My arrow slams into the shoulder of Pathwalker who has been revealed by the chaos, but I have to quickly dodge behind the nearest tree as my attack earns multiple projectiles aimed at me. I pull up a wall of earth from the ground below and shelter behind it, tuning into Sirocco’s view to see the current state of the battle.

  Seven forms are struggling under the net – they haven’t yet gained the coordination to pull it off themselves so right now it’s causing chaos. The other Warriors are split between aiming weapons at me and shooting at my rocky protection, and trying to rescue their fellows.

  Even as I watch, though, their focus is disrupted as the melee fighters rush in. Lathani really throws the cat amongst the pigeons when she uses the shadow the group is casting on the forest floor to appear within their number, bite off a head and severely injure several more before sinking through the shadow to escape their retribution.

  Catch and Pride are striking at one side with Fenrir and Honey. Dusty, Hades and Persephone are working well as a team on another with Dusty using her water to knock the Warriors off their feet and the kiinas striking viciously at the downed samurans. The raptorcats are working to keep the samurans under the net too busy to fully free themselves.

  One of the Pathwalkers has been caught under the net and even as I watch, I see her raising her hands. With her movement rises one of the spears which had been thrown at me earlier. I see it turned around in the air and it’s obvious who the target is. Horror goes through me.

  I jump to my feet, nock another arrow to my bow, aim, and fire, all within a second’s time. Fortunately, thanks to the attacks, none of the Warriors are focussing on me anymore so I’m not targeted myself. The arrow blasts from my bow and hits a bull’s eye. Or rather, a samuran’s eye – it almost looks like it’s sprouting from the Pathwalker’s skull.

  The force of the blow slams her against another of those struggling with the net. They both fall and the force pulls several of the others off balance. The raptorcats take full advantage.

  I can only sigh in relief when I realise that the spear which had been aimed at Storm has clattered to the ground. Whether or not the Pathwalker is dead yet, her attack has been disrupted. Then I have to crouch down again behind my impromptu shelter when projectiles aim for me once more.

  I tune into Sirocco’s eyes again.

  It’s less than a minute into the fight, but already half of our enemies are down, either severely injured or dead. The Pathwalker I hit in the shoulder isn’t down, but she’s trembling and pale.

  She’s attempting to create a ball of water between her hands but it's wavering and keeps losing its form. Good – the mana-inhibitor in the arrow seems to already be having an effect. The third Pathwalker is currently being protected by the Warriors around her, their circle tightening even more after Lathani’s lightning-fast attack and the attacks on the other two Pathwalkers.

  Abruptly, the earth shakes beneath our feet.

  Earth-Shaper, I cry in warning, fear spiking through me as I see how my companions are affected. Dusty and I are far enough away from the epicentre to barely feel it, but those who are fighting in melee range find their attacks interrupted. It’s not much of a consolation that the Warriors they’re attacking are also affected, not when they seem to be far more familiar with the attack and strike at my unprotected Bound.

  Using my earthen wall to help me stand, I throw my hand towards the group, palm first.

  Fire billows out of it and I direct the wave to go right into the Warriors’ faces, carefully making sure that it doesn’t get close to my own people. I briefly wish that Aingeal was here, but it was too useful for Happy’s last-minute weapon-making back at the village for me to bring it.

  Still, the wave of fire, though not hot enough to do more than mildly burn the top layer of the samurans’ scales, does its job – it distracts the Warriors from their attacks on my Bound. The ground is still shaking, but my fighters are adaptable enough that they can fight even so – they just need a moment to reposition. And maybe a bit of extra firepower.

  Sirocco! Noir! I call. The two don’t need any more than that. Launching himself from the branch high above, the alcaoris hatchling dives down, his teeth and claws ready to bite and rake.

  A Warrior spots him and raises his spear. My heart rises into my mouth but a quick thought to Sirocco is enough to deal with the threat – her Fire Wing attack strikes the Warrior with far more concentrated strength than my previous billowing cloud of flame.

