Damien’s hammer crushed bone and pulped muscle as, once again, the Dancing Wolf appeared on the battlefield.
He used the momentum of his hammer to throw himself across the battlefield, carving a path as chaotic beasts several times his size were thrown to either side.
Damien grew in size his tattoos glowed, their light flowing into a fog behind him, creating a black, red and green were wolf clan spirit. Their howls called for blood and destruction.
Damien swept low. A Drafeng in close combat sent two blades at his head. He swung around underneath the guard of the Drafeng, meeting two of their shields and pressing them against the body of the Drafeng and sending them to the side. The power within them dimmed as they sustained heavy internal injuries.
“Onward!” Damien yelled as hammers appeared in the hands of other Guardians.
Purple chains shot out from where their hammers struck like snakes. Judges appeared upon the ground, using the chains and the power of Dena to appear and fight the Drafeng attackers.
They didn’t have much power, but these were people of legend. The Guardians and summoned Guardians showed explosive power as they forced their way into the heart of the Drafeng. They carved a path through the massive army that had gathered, assaulting Skalafell and reducing it to its current state.
They were a purple light among that swirling chaotic power.
Still they ran forward, dodging attacks from chaotic beasts and Drafeng.
A chaotic beast lunged at Damien and he turned. An arrow went underneath his arm as he raised it, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hit them in time.
The arrow hit the Drafeng in the eye, killing them and sending them to Damien’s side. He let out a roar as he swung his hammer down. Its weight and his power made him flip over as he brought that hammer down on a Drafeng elite, crushing them.
Guardians rushed ahead of him. A beast kin used their shield to take a Drafeng hit as a human’s wolf familiar bit them from un- derneath. A gnome wielding a crossbow pulled a goblin out of the way of a chaotic beast’s talons. A dwarf shot the chaotic beast as it dropped to the ground. The goblin’s grenade went off, leaving a crater and several dead chaotic beasts.
Swirling spells of blue light crossed ahead of them, hitting a Drafeng who was fighting a human. Their actions slowed and the hu- man let out a yell, piercing the Drafeng with their spear, turn- ing and pulling it out; the Drafeng’s power sputtered and died as they ran forward. A bear kin judge crossed behind them on all fours, letting out a roar; they gripped a Drafeng elite and bit into their neck, toss- ing them to the side. They rose up on their back legs, striking anoth- er elite in the face and sending them flying be- fore dropping to the ground and running forward.
It was chaos, but they were all pushing forward. Damien saw all of this and ran forward, raising his war hammer.
***
“Who the hell are they?” Dion looked at the purple-covered unit that had smashed into the heart of the Drafeng like a battering ram, carving a path through their formation.
“They have the same purple power as Anthony,” Jaclu said in a solemn voice.
“Like Anthony?” Dion turned to her.
“As determined as he was, that’s for sure,” Jaclu said. “We haven’t got word on what the hell is happening outside our walls in weeks. Your guess is as good as mine. My gut is telling me they’re here to help.
“Have the guards on the walls ready to open the gates!” Dion said to an aide.
The Guardians pushed through the Drafeng and into the open ground. The purple-summoned people of Dena stayed behind, cre- at- ing a rear guard.
They were slowly being destroyed, turning into purple flames that burned out of existence. Drafeng who had been hit by the Guardians’ attacks showed purple lines, as if an infection on their bodies. Those who had died to the Guardians burned with purple flames, their fellows avoiding their bodies as they turned into ash.
The Guardians helped one another, carrying the wounded with them as they rushed the walls. There was just two or three hundred of them.
The gates were opened and the bridge lowered as they rushed in- to the city in a flood.
“Time we met our guests,” Jaclu said.
Dion nodded. The last of the judges fell as the ranged forces from the three armies retreated into their formations, holding steady. The battlefield fell silent once again.
***
Cecilia looked at Ascen, looking at the familiar Guardian Tower and its purple flames. She never thought that she would see it re- claimed from the Church of Light.
She continued to ride in toward the city.
It wasn’t long until she was in the command center of Ascen. Guardians who Anthony had overseen the trials of and those who had gone through their own trials with the Guardian Flames were
sparse. Most of them were out with the Army of Light. They had headed out the day before, heading to the north, south, and west to finish off the remaining doorways.
Cecilia looked at the map before her, showing Dena. Ilsal and Epan were cleared of doorways. Their armies roamed the land as they sent much-needed supplies to Selenus and Radal through their mer- chant navy.
The Deepwood had been cleared. Two of the United Armies had been broken down and spread out to cover the south of the main continent. The beast kin had been mobilized through their clan spir- its. Moving from Bracegar, they had gone south as the Combined Armies moved east and west. They had met up in Skalafell, look- ing to push the Drafeng to the east and into the sea. The Army of Light now fell under the command of the Guardians; they headed out from Ascen to the west, where they would clear the Drafeng, opening the routes from the harbors to the rest of the main conti- nent. Then they would board the ships there to rein- force Ilsal and Epan’s allied army to fight the Drafeng on Cheon. Cecilia’s Com- bined Army was split into three forces: One with Tommie that was headed to Shivernsin and the surrounding fortresses to reinforce them. Another that was headed to the west to join the old Army of Light and head to Cheon. And the third force that was assisting at Skalafell.
