“Aye, and would you take a look at that?” Kellen pointed toward the north, as he removed his hood, revealing a strong face and long blond hair.
Auvelia glanced in the indicated direction and saw what her husband meant. Branches lay broken on the ground, and a large hole seemed to be carved through the forest edge. At closer inspection, the hole turned into a path of broken branches and flattened undergrowth leading away from the forest edge toward their location. Their eyes widened, and they shifted their gaze toward the south, quickly realizing the path continued into the forest.
“Whatever the creature is, it must be nine feet tall at least. It has recurved horns and single-toed hooves and walks bipedally, according to these tracks,” Auvelia explained.
Then her eyes caught something else moving slightly in the light breeze, caught on a bush’s thorns. She inspected the patch of fibers clumped together.
Kellen noticed her reach for it, and wondered. “Fur?”
She plucked the ball of fibers off the thorns and replied, “No, it is wool.” She shook her head in utter confusion. “I have no knowledge of a creature with all these traits.”
Her husband looked around and contemplated what beast could have such physical characteristics, unable to recollect such a creature existing within Harmaalinna’s borders.
“Darnum must be informed. We need to find Faolan and head back to the town,” he concluded firmly.
They left the ominous scene behind and its curiosities to their imaginations. The scouts set off toward the northwest in the direction of the Giant’s Playground where Faolan had been told to survey.
◆◆◆
The Giant’s Playground was where male giants from the Tri-Peaks held contests of boulder hurling and compared the strongest among them in order to become the leader each new year. The competing giants carried a boulder from the Tri-Peaks to the throwing field, and each giant took their turn to see who could throw their boulder the farthest.
Faolan had entered the Giant’s Playground some time ago and walked between the large boulders, though he found nothing and everything seemed usual. The birds chirped, and the wind rushed between the round boulders. He attempted to climb one of the boulders, struggling for a few minutes because the sides were very smooth. As he reached the crest, he made an uncoordinated lunge and rolled up onto the top. A sigh of relief slipped from his lips because nobody was around to see his clumsy climb. He sat up and took a quick glance around the vast boulder field. He saw nothing of concern and allowed his mind to wander. He glanced up at the wispy clouds layering the sunny sky.
A deep breath filled his lungs, and then he exhaled the refreshing air and smiled. “Such a beautiful day,” he said.
Faolan removed his hood and revealed his soft olive complexion and hazel eyes. He did not have the pointed ears or long blond hair that his parents did. His hair was dark brown and kept short. There was a short range of stubble across his jaw, a day’s worth of growth.
He could only remember the last three years of his life; before then, it was just a void without memories, and he felt as if he had not existed. He struggled with mixed emotions about his elusive past as he recollected his first memory. Kellen and Auvelia had found him waking from unconsciousness in the high grass of the Gashindran Plains.
He called them his parents, but in truth, he was no blood relation to them. He did not look like an elf, and he stood out in an elven city with adoptive parents who were elf. He did not know how old he was or when and where he was born. His past was a mystery, and to keep things simple, he referred to Kellen and Auvelia as his parents because their faces were his first memories and when he met them his mental state had regressed to that of a child. His understanding of the world was basic, and his innocent soul sought guidance.
They had taken to him and chose to treat him as a son, admitting he was an adult but with something missing. As time continued, his adult behaviors were slowly returning to him in fragmented pieces, though no memories of his past life had returned yet.
Part of him wished he could remember who he was before his adoptive parents found him, but another part thought it was best he could not remember. What if he was ashamed of the individual he used to be?
He glanced down at his swords. He had heard countless times over the past three years how his swords were so odd and ineffective in structure. They were twins, but no other sword like them existed in Verdunmull. Their blades were four feet in length, single edged. At their tips, the swords doubled back beneath themselves two feet in an ovate shape. Atop the main blades sat a formation of three recurved metal protrusions, the tri-teeth. The teeth progressively shortened from tip to wielder, the tallest being a foot in height, the shortest six inches; all three teeth were close together and rested above the farthest foot of blade.