  The attack cuts straight through the spear…and the samuran’s neck beyond it. My eyes go a little wide. Sirocco’s been practising, I think to myself. But they have that well in hand; I have other responsibilities.

  I need to deal with the Pathwalker. There’s no way I can shoot a bow with this shaking ground though, not and have a reasonable chance of striking what I’m aiming for. Since my people are now holding their own once more, I crouch down again behind my wall and push my magic into the ground.

  The other Earth-Shaper and I battle it out, magic against magic. I’m stronger than she is, but she’s more practised. For long moments, it’s uncertain who will win – like an arm-wrestling contest, it wavers one way and then the other several times.

  And then suddenly, the pressure against me fails completely. I surge to my feet to see my opponent scrabbling at her water-covered face, bubbles escaping from her mouth and popping on the surface.

  My eyes shift to see Dusty’s grim expression, fear rippling through her spikes. Hades and Persephone are guarding her, the battle almost won. Lathani is battling with one Warrior who’s still standing and Catch and Pride are fighting another one. Honey is going to town on a downed Warrior and I wince in reluctant sympathy – for him. The three raptorcats are finishing up with two of those under the net and Fenrir and Noir are working together on the ground to defeat the final Warrior off to one side.

  Suddenly coughing meets my ears and I see that the ball of water around the Pathwalker’s face has disappeared. The Pathwalker is taking in frantic breaths and coughing out water – but she’s alive.

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  My eyes flash to Dusty’s. She looks away.

  Shaking my head, I raise my bow with another laced arrow. I send it to strike the Pathwalker in her shoulder. Maybe there was a reason Dusty wanted to leave her alive? Though if so, she could have easily communicated it in the Bond network….

  “I surrender! I surrender!” cries the Warrior fighting with Catch and Pride. His eyes are wide and he’s barely managing to fend off their combined attacks. Catch pauses and Pride does so with him. They look at me in question.

  “I surrender too!” cries the Warrior being attacked by Fenrir and Noir.

  The other two Warriors who are still fighting quickly chime in with the same words.

  I hesitate for a long moment, but my Bound have already stopped fighting, and I can’t bring myself to order them to continue. Not when the Warriors have already thrown down their weapons and raised their hands to their shoulders.

  I curse myself as a fool – they came to kill us, and ignored every warning I gave. Without a Bond they’re still dangerous, and I don’t have the time to do a Battle of Wills for each of these Warriors, especially if they resist me. But I can’t bring myself to kill unarmed beings who have surrendered to me. Not in cold blood. Not like this.

  “Throw down your weapons,” I order the single Warrior who hasn’t yet done so. “Get on your knees with your hands open and in the air.”

  They do so, all but the two still under the net who can’t. My Bound take their cues from me and back off slightly, but still keep a wary eye on the surrendering fighters.

  Pulling some danaris silk, I tie the wrists of the Warrior closest to Noir together above his head. Then I move onto the next Warrior and do the same. For the ones trapped under the net, I use some of the cords from the net itself to bind their hands before pulling the net off them. A little more magic restores it to its previous pristine state.

  While I was binding their hands, I’ve been wondering what to do with them. I’ve been using the time to contact those of my Bound who are being used as relay points to find out what’s going on with the main force.

  Apparently the traps are working well to slow them down – they’re forced to test every patch of ground and examine the trees carefully to find out if there’s a trap waiting for them where they want to walk.

  At the same time, we have Unevolved hiding in the forest with blow-guns and darts full of poison – as Tarra showed, blow-guns are one thing that anyone can use. As a result, several Unevolved have been training with them ever since we knew that we were likely to be targeted by the red leader. Now, they aim their darts at an unsuspecting target, and then melt back into the forest to avoid pursuit.

  Though there haven’t apparently been many deaths, my people’s efforts have definitely been eating away at our enemy’s potion stocks. I wonder if Tree-whisperer is regretting not paying my ransom for Healer now.

