Partic’s determined pursuit of the infantry Commander had left him open to attack from behind, but luckily for him, Dineerim had followed him closely and as a huge infantry soldier swung a large mace at Partic’s head, he sliced the man’s arm from his shoulder before cutting off his head.
As the smaller, lighter Url infantry closed with infantry they used the lessons they had learnt from their first encounter. Instead of charging headlong at the larger warriors, they used their speed and agility against them, ducking and diving around their opponents, forcing them to move far more than they would have wished. Very soon, the enemy infantry were taking deep ragged breaths and trying to find an escape route.
As previously agreed by Partic and Petifoot, a lone archer, who was running behind the infantry notched an arrow to his bow. The arrow tip had oil soaked rags wrapped around it, so that when the large Pioneer Sergeant next to him, placed his axe on the floor and lit it with a flint striker, they immediately erupted in flames. The archer aimed high and away from the attack; he then released his arrow. The burning bolt arced like a shooting star, then flickered out, and fell harmlessly to the floor, as Petifoot’s archers raced from their hiding place on the cliff above the valley. Under Petifoot’s orders, the archers fired volley after volley into the teeming mass of enemy soldiers in the valley below, being very careful to avoid hitting their own.
From where he was, Peg could see that the enemy were breaking off their fight, as the arrows rained down on them, seemingly more concerned with finding a hiding place. He knew that tight control was very important if he was to avoid any of his own troops dying through friendly fire, so he shouted, “Under my orders, rear march. We’ll move back ten steps”
The many Commanders in the column soon relayed Peg’s order throughout the mass of warriors under his command. Peg waited until Avrit rode towards him and nodded before calling, “Rear March!”
As one, the troops under Peg’s command took a step back and then they continued the smart drill movement until they were standing on a slight rise, safely out of the way of the falling arrows. Peg glanced across the gory battlefield and saw that Partic had followed his lead.
As the last enemy soldier died, Peg turned to Avrit and asked, “How did you find us?” He then paused and added, “Why did you come to find us?”
Avrit chuckled and replied, “Queen Kerril is probably more persuasive than her sister when she puts her mind to it. She told us to go and find her husband. I asked where you had gone and she replied, go south, find the nearest fight and you will find him.”
Peg chuckled and then asked, “But why did she send you?”
At this, Avrit smirked and answered, “Sorry, did I forget to tell you. You’re a father you have a baby girl called Kerreg.”
Hilum leant forward and patted Peg on the back before saying, “Well done old man.” Then he shouted, “Did you hear that? King LilPeg has a daughter.”
With this, every soldier standing within earshot roared their approval. Peg beamed with pride for a second and then remembered the task at hand. His face grew angry, as he growled, “Well let’s go and make this world safe for my daughter to grow up in; let’s go and help the Elves.”
Clambering onto a horse that one of Avrit’s grooms had brought for him, he glanced around at his troops and then rode forward to join Partic and Petifoot, who were forming their troops into a column a few yards to the south of the valley.
The Burden of Loss
Gwena watched as Tal’s small army finished packing away the last of the camp. She moved across to Ben, who was busy briefing Maerk and asked, “Which way are we going back?”
Ben shrugged and pointed to Tal, as he replied, “The boss will decide.” He paused briefly and continued, “I have suggested that we skirt around the mountains and head down through the foothills of Drom, but the final decision is his.”
Just at that moment, Tal moved across to join his two friends. He glanced up at the sky and saw the first evidence of dawn’s early light begin to creep from under the heavy dark shroud of night. He sighed and then said, “We’ll follow the route that you suggested Ben.”
Ben nodded, satisfied that this was the best course and moved across to Maerk to show him on the map where they were going. As father and son began plotting their route, the remaining troops packed away the last of their equipment and formed into three ranks, waiting for the command to march.
Ben and Maerk led their horses across to the front of the column and mounted up. The remainder of the troops saw them clambering into their saddles, so followed suit.
