by Owen Black
“One of yours I take it?” he asked. “Such loyal followers you have, even to the end. I can’t believe you are all they have to look up to.”
While the rain pounded him from above all Avryn could do was wait for the end. Unable to move, unable to feel the limbs in his body he was the worst kind of prisoner. The only hope he had left was that his wife and son had somehow escaped. If only he knew they were safe.
A weird chorus of laughter mixed with a handful of screams then spilled out from the onlookers. Avryn watched as the soldiers parted only to allow the worst of his fears tumble to reality. Standing before them, his shirtless body coated by rain-streaked blood, with fists that gripped a sword in each hand and eyes that were strangely aglow with eerie blue light, was Thane.
The fright of his own death could not mimic the despair he felt when he saw his son standing before them. Avryn fought through the pain and tried to reach out to his son but his broken body would not respond. His back was broken and now he would have to watch his own son die before his eyes.
Avryn called forth whatever strength was left within him and yelled, “No Thane! Go!”
His words were drowned out by the sound of the falling rain but even if Thane had heard the plea of his father, he knew it would have made no difference.
Fatalis turned and looked down at Avryn. “Well now, this must be your son. Not quite the little tot I pictured.” When Avryn did not reply Fatalis looked at Thane and continued, “So you are the one I have heard so much about. It looks like you are anxious to die.”
Only silence was returned. Thane simply stared at the carnivore leader as if he was locked in a trance.
Fatalis reached down and picked up Avryn’s fallen sword from the ground. He briefly examined the blade then once again addressed Avryn. “Did you know great King of the Cattle that an oracle actually believed that your son was a threat to my rule? This pathetic little creature. Imagine that. A fitting end that I will kill him with his father’s sword. Don’t you think?”
Unable to provoke a response from the fallen king, Fatalis turned to his enemy. The rowdy soldiers around them grew still and an awkward silence descended upon the battlefield. The only sound was that of the rain falling from above, pelting the ground like a thousand impatient fingers that tapped repeatedly, anxious for the duel to unfold.
Without warning, Fatalis sprinted towards Thane with the sword to his side, ready to strike. When he drew close, Thane vanished then immediately appeared behind Fatalis where he slashed through the air and cut into his back.
The carnivore leader turned to Thane. The look of surprise on his face was obvious.
Before he could recover Thane disappeared once again and this time appeared to the side of Fatalis where he again swung his swords without delay. He sliced the brute of a man across his upper arm and caused a flow of blood to seep from his armor-like muscles. Fatalis swung a counter-strike but again his target was gone with only the moist air left behind to absorb the blow.
Thane continued his unrelenting assault yet as the incredible fight unfolded, with each strike then retreat into nothingness, Fatalis somehow seemed to learn to counter the lighting quick attacks. He grew better at blocking the blows. He spun each time his enemy had vanished. He had picked up on a pattern, as if he was a step ahead, able to predict the next move. The duel had shifted into a rhythmic dance of blades with each swing of Thane’s swords countered by a deft move by his opponent.
Avryn wondered how long the fight would go on but then, to the surprise of all, Fatalis began to labor. He struggled to keep up with the speed of his enemy. His reflexes were intact but his body seemed to slow slightly. He grunted with each defensive blow, his powerful body, once believed to be immune to tire, had grown weary. Thane, however, continued on without showing any signs of slowing as if he was fed by an endless well of energy.
Perhaps knowing that his strength had begun to fade, Fatalis then did the unexpected. While he clutched Avryn’s sword with both hands he countered a strike, watched Thane vanish and then yelled and spun around rapidly while he swung the blade with all of his might.
Thane appeared and reacted quickly to the approaching attack by lifting his swords to block the blow. When the weapons collided a loud clash spilled forth that sounded more like a high-pitched scream then the impact that it truly was.
To his horror, Avryn then saw their last hope slip away when the two powerful blades tumbled to the ground, broken free from their hilts. Strong as the weapons were, they could not stand up to the strength of metal.
Avryn watched as Thane slowly looked down at his hands that now held worthless stumps of the once mighty blades. The reality of his loss struck home and he dropped the worthless hilts to the mud that waited below.
Although clearly winded, Fatalis smiled evilly while the rush of victory invigorated his body. His men cheered as he roared and flexed his arms then stared at his now unarmed prey.
Avryn was helpless as he watched his son struggle to understand what had happened. Thane seemed utterly confused as if the impossible had happened, the unimaginable loss of his precious swords. Inside his heart Avryn felt the greatest pain of his life but his body was completely numb. The cruelest of fates had gripped him and he wondered if death would take mercy before being forced to watch the demise of his son.
***
Watching from atop the village wall, Alia stared in disbelief while her mind was flooded by a stream of emotions. Surely Thane would run without the swords. How could he fight? He couldn’t win without them.
She looked at Joli who was still crouched next to her, trying to hide from view yet equally as fixated on the event taking place below. In front of them, in the center of the man-made circle of soldiers, Thane remained, expressionless and cold. He made no effort to flee even though he was unarmed.
“Why won’t he just go?” Alia asked. “He should just run or poof away or whatever he does.”
