by Tom Rogal
Divi didn’t know what the captain saw, but it was obviously serious from his tone of voice.
“By the gods!”
The captain looked a few more seconds before turning to Eraddor. He could read the expression the seaman’s face. He had seen it many a time. It was the look of shock, the one a person gave when they were bested in a game of wit and the realization settled in. Only this was no game.
“Signal the troops below decks. Retreat is not an option. The winds are too strong to change course. We land in ten minutes!”
Eraddor nodded and commanded, “Levus, I’ll need you on the front lines.”
Levus looked at him confidently and nodded. He may have been able to fool Eraddor with those motions, but he didn’t fool Divi. She could see the fear in his eyes. Levus and she had been through many battles up to this point, but now he was getting thrown straight into a war. The young hunter from Dyyros had to be terrified. She couldn’t let him go out there like this! Never in a million years.
“I’ll go with you.”
She tried to follow Levus, but a hand grabbed her arm. She spun to see Tasi, whose grasp tightened the moment he felt her increased resistance.
“What are you doing?”
Tasi replied, “The front lines are no place for a mage, especially one who doesn’t know magic. We will be of better service here on the high ground.”
That was fine and dandy for Tasi. Divi only had her telekinetic powers . . . and she knew how to fight in close quarters. From up here, her powers up here were useless to those down on the ground, out of their range. She hoped that her friend wasn’t doing this to protect her. She wasn’t a kid anymore. She could make decisions on her own. Tasi’s argument, however, seemed to please those around her.
Eraddor agreed, “Tasi speaks wise words. Let the humans and elves worry about the front lines. Come on, Levus. We must hurry.”
Eraddor and Levus ran toward the middle of the deck, which led to the innards of the ship. She wanted to run to him, but Tasi’s presence made it only a thought.
Tasi suggested, “Come. We must go to the front of the ship and provide cover for the ground forces. The disembarkation is where most fatalities will occur because the enemy can focus on a single point. Make haste.”
Divi was hesitant to follow, but she did nonetheless. As she ran with him, she noticed Thetalis on ship to their right. He already had the troops set up. She knew very little about the half-elf leader, but one thing she remembered hearing was that he was very organized. Now she could believe it. Divi also spotted the row of twenty mages lined in front. Although a little scared, she was very curious. She had never seen mages in action on the battlefield. It was something she saw in pictures at the Mage School . . . after hours, of course.
They finally reached the front of the ship, where Thamalos had now situated himself.
Divi asked, “How bad does it look?”
Thamalos replied, “They throw a smaller force at us, one that recently arrived given the absence of tents. Normally Ettuiis will try to outnumber their opponents ten to one. This doesn’t make sense.”
“Then what are their intentions?” asked Tasi.
“I don’t know, but we should proceed with caution.”
Divi looked in the direction of Barbata. The ships were very near to the coast. Although she could not see the Ettui forces clearly, she could hear their roars echoing over the landscape. With the exception of the moon, the fires seen sporadically across the land provided the only light. She continued to watch so she could see the action.
Inside the ship, Levus and Eraddor stood next to each other. All the human troops waited patiently as the ship began to slow down. Levus surveyed the troops around him. He could see the fear in many of the serviceman’s eyes. Good, I’m not the only one. He could certainly sympathize with the feelings of the men. He was surprised with Eraddor’s order that he accompany him to the front lines. Levus had no fighting experience against an army, only facing small groups of the Night Predators on Dyyros and the Sardonians. Eraddor had needed to give him better armor because Levus’ was in no condition to fight in this type of battle. The new breastplate, though, could not be taken off and made him feel much heavier. The medallion was put into a compartment inside the armor. Kile’s rang deeply in his mind. He would not be able to use his powers without the medallion. This would have to be a problem he needed to fix.
“Are you all right?”
Levus nodded his head. He had hardly realized that he had his hand clenched at the middle of his chest. He quickly threw his hand down to his side and looked in Eraddor’s direction.
