Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world – it belongs to Trudi Canavan

Battle

Sonea ran down the lane, pushing her way through the panicking crowds as she tried to keep an eye on where Akkarin was going. All around her, she could hear the noise of explosions, some nearby, others further away. Each one created further alarm amongst the people. Throughout the North Quarter, groups of robed figures were harrying the Ichani, concentrating on their task to break them up into smaller groups. Occasionally she heard the rumble of falling buildings accompanied by shouts of alarm or discovery. Everything seemed to be going to plan, but she had no time to worry about that. It was if everything outside herself and Akkarin didn't exist. Her only thought, her only imperative, was to follow him, ready to join him in whatever struggle he engaged in.

She had been totally unprepared for the confusion in the streets around her, once the battle started. When she and Akkarin had killed Ichani before, they had been alone, or in a situation where there were no other people at risk. This was completely different. The people left behind in the city were afraid. Perhaps they were unsure of exactly what they were afraid of, but they were terrified all the same. That fear translated into blind panic. In amongst the crowd, she caught glimpses of Guild magicians and some of the King's Guard, who appeared as frightened as the rest of the people. She made sure to keep out of their way. The last thing she needed was to be stopped by any of them; any delay would prevent her from keeping up with Akkarin.

She stumbled on an uneven cobble and tripped, falling awkwardly. Although she scrambled to her feet almost immediately, Akkarin had disappeared by the time she was upright. "Damn!" she muttered, still running towards where she last saw him. When she reached the spot, he was nowhere in sight and she couldn't see immediately where he might have gone.

The battle in the streets of Imardin had already lasted nearly two hours and it was difficult to gauge how well it was going. As far as she could judge, they had managed to eliminate at least half of the Ichani who had entered the city. However, she thought these were probably the least experienced of the group. It was the ones who were left who would be the most difficult to deal with. She was tired, but refused to use Healing to avoid depleting her power. She knew only too well how dangerous it would be to face a black magician with low reserves of power.

The day had started very early, with a final discussion of Akkarin's plan. Takan had been given the job of acting as the link between Akkarin and Cery, using the blood gem connection to allow Akkarin to control just where Cery's band of men went to spread confusion in the path of the Ichani. Later, as she ran through the streets, she had seen a group of Cery's men at work. They were disguised in robes, and took on a group of Ichani slaves accompanied by a master. She was surprised to see a few forcestrikes and couldn't work out how the false magicians could be using magic, then she caught sight of Senfel amongst them. He must still be under a compulsion, she thought. Trust Akkarin to find a way of giving some credibility to the robed men!

The Ichani had poured through the remains of the destroyed Northern Gate, just as Akkarin had predicted. She, Akkarin and a few of Cery's men had been waiting for them. In those vital first minutes they succeeded in disrupting the Ichani progress and splitting off some of the magicians from the others. She and Akkarin cornered one of them and destroyed him very quickly, draining his power before turning their attention to the others. They pursued another pair and drove them into a yard with only one entrance. The Ichani had turned to fight, but as they couldn't coordinate their attack, and were unprepared for a battle with Kyralian black magicians who could, it had been easy to defeat them.

These early successes had given Sonea a deceptive rush of self-confidence. It seemed so easy, picking them off one-by-one. She began to relax. Surely Akkarin had over-estimated the difficulty of their task. She noticed a single female Ichani dart into a narrow passageway and set off in pursuit without a second thought. She rushed down the alley, not stopping to take account of her surroundings, and found herself in a small open area, apparently alone. She skidded to a halt and turned to look around for a door or other hiding place. That was her mistake. A shape fell upon her from above, knocking her to the ground. She was momentarily stunned and in that instant, the Ichani made a cut on her arm and Sonea felt the outward rush of her power as it was drained from her. She couldn't control any of her magic, not even to Heal the cut. She tried to push the woman off, but could not dislodge her. Her power continued to drain and she knew if she didn't stop it very soon, it would be too late. She could feel herself growing weaker, the edges of her vision darkening. She bucked and twisted desperately underneath the woman without success. Just as she was beginning to despair, the Ichani was blasted by a forcestrike which knocked her off Sonea, breaking her hold.

