Pyforial Games

by B. T. Narro

  “If you have not fought under my command before, there are two things you need to know,” Jaymes boomed. “If you listen to my commands during the battle, you will live. If you don’t, you will die.” Neeko didn’t quite feel inspired, though he did find himself afraid to disobey any future order. He supposed that was the point.

  Jaymes continued, “In a moment, your enemies will become boisterous. They will sound brave and fearsome, and you will feel terror like you’ve never felt before. But their confidence will be their undoing, and by the end of this day, you will have walked uninjured over their corpses and wondered what in the two hells you were so afraid of. Our strategy is superior and our army is superior, which you will discover as soon as this battle begins.”

  Neeko knew Jaymes well enough to realize those weren’t just words. The commander earnestly believed everything he told them. Neeko finally could feel his confidence building.

  Distant drums began to thump. War cries echoed the beat. Beneath the sound was Neeko’s own heart slamming against his chest.

  Jaymes didn’t turn even for a glimpse as his voice rose to a thunderous shout. “Remember why you’re here. They burned the homes of our innocent citizens! They have no respect for us. Today, they will regret everything that they did to us and our people!”

  Neeko could feel his fear diminishing with each word Jaymes spoke as screams of agreement poured out from all around him.

  Jaymes put his fist into the air and a hundred drums beat in perfect unison. “By the end of today,” Jaymes roared over the drums, “both you and our enemies will have learned a lesson that will stick with all of us for the rest of our lives.” Just as Neeko thought the drums couldn’t get any louder, they did, making him feel as if the ground was shaking beneath his feet. “No matter how many fight against us, we cannot be stopped!”

  Neeko screamed with the rest of them, no longer afraid. Horns blared as Jaymes dismounted and someone came to take his horse. He fell back into the ranks, his steel breastplate glinting under the high sun.

  “March,” he commanded, and they began to move. “Keep the formation tight!”

  They quickly approached the Southern army. Neeko could feel the barely contained power of his allies, their slow pace like a leash to a wild dog.

  Jaymes continued to uplift them, his voice a comfort to Neeko. The distance closed between the armies, the short grass flattening beneath thousands of marching boots.

  Jaymes yelled for the mages to fire, the same order screamed out by every officer on each side of Neeko. Hot air brushed by him as hundreds of fireballs shot into the air. Another hundred fireballs soared into the air before the first set had descended.

  But the enemies were firing as well.

  “Archers release!” the commander shouted. A rapid succession of twangs followed, arrows darkening the fire-filled sky.

  “Sartious shields!”

  A horizontal wall of green energy appeared over Neeko’s head as a sartious mage flicked his staff. Every fireball seemed to land behind their crescents. Neeko cringed as he waited for the sounds of explosions and screams. But all he heard was a soft sizzle. He shot a look behind him to see the green energy temporarily above the entire army, all the sartious mages coordinated.

  The fireballs seemed to melt into the green energy, yellow and orange waves rippling out. Neeko had heard of sartious shields, but never had he seen one in action.

  There was no time to marvel. The arrows were about to fall.

  Apparently the sartious mage in his crescent was strong enough to make a solid wall, grunting as he jerked his staff upward. Shade came over Neeko as the energy filled in with a grinding sound and then a snap.

  The sartious mage screamed as he held the hovering wall of energy. Neeko listened for the patter of arrows above him but heard only screams of agony far behind.

  The sartious energy disappeared above his head, the sun finding him once again. The mage staggered, almost losing his grip on his heavy staff. It didn’t look as if he would be ready to create another sartious wall anytime soon. Another set of fireballs and arrows soared, darkening and brightening the sky all at once. It looked as if all would fly far behind him.

  “Direct shot!” someone yelled from in front of him. Neeko lowered his gaze and flinched.

  Dirt and grass exploded as a few fireballs fell short. But one hit a shield bearer straight on, causing a burst of light and heat, and a snarl like a roaring beast. The shield bearer was bathed in fire yet held steady.

