A crease formed between the woman's brows. She stepped forward to study Danika's tunic more closely. She reached out a hand, then stopped just short of touching, waiting for Danika's permission. Danika nodded—luckily that gesture seemed to mean the same thing here! The woman rubbed the material between two fingers, frowning harder at the strangeness.
"----- --- --- --- ---?" she asked Tyla.
But before Tyla could answer, a blond-haired man wearing a black tee-shirt stepped out of the tower door behind them. Danika blinked. She knew him. He had been sitting next to her on the train before... She swayed as everything went grey-green before her eyes.
"Do you know what the fuck happened to us?" Skyler asked, as Danika gulped for air, held upright only by the strength of Tyla's arm. "Where the hell are we?"
The Skians, except for Tyla who was still hanging on to Danika, all took a step back, staring at the stranger in astonishment. The Enforcer's drew their rods protectively.
"I have no idea," answered Danika, shakily. "I remember... we were in the train and then—we were here. Are we dead?"
"I don't think so," replied Skyler, pinching himself. "I don't think you feel pain if you're dead." He looked around at the stronghold and up at the bluish sky, tinged with a faint shade of lavender. "But I don't think we're on Earth, either. I think we're somewhere else entirely, another world."
"Where did you come from?" demanded the gowned woman. "How in Skia's name did you get into the Magician's tower?"
Skyler frowned and turned his head toward her, listening intently.
"Can you understand them?" asked Danika.
"I'm not sure. I shouldn't. I mean, I've always been good at languages, but..."
He was interrupted by a clattering of hooves on the cobblestones as a rider in green burst into the courtyard. "Raiders!" he gasped. "In the valley. Heading this way!"
As if following a well-practised drill, one of the Enforcers raced to the belltower and yanked three times on the rope, sending a deep toll echoing through the citadel.
"Look after these three," the gowned woman instructed the remaining Enforcer, then, without waiting for a reply, turned to follow her two companions. All three hurried into the tower that Skyler had just left.
A grizzled warrior, already armed with sword and bow, strode into the courtyard, followed closely by two more armed men.
"Report!" He addressed the rider in green, who was still on his horse. "How many?"
"About fifty, Armsmaster. I counted ten mounted on kaygars. They were just passing Shepherds' Lookout when I spotted them about half an hour ago."
The warrior frowned grimly. "Ten kaygars, eh? Bar the gates," he instructed one of his Armsmen, "and order the rest of the men to the walls."
"Yes, Armsmaster!" They hurried off to do his bidding. The Armsmaster turned to Danika and Skyler, his brows rising as he took in Danika's armour and weapons. "Who are you?"
"They are warriors from the Other world," answered Tyla, quickly.
"What!"
"It's the truth, sir."
"I haven't got time for this nonsense now." The Armsmaster shook his head, dismissively. "If we all get through the next few hours, I'll talk to you later. In the meantime, keep out of my way!"
"Danika can fight, I promise you. I've seen her... " argued Tyla, but the Armsmaster wasn't listening. He left them and strode over to the wall, where a stone staircase led up to the ramparts. Armed men were already in position at the top, with more men streaming out from the houses, many in ordinary clothes, clutching knives and even axes.
Danika and Skyler watched warily from the courtyard, as, with a few short instructions from the Armsmaster, all the men holding bows took front position on the ramparts. Other men pulled and dragged carts and other heavy objects across to pile in front of the wooden gate. Boys ran back and forth bringing arrows and what appeared to be buckets of water up to those on the ramparts. Were they expecting fires?
High in the Magician's Tower, the three Guild members stood at the window that Skyler had gazed out only minutes before. Skyler wondered—were they lookouts or something more?
Suddenly, the clattering and noise of the courtyard was drowned out by a guttural roar, followed immediately by a deafening clamour of swords banging on shields. Danika and Skyler froze, hearts thudding wildly. The raiders were at the gate.
Arrows flew from the ramparts but the roaring continued, sounding for all the world like lions at feeding time.
"What's that?" Danika asked Tyla, forgetting they didn't speak the same language. But Tyla understood.
"Kaygars." Her face was pale.
Tufted ears appeared above the ramparts for a split second before disappearing under a hail of arrows. Then the gate shuddered as something pounded against it from the other side. The pounding continued until a huge tawny head thrust over the top of the gate and the newcomers got their first glimpse of a kaygar. Bigger than a lion, thought Danika, more orange, and no mane. Did that mean they were female? She was drawing her sword and rushing forward, even as these thoughts flew through her mind.
"Get Skyler a sword!" she ordered Tyla over her shoulder.
Danika ran to meet the kaygar, which had leapt down into the courtyard, sending everyone else running in terror. It carried an empty saddle on its back, but Danika couldn't tell if it had lost its rider on the way or been sent up alone to wreak havoc. The kaygar roared then bounded toward Danika, its topaz eyes blazing. While she was staring into its eyes, a huge paw swiped her from one side, knocking her to the ground. Head ringing, Danika scrambled to her feet and gripped her sword tightly. Screams filled the air around her.
With the feel of the sword in her hands, once again everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The kaygar dew back, preparing to pounce, and Danika stepped forward, thrusting her sword up under its breastbone as it leapt, and pierced the creature's heart.
She darted back as the kaygar fell to the ground, its giant paws twitching. If she had been underneath, its death throes might still have killed her.
She was briefly aware of Skyler staring in amazement before she raced up the stone stairs to the top of the ramparts. Men were fighting hand to hand where the ramparts had been breached. In between, defenders continued to fire arrows down at the raiders, but it was hard to tell who was prevailing in all the chaos.
Skyler followed uncertainly. The sword felt awkward and uncomfortable in his hand. Still, Danika had never fought before today either, right?
Screams from the wounded on both sides made it hard to think. A raider lunged at Skyler, easily knocking his sword out of his hand. He was going to die, thought Skyler, here in this alien world. But even as the man drew back for the killing blow, Danika stepped in and stabbed the attacker in the stomach. He screamed and fell to the ground.
"Stay back!" Danika shouted, before vanishing along the rampart in the direction of the heaviest fighting. Skyler didn't hesitate. It was painfully obvious that whatever extra fighting skills had been given to Danika, he hadn't got them.
He stood trembling with reaction, braced against one of the battlements, and looked down at the invaders. Although most of their forces were concentrated here attacking the defenders, he could see two more kaygars, this time with riders in their saddles, getting ready to climb the wooden gate again. He looked along the battlements but no-one else seemed to be paying attention, too involved with what was right in front of them.
Where was Danika?
"Danika!" he shouted. Naturally enough, no-one heard him above the battle noise. Where was that voice that had reached the back row of the second gallery?
Skyler took a deep breath and tried again, "DANIKA!"
His voice boomed and echoed over the valley. Skyler could have sworn he saw the distant treetops ripple but the effect on those nearby was even more startling. Everyone clapped their hands over their ears, raider and defender alike. He saw blood dripping from the ears of the men nearest to him. Burst eardrums.
Every kaygar went belly down and howled miserably.
Skyler drew in his breath to shout again and the raiders turned tail and fled. Even the defenders cringed away from him, their hands hard over their ears.
"Well then," said Skyler in his normal voice.
~~~
The train crash was the worst disaster London had seen for some years. Volunteers were still searching the wreck for bodies when one called out, "Over here! These two are still alive! Get an ambulance."
"What on earth are they wearing?" asked the paramedic as he eased the first person onto a stretcher.
The volunteer shrugged. "Some sort of costume, I guess. They must have been on their way to Comic Con."
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