“How are our supplies looking?” she asked.
“With the Drafeng doorways being closed, our supply lines are able to keep supporting the armies, but the reserves of Radal and Se- lenus are limited. It is the growing season and most crops have been destroyed by the Drafeng,” Guardian Clem reported.
“All free cities need to focus on growing food. Have mages sup- port their efforts. Send the newly trained United Army to the west. The fighting at Cheon has only become more fierce in the last cou-
ple of days. We need to be able to support the main continent. I will or-
der the elves to open their granaries and move to the southern lands to cultivate food. That way, the allied army can support their own force instead of having to support everyone.”
An aide ran off to pass on her orders and she looked to the Guardian beside her.
“How are the Combined Armies and Army of Light?” “Unsta- ble would be the best way to put it,” Donna, the beast kin
woman, said, her black jaguar fur scarred in places from a sto- ried past.
“Are they reliable?”
“In short, kind of. With the Guardian chains, it is hard for them to go against our orders. Still, they are figuring out ways to es- cape. We have a lot of deserters. As per Claire’s orders, we have been letting them go.”
“Did she say why to let them go?” Cecilia asked.
“Forcing them into battle, they’re going to be a greater hinder- ance than a help. With them spread over the lands, although they aren’t helping against the war directly, they still need to carry out their punishment, which will mean they need to help the people of Dena, to look out for others instead of themselves and they can’t harm people of Dena. It will stabilize our rear and help deal with any Drafeng who have been able to avoid our armies,” Donna said. “Okay, so other than those losses, are the forces jelling well?”
“Of course, there is the tension between the differe
nt groups.
Though they have to fight beside one another day in and out, it makes it hard for them to hold onto their old anger for too long,” Donna said.
“So many people have died because of these two armies.” Cecil- ia took a deep breath, looking into the distance.
Is it wrong of me to be happy that even with the blood on their hands, it has given us an effective military we can use against the Drafeng?
Chapter: Friends at the Gates; Enemy on the Horizon
Anthony looked down at Shivernsin. He saw a familiar set of jade ar- mor on the walls. He swooped down, holding onto the top of Tom- mie’s Gnominator. Tommie had his eyes firmly shut and his mouth pressed into a white line.
Anthony reached the wall. The Shivernsin defenders were a bit startled, lowering their weapons as Anthony set Tommie down and folded his wings into his back.
The leaders with General Fysher, who was wearing his jade ar- mor, were discussing their tactics for the coming battle. General Gheta looked better, stronger.
“A new clan spirit,” Anthony said as he glanced at Gheta.
She bowed her head to Anthony and General Fysher looked at him with an awkward look on his face, not sure what to do.
“How are our defenses?” Anthony asked.
“You must be Anthony.” A dwarf held out his hand. An- thony saw the stone hammer on the man’s hip.
“You must be Logan Icearm,” Anthony said respectfully. “That hammer has a storied history.”
“I heard that you stood with Tairlyn Stone Hammer.”
“Aye, I did, and shared plenty of drinks and adventures,” An- tho- ny said with a light chuckle, thinking of all the mischief the two of them had gotten themselves into.
341
“The Combined Armies are being pushed up into the fortress- es. They have a small defense force. Most of them were moved to the south to fight in the plains. The Guardians are going with them to as- sist. We have also sent out gnome engineers and goblin grenadiers to increase the effective ranged and mounted weaponry located there.”
113
Logan took Anthony to the map. Tommie had recovered; al- though he was still pale, determination forced him to recover and he stepped up beside Anthony.
They saw the Stoha Mountain range that ran from the north to the south. At the most northerly point, there was the large basin that the Drafeng had appeared in previously and now appeared in once again.
The mountains on either side were nearly impassible, and only a small force would be able to cross them.
The valleys ran from north to south; side passes were blocked with the fortresses on the east and west. Shivernsin was a large stone hill that acted as a plug for one of the larger valleys. Behind it, two valleys cut to the east and west. Once past Shivernsin, the entire main continent would be open to the Drafeng.
The fortresses made a rough U-shape among the mountains, with Shivernsin acting as the plug at the base of the U.
“In the small passes to the east and the west, only five or ten Drafeng can fit across. They shouldn’t have a problem holding.” Lo- gan pointed to where there was a series of red wooden pieces on the map. “That is where the Drafeng are.”
Anthony looked at the line. “Are they advancing one group ahead of the other?”
