Invasion Read Online Free Page A

obeyed without complaint. He joined the other wizards around behind the Gate so that he wouldn’t get in the way or be suddenly confronted with a charging enemy. Master Tayer had arrived and he knew what that must mean.
    “Did you bring back Cressida?”
    “She is here and tending to Decker as we speak.” Master Tayer turned back toward the Gate, extended his arm and released a burst of bright green energy.
    Master Pilk breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone could heal the critically injured ranger it was his sister. How his good friend had managed to survive the attack from the undead masses was beyond him.
     
     
     
    General Ludko led the company of dwarves. His two battle axes in his hands in the blink of eye and he charged with a primal roar. The sun was just rising on this world and so it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the change in light. When they did he noticed a ballista aimed at him, loaded and ready to fire. He dived and rolled just in time but some of his kin were not so lucky.
    He jumped to his feet again in one fluid motion and ran on. The ballista crew had no chance to reload and so they abandoned their siege weapon and armed themselves with great axes. General Ludko ducked under the wild swing aimed to decapitate him and imbedded one of his own axes in the orc’s loins. The impact jarred his arm and stopped his momentum but had the orc collapsing in an instant.
    The other dwarves had caught up to him by then and shielded him from an attack made by the following orc. Unable to retract his swing in time to deflect the follow-up attack by a third dwarf, the orc died with an axe in his chest. By the time General Ludko had recovered from his minor skirmish the orcs were in full retreat with dwarves hot on their heels.
    “Burn th’ siege engines,” he shouted to the torch bearers who were bringing up the rear. Seeing them react to his order he sped off in pursuit of the fleeing orcs.
    By the time he had reached the other side of the camp, all but two orcs had been slain. The other two were well away — they must have started running before the fight even started.
    “Don’t be persuin’,” he shouted at his kin speeding off after them. “You’ll ne’er catch’em ‘n’ likely run into trouble.”
    “Would’ve bin nice ta ‘ave Decker with’s right now,” said a dwarf coming up to stand beside him. Indeed it would have. His mighty bow would have had the two orcs dead in no time. He nodded to the dwarf and then ordered them all back to the Gate.
    “Get this hole bricked up,” he shouted when he had exited the Gate. Dwarves jumped at his command and started running about collecting all the material they could find.
    “Are there any enemy left on the other side, General?” asked Duke Angus.
    “No’ as far as th’ eye can see,” he replied.
    “Then maybe we’d be better served by sending a company through and back again continually to help drain the magic. Anything we try to build now won’t be strong enough to last very long if they return with more ballistae.” The Duke paced back and forth with his hand on his chin.
    “P’hap’s we can be doin’ both,” replied General Ludko. “We can be buildin’ a mobil’ plug like we did in Arthea. As soon as they be showin’ their ugly noggin’s again, we can withdraw an’ push th’ plug in place.”
    “Do it,” replied the Duke.
    General Ludko immediately sought out Nardo, his chief engineer, and explained what he wanted while the Duke arranged a company of soldiers to march through the Gate.
     
     
     
    Decker slowly opened his eyes and a blurry image of fluffy white clouds in a rich blue sky came into view along with a very bright sun which had him closing his eyes once more.
    He was confused. Where was he and why did every muscle in his body ache and throb? He was sure he wasn’t dead, otherwise he wouldn’t be in this sort of pain. So what had happened to him? He tried to think back to his most recent memories and an