  The Southern army was close enough for Neeko to see the fear in their eyes, their expectations for an easy victory crushed. The front lines of each army slowed to a walk. The only arrows and fireballs that continued were shot in an arc, meant for those in the back waiting to replace their fallen allies.

  “Stop the lines!” Jaymes ordered.

  Neeko hurried forward to put himself directly behind the halted front line. He moved his energy over everyone’s head as he chose a target, all enemies still incoming.

  “Straight in front,” he told the two men wielding crossbows on either side of him.

  The crosshand to his right placed his weapon on the shoulders of two shield bearers in front of him. But the crosshand to Neeko’s left was either daft or afraid, struggling to find a place to shoot from.

  The enemies came closer with their commander a few rows back ordering them not to slow.

  “Hurry,” Neeko told the panicked crosshand.

  Finally he seemed set, though he was visibly shaking. “Ready.”

  But some sort of disruption among the enemy army caused men to stumble into each other. Someone bumped into Neeko’s target and caused Neeko to miss grabbing the man’s shield. But it didn’t seem to matter, for the enemy shield bearer was still left vulnerable when he staggered forward, taking a bolt to the chest.

  The Southern officer yelled for his men to get back in order, while others screamed about stopping pyforial mages. Neeko crouched, expecting arrows.

  “They’re trying to flee!” a chorus of voices shouted from among the Southern ranks.

  “Stop them!”

  “No, kill them!”

  Neeko looked up over his allies. Stumbling enemies undulated down their lines. The Northern archers and mages loosed arrows and shot fireballs, felling exposed foes by the dozen. The Southern army’s officers screamed at their men to keep their lines as they continued to stumble and fall.

  There was no retaliation from enemy archers, as they seemed too busy dealing with what appeared to be pyforial mages who’d turned against them.

  Both armies had mounted men at the flanks designed to keep the rival army from coming around, and it looked as if the mages were headed straight toward them. It was easy to follow the wave of disruption.

  Finally, he saw a Southern archer thrown off his saddle and an emaciated woman jump up to take his place. Before she could get her hands on the reins, though, one of the many arrows shot at her found a place in her back and she fell.

  Neeko’s attention was diverted to the next pyforial mage. A younger man about Eizle’s size threw someone else off his mount and hopped on in his place. Arrows and fireballs all missed as he kicked the horse into a gallop.

  Southern horsemen followed. The pyforial mage aimed a hand in their direction, and it looked as if a gust of wind had struck them as they pulled up on their horses’ reins to stay on. The animals reared up and tried to buck off their riders. Most succeeded, galloping off as the mage escaped.

  There didn’t seem to be any others. Neeko suddenly understood what he’d seen. The Southern army had tried to recruit pyforial mages from prisons like the Northern army had. And that man and woman were the best, or most sane, they could find. When they saw their chance to escape, they took it.

  The crosshand to Neeko’s right smacked him in the chest. “Who’s the next target?”

  “Same spot as before,” Neeko said. “The last one’s replacement.” He gathered a cluster of energy in the span of a blink. />
  The crosshands aimed as Neeko moved the energy toward his next target and wrapped it around his shield.

  “Now.” He pulled with all his strength. The man only had a moment to register surprise before he was shot twice. Neeko’s allies loosed arrows toward the fresh gap in the shields, but only two made it through to find flesh. A mage shot a fireball, but it missed high. Neeko caught sight of it absorbed by a sartious shield.

  “Charge them!” enemy officers screamed, frustration building as both front lines refused to move.

  Neeko chose his next target—again the replacement for the last. He knew it was the best method of chipping away at their bravery.

  To his side, he noticed Jaymes choosing targets for Laney as the same situation occurred. Even farther down, Cedri picked her own target, dropping a man to his knees with pain. Crosshands shot into the gap.

