The Sisters "Because now Marek you are going to see what we do best." On the other side of the river the Piwari army jogged past, each warrior clad in a motley collection of hides and skins, here and there a man sported a helm looted from the slaughtered regulars at Jinnsam and Hag'del. Every Piwari carried a hide shield with his javelin strapped to the back of it, on their backs they had slung their short swords and curved hunting knives, they carried no packs, no provisions beyond a skin of water. The Piwari ran into battle. Marek glanced nervously around the rocky shore. "Won't they have scouts on this flank ?" "Not any more," Marjael grinned, there were shreds of flesh between his pointed teeth. He gave a signal and the sisters stood up. Gesel nocked an arrow to her bow string and pulled, as she pulled back Lucel spoke quietly and deftly touched the arrow. Gesel angled the arrow's point high and released, the arrow shot into the sky, and with a whisper it split into two, then four, then eight, like the wind in the trees the arrows divided again and again as they reached their apogee. The second arrow was already strung, touched and released. This shot was released in a low arc directly at the moving army's flank, it too swarmed and multiplied as the arrows sped across the river. Some of the Piwari were aware of the movement above them, and as the arrows fell into their midst they were caught looking upwards. Mijael roared, Marek shrank back from the spectre that now stood before him. The daemon's hair sparked and the flesh of his face rippled as the bloodhunger ran through him, blood dripped from his hands as the bone blades pushed out from under the skin, the daemon crouched for a moment, then ran at the river. The two waves of arrows hit the tribesmen, hundreds of barbed, yard long shafts plunged into them breaking through skin and bone, puncturing limbs and heads, bellies and chests. The first many of the Piwari knew of the attack was when the man in front of them was pierced, or when they themselves were drilled through. Shouts of pain, fear and confusion arose. The lateral flight of arrows slammed into the men running aong the river banks edge, men were thrown from their feet by the impact, dozens died instantly, dozens more were fearfully wounded. Even above the sudden chaos on the riverbank, the scream of the approaching daemon could be heard, at the shout of a shaman the shattered left flank reformed, the tribesmen flipped their shields over and drove the javelin points into the earth locking the shields together, then they pulled their knives from their scabbards and held. Mijael was a dark steak across the surface of the river, he hit the locked shields with an noise like cannon fire and drove like a ball from cannon straight through the line leaving brkoen men and shields in his wake. Shaman were trying to make sense of this sudden attack on their flank, the army was already disrupted, the men ahead having had no orders to stand and fight were running on, behind the engagement men were coming to a standstill, unable to see in the darkness what was happening. A troop of Piwari vaulted the undamaged shield wall and ran into the river, men further behind stepped back to gain some throwing room and readied their javelins. Apelu raised her right hand, tendrils of glowing mist tralied from it, in the water the Piwari battle shouts turned to horror. Tentacles of water rose up and twisted about the men, pinning their arms and crushing them, the war shouts were silenced as bones cracked and shattered and men vomited blood and innards into the waters. On the bank the tribesmen loosed a volley of javelins, Marek felt his legs crumble beneath him, as he sank to the soil Chatter stepped past him, her spicy scent deepened and became almost animal like, she pushed her hands in front of her, the tattoos writing and burning with orange fire, hot sparks fell in her wake. As the javelins neared Marek and his companions they were pushed aside to plunge harmlessly into the earth. Tiny cuts bleeding flames appeared on the back of Chatter's hands. Apelu drew her hands down with a pumping motion and the soil on the opposite bank exploded, tree roots rammed upwards showering soil and men were impaled and pushed into the air writhing in their extremis. Further back in the army's ranks the clamour of Mijael's assault continued. With a third movement of her hands Apelu caused the trees on the far bank to explode, bullets of wood cut down a circular swathe of men around each tree, the men stnding closest were almost flensed by the assault, instantly stripped to the bone by the ferocity of the explosion, the glade had become a butchers pit. "He's coming back," shouted Chatter and pointed to her right. Gesel swung left and directed her next flight of arrows against the milling rear of the advancing army. Mijael appeared, ducking and weaving between the sword thrusts of two Piwari he flicked out a bone blade and cut one open from throat to groin, then wheeling and spinning he drove a backhanded blow into the leg of another that drove his knee backwards, the man crumpled with a wail of pain. The Daemon hit the water with a concussion, and again, two paces and he was across and sliding as Chatter quickley raised her shield to allow him in. Mijael was a creature seemingly made from gore, blood soaked every inch of him and gobbets of shredded flesh dripped from him to the ground. Marek shuddered both at the vision before him and the increasing hail of javelins drawing lines across Chatter's shield, her hands were wreathed in fire but her face was pale and drawn with pain. "Time to run," said the daemon. Gesel nocked another arrow, Lucel spoke and touched it and it was loosed, Marek cried out as they were drawn into the arrows path, again losing form as they swept through the night sky. They landed with a crash, rolling and tumbling. Mijael gained his feet and glared at Lucel, his eyes glowing behind hi blood mask. "I can't help, I'm exhausted," she bent down and placed her hand over the feathers of the arrow stuck into the ground. "This is all I have, if we can't make it this time we're walking." Gesel snatched the arrow up and placed it against her bow string, she drew the bow to its fullest extent and let the arrow loose, it soared away into the black sky and they were dragged violently into its wake.