by Tod Eten
‘Many of them are just scholars’ Aiden pointed out looking at the Neteru dressed in robes. ‘That is old Ea there is it not’ Aiden said looking at a grey old haired man. ‘He should not be here nor should many of the others.’
‘They insist on being here they know that if we fall today those remaining will not last for much longer!’ Nimrod said with a shrug.
‘There is always hope did we not escape from the Anunnaki on Nibiru. Can we not do the same here if we fail. Explain this to them and have Toth take those that will agree to look after the humans who are trying to escape.’ Aiden ordered and Nimrod set off to do his bidding.
Aiden spent the rest of the day memorising every last inch of the battle field and then went amongst the Neteru his presence boosting their spirits for when they saw for themselves that the burning sword was again found and ready to do battle with their ancient enemy their hearts were lifted with hope. Aiden had arranged his forces so that the warriors amongst the Neteru would stand in the first rank and behind them would stand the remainder their task being to bend the forces of nature to both protect the warriors in front and provide obstacles for the enemy who were attacking.
‘The hour draws near, have those Demos betrayed us?’ Nimrod said looking behind him.
‘They will be here, the Anunnaki have no interest in doing any deal with them or anyone else.’
‘Look’ Nimrod pointed ahead.
Aiden looked to where Nimrod pointed and saw that a cloud of dust on the horizon, ‘they are coming‘ Aiden said quietly.
Aiden standing half way down the hill watched as the Anunnaki slowly approached. Behind him his meagre force stood lined up waiting for battle. Where are the Demos he wondered had they betrayed them as Nimrod had said? Aiden looking at the enemy could see that the Anunnaki army vastly outnumbered the Neteru and that their cause looked doomed.
‘There are a at least ten thousand of them and they have four times as many pets’ Nimrod said shading his eyes to get a clear look at the enemy coming towards them.
‘There are half that number again hidden by the dust over on the flank there’ Aiden pointed.
‘Then we are outnumbered one hundred and fifty to one and they are battle ready where as we have been asleep!’ Nimrod said and for the first time there was doubt in his voice.
‘Those are indeed good odds, what honor is there in having an easy fight!’ Aiden laughed and Nimrod grinned in answer.
Aiden now felt through the soles of his feet a tremble in the ground which was gradually becoming stronger.
‘I think the Demos have decided to turn up’ Aiden said and looking over to his left he saw first one then two then three, then four then many more Demos as they crested the hills and milling about their feet were all kinds of strange animals that hissed and snapped at each other.
‘What use will they be’ Nimrod said looking at the chaotic way the Demos gathered about the hills beside them. 'They are more likely to fight each other!'
‘They will at least cause a distraction for the Anunnaki’ Aiden said as he watched Nergal with Aya beside him come into view. The pair made straight for Aiden.
‘Sister!’ Nimrod exclaimed.
‘Greetings Etlud Shahadaku’ Nergal hissed when he reached Aiden, ‘here is your mate unharmed as I swore and here is the object that was taken from you’ Nergal said handing over the stone star to Aiden.
Aya ran to Aiden and embraced him tightly tears in her eyes ‘They killed Demitri!‘ Aya sobbed, ‘I told them that you would fight in any case but they would not listen!’ Aya said wiping the tears from her eyes. Then she turned and embraced Nimrod, ‘it is good to see you again brother of mine’ Aya said doing her best to smile.
‘And you sister, did they harm you at all?’ Nimrod said staring directly at Nergal.
‘They did not harm me brother’ Aya confirmed.
‘Then you must leave this place now’ Nimrod demanded.
‘That I will not do, my place is here beside you both’ Aya said defiantly.
‘It is too late for that, the Anunnaki are here already’ Nergal whispered and there in the plain below they could see that the ranks of the Anunnaki had come to a halt less than a mile from them.
‘But you are no warrior sister, this is no place for you’ Nimrod insisted.
‘I am not going anywhere’ Aya said flatly.
‘Then you must join the others in the second rank and do your best to help protect us’ Aiden interrupted and Aya seeing his face did not argue.
