The Crystal Sorcerers (28 page)

"We estimate nearly all their forces are either in the clouds or on the ground," Patrice's battle leader hissed, glaring at Takgutha, who smiled with barely concealed disdain.

"It could be a false signal."

"Or Boreas," Takgutha snapped.

There had been no reports of him, Patrice thought. If he had been at
Asmara or flown south with his people, her spotters should have picked him up.

"The offworlders?"
Patrice asked, looking at her communications sorcerer. The man whispered an inquiry into his crystal and a moment later looked back.

"We think two were with the group that we've cornered on the ground. In the air only one has been spotted."

Boreas and the offworlders: There was the puzzle. She still had a reserve of sixty sorcerers and two hundred sorcerer demons under her command, with another twenty arriving every hour. Where was he--and the offworlders--or were they even here at all? Surely Leti would not be so foolish as to split an already inferior force before charging in.

"Commit the reserves of my followers to finish off those pests who bother us," Takgutha growled. "Capture the Heart. It's a prize worth half this miserable world."

"
I
am in command here," Patrice raged, coming to her feet.

Takgutha, without dropping his smile, bowed low in obeisance. "But of course, my lady. Forgive me."

The rest of her people looked at her in stunned silence.

The Heart, she realized, masking her thoughts, not sure if Takgutha could somehow reach into them. Leti had the Heart with her. If Patrice could gain that before Gorgon came through, then surely she would be his superior in strength. It was almost as if Leti were offering it straight to her. In the air, the weapon was too unmanageable, except in the hands of a god, but if Leti could bring it close enough to the city, it might cause trouble for Patrice.

But the Heart could be hers.... She looked up at Takgutha and smiled.

"You stay here in command of the reserve," she said coldly. "I'm taking my people in to finish Leti off."

"I humbly advise that I and my warriors should go with you." Takgutha replied softly.

And capture it for your lord, Patrice thought darkly.

"Stay here and manage the defense. I want all flanks covered as originally planned.
Fail,
and you are responsible. I'm taking my people to finish Leti off." And she swept out of the room.

"And if they come by sea?" Takgutha growled. "You know we are ill used to that realm."

"I already have my plans for that," Patrice snapped, "but they'd be fools to try."

How long he had been underwater, Mark could no longer calculate. Somehow he had even mastered sleep while keeping his shield up against the crushing weight of the four hundred feet of ocean above him.

Tireless ladultas by the thousands had swarmed around him and the other sorcerers, towing the humans in relays. Tulana had even devised harnesses that tied to the ladultas' dorsal fins and hooked to each of the humans so they would not have to hold on during their three-day, thousand-mile underwater passage. Mark could only hope that the diversion had paid off; that through some miracle they had successfully--and secretly--been brought to the gates of the city without Patrice being aware that Boreas had entered the fray.

Yet it was a grim chance they were working on, the hope that Patrice, detecting Leti and the Heart Crystal, would send everything against them and leave the back door open for a lightning strike into the city to smash the portal.

Now there was only the waiting in the darkness. Boreas drifted past Mark, with Tulana by his side. Boreas looked spent. Since creeping to the outer approaches of the city, he had bent his entire strength to chilling the water above them, stating that the cold blanket would reflect any probing from above and thus mask their position.

"Another hour and we'll be there," Tulana said, coming up to float by Mark's side.

Eager to rise out of the tomblike darkness and begin the assault, Mark grinned in reply. He could barely discern Shigeru's shadow on his left, and Goldberg on his right. The rest of his
command were
strung out in a single line to either side, steadily drifting forward with their ladultas.

"Green Leader, Green Leader, initiate!"

Startled, Mark looked at Boreas.

"Damn it, we're not quite there yet," the demigod growled; then:

"Ladulta battle mounts! All riders get out of those harnesses."

Reaching over to the strap around his chest, Mark hit the release plate and broke free from the creature who had been towing him for the last hour.

The ladulta circled away to form in with the hundreds of his companions, who would come in the support wave. A ladulta cut in close, brushing Mark's side.

"Ready for battle again, Mark friend?"

"Sul!
I didn't know you were here," he cried with delight.

"My
herd arrive
just before sky become bright. Not miss this fight with you."

Eagerly, Mark reached out to grab his dorsal fin, while affectionately patting his companion with his other hand.

"We avenge death of comrades today."

"You ever fight against men before?" Mark asked.

There was a moment of hesitation. "No."

"Listen to my directions, then," Mark said. "I'll get us through this."

"Group commanders, check your communications crystals," Boreas ordered.

"Saito, run down your list," Mark said quickly. "Remember, gentlemen, report to your group leaders only. We fight as a team; Goldberg and Shigeru will act as our sonar."

"Follow Tulana straight into the harbor. If not detected, we'll run all the way in, come out of the water,
then
go for the palace. We'll provide air superiority while Boreas and his people break in to smash the portal. If they detect us coming in, we'll provide near-surface support to Boreas, who will continue to run deep."

"Any questions?"

"Yeah, Captain," Smithie interjected. "When the hell are we gonna see sunlight again?"

"Soon enough."

"We've got to go immediately," Boreas called. "Now, attack!"

Sul leaped forward, his lithe body slicing through the water at top speed. Mark tightened his grip and hung on.

Long minutes passed. Though he probed in every direction, Mark could sense nothing--just the open sea and the long lines of sorcerers, their mounts, and the surging school of ladultas following in their wake.

"Bottom contact," Kochanski announced. Looking down, Mark finally sensed the ocean floor shelving upward out of the depths. Boreas and his battle team dove to hug the bottom, while Mark and his battle team pushed straight ahead, following Tulana.

