I

Er'ril shook his head. Tol'chuk glanced to them as the entire party assembled at the rail. His brow was furrowed deeply.

Er'ril stared below, his fingers scrabbling for his spyglass.

Through the curtains of rain, he watched carnage, as strange beasts burrowed up from dead branches and muddy leaves.

Yanking his spyglass free of his belt, Er'ril focused down, drawn into the heart of the battle. He watched a black creature unfold from the tangle of roots of an upturned tree. It was all articulated limbs, some cross between a praying mantis and an ant, but it stood as tall as a man. The monster sprang on an og're, wrapping its legs around its victim. Razored mandibles tore at neck and face as both combatants fell, rolling, in the mud.

Elsewhere, monstrous slugs, the size of fallen logs, oozed from subterranean burrows. Their oily skin hissed with poison in the rains. Wormy appendages shot out, burning flesh to bone with a touch. Er'ril watched one of the monstrosities roll over an injured og're, melting straight through the flesh of the fellow's legs.

Bellows echoed up from below, while thunder rumbled over the horizon. It was a slaughterhouse. Er'ril lowered his spyglass, sickened both from the death and his own impotence.

Despite the odds, the og'res slogged forward through the trap, paying in blood for every step. Er'ril gripped the rail almost desperately, willing them his own strength.

They'll never make it alone, Tol'chuk said at his side. Er'ril understood. The edge of the pit was still a full league away. They're not alone, Fardale said fiercely. He pointed toward the skies. Against the clouds, the si'luran army massed, a dark flock. Turning in unison, the winged army dove toward the fighting. They fell with all the might of their momentum, striking out with claws and beaks.

Er'ril lifted his spyglass again, his heart thundering in his ears. One golden eagle fell upon the og're still writhing with the black insectoid creature. The bird struck with such speed, Er'ril could barely mark the passage. Only when the chitinous head dropped from the eagle's claws did Er'ril understand. The og're, bloody-faced and roaring, shook off the decapitated monster.

From the skies, death rained upon the hidden lurkers. Slowly the tide of the battle turned. The og'res surged forward, clubs beating a path forward. Working together, the two armies rolled toward the waiting pit.

Er'ril lowered his glass and stared at the hole blasted in the highlands.

He knew this was only the first skirmish. Whatever else lay ahead remained shrouded in the swirling smoky fog.

He glanced down the rail. Tol'chuk stood with Magnam. Meric with Nee'lahn. Fardale and Thorn. All wore matching expressions of tired horror.

From a hatch, Joach and Harlequin appeared, Jaston and the swamp child behind them. Joach waved to Er'ril. We may have worked out a plan

Er'ril cut him off. Where's your sister? He had left Elena with her brother. He had thought he was still with her.

Joach scanned the rainy deck. I' I thought she'd be up here. Last I saw, she was in her cabin.

Er'ril's heart climbed into his throat. The horns should have drawn her topside. Cursing his lapse in attention, he shoved past Joach and the others.

Joach was caught up in his wake. She seemed to want some time alone'

Er'ril was deaf to his words. He burst through the forward hatch, leaping the stairs.

Joach ran after him. What's wrong?

Er'ril didn't answer. He raced into the belly of the ship. He had put too much trust in the open air around them, their isolation. He had foolishly let his guard down, trusting Joach to watch after his sister for a moment. But a moment was all it took to lose everything.

He pounded down the length of the ship, praying he wasn't too late. He spotted their cabin door at the end of the hall. Nothing seemed amiss.

Joach yelled, racing after him. What are you ?

Ahead, the explosion blasted the door off its hinges, blowing it down the hall. Er'ril was tossed backward, colliding into Joach. The flying door struck them with the force of a hammer, clipping Er'ril on the side of the head as it tumbled past. All sound went silent, his vision skittered, and time paused for a frozen instant.

Then Er'ril slammed into the planks, hitting his head again. He fought against the tide, but the world slipped away' into darkness.

Elena blinked through tears after the magickal explosion. She was still pinned against the wall, helpless. Her head ached; her heart pounded in her throat. Her hands were twin suns of pent energies.

Greshym stood before her, his cloak billowing with energies, staff held