“I don’t know,” Joli replied. She then pointed to a few skirmishes that lingered on the battlefield in the distance. “You don’t see Guderian out there do you? A tall blonde man or an elk maybe? I can’t find him.”
Alia followed Joli’s eyes and then shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.” She did however see that there were hardly any of their soldiers left but she decided to keep that observation to herself.
The girl then returned her attention to Thane. She was shocked that he just stood there. What was wrong with him?
Without warning Fatalis then lunged forward. Thane of course vanished but instead of fleeing the battle he appeared opposite his attacker yet did not swing. Perhaps he knew that his fists could not damage the thick hide of the evil monster but surely he should try something or better yet, just go.
To her anguish, the routine continued. Fatalis attacked and Thane disappeared before he could strike, always returning nearby, not taunting or antagonizing his opponent, just staring. This rhythmic cycle lasted several rounds but then, to her surprise, Fatalis drew blood with one of his blows before Thane could disappear. Although it was just a scratch it signaled something far worse. Thane had begun to tire.
Alia knew it was only a matter of time. She had to do something but what could she do? Fear tugged at her mind as she searched her thoughts for answers.
Mired in sadness, forced to watch the one she loved stand helpless, a thought struck like a lightning bolt piercing the blackness of night. She looked down at the ground below and tried to ignore the bodies that were scattered about. They were everywhere, remnants of Thane’s fury but she locked them from her mind. She had to find something he could use, somewhere.
“What are you looking for?” Joli asked. “What are you thinking?”
Alia continued her search without a reply. She then smiled and morphed into a small white bunny and leapt from the top of the wall. With a splash she landed in a brown puddle that instantly stained her pure white fur. Alia then morphed back into a girl and looked down at her clothes that were coated in mu
d. She wiped the muck from her face then continued her search from the ground.
“No!” Joli yelled. “Don’t do it! Get back up here!”
There was no going back. Alia had to help him. She would be dead either way.
She peered through the rain and shrieked with delight when she spotted something lying on the ground near a fallen soldier.
“Ahah!” she declared triumphantly as she reached and grabbed a thick wooden staff from the ground.
Without delay she morphed back into a rabbit, shook the fear from her mind and hopped quickly through the broken gate and into the hands of the carnivore army. She kept her stare down lest she stall with fright. They were everywhere.
The soldiers spotted her quickly, first just a few but then more. Dirty, filthy hands lunged for her from all sides as she darted between their legs. She smelled their awful stench, felt the touch of hunger as they grasped for her. Onward she ran.
Suddenly her legs kicked only air and she realized that she was being lifted from the ground. She had been caught!
Alia kicked and writhed desperately but the grip only tightened and forced the air from her lungs. Her legs spun through the air as she continued to kick and then, somehow, she broke free. She heard a yell as she slid through the grip of the enemy, likely saved by the mud that coated her fur. She tumbled to the ground and landed without harm then quickly resumed her mission without stall.
Finally, between the legs of the soldiers she could see Fatalis and Thane. She was almost there. All around her she could hear the yells from the carnivores and feel their filthy touch. She dared not stop. She had to make it. She had to help him.
At last Alia broke into the clearing where she quickly morphed into her human form, still clinging to the wooden staff. She ignored the reach of the carnivore soldiers and lunged forward and threw the weapon into the air. She watched with hope as time slowed around them while she watched the arc of her throw. Thane, however, seemed unaware. Although the staff was descending toward his head he did not flinch. His focus was on his enemy.
Fatalis, however, had spotted the weapon as it passed above them. He jumped to knock it down but it was too high. The staff cleared his reach and came down on Thane who, at the last possible moment, grabbed it from the air with one hand, vanished immediately and, to the surprise of all, did not return.
Fatalis spun in place as he searched for his enemy. He yelled and turned in circles, expecting Thane to appear at any second. He frantically swung his sword about while his men ignored Alia and searched their ranks, nervous that he might appear among them.
“Coward!” Fatalis roared. “Coward!”
Alia wondered if perhaps Thane had finally decided to save himself. She hoped he had. If so her actions might have saved him.
She then began to feel the eyes of the carnivore soldiers fall back upon her. She stepped farther into the clearing where Fatalis now waited, his attention now firmly on her. Alia felt her heart as it thumped wildly beneath her ribs.
What she then saw defied explanation. Her jaw fell open while the carnivore soldiers fell silent. Fatalis felt a presence nearby and spun around but even he, with incredible instincts and a mind always prepared for anything, even he was not ready for what he witnessed.
Thane had indeed returned, not behind him or to the side, but this time he had appeared in the air above him as if standing atop an invisible platform. Before he could grasp what he saw Thane swung the staff and struck Fatalis squarely in the chest. It was a mighty blow that sent the towering man tumbling backwards while Thane vanished once again.
Fatalis struggled to fight the momentum of the strike but then his movement was abruptly stopped when a creature appeared behind him. A painful yell erupted from his lips when a sharp object pierced his chest from behind. It was a horn.
The unicorn lifted the mighty warrior into the air and held him high for all to see. The creature then lowered his head and allowed the limp body to slide to the ground where it landed, motionless.