“I’m fine, just a little nervous, I guess.”
Eraddor gave him a smile and leaned near his ear. “Just remember, Ettui armor strength is in the upper body. They are vulnerable from the neck up or waist down. The initial charge is the only time you’ll need your shield. They will try to take us out with arrows as we exit. Keep your shield covering your sword arm side because your other arm won’t matter. Just breath. You will do fine.”
Eraddor stopped talking as a loud cracking was heard underneath them. He knew what that sound was. It was the reef of coral and seaweed scraping against the ship’s hull. They were very near to land.
Eraddor shouted, “Brace for impact! Shields at ready!”
The men surrounding them all prepared their weapons. Levus, too, took out the Moonsaber. Then everybody went silent and just listened. The sound of breaking coral continued, but now a loud grating sound joined it. The ship was still going fast, but had slowed down considerably. Levus braced for impact as he stared at the wooden door ahead of him.
He did want to see what was going on outside. To rely on the sounds alone made his imagination think of things, unbelievable and strange things. Was the reef causing damage to the bottom of the ship that wouldn’t allow them to reach the coast? Were there more of the enemy than they were led to believe? On the deck, he could have seen these things. In here, all he had was the door, a porthole he was unable to be seen out of. They would only know what happened when that window opened and reality would strike them in the form of arrows and steel.
Eraddor yelled, “Raise your shields after the door opens! Try to keep your neighbor on the line near you, as you are what will keep the other alive! Whatever they throw at us, show no fear! Remember your training and you will survive this day and the others to follow!”
The ship violently shook as they landed on the wood-laced beach. One penetrated the hull, cause a small amount of water to seep in. Eraddor recognized it as wooden spikes, sharpened logs attached to a longer log and put on the shores of beaches. It was discovered that it was very effect of damaging a ship trying to land.
Many of the men lost their footing or outright fell. What a way to stop! Levus’ breath grew heavier as sweat dropped from his face. Two men near the bow of the ship cut the ropes holding the large door, which turned into a ramp as it dropped. The wind hit all the men in the face like a dagger. The roaring sounds heard before were now deafening. Eraddor waited a few seconds for the wind-driven sand to rise a little higher. He had hoped the enemy would have fired a volley of arrows while they were still protected inside the ship, but no such luck. Just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way, he figured.
Eraddor yelled, “Charge!”
Although Levus was nervous, he clenched his sword and shield tight and sprinted out of the ship with Eraddor. Just as they did, Levus felt several things crash against his shield. He took a quick look around as he continued down the ramp. There were Ettui everywhere! Their front lines consisted of pikemen and archers. The rest of the enemy forces were mixed with infantry, archers, and horse-less cavalry.
Levus marched to the bottom of the ramp, hitting the dry earth. The scene was incredible! The desolate plains stretched for nearly five miles from the gigantic mountain, which had a weathered staircase leading inside it. If not for the Ettui, this would have been a marvel to look at. Glancing at the coast, L
evus noticed the large wooden spikes protruding from the ground at just the perfect length to penetrate the hull of a Cordcan-class ship. That explained the rough landing. That also proved a horrible truth: They were waiting for them.
The other two ships were also unloading their forces as the front line Ettuiis prepared to meet them. Only one of the ships seemed to escape the spike trap set. There was no time to disarm them or make repairs. They had a more pressing matter in front of them.
Eraddor examined the enemy troop formation, hoping to be able to adjust his own troops accordingly if necessary. The Ettui didn’t throw him any new surprises at the moment. The main lines, about forty deep and a hundred wide, were in the center. On the left, confronting the primarily elf unit, the more agile Ettui fighters formed on the shape of a spearhead. On the right, stood the more armored warrior Ettui mixed with archers. That right flank was going to be essential to break up if they were going to win. Behind the main forces, random Ettui soldiers cluttered in waiting. These were the reserves. A decently size force, for sure, but considering that they knew they were coming, this was fewer than expected.
