by Matt Moss
“So we sit around and wait for him to have the first strike? I don’t think so,” Torin stated. “We need to come out the gate and hit hard.”
“Torin, only if necessary, understand? If you use all of your tap by using the stone, then what use will you be afterwards?”
“There’s at least four others who can use a stone besides me. We just need to make sure that we don’t overextend ourselves and leave Victor with the last say. So in that regard, I agree with you about saving the stones to counter. But if I see an advantage in using one, hell, maybe even win the war with one, I’m going to take it.”
Arkin bit back words. He knew Torin was more experienced when it came to battle, and deferred to his friend’s best judgement. “I trust you, Torin. It’s your call.”
“Let’s just hope that nobody uses the damn things,” Torin growled.
Two men came from the side, one of them a soldier. “Commander Arkin, this man claims to know you,” the soldier said.
Cain pulled his hood back and looked up at Torin and Arkin. “Enlisting for duty.”
“Like hell you are,” Torin said, and moved to jump off the horse.
Arkin held the big man in the saddle. “Let him speak, Torin. He was right about Maximus.”
“What about me? I was right, too, you know?” Rico said, walking up next to Cain. “Don’t I get any recognition?” he asked Arkin with a grin.
“We owe our thanks to both of you,” Arkin said. “Now, both of you can watch the battle safely from the rear.”
“We’re here to fight,” Rico said.
“On whose side?” Torin asked, and eyed Cain.
“On your side,” Cain said. He held his arm out and pulled up his sleeve, showing no signs of the mark. “I’m not loyal to the high priest or his Religion. At one time, I thought I was. But I was wrong. I can’t side with him; not after everything he’s done. I stand with you and the Order.”
Arkin took his old friend’s words to heart. Torin and the others looked to Arkin for a reply. “As I said, you can watch from the rear, but you will not fight alongside us today.”
“You need us out there,” Rico stated, and pointed to the field.
“I’m sorry. By joining with Victor in the past, you’ve forfeited your right to fight for the Order, whether or not you feel remorse for your decision. I cannot allow you to march with us.”
Cain moved to protest. “But we can help...”
Arkin cut him off. “My decision is final. If you really want to help, you can remove the injured from the battlefield and help keep the grounds clear.”
“That’s a death sentence,” Cain noted.
Arkin sat tall in the saddle. “Then you can watch from here.” He spoke to the soldier. “See these men to the rear ranks. They’re not to carry any weapons and they’re not to march alongside us.”
“Sir,” the soldier saluted and urged the men on. Before Rico and Cain were ushered away, each one met Arkin’s eye, hurt by his decision. Arkin took a deep breathe and returned his focus ahead.
“You made the right call,” Torin reassured him. “They made mistakes and must live with their choices.”
“And they’ve made some good choices, too. If not for their warning about Maximus, we could all be dead men, walking straight into a trap right now.” Arkin shook his head and looked to his friend. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right.”
“What?”
“Telling people what to do. Being in command. Who am I to say what man may fight and what man may not?”
“Being in command isn’t always easy. And judging a man is nothing light. But you do the best you can because it is necessary. Justice is necessary. Delivering it requires courage and focus; sometimes, it even requires sacrifice.” As Torin finished the words, a faint horn blast sounded from across the field, causing every ear within shot to give pause. Again, it rang out as Karn rode up and down the line, the army behind him raising their swords, spears and bows in response; sending a war cry to Arkin’s forces that could be heard even over the turbulent storm.
Torin leaned forward and looked up and down the line. He looked behind and all around. “I think they’re a little more fired up than we are,” he said to Arkin. “You sure you don’t want to give a riling speech of some sort?”
King Hobba jumped down from his horse upon hearing Torin’s request, his boots splashing in the mud upon landing. “I will do it,” he stated, and marched towards the front of the lines, making his way through the free men. All eyes were on Hobba.
“What’s he doing?” Torin asked.
“It’s Hobba. Who knows?” Arkin replied.
