In my opinion, it's better not to move them upwards, but rather hold them there and burn them. The rune works well, placing it right before the spot where we are standing. And while we're at it, let's deal with the ones below.
1) We can't stop the bandits from moving wherever they want, so in the end, only a couple of archers will remain in the area of effect (I think Ples is already planning to cast a rune in their direction).
2) Just one shot at Alessia, and the rune won't work.
Where do we end up when we save the world?