The terrain was also not going to be very troublesome. From the shores to the base of the mountain spread flat plains with limited vegetation. The mountain itself would be a challenge. It had many entrances and exits, seeming like a maze to someone unfamiliar with it. Staircases could be seen at various points on this side of the rocks. Eraddor never liked mazes. He figured it shouldn’t be an issue, though, as there were more than enough elves to guide the troops inside. From the way Thamalos explained it, past the mountain and the rolling hills of the Dead Forest was going to have the men desiring the Palace of Thorii and her immediate surroundings because of its security and cool temperatures inside.
Thamalos and Thetalis both waited until all the soldiers had disembarked before yelling, “Firatelii!” Fire!
The elf and half-elf archers fired all their arrows in unison. Many struck the archers and various members of the front line, but overall they did not make much of a dent. The Ettui behind the front lines decided to charge, seeing the arrow assault.
Tasi was very aware of the attack. This was their time to shine.
Tasi yelled, “Mages! Provide cover!”
All the mages raised both hands, their staves in one and balls slightly larger than cannon balls forming in the other. Their incantations echoed on the ships.
Divi watched with great interest. What were all those little lights appearing from nowhere to combine and form their fireball? It looked exactly like the lights she saw in the Forbidden Forest. She never paid attention to such detail before of how the spells constructed.
Tasi waited until everyone was ready before he finally yelled, “Unleash!”
The mages released the ball from their hands. The spells hit their enemies with great accuracy, taking out nearly the entire first line of advancing Ettui. The human forces were now very close now to the awaiting Ettui armed with spikes. Levus saw what was coming and decided to try something. This was certainly a risk, but one he hoped would strike enough fear into the enemy to cause a retreat. He threw his shield forward and it hit one of the Ettui in the head, killing it instantly. Levus lifted the Moonsaber up and it began to glow. Time to feed, my old friend.
“Circle of Fate!”
His Technique killed a full line of Ettui ahead of him. Eraddor took pause when Levus started his ability. How did he do that? What manner of magic had the boy from Dyyros been hiding? He didn’t have much time to think of it as the charging Ettui and human forces clashed. As the Ettui iron met Cordcan steel, he noticed something perhaps more important than knowing how Levus performed his Technique. That skill of his created a gap in a very crucial part of the line of the Ettui defense. That was most fortunate. He was certain the boy had no idea as to what he had accomplished, but he was ever grateful.
The force unleashed by Levus’ skill finally ceased, leaving a wake of at least two hundred Ettui dead by his hand. It was interesting how simple, how easy it was becoming to be the reason for hundreds of deaths and to not feel sorrow for his actions. He even started enjoying it. The jewel in the blade glimmered lightly. Boy, was he glad he pocketed the amulet or else he wouldn’t have been able to just execute the one advantage he had over everyone else.
Wait, what did I do? His joy for his accomplishment was neutralized when he realized where he was: right in the middle of the Ettui defenses.
Levus said, “Not good.”
Divi had seen the performance of his Technique . . . and the result of it. She had to do something. Tasi ordered the mages to fire again. She rushed over to her best friend as he watched the next wave of fireball volleys collide with the Ettui forces.
Divi screamed, “You need to help Levus! He’s in trouble!”
Tasi turned around and yelled, “We have to wait before we can fire again!”
She wanted to protest, but she knew that would be futile. If this was going to be done, she would to have to do it herself. Divi sprinted back inside the ship.
“Divi!” Tasi shouted when he realized she had left his side. “Come back!”
One of the mages tapped his shoulder. “We are ready for your orders!”
Tasi turned to face the mage warrior before looking out at the battlefield. Ettui forces continued to spew from the mountain. The main lines were still the strongest of the enemy defense, but thanks to the gap created by Levus, there was an opportunity he knew he had to take advantage of by weakening that side further.
