Arrows began to fall in from behind the High King’s army. Five hundred Blackguard archers used their black long bows and arrows while motley looking three thousand men armed with crossbows and cutlasses guarded them or fired into the rear most soldiers. The trap was fully sealed. Beset on all sides, Merrick watched as his men tried to defend from all directions and from within as the murderous giant and the golems continued to wade through their numbers.
The front lines continued to take injuries from allied longbow men. The flanks fought tooth and nail against red armored soldiers and Cadmene knights. More arrows and cross bolts continued to hurt their rear.
“Komus!” Merrick cried out wild eyed. Their numbers were failing. The trap was too well set.
Even as the general turned unsure eyes on his High King, a black arrow found its mark. Blood splattered onto Merrick from the wound through Komus’ neck. Gurgling in surprise, the man began choking on his own blood as his hands reached for the protruding shaft. Eyes rolling back in his head in seconds, the man fell from his horse.
Five golems roamed through the brown army crushing men beneath their stone feet or batting them with fists of multiple tons. The white haired demon and his men had no more catapults to worry over and began cutting their way straight through the heart of the army heading towards Merrick and his captains. No more generals to order or receive answers from now. The High King looked all around him for an answer.
Shouts and screams came from all around him as his answer, however. Blood sprayed the earth and onto other men. Bones were crushed. Arrows and blades kept adding to the death toll and the High King found he had nowhere to go. Surrounded and with his mighty army dying all around him, Merrick heard screaming in his ears. The voice was his own.
Terris watched as the battle slowly turned into a rout before him. His plans had worked perfectly. The hidden knights had drawn Merrick’s forces into the trap. Nearly four thousand knights had been protected by twelve thousand of Rhearden’s forces. An ambush of grand proportions since Terris had taken in the Marshallan generals’ knowledge of his renegade knights. That they had committed a fifth of their forces, he would learn later and be impressed by their attempt at outflanking his forces. It was an idea that he might have come up with if he had their superior numbers.
The use of long spears to either flank had been a ploy when Merrick had defeated Cadmene years earlier. Though the gargoyles had ensured their defeat, the long spears had taken their toll in those battles as well. Their reach negated even the long lances his knights carried and, if aimed lower, many a horse would die well before their knights could prevent it. But his men had been looking for them. Once more they relied on their new allies. The red armies were able to easily neutralize the spears and then his brave knights were able to have their way with them.
Iylin and his Black Guard, along with the pirate army, gave the final worry to the brown tide.
Smiling grimly, Terris actually was amazed at how well the armies had all worked together. Sileoth, Maris, Rhearden, pirates of Quardi and his own knights of Cadmene; so many nations and all with one goal, to defeat Merrick and end his evil.
Even from where he sat his mount with the generals, Terris could see where pockets of men had begun throwing down their weapons beseeching mercy. Many of these men had followed Merrick with little choice. Few had the cohesion and ability to flee as had his knights when he had called on them. Now they could see defeat was happening all around them and many took the opportunity to finally rest their swords.
When the first men began to surrender near the front lines, it seemed like a switch was thrown. Man by man quickly became units of platoon size, and then entire companies seemed to be dropping their weapons in surrender. Dozens changed to hundreds. There were those who refused and some even slew their own men to force them to fight on. Some of those were slain by their own men who refused to be bullied any further.
It was while this was happening that Merrick tried to rally his men behind him, but not to fight onward. Leading probably no more than a hundred men, the High King retreated towards the gap to the north of the pirates. His hundred became a thousand as the fight left the Marshallans. Some knew Merrick was fleeing, some only knew that others were going and they wished to save their necks as well.
Arrows flew towards the fleeing High King taking many of his men. The northern reserve of his knights launched towards the men catching them in the middle of their ragged line. Lances skewered many more men. Horses trampled others. Swords and maces were drawn to continue the death count until the remaining men lay down their weapons with many huddling on the ground hoping to simply avoid being killed by an arrow and sword.
The only ones to escape were the hundred men escorting Merrick with their horses. The men
disappeared into the forests leaving their comrades to fall or surrender.
In the aftermath, the allies worked to sort out what to do with their defeated enemies. Of the fifty thousand men, nearly half were still present and unarmed. Men came forward listing which country they came from before Merrick had drafted them. Cadmene and Sileoth took their own as captives and refugees both. Most of those men had been conscripted to fight and the loss meant they wished only to go back to their homes in their own countries.
The rest of the soldiers consisted of men of the shattered country of Caldor, a couple thousand from Staron, sent by their king and, of course, Marshalla. These had to be detained until Merrick could be captured. To that end, knights and horse men of Rhearden were sent to track him down. Terris thought he knew where Merrick would run, but the fallen High King would soon learn that he had nowhere to flee and no one to call on for support.
Leading the men of Rhearden, Gerid and Karma took six hundred mounted mercenaries, men the giant had worked with a short time before. Trackers could follow Merrick’s path with ease. The men were not bothering to conceal themselves. They were simply running from what lay behind them. Gerid grimly followed with his men knowing that Merrick sought the conceived safety of his homeland. The men of Marshalla, that he believed would follow his rule no matter what he did, were the king’s best hope, but they would not be there. The castle was in the queen’s hands.
