by Aaron Thomas
Bowie’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He tried to listen for the sounds of war but could only hear the beating of his heart. It drowned out all other sounds, even the verbal command to stop the advance could not be heard. He was lucky that he had John teach him the signals.
The entire line stopped merely five paces behind the treeline, looking at a massive wood wall. It was made of upright logs carved at a point near the top. There were gaps wide enough for men to pass through the standing wooden panels. Bowie looked, but saw no signs of life on his side of the wooden walls. Kilen had warned them of the defenses, but he couldn’t imagine this. It would have taken the men of Humbridge years to construct the walls the Fire Realm and Earth Realm had done in a couple months.
Borgen pointed his sword to the sky and shouted, “First column!”
The first column of men drew their bows, pointing at the same angle that Borgen held his blade. Slowly, he drew the flat of the blade along his chest as if he were wielding a bow himself.
He waited for a moment. He drew a breath and thrusted the sword point back into the sky, “Release!”
The twang of hundreds of bows being released at once sent birds scrambling into the sky. Bowie watched as the cloud of arrows disappeared over the wall and was answered by the screams of agony on the other side. Borgen did not wait for the screams to die down before he launched into more commands.
“Second column, at the ready. Aim at the gaps between the walls. Fire at will,” the aged Lieutenant commanded.
Bowie took a step forward and planted his feet; he was in the second column. Drawing one of his arrows, he knocked an arrow and aimed at the farthest gap his bow could hit. He waited and watched as some of the Fire Realm’s men rounded the corner with spears in hand. They were quickly hewn down by a multitude of arrows, some falling backwards behind the panel to alert the others of what was on the other side. None came from the gap to which Bowie had aimed so he held his bow until another was command given.
“Third column!” He thrust his sword point into the sky and pulled the flat of the blade back like a bow again.
A second volley of arrows dotted the sky and disappeared behind the wall. More screams came out from behind the panels.
“Covering advance!” Borgen shouted and ran ten paces forward. He started yelling out commands to each column.
They moved forward ten paces in front of the other column, moving ever closer to the panels. It reminded Bowie of a child’s game he played of jumping over each others backs.
Each time he passed, Auburn would be sure to make eye contact with Bowie. He did the same with her. He still thought that she had no right to be in a battle; it was a thing of men. They neared the panel and soldiers from the Fire Realm jumped through every so often and were quickly taken down. A streak of heat went overhead and Bowie turned to see a ball of fire pelt the trees from where they had just come.
Borgen stood up straight and looked at his knights, “No turning back now. Our only escape is through the enemy!”
Bowie doubted that would be a very good escape, but he was not in command.
A spear launched out from behind one of the panels and struck one of the knights in the shoulder. He was immediately pulled back and the spear was yanked from his arm. The second knight that pulled him back put his hand over the wound, and the once wounded rose after the healing as if he had never been injured. Bowie was suddenly very glad they were on his side.
Knights moved up to the wall and slammed their bodies against it, aiming their shield’s face at the gaps. They motioned the others forward. At a simple wave by Borgen, all the archers and knights rushed for the protection the walls provided. Another hand signal was given.
The knight Bowie stood behind turned his head. “Ten of you with me. Kill anything that moves without hesitating or we will all die.” He stopped when he saw Bowie and Auburn, “You two are wielders?”
They both nodded their heads in response and Auburn dispatched a man that had exited the gap behind the knight. He cleared his throat, glancing back and forth between the knights and commanders spread out along the face of the wall.
“You’d better start using your talents before you lose your abilities all together. We need to wreck their defenses if we are to win this battle.”
They nodded their heads.
Auburn caught Bowie by the shoulder, “I didn’t learn to fight like this. Kilen only threw rocks at me while I was jumping from tree to tree.”
