Thick snow had settled during her hours underground. The screams of the sirens continued to bounce off the high stone walls, making it impossible to sense the source. The sky was purple, converging to coral to flaming orange in the distance, staining the snow beneath Seiren's boots a blueish-grey as she crunched across the courtyard. The air was freezing but despite her numb nose, she couldn't smell the stomach-churning cinnamon scent of demon summons.

Butterworth knew. He saw right through her. There was nothing she could do now. She'd bought the citizens maybe an hour or two to escape. However many she'd managed to get out was that many more that didn't get slaughtered by the mages.

"Mage Nithercott!" From seemingly out of nowhere, Tylene appeared at her side, making her jump. She raised her runed gun, scanning the surroundings, her cheeks flushed and terror in her eyes.

"Tylene!" Seiren said in relief. "What's happening? What's with the sirens?"

"You have to get out of here!"

"Are you joking? I'm a mage. I can't run!"

"These things -- they aren't human!"

Wondering if Tylene was referring to demons again, Seiren squinted ahead. The vivid orange and blue sky made the buildings all blend into one solid black shape.

Then she heard the human yells and gunshots.

Seiren took off.

"Mage Nithercott!"

The snow sucked at her feet. Cold air tore at her throat. Her fingers barely had any sensation. She made them tug out several red and orange runes, ignoring the anxiety that Butterworth might pounce from behind any archway and kidnap her. The overhead spotlights, powered by light runes, activated, drowning the second, further courtyard in a white glow. She skidded to a halt after several metres.

Soldiers formed a wall at the far end, backing in her direction. Behind them were mages, their black cloaks swishing, burst and flash magic exploding from their hands and from the sealed defences in the walls. Light flashed with each blast of fire generated, exploding like a shower of fireflies against the darkening dusk sky.

"They're not staying down!" yelled one of the soldiers from near the front. "What are these monsters?"

"Not demons!" said another. Screams punctuated the gunfire for those who didn't withdraw in time.

"North sector, retreat and move the casualties off the front lines!" Brigadier General Grader's booming voice rose above the cacophony. "East sector, ready the cannons!"

"We can't fire within the walls sir; the shrapnel will damage our walls!"

"Mages Culpepper and Woodbead will sort it. Just bring the damn cannons!"

Seiren made it to the front just as the first volley of cannons fired. The booms shook the ground. Snow fell with thumps from overhead when they became dislodged by the sound waves. The glowing cannonball shot across the blinding white courtyard and disappeared into the shadows at the other end before flashing and exploding with shards covered in violet runes. Pieces that hit the stone wall burst into flames, leaving only a blackened mark behind.

"What's going on?" Seiren said, bending down beside Maura as she sketched feverishly on more runes. Her eyes smarted with the smoke and nose wrinkled with the gunpowder stench. Soldiers took the readied runes and applied them to the cannonballs before loading them. "More demons?"

"Not demons," said Maura, gritting her teeth. "Here, take the damn thing!" She shoved another pile at the soldiers.

"They climbed the wall again?"

Soldiers swarmed in from either side and laid down sandbags.

"No. They came in from the weapons stores -- but didn't take any damn weapons. We didn't see them until they were almost on top of us 'cos all the men were watching the wall. They're resistant to bullets and fire. So we're shredding these little bastards."

"Little...?"

Just then, a blast of blue flames -- Portendorfer's, judging by the heat and the intensity that melted the snow that lay in its path -- flew across and ignited the cluster of shadows. The heat wave sent everyone stepping back.

"Don't give them a chance to recover!" yelled Portendorfer in glee. He positively glowed as he moved forward, the hem of his cloak flapping behind him, stepping beyond the safety line.

"Portendorfer, you utter imbecile!" Maura hollered.

Portendorfer didn't appear to have heard her. He clapped again, sending another blast of blue flames before him. Screams came from ahead, almost humanoid. The cannons fired, the noise-dulling runes glowing violet and the cannonballs exploding upon impact. The soldiers didn't wait for the smoke to clear but continued to empty their ammunition, wave after wave, into the clouds of smoke, which drifted closer.

Portendorfer let out blast after blast. The immense heat turned the snow area around them to water, trickling into the drains. The incinerated bodies lay on the ground, twitching, lighting up the parts previously bathed in shadows. Smoke continued to pour from the point of impact, obscuring chances of identifying the enemy. Portendorfer moved forward, clapping his hands. The flames would turn the smoke background into an area of sparks and fireworks before plunging into grey again. The heat was intense. Snow vaporised, making the air thick and humid.

