(Post written by Script)
Sylvire was with Peregrin and Selwyn, looking after Elias, when Mirana pushed the door of the room open. An unusual urgency possessed the undead woman, and her expression was grave.
“There’s a group approaching the citadel.” She said simple, “And one of them resembles the dark elf woman Peregrin described.”
Sylvire’s breath caught, and she turned to see that Peregrin had paled where he sat. The sorceress rose, “Selwyn, with me. Peregrin, take Elias and find Seridur, stay with them at the back of the citadel.”
The boy nodded to her, obviously grateful that he didn’t have to face down Arran’s murderer, and took Elias’s hand. “C’mon, kid, let’s go find your dad.”
“Aw, but I wanna stay with mummy...” Elias protested.
“Mama has to go and see the others now, sweetheart, but I’ll be back soon. Go with Peregrin now, for me?” Sylvire said hastily, and reluctantly the child nodded. As the two disappeared down the corridor, Selwyn looked to Mirana.
“Do the others know?” she asked.
The warlock nodded, “Aurion is assembling everyone in the south tower.”
“Then why are we still here?” Selwyn exclaimed, making for the door. The three made haste through the citadel till they reached the stairs to the tower in question, and when they reached the top the others were already there.
Aurion nodded to them as they entered, and beckoned them over to the window. Sylvire joined the celestial and looked down at the mountain approach. Sure enough, a short distance from the fortress a group of figures was approaching. Keen elven eyesight picked out the familiar figure of the metallic construct she had seen back in Amarathia.
It was them. It was the Orsa.
“I think that they will use the same tactics as they used in their previous assaults. They obviously have the capability to call upon minions of the sealed one to swarm us from the inside, but hopefully the wards we have placed will hold. Failing that, we will have to try and lose them in the mountains.” Aurion turned to Sylvire “Can you give us some warning if-“
Irony seemed to be prevalent in the air as Aurion was cut off by a rumbling. Turning back to the window, one of the figures approaching the fortress had lifted his hand into the air. A celestial, the man had a pair of resplendent black wings displayed upon his back, as his palm began to emit a shadowy blackness.
Sylvire felt a sudden jolt as her wards came under attack. Three of the figures had stepped forwards and were obviously focusing – those were her foes. She could see Selwyn struggling alongside her as both of their wards were assaulted by the three mages. At the same time, pressure was put on them by the celestial with the shadowy palm. While the three sorcerers attempted to dismantle the wards, he was trying to force them.
The sorceress became vaguely aware of activity around her as Aurion shouted commands. Merethyl and Luriel disappeared to the battlements with their bows, while Mirana made her way to the stairs up to the tower-top. Kaelan, Gawyn and Shaiel descended the stairs where they could be ready should the enemy reach inside, where close quarters fighters would be necessary. Oron and Aurion remained with her and Selwyn, watching on concernedly.
Both Sylvire and Selwyn knew that they were fighting a losing battle. They were outnumbered, and the taint of the sealed one was infecting their wards even as it pushed against them. “The wards are going to fail.” Sylvire managed to gasp, and Aurion cursed.
But abruptly, the pressure on the wards lessened. Sylvire looked up with a start as one of the three mages staggered backwards, clutching at his throat, with an arrow protruding from it. Sylvire didn’t know which of the two elves had made that shot, but she was grateful nonetheless.
As first blood was drawn, the virtual barrier between the two sides was dismissed. Three more of the group down below stepped up – the dark elf, the cloaked figure with the large bow, and a woman with long red hair – and lifted bows. As arrows started to fly between the fortress and the ground, Mirana had obviously reached the top of the tower, as from above a crackling bolt of lightning from the javelin shot down, tearing a path through the air to impact the ground where the dark elf had been standing before she dove aside.
And then the wards failed.
There was no warning – until now, the battle had been relatively even between Sylvire and Selwyn and the mages below. But abruptly, something burst from the hand of the celestial, and shadow tore into the side of the fortress. Where it touched, the wards were severed like thread, and with the chain broken the two mages were able to tear the rest apart at the seams.
Chaos descended. In the middle of the room, a demon sprouted from the floor and launched itself at Sylvire, only to be cut down by a bolt of light from Aurion. The celestial yelled for the Patronus to regroup, as the Orsa surged forwards.