‘What is our number now?’ Nimrod wondered looking at the Demos on the hill beside them.
‘We number sixty and six but we also have our pets’ Nergal smiled.
‘I see no more than two hundred pets that still means we are heavily outnumbered’ Nimrod said shaking his head.
‘We have more pets, listen!’ Nergal smiled putting his finger to his lips.
Listening they could hear the sound of engines getting louder and looking back they watched as row upon row of tanks and soldiers crested the hill behind the Demos.
‘Behold our pets!’ Nergal smiled as hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers took up their positions along the length of the hills.
Aiden stared once more at the Demos once more, they were grotesque to behold. As if their inner twisted souls had been reflected out upon their outer bodies. Many had heads that resembled reptiles or beasts on top of muscular armoured bodies while others looked as if they had stepped straight from some fantastic nightmare, their bodies bristling with spikes and horns and their jaws full of sharp pointed fangs. The Demos were all, every last one, now creatures of the night whose lust and greed had twisted and contorted their bodies beyond recognition.
‘You know that we cannot trust them’ Nimrod whispered in Aiden’s ear.
Aiden now looked back at the Anunnaki and the difference between them and the Demos could not be greater for the Anunnaki stood in well ordered rows. At the front of their army were their pets every one of them black as the dead of night, a cross between a lizard and a panther with thin whip like tails. Behind these animals were row upon row of neatly ordered foot soldiers all wearing red armour with a black interlocking circular designs. Behind them and standing at least a head taller than the foot soldiers were the Sebu whose red armour had a yellow pattern, the same as the soldier that Aiden had seen when he had been hunting for food. Each Sebu Aiden knew would command a unit of foot soldiers. Behind the Sebu would be yet another group of soldiers whose red armour would have a silver pattern, these were the Sinser they were the elite warriors. Then behind these would be the Apsu, their commander whose red armour would have a golden pattern. If Aiden could kill him the whole army would break apart.
‘Look it is the Isatum, the fire Tribe’ Nimrod said, ‘they will use the fire wall against us first!'
‘Leave that to me’ Aya said and walked back to the second row of the Neteru ranks.
‘After the fire wall will come the pets and then the main army’ Nimrod continued.
‘We will be as islands of rock and they the waves that crash against us. When their energy is spent we will rip through them to find their heart’ Aiden said.
Nergal nodded the battle plan understood and made his way back to the Demos.
‘If we defeat the enemy what will we do about the Demos?’ Nimrod asked quietly again.
‘I am bound not to hurt them unless they break their oath.
‘Then we must watch them carefully should we get through this!’ Nimrod growled.
They now waited in silence for the Anunnaki to make the first move and time seemed to stand still. Then from the ranks of the Isatum a slow deep chant rose up.
‘They start their battle chant the attack will come soon’ Nimrod said unmoved.
The Isatum war chant pulsed through the air making even the ground itself vibrate as it became slowly faster. Aiden looked back to where Aya was standing and she nodded her head confirming that they were ready. Aiden then looked across
to Nergal who also indicated that the Demos were ready. The war chant grew faster still then it suddenly stopped. Aiden felt a small puff of hot air against his face. Then from the ranks of the Isatum rose up a horizontal yellow line of flame that flew straight at them. Aiden watched as the the line of flames quickly widened becoming a great wall of scorching fire.
Aiden now felt that familiar pressure in his eardrums that meant that Aya and the Netaru were responding. Aiden watched as the air in front of him seemed to solidify creating a semi transparent wall that stretched the whole length of the hills. Behind the shimmering wall the fire wall created by the Isatum rolled onwards now over a hundred feet in height and covering the width of the plain, a tidal wave of molten fire. The fire crashed against the Neteru barrier halting in its tracks. Aiden watched as the wall of fire desperately sought a way through the obstacle, but finding none the fire like a spent wave crashed back to the plain behind burning the ground black before it disappeared. The air barrier now also disappeared. Aiden now watched as the Anunnaki pets swarmed across the plain towards them. Aiden took out his bow which shone bright as a star the excitement of battle coursing through his veins as Marduk the destroyer once more sprang to life inside him and he fired his first arrow. The arrow flew like a bolt of lightning and exploded amongst the charging animals killing many of the creatures and on this mark the ranks of the Neteru, Demos and humans as one now opened fire on the Anunnaki pets. Guns fired and arrows flew and the ground was ripped asunder from the explosions as many of the creatures fell on the plain in front of them, but still more followed behind.
