Soul Between Lives

Persephone had planned to show Alex the baths on the way home but it was getting late and Alex seemed like he wouldn't be any fun to tease in his current condition, so she properly took him home. Zeus was nowhere to be seen when they got there and there was no indication of when he'd be back.

Persephone came to the conclusion that Alex was still overwhelmed after being torn from his life on Earth and didn't want to leave him all alone so soon. She stayed with him long enough to play a few games of UR before she left. After she was gone, Alex took Angel's advice and went to bed early where he drifted off to sleep as Angel reminded him of happier times with family and friends.

...

Lan ignored the howls behind him, [Just a little further.] The fiends were in hot pursuit of him and his comrades as they ran into the streets and alleys surrounding the square. He tried to remember where he was supposed to go. He had lived in the city for much of his life and knew its streets like the back of his hand, but the red and orange hues cast by the fire in the clouds threw shadows that changed how nearly everything looked. Being surrounded by the frantic bodies of his fleeing comrades only made the situation more hectic.

He felt the heat on his back continue to grow stronger and the sounds of breaking paving stones were getting closer. All he needed was a little more time to get between the buildings and down the maze of side streets.

The clouds were much lower to the ground further away from Viram and whooshing, swirling cutting sounds above still testified to the presence of powerful wind sheers. Few of the fire fiends dared to fly above the buildings again as they chased their prey.

The demonic baying howls were joined by agonized blood-curdling screams as some of the wounded and slower elves were caught and torn apart. One of the spearmen running just ahead of Lan stumbled and nearly fell, but Lan was quick enough to support him as they continued running. "They're hunting us! They're too fast!" the man yelled out.

"Just keep running!" Lan responded, willing his body to move faster. His shield was getting in the way and catching a lot of air, slowing him down, but there was no way he'd toss it away. He had to be careful to hold it in such a way that he could still see ahead of him as he ran so he didn't run his own people down.

A fireball wooshed low over their heads and exploded on the corner of a stone shop just ahead of them. Many of the soldiers near the explosion fell onto the ground and caused those behind them to trip or stumble on top of them.

"Can't you feel that heat!? We would have been cooked if we'd stayed any longer!" Lan yelled back.

They made it between the buildings and kept running. Lan was sure he was already going the wrong way but further down the street he spotted officers standing on anything that allowed them to be seen or hanging off of street posts at the intersection. When they got closer he could see them pointing at spearmen and other specialists and yelling out directions.

As the last soldiers to escape the fiends got closer, one of the officers pointed at Lan and the spearman next to him and signaled for them to follow him as the other officers ran in different directions.

A group of archers fired off a volley at the fire fiends before running along the rooftops following the officers. The fiends were slowed down but kept coming, their howls and provocations getting fiercer. A few of the archers were set on fire as the roof next to them exploded from various ranged fire bombs shot at them in retaliation.

The officer Lan followed turned down a few streets and led them into a smaller square. Lan looked around and recognized the craft shops surrounding him. This was not where he was supposed to fall back to in the original plan. Some of the buildings had been on fire before, a few of their ruined roofs and walls had collapsed and formed barricades of rubble. Other side streets to Lan's left and right had rubble that was pilled up between intact buildings as if on purpose.

"Form up when you reach the fountain! Form up when you reach the fountain!" A different officer yelled from up ahead. The officer was among a group of soldiers that were already lined up in a battle formation past the fountain. The streets behind them were clear of obstructions.

"Move! Move! Move!" The officer leading Lan and the rest yelled, "If you want to live, then MOVE!" He had to yell to be heard over the pounding of boots and the incessant hellish baying of their pursuers.

When Lan and the others had nearly reached the fountain in the middle of the square, an officer ordered out, "Open ranks! Let them in! Run until you're clear and form up behind us!"

Lan did just as he was told. As he was running between the other soldiers he heard the officer yell out, "Now!" and a different officer up on top of a roof bellowed out, "Loose!"

When Lan could finally stop and rest he looked around and saw archers in the windows, on the walls and even on the tops of barricades blocking off the side streets. He smiled as big as could, breathing hard as he observed them release their vengeful flight of arrows.

Then he felt a drop of something wet fall onto his face. He reflexively raised his hand to wipe it off but stopped when he saw his blood covered fingers. A horrible thought crossed his mind and he looked at the clouds as if they were about to cover the city in a rain of blood. They still glowed red and violet and among the shafts of glowing virga were wild, twisting funnels reaching down, nearly touching the ground.

...

Well after the sun had set, the rain began falling. Its intensity built up until it was nearly as heavy as before when the clouds seemed to drop all at once. A wall of water fell onto the city again, knocking many of the archers from their perches. The fiends caught in the open squealed in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e as their rekindled flames were thoroughly doused.

Drenched elves picked themselves off the ground and hurriedly reformed their lines. Steam rose between the buildings where the streets were full of fiends. The rain became less intense after the wall of water fell and visibility generally improved, but Viram couldn't believe what he was seeing. Funnels were constantly forming and throwing out concentrated deluges of rain as they twisted through the sky. Some touched the ground and briefly tore through buildings. Others merely arced back into the clouds and threw their heavy rain below them. He had never seen such unpleasant weather.

He could still feel his power rampaging up above but it was getting weaker. [Its almost as if,] Viram shuddered, [Is my power being consumed?] His flames grew prickly at the thought. "This d*mned battle has been one mess after another."

Viram had gone back to his normal size and gorged on the ashes of the fallen to recover his power. He was observing the clouds when the commander of his fourth flames approached him.

"Mighty Leader, the elves are fighting back again."

[Foolish! Why do such weaklings fight so fiercely?] Viram locked his fierce gaze onto the commander and waited for him to continue.

Viram reached his hand out and began incinerating a pile of corpses. "And? Have you called them back yet?"

"Yes Mighty Leader, we-" the commander faltered, "We have begun calling them back, but our forces allowed themselves to be spread all over the city as they chased their quarry. Many are too isolated to reach."

Viram's flames flared, forcing the commander to step back. [Are they looking down on me this much? Is it time for me to join the hunt to teach them a lesson?]

The commander rallied himself and continued, "Those that are heading back are getting harassed along the way. When we chase them they lead us into more ambushes. The flame leaders have been rushing to obliterate them, but there are so many and the elves run away every time they're overpowered."

[Burn the whole city!] Viram's flames flared again but another voice reminded him that he needed to capture as many as he could to recoup his losses. He had to hold himself back yet again. It was rare, but he had to admit, the enemy was formidable where he was weak.

Viram s.u.c.k.e.d up the ashes as he formulated a new battle plan. "Regroup our forces and begin to systematically burn through the city. Combine power and let the tired flames rest in the back as you go. I want to herd our prey to the walls." Viram stopped to consider for another moment, "Have the flame leaders pick twenty of their best subordinates and report to me." He flared his eyes and flames, "Go."