hall. Alrack and Waveclaw fought back to back, sending Thazancians off the cliffs into the main cave. The rat swung once, beheading a fisher but overcommitting. Rivenhand grabbed a bow and sent an arrow into Waveclaw’s chest. The rat stumbled, swung his cutlass weakly, and collapsed. Alrack did not bother to check on him; he knew his first mate had been slain as soon as the arrow hit. Rivenhand leaped away, shoving Fangedeye aside. The stoat ran right into… Samuel.

The mouse’s sword crashed down on Fangedeye’s shoulder, slicing through the metal plates to the bone. The stoat took a violent downward swing at Samuel’s head, missing as he whirled aside and leaped up. The Fernwood blade cut again, this time through Fangedeye’s leg. Crippled and bleeding, the stoat offered no resistance as Samuel ran him through and kicked the body into a pit. Turning around, he slashed through Heingg the rat, slaying him also. Vurgal met with Rivenhand as the fisher was running down from killing Waveclaw. “Get outta’ here, Rivenhand! Us an’ Iolargh are what’s left o’ the commanders, so we need ta organize. Call the Sorcerer!”

Samuel and Bernie were running down to Vurgal’s position when Samuel was wounded. One of Rivenhand’s arrows pierced his shoulder, scraping the bone. He stumbled but did not fall, but got up and dodged another shaft. Bernie swung a dagger and sliced an arrow in midair, whacking the pieces into the main cave. Rivenhand waved a hand at them, a hand that was mangled and scarred from the Battle of Aerbane back in the Sorcerer Wars. “Stop right there, mouse an’ hedgehog. Give up now. The Sorcerer is here.”

Samuel looked around. “Where?” he asked in surprise.

“Honestly. Vi’lle is with you. Couldn’t you see? He’s been with you all the way.”

“Who is it?”

“He’s standing right next to you.”

Samuel wheeled and looked at Bernie. He realized that the hedgehog had never taken off his cloak. He did now, but something was happening. The cloak actually had paws and a mask attached to it, disguising what was inside. Cloth and leather fell off to reveal a mink in a black robe and rune-embroidered tunic. A bronze crown inset with blood-red rubies adorned his head, and a gray wand was in his paw. The mink turned to Samuel. “You see? I am Spera, the Sorcerer, King of the Bluff, and you are in my power.”