Sonea leapt to her feet, Healing the cut on her arm as she did so. She saw Akkarin standing over the Ichani woman, holding her immobile.

"Don't just stand there!" he said sharply. "Deal with her."

Sonea made a swift cut on the woman's neck and took her power, replacing what she had lost and gaining more.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Akkarin glared at her, "I don't have time to rescue you," he said sharply. "If you can't cope, get away and let me concentrate on what I need to do."

She felt herself flush at the reprimand. It was well deserved. She knew better than to simply follow a black magician into an unknown area without a single thought for the consequences. If Akkarin hadn't come after her, she would be dead. She knew that all too well.

"How did you know?" she asked him.

He didn't answer, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a stocky man, dressed in robes, lurking near the passage and guessed that one of her 'protectors' had somehow told him of her plight.

"Come on," he said brusquely, "We have to keep up with them."

Rejoining the street, Akkarin had a few words with one of Cery's men then gestured for her to follow. They skirted the North Square and plunged down another road, all the time getting closer to the Guild. They were following a trail of destruction left by the Ichani. She saw several still bodies lying where they had fallen, one or two of whom were wearing dark robes. Almost at the same time she began to see images sent by dying magicians, and she couldn't prevent her mind filling with despairing mental messages as Guild magicians tried and failed to stop the Ichani.

Suddenly, Akkarin swerved away from the trail down another series of streets, where there were no signs of fighting. At first she wondered what he was doing, then she realised he was trying to get ahead of the Ichani. Not long afterwards, he came to a stop. They were in a side street, which was relatively calm, with no sign of disturbance. He pulled her over to the side and spoke quickly.

"What's left of them are still grouped together. Cery's men are going to close in on them to scatter as many as they can," he said. "We can expect them to break up into smaller groups and find different ways to get to the Guild. I need you here to watch for any sign of Ichani in this area and send to me at once if you see them. Try everything you can to keep them from reaching the Guild."

She stared at him. This was it, the time when he separated her from danger. She didn't believe for a moment that the Ichani would pass her way. She thought it was more than likely that they were already past this point. That's why he'd told her to send to him, the Guild would not hear her, because she would not have a message to send. She could see two of her protectors in the background, trying to pretend they had other business. Her safe position was being carefully constructed.

"How long do you want me to wait, Akkarin?" She was proud of the way her voice remained steady.

He was silent for a few seconds, then said, "No more than thirty minutes. If no one has come by then, make your way towards the University."

Thirty minutes, enough time for him to kill or be killed, her thoughts were dominated by her fear of what might happen. She knew better, though, than to argue.

"The University? Is that where you'll be?" she asked calmly.

He ignored her question, instead he said urgently, "Remember what we discussed this morning. Under no circumstances are the Ichani to be allowed anywhere near the Arena. If I cannot stop them from entering the Guild grounds, you must make sure they don't get access to the Arena. Get the others to help you, if necessary. There will be plenty of magicians milling around the Guild. You must persuade them to help you. I will join you…" if I can….was the unspoken end of his sentence.

She remembered her astonishment earlier that morning when Akkarin disclosed that black magicians could take power from buildings which were imbued with magic. The Arena, of course, was the one building in the whole of Kyralia where magic was routinely added to strengthen it. She shared his concern about letting the Ichani gain access to it. Once they absorbed that power, there would be no stopping them.

"I'll go on," he said, but instead of leaving immediately, he stared at her for a few moments and she wondered what was going through his mind. She was afraid that she knew – he was saying goodbye. She couldn't bear his scrutiny, so she turned away to find a place to wait. When she looked again, he had gone.

"May the Eye of Heaven keep you safe," she whispered, the old dwell prayer coming easily to her despite her years away from dwell life.

