“I will close the rift, but I have need of your aid.” He returned his attention to Kulgan. “I see you still have the staff I gave you. Good. Dismount.”
Pug and Kulgan got down from their mounts. Pug had forgotten that Kulgan’s ever present staff had been the one Macros had given him.
Macros went over to stand before Kulgan “Plant the end of the staff firmly in the ground.” He turned and handed the staff he carried to Pug. “This staff is twin to that one. Hold it tightly, and never for an instant release your hold, if you have any hope of surviving our task.” He regarded the conflict a short distance away. “It is almost the appointed hour, but not quite. Listen carefully, for time grows short.” He looked at Pug, then Kulgan. “When this is all over, if the rift is destroyed, then return to my island. There you will find explanations for everything that has occurred, though perhaps not to your full satisfaction.” Again there was a bitter smile. “Kulgan, if you have any hope of seeing your former pupil again, hold to that staff with all the strength you possess. Keep Pug in your mind, and never let the staff break contact with Midkemian soil. Is that understood?”
Kulgan said, “But what of yourself?”
Macros’s tone was harsh. “My safety is my own concern. Trouble not yourself about me. My place in this drama was as foreordained as your own. Now watch.”
They returned their attention to the battle. The northern elements of the Kingdom army charged, and Lyam and Tomas gave orders for their own units to join in the attack. The horsemen hit the shield walls again, and the Tsurani lines broke. For a moment the Kingdom cavalry was in command of the field, and the Tsurani collapsed inward. Then, as the advantage of the charge was offset by the milling swarm of foot soldiers who cut horses out from under riders, or conspired to pull horsemen to the ground, the balance returned. A sea of battling figures could be seen around the rift machine. There was no organization, and little discipline. Men fought to survive, not for any gain in position. The sounds of metal clashing against hardened wood and hides rang through the valley. Everywhere the onlookers turned their attention, blood flowed, and the sound of death was terrible.
Macros looked at Pug and said, “Now is the time. Walk with me.”
Pug walked behind the brown-robed sorcerer. He held tightly to Macros’s staff, for he believed the sorcerer’s warning that it was his only hope of surviving what lay before them. They walked through the battle, as if some agent were protecting them. Several times a soldier turned to strike, only to be intercepted by one from the other side. Horses would be ready to trample them only to wheel away at the last instant. It was as if a path opened before them and closed behind.
They approached what was left of the Tsurani line. A shield holder fell to a horseman’s lance. They stepped over the fallen body and entered the small, relatively calm circle around the rift Soldiers were still pouring forth from the rift, and the circle was widening. Macros and Pug mounted the platform to the far side of the rift, while soldiers rushed out of the near side. The soldiers seemed oblivious to the two magicians.
Macros stepped into the void of the rift Pug entered behind Instead of the expected emergence into Kelewan, they hung in a colorless place. There was little sensation of direction. The place was without light, but not dark, only various shades of grey. Pug found himself alone, with only the sound of his heart beating in his ear to reassure him that existence had not ceased. Softly he said, “Macros?”
Macros’s voice came to him: “Here, Pug.”
“I cannot see you.”
A chuckle was heard. “No, for there is no light. What you see is a faint illusion granted by my arts so you might have some point of reference here. Without ample preparation, even your vaunted powers would avail you little in keeping your sanity, Pug. Simply accept that the human mind is poorly equipped to deal with this place.”
“What is this place?”
“This is the place between. Here the gods struggled during the Chaos Wars, and here we shall do our work.”
“Men are dying, Macros We should hurry.”
“Here there is no time, Pug Relative to those who battle, we are frozen in an instant. We could grow old and die, and not a full second would pass upon the battlefield.
“But we must still be quickly about our task. Even I could not do this without spending a bit of energy to keep us alive, energy we’ll need to finish this business. We dare not tarry long, but there are a few things I would say to you. I have waited a long while for you to fulfill your promise. I could not close the rift without your aid.”