Five Kingdoms: Book 07 - Wizard Falling

by Toby Neighbors

  “Yes, General,” came the chorus of replies.

  “Keep our troops moving,” he instructed. “Hit the enemy, then withdraw to the next designated area. Remember speed is our greatest asset. As Lady Brianna has described them, the enemy is slow, but strong. We should be able to hit them and withdraw before they can retaliate and overcome us with their brute strength.”

  He called two of the officers out the group and the three set off, riding hard to the north. Brianna felt a moment of gratitude that Wilam had such loyal and capable men to lean on.

  “Are you and the dragons staying?” Commander Erns asked.

  “Yes, Commander. We will do our best to draw off the Leffers so your troops are free to fight the army.”

  “These Leffers are the flying horses?”

  “Yes,” Brianna said. “We should be able to hit the army, then lead the Leffers away, giving you a window of opportunity to hit the army and then withdraw before the Leffers return. We’ll do our best to slow any pursuit of your men, but it will not be an easy fight.”

  “We didn’t come here looking for easy,” Erns said. “You heard Lady Brianna, wait until you see the flying horse creatures go after the dragons. Then hit these sons of bitches hard. I want you to command your sentries personally, ride with them, but stay away from the fighting if at all possible. Your job is to send them in and call them out. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Good, let’s show these monsters we aren’t afraid of them.”

  Brianna nodded and was about to leave as the officers rode out to command their squads when the first of several mental images flashed into her mind. It was somewhat hard to tell exactly how fast the enemy army was moving, but she guessed they would be within sight in an hour.

  “Lady Brianna?” Erns called to her. “May I have a word?”

  He dismounted from his horse and handed the reins to one of the two men still with him. Brianna guessed the riders would carry orders to the troops in either direction. A coordinated attack would need clear lines of communication and both men sat on lithe looking horses and carried only the lightest of weapons. Neither the riders nor the horses had on any armor. She knew the dragons could have done the same job much faster, but most of the dragons were loath to communicate with humans. They didn’t fear man, but they were repulsed by the sheer differences between their species. And Brianna knew that it would be a stretch for the dragons to communicate specific orders clearly, not to mention their strength was needed to fight against the Leffers.

  “Commander, the enemy should be in sight soon,” Brianna said. “I’m guessing an hour before they are close enough to engage.”

  “Very good, my Lady, but I was hoping you might have more news about his highness.”

  “I’m afraid there’s not much more to share, he has a broken arm, several cuts, one is serious.”

  “Was the treacherous King Zorlan slain?”

  “No,” Brianna said. “King Zorlan used a champion.”

  “Bastard!” Erns said. “Why didn’t King Wilam also choose a champion?”

  “I don’t know,” Brianna said, trying not to let her exasperation show. “As it was, Mansel saved the King’s life and struck down the Falxis champion. I’m afraid there isn’t much more to know than that.”

  “Well, I wish I had been there,” Erns said, not even trying to hide his own anger. “Thank you for bringing the news.”

  Brianna nodded. “You can help your king now by slowing the enemy and keeping as many of your troops alive as possible.”

  “Yes, of course,” he said with a little bow. “The King is lucky to have you, my lady.”

  Brianna smiled, then she jumped into the air. Selix caught her with his long, golden tail and flung her high. She flipped and twirled, the updrafts and thermals carrying her higher and higher. Then, as if on cue, Gyia slid in beneath Brianna. The long, serpentine dragon with dark purple scales roared as Brianna landed on her back. Smoke billowed from the dragon’s mouth, but no flames were released. Brianna leaned forward and patted her neck.

  “What did you want to tell me?” Brianna asked.

  Gyia was flying much lower than the other dragons, most of whom had risen back up above the cloud banks to bask in the sun until they were needed on the battle field. An image of King Wilam flashed into Brianna’s mind.

  “He is okay,” she said. “He’s wounded, but he should heal in time.”

  Gyia shook the long, purple head. Another image flashed and this time Brianna understood.

