Chapter 82

We had been slipping Mages into Azurana for several (Earth) days now; most were met up by a sanctum of Hinnit’s people and taken to various points on the surface of Azurana to be placed in position to evacuate the people there.

I had been tasked by Morgana to go with her, Arch, Róisín and Rinku to guard a precious Seers group who were going to do a scan of the guardian system of Azurana and find out where its control room was (to put it simply). What the Seers actually intended to do was obscure despite a few attempts by Abi to explain it to me, nor was I alone, Arch and Róisín were also somewhat confused and I suspect Morgana was too, although she hid it better.

We also had along Teali’s sanctum of forty female Azurans in their new body armour complete with built in wards to magically emulate a Loegrian battle suit complete with the brand new Ferfrans special operations assault rifle, which Mage Liang had acquired for us via his contacts in the Philippines local office as part of a Philippine Army purchase from the USA.

Teali’s sanctum had been given extensive training with their armour and new guns during a week in New Azurana which translated to a day and a half in the Outer Reaches. Arch and I were carrying single shot grenade launchers which carried my latest heavy duty Null grenades which we hoped might bring down any warded areas the Nephilim and Daoine Sidhe did not want us looking into. What was also very worrying was the Seer group also turning up in armour and toting weapons which I knew Morgana was not happy about at all.

The Seers however had been adamant about needing to be on Azurana and had decided that their best chance of survival was to be wearing armour and being able to defend themselves if necessary. Morgana simply didn’t have an answer for that.

We ported into the vicinity of Lorkhan, the Azuran capital, and immediately went to ground with Arch, Rinku, Róisín and I setting up Heinrich wards around our encampment as we waited for the countdown to end and our mission to begin. The six Seers we had with us were noticeably quiescent during this time and if they were scanning, they were doing it at a level none of us Mages could reach which was making us nervous, although Abi told me not to be when she came up for air, so to speak.

“We’re just adding to our database which Simone began,” she replied when I asked, noting the interest also being shown by the rest of our group.

“Anything of note?” Morgana asked.

“Just that the land itself although curved, giving a horizon that is, is not a globe and only encompasses roughly 150,000 square miles,” Abi replied.

“No seas?” Morgana asked frowning in thought.

“No, Mage Morgana, no seas, just a few large lakes and a couple of rivers,” Abi replied.

“So are the Nephilim aware of the ... edges?” I asked.

“I believe so, however they are mountains, which are themselves impenetrable, with some very complex and subtle aversion fields as well,” Abi replied.

“I suspect that any control room will be there,” I stated.

“You may be right, John, but until it kicks off we can’t do an aggressive scan,” Abi acknowledged before her eyes glazed over again.

“Not so large then,” I chuckled.

“No, John, and it explains the low Nephilim numbers too ... well that and the time difference,” Morgana replied.

“Yes, the Seers estimated a population of about 12 million with nearly a third being Malakha or Caddiysh,” I mused out loud.

“That’s a lot of people to keep in the field,” Arch frowned. “Almost matches Nazi Germany, though the USA was only about 9%.”

“A lot of this is recent and Nephilim armies essentially live off the land. The exception is their ammunition which is all produced in Lorkhan,” Morgana replied. “They do get good harvests here though according to Mergna.”

“The magic in the land helps, they get nigh on three harvests per year,” I added.

“We’re also fortunate they have to keep a lot of their troops here to keep the populace in check,” Róisín noted.

“Yep, it’s not like we’re facing 4 million of them in the field,” Arch chuckled.

“Thank God,” Morgana replied.

“The three thousand in Rwanda were bad enough,” I said.

“That was more in the way of a probe. Same on all the Earth’s they tried it on. If successful they threw in their armies, as they did against the Tuathans and the Tiamati,” Morgana replied.

“The Tiamati eventually called down the wrath of their gods, which I suspect totally ruined the Nephilim’s day,” chuckled Arch.

“Yes, their mix of magic and Theurgy is similar to the Craebh Ruadh and can be deadly if handled right,” Morgana replied.

“Yet our Higher Powers say it’s up to us to sort it out,” Róisín groused.

“That’s because they know we can,” Arch chuckled. “The Tiamati clearly couldn’t.”

“Never met one,” she replied.

“Think of an Earth where Mages are the priesthood and venerated as the chosen of God, and who truly believe that they are at that. Imagine the problems they have with a bunch of other Mages from other Earths who simply regard them as slightly backward cousins,” Morgana chuckled.

“No common ground at all?” I asked.

“No, other than the fact that they are Mages and can do magic very well indeed, but that the use of magic is used mostly to demonstrate to the rest of their population just how wonderful they are and you have them pretty much summed up,” Morgana replied with a wry smile.

“Another technologically stagnant society?” I asked.

“Very much so, John. Closest analogy would be the Egyptian empire of the Pharaohs,” Morgana replied.

I nodded in understanding at a society bound by religion which changed very little and followed the same pattern year in, year out.

“It is beginning, Mage Morgana,” Seer Adsila said into the silence.

“Lorkhan?” Morgana asked.

“Yes, the Seer team protected by Hinnit’s personal guard destroyed the new gate and are withdrawing. The Nephilim Malakha have called out their elite guard Caddiysh units and are in pursuit,” Adsila announced.

“Straight into Hinnit’s trap,” Arch chuckled.

“Yes, Mage Arch,” Adsila replied with a smile.

“What of the gate near Zudraj?” Morgana asked.

“No news as yet, Mage Morgana. Although the wall at Zudraj has been breached and there is fighting within the town as the people evacuate,” Adsila replied.

“Odd, no telepath blocks,” Róisín mused.

