Wiz turned from his half-built spell at Moira’s gasp in time to see Donal reel backward from the blows.
“cancel!” he shouted and pointed his staff at the packed mass. “for 1 to 10 flash do” he shouted. “exe!”
Instantly the corridor went from a bluish gloom to a light more brilliant than the brightest summer noon. Then it went pitch dark and then the light again and again and again. The goblins howled in pain from the blasts of light. In the strobe of the bolts Wiz could see them weirdly frozen, trying to shield their eyes and ignoring the two helpless men on the floor.
Wiz pointed his staff at the goblins and muttered another command. “Bibbity boppity boo!”
A ravening lance of flame shot from the end of the staff and struck the foremost goblin squarely. The creature shrieked, a high, almost womanish sound, as the fire took it. Another bolt shot from Wiz’s staff and another goblin turned into a living torch. Again and again Wiz’s staff shot fire and more goblins burned.
That was too much. The goblins broke and fled, the ones in the fore trampling their fellows behind them in their haste to escape.
Wiz closed his eyes and breathed a silent prayer. Moira dashed out into the corridor to the wounded men.
Kenneth had an ugly wound in his calf but he could limp back with only a little assistance. Donal was in a worse way, conscious but groggy and bleeding heavily from the wound in his side. Moira and Wiz got the two inside and laid them on the dirty straw.
“My bow,” Kenneth commanded and Wiz rushed back to get it. When he returned he found the guardsman had dragged himself to the door and was standing propped against the jamb.
“Thank you, Lord,” he said as Wiz handed him the bow. “I will keep watch from here. But we need to be gone quickly.”
“I’m trying,” Wiz told him, “but this is more complicated than I bargained for. I don’t think those damned worms were such a hot idea after all.”
“Make haste Lord,” Kenneth panted. “They have not gone far and they will come again soon.”
“Likely with others who are not so flighty,” said Donal, who came limping up in spite of Moira’s efforts to keep him lying down.
Wiz took a deep breath and returned to the job of shutting down a worm.
It was an intricate process. The worms were under the control of the Emacs back at Heart’s Ease and Wiz had no direct communication with them. He could not simply neutralize the worms, he had to shut at least some of them off completely. The entities had been busy reproducing themselves since they first appeared, so that was difficult.
“backslash, class worm suspend . . .” He shook his head. No, that wouldn’t work! “cancel” He tried again. “backslash. . .”
“Lord, you’d better get out of here quickly,” Kenneth said quietly. “We have a new problem.”
* * *
The dragons rose from their shaking caverns as their riders fought to keep them under control. They formed into a group of ragged Vs as they swept once around the peak and then turned toward the sea. There was no attack warning, no battle plan, not even any orders. It was simply better to sortie blindly than to wait.
High above, the Dragon Leader watched them come. He had barely two squadrons behind him and the entire dragon cavalry of the City of Night was on the wing below. But he had height and position and the climbing ranks were confused and hesitant. He raised his hand over his head and pointed down. Then he nudged his mount and the entire force hurtled earthward in formation.
In the midst of a hurricane of sorcery there was no magic to aid either side. Magic detectors screamed constantly, useless in the boil of spells. Even the psychic link between dragon and rider weakened and wavered in the maelstrom of magics that enveloped the City of Night.
Freed from close control, the dragons fought by instinct. Formations dissolved into whirling, flaming chaos as the two groups collided. Great winged bodies hurtled into each other, ripping and tearing and unseating riders. Dragon fire flew in all directions without discipline or guidance.