Set in Stone (51 page)

Chapter 56

"No!" Connor shouted and beat a fist against the unyielding stone of the cliff. "They're destroying the town!"

"It has to be done," Rory said gravely. "The Petralists need to be drawn out."

Before Connor could snarl a reply, a trumpet blew from Carbrey's camp.

Three Striders catapulted out of the trees at the base of the slope, already at full sprint, and raced in parallel courses up the long slope toward the plateau.

As the Striders tore up the slope, five Wingrunners sprinted down the slope from the manor and moved to intercept.

The two groups closed at phenomenal speeds. The Wingrunners whipped out long meteor hammers, while the Striders threw daggers or spiked granite balls. Both groups ducked or swerved as they raced close by each other.

At the last second, Donald swerved in toward a Wingrunner, so close Connor thought the two would collide. They didn't, but the Wingrunner staggered and fell, clutching at his abdomen where a bright streak of red blossomed. He hit the ground and tumbled before coming to a stop.

Connor recognized the fallen Wingrunner as the man who had lured Donald to the muddy trap and sent him flying off the edge of the plateau.

The remaining runners changed course and began an intricate, high-speed ballet, closing briefly before splitting and circling around for another pass.

Connor watched, captivated. From where he crouched, he could see the complex patterns the runners made as they crossed and then re-crossed each other's paths, each side trying to maneuver the other into a compromised position where they could deliver a death blow.

Blood pounded in his enhanced ears, and his breath quickened. He could see them so clearly, their faces locked in deadly concentration while their legs blurred. It was almost as if he stood among them. The sound of their footsteps was like the pattering of steady rain. Their torsos swayed sometimes almost horizontal as they tore through tight turns. Connor clenched the bare stone upon which he lay, and part of him wanted to rush down there and pit his own speed against theirs.

"Never seen a running battle so clear," Rory muttered.

"Are we holding the town?" Shona asked.

Connor checked. Gregor faced the legendary Grandurian Anton, and both had risen upon their earthen towers outside the long southern wall of Alasdair. Anton's tower stood a little taller with a crenellated top, while Gregor's was stouter. The ground between the two rippled and shook, as if unseen titans did battle just below the surface.

With Aonghus still swimming for the shore of the loch, Kilian moved along the southern wall, probably planning to meet up with the advancing reinforcements.

"Can we go yet?" Shona asked.

"I don't see the signal," Rory said.

"What are they waiting for?"

"Not everyone is committed. Still need the Rumblers and the Builders," Rory said.

As if in response to his words, Captain Peader and his dozen Boulders broke out of the edge of the forest and started up the slope in a ponderous charge. Not far behind, Carbrey himself followed, flanked by the two Blades, and a handful of soldiers.

Atop the plateau, the hulking Rumblers in their plate armor, huge shields, and massive swords, started down to meet Captain Peader's force. Ilse led the group, but Connor could not see Anika or Erich. With them came Wolfram with a small company almost identical to Carbrey's.

"Any time now if the generals are committed," Rory said.

Connor hoped they'd send the signal before fresh fighting erupted in the streets of Alasdair between the approaching reinforcements from both sides.

The Grandurian force was led by a tall, thin fellow wearing only leather armor and no visible weapon, but who blazed like a living sun. He led his force at a run toward the eastern gate.

"A Solas," Rory said. "Light bringer. Strong one, too. Even I can see that light."

Meanwhile, the subterranean duel of the earth movers suddenly erupted. A thin spear of earth shot out of the ground at Gregor's tower. Connor caught his breath, expecting to see the tower shattered, but the entire tower swayed to the side as if blown by an invisible wind, and the spear of earth only struck a glancing blow.

Half a heartbeat later, a gigantic claw of earth exploded out of the ground at the base of Anton's tower, connected to a trunk almost as wide as the tower itself. The claw ripped a huge chunk out of the middle of the Grandurian's tower, and the structure swayed dangerously.

Before Gregor could finish off his opponent, three more thick spears of earth shot out of the ground on different sides of Gregor's tower. They drove deep into the structure, and the entire thing collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Gregor fell hard, but instantly slid sideways as if dragged by an invisible hand. A wave of heavy earth crashed into the space he just vacated and would have buried him alive.

Then the slingers struck.

A force of Obrioners lunged out from behind cover, wearing strange, darkened goggles, and let fly at the Solas, barely thirty paces away.

Four missiles struck him, and he buckled under the assault, his face crushed. His blinding light abruptly winked out.

More slingers joined the attack, and rocks slammed into the advancing Grandurian lines. Few of them carried shields, and men fell senseless to the ground. The entire charge wavered.

At the same time, two other groups of slingers, previously hidden along the inner side of the southern wall, attacked. One group pummeled Kilian with half a dozen stones, and he toppled off the wall.

Other slingers launched an attack against Anton in his tower. Several stones struck the huge Sapper, but they bounced off without apparent effect.

Before a second wave could strike, the front face of his tower flowed upward to block the missiles. A wave of earth reared up over the wall and thundered down onto both groups of slingers, burying them and shattering several more buildings along Wall Street.

Connor worried for the families living in those houses, but breathed a sigh of relief to see the onslaught missed his home.

