The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(14)
“Is he mad? He is charging alone,” Kay hissed, her gaze dropping back to their own battle as the Rivasans pressed forward again.
“He isn’t alone,” Neph replied, his eyes moving past the Oblivion knight to the dark figure standing just beyond the battlefield and barely visible against the darkening sky. The man’s ragged black cloak was stretched taunt in the storm winds and his black armor flashed in the lightning beyond him. Neph pulled his attention away from the Aspect of Destruction as he raised his hands to the battlefield beyond and the black inky shapes of Harvesters began to rise from the ground surrounding Zachary’s charge. Where a single knight had ridden moments before, an army now ran, and from the bloodthirsty cries echoing across the field, the damned souls of Oblivion were more than ready for the fight.
A snarl from his snow cat brought his attention fully back to his own problems, and Neph quickly dispatched the Rivasan that had managed to score a wound across his cat’s side. The Faydwer battle horns sounded behind him again and from the pitch they were much closer. “Firym is here, and Oblivion. By the looks of those storm clouds, Arovan and Glis will arrive at any moment. Faydwer is closing from behind us. We will make it through this, Kay.” Neph gasped the words out between sword blows and edged his cat closer to his Aunt to strengthen their line. He fought against the desire to gaze across the field. The words of the Divine had left his gut churning with concern for Jala, but there was nothing he could do about it yet. The sound of charging hooves behind him grew louder and he tensed. “A path will be open soon,” he whispered to himself, wondering how exactly the Faydwer were going to open a path through the bloody mess before him. Even with the other allied forces joining the fight, the Rivasans were still standing strong on the field.
A light hum hissed through the air beside him and the earth began to tremble behind them. Two arrows drove into the Rivasans closest to him, knocking them back savagely. The shots were well placed and buried to the shaft. Both men were dead before they hit the ground. “Wisp.” Neph grinned as he spoke the name, his attention flicking from the purple and white fletching on the arrows to the trembling ground behind him.
“What the hell are they doing? We are going to be trapped between that rise of earth and the damned Rivasans,” Kay snarled as the ground bucked and rose to form a solid wall behind them.
Three more arrows pegged into Rivasans, each bearing the purple and white fletching and Neph whispered silent thanks to the Fae, using the moment of peace she had given him to search the field frantically for Jala. The Merrodin forces had moved beyond the valley now, and he could see Valor among the Firym, pushing the Rivasans back, but there was no sign of Jala.
The hoof beats grew thunderous behind him and the ground shook with the force of it as the first of the Faydwer knights reached the battle. Shadows darkened the ground around him as a massive white horse launched itself from the newly risen earth behind him and Neph barely managed to dodge as a slender form dropped from the back of the warhorse to land beside him. More horses leaped gracefully over the ledge, their riders striking with deadly grace as the beasts landed in the Rivasan ranks.
Wisp stood gracefully from her crouch as she landed, her bow already thrumming with more arrows as she fired with perfect accuracy into the Rivasan ranks ahead of them. Glancing over, she smiled and winked up at Neph. “Sorry I’m late,” Wisp called cheerfully, her musical voice barely audible over the pounding hooves.
The field before them was cleared of Rivasans as the Faydwer ranks plowed through them scattering their lines. “Are you going to let the god damned pixies out-fight you?” Neph bellowed to his own forces as he grinned down at Wisp. “Thank you,” he said in a voice just loud enough for her ears. “I have to get to Jala now, Wisp,” he added, his gaze moving once more to the valley as he pressed his cat forward.
“We will clear a path then,” Wisp responded and raised a hand over her head. More shadows darkened the ground as Faydwer archers moved forward along the earth bank behind him. Wisp dropped her hand, motioning toward the valley, and the archers began their deadly rain of arrows without hesitation. Somewhere beyond their range of fighting, the scream of a dragon rose on the air and Wisp shook her head at him frowning. “My archers can clear the Rivasans but there is nothing Faydwer can do against dragons.
“We will have to hope that Jala brought her own dragons then, or that Shade can handle them with his Spell Hawk. I’ve seen him strafe the field a few times, but it wasn’t against anything scaly,” Neph replied quickly as he offered a hand down to Wisp to pull her onto the cat behind him. “You have command here, Kay. I have to get to Jala,” Neph yelled back over his shoulder as he pushed his cat forward into the clearing the Faydwer charge had created. It was a risky maneuver. It wouldn’t be long before the Rivasans closed ranks again and then they would be surrounded by enemies, but he didn’t have a choice. Bright light flashed from the mouth of the valley and Neph’s attention snapped in that direction.
“What spell is that?” Wisp gasped behind him, her bow still thrumming as she peppered the enemies ahead of them with arrows.
“That’s not a spell. That is raw magic and way too much of it,” Neph replied hoarsely. “Jala, what have you done,” he whispered, his mind filling with dread. The sound of the battle faded around him as his focus narrowed on the magic and he pushed the cat forward faster. He had to reach her now. That was more magic than even he could handle and he knew his reserves were larger than Jala’s. That much power would rip any mage apart unless he could reach her and somehow redirect it.