  Shrieks wanted to know whether he should send out reinforcements, but given how relatively easily we’ve taken down this one, I decide to tell him to have a small group of fighters come and tidy up here instead. Our team worked well as it was – adding others into the mix isn’t likely to improve things. In fact, it might even be the opposite. But it does answer my question of what to do with those who have surrendered.

  The Warrior acting as relay dutifully sends my message through to Shrieks and then communicates his reply – that he will send half the prepared strike force to pick up any living samurans who have surrendered and keep the rest of them for the village’s defence.

  “Alright,” I say to everyone present. “We’ll be going after the second strike force, so take a moment to rest. If you have any injuries, let me know.” I turn my gaze on the Warriors who have surrendered. They’re looking uncomfortable on their knees with their arms awkwardly held in the air. “A group of Warriors will be coming to pick you up,” I tell them levelly. “Any attempt to cause trouble or escape will lead to your immediate death.”

  The Warriors look at me with mixed resentment and fear, but I don’t see any resistance there. Nor do they offer me any as I haul them up one by one and tie them to a tree trunk, sitting on their knees with their hands above their heads. Another rope tied around their waists ends any chances of escaping in the near future – their bodies aren’t flexible enough for them to be able to chew or rip through any of the ropes now holding them. But just to make sure, I also bind their jaws shut. Outrage sparks in the eyes of several of the Warriors, but they don’t say anything.

  Once the mobile Warriors are secured, I go through the battlefield and check for those who are still living but unconscious. Two of the three Pathwalkers are alive – the one I shot through the head is definitely dead. One of them is awake but groggy, the other is unconscious. I give them each another strong dose of mana inhibitor, just to be sure, then bind their hands, muzzles, and knees. When they’re unable to do more than wriggle, I pick them up like carpets and lie them on the ground near the Warriors.

  The rest of the Warriors are dead, though, or so close to it that I’d need to have a Bond with them to be able to heal them – if I wanted. Honey has made a real mess of any Warriors who were downed. I pat her in appreciation, each stroke of my hand removing blood and gore. I might feel a bit squeamish about exactly what she’s done, but I appreciate that she was watching our backs by ensuring that those who went down stayed there.

  “Dusty, wash Honey, would you?” I ask the Pathwalker. Wordlessly, she steps forwards and obeys, washing away the dirt and the blood from the covered woshel. Several of the others step forwards for a quick shower too; I don’t bother – most of my fighting was far enough from the battle that there’s little blood on me.

  When she’s done washing our group. Dusty goes over to the samurans tied to or near the tree and washes them off too, starting with the Pathwalkers. She’s careful not to go near their faces, though.

  I send her a searching glance but she refuses to look me in the eye. I purse my lips but leave it for now. We can talk later.

  Returning to the battlefield, I tuck the carcasses into my Inventory, turn over the ground so that no trace of blood remains, use Air-Shaping to refresh the air and remove the scent of blood and death, and then work to heal my Bound.

  By the time I’m finished all of that, the Warriors I’m expecting to come to take the prisoners are not far away. Still, I’m eager to get going.

  “You’re…you’re not going to leave us here like this, are you?” one of the Warriors asks, his grunts and clicks muffled due to his jaws being held shut, but I can just about understand his words.

  “Others are coming to pick you up. You’ll be fine,” I tell him impatiently, turning to leave with my healed and rested Bound.

  “But what if something attacks? We can do nothing to protect ourselves!”

  I hesitate for a moment. The Warriors are less than half an hour away now. They should be here before anything comes to investigate, thanks to all the efforts I’ve made to clear the area of blood and viscera. But it’s not certain that they’ll be left alone. If I’m wrong and something comes and attacks them before my Warriors arrive, I know that I’ll feel awfully guilty afterwards. Enemies or not, they’re vulnerable right now due to my actions.

  “Fine. Noir, please stay to guard them. As soon as the Warriors arrive, come and join me. And don’t put yourself at risk – if you think something’s coming that’s too dangerous for you, just escape, alright?”

  Noir sends me a sense of understanding and positions himself in the tree above the Warriors.

  “You have a guard now,” I tell the Warrior dismissively, and then turn to go. We have another target to defeat.

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