The ground under Kilian rippled, and his body slid along the south wall until it rested near Anton's tower.

No wonder Gregor worried so much about him. Anton was a one-man army.

Even he wasn't impervious. The distraction afforded by the slingers gave Gregor time to launch another attack. Countless spears of earth drove into the tower, shredding it and forcing Anton to leap from the top.

Even as he fell, a column of earth reared up to catch him, and a new tower formed under his feet. The ground that had been heaving and rolling only seconds ago flattened and calmed.

Down on the slope below the plateau, a single burning arrow shot high into the air.

Rory rose. "Our turn."

Chapter 57

As they rejoined the rest of the Fast Rollers and started running toward the junction with the hunting trail that would lead them down to Quarry Road, a single bugle sounded from far below on the battlefield.

"What is that?" Connor asked. He'd released the power of quartzite and removed the much smaller pebble from his mouth.

"Parley," Rory said.

"I thought Carbrey planned to keep fighting?"

"Once we confirm we have the prisoners, I guarantee they will. Now, run."

They ran hard, and Connor wished for basalt. He'd only been exploring his Guardian-Agor powers for a few days, but he'd already come to rely on them despite a lingering distrust. That distrust, built up over a lifetime of suppressing his Curse, would take time to overcome. Maybe when he understood his powers better, he could fully embrace them.

They raced down to the lookout rock. Tiny in the distance, Carbrey and Wolfram met in parley while their forces waited, poised to resume battle.

Connor led the group past the deep lochs at the very edge of the cliff above the plateau, and then down the steep switchback road. As they neared the manor house, a man in a simple tan coat stepped out of the main entrance.

"Take him," Rory said, and the group charged.

Instead of fleeing, the man stepped to meet them and dipped a hand into a leather satchel at his waist.

"Builder," Rory said.

Sure enough, the man tossed a small stone at them when they were but ten leaping strides away. The ground shuddered, and a wall of earth shot up to block their way.

Without slowing, two Fast Rollers crouched and cupped hands together. Tomas stepped into their waiting hands, and the men heaved, sending him soaring up over the wall.

A startled voice called from the far side, "Hey, you're not supposed to . . ."

It cut off abruptly.

The rest of the company circled the wall and found Tomas tying up the unconscious Builder. Shona removed the man's satchel and threw it far across the plateau toward the road to Alasdair.

"Hurry." Rory led the group through the main doors into the great hall.

The huge room, spanning the width of the manor and rearing two stories high, stretched halfway down the length of the building. The giant fire pit was cold, and the torches dead. Nothing moved in the gloom.

"I don't like it, Captain," Tomas said. "Too quiet."

Rory nodded. "Be alert."

Connor led them at a run across the huge room and down a flight of stone steps. The last time they assaulted the manor, Grahame had explored the first sub-level without finding anyone, so he headed for the second.

As they descended into the gloom, two of the Fast Rollers held up small limestone pendants that glowed brightly. Tomas held one, but the light shone so dim, Connor wondered if he was imagining it.

"Told you," Tomas said.

As soon as they reached the second sub-level, Connor knew his guess was right. Torches burned here, and he heard Lady Isobel's shrill voice.

They stopped at a root cellar, with doors of heavy oak with thick steel hinges. It didn't matter.

Tomas and Shona ripped the doors off their hinges. Inside, they found Lord Gavin and his slaves and servants, including Bruce, sitting on the hard stone floor.

Rory kicked open the next locked room where Lady Isobel and Moira and a gaggle of female servants and slaves sat in wooden chairs.

As soon as the doors opened, Lady Isobel sniffed, "About time, filth. I will have you know, I am not one to tolerate this kind of abuse."

Shona frowned, but Connor shrugged. "She's always like that."

Then Bruce jumped to his feet. "Connor, is that you, lad?"

He grinned, "Have I got some stories for you."

As the prisoners filled the hall, Connor caught sight of Moira. She looked tired and dirty, but her eyes glowed with warmth when she saw him.

As soon as Lady Isobel exited her cell, she exclaimed, "You! Don't think for a moment I've forgotten how you tried to murder me, how you destroyed my beautiful oven."

"I didn't try to murder you," Connor said with forced calm. He was surprised to find the sight of an angry Lady Isobel no longer scared him. Instead he felt more pity for her than anything. What a tiny, unhappy world she lived in.

"Don't you contradict me, you ingrate!" She rounded on Captain Rory and shouted, "You, sir. I don't know why you allowed this criminal inside my house, but I demand you arrest him at once!"

"Keep it down," Rory said, "Or this rescue attempt may end very quickly."

"You mean you haven't driven the invaders out of my house yet?"

"We're working on it."

"Well, you're taking too long. Now arrest that boy and take me from this place."

Shona winked at Connor, "Lady Isobel, we've risked our lives to free you. Instead of insulting Captain Rory, I think some thanks are in order."

"And who are you, girl?" Lady Isobel demanded. She looked down her nose at Shona's battle leathers and sniffed.

"High Lady Shona."

Connor wanted to kiss Shona right there for the wonderful gift of witnessing Lady Isobel wilt before Shona. She dropped into a curtsy so deep, she almost fell over. "Oh, my lady, I didn't recognize you."