by Toni Cox
As darkness fell, the Vampyres jumped into action and started their attack on the city, firing balls of fire from their sling shots. With the Vampyres’ attention focussed on their target, Blaid began his sabotage. He started by puncturing the barrels of tar the Vampyres were using to dip their slingshot balls into to make them burn and then set the oozing liquid alight. The flowing, burning tar spread quickly and soon some of the slingshots were on fire. By the time he had destroyed four of the barrels, there was chaos in the camp. Often, he had to hide for a while before he could continue his campaign but, with the Werewolves out of the way, he was able to hide from the Vampyres without much difficulty.
Soon some of the Vampyres’ other equipment started to burn and as often as he could, Blaid added arrows, spears and other weapons to the flames. While the siege on Braérn continued, some Vampyres were now solely busy with trying to get the blazes under control. He defied them at every turn and the ones that got in his way he killed as swiftly as he lit the next fire. He knew the Vampyres did not burn easily, but their weapons did. He did everything he could to destroy as many of the weapons as he could before the Vampyres would eventually catch up with him. He had no doubt that they would; there were simply too many of them to outrun them forever.
The Vampyres’ camp was now lighting up the night like a sunrise and soon Blaid was fighting more than destroying weapons. He still had the bow slung over his shoulder, but in such close quarters he had to use Kanarel’s sword. He was glad for the weapon; it was of excellent make; but he wished he had his own. The smell of smoke, tar and blood was thick in his nose and breathing was becoming difficult. He noticed that the Vampyres had no such difficulties; they did not need to breathe as much as Elves did. Soon he was coughing and out of breath. He stabbed two more Vampyres and beheaded another before he hid behind a tent that had so far escaped the flames. He tried to catch his breath, but he knew that, if he did not get out of there soon, he would not make it. But he was not done yet. There was still fight left in him. Two more sling shots were still operational and were firing what was left of their ammunition. About a hundred archers were on the front line where he had not been able to get to and they were shooting relentlessly at the figures on the city wall.
With one last effort Blaid made his way to the slingshot furthest to the left. It was manned by four Vampyres and they put up a good fight as he attacked them. But eventually they were no match for him and he commandeered the sling shot, turning it, loading it, and then aimed for the archers. The first flaming ball smashed into the back row and took out about ten of them. By the time he had loaded and lit the second ball, a group of Vampyres was running towards him. He quickly fired and the line of archers broke up as the ball exploded in their midst. He had just loaded the third ball when the Vampyres reached him. Before he could fire, they attacked and, in the time it took him to defend himself, the remaining archers regrouped and continued their assault on the wall. During the melee, he managed to spring the release of the sling shot and he fired the third ball into the line of archers. He was too busy to see how much damage it had caused as more Vampyres converged on his location.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed, he felt the black rage start to cloud his vision. He could not control it, but today he welcomed it; there were no innocent bystanders that might get hurt. But as his vision went dark, his ears picked up a new sound. A horn was blaring in the distance and then there was the sound of galloping hooves. He struggled to bring himself back under control as he fought of the Vampyres; the Elves had left the safety of the city and were attacking. He had hoped that they would, once the Vampyres were in disarray, but in his current state he was cursing their timing.
He screamed in rage as his mind became muddled and he desperately shook his head to clear it; he could not bear the deaths of more Elves on his conscience. He had to leave. Now. He was too worked up to shadow travel, so he did the only thing he could; he ran. The Vampyres chased him, but it did not matter. He could deal with them once he was safely away from the warriors that had now reached the Vampyre camp.
He ran up the low rise he had used as a hideout and, once he reached the trees, he turned to confront the five Vampyres that had given chase. He was calmer now, but the Vampyres knew nothing of it as he killed them ruthlessly, one by one.
With the dead lying carelessly by his feet, he watched from his vantage point as the warriors of Braérn and Crook Harbour dealt with what was left of the Vampyre army. Blaid did not know how many Vampyres he had killed, but it was clear that the Elves were still outnumbered. With most of their weapons burned, the Vampyres were left somewhat at a disadvantage though and it did not take long for the Elves to overpower them. It was difficult to see among the flames and the smoke how many of the Elves died in the process, but when Blaid finally heard the horn blare again, the fighting had stopped.