The pursuit went on for days. Both groups were running as hard as they dared. On occasion, the men of Rhearden happened across a fallen or near dead mount. Those that could be saved, the giant would leave a man of his own to care for the animal. If it could not be saved, they put it down quickly and humanely.
Meanwhile, his own men pushed hard but made sure to move only within the animals’ abilities. There was little rush, since Merrick had nowhere to run, even if the man didn’t know it yet. They merely had to keep driving Merrick until he either stopped to rest or found himself before the barred walls of Hala and its locked Grimnal Keep.
After a week of running, Gerid could see the black walls of the capitol of Merrick’s broken empire. From a high hill, the giant could see both the city and a small band of soldiers looking ragged on their horses. His own men looked tired from seven days of hard travel, but they were fresher than the king who had pushed his men and mounts to the brink. In sight of the castle walls, the men moved quickly almost appearing fresh in their joy at seeing their apparent salvation.
Forced to rein up before the unopened gates, confusion and worry quickly kicked in.
Chapter 50- The Outer Gate
“Open the gates, you fools!” the anger in Merrick’s voice rang against the cold iron and wood of the western gate. Gray stone loomed high above the horsemen as soldiers walked the parapets ignoring the king and his men. The sun shone down making the gray rock seem that much more brilliant and powerful.
After a time, a new voice called from the tower to the right of the gate. “Who do you think you are to order such a thing?” The voice was female and caused a wrinkle to the king’s brow.
Anger rolled in from deep within him as he yelled back, “I am the High King of the north, woman! Open these gates for me n
ow! This is my castle and land. These are my people. Who are you to bar me from my own city?”
A woman’s laugh came joyously from above. “Your city? I think not. The white haired giant took the city nearly a month ago. The fact that you are here running from the red soldiers lets us know that you are beaten. You will have to face them once more, oh High King of the North,” sarcasm dripped from the final words.
Snarling in reply, Merrick cried out, “Who are you, woman, that you mock me, your king?”
“I am your wife, `till he comes to remove your head from your shoulders. It won’t be too long, Merrick, for I see your death chases you here even now,” Alyanna called down as the sound of horses’ beating hooves could be heard approaching from the west.
The men of the bronze rose saw the approaching crimson riders and worried looks exchanged between them. The king had lost his city. They were outnumbered by the troops that had destroyed their great army, and they had not fared well even when numbers had been in their favor.
The hooves beat closer.
Merrick turned his black stallion to face the oncoming riders. Black armor with the bronze rose emblazoned on his chest was scuffed by dirt from the road and blood still spotted the cloth with his general’s blood. The High King’s stare narrowed in anger as the giant held up a hand to the six hundred and approached alone.
“Who are you giant? Where have you come from and why do continue to vex me so? Why have you raised up an army against me for no reason?”
The giant stopped his horse facing the king and stated clearly, “I am Gerid Aramathea. I have raised a great fleet and brought an army that I might destroy you, Merrick.”
The lack of title made the king frown even more. “I am High King Merrick, Lord of the North. Do not speak as if I am some common man! Why have you come here?”
“Before you called yourself high king or conqueror, you decided to sick your new beasts upon my family. The problem is that you killed our servants and missed every last one of my family. That doesn’t mean there is no score to settle. Each of my siblings has worked to bring you down. Your rule is at an end. Your tyranny is over.
“When I returned with my army, I took your city from you. We called the resistance and those enemies you held in check and let them join us. With more than fifteen thousand men, we joined Sileoth, Maris and the remains of Cadmene. Before we fought at Calmaris, I sent your dragon and gargoyle allies away. Your generals then ran to our ambushes and were slain.
“Now you have no more army, no more allies, and no land to flee to either. So here we stand. The man who sought to destroy me stands in front of stone walls that he can no longer call home. My forces could be called to slay you and your men, but they’re no longer needed. I have come to do this myself.”
The High King laughed. “You are a fool then.” He gestured for his captain to attack. The man and two others drew their swords and charged forward. Leaping from his saddle, Gerid awaited the soldiers. As they approached at full speed, the giant caught two of the horses with blows to the chest. His great power stopped both beasts in their tracks sending the riders flying over the heads of their mounts. Looking a bit stunned, the horses wandered to either side, even as the captain was forced to avoid the animals.
Drawing his great axe, the giant watched as a handful of soldiers moved to surround him. The captain lowered his blade and attacked. Almost as one the rest of the troopers joined him. The axe swung around repelling blades. One man lost his hand, his blood splattering his closest comrades. The second arc of the great axe took the captain’s head even as the others retreated before the terrifying blade.
Mere seconds went by sending the soldiers of the bronze rose into a cautionary retreat.
“Get him! Don’t run from one man, you idiots!” Merrick cried frantically.
Gerid noted several glances between the men at the High King’s words. Even as he relied on these men to save him, he insulted them. They were swiftly realizing that following the High King was needless as well as a death sentence. He was just a man now and his cause was lost. Following him into death would be
meaningless.