  Neeko got his energy around his target’s shield and pulled, expecting it to rip free like the last. But this man held on, bracing his knees and pulling back. Neeko edged him forward, beginning to overpower him, but the man found his footing and fought to steady himself.

  “Get the shield!” the right crosshand yelled to Neeko, waiting for his chance to pull his trigger.

  “Get ready.” Neeko went from pulling with all his strength to pushing.

  With the sudden added force, the shield bearer flew backward into the ranks behind him. Neeko’s crosshands shot, taking down two unsuspecting swordsmen in the second row. Archers were too late, though, as the shield bearers shifted to close the gap.

  “Shoot the pyforial mage!” screamed the enemy officer in the crescent ahead.

  Arrows and fireballs bombarded Neeko’s allies. All of them were blocked. Neeko yelled out his next target and pulled the man’s shield out of his grasp.

  Many of the Southern troops seemed to have lost hope, backing away now with their shields held tight. Their officers commanded them to charge, but no one obeyed. Neeko noticed the enemies in front of Laney and Cedri’s crescents shifting back as well.

  “Follow them!” Jaymes ordered.

  But to Neeko’s right, his ally crescent was engaged with the enemy, the front-most shield bearers on both sides shoving each other as archers and swordsmen seemed to be focusing more on staying alive than trying to kill their enemies.

  As Neeko’s crescent trudged forward, they came up to flank their enemies. There weren’t enough shield bearers to protect all the Southerners engaged, and Neeko chose one of them as his next target.

  With a clear view of the man’s leg, Neeko pulled it out from under the man instead of worrying about his shield. As he fell, bolts, arrows, and even fireballs exploded into the massive gap. The hailstorm didn’t stop anytime soon, feeding on the enemy’s panic as they tried to get behind one another.

  Soon they were running. Neeko’s allies chased after them. He glanced over to find the same occurring to his left.

  Most of the enemies were in full retreat. Some Southern shield bearers tried to run backward, keeping their shields out to deflect arrows. But they soon fell.

  Hundreds of foes died with each breath Neeko took. Fireballs scored two, sometimes three kills at a time where the Southerners were clustered.

  Finally the enemy officers gave the order to retreat, and all began to run. It was a good two miles to the city, though, and Neeko ran with his allies and grabbed all the Southerners he could with py. He felt no remorse. Whoever lived would only fight again later.

  The more that died, the larger the gap between the armies grew, and soon it was too large for Neeko to have any hope of catching up. Only allied mages and archers continued to fire, but even they gave up as the Southern army disappeared behind the houses of Tramberr.

  Taunting and cheering began. Neeko smiled, though he didn’t partake.

  A laugh rumbled out of him when he saw Laney screaming, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” She thrust her fist into the air with each repetition, her face contorted as she bared her teeth.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  NEEKO

  After the victory, Cedri felt the war already was won. She came to realize something about herself that gave her immense relief, as if she’d endured an illness that finally had come to its end. She held back tears for as long as she could, but when Neeko embraced her, she couldn’t keep them contained any longer.

  “I should’ve realized this earlier,” she said, responding to his look of confusion. “I know what I’m meant to do.” Cheering continued around them as Cedri wiped her eyes. “I’m supposed to be with the army.”

  “Cedri, you must know the battle isn’t over.”

  “I know. But I felt this way before I joined the army. I lost it when Charlotte died and I was accused of her murder.”

  Neeko’s perplexed countenance didn’t change, though he chuckled. “I’ve never seen this side of you, so open about yourself.”

  “How could I be open when I was confused? Not anymore.”

  “I like this new Cedri. I just hope she’s ready for another battle.”

  “I’ll always be ready.”

  It took until then for Cedri to notice night had fallen. The battle, although it felt short, had lasted through the entire day. She didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to finish this. Cowards, she said to herself. They’ll probably retreat to the castle.

  She and Neeko were offered their own tents, a privilege usually reserved for officers. Jaymes sought them out to speak with them, filling Cedri with honor.