Tiredly he sank down to the ground and leant against a tree. He was so thirsty. After resting for a short while, he searched the Vampyres and took from them their weapons; as many as he could carry; and then walked slowly back to where he had hidden his bag on the shore of Nithril Deep.
She sat in the branches of the tree above her house, her feet dangling in the air. Rothea was inside the house, sitting by the window where she could see her. Maia had taken refuge in the tree after she had gone to see her father. Never before had he been this angry with her. Even now his words still rang in her ears.
“Do you understand the danger you put, not just your own life in, but the lives of Rothea and the people of Shadow Hall as well?” he had shouted, her mother’s hand resting calmly on his shoulder.
“Yes, Father.”
“You could have been killed. Is that what you want? Do you want to follow Riker into the next world?”
She had taken a sharp breath; even Jaik had looked shocked at her father’s outburst.
“And what if we had needed you here?”
“Here?” she had asked, now utterly angry. “So, I am allowed to fight here and put my life in danger, but I am not allowed to do it for the people of Thala Yll?”
Her father had been quiet then for a moment, blood rising to his face and her mother had whispered to him. Jaik, leaning against a post in the room, had tried hard to suppress a smile at his sister’s spirited reply.
“That is not the point, Maia,” he had finally answered. “You disobeyed a direct order.”
“I did not receive such an order,” she had answered defiantly. “I left before it could be given.”
“Maia,” he had said, a dangerous calm now in his voice, “you have changed and I think we all know the cause of it. I do not like what I see and from now on I expect you to report directly to me. We have always given you free rein, but if you treat yourself and others with so little respect, then it is time for me to intervene. You are not to leave Shadow Hall unless ordered to do so while there are Vampyres in our land and while that…that Blaid is still out there. Orders have been given to capture him and kill him if necessary.”
“What?” she had asked, disbelieving.
“We received a bird from Stoneloft this morning that he had killed twenty-four Elves. The city had been under attack by Vampyres and he had infiltrated the city and killed our own people.”
“That cannot be true.”
“Well it is Maia, and from now on he will be treated as much as an enemy as the Vampyres. You might have been right about Kanarel, but you are wrong about Blaid. He is dangerous. Now, I want you to go home and stay there until you receive orders from me. I will not allow any further disobedience from you.”
She had been shocked by her father’s words about Blaid, but she did not believe them. There had to be some other explanation for it, she was sure of it. She wished she knew where he was now and she wished she could contact him somehow to warn him about her father’s orders. Why could the people not see that he was helping them? He was a Prime; he should be revered like her. Just because he was Death, did not mean that that was all he stood fo
r.
It was starting to get dark and the lights of the city came on one by one. She had no intention of sleeping under the same roof as her father tonight and she would stay in this tree until she felt the need to come down. The city was beautiful from her vantage point and, as the night deepened the city lights sparkled like stars in the night sky.
At some point Rothea left her seat by the window below and then returned with some food, but Maia was not hungry. The dish stood untouched on the windowsill until morning, when Rothea eventually took it away. Rothea had stayed by the window all through the night, for which Maia felt bad, and even now she refused to leave her. Rothea sat by the window all though that day too and she only left once, when it started to get dark, to light a lantern to put in the window. Maia had never had a friend like Rothea before and, although it all had started with Rothea filling in for a Server, the two of them had become real friends. It felt good to have someone who she could be close to without the need to explain everything. Rothea seemed to understand her better than anyone else, besides her brother, and did not judge her for her actions.
Maia knew Rothea enjoyed her new position as Maia’s personal guard but, in light of their most recent excursion, that position might be in doubt. She would have to tread carefully with her father if she did not want Rothea to get reassigned.
“Maia,” Rothea whispered up to her.