  “You think he has learned how to control you?” she asked.

  “Yes,” hissed Gyia.

  This was news to Brianna, Wilam had not spoken of it and she couldn’t understand why. He had a connection to Gyia and Brianna was almost certain the dragon would do anything he asked. Why would he need to control Gyia, or Tig and Selix for that matter. It didn’t make sense. Brianna knew Wilam had been trying to discover how his father had taken control of the dragons, but she didn’t know he intended to use it. She had thought he wanted to help ensure the safety of the dragons, just as she did, but now she wasn’t so certain.

  “What happened?”

  Gyia used images and feelings to tell Brianna that Wilam had connected with the purple dragon yesterday, even though Gyia was much too far away for Wilam to communicate with her. Gyia had checked with Selix and Tig, they had felt Wilam’s mind and heard his thoughts at times yesterday too.

  “But maybe he doesn’t realize he’s doing it?” Brianna said.

  Gyia shook her long purple head again and growled. The dragons had all felt the irresistible commands which felt exactly as when King Felix had commanded them.

  If Wilam had discovered how to control the dragons, he could use that power once the battle began. Maybe that was why he refused to leave the village. She felt a sadness rise up in her.

  “Thank you for telling me,” Brianna said. “I will find a way to discover what he knows and free you from that yoke. For now, we must focus on the enemy at hand.”

  As if by saying it out loud she had somehow conjured the enemy army far below, she saw the monsters come swarming into view. The Leffers could move quickly, but they matched the lumbering pace of the mutated army. There were no ranks or lines drawn up for battle, just a horde that was so large it was almost overwhelming. Brianna had to remind herself that she didn’t have to fight the entire army, just those within reach.

  “Alright,” Brianna said. “It’s time to show those monsters what we’re made of.”

  Brianna jumped off Gyia’s back and glided through the air. She was falling, but much more slowly than a normal person. Occasionally updrafts would raise her back up. She waited as Selix circled around and then flew in below her. Brianna dove down, then extended her arms at the last minute, slowing her descent so that she landed gracefully on the back of the huge golden dragon.

  Selix turned and they took a low pass out in front of the entire line of cavalry soldiers. Selix roared and blew a gout of fire down onto the wet grass, causing steam to rise up behind them. Brianna looked back and saw the soldiers mounting their horses and checking their weapons. It was time, she realized. The battle had finally come.

  Chapter 20

  Brianna called the pride together. They circled above the horde of mutated soldiers. The mob of enchanted slaves looked worse than they had a week ago when she and Zollin had fought them. They didn’t look tired exactly, and their bodies were already grossly misshapen, but it seemed to Brianna the relentless march was taking its toll on their physical bodies. She had not seen them resting, or even eating. Their bodies were powered by some dark magic, their minds held in total control by the witch Gwendolyn, but the lack of basic needs was weakening them. She hoped that meant they wouldn’t be as strong or as ferocious as they had been in the previous battle.

  She focused her attention on the Leffers. There were hundreds leading the army of mutated citizens from the three kingdoms. It was a living nightmare, but she
knew what she had to do. The Leffers would rise up to drive off her dragons once they attacked, leaving the cavalry time to dart in, hit the mutated host and escape. She knew that Commander Erns and the other officers were watching her and the dragons closely. The plan was to allow them one attack run so the officers could calculate the amount of time they would have for their own charges.

  To the pack, Brianna sent mental images of the Leffers rising up and attacking. Then she divided the dragons into three groups. The first was the largest with six dragons, including Selix, Tig, and Gyia. They would swoop down, engage the army and then rise back up. If everything went according to plan, the Leffers would follow and the second two groups, each with three dragons, would catch as many of the flying horse monsters as possible in a crossfire of flames. It was a simple strategy and Brianna hoped it would work efficiently. She and Zollin had done much the same thing further south, but with only two dragons. With a dozen dragons, Brianna hoped they could make a serious dent in the massive horde of mutated fighters marching north.

  “Here we go!” Brianna shouted and Selix dove.

