Yating grabbed my arm. "Back," he ordered. "Back to better cover."
I looked at him as though I didn't understand the words. He yanked me backward, and I almost fought him off, but something in my head knew he was doing the right thing. Sylph was doing the same with Lycan -- a far more dangerous ploy since he suddenly growled.
"Shut up, you stupid dog!" she said in pure frustration. "We need to get out of the open!"
When he blinked and went with her, I decided I should do the same with Yating. We moved too quickly, though. Between the line of dark and light, I felt overwhelmed, everything swirling, and I went to my knees with a gasp of pain.
"Up," Yating ordered, but he sounded apprehensive this time. "Up so that I do not have to give bad news to your mother. We are under attack Prince Cowan!"
I was not used to anyone using my title and name -- and to do so where enemies might hear, and use the name against me, was a break in trust that I had not expected --
Oh, but it did work. I stood up and faced the guard. Yating's face had gone pale, and he lifted both hands in a gesture of appeasement.
"My apologies. I could think of nothing else to get your full attention."
I realized he had been trying to draw me back before he used my name and title. I glanced around, wondering if any of the others had heard --
And I realized that it didn't matter. I trusted the others -- even our odd, dark companions who still hovered nearby.
I stood slowly, ice cracking against my armor. The others seemed as dazed and worried as me, which made me feel less weak but didn't help the situation. We retreated back a few steps, welcoming the cold rather than the chaos.
"If you have any thoughts," I began.
They all shook their heads.
"Nothing," Sylph said, her voice uncommonly soft and her eyes worried. "How can we fight such a power? There was nothing to attack. Nothing we could take in our hands."
I nodded. I looked back at the opening with a touch of desperation. I thought the darkness must have caught on that we could not help. I felt a rippling of power and what might be despair.
Then I realized it came for a different reason.
"It comes!" our dark friends said. "It comes! Back! Back!"
The chaos began eating at the edge of the darkness. I saw it peeling away pieces of dark and chaos surged through the opening, destroying everything it touched.
I could have run. Instead, I turned and threw out a powerful shield, an almost automatic reaction. I knew it would not hold the enemy, but there was nothing else I could do. It didn't help that I was weak besides, having used considerable magic lately.
I spread out my shield anyway, trying to do my best to protect my friends and my dark allies. The magic glittered where it touched the chaos, and I could feel it pressing in at the wall I put between us and it. I could not cover all the darkness, but the chaos seemed to be concentrating on this area where we had made the hole. It wanted through. I was not going to step aside, and as long as I held --
Something odd happened. I felt more power join with mine, but not like any I'd ever known -- and then I realized that our dark companions had magic of their own and that they were trying to work with me.
I didn't fight it away. I didn't understand the magic, but I let it blend in with mine as best I could. I discovered something else, too. The power of chaos came from many things -- including magic that I could use, though I had to be careful.
The wall the darkness and I made was bright and shadowed, solid, real -- and it held back the chaos.
"Oh, well done," Yating said at my side.
"Chance and panic," I replied and steadied my arm. "We need more, Yating. I can't do this on my own."
"Yes." He started to lift his own hand. "No! I have an idea. Sylph, if you would watch over him?"
I heard Sylph agree. Then I realized that Yating had started to run away. I almost protested, but I dared not take that much attention away from the magic. He must be going for the Queen. I didn't want her here, but I did need the help. She would know best how to handle this problem.
I just had to hold on, and that was proving difficult already. This entire madness had drained me, and I wondered how I had managed to end up here. I could not be the one saving the world -- the realities -- could I?
That thought made me tremble, but Sylph put a firm hand on my shoulder. She asked nothing of me.
Did our dark companions suffer from the same weakness? I thought not. I suspected that the darkness had links to each of its parts. They seemed to draw on a central power source. I let my thoughts play along the edge of that link, but I didn't try to follow it. I had enough trouble with the feel of chaos. It seemed to be pushing straight against my fingers, and I shivered, wanting to pull away. If I did that --
If I failed, I wasn't going to be the only one who died here.
"You need to go, Sylph --"
"No."
"Listen to me," I said, my voice cracking with strain. It must have shown in my face. I could see Sylph turn to me, concern evident. "Sylph, I fear I'm going to fail. I can't hold this much longer --"
She started to say something but turned abruptly. I could tell why. Something -- many somethings -- were charging at us from behind.
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