A scream from outside drew Sylvire’s gaze to the doorway to the battlements, and a few moments later the two elves came into view. Luriel was supporting Merethyl, an arrow embedded in the wood elf’s side.
Aurion cursed. “Make your way downstairs!” he instructed, just as Mirana appeared on the stairs above, lashing out at a twisted ox-like shadow beast with the javelin. The group obeyed swiftly, and with Merethyl supported between Luriel and Selwyn they descended the stairs.
On the lower levels, all hell had broken loose. Mirana’s skeletal soldiers did battle with the demons across the courtyard that they emerged into, and the four who had descended earlier were slaying them in their masses.
“We must fall back!” Aurion shouted over the noise, as the fortress gates thudded with an impact. The metal construct was delivering blow after blow to the solid structure, and it wouldn’t be long before it broke through.
Sylvire caught sight of Shaiel tearing through a demon in spider form, pincers scything into the creature’s essence and laying it to the ground, only for a second to strike for her back. Gawyn intercepted the creature with a swing of the axe, however, and sent it flying across the open space to slam against the stone wall. A circle of flame marked the spot where Kaelan was battling surrounded by the things, the elemental shield’s magic protecting him from being drawn under.
The sheer volume of the creatures made disengaging seem a futile prospect, but Aurion seemed determined to enable it. Lifting his palm in a manner similar to the winged man outside, the celestial began to glow with a bright divine light.
A few moments passed, as the demons turned to face him with anger in their eyes, the holy light abhorrent to their master and their given bodies, and then the courtyard erupted with blinding light. Sylvire shielded her eyes from the glow, and when she lowered her arm, the demons were reduced to ash.
“They won’t stay gone long. “Aurion said as he stepped forwards. “We must not lose the artefacts. If we simply flee, they will follow. We need to buy ourselves time to escape without being followed.” The celestial looked to Sylvire. “Sylvire, Oron, I want to you take Gawyn, Kaelan, Shaiel, Luriel and Merethyl and escape with Peregrin and the other two.” He turned from her to face Selwyn and Mirana. “Selwyn, Mirana... if you are willing, we will remain to buy them time to escape.”
Sylvire’s eyes widened, “You can’t be serious!” she protested, “If anyone should remain, it should be me-“
“No, Sylvire.” Selwyn shook her head, “Aurion is right. You have your family to protect. We three are old, and without many ties to this world. The younger ones need guidance.”
Mirana cackled, “Don’t cause a fuss, Sylvire. I’m already dead, and the other two have lived a dozen lifetimes even for their own kind. By our standards, you’re a child yourself! Run along and let the old have their way, for once.”
“I-“
“We don’t have time for this Sylvire, my decision is final.” Aurion said. “Take our artefacts, so that they might not be lost with us. If you live on, our sacrifice is worth it.”
The celestial unhooked the scabbard holding the Sword of Truth from his waist and handed it to Sylvire, who took it reluctantly. Mirana idly tossed the Javelin over to Kaelan, whilst Selwyn quietly handed the Swordsman’s Friend broach to Gawyn. Neither of the two men seemed happy to receive the artefacts, but Selwyn whispered a few words to Gawyn and the prince stepped down.
“I should remain with you.” He growled, “I would rather die now than run like a coward.”
Oron gripped Gawyn by the shoulder. “That is a fool’s talk. And you know it. Now come – before their sacrifice is made in vain. Help Merethyl onto my back.”
And so Sylvire found herself leading the remaining Patronus away from the courtyard, without time even for a final farewell. Her last glimpse of the three who stayed behind was of them exchanging a final few words.
And then they were back inside, and moving through the corridors. It took only a short time to reach the back room where Peregrin was waiting with Seridur and Elias. At the group’s approach, Peregrin rose.
“You’re okay! Are the Orsa go-“ he began, but Sylvire cut him off.
“No. We make for the mountains.” She said simply.
“But what about-“
“I said
move!” she snapped.
Peregrin moved. Seridur hefted a protesting Elias into his arms, and the party slipped out of the back of the citadel and further on up the mountains. The sound of the gates being blown off of their hinges resonated after them as they reached the edge of the hills, but Sylvire banished the thoughts of what was happening inside from her mind.
Survival. Survival was what mattered. The artefacts must not be lost.
