There was no time to formulate a plan. A glance over his shoulder told Hump that the shades they’d sent scattering only a moment before were already reforming. No doubt more would come too, drawn to the remnant essence and troll blood.

They had to move forward. The gateway was in sight. All that stood between them and it was a couple of packs of flesh prowlers.

Easy enough, Hump thought. The four of them had handled a pack of the beasts before. Now that they had five additional Chosen at their side, how hard could it be?

The flesh prowlers he glimpsed near the gateway told him very. They weren’t acting like monsters. They held back to the rubble within the guardhouse walls, yapping and snarling at each other from their positions, like they were defending their den. While the guardhouse was in range, it would take time to fight through such a force. Time Hump wasn’t sure they had.

His gut told him there was more to this. It warned him of something dangerous going on, and he tried to figure out exactly what his subconscious had realised that he hadn’t. There was a reason the shades had focused their attacks on Fishers Lake Town every month, and he had a terrible feeling it was the same reason the flesh prowlers acted as they did now.

A driving force was behind all this. A commander.

Hump’s eyes were once more drawn to Albry. Through the rubble and monsters, he spied the priest on his knees, bowed in prayer before the very gateway that was killing him. Bowed before the shadow beyond. Hump remembered how Albry had stared over them all during the altercation in the temple, as if he were analysing everything. Something had possessed him, and Hump was willing to bet this being of shadow was behind it all.

The figure filled the rift. It was a monolith that was too large to fit through. Hump wondered what would happen once the gateway would fully form. Could it come through? Was that its purpose?

All the more reason to stop it before it has a chance, Hump thought.

If what they understood about this Remnant Realm was correct, there was little life on the other side. It was no wonder that those trapped in that barren land would do anything they could to cross over to a world so full of it.

“The shades are moving,” Celaine hissed. “We can’t let them catch us out in the open like this.”

Hump looked back over his shoulder again as the shades rose over the rooftops of nearby buildings, like a flock of ravens. It was a dark omen. They drifted slowly, seemingly caught enticed by both the troll blood and them.

Between Celaine and Randall’s archer, their arrows reaped havoc on the creatures. Still, it was far from enough. It would take more than that to stop such numbers. The shades didn’t even need to cause much damage, just the threat of a rear attack was enough to make any strategy difficult.

“We need to charge forward,” Hump said. “Blow through the flesh prowlers before they have a chance to surround us.”

“Agreed,” Randall said. “Skander, look for a chance to take out those pack leaders and keep an eye on our flanks. Make sure nothing reaches Estel or Celaine.”

“Got it.”

“Madeleine, we’re going down the centre,” Randall said. “Take the lead and try to clump them up. We’re going to need to kill them fast.”

“They have potent healing abilities,” Celaine said. “Particularly the goliaths. We need to finish them fast.”

“I’ll lead the charge with you,” Bud told Madeleine.”

“No.” She tightened her shield strap around her arm. “This is my specialty. My blessings are all about drawing the attention of my opponents and holding them in place while the rest of you do damage. I’ll count on you for that.”

“Very well,” Bud said. “I’ll cover your left. Dylan, take the right.”

Madeleine gave him a curt nod then turned to the cleric. “I’ll count on Lawrence to keep me alive.”

He smiled, adjusting his own shield and pulling out a spiked mace that was the stuff of nightmares. “I’ll be ready.”

Madeleine chanted under her breath and red essence seeped from her skin, enveloping all of them in her power. Hump felt his blood rage. It filled him with fire and strength, and he felt the thrill of battle descend on him.

“Try not to get in my way, wizard,” Randall said, though the remark lacked the condescension of his usual tone. “Ice and fire are a poor mix.”

Hump grinned, deciding to take it as a challenge. “Right back at you.”

Madeleine took the lead and strode forward. Covered in plate, she appeared relax. She carried her shield and sword in an open stance, almost inviting the flesh prowlers to attack. No. She was daring them. They snarled and bared their teeth. the smallest of the beasts was larger than any wolf Hump had seen, and the goliath pack leaders as big as horses, but she did not slow.

When she reached the middle of the street, the largest of the goliaths bellowed a throaty howl. Hump’s blood ran cold as he felt its hunger to his soul. This time, it felt weak, unable to penetrate Madeleine’s aura. Her own bloodlust rising up to meet it.

Then the street filled with furious howls and the flesh prowlers charged. Two packs sped out of the guardhouse, a third emerging from an alleyway further up the street. Hump counted fourteen of the beasts, two of which were goliaths. Arrows tore into the grunts the moment they stepped out into the open, three going down before even reaching combat. One of the goliaths stumbled and snarled as an arrow took it in the base of the neck, but it shrugged off the blow as if it were nothing more than a nuisance.

Hump and Randall stopped a few paces behind Madeleine, Celaine and Estel at their backs, while the melee fighters continued forward.