The king stood out front and turned around to regard the free men. He breathed deep and looked up and down the line.
“”I think he’s going to give a speech,” Torin noted.
King Hobba put both hands on his hips and stood tall, ready to speak. His pants dropped down around his ankles and he bent over, displaying his full backside to the high priest and his armies. Arkin snorted on sight, and when the king started bouncing up and down, slapping his buttocks, the rest of the men started laughing out loud.
Torin laughed. “He’s a crazy sumbitch. I really hope that he lives through this. Would be a shame to steal him from this world.”
“Hobba’s one of a kind,” Arkin said in admiration.
King Hobba pulled up his pants and turned to face Victor and his army, pointing his spear in defiance. The rest of the free men and the tribes rallied behind Hobba, raising their weapons and voices high; many of them cursing and casting obscene gestures at the high priest and the Religion.
Torin looked to Arkin. “Guess that’ll do it.”
Hobba walked back through the lines, not even looking at Arkin or Torin as he jumped back upon his horse. He stared out across the field.
Another energy source caught Arkin’s attention, quickly wiping the grin off his face and causing him to scan across the field.
“What is it?” Torin asked.
“My mother. She’s here,” Arkin replied, narrowing his gaze, searching.
“Ay, look there. He brought his witch with him,” a soldier said, pointing across the way.
“The witch!”
“I say let’s bugger them both before we cut their throats!” another man said. Jaunts and curses accompanied the threats as the soldiers pointed at the high priest and the Oracle at his side.
Torin looked at his friend, worried. “Arkin, don’t let her cloud your judgement. She’s with him.”
“No, she’s not.”
“She’s standing right beside him. She always has been,” Torin stated.
“Not by choice,” Arkin replied in angst. He looked to Torin. “If you can get to her, make sure she’s safe, Torin.” Arkin said in a low tone so the others wouldn’t hear. “Please.”
Torin grumbled and spat to the side. “Fine. But I can’t stop the rest of them if they get after her,” he said, nodding towards the soldiers. Arkin clenched his jaw, knowing that he couldn’t stop them either. Sarie had earned their scorn since she was with Victor.
Sometimes, people just need another chance. Sometimes, things aren’t what they seem.
“Any sign of Lucian?” Torin asked.
Arkin had nearly forgotten about the man in black. He closed his eyes and searched. “No. I can’t sense him anywhere.”
Torin narrowed his gaze. “He’s here—you can bet on that.” The big man breathed deep. “I wonder where his loyalties lie. He could, very well, be the difference in this war.”
“Guess we’ll find out soon enough. Here they come,” Arkin said as Victor sent his front lines closer.
“Ready. March!” Torin boomed out. The front line of the free men left their muddy posts and walked to meet their foe on the field of battle.
And the storm raged on.
“Archers, make ready!” Lyla called out and notched an arrow. “Don’t draw yet. Save your strength. On my mark.”
“This will be a
mess,” Hobba noted.
“War always is,” Torin replied. The three men watched as the two armies went from walk to jog, careful not to run too fast for the sake of slipping on the soft, soaked ground. Both sides broke out in a war cry, spear and sword aimed to kill as the impending clash drew closer towards one another. Lyla and the other archers drew their arrows back and took aim.
“Lyla, now!” Arkin shouted.
“Loose!” Lyla commanded and let the arrow fly. A thousand more ripped through the sky, slicing through wind and rain as they crested over the battlefield. With cruel intentions, the sharp blades began to fall upon Victor’s army, threatening countless lives and wounding even more. Suddenly, arrows stopped—as if hitting an invisible wall. The arrows tumbled through the air and fell to the ground between the two armies.
The Order watched in awe and Lyla turned back to Arkin in disbelief.
Arkin narrowed his gaze at the high priest and said his name out loud. “Victor.”
“He just did that?” Torin asked in amazed horror. Arkin pursed his lips and narrowed his gaze at Victor. Torin’s eyes went wide as Victor’s archers returned fire. “Shields!” he called out, despite knowing that his cry would fall deaf upon the charging men who didn’t see the assault coming.
