“I’m hungry,” he said.
“I know,” Shadow said. “Famine is attacking the wall. Are you ready?”
“I think so.”
His brother grimaced and then turned to his elemental form. Shadow and Light raced together, one a body of smoke, the other a body of light. Shadow grinned and accelerated, motioning Lorica away.
“You know what to do!”
“I didn’t forget,” Lorica called.
Obviously grateful to leave, she leapt into the sky and banked away, flying for Dothlore, the dwarven king. Someone recognized Famine and began shouting orders, calling for a retreat from the breaking wall. The elven mages, lathered in sweat from their efforts to hold the wall, stumbled back, and in seconds the krakas on the other side shattered the glass.
The wall cracked from the battlements to the foundation, water pouring from the crack and flooding inward, washing away crates and weapon stands. A pair of elves were caught in the flood and carried forty feet.
“Retreat!” Captain Horn bellowed, and the entire group raced away from the wall.
Shadow and Light reached the breach as the others departed. Shadow gave Captain Horn a mock salute, and noticed the female elf fighting at his side. Was that Princess Serania? The captain clenched his stomach with his free hand.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he called.
“We do,” Shadow said.
Horn nodded and then barked an order before retreating with the rest of his forces. Alone, Shadow and Light stood in the center of the breach as the remainder of the wall section cracked again—and then shattered. The entire wall collapsed, flooding in both directions. One ballistae was crushed as another crate fell from the battlements above. Krakas appeared and hacked at the wall, expanding the breach, but one figure stood in their midst.
Famine.
“Shadow and Light,” she sneered. “I did hope I would get to kill you.”
“I know,” Shadow said. “But sadly, you won’t get the chance.”
“Greetings, Lady Dentis!” Light waved, and then squinted. “It’s still you in there, right?”
Famine pointed to them and clenched her fist, and Shadow grimaced as his hunger spiked. Even in shadow form, the woman’s power was tremendous. The woman began to advance, and by unspoken accord Light and Shadow retreated, stumbling backwards from the powerful general.
“You think your brotherhood can stop us?” Famine asked, her voice rising. “That you can survive what Draeken and Serak have built?”
Light tripped and Shadow caught his arm, dragging him down the street. “Did Draeken tell you he was going to make you ugly?” he taunted. “Or was that just a surprise?”
The woman’s eyes flared with anger and she pointed to them. Light groaned, and Shadow pulled him harder, down the street and away from the breach. Soldiers circled behind Famine and filled the gap, rushing to erect temporary fortifications. She didn’t spare them a look, and continued to advance on Shadow and Light.
“I am more powerful than you can imagine,” she said. “And everything strong in you was taken when Draeken came into being.”
At the perimeter of Famine’s power, Queen Rynda raised her bow and fired, the arrow splintering apart, the splinter arrows arcing for Famine. The woman picked up a shield and held it aloft, catching the bolts before pointing to Rynda. She clenched a fist, and the powerful rock troll queen collapsed, gasping for breath.
“When I’m done with you,” she said, turning back to Shadow and Light. “I’m going to watch your entire alliance wither and die.”
Light was slowing, so Shadow pulled his brother into an overgrown yard. Kicking the door into an abandoned home, he shoved Light into the interior and hurried him towards the back exit. Famine ascended the steps, the wood beginning to rot beneath her feet.
“You think to escape?” she called. “There is nowhere for you to go.”
Shadow leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. Light whimpered at his side, holding his stomach. Famine advanced across the space and raised her hands, a smile spreading on her sunken features.
“When I touch you, every bit of flesh in your bodies will die, and your magic will have nothing left. Two of the five fragments will be dead, and Mimic will deal with the others.”
Shadow managed a smile and raised his voice. “Lorica?”
From outside the house—Elenyr’s house, to be exact—Lorica and Dothlore pulled a lever the dwarves had installed. The floor dropped out from under Famine, and she fell into the ascender shaft.
She screamed as she fell, and the farther she went, the better Shadow felt. He rose to his feet and pulled Light to his. Light smiled weakly, and the pair stepped to the edge. Shadow peered into the dark abyss. Lorica reached the doorway and breathed a sigh of relief.
“You cut it a little close,” Shadow said.
“I almost died just being that close to her,” Lorica said.
“Do you think she survived the fall?” Light asked.
“Of course,” Shadow said, and then listened for the distant snarls. “But I left a few hundred shadow creatures for her to play with. I doubt she’ll make it out before noon.”
Light chuckled. “I love your plans. They are always so devious.”
Shadow clapped him on the back. “And Mind said our plan would never work.”
“He said it was dangerous,” Lorica corrected him. “Not that it would never work.”
Snarls erupted from the dark shaft, followed by a shout of anger, sweet sounds of a foe being assaulted by a wealth of shadow creatures. Satisfied that the Raven would be occupied for a while, Shadow caught his brothers arm and jerked a thumb back to the city.
“We still have three more generals to deal with.”