Bowie licked his lips in anticipation as more fireballs streaked over the wooden spikes. “Well, I don’t see any trees around here. You better try and figure out how to use your magic. I myself only learned how to make the wind blow and how to make it stop.” He thought for a moment, “That’s it!” He patted the knight on the shoulder, “I will make a shield of wind to block the flames for you as you round the corner. It should stop any non strengthened spears, throws, and some magic.”
He nodded, “I’ll take it.”
When Bowie turned back around he saw Auburn taking a step back with her arm fully extended and palm against the wall. She was looking at the wall fiercely, as if she would attack the tree-thick pillars.
She knocked an arrow and gave Bowie a glance, “I will give you a moment to make your attack.”
Bowie shrugged at the knight as he didn’t understand her meaning.
They approached the gap in the wall, all they had to do now was move around it and survive whatever was on the other side. The knight did not look back, but yelled over his shoulder, “Woman! If you are going to do anything, now is the time!”
Without further notice Auburn jumped to the top of the wall panel. She hooked her leg over the top of the wall between sharpened points and pulled herself up. Her strength allowed her to hold that position as she drew back the string on her bow. The release of one arrow caused a commotion on the other side of the wall and the knight Bowie followed turned a corner around the walls edge.
Bowie was now in the fray of battle. Spears were being thrown and now he could make out the dark parts of the men’s eyes as they ran at him with axes. Bowie had no time to feel remorse for what he was about to do. He thrust forward a shield of wind holding it just as Kilen had taught him. A couple of enemy arrows glanced off the invisible barrier shaped like a half sphere of dust in front of him. It was a strange thing to watch, but it only caused him to be scared enough he make it stronger.
He then began to return fire. Arrow after arrow launched from his bow over the top edge of his windshield caused me to fall. Eight other archers that followed him caused men to fall in waves as they launched volley after volley of Crescent arrows. Any man that managed to come to close met the deadly end of the knight’s sword. Bowie thought it was almost too easy to kill these men with no armor.
Once the first area was clear, Bowie got a better view of what lay beyond. More panels made of trees stood in his way. The second row was slightly offset so attackers would not be able to run straight into the defenses. These defenses allowed for multiple choke points that his men would have to fight through.
As they neared a second gap, the Fire Realm’s men moved like lightning to attack. A sharpened spear cut Bowie’s flesh on its journey to the ground. It sliced through his leather pants and sent him to his stomach. His own trainees stepped over him to launch arrows as quickly as they could. His concentration on magic faltered and his men lost their shield of wind. The knight’s metal shield was met with a hail of enemy arrows and spears as he did his best to protect the archers behind him.
Bowie laid there trying to stop the blood seeping from his thigh and caught a glimpse of a spearman who noticed where Auburn was still launching arrows. The short man disappeared behind one of the walls with his spear only to return with a man crackling of sparks and wearing two golden cuffs at his wrists. A simple flick of the fingers launched a fireball before the wielder was struck down by arrows.
A loud squeal from the wall gave Bowie the mental f
ortitude to overcome his pain and stand up to search for Auburn. He hobbled his way back to the wall that Auburn had latched onto and welcomed her with a hug as she rounded the corner.
The wall behind them now burned where Auburn had perched and would soon trap them from behind. Auburn lent her shoulders to Bowie as they limped their way forward to another wall his comrades were now hiding behind. Bowie looked back and saw more archers and knights pushing through the gaps to join his men in the attack. He realized his small group caused the death of most of the men he just stepped over. A few hundred men killed in the matter of moments. The only injury sustained by his men was the one draining him of his lifeblood.
The knight pulled one of the gold cuffs from the wielder’s body and tucked it into a sack hanging behind him. Bowie took a mental note about where the knights keep their captured imbuements. The knight quickly waved the others forward to take his place at the front.
He then approached Bowie, “Smart lot you have here, Archer. Let me see if I can fix you up a bit.”
The knight put his hand over Bowie’s wound and an ice-cold tendril worked its way up his spine. When the he removed his hand the wound was closed and fresh pink skin formed over the cut. As long as Bowie did not push himself too hard, the wound would stay closed.