Tal and Gwena climbed onto their horses and trotted to the front of the small column. The sight of the heavily depleted column was almost too much for Tal to bear. However, the fiercely honourable Duke of Sarn put his feelings of loss to the back of his head and urged his stallion forward; heading due south to lead his troops through the barren rocks of the Darkshadows Mountains.
As the column rode through the high peaks, the sun began to rise, throwing pleasant warmth onto the shivering soldiers. Gwena glanced at Tal, concern showing in her eyes. She knew that he carried the heavy burden of the death of the troops, who died in the Desert of Despair, but he was not showing a flicker of emotion. She glanced around and as she rode, realised that they were following the same route that she and her family had taken ten years previous, after they had freed her brother Gwion from his kidnappers.
As they rode, for another four hours, the sun rose higher and grew ever hotter. After a while, Tal guided his horse over a large rock on the lower peak of the mountain they had been climbing and released his reins, allowing his horse to pick the safest route down the steep slope on the other side. The horse moved quickly but carefully down the rocky incline, letting its instincts guide it. As the sturdy beast carried him safely down the mountain, Tal glanced over his shoulder and nodded in satisfaction when he saw that the others in the column were following him.
As the column reached the valley floor, Tal glanced up. He could hear a distant roaring sound, which sounded like a gigantic waterfall, but he knew that the only water around was in the lake that lay deeper in the mountains. As he listened, he realised that the sound was coming closer.
Tal peered curiously at the sky; although the area that the column was riding through was still bone dry, large, dark rain clouds began forming above them.
Tal glanced up at the peak, which they had come from and gasped in surprise. Huge torrents of water were falling from the sky and moving towards them. Tal spurred his horse into a gallop, trying to lead his troops away from the raging river that was falling from above them. The water, however, was moving far too fast. It quickly caught the column and smashed into them; it struck so hard that it knocked them from their horses. As the plumes of water washed over them, it pinned them to the ground. Tal tried in vain to stand up, but found that he could not move. The fall of water was so heavy that he was struggling to breath. Panic set in, as he realised that he could drown, but then the lack of oxygen to his brain took over and he found himself wondering calmly how it was possible for him to drown in the middle of the desert.
As suddenly as it had started, the rain ceased. Tal took a deep gulp of air, coughing as he nearly choked on its life saving sweetness. He glanced across at Gwena, who was slowly regaining her feet and shook his head in disbelief.
He looked around for his horse, but it was gone; he had no idea whether it was dead or alive, but it had bolted as soon as he had fallen.
Ben shuffled across to Tal, breathing hard, as if he had run a race and, in between gulps of air, managed to splutter, “What just happened?”
Tal shrugged, his eyes showing his confusion. Gwena steadied her breathing and answered, “The Alts call it the Mountain’s fury.” She paused briefly and then continued, “Without getting too technical. It is something to do with differing air pressures.”
Maerk moved across to join his father and grinned at him, before saying, “I don’t care how it happened. I ju
st don’t want it to happen again.”
Ben nodded his agreement, but simply said, “Find out if we’ve lost anybody Maerk.”
Sergeant Benib nodded to his father and moved back to the remainder of the troops, who were slowly regaining their feet. Maerk passed the order to form three ranks and very soon, the column was standing in front of him, many of them barely standing. Glancing around, he saw that a number of soldiers could no longer walk. Falling logs and rocks transported by the water had broken their legs. Three prone bodies lying a short distance from them forced a groan of anguish from him. He moved across to the dead warriors and knelt down next to them. Wiping his eyes angrily, he muttered something under his breath and then sighed, before standing up. He walked slowly back to the column and after pointing at the first six men, growled, “Bury them.”
Maerk then moved across to Tal to report, “We’ve lost another three men sir.”
Tal took the news without a flicker of emotion. He merely nodded and pointed to a small number of soaking wet horses, which had survived. He glanced back at Maerk and said, “Use the horses to transport the injured.”
