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This was the moment where they died, when Mai’s barrier collapsed and the flames engulfing them turned them into immolated shards.

Mai screamed.

The moment she let go, Yoreno bent down and covered his head, a whoosh of fire exploding all around them.

The air was hot, enough so to make Yoreno scream.

Subsiding, he looked up, his skin stinging from the heat of the flames that had—apparently dissipated just as Mai had released her barrier.

Glancing about, Yoreno found the enemy mage stopping as he gasped for air.

“Now!” Yoreno cried and ran forward.

The mage slung something at him, but Yoreno deflected the magical projectile with the flat of his blade and then cut the magicker down. He cried out in a spray of blood, his swordsmen scattering to surround Yoreno so they could avenge their commander.

That’s when Dell and Dantera slammed into them on either side of him, their swords swiping about, killing with each stroke of their blades.

A bright light enveloped the plateau from behind Yoreno. Despite looking in the opposite direction, it was almost too much for him to manage.

But for their enemy, they were completely blinded, crying out as they covered their faces with their arms and flinched away.

Yoreno cut down one swordsman, then he cut down another enemy warrior with a spear and stepped over the flailing corpse to slice two more.

More men cried out, dying in pools of their own blood as Dantera screamed, with every slash of her blade. With every strike she felled several warriors.

The light subsided and the enemy warriors opened their eyes, their ranks still thinning fast. Something flew past Yoreno, taking the man in front of him in the forehead.

Sorika moved up beside him and plucked the blade out of his head, then finished the warrior off with her longer dagger.

The enemy’s line was in tatters and began to melt away fast. The man in front of Yoreno turned to flee with his allies, but Sorika lunged, slashing him from his shoulder down to his waistline.

Crying out, the warrior felt to his knees whereupon Sorika dragged her bloody blade across the front of his throat, ending him there on the rocks.

“We did it!” Dell cried as the dozen or so warriors still left alive turned and fled down the path.

Dantera said nothing as she held her blade at the ready, breathing heavily from her aggressive exertions.

The blade style she used now was nothing remotely like her quick agility when she wielded Ito Farralia.

Someone behind Yoreno turned and fled. When he whirled around, he found Mai rushing to Lev’s side.

They all joined her around their fallen friend and ally.

Dorrin was covered in blood from shoulder toe. “Is he going to make it?”

Mai felt at his scalp, probing for injury, no doubt.

“Well?” Dell asked.

“Shhh!” Mai hissed. “I need to concentrate.

They waited, Yoreno not realizing he was holding his breath until he breathed out heavily so he could suck in a large lung full of air.

Don’t die on us, you arrogant commoner.

Continuing to probe at his scalp and temples with her fingers, Mai moved her bloodied fingertips over Lev, concentrating with her eyes closed. She then pulled her hands back and connected the skin of her palms with the sweaty grime-covered skin on the sides of Lev’s face.

Was she using magic?

Completely silent, Yoreno moved back, preparing himself for what was to come. She couldn’t do it. The damage had been too great. Yoreno had seen it happen, remembered how their archer’s head slammed against the slate, how it had bounced up once and then came down one final time as blood shot out from his eyebrow.

Even now his face was covered in blood.

But the blood did not run freely. It had congealed. Bending toward Lev, Yoreno took off his glove and grasped Lev’s leg. He squeezed gently.

The arrogant commoner groaned. “Who is that grabbing my leg?”

Yoreno’s eyes widened as Sorika gasped.

“He’s alive!” Dell said.

Yoreno let go and moved up closer. “Lev,” he said. “Lev, can you hear us?”

The archer opened his eyes and blinked heavily.

“My head hurts.”

Mai took her hands away and breathed out in a shuttering breath. She then faltered and Yoreno grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her from falling over. “Mai! Mai, are you all right?”

“Mmm,” she noised and reached up to her own temple. “I’m… exhausted.”

“You’ll be all right,” Dantera said. “And it looks like you saved your friend.”

“Really?” Lev asked.

“Yeah,” Dell said. “Unfortunately she did. Where else do you think you’d be right now?”

“I don’t know, one of the hells, maybe?”

Chuckling, Dell said, “Lev—the only commoner in the group and the one member who thinks he’s actually funny!”

“I think he’s funny,” Dorrin said.

“What happened to you?” Yoreno asked. “You’re…” He gestured to the blood covering the scout.

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “It’s not mine. It’s from one of those mounts. It died near the cliff and I had to use it for cover.”

Yoreno nodded.

Quickly he got up and went to the edge of the plateau. The enemy warriors were still down there, most of them retreating while some of them dragged away their wounded.

Yoreno, blood still pumping wildly, yawned. He was so tired—had gotten very little sleep during their captivity. Even though Mai had mended him, giving him extra strength at that time, now he felt like a spent sack of manure.

Dantera came up beside him. “So,” she said musingly. “You came back for me even when I told you not to.”

Yoreno thought about what to say for a moment, but then decided to simply say the truth. “Yes.”

“Now is not the time,” she said. “But we will talk about this.”

Without looking at her, he nodded his ascent. For now, they needed to find shelter. “We should go into the caves.”

“My horse is inside,” she said. “I have some food.”

They went back to the group surrounding Lev.

“I’ve never had so much attention in my life,” Lev said.

“And you better behave,” Dell said, “or we’ll abandon you to be scooped up by those guys at the fort.”

“It is time to go,” Dantera said. “We are heading into the saves.”