Realms of the Arcane - Brian M. Thomsen [38]
I'm amazed the Lhaodagms didn't abandon the cloud after all this abuse, sent Peregrin.
They've got far worse coming from us, Josiah responded.
The mage sent more blasts, these from a pair of wands. A swarm of purple sparks formed above Peregrin's head. The motes hovered and spun for a moment, as though awaiting instructions, and then rushed away. They flared above the city and punched through the bone-white wall of a tower. The windows lit with an orange light, which intensified to white. A whirring whistle rose to become a shriek. The walls cracked like glass, and the tower majestically began its collapse.
The last of the rubble had not struck ground when a fireball from Josiah's other wand splashed across a tile rooftop and set the eaves ablaze. The mage then flung out a grasping gesture. A gigantic hand formed below and gripped a footbridge. The fist squeezed. Stone and mortar tumbled away into the cleft beneath.
More attacks came from all around. The griffons swarmed the city. Fiery nets dropped atop thatched buildings and set them ablaze. Channeled winds and funneled rains leveled structures of limestone and marble. Magical lightning leapt from dozens of wands. Where bolts struck would-be defenders, mordant gray puffs of smoke went up and greasy bones went down. Feathery blasts of poison gas dropped others who rushed into the streets.
Not all the Lhaodagms fell, though. Answering fire rose from towers and turrets and alleys, alike. Fireballs, arrow storms, explosions, whirlwinds, clockwork creatures, lightnings, specters, and even a few scrawny griffons rose into the sky. As Peregrin flew past a hoisted spike, the air ahead flashed and popped as if with fireworks.
Beautiful, really, Peregrin commented nonchalantly as Josiah threw furious bolts of spell power. I wonder whether this date will become a fireworks celebration for them, or for us…
Up! came Josiah's frantic mind-call. Up! Up!
Peregrin then saw why. Above the capital building of Lhaoda whirled a huge, scythe-bladed windmill. The thing would chop them to pieces.
Peregrin spread his wings to swerve away. Just then, a fireball roared up from the street and flared into being right before the bird-lion. He shied from it, back onto his original path. The blades were a heartbeat ahead.
Peregrin blinked rapidly. The spinning blades before him seemed to halt. Now, to time it… and hope Josiah's defensive magics held.
He dived into the windmill. Josiah shouted in alarm. The griffon's eyes opened.
A blade whirred past his beak, so close that its trailing edge scraped a nostril. With his body bunched, the griffon soared through the open space. The next blade caught his haunch. It notched the magic shield and bit lightly into his golden pelt. The shield held, but the impact flipped rider and griffon over. The passing blade sliced loudly.
Tumbling in air, Peregrin struggled to right himself. Josiah clung on for dear life. Burning buildings and shattered walls flashed kaleidoscopically around them. Releasing a shriek of exertion, Peregrin steadied his course.
Josiah's fingers slowly eased from the saddle-horn. He straightened, took a breath, and began the gestures of a powerful spell. Two breaths later, the motions were done and the triggering word spoken. He pivoted in the saddle and sent twin blasts of radiance toward the center of the windmill. The bolts struck in accord, bursting the hub of the wheel.
Four scythe blades flew outward. One impaled the capital dome beneath it. Two more shot out laterally to mow down houses and citizens. The last whirled straight up, tumbled about its axis, and fell to become entangled in the gutted scaffold of the windmill.
Pull up, Josiah sent, gently this time. They had reached the end of the city and of their strafing run.
At the head of the griffon columns, Peregrin ascended