Maerk blinked uncertainly and shot an uncertain look at his father. Ben shook his head slowly and indicated with a bob of his head to do as Tal had said. With this, Maerk threw up a smart salute and raced across to the column. He quickly detailed three men to do as Tal had commanded and then watched as they helped the injured soldiers onto the horses.
When Tal saw that the injured men were safely mounted, he waited a further few minutes, until the six men in the burial party had finished their gruesome task and then called, “Let’s go then. We have to get Gwena’s brother into Velumia.” He then turned and without checking that the column was following, strode towards the final hill in the Darkshadows Mountain range.
Ben shot a worried glance at Gwena, who shrugged in response and then followed Tal as he raced ahead, leading the hobbling column to the south, around the final peak. They marched at Tal’s forced pace for a further hour, before they finally stepped from the barren rocky ground of the Darkshadows Mountains.
As they did, Gwena glanced around at the lush green grass surrounding them and realised that they were only a few miles from the edge of The Great Forest.
She trailed behind Tal; sweat was beginning to drip down her neck and she was beginning to struggle to get her breath. She looked at Tal and saw that he was near the point of exhaustion, but seemed to be ignoring his suffering.
Ben broke into a run, quickly joining Tal at the front. He slowed when he caught the Duke and placed a gentle hand on his friend’s arm. Tal shot a fierce look at him, but his face softened as the Sect Commander said, “We need to rest Tal. The guys are exhausted. If you push them any harder you could lose a few more.”
Tal nodded and smiled; an emotion not reflected in his eyes. He halted and turned to the limping column, before calling, “We’ll stop here. You have ten minutes to get some water down you and catch your breath.”
Ben watched as Maerk moved along the short column, making sure that the troops drank enough water. Out of the original Regiment of over two hundred, only forty were still alive. Gwena slumped into a sitting position and took a long gulp of water from her water skin. She glanced at Tal, who was also sitting down. His movements seemed absent, as if his mind was not in his body. Concern was evident in her face, as Ben sat next to her and said, “Don’t worry; he is stronger than his father ever was. He just has to realise it.”
Nodding, Gwena took another swig from her water skin and then placed it in her pack. Sitting back, she allowed the gentle breeze to cool her down, as Ben stood up slowly. He made to move across to Maerk, but stopped, staring at a large spiky plant, which had just started shaking violently. Tal immediately woke from his reverie and leapt to his feet, as the tree split in half with a loud cracking noise. In a blur of movement, four dark shapes, the size of a man, flew from within it.
Gwena shuddered in fear, as the shapes began to move. Long legs unfurled from underneath the bodies, as long needle-like tails unrolled and stretched towards the sky. Within seconds, the shapes had become four of the largest scorpions that Gwena had ever seen. As the soldiers from Sarn gaped in horror, the massive monsters turned towards them and charged. With a complete disregard for his own safety, Tal immediately leapt to his feet and charged towards the creatures with his sword held high. As he sprinted, he roared, “Leave them be; try me!”
Ben stared at Tal in horror for a split second, but then spurred himself into action to follow his friend in his attack. Tal closed with the closest of the scorpions and hacked at its bulbous head. As his blade bit deep, the massive insect recoiled in agony. Tal saw the scorpion flinch and pressed forward. However, he was focusing so hard on trying to sever the beast’s head from its blocky body that he did not see the scorpion’s tail arcing towards him.
Luckily, for Tal, Ben caught up with him just in time to block the monster’s poisonous tail with his sword. He pushed with his blade and took a dagger from his belt, which he stabbed into the thick armoured tail. The beast tried to withdraw its tail, but Ben lifted his sword and sliced through it, severing it from the scorpion’s body. Tal saw the monster convulse in pain and brought his sword swinging at its head. His blade struck true, cutting the last of the sinews holding the scorpion’s head to its body.
