Shattered Chains (Magic : the Gathering) by Clayton Emery

Author:Clayton Emery
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780061054198
Publisher: HarperEntertainment
Published: 1995-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

"FORM UP!" RAKEL HOLLERED. "CAPTAINS! DRESS

your lines! You! Don't you backstep an inch or I'll haveyour guts for garters! Form up! Don't worry aboutthose demons, worry about me! Form up, 1 said!"

Rakel turned from the oncoming wave of demonsto glance at the camp. Gull cast a look that way, too.The camp followers were performing their duties:rather than gawking or screaming or running to hide,most were striking camp. Blacksmiths and cooks andclerks and mothers with babies slung in sacks or tod-dlers at their knees stumbled in the dark, dropped thetents, stowed cooking gear, saddled horses and packmules. The army's new commander had decreed that,when action came, every nonfighter was to strikecamp. Her purpose was twofold: one, so the armycould move quickly, either in advance or retreat; two,to keep folks busy to prevent panic.

"Tighten up! They can't hurt us! They're justdemons, by the spirits!" Rakel shouted more to dis-tract her charges from fright than to give them infor-mation. From their four compass points, Rakel had

drawn her meager force into a thin ring around thecamp. But the ring bristled like a porcupine. Almostfifty warriors wore shields slung at their backs, axesor swords on their belts, and bows and quivers overtheir shoulders. In addition, each held an oak lancetipped with a wicked steel head. The cavalry andscouts champed at the bit just inside the ring, andRakel had by her the young musicians. Waiting at thecenter, ready to go in any direction, were Stiggur atophis clockwork beast and Liko wielding two clubs.

A small but potent force.

Facing hundreds of shrieking demons.

It was hard to see them by the wan firelight—fadingfast as cooking fires were extinguished—but thedemons seemed much alike. They were no bigger thanchest high, so Gull wondered if they were anotherspecies of goblin. Some had tall pointed ears, somenone, some twisted horns like a goat's, others smoothbald heads. Yet each looked dried out, as if mummi-fied, their guts shriveled and their skin shrunk tight tothe bone, so every rib could be counted, every jointpicked out in skeletal detail. All went naked, with dark,wrinkled skin like burnt snakes, and all had long whitefangs that glistened. Most hideous, they had roundred glowing eyes like coals kicked up from hell.

And there were so many! Gull wanted to shoutfrom sheer surprise. They spilled from cracks in thecanyon walls like ants from a rotten tree, leaping,bounding, hopping, and shrieking.

Then he had no time to think, for the demon wavestruck.

Immediately before Gull was Captain Ordando'sGreen Company. The men and a few women stood flat-footed and bent-kneed, lances leveled, braced as ifready to fight an undertow. Gull wondered why Rakelhadn't made them string their bows and shoot, but per-haps she thought the light too poor, or that the demonscame too fast, or that missing might damage the army'smorale. Whatever, the line looked pathetically thin toGull, but the fighters didn't waver. This was partly due

to Rakel's training and stern discipline, partly to herstanding just behind them with short sword drawn. Allknew she'd cut down the first soldier who ran. Butthough some knees wobbled, no one bolted.

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