144: Wrath by Dallas E. Caldwell

fur named Amrus to join him. The largest of the group, Kath, made it clear he did not wish to sit out the initial assault. He stood head and shoulders above the rest and was twice as thick, but he was much gentler than his ursine visage implied. Kertyah knew he only wanted to be part of the strike so that his brothers would not need to risk themselves. Sol, a small but grisly looking male with auburn fur and a narrow snout, and Revi, a lean female with golden fur broken by scattered black spots, readied their horses in case they were needed as a second wave assault.
    With a few last gestures, he led his party forward. They crawled on hands and knees as their animal cousins might stalk a bicklehorn.
    As they approached, Kertyah marked their targets. The large Faldred lay sprawled on his back, snoring loudly. The young female was still within her tent. The old warrior slept restlessly on the far side of the encampment.
    However, the dark one was nowhere to be seen. Kertyah cursed himself for losing track of the Undlander. His scent lingered, so he had to be close by.
    Kertyah turned, leaned back on his elbow, and motioned to Kath who watched from the low mound. He waved his hand across his face, pointed to his eyes, and swung his finger in a broad circle. The bear warrior nodded and slid forward down the hill.
    The dark-furred panther turned his gleaming eyes toward his three companions and closed his fist. They nodded and tightened their grip on their weapons in response. The rippling creek made more noise than the hunters as they crept toward the camp.
    Before Kertyah reached the edge of the glowstone’s light, a shrill whistle split the night air. Even the panther’s well-trained eyes had trouble distinguishing the form of the Undlander riding his board high above the ground, using the dark sky as his hiding place. Kertyah swore under his breath. He had not even thought to look up in this treeless field.
    The Dorokti hunters sprang forward. Teph and Zamre dashed toward the tent while Amrus sprinted toward the rousing Faldred.
    " Jjeerahtah !" the mage shouted in a sleepy panic as Amrus leaped for him. A blast of flame caught him in the chest and threw him backwards.
    Their leader, the Peltin, stood slowly with his hands out to his side. "Stand down, Flint."
    Kertyah approached cautiously.
    As the twin wolves reached the girl’s tent, the Undlander swept down from his lofty berth. In his right hand, he brandished his razor-sharp sickle. Teph looked up just in time to have his throat cut as the boy zipped by him. The hunter fell to the ground, gagging and coughing blood.
    Kertyah snapped his head back toward the hill, eyes wide in anger. " Nah senfay !"
    Kath started firing arrows while Sol and Revi began their charge on horseback.
     

    Polas was not happy with the way things were going. He should have known better than to think his newfound allies would lay back and let the Dorokti capture them, but he also had no idea that Flint was a pyromancer. He had assumed the Faldred dabbled in a bit of healing, but there were so few full-book mages in his time that he had not expected the man to produce such a formidable type of magic.
    "Stop," Polas yelled.
    High above, Kiff spun to avoid the stone-tipped arrows. "Damn!" he yelled, as one nicked his shoulder. He turned his spin into an overhead loop and drove his board at the riders.
    The remaining wolf Dorokti cut a gaping hole in the side of Xandra’s tent and was met in the snout by her quarterstaff.
    Xandra stepped out to follow the blow. Her long braid was wrapped loosely around her neck, and she had rushed to dress in an effort to join the fray. She remained barefoot, and the back of her light armor was not latched fully at the top, but that did not keep her from springing to action to defend her friends.
    Kiff reached the charging Dorokti on horseback and leaped from his board. He stepped on the lead horse’s face and pushed down. The horse stumbled, and Kiff used the