by Andrew Wood
"Mother can I take Arran to see my pony?" Leah asked as they finally finished their meal. Sarena tried to persuade her youngest daughter by telling her that Arran was probably tired. After pouting, Arran looked at the young girl sat beside him, "I don't mind," he said. Leah grinned like a cat that had gotten the cream, "Yes! Come on then Arran," she said excitedly. "I'll lead the way," she said pulling him by the hand. "Please excuse me, and thank you for the meal," he managed to say to his hosts as he was being dragged from his chair.
After Hope watched Arran leave the room, she waited a few moments. "Thank you father," she said looking Darak straight in the eye. "This means so very much to me, that you can give Arran a chance. I promise he will not disappoint." Her father looked back at her and nodded, "He seems a nice young man Hope, and I will try my hardest to be nice and civil to him. But you must ask yourself one thing," he said in a serious tone. Hope knew he was going to say something she was not going to like.
"Hope, you must remember you are the niece of the king...and Arran is...well..." Darak said. Hope stood and shook her head. "I thought it was too good to be true, you being nice to Arran," she said. Darak looked to his wife for support, and she duly delivered. "Hope dear, like your father says, he is a lovely boy, but you cannot be thinking Arran is anything...well...long term," Sarena said joining the conversation.
Hope was not pleased with what she was hearing. She loved Arran for who he was, not what he was. Should it matter whether he was a farm boy or a prince? No, she thought it should not, and she would tell them exactly how it was going to be. "Please stop," she said firmly. "I love Arran, and if you cannot accept him for what he is then that is your problem," she said feeling her temper building up inside. "I do not care if he is a farm boy," she added trying to stop the tears building in her eyes. It was no use however, and soon they were rolling down her cheeks. "If you will not accept him here, then I shall go and live with him in Darekia," she shouted before turning and running out of the room. Both Darak and Sarena stood gobsmacked looking at each other. Neither had meant to upset their daughter, but it was quite apparent they had.
Hope sat on the edge of her bed. Her tears had long since gone, but she still felt angry. Her things had been unpacked for her, and she noticed something on the small table beside her bed. It was her handkerchief tied in knots. Whoever had unpacked her bags had obviously placed it there for her. She quickly picked it up and untied the knots, knowing what was within. She had all but forgotten about the bracelet she had picked up off the floor of the ship, before she had made her escape. She thought it was a pity that Luca was not here; perhaps he could have worked out how its dark magic worked.
A knock came at the door, and she quickly wrapped the hankie up and shoved it in one of the drawers of her dresser. "What do you want?" she shouted to whoever was tapping at the door. It opened slightly and was a little disappointed to see her parents stood there. "Can we come in?" her mother asked. Hope sighed, thinking this was only going to lead to more arguments, but she waved them in nonetheless. "I think I have made my position clear," Hope said crossing her arms defiantly before sitting back down on the edge of her bed.
There was a short pause before her father spoke. "Are you really sure Arran is the one Hope?" he asked. Hope looked up at him, "Yes, I told you," she said in a sharper tone than she meant. Her mother looked at her sternly for doing so, but remained silent. "Well your mother and I have just come to apologise Hope. You are right. It does not matter where Arran is from or what he does. If you think he is right for you, well then you have our blessing," Darak said. Hope stared up at the two of them. Her mother cast her a smile and lifted her arms out, and Hope jumped up and hugged her. Darak placed his arms around both his wife and daughter. "Thank you," Hope said.
Chapter 15.
Dane gave the order for his men to ready. The sun was setting and little daylight was left, but it was clear the Zulani had had enough of his interfering. With their plan to draw him away from the bridge having failed, it was clear they were willing to remove him by force. He may have held the best position but he was vastly outnumbered.
He had been forced to order a stop to using fire arrows on the enemy ships. He knew his supply of arrows was limited, and he would need the ammunition for the enemy that was lining up to attack. His attack with fire had not caused any significant damage, nor had it caused any great enemy losses. What he had achieved was to make the enemy turn about and face him on his terms.
What he could do nothing about was the enemy unloading the supplies and horses from the ships to the rear of those that had docked against the far side of the river. Nor could he do anything about the groups of enemy soldiers riding off into the fading light. "Where do you think they are going?" Camden asked him as they watched yet another group of about fifty or more Zulani, move away from the main group. "Probably raiding parties," Dane replied. "I just pray they run into our reinforcements," he added.
No sooner had he finished talking, when the first signs the Zulani were ready to make their move were spotted. The giant like creatures were lining up, but Dane noticed they were not near the front. He pondered on the action being taken and realised these beasts, like the smaller ape like creatures were obviously fewer in number, and the enemy only wanted to use them sparingly.
The enemy lined up a more traditional looking shield wall. This was something Dane and his men were more used to dealing with. The Zulani infantry moved forward as one single shielded unit. Dane released a single volley of arrows from his longbows. As the enemy were huddled together in their shield wall, it gave the archers a big target to hit. The arrows smashed down into them. Some of them were merely deflected, but some found weaker points and burst through the defences. Dane watched on as the enemy's advance stuttered a little, as a dozen or more dead had to be stepped over.