  She held onto Selix with her legs and leaned as far as she could to the dragon’s left side. Selix and Brianna were the first to attack. They were well back from the front line of the mutated host where the Leffers flew at the head of the army. Brianna felt Selix take a long, deep breath and then he unleashed a torrent of fire onto the heads of the marching army as Selix leveled off the steep dive and flew parallel to the ground. Brianna streamed fire from her hands, pouring the intense heat down in a thick wave.

  The soldiers engulfed in flames died almost instantly. Those near the fire or along the edges of the flaming attacks were burned, but kept moving. The horde didn’t move in formation, but they marched along in a continuous flow. The dragon attacks disrupted that flow, and the horde of soldiers around the strafing runs swarmed in all directions.

  The other dragons flew to either side of Selix and together they killed hundreds of the enemy, but as soon as the dragons pulled up from their long, fiery attacks, they could see the Leffers rising up from the front lines to pursue them. There were hundreds of the horselike creatures. They had large horse bodies with powerful legs. Where the horse’s neck should have begun, a human chest appeared, with long arms and fingers that ended in long, razor sharp claws. The head looked somewhat human, with long hair that flowed out behind them, but with mouths full of oversized pointed teeth. They had insectile wings in the middle of the horse-like back, and their tails were large scorpion tails that arched up and over their backs of the complete with stingers. The Leffers were slow in the air, but their hooves were powerful and although Brianna wasn’t sure if the stingers could penetrate her dragons’ hard scales, she didn’t want to take any chances.

  The dragons flew up and the Leffers pursued. Brianna sent images of flames hitting the thin wings of the flying horse creatures. The Leffers were vulnerable to fire, especially on the human head, but the wings melted easily and the falling creatures were deadly to anything below them. Brianna turned around as far as she could and hurled balls of fire down toward the Leffers who were rising after them. The dragons were vastly outnumbered, but their speed and ability to breath fire made them more than a match for the Leffers. It didn’t take long for the other dragons to close the trap. The Leffers rose in a tight group, but the creatures on the outer ring were blasted by the dragons.

  Once her reserve groups had attacked, Brianna led her group of six back down toward the Leffers. Much like the mindless troops below, the Leffers seemed oblivious to danger and didn’t try to evade the dragons. Instead they flew directly toward them, fully expecting their superiority of numbers to prevail. The dragons blew flames until the Leffers got close, then they broke away in different directions. The Leffers who had survived the attack turned slowly and flew back down to lead the army again.

  Brianna watched and after a few moments there was hardly any evidence that a fight had even occurred. The numbers of the mutated army seemed unending and they had no qualms about marching over the corpses of their dead. Their big, mutated feet had stomped the smoking bodies and smothered the small grass fires. The cold winter wind blew the gray cloud of smoke away.

  Selix flew over the commander of the cavalry who still sat upon the hill overlooking the long slopping plain. General Hausey had picked the perfect spot for the cavalry to attack, Brianna thought. The dragons flew in circles until the evil army was close enough that Commander Ern was ready to attack. One of his aides waved a flag and Brianna led the dragon’s on another charge. This time when the Leffers rose up and the reserve groups attacked, she slid down Selix’s tail and the golden dragon hurled her up into the air like a trebuchet. Brianna flew, her heavy cloak flapping around her in the cold wind. She normally turned and vaulted herself through the air; her body had been transformed by her power so that she was stronger and much lighter than she had been before and she could dance upon the drafts and currents of air. But this time she glided, using her enhanced vision to see the charging horses far below.

  The cavalry were still in groups of 100, but spread in long lines. There were still Leffers on the ground, but a huge stretch of the enemy army was laid bare. The cavalry came in one group at a time. They were spread out, which Brianna guessed was to give them room to turn and dash away once they hit the enemy. The cavalry from Felson were light horsemen, which meant the horses only wore minimal armor and they were smaller and lighter than the huge war horses most knights rode. Many of the light horse calvary soldiers were recruits, not knights, so they had little or no armor. They carried long lances, short bows, and curved sabers that were used for hacking. Some had shields, others did not, but they all rode with confidence despite the fact the mutated soldiers they faced were over eight feet tall with thick, bulbous muscles and large iron swords.