Faolan’s thoughts stopped as he began to feel faint vibrations through the boulder.
Earthquake? he wondered.
He stood up and scanned the boulder field. Nothing was moving, but the vibrations were growing stronger. He looked toward the horizon. There was nothing to the south or to the north. Faolan’s hazel eyes went wide when they reached the western horizon. It appeared as if an orange sea was rolling in from the west, rippling as it approached. The sea crashed against the boulder field’s western edge and flowed between the boulders. As the rolling orange sea grew closer, Faolan knew what it was: Nathra. There were thousands of them.
“It’s a Nathra charge!”
He glanced around to see if Kellen and Auvelia had made it to the boulder field, but he did not see them. He looked back at the rolling sea and decided he could wait no longer. The Nathra were headed toward Darnum. He had to warn Darnum before it was too late. He opened his cloak and unveiled the unusual dual swords hooked to his belt.
Faolan cursed as he watched the Nathra growing closer. He was searching for an end to their rolling sea so he could report an estimation of numbers to the general in charge, but he saw no end. Their numbers still extended past the horizon.
The Nathra had grown too close. He decided it was time to make the sprint to Darnum. He turned and leaped off the boulder, landed in a crouch, and pushed off into a run. He unhooked his swords from his belt as he weaved through the boulders. He heard a heavy thump behind him. He glanced back and saw a Nathra chasing him through the boulder field. The beast was moving quickly, bouncing along behind him in its strange ricocheting gait. It maneuvered with ease through the boulder field’s narrow passages.
Faolan ran as fast as his legs would propel him. He cursed at himself. He had been careless. He had forgotten the speed at which the Nathra could travel. He calculated the distance to Darnum and compared the pace difference between himself and the Nathra.
He shook his head in frustration.
He cleared his mind and readied himself for the long struggle to Darnum’s gates.
◆◆◆
Kellen and Auvelia slowed to a walk and stopped when they reached the Giant’s Playground’s eastern edge. They looked at the boulder field before them.
“Faolan!” Kellen shouted.
There was no answer.
“Do you feel the ground shaking?” Auvelia said.
“Aye,” Kellen said.
“Giants?” Auvelia questioned.
“No, the vibrations are too shallow and too frequent,” Kellen noted.
He unsheathed his great sword, and Auvelia scanned the spaces in between the boulders as she took her bow in hand and nocked an arrow.
“Faolan!” Kellen yelled.
There was no answer.
Several Nathra emerged from behind the boulders. Auvelia released her arrow at the nearest beast, and it collapsed in a lifeless roll.
Auvelia shot and killed two more beasts. Kellen defended her from a third, but they had not noticed the Nathra that stood atop a boulder nearby. The perched creature crouched low and readied itself for an attack.
Faolan raced out from behind the same boulder and caught sight of the scene unfolding before h
im. He roughly predicted the Nathra’s flight path and sprinted forward as the creature leaped off the boulder. He dropped to one knee and through the mud underneath the beast. He swung his sword in a wide arc above his head, and the longest tri-tooth slit the Nathra’s throat as it flew over, painting his sword red. He lifted his head as the creature’s limbs went limp, and it slammed into the ground before Auvelia.
“Run, Mother!” he shouted.
Faolan pushed off from his kneeling position and continued his run. Auvelia nocked an arrow, pulled back, and released. The arrow dug deep into the nearest Nathra. Faolan passed her, and she turned to follow.
Kellen had started running as soon as Faolan had emerged from the boulder field. He knew he was the slowest runner among them, and his retreat was a calculated move based on faith in his family.
Auvelia ran past Faolan and nocked another arrow. With her next step, she halted and pivoted. Without aiming, she let the arrow fly and renewed her run as Faolan caught up to her. The arrow hit a target.
They caught up to Kellen in minutes. He was resting his great sword on one of his brawny shoulders.
“Auvelia, run ahead to Darnum. Warn General Gavina of the Nathra charge. We will be close behind,” Kellen said.
