*
The heat rolled off the burning building like a wave, sweeping over Miranda and her companions as they appeared in the garden. ‘Grab hold!’ she shouted, choking from the heavy smoke. As no one had stepped away since they appeared, it took mere seconds for Miranda to will them a short distance away, on a low hillock overlooking the rear of the main building. Everything was on fire.
Below, the main house burned like a bonfire and the outer buildings were either reduced to flaming wooden skeletons or little boxes with fire shooting out of their windows and doors. The ground around the compound was littered with the bodies of students and instructors. Miranda could barely contain her rage.
Then the first demon came into view, running around the corner as he chased one of the students. Miranda pulled back her arm and let fly a bolt of energy that should have reduced the creature to ash. Instead, the spell only stunned him long enough for the student to put more distance between herself and the demon, as it stood reeling for a minute. Then the infernal creature shook his head and looked for the author of the assault.
Spying Miranda on the top of the hill, the demon lowered its shoulders and charged. It was roughly human in shape, but with shoulders far broader than any human. Its head looked like a cat’s skull, devoid of flesh, with exaggerated fangs, and its legs like they came from the back end of a horse; but while it appeared ungainly, it moved with uncanny speed.
Miranda’s eyes widened in surprise when the demon weathered the blast she had sent and began another attack. Then her mind locked up, and suddenly she couldn’t remember anything.
Amirantha incanted a spell and unleashed it at the charging demon, who stumbled and then stood motionless, trembling as if it had been seized by a monstrous hand that now shook it. ‘If one of you would please kill this horror,’ he said to Sandreena and Father-Bishop Creegan.
Both hurled their most powerful spells of destruction, especially crafted for demons, and the creature let out a howl of agony as it fell to its knees and was consumed by orange flames.
Miranda said, ‘Thank you. I thought . . .’
‘Demons are not like mortal creatures,’ said Sandreena. ‘Sometimes, brute force works—’
‘Sometimes it doesn’t,’ finished Brandos. ‘Look out!’
A flying nightmare, all wings and talons, came swooping in, apparently intent on ripping someone’s head off. Creegan shouted a single word as he stuck out his hand, and a black shape, like a shimmering blanket of silk, suddenly enveloped the demon, smothering it. As it fell to the ground, the wrapped shape grew smaller and smaller, until it vanished completely.
Sandreena said, ‘Look!’ and pointed at a knot of demons surrounded by some of the island’s magicians. The magic users were using a variety of spells and enchantments to keep the monsters at bay, and it appeared to be working.
‘We’ve got to help them!’ shouted Miranda, charging down the hillside.
‘Oh, mercy,’ said Brandos, half a stride behind her.
Miranda pulled up short and began to cast a spell, but Brandos dived and dragged her down, just as the demons unleashed a blast of blackness pulsing with purple lights. Each magician was shrouded by the dark energy. They fell to the ground, their screams muffled as if their faces were covered in cloth.
‘When they gather like that in a knot, it means they’re going to pull something like that,’ shouted the old fighter. He got to his feet and helped her up as a demon from that small group charged them.
Amirantha, Sandreena, and Creegan all caught up, and Sandreena intercepted the charging demon, bashing it in the face with her shield, and swinging her mace in a wicked arc to crush the creature’s skull.
Miranda allowed herself to be pulled aside by Creegan and Amirantha, as Jommy took up position beside Brandos. ‘What do I do?’ asked the young noble.
‘Keep these bastards off the Spellcasters so they can do their work,’ he said, slashing out at a demon that had ventured too close.
‘What about Sandreena?’ asked Jommy as he repelled another demon with a wicked slice of his blade that took the creature on its unprotected forearm.
‘Don’t worry about that girl,’ said Brandos, holding off another demon who was leaping towards Amirantha, as if he knew where the real threat was coming from. ‘She knows how to take care of herself.’