Tasi raised his staff and the other mages reacted by doing the same. Poor Divi. She probably hated him now, but there was nothing they could do for Levus. He had to think of the survival of the army as a whole. Besides, Levus was well out of range of their spells effectiveness. Unless he moved closer to them, there was nothing he could do. He had to focus now on the task at hand. Tasi lowered his staff.
“Aim toward the gap! Fire!”
The mages fired upon the incoming Ettui forces on the break point created by Levus. Meanwhile, the boy from Dyyros slashed at an Ettui warrior until it fell dead. He killed a couple more, trying to make his way back toward the ships . . . and the rest of the army. It was strange. He felt like the sword was helping him, eager to be fed as much blood as it could take.
He was about to attack another Ettui when a fireball from the mages came his way. Levus turned to run. The Ettui warriors pursuing him didn’t see the fireball and kept charging. The projectile connected with the ground five feet from Levus. The pursuing warriors and other nearby Ettui were knocked off their feet, but only seemed fazed. Levus fell from the earth shaking.
Eraddor noticed that the boy was in trouble. He quickly signaled to the nearby troops.
“Fire a volley! We need to protect him!”
The troops fired a shower of arrows at the Ettui near Levus, which connected with the intended targets just as he struggled to stand up. This was an advancement in Cordcan training that Eraddor particularly liked: all the men carried a short bow and a few arrows to use in an emergency. Elf archers and mages helped in situations when they could, but they had a plan of attack they tried to follow as well. This allowed the regular soldier to get out of a sticky spot when the elves or mages couldn’t help.
As Levus got his feet under him, he noticed a small group of Ettui near him, but not aware of his presence yet, distracted by the fall of arrows. He reached for the Moonsaber . . .
It was gone! He must have dropped it when the spell hit. He looked furiously around, but it was difficult to locate with all the flying dust in the air. Finally, a few feet away, his eyes fell the only thing on the ground in the area swallowing the moon’s rays. He wasn’t the only one to notice, though. A nearby Ettui archer also saw the blade and rushed over to it. Levus leapt to grab the sword, retrieving it moments before the archer arrived. He swiftly rolled to his left. As he was about to stand, an Ettui warrior slashed its sword downward at Levus. He blocked it and kicked the enemy over him. Just
as he got to his feet, an Ettui sword swung at his helmet, knocking it clean off his head. The warrior was about to attack again, but a large boulder slammed hard into its skull. Levus looked back toward their ships since the boulder came from that way.
A voice suddenly entered his head. “Levus, I’ll cover you!”
He’d recognize Divi’s voice from anywhere. He spotted her near the exit of the main ship. He grinned and evaluated the situation. The main forces of the army to his right seemed to be holding their own. The mainly elf forces, though, seemed to be losing ground. He faced them and held the Moonsaber tightly in his hand.
Levus yelled, “Circle of Fate!”
The Ettui that were unfortunate enough to be in the way of the attack were destroyed immediately. The elves gave a joyous cheer as Levus made their job a little bit easier now.
Meanwhile, the few remaining Ettui archers began to fire at the elves and half-elves on the ships. A few arrows hit their targets, but many collided with the ship’s hull. Thetalis, who knew that his people would be no longer effective as the targeted, signaled to his troops.
“Half-elves! Pull back! Collect and tend the wounded!”
They quickly responded to their leader’s order. Thamalos, who was on the ship to the left of Thetalis, saw what the half-elf leader was doing. This had expected it. He would rather have them heal the hurt now anyway. The need for archers in this battle was lessening the further it came along. His elves could handle what remained of this weakening Ettui line, especially with nearly all the enemy archers defeated. He quickly scanned his elvish forces.
Thamalos yelled, “Firatelii e gurunduii il bata!” Fire and cover the right flank!
Half of the elves turned to face the archer Ettuiis and opened fire. Thamalos also contributed an arrow from his sacred quiver. Their barrage of arrows took out the remaining archers on the Ettui right flank. Thamalos saw this as a personal victory. Soon the rest of the army would follow and this battle would be over.
