The fight erupted above Eva, her position sparing her from the worst of it. The dagger was embedded in the road, surrounded by ice. Of Sajhid or the portal there was no sign.
Gila knelt beside her. “Are you well? Can you move?”
Eva wriggled a bit. “Surprisingly so. I think most of the blast went over my head.”
“Lucky you,” commented Swanson, who had joined them. “Now you get to witness the after-blast party.”
Eva sat up, her back stiff from the fall. “I don"t get your meaning.”
Gila helped her to her feet. “We learned a few facts about the dagger during our time apart…”
“LOOK!” Swanson pointed to a distant field to their right.
Everybody who could understand him turned. There was a shimmering above the ground, and the sound of marching. Bodies materialised, at first indistinct and a
