The signal was given.

  Loch was looking up the hill, seeing the flare of energy blooming. A couple of giants saw it, calling out to the others. The energy flare was bright in the center, different colors around the orange center, staring bright and going dull as it spread out. The center got bigger, a bright bolt of orange energy streaking down the rock.

  The bolt slammed into the chest of a giant, the force knocking the monster down. Smoke rose from the chest of the unmoving creature, flames spreading around the body. Others looked down at the giant, then back up the hill as a second bolt shot down, impacting the ground. Dirt and rocks shot out, showering the giants, who raised their hands to protect their faces, turning away. Flames struck the closest giants, spreading across their bodies, more fires bursting up along the ground.

  Loch hadn’t been sure the new cannons would work. They’d been the brainchild of Lewis Bergmann, Patrick Verner and Steve Haley, who had an Uncommon SiegeGuard Class. The three had worked out a way to use Spirit to launch propane bombs, similar to what Loch had used during the Gaunt siege.

  The flames spread as the giants tried to put them out.

  Two more blasts slammed down into the encampment. One caught a giant in the shoulder, knocking the monster down. The second hit a hill, causing more dirt, stone and propane to shower across more giants.

  Arrows followed, looking small as they struck the giants. Arms, chests, shoulders. A couple lucky shots hitting heads. One giant reared back, reaching a large hand up to try and pull an arrow from his eye. Another volley of arrows shot into the ranks of the giants, followed by a couple of spells. Fire and ice, the silver blasts from Piper’s wand.

  Before the giants could recover from the surprise attack, Clan Brady’s melee fighters reached the first ranks. They’d started running with the first cannon shots. Swords, clubs and even axe struck the much taller giants. Loch could see Brian, Drew and Davis leading the charge. A silver spear of energy slammed into another giant, piercing the hide armor, bursting out the back. The giant staggered back, Drew jumping onto the humanoid’s chest, slamming his truncheons against the giant’s head. It landed hard on the ground, Drew jumping off.

  More of Clan Brady struck, multiple giants falling. Loch was happy to see that his people didn’t consider the prone giants down for the count. They moved in, crowding the giant, making sure the monster was dead. Multiple people faced off against each monster.

  He itched to be out there, throwing Onyx, using Windstep to move from giant to giant, but he couldn’t. Loch held himself back, watching the giants near his target. They hadn’t moved yet. He cursed, telling them silently to get out of his way. He didn’t want more giants to join the fight against his people, but he needed them to move.

  Finally they did, after what felt like an eternity to Loch. Every second was agony. He wanted to join his people, to lead them. It took everything he had to hold himself back, especially when he saw the black animals attacking the giants. He thought he saw Harper jumping in and out of the shadows, striking a giant then disappearing, all her blows aimed at the ankles and tendons, crippling the giants or at least slowing them down for others to deal with. The battle looked to be going well for Clan Brady, but it was early still, not all the giants involved.

  One by one, the few giants around the hill left. Not all went far, but it was enough distance for Loch. He stood up, creeping right to the edge of the treeline. Activating Windstep, he crossed the distance, stopping at the hill. He leaned against it, creeping around to the front.

  Loch kept his eyes on the giants, watching their reactions. None seemed to hear them. He looked around quickly for Little River Stone, not seeing the Sasquatch. Moving to the front, Loch studied the crack.

  The hill was mostly dirt, with some visible rock, some moss and grass. The crack was through the rock, a jagged hole. Maybe ten feet high and only three or four wide, the edges broken and jagged. He couldn’t see deep inside, the floor looking like it sloped down. Reaching out with his senses, Loch could feel something. He wasn’t sure what it was. It was similar to what he’d felt with the Grand Oak, just a little off. There was a feeling of air and age with the Oak. Coming from the cave was a feeling of depth, darkness and pressure.

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  One last look at the battle, seeing a Clan Brady fighter go down, Loch had to resist rushing out. He saw others grabbing the downed fighter, pulling them from the battle. Taking a deep breath, he turned his back on his people, stepping into the cave.