“The south gate will remain open for you,” she reassured them. Her gait lengthened, and her stride quickened. She passed Kellen in four steps, and the gap between them reached fifty feet in moments.
Faolan slowed his pace and took position at his father’s right flank. He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened as he saw the orange wall gaining on them. He had never seen so many Nathra. The creatures were beginning to encircle them. He heard a heavy thump to his right. He glanced and saw a Nathra leaping toward him. Its long claws were extended before its parted canines.
Faolan brought his right sword up in defense. The Nathra flew straight into the blade, and the blade slipped into its torso. The beast continued through the blow, and the sword slid up the side of the Nathra’s neck as it fell. Gravity pulled the dead creature toward the ground, and it slammed into Faolan’s leg. He stumbled and caught himself on one hand before regaining his footing.
“Faolan, when I tell you to get down, do not hesitate,” Kellen commanded.
“Yes, Father,” said Faolan.
Faolan heard a heavy impact behind his father and quickly swung a sword over Kellen. The sword sliced the attacking Nathra’s face. It recoiled and crashed into the ground. Its body rolled and tripped several other beasts in the process.
“Get down!” Kellen yelled.
Faolan doubled over without hesitation, and the great sword hummed over him. The great sword slammed into an attacker and completely reversed the Nathra’s momentum. Kellen hoisted his sword back onto his shoulder and glanced toward the eastern horizon. He could no longer see his wife.
◆◆◆
Auvelia sprinted through the open wooden doors of Darnum’s western gate. She stopped in front of the nearest elven soldier.
“Where is General Gavina?” Auvelia asked.
“She is at the market, taking care of a noisy dwarf,” the soldier said.
“Go get her quickly! There is a Nathra charge heading toward Darnum!” Auvelia said.
“What?” The soldier thought he had misheard her.
“Now! Or you will have everyone’s blood on your hands!” she angrily shouted at him, and the elven soldier ran toward the town center.
Auvelia walked back outside the wooden doors and stood there for a moment. She watched for Kellen and Faolan. Some time passed before she heard yelling behind her.
“Where is the scout?” a female voice shouted.
Auvelia turned around and spotted the half-elf general with the elven king’s insignia and her rank on her sleeve.
“Here!” Auvelia said as she walked over to the tall general. The general’s flowing dark-brown hair was quite stunning.
“Report?” Gavina’s blue eyes glared at Auvelia.
“A Nathra charge comes for Darnum from the west,” Auvelia said.
“What is your name?” Gavina moved toward the gate.
“Auvelia.”
“Close the gates! Archers on the battlements! Melees take formation!” Gavina barked commands in all directions.
The soldiers scattered from their idle conversations. Messengers sprinted in all directions to raise the alarm. The gates shut, and fifty melee swordsmen took formation across the road. Archers lined the battlements with their bows at the ready.
Gavina motioned to the closest melee to approach her. “Lieutenant, have your men relay the orders to the other gates.”
The lieutenant waved one of his men over.
“Wait!” Auvelia said. “Two scouts will need safe passage through the south gate as the Nathra approach.”
“Fine, then you give the orders at the south gate. If the men there question your authority, inform them they will answer to me,” Gavina said. “Lieutenant, have your men send the orders to the north and east gates.”
Gavina turned to Auvelia with a stern look.
“Auvelia, I trust you will not endanger the town,” Gavina said.
“Of course. Thank you.” Auvelia bowed and took her leave as well.
Gavina assessed the situation. Her mind was sharp and her presence was commanding. She looked at her men and made certain they were all in position. When she was content with her soldiers, she walked to the battlements above the west gate. She watched the western horizon for the coming attack and wondered if Auvelia’s words were true.
◆◆◆
Three loud thumps sounded from behind, and three Nathra leaped through the air at the two scouts. Kellen’s great sword swung around with unrivaled force. The great sword met the three beasts in midflight and slammed two of them square in the chest. The great sword sliced through them and raked the third Nathra’s side with its sharp tip. He had successfully repelled the attackers again.
