They lined the high birds up and then
let them go all at once. They found that they could push them through the air
as if they were on little rollers. The effect was a little uncanny but it did
allow them to manoeuvre the creatures into position up a long corridor, with
buildings on either side, which led to the nonahedron. For a while they struggled
to work out how to activate the birds, but then Kath found a small sphere of
red light under each one. She had seen activation switches like this before,
particularly in small Dwarven Magic doors and windows, but this was an unusual
place to position one. All one needed to do was squeeze them and they turned
green and activated the device, whatever it was. The main problem here was to
activate them all as quickly as possible.
The birds woke up
slowly, as the different layers of their blueprints kicked in. As soon as they
began to move the two humans smacked them on their tail feathers and sent them
racing off down the lane. Once the first few had flapped their way off the
others seemed intent on following. There wasn’t really room enough for the
birds to double back among the flurry of feathers and legs and so Kath and
Hardacre were saved the embarrassment of dealing with any angry birds that
turned around.
As they ran the high
birds began to squawk – a strange high pitched noise that started with a single
bird and then spread to all the others. As if on this cue, the birds all began
to run at full pelt down the path and out in the open area where the nonahedron
and its guards stood. Hardacre felt a twinge of guilt that this wild run might
be their only living moment, but then hardened his heart. This was no time to
lose his concentration.
Three guards ran out
into the side street. They had bows but there was no time to notch them or
loose an arrow. The high birds mowed through them in an instant. There was a
blur of bodies and then the birds were through into the square. Hardacre ran
down the street after them, with Kath following more cautiously behind him.
There were a
considerable number of ragged soldiers in front of the nonahedron but they were
taken entirely by surprise. With about as much thought as the high birds were
employing they sprang forward to attack. The closest thug, dressed in chain
mail but still moving lithely, swung his heavy sword at the nearest bird. He
struck it a heavy blow just above its right wing. The wounded bird struck out sideways with its
huge claws. Its target leapt away but so far across that the talons missed him
altogether and instead they hit the side of the nonahedron. The chanting witches,
forced to stay in place to maintain the spell effect, jumped, tumbled and
scattered. Two of the faces of the structure shattered, like ornamental windows
broken by vandals’ stones. Maddened by its deep wound, the ratite lumbered
forward, scratching and clawing at the disintegrating structure. Within a few
seconds the nonahedron had gone.
Hardacre smiled
grimly; if they hadn’t tried to guard the structure then they wouldn’t have
lost it. These were creatures of instinct that had thought themselves under
threat, not trained animals sent to destroy a magical artefact. It hadn’t made
any difference though – the result had been the same. Sometimes the best way to
protect something was to leave it unguarded.
The site was now full
of armoured guards struggling with giant flightless birds. None of this
interested Hardacre for the time being. He was trying to see where Bea and Vala
had gone. There was no sign of them among the chaos of bodies. Kath, who was
still behind him, grabbed his shoulder. He turned to her. She was waving
frantically towards a lane that ran back away from the square. ‘There they are...’ she hissed.
He saw them. They
were walking rapidly, but without much apparent concern, away from the melee. Vala looked back once, but Bea snapped an order
and she focused back on her leader. Bea placed her arm over Vala’s shoulder and
led her away.
They knew exactly where their enemies
were going. They followed them several buildings behind, the noise of their
footfalls covered up by the din still going on behind them. In any case, Bea
and Vala never looked behind again. They slowed, however, when they reached the
steps of the temple.
Bea pulled out
something from the pocket of her cloak. At first they could not see what it
was, but as they inched closer it became clearer – it seemed to be a replica or
model of the nonahedron and as Bea held it it rotated.
‘It’s a thaumic
compass’ whispered Kath. Hardacre nodded. They had hidden behind a jutting
buttress on a large building.
‘And I assume that
this one points towards prime nineteen’ he continued
‘Why is it still
working?’ asked Kath
‘Maybe because it’s
imbued with power from its big cousin and can survive without it – at least for
a while. We can only hope that the effect wears off quickly...’
He paused, ‘...or
quickly enough, anyway’
Kath strained to see
exactly what they were doing with the model.
‘Can you destroy it?’
she asked
Hardacre shook his
head and opened up his hands to show his open palms.
‘I have nothing left’
he said
Kath frowned, ‘then we have nothing left... I have no
ideas...is there nothing we can do?’
Hardacre stared out
at the two witches. By now they have ascended the steps and were making their
way towards the false pillar.
‘It’s too dangerous,
Doctor Fielding’ whispered Hardacre, ‘all we’d do is get killed’
The
three green parrots, who had been following them silently and all but
invisibly, landed beside them.
‘Shall we attack
them, sire?’ asked Akenopteryx, her feathers fluffed up for a fight. Kath had
to force a smile away from her face, even there, but Hardacre looked gravely at
them.
‘Not yet’ he said,
‘but that time may well yet come’
The parrots flew off
towards the temple, as quiet as winged mice. The other followed, making their
way carefully up the temple steps. In front of them their enemies were just
climbing down into the secret passage.
Kath felt completely helpless, but she knew that she would have to
follow anyway.
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