  ***

  Loch held his hand up, feeling the ceiling of the tight tunnel. It sloped down, everything rough, forcing Loch to duck and weave around sharp rocks, or bits of hardened dirt. He wondered how the taller Si-Te-Cah managed to get through. Still no sign of Little River Stone, who would have a very hard time navigating the tunnel.

  The sounds of the battle faded the deeper Loch went. It got darker, the small bit of light coming in from the opening fading and then disappearing, leaving Loch with no light. He thought about summoning Bulwark, using the glow of the shield to light his way, but that would give away that he was coming.

  The tunnel turned, still continuing down. Now Loch could hear what sounded like muttering. A light appeared, framing an opening further along. Slowing down, he crept closer, the light growing. It was steady, not flickering or pulsing. The talking got louder, becoming clearer.

  “Why are you not giving me what I want?”

  The voice was calm, cold. Just the sound of it raised goosebumps. A shadow passed in front of the light, momentarily blocking it.

  “This should be simple,” the voice continued.

  Loch moved to the edge of the opening, standing against the wall. He leaned out, looking into a decent sized domed room.

  It was rough, not carved but looking like someone had dug it out. The curved walls and ceiling were uneven, some even being a foot or two deeper than sections next to it. The floor wasn’t as bad, but it sloped unevenly. Some areas were a step or two higher. It was a mess.

  In the middle was a large stone. Rough looking, jagged sides, like it had fallen from the ceiling. Six feet tall, maybe three wide. And it glowed. The light came from the stone, soft and white, not blinding, allowing Loch to see the details.

  The shadow kept passing in front of it, blocking the light. The Si-Te-Cah was just as Little River Stone had described. Tall and thin, wearing a robe. Loch couldn’t see the red hair or pale skin in the light of the stone. The man walked around, hands behind his back. He stared at the stone, running fingers over it.

  “You should be working for me,” he said. “That is your purpose. That is why I am here.”

  Loch watched the humanoid circle the stone a couple more times, not talking. The stone did nothing. Little River Stone had thought the Si-Te-Cah was looking for a powerful Natural Resource and it appeared it had been found, but what was it? The Great Oak had given off a feeling of power, Cerie able to take a guess at what its purpose was. The fairy wasn’t here to guess from the feeling of depth that stone gave off, depth and power, but Loch didn’t think she’d be able to come up with anything. If the Si-Te-Cah didn’t know, chances are there was nothing in the Silver Bark histories that Cerie would be able to reference.

  SI-TE-CAH SHAMAN

  Loch’s Evaluate gave a feel that the humanoid was equal to his Level. Which made sense. The Si-Te-Cah was capped by the Connection. But Loch had no idea what the being could do. Shaman gave him some ideas. A caster of some kind.

  But it had to be more than that.

  The Si-Te-Cah was eight feet tall, where the giants were twelve to fifteen or more. The Si-Te-Cah was thinner compared to the giant. Physically weaker. So the giants couldn’t be scared of the Si-Te-Cah’s physical power. It had to be the magical power.

  Which was not a good match-up for Loch.

  He looked down the tunnel, trying to find any sign of Little River Stone. Nothing.

  Could the large Sasquatch even make it down the tunnel?

  “I know you are there.”

  The voice snapped Loch’s attention back to the cavern. He didn’t lean out, feeling the Si-Te-Cah’s Presence focused in his direction.

  “You are new to the Connection,” the Si-Te-Cah said. “Or you would know that some can feel when Evaluate is used on them. I am one such. The more equal you are in Level, the easier it is to feel when the Skill is used. If I was not capped by the damnable Connected System my Level would be far above yours. The feeling of power would overwhelm you.”

  The voice was calm, not coming closer. Not even curious, just talking, waiting.

  “I do not know your name,” the Si-Te-Cah continued. “But I have felt your growing power and your growing Clan. Come out so we may meet face to face.”