“Thank you.” Bowie responded as he was helped up by the knight.
“My name is Vincent,” he said as he walked away towards the others on the wall. He looked them up and down, checking for injuries.
“Thank you, Vincent,” Bowie responded as he gingerly made his way to join the others.
Vincent smiled, “That’s not what I meant, Archer; we’re a team now. We’ll move forward as soon as the others have had their turn to make an advance. If they fail, we’ll have a turn to do what they could not, It’ll be easier if you know my name.” He eyed the archers as he spoke. “I know this is your former leader. I am asking you to follow me. I will protect you, if you protect me.”
They all nodded after Bowie did, as if they were still awaiting his orders.
The next group of archers and knights went around the panel from both sides simultaneously. The sounds of battle erupted and were quickly quelled. An archer waved the rest of the awaiting men forward. When Bowie’s team’s turn came up for their second assault, Vincent gave the signal to stop. Slowly, Vincent backed away from the panel’s edge. He kept his eye at the edge as he spoke over his shoulder while fishing his hand into the canvas bag at his waist. He pulled out a small dagger.
“There are no more walls. We have reached the true battle. On the other side their army is awaiting us. One of the their wielders had this; you are a wind wielder, are you not?” Vincent held out the dagger that contained the elemental mark of wind.
“I am,” Bowie replied.
Vincent thrust the sheathed blade to his chest. “Use it then.”
Vincent returned to the panel’s edge and held his sword tip at his shield’s edge. He kept his elbow held high and even with his shoulder. The blood of his last victim still drying on the blade. “We advance on your orders, Archer.”
Bowie wanted to adjust his hat, but when he reached up he found only his braided hair. He scratched his head and looked at the archers with him. “Even out your arrows.”
The men shared their arrows as the magic weilding knights watched the gaps in the walls.
Vincent shouted, “We won’t have long. They will come to check if we are still alive.”
“Give me a moment.” Bowie shouted back and then turned to the archers, “No more teams; all of you on my mark. Vincent, how far out are they?”
“ A hundred paces when I last looked, give or take,” He replied.
Bowie stepped back and started shouting, “All swordsmen to the gaps and all archers behind me!”
A moment later knights and archers came pouring into the small gap they had established at the last panel and Borgen and John came running to the center.
Borgen looked around and saw everyone awaiting Bowie’s order, “Have you taken charge?”
“No one else was here giving orders, Sir.”Bowie said.
“Report then, I am here to give orders now,” Borgen wiped his blade clean on one of the fall soldiers.
Bowie nodded his head and watched as a bloody Chit came trotting by. His sack jingled of metal as he passed Bowie to join the other swordsmen at the gaps. He neglected to wipe the dripping blood from his mule-headed blade. He was armored but did not carry a shield. He is either stupid or welcoming danger.
Bowie reported “Sir, the rest of the Fire Realm army is on the other side of this last panel. Their men are about one hundred paces out from it” Bowie said pointing at the last gap.
“Well, you gathered all the men here, what was your plan now?” Borgan asked examining his knights.
“Sir, I suggest a volley; draw them to us. If we cross into that gap, we will be pinned against the wall,”Bowie argued.
The large stoic Lieutenant pointed behind the men.
“The panels and forest behind us burn as it is. Soon we will be pinned here either way.” Borgan stood still waiting an answer from Bowie.
“We need to draw them in. We do not have enough arrows or men to fight their army. If we manage to take them on in small groups we will last longer.”
The lieutenant nodded in acceptance of that being true. Borgan smiled, “Let them bring this war to us now that we have traveled all the way here. I like it.” Borgan patted on John on the shoulder, “You lead the archers, so take charge. I will take the front line with the swords.”
They nodded at each other. Bowie joined the line of archers as each men readied an arrow for flight.
