I slipped the helmet back down on my head and peered through the gold-trimmed eyes. The mammoth tusks were short and fat curving up just above my color bones and tipped with gold. I tied the belt a little tighter on my caster's robe and dropped the shade tail down to drag the ground. The planks were lowering across the canyon, and I could see gathering figures on the porches of the towers.

Verim fired a couple of arrows up at the towers but appeared to miss his targets. The plank creaked down by a long rope tied to the tip. Spears fired out from the base of the towers into the canyon wall on our side. Ropes were tied to the spears; something pulled the ropes taut.

I pressed forward as the men on our side of the canyon stepped back. They began to raise their spears and several men appeared to be trembling at my sides. I waited as the first planks came to rest with a smack and a billow of dust. Everything fell quiet. Only the abandoned fires and the heavy breathing of the men made a sound.

Something wasn’t right. I dropped to a knee and drew a circle around my feet then tossed the sand up over my head. A quick check of my mana told me I had six mana left. Perhaps I had rushed into this a little, but spoils go to the bold. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough mana to cast the triple bolt, but I did still have grav grenade. I wasn’t sure what it did, but I hoped it would come in handy in a pinch. It was a gamble though as it would drain my remaining mana points.

Horns blasted from the towers and a pair of red glowing eyes stepped forward on the porch nearest me. Then phantom men jumped out onto the ropes extending up from the bridge planks. They slid down the ropes like fire poles and dropped to their feet on our side of the canyon.

They were more mist than men. Like a swirling of sand forming the shape of men. Even their clothing was an illusion made of sands. My first thought was I should have saved up enough mana for the triple bolt. A spearman thrust a spear into the guts of one of the sand wind men.

“Aurai.” Mariel muttered under her breath. “Where is Barker? These are Aurai. We shouldn’t be here.”

I was standing right beside her, but I didn’t answer. I watched as the Aurai pulled the spear further into his guts and grab the terrified spearman by the throat. Lightning flashed in the Auria’s eyes and winds began to blow in from the towers toward our army. The stars began to blot out in the sky. Drumbeats and ominous horns began to call back and forth to one another from the darkness across from us. A slow deep rhythm began to build as more Aurai poured down the ropes from above.

The taut ropes began to bounce as several larger Aurai walked out on them. They raised glowing blue swords. Men and spears began to toss up in the air by small whirlwinds. Lightning flashed overhead from black clouds gathering. Cold rain and hail spiked into our flesh. Tents flipped and crumbled. Men screamed as sands shot from the hands of the Aurai and peeled flesh from their skulls. I began to feel sick. I had brought on a massacre. I would witness the mowing of innocent men.

“A challenge!” The red-eyed Aurai called from the tight rope. He carried two blue blades and stood on the middle rope. “One for one, or eight hundred souls for your transgression.”

Men began to kneel all around me. I stood as a wave of men dropped to one knee on either side of me. The winds tossed my robes all around me and the rain made it hard to keep my eyes open. Lightning blasted the ground tossing rocks up.

“What is your offering?”

“In the name of Mariel of the Viv, I answer the challenge,” Shia shouted over the pounding rain.

“Vaegon of the Three Rivers will answer the challenge.” The blond elf stepped forward to the beginning of one of the tight ropes.

“Elridel Slayer of Jassin will answer.”

“Flack will answer.” I watched as the falconite stepped forward with a sword in his hand.

Khan growled and crept toward another rope. No one moved. The Aurai challengers balanced on their toes upon the ropes. Each had blue swords and round leather sacks tied to their hips.

“That is five of the eight. But eight of my men died tonight in a surprise attack during a cease-fire. Eight of my men were carried off into the winds as they slept peacefully in their beds. So, eight of yours must be weighed in the winds of justice or eight hundred shall go to the pit tonight. After we have cut through your ranks, we will cut our pound of flesh from the women and children of your towns. Is there three more?”

The other two falconites stepped forward without a word and stood at the end of a tightrope each. I stepped forward invisible to the eyes around me and strummed the rope of the Aurai speaker with my foot. His eyes turned to me, but I could tell he still couldn’t see me. He lowered his arms and glared at the invisible spot at the end of the rope. The winds died down and the lightning stopped arcing across our backfield.

“I have the respawn blade,” Shia announced loud enough for each of us to hear but not the Aurai on the other end of the ropes. “I will make it across and plant the blade, go for their belts. Beware the blades.”

“The call has been answered. It seems among men there are still those left with spines.” The Aurai with two swords shouted. I looked back to see his men on our side floating inches off the ground with their arms spread wide humming a tune as one. The soldiers stayed low to the ground afraid of the wind people. The drums beat louder, and the deep horn sounds blasted a faster tempo. Shia grew out her vines from her feet and stepped forward onto the rope. She bit the respawn blade in her teeth. I looked down at the rope at my own feet. I could see why Goar, and the centaurs had not taken this challenge. I would be lucky to make it five steps. A thousand feet of air was between me and the rocky bottom. This was going to hurt.