Randall drew circles in the air with his wand, bubbles of cold forming along its trail, as if carved out of the air itself. It was only now that Hump realised how much the sorcerer had held back in the church. What had been a dozen or so bubbles before was now more like a hundred. He mumbled a chant, and they shot forward, seeking out the flesh prowlers much like Lantheer’s Flaming Arrows. They were slower, but as they reached their targets and exploded, they unleashed devastation.

The ice slathered over the creatures, each exploding with spikes. A single one didn’t cause too much damage, but where ten or more focused on a single beast, it brought them down in agony. That was two more out of the fight immediately. Then Madeleine and Bud were before them, auras of blood and ice filling the air. As her power rose, Hump felt his own thrill increasing, raging through him like fire in his blood. He noticed the eyes of the flesh prowlers turn red—they were feeling it to. And it drew them to her.

She braced her shield, essence streaming from it. When the first creature reached her, she slapped it aside with a resounding blow, the smaller ones hardly a threat to her at all.

As one of the pack leaders bore down on her, Hump saw no reason to hold back. It was time to put aside any fear of his own power. There was no holding back now. He drew upon the flame within him, channelling it to his staff. The power welled in the crystal focus, building like boiling flame, fighting to break free.

He took aim at the goliath, the beast set on Madeleine and completely oblivious to his own attack.

“Fire Ray.”

There was a thunderous boom. Fire streaked through the air, a beam of hot, red light. It tore into the goliath’s side and blasted it back. The creature screamed in agony, muffled only when it thudded to the ground.

It scrambled with its legs, either trying to find its feet or writhing from the pain. Its entire side was charred and red, the edges of the wound smouldering while the rest of it bled profusely. Where the blood didn’t cover, white flesh bubbled and blistered.

Bud rushed forward, his sword ablaze with frostfire. He drew it up overhead and landed a devastating swing across the creature’s neck. The head fell to the ground.

One pack leader dead, and it hadn’t even had the chance to transform. Working with Madeleine, Dylan smashed down upon the flesh prowlers that charged her, sending them flying with the power of Aspect of the Bear.

Hump turned as a shadow fell upon him. He aimed up at a cluster of shades. “Fire Blast.”

The spell sent ten of them flying back, their cloaks scuffed and burning, but they’d been too distant to land devastating damage against them. At least with such a rushed spell.

He leant heavily against his staff, catching his breath. In the past, a combination of spells like these would have left him exhausted, but he’d grown strong with the dragon’s imprint. He’d recover quickly.

“Hump! Right!” Celaine shouted.

Hump heard rather than saw the arrow that whizzed past him, and the gasp of a flesh prowler to his side followed. He swung his staff in that direction, essence forming at the end in a Parry Shield that would have made Vivienne proud. The creature slammed into it with all its weight but blows like that were what the shield was designed for, the the pack members were little larger than a dog. The impact jarred Hump’s hands, but he held strong. It fell away from the impact, stumbling and shaking its head, huffing out a breath.

Skander was above it a moment later, appearing in a burst of smoke. He fell upon the creature’s back, driving it to the ground with his weight and burying twin daggering into each side of the creature’s head. It collapsed silently.

“Thanks,” Hump said.

“Not at all,” Skander said, searching for his next target. “Next time I’ll try not to be late.”

Around them, what remained of the flesh prowlers were faltering. One goliath, its body bloodied and coated in ice, and a handful of the smaller pack members. For the first time, Hump saw fear replace the hunger in their eyes. This was a different fight from the one they’d had by the cave. The nine of them combined had power and defence well beyond the previous fight.

Bud, Dylan, and Madeleine pushed forward, forcing the flesh prowlers back into the guardhouse. When one stepped too close, Bud’s frostfire licked at its front, slowing it down as Dylan leaped over head and came down on its head with a powerful strike. It died speared on the end of Madeleine’s sword.

A few of the pack members fell back, gathering at the entrance. They blocked the path to the gateway, but they seemed reluctant to approach. It seemed this commander’s command did not absolve them of fear.

Hump levelled his staff alongside Randall, the two of them bathing the clustered group in flame of heat and ice. Arrows rained into them, whizzing over his shoulders and burying themselves into the beasts beyond. Sword, mace, and staff tore into the beasts that remained at the front.

The goliath fled back, yapping as it ran, vanishing into the shadows of the rubble. A couple of the pack members scrambling away behind it.

And then they were inside. Fourteen flesh prowlers dealt with just like that.

This close to the gateway Hump felt the buzz of magic in the air. The foreign essence made his skin tingle.

“All of you group up,” Bud said to the rest of them. “Madeleine, keep pushing toward Albry. We’ll guard the flanks.”

She grunted in agreement, advancing with her shield at the ready. The rest of them trailed behind, watching the gaps in the torn-up walls and pieces of furniture. It was the perfect place to hide. He could hear the remaining flesh prowlers scampering about in the hallways around them, they clawed feet scraping against wooden floors. But he didn’t catch sight of them. Somehow, that made it worse. Even though he knew their numbers were now low, it only took one mistake to have your neck torn through.

Stepping into the destroyed central section of the building, Hump’s stomach dropped. It wasn’t the gateway, or the blood drawn formation that surrounded it. Not even the shadowy figure beyond the gateway, too obscured for him to make out its features.