She closed her eyes and began to create an illusion. She needed to get away quickly and her main idea was to create a copy of herself standing in full view of her protectors. She didn't know how long the illusion would last, especially as she would not be nearby, but it was the best she could think of. It only took a minute or two. She sent it out into the street a little until she was sure they'd seen it, then slipped away.

She gambled on the direction Akkarin would take. She knew he was following the path of the Ichani, but at the same time, falling back towards the Guild, as they'd agreed. She ran down her chosen route and after a few minutes was rewarded with a distant view of the tall figure of Akkarin some way ahead. She had tracked him relatively easily, until she tripped on the cobble and now she'd lost sight of him.

She stared around in panic. Where is he?

She stared in every direction, slowly turning in a complete circle. No Akkarin anywhere. It was her bad luck that when she tripped, they had been near a maze of narrow streets and alleys. He could have gone down any one of them and so could the Ichani. If she couldn't find him quickly, it would mean the end of her plans. He had said thirty minutes, so he expected to get to the Ichani very soon. She had no time to lose. She looked around again, hoping against hope she would catch sight of him, but saw nothing. She stumbled towards a wall and leaned on it, hands covering her face. She had failed.

She was startled by a gentle touch on her arm. She looked up and found Takan standing in front of her, a calm expression on his face.

"Takan!" she gasped as she grabbed his arm, "Where's Akkarin?"

"I will show you," he said.

Giving silent thanks for the blood gem link between Akkarin and his servant, Sonea followed him as he led her down a series of back streets. Eventually, she found herself near to the gates of the Guild. Takan pulled her into a gap between two buildings, out of sight of passers-by. There was no sign of Akkarin. She looked at the servant quizzically.

"He will come soon," Takan said. "I sense him nearby."

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked.

Takan smiled broadly, "I knew when he left you. I could sense him most strongly and I could tell roughly where he was, so I simply searched for you. Listen carefully," Takan's voice took on an insistent tone, "There is much danger here. Most of the Guild magicians have retreated into the grounds. They have had many losses and they are afraid. Akkarin has killed another two Ichani, but there are still three left and they are coming. You must help him, because I sense he is weakening."

As he had been speaking, Sonea could hear the familiar sounds of a magical struggle coming closer.

"What will you do now?" she asked him.

"I shall wait in case Akkarin or you need strength," the servant replied, moving deeper into the gap, out of sight.

She peered at the Guild gates. They were firmly shut and she could see Warriors milling around inside. The noise of battle came closer, then Akkarin came into view. He was facing three Ichani magicians who were hurling a variety of forcestrikes and stunstrikes at him. So far his shield was holding, but she could see parts of it were weakening. He kept the three away from him by the force and direction of his strikes, but they were simply waiting for his power to lessen, then, she knew, they would close in for the kill.

None of them had seen her yet. She kept still and watched as the three Sachakans continued to push Akkarin back. Soon he would be trapped between the gates and the Ichani, with nowhere to go. She could see two or three Warriors come close to the gate to see what was happening, but they made no attempt to join in. She wondered if they knew who he was. If they did, they would not let him in.

As the group drew level with her hiding place, she stepped forward, and concentrating her power on the nearest Ichani, she began to batter his shield. He was taken completely by surprise and his momentum faltered. She pounded him with the most powerful strikes she could manage and was rewarded by signs of his shield weakening.

Almost as if he were standing next to her, she heard Yikmo's instructions in her mind, telling her exactly where to place her strikes. She carefully followed the dead Warrior's instructions and saw her enemy fall, his shield disintegrating under the force of her attack. Within seconds she was on him, taking his power.

That left two. They had taken no notice of her actions, preferring to concentrate on Akkarin. She could see the weaknesses in his shield were spreading.

Akkarin, I'm coming, she sent.

There was no need for secrecy now, not when they were at the Guild gates in full view.

He made no response, nor looked in her direction, but concentrated on defending himself and keeping the Ichani at bay. She moved over to Akkarin's side and faced the Ichani. Akkarin was sending most of his strikes against the older one and she guessed this must be the leader.

So your little pet has joined us, an unfamiliar mental voice spoke. I shall look forward to having her.

