The zombie attackers gave as good as they got and then some. Salvos of arrows struck the plane, without effect. The mechanical damage the iron arrows could do was minor and the plane itself was not complex enough to be killed by their death spells. Dragon fire was something else. In spite of the efforts of his gunners and Charlie’s frantic jinking, the swarm of dragons drew closer and closer, swirling in about him and diving on the aircraft to deliver gouts of fire. The cockpit was magically protected against dragon fire and there was no fuel on board, but the fire of even undead dragons is hotter than a flamethrower.
Finally it was all too much. Trailing flame in half-a-dozen places, the AN-2 went down in a flat spin. As the plane hit the water the magic link broke and the green diamond on the display winked out.
“I don’t suppose…” Moira said into the strained silence.
“We will do what we can,” Bal-Simba said, “but I fear it is not much.” He turned to issue orders to one of the Watchers.
The others continued to stare numbly into the inky water.
“I am sorry,” Kuznetsov said at last.
“Don’t be,” Jerry said quietly. “It was what he wanted.” He looked into the still black water in the bowl. “Maybe more than he ever wanted anything in his life.”
“At least it will not be in vain,” Moira said. “He has taken us the first step. Now we will continue what he has begun.”
“Your part approaches, Lady,” Bal-Simba told her. The others have assembled in the great hall.”
Gilligan nodded to the Chief Watcher. “You have the watch.”
Erus inclined his head and stepped to the tank to watch and issue whatever further instructions might be necessary.
As he followed the others out the door Gilligan’s feelings were decidedly mixed. His training told him he was abandoning his post at a critical time, but his reason told him there was nothing more he could do. Unlike a controller in his own world he didn’t have the capability to shape the battle from here on out. The forces were launched and everything depended on the execution. Now he could go kick ass with impunity.
Gilligan wasn’t the introspective sort so it never occurred to him to wonder how much of his decision was reason and how much was the driving need to actually do something.
Perhaps fortunately, he was gone by the time the tank showed the zombies closing in on Karin and Senta.
Over the sea north of the City of Night a new battle was shaping up. The Enemy launched the last of its forces to meet the incoming squadrons.
The zombie squadrons bore north in ragged formation. These were the scrapings of the Enemy’s aerie and many of the dragons and riders were so badly damaged they could barely fly, much less maintain formation. Still, under command of their guiding intelligence they all climbed and circled as best they could.
The League dragons came on in a smooth squadron weave. The defenders had height on them and the sun at their backs. Wings locked, they dove on the intruders.
A blast of dragon fire and a spark went tumbling from the sky. Another blast and another scrap of burning parchment went fluttering seaward.
In quick succession they knocked a dozen more “dragons” from the sky, all scraps of parchment.
That was proof enough even for zombies. As one they turned away from the drones and ran for the City of Night.
It was already too late.
The dragon cavalry of the League had trickled south under a cloaking spell, giving wide berth to the City of Night. Now they swept in around the volcano and over the City of Night on its slopes. Wing on wing of dragons soared above the Enemy’s city and strafed anything that moved on the ground with bursts of dragon fire. The Enemy’s aeries were empty and no dragons rose to oppose them. The zombies that trickled south from the decoy missions arrived in dribs and drabs and were easily burned from the air by dragon fire.
The great hall was not merely full, it was jammed. The eight wizards who would send the storming party on its way were pushed back against the wall by the crush. Besides a twenty-foot dragon, most of the castle guard was mustered, armed and ready, and another dozen or so wizards were scattered among them. Mick Gilligan was toward the center with his new pistol. Taking up half the space was a knot of 127 dwarves gathered close around their long and as far from the dragon as they could manage.