  The first wave hit the enemy only a moment after Brianna was hurled into the air. Their lances struck, piercing through the thick, mutated bodies and then snapping. The horses all turned quickly to their left and the cavalry drew their sabers, hacking and slashing as they rode down the line of enemy soldiers. Only a few horses fell and the other horsemen turned and dashed away. Then the next wave hit. Brianna had not seen anything stop the swarm of enemy soldiers, but the second wave of cavalry did just that. The horsemen drove into the horde, pushing the enemy soldiers back into their companions. The mutated host were just raising their swords to attack when the horses turned and raced away again.

  Brianna looked over her shoulder and saw the dragons starting to scatter. She guessed the cavalry had enough time for one more run. The third wave was less effective, since the horses now had to deal with the bodies of hundreds of the fallen enemy. Still, they charged in, stabbing with their long lances and dashing away. Brianna saw several of the evil creatures pull lances from their bodies and toss them away before continuing to march forward.

  To her surprise, a fourth wave of soldiers moved into position, this one a much larger group. They rode to perhaps a hundred paces from the swarm of invaders and then nocked arrows to their small recurve bows. At a signal from one of the officers the soldiers let their arrows fly. The volley streaked through the air and slammed into the mutated soldiers. Brianna knew from her own experience fighting the witch’s army on the coast farther south that only a kill shot to the head or directly into the heart would stop the creatures. But the cavalry could loose three volleys before safely turning and retreating.

  She estimated that between the dragon attacks and the cavalry nearly two thousand of the enemy were killed. Still, it only took a few minutes for the dead to be trampled under the feet of the living; if the mutated soldiers could be considered truly alive. And as Brianna settled onto the golden back of Selix, there was hardly any sign a battle had taken place at all.

  The dragons were anxious to continue the fight. To them fighting came naturally, but they needed to give the cavalry time to pull back and reassemble for their next charge. Brianna knew it wo
uld be at least an hour before the cavalry were ready to attack again. So she led the dragons further south. There seemed to be no end to the advancing army of mutated fighters. Once the front lines were out of sight, she led her dragons down. They made pass after pass, killing hundreds of soldiers, but doing little to slow the army’s inexorable march.

  After a while the Leffers appeared and Brianna led the pride north again. Once they were ahead of the witch’s army they stopped at a stream to rest and drink. The dragons growled and danced playfully. Brianna understood the frivolity, and even shared their enthusiasm to some degree, but over her hung a cloud of despair. She wondered if they could ever hope to repel such a large, overwhelming army.

  They took to the air again and found the cavalry nearby, readying for their next attack. Rain started to fall again. Everyone was cold and miserable on the ground, but the dragons rose up above the clouds. Brianna marvelled how the world changed up there. From a gray, muddy place of despair, to a bright, golden world where the ground was fluffy white clouds tinged with golden sunlight and the sky was so blue it seemed tangible. She only hoped that someday the world below could somehow be as beautiful as the one above the clouds.

  Chapter 21

  Zollin wasn’t sure how to respond. He stood staring at the creature before him, mystified that it knew who he was. He didn’t know if that meant the creature was being controlled by Gwendolyn or if the creature was intelligent.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Zollin said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

  There was a strange hiss that sounded oddly like laughter.

  “Let me pass…” he said, then added, “please.”

  “No,” the creature said, with a broad smile.

  The first claw snapped to Zollin’s left, just out of reach, but the snap of the pincer was like a crack of thunder. Zollin swayed to his right to avoid the creature’s attack and fell right into its trap. The second pincer grabbed him and pulled him into the air. Only his magical shield saved him from being cut in half by the sawed edges of the giant claw. Time seemed to slow down and Zollin saw with some surprise that the serrated edge of the pincer reminded him of his father’s long tree saw.