The pets were now only fifty paces away from him and Aiden shouldered his bow and taking out his sword he held it up high where it flared like the sun. The Anunnaki on seeing the burning sword for the first time now knew who they were fighting against and Marduk felt their sudden fear and laughed. The Demos pets now rushed to meet with the Anunnaki pets but their numbers being far fewer they were easily swept aside. The Anunnaki pets then broke upon their ranks like a black wave but the defenders lines held firm like the rocks of the shore. Marduk with great sweeps of his sword dispatched all that came before him and with Nimrod on his left and Long on his right and the Neteru and Demos on either side they stood against the creatures. Even the human soldiers held their ground although some of the beasts managed to penetrate their lines but these were soon despatched by the soldiers behind.
‘The foot soldiers come’ Nimrod shouted, and as if hearing his words the tanks opened fire their shells exploding amongst the advancing troops of the enemy. But the foot soldiers were far too nimble and well armoured to be hurt by anything except a direct hit and their advancing numbers seemed little diminished.
‘Javlins’ Nimrod shouted.
The air in front of Aiden crystallised again but this time the air barrier starting from the ground ten paces in front of them slopped up towards their enemy at a forty five degree angle and it was not a moment too soon for the foot soldiers as one hurled their javelins with such ferocity and speed that they would have torn their way through metal. Had the air barrier that the Neteru just created been vertical the javelins would have easily broken through and caused great destruction among their ranks. But because the barrier was sloped it simply deflected the javelins into the ground in front of them creating a welcome barrier of spikes to the oncoming foot soldiers. However any hope that the javelins would prove an obstacle was short lived as the enemy easily leapt over them. However the Anunnaki were met while still in mid air the slicing swords and bullets of the defenders ensuring that the Anunnaki were dead before they touched the ground with yet more being hurled back like projectiles into the ranks behind. But the overwhelming numbers of the attackers soon began to tell as defenders gained a foothold on the other side of the barrier of javelins and began to slowly push the defenders back up the hill. Now many of the Neteru and Demos as well as the humans began to fall under the relentless blows of the attackers only Marduk held his ground against the enemy, then suddenly he knew something was terribly wrong.
‘The other army where are they’ Murduk shouted at Nimrod but did not wait for an answer for now he saw them. The second smaller army of the Anunnaki had travelled out wide on the plain and now Murduk could see that they were sweeping back in to attack their flank and Murduk realised that all would be lost. The rage erupted inside Murduk at this realisation and he launched himself at his enemy the burning sword flaring like the sun he cut through the ranks of the Isatum soon reaching the line of the Sebu who also fell back from his wrath. Behind Murduk followed Nimrod and Long covering his back. Murduk realised that their only chance now was to cut off the head, which meant killing their Apsu. But as if reading his mind he saw the Sinser now retreating away from the battle their Apsu safe in their midst. Murduk quickly glanced back to the second army and saw that for some reason they had not reached their flank as yet. Murduk continued clearing a path forward cutting down his enemies as if they were but blades of grass when he heard a cheer go up along the line of defenders. Looking again at the second army he saw that they were being attacked from behind by another army an assortment of mounted desert nomads and soldiers in jeeps some of whom were using fire magic to cut the Anunnaki ranks to ribbons. It was in that moment that the battle turned back in their favour and the defenders once more renewed their attack against the Anunnaki. The Anunnaki forces held their ground for a few moments more but then they began to be driven driven back. The second army of the Anunnaki broke and fled and the Anunnaki now found that it was their own flank being attacked. Suddenly the Anunnaki lines broke and they began to flee. The defenders roared in triumph and went after the fleeing Anunnaki cutting many down as they fled. It was then that Murduk felt the tingle in the air and immediately knew that the enemy was working a last desperate spell, a powerful spell!