Arkin extended his hand and focused, his face stone with intent as he channeled his energy. The arrows stopped midair and fell to the ground between the two armies as they roared before impact. Torin looked at his friend, jaw dropped and wide-eyed. “Where’d that come from? I can’t believe you just did that.”
“He can do much more than that, trust me,” Hobba noted, unimpressed.
Breathe.
The two armies collided.
“Lyla,” Arkin called, and waved her to come towards him. She ran up next to him with bow in hand. “We need to spread out and take the flanks. Don’t time the volley—tell everyone to shoot at will. Victor won’t be able to stop them all.”
“Got it,” she said and nodded sharply before running back to her command. Joko met her. “Joko, take that half, I’ll take this half. Spread around the sides and fire at will,” she told him. Joko nodded and rallied the archers to swing around the left side as Lyla took the right.
“Here comes another volley,” Torin shouted, pointing to the sky. “Arkin...”
“I got it,” Arkin said, and used his power once again to stop the hail of arrows from Victor’s archers.
“Couldn’t you turn the arrows back against them instead of casting them to the ground?” Torin asked.
“Now that would impress me,” Hobba noted.
Arkin shook his head. “It would use up too much of my tap to control so many things. Putting up a wall for the arrows to hit saves more energy.”
Torin shook his head at Arkin’s abilities.
They looked upon the battle and surveyed the scene. Hundreds of men had already fallen dead as both sides scraped and sloshed against mud and steel, through flesh and bone.
“Well, guess it’s time I do what I do best,” Torin said, and pulled his two axes, holding them out in front for admiration.
“I never understood why you’d choose those over a good sword,” Arkin noted.
Torin twirled the axes in both hands. “Because these sisters have never let me down in the past. You just worry about using those wizard powers of yours and keeping those arrows away from my head. I’ll take care of the rest,” the big man stated, waving an axe at Arkin before leaving. He rallied the remaining free men and they rode into battle, leaving only a small group behind with Arkin and the tribes.
Arkin looked to where Lyla and her archers were as they made their way towards a grove of trees. “Arrows again,” Hobba told Arkin and pointed to the sky. Again, Arkin extended his hand and stopped the arrows. His body felt incredible, surging with energy as if he hadn’t even used any so far. Deep inside his soul, he craved it—the thrill of battle. His grandfather, Paul, had said that he was a warrior; a fighter. You were right, grandfather. This is what I was born to do.
He longed to ride beside Torin and the others. Not yet. His hand twitched, wanting to reach for the sword strapped to his back as he watched Torin and the army engage the enemy.
His eyes darted to find Lyla. Safe among the trees, Lyla and her archers shot arrows at will. On the other side of the battlefield, Joko and his group were doing the same from atop a small hill. The plan worked and the archers dealt heavy damage to the meat of Victor’s front line. To Arkin’s surprise, Victor sent his entire army to meet Torin and the free men. When he saw them march, Arkin knew that the Order would be overrun. “He’s sending them all out at once!” Arkin shouted, and gripped the reigns tight.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Hobba noted, and looked over his shoulder to emperor Xar and the tribes waiting behind them. “Would you like for the tribes to…” Hobba’s words fell flat as he turned back around and watched Arkin ride into battle with twenty free men by his side.
Cain and Rico looked at one another. “Ah, to hell with watching,” Rico said. Cain nodded and they both ran after Arkin to join the fray.
Arkin rode into battle and soul tapped just before he met the chaos. Leaping from his horse, he soared over the Order and into the enemy lines, a force wave from his hand blasting twenty men and their swords, spears and shields away in all directions. With his senses fully attuned, he could sense everything around him—even the arrows that came from the enemy archers. With a flick of his hand, the projectiles scattered in all directions, and Arkin commenced to work with his sword. With blinding speed and ferocious power, he cut down every foe, through armor and shield, though man and beast. Within a matter of a minute, he’d taken a hundred lives.
