At the Gates of Darkness. Raymond E. Feist
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And Gulamendis’s knowledge of demons told him there were too many to give the brothers much hope of survival.
Then the conjuration failed and Gulamendis extended the wand. A sphere of silver light with pink and blue colours scintillating across its surface expanded around him; as soon as it touched the demons they shuddered, went rigid, and fell to the ground at Laromendis’s feet. They remained in spasm, and the brothers knew they needed to act quickly.
At first they had simply used the wand against the demons, but a couple had recovered quickly, and that had taught the magic users to weaken them first, in order to extend the period they were stunned.
The brothers drew their large battle knives and began to cut the demon’s throats as fast as possible. Gulamendis reminded himself that even though this method was not as dramatic or immediate as using his magical abilities, it sufficed for these circumstances. The demon’s essences would return to their realm, but to the best of his knowledge, the portal to the demon realm had been sealed, and by the time these three were reborn, their problem of escape from this planet would long be decided.
It was over in a few moments. The two tall elves stood covered in dark demon blood, their eyes watering from the stench of carrion and sulphur. ‘That bought us a few minutes,’ said Laromendis.
His brother nodded. ‘I sense some more to the south, but they’re not coming closer yet. We should probably make our escape now.’
‘Which way?’ asked Laromendis.
Both were tall, nearly seven feet in height, but had similar proportions to the lesser elves. Their massive shoulders narrowed to trim waistlines above their powerful hips and legs. Neither was a warrior by trade or inclination, but both had been forced to learn to kill and had become adept at it. It helped that Gulamendis understood each demon’s vulnerabilities and always communicated what he could to his brother.
‘That way.’ Gulamendis pointed to the northeast. ‘There should be an alley leading to the broad street; the last portal should be there.’
‘I thought it was the other way,’ said Laromendis, pointing to the northwest.
His brother smiled. ‘So does everyone else.’
‘You have a plan?’
‘Always,’ said his brother jogging in the direction he’d indicated.
The small city that had been the home of those left to care for the portals was a simple place to navigate under normal circumstances; but an invasion by the Demon Legion was hardly normal.
They carefully made their way between buildings, stopping at every corner to make sure they were unobserved. There were a small number of demons that could hide well, becoming almost invisible, but Gulamendis’s sensitivity to any demonic presence usually alerted them to their proximity.
They reached to the last stretch of open ground before the building that contained the entrance to the hub portal and Laromendis swore. ‘Flyers!’ Circling above it like vultures were half a dozen flying demons.
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