Akkarin made no reply but continued his onslaught. Sonea took on the younger one and began to attack him, successfully diverting his attention away from Akkarin. The battle between the four of them raged on, with neither side gaining a permanent advantage. She lost track of time, lost in a continuous process of striking at the enemy and strengthening her shield. She was conscious of Akkarin doing the same. She hadn't time to look at him for more than a second or two. Everything else around her faded from her conscious thoughts. It was as if the four of them were cut off from everything else. The only noise was the sharp sound of their strikes, the only living things were the four of them.

Akkarin you have lost. Soon all will witness my triumph.

You waste your time, Kariko. I will stop you here. You will go no further.

She was surprised how calm and unhurried Akkarin's mental voice was. Anyone not present would never imagine he was fighting for his life. She was filled with a feeling of certainty. They were going to win this battle. She redoubled her efforts, recklessly using her power to strengthen her strikes. She was rewarded by signs that her Ichani was worried by the ferocity of her attack, as he began to give ground a little. She shut out the other two to concentrate more strongly on her opponent. There! She hammered his shield relentlessly and watched as his expression turned to horror as she began to penetrate it. Again! Again! She was chanting in her head as each strike thudded into his shield. Then it was all over. She felled him with a fierce collection of strikes. She fumbled for her knife, made the cut and drained what was left of his power. It wasn't much, certainly not enough to replenish what it had cost her to defeat him.

She turned to help Akkarin. To her horror, he was being forced back more quickly. It was only a matter of time before he would be pressed up against the gates. She tried to reach his side, but Kariko seemed full of power and was able to send enough strikes towards her to keep her away.

I will hang what's left of you on the gates for all to see.

She could hear the eager anticipation in Kariko's voice. She redoubled her efforts to reach Akkarin, conscious that her power levels were falling fast. There has to be enough left! She continued to push forward, keeping her shield at its maximum by reducing her strikes. I must reach him, I must!

Stay away! Akkarin's voice commanded, Stay away, Sonea!

She ignored him. She could see that Kariko's attack was even fiercer than before and Akkarin's shield was weakening fast. She had to get to him and give him some of her found herself struggling to contain the strikes against her shield. Her power was depleting more quickly than she'd hoped and still she hadn't been able to reach Akkarin close enough to touch. There was a blinding flash and she heard mocking laughter from Kariko. When her sight cleared she was horrified to find another Ichani had joined Kariko and this one was targeting her.

She turned to face him, keeping her shield strong, but she knew that time was running out. She could not help Akkarin now, all her efforts were focused on the newcomer. He was strong and his shield was firm. Nothing she could do could make even the smallest impact on it.

She heard a tremendous sound from where Kariko and Akkarin were fighting and then a loud gasp. She turned her attention away from her attacker and was horrified to see that Akkarin was on the ground, his shield gone and Kariko poised above him, his raised hand holding his jewelled knife. Without thinking she sent a powerful blast towards him. Kariko, who had perhaps assumed that his companion was keeping her busy, had dropped his shield ready to make an end of his fallen opponent. Sonea's blow struck him hard and he toppled sideways.

Everything happened at once. Sonea's opponent gave a loud cry and rushed to where Kariko was lying. Sonea scrambled to Akkarin. He was lying still, his hand clasping the hilt of a dagger buried in his chest. His eyes were open and he was still conscious, although his breathing was harsh.

"I'll Heal you," she said frantically.

"No," he said faintly, "You must deal with Kariko first."

She looked up. Her erstwhile attacker had gathered up his fallen leader in his arms and was trying to help him. She could see that both Ichani were vulnerable. She looked once more at Akkarin, trying to judge how long he could sustain himself without Healing.

"Go," he ordered. "I'll be all right for a few minutes."

She got up and collected herself for a strike against the Ichani. Before she could deliver it, she was struck by a fierce strike which came from the kneeling Ichani. The last thing she remembered was the look of pure hatred on his face as he aimed at her and the pain as the strike hit her.

She felt herself fall and then everything went black.