“One group will move forward and then the others. It is odd. They’re not moving as quickly as we expected,” Logan said. “They’re putting down conversion towers. With it, it can in-
crease their combat capabilities and weaken any magic we use,” An- thony said. “What is the current plan?”
“We hold our positions, clear the other doorways, wait for our forces to gather and then clear out the pass.”
“They have limited numbers, but they can use the power of De- na to create more,” Anthony said.
A LICH'S LOVE 115
“They might have in the past, but we haven’t been sitting on our thumbs.” Logan grinned.
Anthony looked at him in question, kind of hard to do with just a skull but people get it.
“Well, we didn’t just increase the size of Shivernsin—we made a formation that covers the Stoha Mountains. It restricts the flow of mana in the area and cuts the Drafeng off. But it also cuts us off,” Lo- gan said.
“Is that why you have focused on machines, explosives, and non- magical fighting styles?” Tommie asked.
“That is right, Guardian Tommie,” Logan said with a slight smile. “Riders coming in!” someone yelled.
Anthony and the others looked out across the wall to see a group of people mounted upon wolves moving across the snowy terrain.
Anthony’s eye sockets took on a golden hue.
“Well, looks like we just beat Aila.” Anthony turned to Logan. “Where is Claire?”
*** Anthony found her in the command room.
“I agree with Watcher Cecilia’s plan. I want regular updates on what is happening in Cheon.”
The Guardian moved away as Anthony knocked on the door.
She tensed up, trying to hide her apprehension. If we are to raise the Guardians, then I... She steeled herself as he walked over, that playful light in his eyes.
She could see how tired he was. She had heard about all that he had been doing: landing in towns, villages, camps, and cities across the main continent to give them Guardian Flames and secure their rear and organize the people.
She wanted to reach out and hug him, but she felt annoyed at him, as if he wanted her to hurt him.
“I’m back.” Anthony moved forward.
“I have a lot of work to do, Anthony,” she said, distancing her- self. Anthony tilted his head to the side as if sensing something.
She tensed up, appearing to look at the map but watching him out of the corner of her eye.
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. Just have a lot to do. I hear there are riders ap- proaching.” She changed the subject, hoping to move it some- where neutral.
“Looks like Aila and the dark elves,” Anthony said.
“Okay, well, you’ll want to greet them. I still have a lot to coor- di- nate.”
“Are you sure that everything is okay?” Anthony’s voice dropped as he walked closer, putting his hand on her back.
She flinched from his touch. As she did, her heart hurt. She didn’t want to hurt him, or make him feel bad, but she just couldn’t act as though nothing was going on. It was tearing her apart.
“Nothing is fine, but having you here makes it bearable.” Claire turned to look at him and he looked into her eyes.
Even when they had changed into their current forms, Antho- ny didn’t care. Claire was scared when he had arrived, but seeing that love in his eyes, she felt safe. The world might collapse, but see- ing that look in his eyes gave her the strength to take it all on.
He must’ve sensed her emotions and he brought her into a hug.
He held her for some time. She felt self-conscious as the others in the command center looked away.
A commander shouldn’t be acting like this! She tensed up before a smile appeared on her face. She circled her arms around him, in- dulging in his embrace for a few seconds.
“No matter what, we’ll make it through this,” Anthony whis- pered into her ear.
Chapter: New Arrivals
The gates creaked open ahead of the dark elves. The great massive wooden doors revealed the interior of the walls. Units of soldiers moved from one place to another; supplies were organized. Siege and long-range weaponry were checked.
Shivernsin was alive with activity. A small gnome stood to the side of the gate, wearing a large fur coat.
A smile appeared on Aila’s face, seeing this little gnome.
She rode forward on Ryan but Ramona overtook them, with her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she charged Tommie.
Tommie laughed as she came to a stop, sending up snow.
He patted her head and gave her scratches before pulling out some treats. She happily took them down
as Aila arrived.
“Been keeping well?” She dismounted onto unsteady feet. She had been riding for days and it had taken its toll.
The rest of the dark elves filed through the gates. The people of Shivernsin organized them, sending them into the stronghold or off to report to the different commanders for their orders.
The two of them hugged briefly.
“Clearing doorways in the south, now up here to contain and then push back the Drafeng. I heard how things went in the Under- dark,” Tommie said.
“Yeah, I was able to bring the majority with me. I just hope that the others aren’t discovered and can hide,” Aila said. “I heard about your father. Any word?”
347
“Nothing so far. The Deepwood is a big place and there are a lot of people who have fled or been displaced by the Drafeng.”
Aila looked at Tommie. He had changed, grown up. There was more confidence in his actions, and more lines on his face from the constant fighting.
“Where is he?” Aila asked.
117
“Roaming around somewh—”
There was a great big thud, with dust rising up from the ground. Anthony stood up from his mini-crater and dusted himself off,
and walked out as if nothing had happened. “Same old,” Aila muttered.
Death Knight Box Set Books 1-5: A humorous power fantasy series Page 67