"We've cleared the outer harbor," Tulana whispered, coming up to Mark's side.
"Just a couple more minutes."

To his left and right, Mark could sense the jetties that guarded the approach into Patrice's citadel. They had originally planned to be well inside the harbor and to spring out the moment Leti called. He could only hope the delay was not fatal.

"Something ahead," Sui's thought whispered through Mark's mind.
"Human moving away."

Mark looked over at Tulana, who nodded and picked up speed. With his attention focused forward, Mark could vaguely sense a shadowy image ahead of them. The image turned into two forms, and then four.

"Going to surface," Sul whispered.

Tulana curved upwards, and Mark and the rest of the team followed.

The ocean started to brighten, shifting from indigo darkness to
a twilight
blue. The four forms suddenly disappeared.

"They left the water," Sul called.

"They're on to us," Tulana shouted. "Keep moving!"

With an incredible burst of energy Sul slashed through the water at breakneck speed, pulling up alongside Tulana, the other sorcerers spreading out into a two-hundred-yard front. In spite of his fear, Mark felt a wave of exultation. It was like some mad underwater cavalry charge, as the ladultas cut through the water at more than thirty knots, their riders hanging on and shouting war cries.

A booming ripple of echoes and high pitched pings came through the water.

"They've dropped in behind us," Sul whispered.

"Keep pushing forward," Tulana cried. "They're trying to divert us. Let the ladulta cover us!"

Mark looked over his shoulder and could sense half a dozen forms dropping in behind the group from above. There was a splash almost straight overhead, and he could see the shadowy form of a sorcerer cutting down.

An energy bolt slashed past, making the water boil and hiss. Two more bolts snapped out.

"Christ, Captain, we're getting jumped," Kochanski cried.

"Keep moving in," Tulana called.

Another bolt shot past, nicking Shigeru's shield. The wrestler let out a startled grunt.

"Don't turn back!" Tulana ordered.

Mark looked over his shoulder. Three sorcerers now rode on his tail, not more than a hundred feet behind. Sul started into a wild series of jinxes and swerves, yet continued to follow Tulana's lead.

Suddenly half a hundred ladulta emerged from the shadows. Surging in, they charged the enemy sorcerers, their booming chants rumbling through the ocean with a bone-chilling pulse.

Unbelieving, Mark watched as the creatures slammed into one of the sorcerers at top speed, knocking him over. Like sharks in a feeding frenzy, the ladulta lashed into him, slamming him again and again.

An energy bolt snapped out, cutting a ladulta in
half,
and at that moment Mark saw the true savagery of the creatures when aroused. Thundering screams rent the ocean, and the creatures crashed into the sorcerers. Bolts continued to flame, killing half a dozen more, yet still they continued to strike. A sorcerer's shield went down under the repeated blows. Sickened, Mark could see the man flailing under the inrush of water, desperately trying to swim to the surface. The ladulta circling above him rammed his body, forcing him ever deeper until finally he went limp. His two companions panicked and thrashed toward the surface, firing blindly into the herd. Their shields snapped off, and with savage cries the ladulta pushed them into the darkness below, tearing their bodies to pieces.

Stunned, Mark looked at Sul. Three sorcerers had been killed in a matter of seconds.

"Now we are truly angry," Sul whispered coldly, and surged forward.

More splashes vibrated through the water ahead.

"Enemy forward!"
Tulana cried.

Mark could sense them: a dozen sorcerers.

"They're holding tight together, and going down!" Shigeru cried.

"Follow them in!" Tulana ordered.

Sul cut downward. With the advantage of speed the ladulta offered, the group quickly started to close.

A blinding flash snapped through the water ahead, and shouts of rage echoed up from Boreas' group, still hugging the ocean floor.

"Christ, they've got a wall crystal with them," Mark called.

The group loomed into view, hovering above Boreas' group, which was still charging forward. Another bolt slashed out, and the scream of a ladulta echoed through the ocean. Sickened, Mark knew that without shielding, his mount was totally defenseless. He might possibly survive a strike, but Sul would be dead in an instant. He wanted to tell Sul to drop him off and he'd swim in alone, but without the ladulta's added speed, he doubted if they could effectively break through.

"Hit them hard then keep moving!" Tulana cried.

The group surged in, closing ranks. The shadowy images resolved into a dozen sorcerers in a tight circle, shields up, surrounding a wall crystal.

A ripple of light snapped up from the ocean floor, striking into the enemy sorcerers. Shields glowed white-hot, water boiled away in steam, and cries of panic and rage counterpointed the wild battle chant of the ladulta.

A bolt snapped out from Tulana's hand, followed an instant later by shots from his team, cutting straight into the circle of sorcerers. A single form snapped into light, and one shattered body fell away.

Another slash of energy arced out from the wall crystal, cutting into Boreas' attack group, killing a man and his mount.

Tulana, with Mark at his side, charged straight at the enemy, who now turned their attention to the upper group. Dozens of bolts slammed back and forth. With a wild curse, Kochanski tumbled free from his mount,
who
simply disappeared from the violent impact of half a dozen hits. Saito fell away, his shield glowing hot, his ladulta crippled and circling blindly.

Suddenly, the enemy surged straight upward, racing for the surface.

Mark could see the wall crystal tumbling into the depths, and in that instant he saw the glow of a red crystal, locked inside a glass tube tied to the side of the massive gem.

"Break, break!" he screamed. "It's gonna blow!"