With the sun now setting low below the horizon, the two shield walls clashed. Like a crash of thunder, metal met metal. Men shouted and pushed with every last ounce of strength. The Zulani gained a few yards, and Dane was forced to add extra men to the rear of his lines to try to hold them. All the time the two lines of shields were pushing into each other, swords and short spears were being thrust into any gap that may emerge.
Men from both sides fell, there injured or dead bodies dragged from the front, and their place taken by the next in line, before the opposition could make any gain. As the last light of day finally faded away, the fight continued in the darkness. The only light from the slither of a moon, the twinkling stars and the torches that burnt in the respective camps,
Just as Dane was beginning to think his men were tiring, everything seemed to stop. The enemy front lined stopped pushing and stepped back. His front lines initially went to pursue, until he gave the order to stand firm, and only reclaim the half dozen or so yards they had lost on the bridge. It was one of his other officers, who had spotted the possible reason as to why the Zulani had decided to back off a little. In the far distance, up on the silhouetted hillside that Dane had used himself, to look down on the ruins of Hamalin just earlier that day, a long line of lights flickered.
Luca was sat upon his horse holding a torch. Spread out in a long thin line was his escort of guards, all of whom were also holding torches. He leaned over slightly to the man on his left, "Ethan, Do you think this will fool them?" He asked. The Sergeant of the guard replied, "Yes my Lord. Being, as we can't tell who is who down there, best let both sides think there is another large army waiting up here." Luca shrugged, and looked left and right, trying to picture in his mind what the sight must look like from down below. They had crossed the River Deet some miles further back down stream where there was a ford to cross at this time of year. They had expected to find the Corlanian soldiers on this side of the river, beside the old capital. From what little they could see in the darkness of night, there were two camps. A large one camped on their side of the river and a smaller one on the other.
Camden leaned toward Dane, "Do you think they are
ours?" he asked. His friend just shrugged, "I hope so. If not we could be in trouble," he replied. "At least they have given us chance to rest," he added trying to think of a positive. "And it's quite clear they're not sure who they are either," he added waving his hand in the direction of the enemy across the bridge.
Luca's platoon of elite guards rode around the top of the incline for another hour, trying to give the impression to anybody observing below that they were far more than just forty-four men on horseback. They set several campfires below the line of the horizon, so those below would only see the orange glow, and not the silhouetted figures moving around them.
Dane used the break in fighting to allow men to get some sleep. Whether the enemy were doing the same he did not know, nor really care. The shield wall still remained, just the men behind them changed. "See each man gets at least three hours sleep," he ordered. "I don't think anything is going to be happening now until daybreak," he added stifling his own yawns. With that, he decided to do the very same, and left instructions for him to be woken, should anything develop.
Luca lay with his head down, trying to get at least a little sleep before day broke. His mind was troubled by one thought above all others. In the morning, he knew he would have to do the one thing he had been dreading. With the enemy soldiers somewhere just ahead in the darkness down the hillside, he would be expected to use his powers. He felt a hand on his chest and knew it was Oliver. "You need to sleep Luca Sir," he heard the young Darekian say softly. "You should not worry about having to kill men who have invaded your homeland," he added sounding far more sagely than his years. Luca placed a hand over Oliver's, "I am not sure I can kill another human being Oliver," he replied, but knew that was what was expected.
Luca opened his eyes, realising he must have dozed off. He heard several voices talking quietly, and lifted his head a little. Oliver was asleep beside him. He left his young friend sleeping. He looked around and could see the sky lighting up just a little. Another half an hour or so and he thought it would be dawn. Already every member of the Elite Guard was up and about. One of them noticed he was awake and bought him some food over. Luca thanked the man and ate quickly. Breakfast consisted of a thick porridge, sweetened by a little honey. He looked over to see Oliver stirring, and stood to fetch his friend a bowl of breakfast.
On the bridge, it was the Zulani who made the first move of aggression. Sending volleys of arrows at the Corlanian infantry packed tightly in their defensive positions. The arrows rained down from two banks of Zulani archers. Those underneath them stood firm on the bridge, hoping the large shields they held did the job they were designed for, and deflect them aside.
Dane looked to the distance waiting to see the large army that had arrived the previous night. Aside from a few tendrils of smoke rising from dying fires, he could see no soldiers. The Zulani had readjusted their own position during the hours of darkness. Not only did they have a force lined up against him, but also banks of infantry, archers and cavalry were also positioned to deal with anything that might come from behind the hilltop.
The huge giant like beasts were placed at the back, and stood limbering up, swinging the massive clubs in their monstrous hands. The smaller ape like creatures, had been split into smaller groups, and Dane pondered on the reasoning behind it. With the army atop the hill still not showing its colours, he was left to concentrate on the immediate dangers.
The Zulani moved their own infantry forward once more. The sun was barely up and already the fighting had begun. Whether Dane and his men would see another sunrise would depend on how that fight went. As long as he could hold the bridge, he had a chance against the far greater numbers of the Zulani. Another loud clash sounded, as the two shield walls collided, and the cries of battle rang out once more.