There were bodies.

At least twenty of them were piled up to the side of the formation. He stared at the one closest to him—a woman. Her hand was stretched out in his direction and she lay there with closed eyes. If not for everything else, she would have looked like she was sleeping.

Hump frowned. She didn’t have the pale look that corpses took on. She must have died recently. His frown deepened as he realised the lack of blood. Amongst the pile, he spotted chests rising—faint, but definitely there.

Hump sped forward.

“Wizard, get back here!” Randall snapped. Hump felt his hand touch his robes but he didn’t get a grip.

He knelt beside the woman, touching her neck for a pulse. There it was. A heartbeat. He looked over the others, and sure enough, they were breathing too. There were a few wounds here and there—minor bite wounds or scratches—far from the torn apart villagers of Lakewood.

“They’re alive,” Hump said.

“They’re taking prisoners?” Bud asked.

“Oh no,” Celaine said, looking over at the jail cells. The bars were bent and broken, torn from their fixtures. On one of them, Captain Winfrey’s body was impaled through the stomach, suspended in the air so that his head and feet hung limp on either side. His limbs were a bloody mess of bone.

“Gods above,” Bud said. “He was a good man.”

“We can mourn later,” Hump said through gritted teeth. Rage coursed through him. “We need to destroy this first.”

Hump stared up at the gateway, rage filling him. It floated slightly off the ground and was almost two stories too, completely collapsing the middle part of the ceiling so that they could see into the jail house above. Albry didn’t seem to have noticed them yet, his head still bowed, but the shadow most certainly had. Its head followed them intently.

“Ugly bastard, isn’t it,” Skander said.

“It’s watching us,” Randall said.

“No shit,” Hump said. He turned his attention to the formation. A trail of blood ran from Winfrey’s body to the first rune. “We need to destroy this.”

Randall didn’t wait, raising his wand and launching a beam of frostfire at the closest rune. It exploded against an invisible barrier, a blast of cold air radiating from the impact. Icy splashed over its surface, crystallising immediately and spiking from its surface. Hump shielded his face and grimaced.

“A formation this powerful can’t be forced through,” Hump said. “Not by us at least. We need to get around the shield.”

“How?” Randall asked.

Hump tried to comprehend the runes, but they were just as obscure as the ones he’d seen in the cave. They could try to ware down the shield, or they could come at it from a different angle. While barriers were very good at stopping direct attacks, most were less effective against things that targetted the environment around them. “We use the earth,” Hump said. “I’ll set up a formation. With a powerful enough spell, I should be able to disrupt the runes by manipulating the ground they’re carved in.”

“Won’t it block your magic?” Randall asked.

Hump shook his head. “My magic won’t go within the shield, but it doesn’t need to. I can manipulate the earth from out here.”

He set about producing a simple Transform Earth formation. Something to help to further focus his usual power. This was one of those times when he really needed a spell with more physical impact, but he would have to make do with the cantrip.

Nothing disturbed his preparations. With the spell ready, he gathered the others, then slammed his staff into the core of the formation and channelled.

“Transform Earth,” he whispered.

He willed the nearby earth to compress around the shield. It rose by his command, surrounding the surface like sand around a boot.

Albry rose from his bow and turned to him, eyes as black as the night, stares flickering within. Hump pressed harder, forcing the earth inside to shift and crack. Albry clutched his chest, gasping. The essence rising from him slowed as the formation faltered. Still Hump applied more force, willing more power into the spell, until there was so much earth packed into that small space that it formed a small trench around it.

Albry suddenly let loose an ear piercing scream, collapsing to the ground. The shield shattered, a blast of pressure booming past them. Hump fell back but Bud caught him by the shoulder, holding him up. Around then, bricks and furniture scattered in the blast.

Hump shielded his eyes from the dust with an arm, peeking out at the gateway. The edges flickered.

“Did it work?” Skander asked, glancing back at them.

His eyes suddenly went wide, something between a gasp and a gurgle escaping his lips. He stared at Hump with wide eyes, his back to the gateway. And that’s when Hump saw it. A long, thin spike pierced through Skander’s stomach, holding the rogue off his feet. Skander looked down at it, more confused than pained. It looked to be made of clay more than the appendage of any beast Hump had seen.

He followed the long arm back to the gateway, where the shadow was no longer distorted. It roared as it tore the gateway apart, thick, heavy hands pressed against its edges. It towered over them, taller even than a troll, with thick arms and a powerful body. Veins of violet and red popped through the surface of its skin as it fought against the closing gate, jamming it open with its body.

The spike withdrew, dropping Skander’s limp body to the ground. It wasn’t an arm. It had shot out of its stomach.

“No!” Randall roared.

The creature smiled a teethy grin. “You shall not stop my feast.” Its voice came like a whisper in Hump’s ear, dark and sinister. It let loose another roar, echoing like wind blasting through a tunnel. The gateway stretched open, and flesh prowlers stepped through.