"I could have gotten us killed," Snowcloud said, a somber tone to her voice.

"You could have," Arran agreed. "But you didn't. Let's leave it at that."

He still felt some anger at Snowcloud for hesitating in the heat of battle, but there was no point in venting it now. All it could do was further erode her confidence, and that would only increase the risk of it happening again. What he needed now was Snowcloud the way she had been at the end of the battle — a frighteningly powerful mage.

"Will you be able to fight?" Arran asked.

Snowcloud nodded. Although her eyes were still red, the tears had stopped, and she seemed to have calmed down.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We should take the initiative," Arran said. "They don't yet know what happened. If we attack now, we have a chance to take them by surprise."

"All right," Snowcloud said, her expression determined.

"But you have to be careful," Arran continued. "The ones we face inside will be stronger."

"How do you know?"

"They were sent out to deal with a small nuisance," he explained. "That's something the leaders would leave to their juniors."

"I suppose that makes sense," Snowcloud replied. "So how do we fight them?"

"This time, we'll have to attack head-on, and overwhelm them before they have a chance to respond."

It wasn't much of a plan, but waiting longer would just give the remaining deserters more time to prepare. If they attacked right away, at least their targets would be caught off-guard. With their numbers already reduced by two, that should be enough to secure victory.

Before they left, Arran took the slain novices' void bags. Snowcloud looked surprised to see this, but Arran shrugged and said, "Maybe they're carrying Essence Crystals."

They made their way to the edge of the clearing that held the fortress, and once more, the sight caused Arran some worry.

Around the fortress was a large clear area without any cover whatsoever, and they would have to run at least a quarter mile before they reached the gate. While that might not be enough time for their enemies to rally their defenses, it would give them an opportunity to sound the alarm.

Still, there was nothing for it but to run as quickly as they could.

"We'll have to run," Arran said, speaking in a low voice. "I'll take down the gate, then attack with all my strength. What you need to do is hide your power, then attack as soon as the novices appear. Can you do that?"

"I can," Snowcloud answered with a nod.

"You can't hesitate," Arran added. "If you do, I will die."

"I won't," Snowcloud said. From the resolute look on her face, it seemed she believed it.

Of course, in truth, Arran was prepared for the possibility that she would hesitate again. This time, he would not trust her blindly — after he brought the gate down, he would keep his Force and Wind Essence in reserve, ready to defend himself when the novices appeared.

"Ready?" Arran gave Snowcloud a questioning look.

"Let's go," she replied.

Arran took a final deep breath. The next few moments would be crucial, and he knew that the faster he ran, the better their chances would be.

Then, he dashed off toward the fortress, using every bit of strength his body held. He put such force into his strides that his feet tore the ground, and he was already halfway when the first calls of alarm sounded from the fortress.

Several arrows flew toward him from the stronghold's walls, but Arran was moving too fast for the archers to hit him — and even if they did hit, an arrow fired from a normal bow would barely even scratch him.

He gathered up Force Essence as he ran, and when there were only a few dozen paces left between him and the gate, he launched a powerful Battering Force attack.

Strong though the gate might be, its iron-reinforced wood stood no chance against Arran's attack. The gate exploded inward with a deafening crash, the wood shattered and torn from the sheer force of the impact.

Arran did not pause to admire the damage he had wrought. Without waiting, he ran through the remains of the gate and into the courtyard.

Within the courtyard was a group of several dozens of bandits, but they looked confused and disorganized, with several only half-dressed — clearly, they had been roused only moments ago. Arran did not give them any time to get their bearings. He rushed toward the group with his sword drawn, launching several large fireballs into their midst as he moved.

The attacks hit with devastating effect, killing at least half the group in an instant. Screams of pain came from those who hadn't been killed instantly, but their suffering was brief — Arran arrived a moment later, cutting down all who still stood in a matter of moments.

By then, panic had broken out among the bandits who remained at the edges of the courtyard, and any thoughts they might have had of forming a defense vanished before the chaos unfolding around them. But even as they tried to flee, Arran continued attacking, fire sprouting from his hands, burning bandits and buildings alike.

As he rained down destruction upon the courtyard and those within it, Arran only barely paid attention to the men he was killing. They posed no real threat, and his real opponents had yet to show themselves.

The moment he had been anticipating came quickly. Arran Sensed a sudden build-up of Fire Essence that wasn't his, and he knew one of the novices had appeared. Instantly, he threw up a Force Shield and turned toward the threat, but there was no need — this time, Snowcloud did not hesitate.

Before the mage could even launch his attack, he was struck by a massive blow of Wind Essence that rammed into his body with such force he was flung several dozens of paces backward, only halting when he slammed into a wall. His broken body fell to the ground, motionless.

There was no time to celebrate, however. Even as one deserter died, another revealed himself, throwing a series of fireballs at Snowcloud. She deflected them with what seemed like a shield of Wind Essence, then retaliated with the same yellow-white lightning she had used to kill a novice earlier. Her opponent deflected the attack, but only barely, and he was forced backward.

As Snowcloud exchanged attacks with the mage, Arran did not intervene. Confident that she would prevail within moments, he focused his attention on finding the remaining deserter.

The courtyard was empty apart from the slain bandits' bodies, yet when Arran used his Shadowsight, he was startled to find a figure only a dozen paces behind Snowcloud, approaching her rapidly. He could neither Sense nor see the figure, but there was no time to think about that. If there was a threat, it would not wait for Arran to study it.

At once, he launched a Battering Force attack at the figure, then followed behind it himself, sword raised.

The attack hit the figure squarely with ruinous force, and it was sent sprawling to the ground. To Arran's surprise, there was a slight blur in the air, and a moment later a woman appeared in place of the figure, a sword in her hand and a startled look on her face.

Arran did not pause to think about what happened. Immediately, he launched a series of powerful sword blows, driving the woman back as she desperately defended herself. Yet despite being taken by surprise, she managed to parry and dodge his attacks, and after a few moments, Arran's advantage disappeared as she regained her composure.

Now, it was Arran who found himself on the defense, and he quickly sustained several small injuries. As the woman struck with the sword in her right hand, Arran Sensed a sudden surge of Fire Essence in her left hand. At once, he dodged — and only narrowly escaped a streak of yellow-white lightning that surged past his face, leaving a painful burn on his cheek.

He Sensed another swell of Essence in the woman's hand and was about to raise a Force Shield, but then, the woman was struck by a blast of Wind Essence that nearly took her off her feet. It seemed Snowcloud had finally defeated her opponent and come to Arran's aid.

Seeing an opportunity, Arran did not hesitate. In an instant, he rammed his sword through the staggered woman's chest before she had a chance to recover. A moment later, the Essence in her hand scattered into the air, and her lifeless body slumped to the ground.

Arran breathed a deep sigh of relief. Once again, the battle had been far closer than he wanted. But they had won, and right now, that was all that mattered.

When he turned to Snowcloud, there were no tears in her eyes. Instead, her normally pale cheeks were red with exertion, and she had a tired but relieved look on her face.

"That should be the last of the deserters," Arran said, although he did not dare to let down his guard.

"I hope so," Snowcloud said, still breathing heavy after the fight. "What do we do now?"

"Let's go inside," Arran replied. "We can talk after we clear the fortress."

Snowcloud nodded, and Arran was reassured when he saw that despite the weary look on her face, her eyes were sharp and focused. It seemed there was hope for her yet.