The carnivore soldiers were frozen as they looked down at their fallen leader. The man who ruled them all, the man they feared like no other, the man who had been destined to reign over the world, was now dead.
Before they could react Thane morphed back into human form, twirled the staff above his head and watched the soldiers as they backed away. He then leapt to his father’s side and knelt down beside him. Although his eyes remained covered by the strange blue light he seemed to have regained awareness for those around him. Alia ran to his side.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
Before the carnivore soldiers could descend upon them Thane turned to Alia. Although he did not speak he nodded his head and grabbed her arm. With his other hand he touched his father’s chest and then, in a blink, they vanished.
***
Trussil peered out from the sheltering depths of the woods while occasional drops of rain trickled from the canopy of leaves above her. At last, the clouds had begun to part and the downpour had slowed to a mere sprinkle.
In the distance, past the corpse-riddled fields, she could see what was left of the Carnic army gathered near the gate. She was surprised that only a few hundred had survived, but it was still a sizable force. Perhaps the rest were celebrating within the village walls, feasting on the remains of her friends. The sadness that consumed her was overwhelming. Her life seemed to have lost all meaning.
Startled from her sorrow, Trussil spotted movement heading her way. Focusing her vision she noticed that not one but several figures were racing towards her. She wondered at first if these were some villagers attempting escape or if maybe, oh how she wished that maybe, Mordigal was among them.
Seconds later, her hopes vanished when she realized to her horror that they were carnivores of several varieties, most notably a pair of lions and a leopard. Then it hit her. She had been spotted.
Panic began to set in. Trussil tried to lift her left arm but a stinging pain shot through her body that nearly dropped her to her knees. It was no use, her arm was broken and flying was not an option. She turned and looked for a place to hide but all she saw was a maze trees that taunted her with limbs that she could not climb.
Pushed by fear, Trussil ran into the woods, over damp leaves that crunched under foot and fallen branches that snapped at her step making her think of the closing jaws of her pursuers. She dared not look back. They were closing. She knew it.
A thunderous roll then filled her ears. It came not from the sky above but somewhere to her front, deeper in the woods, in the direction she was heading. She stopped and listened. The sound steadily increased and grew louder with each panicked breath she took.
Trussil then felt a strange sensation in her feet and looked down only to notice to her dismay that the leaves had begun to shake as if the ground itself trembled with fright. She turned in a circle and tried to spot the source as the horrible sound grew louder, now almost on top of her.
A wave of movement then erupted from the depths of the forest. She quickly darted behind a tree, hoping to hide from the next wave of soldiers that had come to join the assault. She was now trapped between two carnivore forces. Her chance for escape had vanished.
Trussil closed her eyes and winced as each beast thundered past, knowing that at any moment a fatal strike could find her. She smelled their awful breath, felt the thumping of their paws on the ground and heard the shouts from the humans among them as the charge toward the village was ordered.
To her surprise a familiar voice called out to her. “Now that is a peculiar place to nap,” the man said.
Trussil looked up and was quite surprised by the figure that loomed above her. It was one of the lost triplets that had left with Mordigal and Caballus weeks prior. She smiled, not only because she was happy to see him, but also because the appearance of such a short man atop a giant elephant struck her as really quite humorous.
“Why mister, well, which of you is it?” she asked as she stood up and dusted the dir
t from her tattered dress. A parade of animals continued by - horses, bison, hogs, and countless smaller breeds - the variety was impressive. Mixed in were quite a few in human form as well, armed and ready to fight.
“I would be Clotch of course,” the man replied with a grin. “I hope we aren’t too late. We got lost and had a devil of a time finding the way back.”
The smile then vanished from Trussil’s lips. “The village was overrun a short time ago,” she said sadly. “I don’t know how many are left. The carnivore army is lingering around the front and a pack of cats is heading this way. They should be here any minute.”
Clotch nodded and looked around as the animals he and his brother had recruited continued past. “Well, Blotch and I somehow convinced about five hundred or so that they had nothing else better to do. A few kittens won’t last very long.”
“Just you and Blotch?” Trussil asked, noting the missing third.
“Splotch didn’t make it,” he replied grimly.
Trussil was shaken. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”
Clotch sat up a bit. “Well, Blotch and I decided that two of us are better than none so here we are.” He then quickly added, “We better get moving. Want a ride?”
“Absolutely,” Trussil said.
She waited for the elephant to slowly lower itself to the ground. Freshly invigorated, she ignored the pain in her arm when Clotch helped her onto the giant animal’s back. Help was on the way. She only hoped there were some left to save.
Chapter 39
Night had fallen over Avryndale, mercifully hiding the carnage that remained strewn about their once peaceful village. The remainder of the carnivore army had been dispatched by the reinforcements and although calm had been restored to the land a time of rebuilding had just begun. Families were shattered but life, for now, would go on.
Felia grasped the handle of the door and stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes. She needed to compose herself before entering the bedroom. She felt a faint breeze and watched as her shadow bounced around the surface of the door when the candle held by the man behind her was shaken from its slumber.