As the beast died, Tal rushed across to hack at another of the monsters that was attacking a group of his men. The huge monster was holding one man in its massive claws while it stabbed another with its poisonous tail. The warrior in its claws was struggling violently, hacking wildly at the creature’s head. Black blood spurted high, as the man’s blade pierced the thick armour-like skin, but all this did was anger the monster. It drew the warrior towards its mouth and swallowed him whole.
Tal screamed incoherently in anguish, as he hacked repeatedly at the monster before him. Unfortunately, for the scorpion, its sting was stuck in the warrior it had stabbed. This gave Tal the freedom to move behind it and drive his blade into its thorax. The scorpion emitted a high-pitched squeal, as its rear legs buckled. With a speed born from fury, Tal withdrew his sword and spun to his left, as another of the beasts tried to sting him with its tail.
The deadly spike passed harmlessly by him, as he dodged away from the blow and embedded itself into the scorpion that Tal had just crippled, killing it instantly. Tal tried to spin to meet the attacking scorpion, but was slightly too slow. The beast grabbed him in its huge pincer like claws and squeezed. Tal roared in agony as the creature crushed him and swung his sword about indiscriminately, trying to hit something that would help loosen the monsters grip.
Ben, overcome with fear, watched his friend, feeling helpless, as the monster grabbed him. He scanned the area for a way to help and spotted a javelin lying on the floor, probably dropped by one of the now dead infantrymen. Ben scooped up the weapon and sent it soaring towards the scorpion’s head. The deadly projectile struck the monster, but did not kill it.
However, the scorpion did stagger sideways with the force of the blow and released Tal. Unfortunately, for Ben, it regained its balance quicker than he expected and charged at him, intent on killing him. The Sect Commander glanced around frantically for a way to escape, but saw none. He took a step back and tripped over a tree root. Hitting the ground hard, the air sped from his lungs in a loud hiss. Despair overwhelming him, he curled into a ball waiting for the end.
Suddenly, a loud cracking sound erupted from the sky and two bolts of lightning sped towards the ground. One struck the scorpion attacking Ben, frying it as it ran and the other sliced through the last of the monsters, which was fighting the few surviving warriors in Tal’s column.
This beast burst into flames and died where it stood, as the bolt of lightning burnt everything around it except Tal’s troops. Ben glanced up and sighed with relief when he saw the two beasts die. He scanned the area to see who had survived, watching as Tal stood up unsteadily and then raced across to Gwena, who wa
s staggering forward still surrounded by the blue light of the spell that she had sent into the sky. Gwena crumpled to the floor, as Tal ran towards her.
At the speed that he was running, it did not take long for him to get to her and, as he did, he bent down to grab her in his strong arms, as if she weighed no more than a feather. Glancing around, he saw a small brook bubbling around a large rock. He moved across to it and placed Gwena gently on the rock. Bending down, he scooped some water into a cup, which he had taken from his pack. He then placed it to Gwena’s mouth, who sipped weakly at the ice-cold water. Spluttering as too much rushed down her throat, Gwena managed to smile and almost in a whisper, said, “Thank you.”
Tal grinned back and replied, “No, thank you. We would’ve all died if it were not for you.” He then went silent and knelt down to lay Gwena gently onto the floor, as she passed out. Placing his pack under her head, Tal stood up and called, “We’ll make camp here. We shall rest for a few hours and then make our way when Lady Gwena has woken.”
Without waiting for any further orders, the few surviving members of Tal’s Regiment put up their shelters and began building small fires to brew a drink. Maerk and Ben moved across to Gwena and put up a canvas poncho above her. When they were finished, they moved across to Tal, who was lying next to a fire, stirring a mug of soup he had placed on a small metal frame. He grabbed his thick leather gloves from his pack and put them on, before pushing the frame over the fire. Ben sat down next to him and began chewing on a tough strip of cured meat, as Maerk moved across to the others, making sure that they were well.
Destruction of a God Page 5