  “Tomorrow,” the commander said, “we’ll observe the enemy formation and plan accordingly. Sleep well, and we’ll finish after day breaks.”

  Before retiring for the night, people sat around campfires in large groups, eating and laughing. The spirit of the army couldn’t have been higher. Cedri sat with Neeko among a mixed group of swordsmen and mages, half women, half men.

  It didn’t take long before Cedri and Neeko were the focus of the conversation. It seemed as if everyone had a multitude of questions. They asked her what she could do with her psychic ability. As she began to answer, a crosshand interrupted to ask if she could get a man to do anything she wanted. One of the female mages answered for her by saying that the women in the army didn’t need psyche for that, earning a good laugh from the group.

  Neeko ate in silence, but soon the questions shifted to him. They all seemed interested in confirming the rumors they’d heard. Was it true that Swenn abducted Shara and the king wanted Neeko to go to battle rather than look for her?

  Neeko only nodded, as if he didn’t wish to speak about it. But the group didn’t seem to care. They asked more questions. How did Swenn capture her? How did Neeko find them? What did Swenn do to her?

  Neeko struggled to answer the last question, making Cedri realize she didn’t know the answer. She’d felt sudden fury and pain from Shara out of nowhere while they’d traveled, as if she’d remembered something terrible. But Cedri knew how she would feel if questioned about her own emotions brought on from Charlotte’s death, so she never asked.

  “He tortured her,” Neeko said.

  “You killed the bastard, right?” one man asked.

  “Shara did…while I was there. But I wish I was the one who’d done it.”

  They encouraged Neeko to explain what happened.

  Cedri had never heard the story. It was somewhat surprising she hadn’t even thought to ask. I’ve been too involved in my own thoughts, she realized. And I’ve blamed them for doing the exact same thing.

  She’d known there was something troubling both Neeko and Shara, but she always thought it had to do with an argument between them, never something that had happened to them.

  As soon as Neeko finished his story, he stood and put on a false smile. “I’m going to try to get some rest. Good night.”

  A few of the men said they looked forward to fighting with him tomorrow.

  Cedri was interested in getting to know the two women beside her. They were both mages, one in the middle of her thirties and the
other closer to Cedri’s age, perhaps nineteen or twenty. But there was no opportunity to speak, as the group had too many questions for her about psyche and even more about Neeko.

  It amused her how their image of Neeko was so different from her own. They greatly admired him as if he were their champion in this war. But to Cedri, Neeko was just…Neeko. He was like the rest of them, fighting for a cause. He just happened to have ability with pyforial energy.

  But the more she thought about it, the more that she realized there was more to him than that. If it wasn’t for him, Cedri wouldn’t have joined this battle. He was brave, especially considering how much fear Cedri could feel within him that he never let show.

  Heavens and hells, the man taught himself how to fly. From what Cedri had seen among the PCQs, even other pyforial mages couldn’t do that. The experience he gave her, taking her into the sky, was unlike any other. Have I ever praised him…for anything?

  She decided to visit his tent soon.

  Another woman walked by who Cedri recognized from her time in the castle. Suddenly elated, Cedri wasn’t sure why she hadn’t expected her friend to be here. She was a mage, after all. Cedri invited her to sit with them.

  The four women spent much of the night speaking, even after the men went to sleep. Then Cedri remembered Neeko and cursed.

  She said good night and hurried to his tent, but he already was asleep.

  I’ll tell him after the battle tomorrow. She went to her own tent and fell asleep smiling.

  *****

  She no longer felt elated in the morning. She just wanted the battle to be over. Hopefully they retreated to the castle. Then we can lay siege, take away their food, and win without more combat.

  She had a quiet breakfast with Neeko, and then an officer brought them to a small hill flanking their camp. When they arrived, Jaymes and his other officers were looking to the south through seescopes. Laney stood behind the commander with her arm wrapped around her stomach as if she was cold even though the morning was warm.