John flew around the edge of the battle, an invisibility screen the only thing between him and a quick death at the hands of the most horrible group of demons imaginable. The battle was like something out of his worst nightmares. There were times in John’s life when he wished he was stronger, strong enough to take his place on the front lines of a great battle and hold his own. This was not one of those times.

A demon that resembled a winged ape grabbed a cute brunette by the arms and tore them off before crushing her skull in its massive jaws. He winced and looked away. From the little he’d seen it didn’t look good for his side. He should have more faith. The archmage and a high sorcerer were both out there fighting. Surely they could turn things around.

John paused when a dwarf demon with tentacles in place of arms flew a little close for comfort. It hovered ten feet from him and appeared to be sniffing the air. He held his breath and silently wished for it to move along.

A giant gold dragon snatched the demon out of the air and carried it off. John glanced around, trying to figure out who had come to his unknowing rescue, but couldn’t determine which sorcerer had conjured the dragon. Whoever it was he was grateful.

John waited another second just to be sure. When no other threats presented themselves he flew on towards the fortress. The skies around the fortress were clear of demons, but he didn't let down his invisibility just yet. He flew around peeking into the arrow slits. When he reached the third one he found Jen looking back out at him.

“Jen?” He let his invisibility fade.

“John? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“The archmage sent me to check on you guys. Is anyone hurt?”

“Amanda was knocked out and hasn't woken up yet, but the rest of us are fine.”

John looked all around. “How do I get in?”

A nice-looking blond moved over beside Jen. “The only way in is the main gate.”

John flew around to the front of the fortress. The main gate was surrounded by blue crystal monsters battling a force of warlords. He couldn’t get in that way.

He went back to the arrow slit. “There's a huge battle going on out front. They’ll kill me if I go that way.”

The blond shrugged. “It’s still the only way in.”

“What's happening out there?” Jen asked.

“The eastern army’s warlords are battling whatever those blue crystal things are.”

“How are we doing?”

“I didn’t look that close. What do you want me to do?” John asked.

Jen turned to the other woman. “We need to get out there and help. Will the wards hold if you’re not inside the fortress?”

“Of course,” Marie-Bell said. “They’ll reactivate as soon as I close the gate.”

“I can slip in when you guys go out. I’ll check on Amanda and make sure she’s okay. Where’s Kat?”

“I’m here,” a rough voice said from further up the hall. “Doesn’t look like our sorcerers are doing very well.”

“No. It didn’t look too good when I flew by.”

Kat blew out a sigh. “Guess I’d better go out and lend a hand. Amanda’s on the first floor, second right then a left.”

“Got it. Meet you guys out front. I’m sorry about Damien.”

“Thanks,” Jen said. “But I’m not giving up on him until someone shows me a body.”

John wrapped himself in invisibility and flew back to the front of the keep. The warlords pounded the crystal constructs with great enthusiasm and speed. The noise was horrendous and the damage negligible. There wasn’t a single broken statue in the yard. There were a handful of dead warlords littering the dirt.

John landed beside the door and a few seconds later it swung open. Kat flew out followed by Jen and the blond.

He brushed by Jen and whispered, “Good luck.”

He slipped through the door and it shut a moment later. The interior of the keep was dim so he conjured a small light globe. The main hall was stark in its lack of decoration. Not that John should have been surprised. An order of warrior priests naturally wouldn’t go in for ostentation.

He followed Kat’s direction to a bedroom that was also part armory. Amanda lay on the bed, her red hair spread over the pillow, not moving, barely even breathing.

John sat beside her on the edge of the bed and passed his hand over her. Physically she was fine, but her core was empty and the flow of her soul force was disrupted. It reminded him a bit of the time Damien used every drop of his power to blast that dragon. He felt certain she’d make a full recovery in time, but maybe he could hasten things along.

He nudged her streams of soul force so they ran into her core like they were supposed to. Her core began to fill a fraction at a time. A couple minutes later her eyelids twitched then opened.

Amanda groaned then noticed him. “I must be dreaming. Or dead. But if I’m dead then you must be dead too. You’re not dead, are you, sweetie-pie?”

“I am not your sweetie-pie.”

Amanda smiled. “I guess I’m not dreaming or dead after all.”

“No.”

“Too bad. If I was dreaming you’d be ripping my clothes off now.”

“You’re definitely not dreaming. But if things don’t improve soon we might all end up dead. Our side isn’t doing well.”

“What happened? How long was I out?”

“Kat didn’t say how long ago you fell unconscious.” John brought her up to date on their situation. “So there you go. Lots of demons everywhere and we’re trapped in here. All we can do now is hope for the best.”

“Let’s go to the arrow slit.” Amanda sat up. “The least we can do is cheer them on.”

“Sure, why not?” Not only was it the least they could do, it was all they could do.