Breathe. Slow down or you’ll fade.
Clearing a space for himself and his soldiers to fight, Arkin let go of the tap, but still held on to enough to keep his senses fully alert. The men roared a war cry, rejuvenated by the display of their commander’s power, and fought with renewed vigor, craving the blood of their enemies.
“About time you show up,” Torin growled, his axes and body splattered with blood.
“Couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Arkin replied. The two men fought beside one another, driving against the middle of the enemy lines and pushing them outward. Through his peripheral, he saw the bulk of Victor’s army coming at them, running at full speed. And Karn led the charge. Arkin turned his head to shout at Torin. “Here they come. Get ready.”
The charging army began losing men—dropped by the Order’s arrows from the flanks. It didn’t slow the army down, though, and whoever fell was trampled underfoot.
Fully engaged and needing a moment to signal his allies, Arkin made quick work of three men, his sword slicing through two and piercing the last.
He stepped back, looked to his tribes, and signaled Hobba.
King Hobba saw Arkin waving his arms with sword overhead, calling for his help. Hobba raised his bow high in reply, letting Arkin know that the signal was received. He reigned his horse around, rallying the tribes. The tribesmen raised their weapons and the horses raised up, ready to charge into battle.
Emperor Xar stopped them with a raised scepter. Hobba’s face twisted in confusion. “I do not understand. This is what we are here for. We must ride now.”
“You owe these people nothing, King Hobba. The west has never been an ally of ours and we will be better off without them.”
Hobba shook his head, biting back his emotions, trying to keep respect for his emperor. “We must help them. They will be destroyed,” he pleaded.
Xar remained unmoved. “No. We will not aid them. Let them destroy one another. Let the west fall and burn. We will conquer this land and spread our empire as the gods will it. ”
King Hobba looked at the men to the left and the right of the emperor. He saw the confusion on their faces as they wanted to help Arkin defeat the high priest. But they couldn’t, each of them knowing that it was forbidden to disobey the emperor.
&n
bsp; “You will see. After they are gone, we will take the soul stones for ourselves. We will have all the power to conquer any nation that stands against us. Our people will rule the world, as we rightfully should. This is how it will be,” Xar declared.
“You sound like the high priest,” Hobba replied.
Xar glared at Hobba. “Be careful what you say, old friend. So long as I live, my word is still decree. Don’t let your blasphemous words sentence you to death,” he warned.
“So long as you live…” Hobba said softly and looked back to the battlefield. The full force of the enemy was closing in on Arkin and the free men now. Behind him, he heard Xar laugh.
“After they are gone, we will take this land for ourselves. The kingdom will belong to us. The stones will belong to us.”
Hobba’s eyes went cold as he snapped his gaze back at the emperor. “You can’t even use the stone!. They are no use to us.”
“Not yet. But soon, we will gain the knowledge that these people have, and we will be able to use the stones. You will see.”
“You made a deal with the demon,” Hobba stated. Xar didn’t reply and rested the scepter on his lap as he watched the battle. Hobba glanced back at the fighting and his fingers slowly notched an arrow.
“Look at them killing each other,” Xar announced with pride. “When they are through, we will ride through the rest, cutting down any survivor. We will…” Xar’s words cut out as an arrow sunk deep into his skull above the right eye, snapping his head back, leaving a gaping mouth burping wind as his eyes rolled up to the sky. He fell back, reclined on his horse, the tribes staring in shock.
King Hobba lowered his bow and spoke to the people. “Xar has betrayed us all. But Arkin is our friend,” the king stated, pointing at the battle behind him. “He needs our help.”
The emperor’s corpse slipped in the saddle and fell off the horse, his face crashing into the muddy ground.
With trepidation, the tribes didn’t move, didn’t speak. They stared at Hobba.
“By law, I am your leader now. Will you follow me?” he asked them in desperation.
After a moment, one man stepped forward. “I will follow you.”