‘Back’ Marduk roared and the defenders hearing his order repeated it along the line and as one they stopped and fell back. Marduk felt the spell growing stronger and knew whatever the Anunnaki were doing it would not be pleasant. Looking to his flank Murduk saw that they had been joined by a large force of soldiers and nomads and watched as four figures on horseback galloped towards him. As they drew near he saw with some surprise that they were Gagan, Hoshi, Li and Seth.
‘Welcome my friends’ Murduk called as the riders drew near and quickly dismounted, ‘and where did you learn to wield magic like that?’
‘Gagan of course’ Seth laughed in reply, ‘he taught us all!’
'Where did you find the army?' Aya asked who had joined them.
'Those are Hanif's muslim army and desert nomads and Rafferty's mercenaries' Gagne announced.
But there was no time for further discussion as the enemies spell reached its climax and was finally cast. It felt to Murduk that a thousand chains had just been broken freeing something that should have never been set free. The earth then shook at the roar of some unseen monster. The defenders as one looked to the cliffs at their side.
‘What have they done?’ Nimrod whispered sensing the power of the creature that the Anunnaki had released.
Murduk watched the remnants of the Anunnaki army retreat this time away away from the cliffs at their side and he could taste their fear of the creature that was coming. The creature roared once more its sound making the earth tremble beneath their feet and then the ground shook as it slowly began to move.
‘They have released Sirrush the master of chaos’ Murduk announced.
‘The fools none can control that beast it will destroy all before it.’ Nimrod said in disbelief.
Murduk said nothing still watching as the Anunnaki retreated away from the cliffs their fear quickening their pace. The ground shook with each foot fall of the great monster as it approached, the cliffs themselves started to crumbled and collapsing to the ground. Then from a gap in cliffs opposite the Anunnaki lines the great head of a dragon appeared its green scales glinting in the sun. The dragon moved slowly out onto the plain each step it took mak
ing the earth shake. The creature was over a hundred feet in height and it was over twice that in length. Its whole body was covered in armoured scales with a long tail that trailed behind. As the dragon walked the sharp talons on its feet gouged great troughs out of the earth. The monster with its feline shaped head and unblinking yellow eyes looked around malevolently at all those who stood on the battle field. The dragon stopped roaring once more then launched a white hot river of flame at the retreating ranks of the Anunnaki destroying every last one of them, leaving behind a bubbling lake of molten lava. Even the Sinser and their Apsu were caught in the flames for even they had not retreated back far enough! The dragon roared once more and now looked towards Murduk and the defenders and began to advance towards them. The tanks now opened fire at the great beast as it advanced but the shells only seemed to enrage the creature more. The dragon advanced upon the tanks the exploding shells having no effect on the creature. As before the Neteru created an air barrier between the defenders and the beast, the air once more going semi transparent. The tanks stopped firing as the defenders as one held their breath. The dragon now in range unleashed another jet of white hot fire at the tanks which shattered the barrier as if it were made from glass, the river of flames engulfing the tanks beyond. The tanks melted and exploded on mass at just the slightest touch of the fiery river and the soldiers who were positioned there were also incinerated in an instance. The top of the hill was soon turned into a lake of bubbling lava which flowed down the hill in a multitude of small streams scattering all those beneath it.
‘Aiden, Gagan do you have the keys’ Aya shouted as she ran down the hill towards them.
‘Keys?’ Aiden and Gagan replied together.
‘The keys you were sent to get’ Aya demanded urgently.
‘Yes’ Gagan said taking out his stone globe but Aiden still looked at her blankly.
‘You remember what Toth said about a prophecy, bringing the three together to stop chaos! Well the three must be the keys, we can use the keys to defeat chaos, Sirrush is chaos!' Aya said looking at Aiden.