Faolan had begun to tire, and his pace was slowing. His arms drooped lower and lower, and holes in his defense began to show. Kellen, on the other hand, showed no sign of wear. His strong arms easily kept pace with the Nathra’s attacks.
Faolan heard another heavy thump behind him. He reacted but almost too slowly this time. He struck down the Nathra before it dug its claws into him. He looked forward and noticed Darnum’s walls rising above the horizon.
Kellen looked at Faolan and noticed his son’s fatigue. He had known before they had left the boulder field that Faolan would find it difficult to run all the way to Darnum. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He spotted the Nathra in midflight with its claws extended. Kellen did not have time to react. He could only watch as the beast sliced across Faolan’s back with one of its clawed hands.
Faolan cried out, his back arching as the pain struck him. He stumbled as pain gripped his mind. Kellen swung his great sword high overhead with tremendous force and brought it down on the attacker. The Nathra was split in two. Kellen heaved his bloodied sword back on his shoulder. Faolan doubled over and was on the verge of falling.
“Stand fast! Push through the pain,” Kellen roared.
Faolan’s vision blurred as an immense pain shot through his back. His eyes were locked, yet he stared at nothing. His mouth flung agape, yet his lungs were empty, and an eerie silence took place where an intended scream should have been. He had never felt such pain.
His eyes unlocked and began to refocus. He returned from his state of shock and watched as orange bodies leaped past him at an alarming rate. An unexpected tug from behind lifted Faolan clear off his feet and straightened him up enough to facilitate airflow into his lungs. His mind grasped the situation once more, and he pushed forward with a renewed vigor. He flashed a look of thankfulness toward his father for the helpful hand.
“What is that face for? You thought I would let you fall? Right, and what would your mother say? She would give me an earful, you know . . . I cannot have that.” Kellen smiled widely and laughed.
He slapped Faolan on his shoulder. “Shall we pick up the pace?”
Faolan smiled through a cough. “Yes, Father.”
With Faolan’s composure regained, they continued toward Darnum. They were nearing the west gate.
Kellen spotted the archers lining the battlements.
“The west gate is closed. We must curve toward the south gate,” Kellen said.
They changed their direction and ran toward the south. They paralleled the wall as it curved. Some of the Nathra chased after them.
“Get down!” Kellen shouted. He cut down another attacker as it leaped toward them.
Father and son raced toward the south gate. Faolan realized the Nathra attacks were increasing in frequency. Either the creatures were growing more aggressive, or the two of them were slowing down.
Faolan’s blades danced through the air.
A loud yell sounded from his left. Its origin was definitely not a Nathra. He looked at his father and saw Kellen holding his right shoulder. Blood flowed between the fingers of his father’s left hand as it grasped the fresh wound. Kellen was dragging his heavy great sword through the grass with his other hand. Blood streamed down his arm and dripped from his clenched right hand as he desperately held on to the heavy piece of metal.
Faolan could see the south gate. “Go! The gate is right there. I will follow.”
Kellen increased his speed as Faolan slowed. The gap between them grew. Faolan swung his blades and stopped the Nathra attacks as they came. His movements quickened with every swing. Faolan pushed the pain from his back out of his mind. He looked at the south gate just as his father passed through the narrow opening between the wooden doors. His defense did not waver. Faolan felled three more Nathra before he broke away from the rest. He pushed himself as hard as he could and reached the south gate. He passed through the slim opening and caught sight of an archer line standing before him, fifteen archers wide.
Fall! his instincts screamed.
Faolan locked his legs and fell face first into the dirt. A series of twangs sounded as his eyes stared at the grains of dirt an inch from his face. Arrows whistled past him and cries of pain echoed. He heard the creaking gate shut. When the whistling of arrows ceased, he lifted himself up. Several soldiers moved to aid his father, who was lying just a little farther ahead. He assumed his father had hit the ground once he realized what was happening as well.
Verdunmull Page 3