From the smoke cloud hurtled a dark shape, knocking Portendorfer off his feet. His hat flew off.

"Hold fire!"

The men paused, unsure what to do. Nobody wanted to run forward and rescue Portendorfer, who was wrestling with the assailant, unable to clap as both hands were occupied.

"Lateral lines, fire!"

The soldiers on the two far sides obeyed to keep the opposition at bay. Seiren sketched a modified red rune with an outlet and snapped her fingers. It glowed scarlet. The rune disappeared but a ripple of energy raced across and slammed into Portendorfer and his attacker, stunning them both and catapulting the attacker into the air.

"Maura, cover me."

Maura Woodbead's eyes widened. "Are you stupid, Nithercott?"

"You have to obey the rules, but I don't. I'll bring back Portendorfer. If we don't have him back, we're screwed. Just cover me."

Maura snapped her mouth shut and obliged, sketching a violet rune with an outlet. Seiren tore forward.

"Dent, follow me!" she shouted, not turning around. She reached the stunned Portendorfer and the attacker -- a human. Dent leapt on top of the attacker and body-slammed him with over a hundred kilograms of muscle to the ground before twisting him round and holding a gun to his head. With a rumble, Maura's rune created a wall between them and the soldiers. Grader gave the order to continue the fight. Bullets bounced off the stone wall Maura erected to shield Seiren and Tylene. Seiren knelt down, the melted snow soaking through her leggings.

"Who'd have thought little Nithercott would come to my rescue?" said Portendorfer with a weak chuckle. "Won't Baby Woodbead be angry you acted so impulsively?"

He had blood trickling out of his mouth and a chunk taken out of the side of his neck, which was slowly but steadily bubbling blood despite the hand he'd clamped over it. Dent struggled with the attacker, who uttered guttural, animalistic noises from the depth of its throat.

"Shut up," Seiren snapped. "I hope you realise there are a million better things to do than save your ass, right?"

"Sure. That's why you've dived straight into gunfire: to ensure I have a timely, peaceful passing."

"Nobody wants you dead. Just badly injured." Seiren yanked his hand away with hers and blood spurted out, spraying the snow and staining it dark red. She slammed his hand back to where it was. "Oh, my flipping runes."

"That bad, huh?" Portendorfer spat out another mouthful of blood. His normally jovial, carefree voice was faint. His brown skin appeared pale and sweaty. His hand was clammy. He needed chaos magic, but there was no way her mind was clear enough to use any on him, or intricate green runes, but they were all with the healers behind the lines. She wiped the blood on her cloak and sketched a green rune, applying the paper between the wound and his hand and snapping her fingers. The wound glowed green around the jaggedy, oozing edges, and the blood stemmed somewhat.

"It won't hold." Seiren ran a hand through her hair. "It'll buy us maybe five minutes."

"My saviour."

She ignored him. "We need to get you out."

"There's no greater joy than lying here right now, you know?"

"Why must you always say something creepy and inappropriate? Do you realise what situation we're in?"

"It's not about you, Baby Nithercott. It's the battle. Don't you hear it?" He coughed up more blood, thick and half-congealed. "The roar of gunfire, the scream of men, the explosions... so much life. So much energy. And you get to be in the midst of it. Isn't it beautiful to be alive?"

She wondered if he was delirious from lack of bloodflow to the brain.

"How's it going, Dent?"

"Not well," grunted Dent, his biceps crushing the man's windpipe. The man's veins bulged on his forehead, saliva foaming out of his mouth and staining Dent's dark green uniform sleeve. He thrashed around and Dent just about managed to pin the remaining flailing limb at an awkward angle. There was a sickening crunch accompanying the motion. Dent must weigh twice what the man did but he put up such a struggle Dent couldn't aim his gun. He yelped as the man sank his teeth into his forearm, drawing blood. "His strength is ridiculous. This is not a--"

"--Normal man," Seiren said, breathless.

The world fell silent. Seiren stared, stunned. The guttural beast-like growls, the lack of humanity behind those crazed eyes that turned in all directions, the deathly grey pallor, the atrophied body making the tendons stick out. Even before her eyes, the broken arm clicked and started flailing again.

No way. Madeleine reeled back, horrified.

These were her experiments.

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