After just a few minutes, Dane could see his men losing ground. The enemy were pushing forward much harder and faster than he could hope to deal with. The Zulani were not bothering to stand and fight shield to shield as would normally be expected. Instead, they were merely using their front line as a kind of ram. They piled more and more people behind it, pushing forward all the time. Dane quickly urged his own men to hold, trying to stop the enemy nudging their way forward. As men fell and their blood was spilled, the stone bridge become harder on which to get a firm footing. Both sides continued pushing more numbers into the bottleneck in a bid to hold ground.
Up behind the incline, Luca and Oliver climbed atop their mounts. The guard were ready. They could already hear the noise of battle off in the distance, and they needed to join it before it was over. After receiving a few confidence-boosting words from Oliver and the sergeant, Luca gave the nod that he was ready. He took a deep breath and nudged his horse forward. The soldiers lined up beside and behind him and they trotted to the brow of the incline to make themselves visible to those below.
Luca was quite surprised by how many soldiers were before him. His attention was immediately drawn to the bridge area were a ferocious battle was taking place. Hundreds of men were locked together, and it was difficult to see where one army finished and the other began. He could see the flags of Corlan flying across the river. Those on his side were flying banners he had not seen before. Moreover, there were beasts the like of which he had never seen before, positioned amongst them.
Camden pointed out to Dane the newcomers arriving. Flying the Corlan flags, a small group of soldiers came into view. "Is that it?" the man asked in disbelief. "That many men will not swing the battle," he added feeling his anger building. Dane patted him on the shoulder, "Calm down my friend. Every little helps," he said optimistically. Deep down he knew Camden was right, and hoped that more soldiers would make their appearance at any moment.
The Zulani had moved a proportion of their troops to counter the new threat. From the numbers in their lines it was clear they had also predicted a much larger force coming over the hill. As it was the forty odd members of the group, made up of Luca and the Elite Guard trotted down towards them.
On the bridge, Dane's men were getting pushed back further. As each one of his men fell, he had no option other than to keep replacing them. Each sacrifice delayed the inevitable a little longer. The Corlanian commander took one more despairing look to the hill in the distance. He could still only see the small band of riders slowly making their way toward him. The large army of reinforcements he was hoping for was not coming. He looked over to his men fighting on the bridge and knew within a few more minutes the Zulani would be across it. Once that happened he would have to fight them en-mass. With their vast numerical advantage, he could not hope to win.
Luca pulled to a halt. The men with him did likewise. He turned to Oliver who looked him in the eye, "You can do this Luca Sir. There are men dying down there, you can stop anymore having to do so." Luca nodded, and took another deep breath. He knew what Oliver said made complete sense. His countrymen were falling to these invaders, and the longer he paused, the more of them would lose their lives.
The Zulani archers fired a volley of arrows Luca's direction, but he was still a few hundred yards short of their range. He looked at what lay before him, and he could see the Zulani already moving cavalry into position to intercept his small group. He ran through his mind of what power to use. He had always wanted to use his magic to do good things, like healing people. Now just like his father before him, he would have to use them against an enemy invading the land of his birth.
The Zulani cavalry were not great in number, but they emerged through the ranks of infantry that had been lined up to encounter the larger force, they had initially anticipated. They closed to within two hundred yards, and Luca could feel his heart thumping in his chest. His hands were clammy but he knew what must be done. He lifted a hand and mustered a small flame. He looked up at the horses and riders getting ever nearer. "If you are going to do something my Lord, now would be a good time," the sergeant said drawing his sword.
Luca let the flame dissipate away. He then concentrated hard and push
ed his hand forward. The wind picked up immediately. He pushed harder, concentrating for all he was worth. The riders afore of his position were suddenly hit by wind so powerful it almost blew them off the ground. The enemy horses whinnied and started panicking, many of them turning away and throwing their riders.
Those enemy soldiers who managed to remain on their mounts did so with great difficulty. Luca hoped that by using the power of air, he might have refrained from killing anybody. However, it was soon apparent that was not the case as his group moved forward again. He could see several horses and men lying motionless on the ground some fifty or more yards in front of him. He puffed out his cheeks, and felt his stomach churn a little. "You are doing well Luca Sir," Oliver shouted across to him, as the winds returned quickly to normality.
It was very apparent the Zulani did not know what to do, with what they had just seen. What was this weapon of great power the Corlanians wielded? The robed figure of the Zulani priest looked up toward the encroaching newcomers. He thumped his staff to the ground, and instantly four of the massive beasts known as Gigantons moved forward to intercept. They strode forward, the infantry that was lined up, parted to let them through to the front.
Luca and his entourage paused once more, watching at what now approached. Although he had never seen an Orlac in real life, he had seen and read many stories of their size and power. What approached him now was far bigger than anything he had imagined one of those to be. Wielding huge clubs the size of a small tree the beasts lumbered up the incline.