A collision on the other side of the wall erupted into flames that seemed to crawl over the top. John quickly gave the order to raise bows and soon a volley was released into the enveloping smoke. Cries of pain could be heard as John gave the order for a second volley. The second twang of the bow seemed to give hope to Bowie. They had managed to take control of the Fire Realm’s defenses and give the advantage to their own men.
After the second volley, a large crash could be heard on the opposite side of the wooden wall. Borgen, with a few of his men, ran to the back of the wall the archers were hiding behind. The wall started to tilt inward, threatening to fall in on top of their men. Borgen already had the soldiers there to prop it up. Another crash of ice and flame threatened to speed the collapse. Auburn leapt into the fray using imbued strength to push on the wall.
Panicking, Bowie followed after. Two more earth wielders should have been able to change the direction of the walls falling, but it wasn’t. Bowie pushed hard, watching the wall creep ever closer to crushing Auburn. He felt another slam of magic into the far side of the wall. His feet began to lose their footing as the soft dirt gave way to the barrier. Bowie pushed with all his might, he even tried to picture himself as a tree. He remembered something Mica had said to Kilen; Wind may be the strongest of the elements.
Bowie left the wall, leaving Auburn and all the wielders still trying to hold it up, then held out his hands as if it would help him bring the wind. He was always slow to start, but he closed his eyes and willed the wind to his command. The yellow swirling magic began to tame and align itself with his will. The others cried out as now they would surely all be crushed by the weight lowering itself onto them. At first, a gentle breeze then slowly a stronger wind amassed until the archers were moving out of the way to keep from being blown under the wall.
Finally, like a kite, the wall began to move in the opposite direction. With the combined strength of his magic and the muscles of the others, the wall still held its ground. Bowie opened his eyes and saw a pleading Auburn straining to survive. He couldn’t understand it, but his abilities increased. The wind howled and the wall lifted off of the fingers from everyone that touched it, as if there was no weight to it. It lurched forward into the air, the wind digging it out of its hole and dropping sand and debris on those it hovered over. Twenty
to thirty paces forward, Bowie dropped the wall onto the ground, revealing his men to the army, but freeing them of the weight.
Shields were retrieved and arrows launched into the oncoming wave of men. Bowie watched as the Fire Realm now ran at the small band of less than a thousand men grouped together. Fire balls launched from some as well as shards of ice that hurdled through the air. Magic from both sides collided in an explosion of elements.
It seemed that the regular metal and wooden weapons were the only real instruments of killing in this battle, as magic users did little other than negate each other. Bowie, on the other hand, did nothing. He didn’t knock an arrow or run to support the others. He stood feeling the wind on his hair. He had control of the wind. He was the wind. He flexed his magic like muscles, expanding his control to its limits, feeling the strength at which he had attacked the wall.
He turned around to feel the wind on his face and saw a tremendous black cloud trailing up from the burning forest behind him. A smile touched his face, Bowie could control the cloud. The cloud changed directions and started to flow down instead of up. It moved with the speed of a person diving into water; it dove through the air and crashed onto the battlefield, plunging the enemy army into darkness.
Someone with magic resisted the black poisonous air forming a clean pocket of air beneath the cloud, Bowie let them for the moment. He was the wind. Bowie lashed out trying to throw an enemy soldier back by striking him with a forceful blow, but watched as the soldiers leather belt ripped open and a slash appeared on his chest. Bowie had formed a weapon out of the wind. Bowie walked forward for a clearer view; he couldn’t see the army that his black cloud consumed, and if he couldn’t see them, he couldn’t stop them. He had the overwhelming need stop them, they had tried to crush Auburn.
Bowie’s mind moved forward, but his feet did not move. He could feel his feet but they were a long way behind him now. His body collapsed where he was standing. He felt as is his body was the wind. He knew exactly what he was now, an elemental. Lite and without weight he moved swiftly amongst the army slashing and throwing men. Kilen had formed a elemental before, training Bowie in the form of a swirling cone. Bowie emulated that shape, becoming a black cyclone of heated smoke and debris.