“We believe the Malakha do not know that they face Mages as yet, simply a revolt. We are keeping reports from their outlying units from them,” Adsila replied.

There were then a series of reports interspersed over the next few hours...

“Mage Tara reports heavy fighting at Lorkhan, but the southern wall is breached.”

“Zudraj gate is destroyed along with a Caddish fighting band attempting to pass through.”

“Villages and farms in the central lake area have been cleared; several of the resistance sanctums were mauled, but retain unit cohesion,” came a series of announcements.

“Those were the units we couldn’t get armour for,” I sighed.

“Yes John. That’s why they attacked the villages, not the towns,” Morgana replied.

“Mage Helen reports Zudraj evacuation going to plan; apparently Jeeval’s people anticipated the Malakha and Caddiysh reaction and took several of them out as the wall came down.”

“Mage Amehlo reports that Hinnit’s fighting band are engaging the elite Caddiysh units, our Seer team there is now safe and on their way home.”

“The other team?” Morgana asked.

“Withdrawing under fire, Mage Morgana, but Mage Maria’s people are with them now and the Caddiysh and Malakha are struggling to cope,” Adsila replied. “Seer Melanie was slightly injured from a kinetic pellet, but is still mobile and they’ll port out when they can fully disengage.”

“Glad we held the South Americans in reserve,” Arch noted.

“I figured they’d be needed for the Lorkhan gate group, but that went to plan easily,” Morgana replied.

“Sheer bad luck the Zudraj group ran into a fighting band,” Róisín added.

“Mage Liang reports that the township of Koltar is evacuated, no Malakha survivors, but the local Caddiysh band surrendered en-masse, apparently they were part of the resistance working for one of Jeeval’s lieutenants.”

“Mage Roxanne’s people have breached the fortress wall at Lorkhan. The Malakha have tried to recall their elite units, but Hinnit’s sanctums have them pinned down. The Senior Malakha is sounding desperate now.”

“They’d spread themselves too thin,” I chuckled. “What’s that old maxim? He who defends everything, defends nothing?”

“Very true in this case,” Arch replied. “They way outnumber us, but we can bring more troops and Mages to focus at any one place and destroy them in detail. The collapse of their communications network helps a lot too as all they have is individual commanders trying their best against overwhelming force and unable to call in reinforcements.”

“We believe we have located the control room, Mage Morgana,” Adsila announced.

“Good, let’s get into this fight!” Morgana replied emphatically.

The Seers ported us via a concealed portal to a mountain ledge having warned us that the air was thin and that it would be very cold, allowing us to adapt. All we could see once we arrived was a cave mouth, or rather a tunnel, it was too regular in shape to be a cave. Morgana and Arch made sure that Teali’s sanctum were protected from the elements as they spread out to ensure that there was nothing around to threaten us.

‘Can’t detect a thing, ‘ I mentally stated.

‘Neither can I, John, though I trust the Seers. If they say something is here, it’s here, ‘ Morgana replied.

Abi led the way confidently into the tunnel with the rest of us hurrying to catch up. We felt a small ward screen pass over us and the temperature as well as the oxygen content rose.

“Definitely something here,” Arch chuckled. “Teali, could your people now lead the way, be careful though, we simply do not know what to expect.”

“The evacuation has now started in earnest, Mage Morgana. We estimate at least three hundred thousand Azurans have ported out. Some however are refusing to leave; some have even attacked our forces,” Adsila announced.

“We expected that,” Morgana grimaced. “Order them bypassed and for our people to stick to the plan.”

“Yes, Mage Morgana,” Adsila replied. “Mage Roxanne reports that her group have destroyed the altar to Irin in Lorkhan.”

“And the sky didn’t fall down,” Arch chuckled.

“Indeed not,” Morgana replied with a smile. “Casualty report?”

“Lot of injuries in Hinnit’s fighting bands, only a few deaths though. Our medic Mages are doing wonders. No Mage casualties, but the resistance took heavy casualties when they attacked the Malakha and Caddiysh as our attacks began,” Adsila replied.

“Jeeval?” Morgana asked.

“She is guiding Mage Helen in the evacuation of Zudraj,” Adsila replied.

“I keep expecting the Malakha at least to wake up and smell the coffee,” Rinku said thoughtfully. “There aren’t that many of us.”

“We have far better Mages in the field than they do. Other than a few Mages such as Jerhz and Mergna we started training on New Azurana, there are no Malakha High Mages. The Sidhe would have killed any off who came close to higher magic. Our allies, particularly the Craebh Ruadh have also provided several combat Mages who are augmenting Hinnit’s fighting band and keeping them safe,” Morgana stated.

“I know, Mage Morgana. I just can’t get over how easy it is and keep expecting the hammer to fall,” Rinku replied with deference.

“Surprise, better weaponry and defence armour as well as some severe tactical mistakes on their part all help, Rinku,” Arch replied.

“Yes,” she replied and then shrugged. “Just glad it’s going so well.”

“As are we all,” Morgana replied as we approached a massive and seriously warded door. “Set a point for Null and remove the wards, John,” she ordered.

“Is Mage Roxanne clear of the fortress, Seer Adsila?” I asked.

“Yes, her group are trying to track down the High Malakha who fled when they realised there was no way they could stop her,” Adsila replied.

“Setting the transfer point for Lorkhan Fortress,” I said before firing the rubberised Null ‘grenade’ at the door where it stuck tight.

There was a massive discharge of energy as well as a distinct smell of burning rubber as the Null charge attempted to divert the ward energy and bring them down. There was a further bang as Arch launched his own Null grenade to stick to the door. I was beginning to wonder if we’d need a third ‘grenade’ when the wards finally gave out leaving the doors glowing white hot to be blown aside by Morgana.