Several of the men began to edge away. A few more joined the melee against the giant, but in the distraction, more slunk away towards the village towards the south. As more men fell, the remaining men lost heart and joined those headed towards the village.
It didn’t take long for Gerid to find himself facing the High King all alone. Merrick looked at several unhorsed men lying on the ground. Some cried with pain as they held new wounds, others made no sound at all. Merrick’s eyes grew wide with fear as he stared at the invincible giant, the hand of Turas made real.
“I am the High King,” he repeated, though fear tinged each word. “You must obey me,” even Merrick was disbelieving of his declaration.
The axe pointed at the king. “You are done here,” the giant decreed.
Face gone pale, Merrick turned his horse to run. The animal had taken two steps when the axe struck the rider from his mount. The blade sunk deep into his right shoulder. The crash of his armor on cobble stones echoed against the black walls unforgiving.
Gasping for air, the man tried to pull himself from the ground. On hands and knees, Merrick dragged himself towards the castle walls. Blood trailed along his path.
As the man crawled, the bars holding the gates closed could be heard moving from behind the giant doors. Creaking slightly from their great weight resting on hinges, the doors opened slightly letting the queen and her guards out into the noon day light. Arcturas, the sun and god of day, looked down as if in judgment.
Stalking the fallen man, Gerid caught the handle and yanked the head of the blade from his wounded shoulder sending a splattering of blood straggling from the metal. A cry of pain from Merrick was nearly followed by his collapse to the ground.
“My how sad you look, Merrick,” Alyanna said with a slightly sad cast to her face. The queen wore a dress of all black and no jewelry save a silver belt with a ruby set at the clasp. Like a beautiful mourner or Lady Death, Alyanna stood above Merrick deciding his fate. Baitrum was at her side with Serra trailing and Simon just behind him. His elder brother looked at the giant as if he had not seen his brother before. The avenger stood with his axe dripping and eyes only for the bleeding king.
Coughing, Merrick replied with a rasp in his voice, “Sad? Did I look sad the first night as I stood over you… my queen? Perhaps the tables have indeed turned, but what will you do with me? I am your husband after all? You can’t kill me or leave to die here.”
“I can’t?” the woman chuckled quietly. “You persecuted me every chance you could. You destroyed my homeland and so many more, Merrick. Then he came and his brother before him. I made love for the first time when his brother came to me, Merrick. I could have given myself to you if you had shown any care for me, but you wanted only to rule over the people and me. You didn’t want love. You wanted fear and respect, but fear rarely means true respect. Fear merely breeds hatred.
“I hate you, Merrick! Your people followed you because they had to, but I’d warrant most hate you as well. Gerid and his family hated you so much they raised an army against you from afar only to make sure that you were defeated.
“Now you ask, what will I do with you? I can let fate’s avatar finish what is started, of course.”
Alyanna’s eyes sought the giant and nodded.
Merrick’s eyes turned their hatred on the woman before following her gaze back to the giant. “Fate’s avatar? More like my own pet turned on me, his master. I created you, giant. Your hatred comes from me. Your strength and powers are from me!”
Shaking his head, Gerid’s eyes never left the king’s. “You may have brought me to your door, but the gods gave me this power. My strength and mind raised the army and the money to bring them here. My hatred for you expired long ago, Merrick, but justice brought me back to you to see your face, the face of a murderer. In justice, I will execute you. Before those you har
med and sought to enslave, I will give you what you have earned. Before the gods, you are finished.”
With a sneer, Merrick dared, “Do it then monster and see how the people reward you. Will you become king once I am gone? You will find ruling is harder than you think.”
“I don’t need to rule. I will return to my wife and son and live a long life serving Rhearden, I think, though the gods lead where they may.
“Now enough talk.”
Lifting Merrick with one hand, the giant suddenly found a stabbing pain in his chest. “Ha, you will die with me then, giant!”
Plucking the dagger from his chest in contempt, Gerid tossed the blade aside never releasing his grip on the smaller man. Carrying him towards the gates, the giant carried Merrick into his city. “You wanted back into Hala, your fortress. Do you feel the stares?”
Climbing the stairs of the right tower, the giant carried the king step by step followed by the queen and those with her. The view from the top was awe inspiring. The cliffs to the east revealed the ocean to the east. White caps were nearly too hazy to see from the distance. The village lay to the south. The mountains barely grayed by distance to the north.
“Take a last look, Merrick. The power of the Grimnal won’t move to save you, the last of your line. I checked with the queen. You have no more family. In your hate, you never sired a child, only enemies. Here you are. What more do you have to say, High King of the North?” Gerid asked still holding the man over his head. The stone of the wall came up to the giant’s chest here.
Setting his feet on the stone parapet, Merrick found himself standing more than seventy feet over the stone and earth of the outer ground. Again he looked angry. “I have nothing to say to the likes of you. You feel I harmed you. I ruled this land with a firm hand. If that means I am too cruel for the likes of you, I will not repent for you or beg forgiveness. The gods know me. I have no fear of you!”
The High King: A Tale of Alus Page 52