She looked down and saw Rothea sitting on the windowsill looking up at her. She often called her Maia now, but only when they were alone.
“A bird arrived from Braérn this morning. The city is under siege by an army of Vampyres. I am sorry I could not find out sooner, it is almost night already.”
Maia closed her eyes for a moment. It would be so easy to fly there and help them; why did her father not see it? And if the message was already received this morning, then maybe they were already too late. There was nothing her father could do in a hurry; it would take a Regiment at least four days to get there if they did not rest their horses. Desperate, she reached out to Midnight. It was a long shot; Midnight did not serve anyone and the only reason he helped them was because of the bond he had with Maia. To send him away by himself to help people he had no connection with was probably asking too much of him.
Midnight was out hunting; Maia caught a brief image of him in the mountains with three mountain goats in a heap by his feet. She knew he had probably devoured twice that many of those animals already. Quickly she explained the situation to him. Strangely, Midnight did not so much mind going to help the people, but he had trouble understanding why she could not go with him. She was Bright-Shining-Silver-Star and nothing should be able to stop her. Maia smiled at his sentiment, but then went serious again. Midnight eventually agreed to go without her, grudgingly, and, after finishing his meal of mountain goats, rose into the air above the mountains and flew east. Their bond was strong, but to maintain contact over very long distances took tremendous energy, so she severed the contact as soon as he was out on the plains.
She watched the rise of the moons and tried to calculate when Midnight would reach Braérn. She hoped he would get there in time. At some point her mother came to the window and asked her to come in, but she refused. She had been in the tree for two days now; although Elves enjoyed sleeping, they needed little of it. She could also go without water or food for another few days if she needed to, but she knew it would be thirst that would eventually get her down. For now, she had no intention of going anywhere; at least not until Midnight returned.
A short while later she felt a vibration in the tree. She looked down and saw Jaik climbing up towards her.
“You know sulking will not achieve anything,” he said as he took his seat on the branch beside her.
“I know,” she replied. “I am just not ready to face him yet.”
“He is not at home,” Jaik said and draped his arm around her shoulder. “Father is still at the House of the Guardians. Reports have been coming in all afternoon and there seems to be fighting everywhere. He is questioning his decision of keeping the bulk of our forces at Greystone. Things have been difficult for him.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I heard about Braérn.”
“Yes, there is little we can do about it, but Father has sent a small detachment to rush to their aid.”
“I have asked Midnight to assist them.”
“Midnight? Alone?”
“I dare not defy Father again. Not because of me, but because of what it would mean for everyone else. But I can also not leave the people of Braérn to their fate when there is something I could have done about it. Midnight has graciously agreed to assist them. He left about two hours ago. He should be there by now.”
“There is hope then,” her brother said.
She leant her head against his shoulder and together they sat in the tree and watched the moons cross the night sky. Soon they were hidden by the thick canopy of the trees and were slowly slipping towards the mountains. Maia’s eyes were just closing, safely snuggled into her brother’s arms, when she felt a mental nudge from Midnight.
Immediately she was alert and sat up.
“What is it?” Jaik asked.
“Midnight is back,” she replied, then was silent for a while as she waited for Midnight to explain what he had seen. “It was all over by the time Midnight reached Braérn. The Vampyre camp was in flames and all the Vampyres were dead. The city had sustained some damage, but Midnight thinks most of the people are all right. He says he is unsure of what transpired there. The general thoughts of the people are that someone or something from the outside helped them, which lead to their eventual victory.”
“There have been six attacks over the past four Quarters,” her father said to the assembled people in the Elder Hall. “Thala Yll, Stoneloft, Braérn, Dragonfort, Rathaés and Tarron Heights.” He listed the cities. “We know that Thala Yll, Stoneloft and Braérn have successfully managed to fight off their attackers, but Tarron Heights is still under siege and we have not heard from Dragonfort and Rathaés.”
The Elder Hall was packed to capacity and those that could not find a place inside, were crowding on the paths outside. Everyone present, from Elders and Commanders to Potters and Servers, began to whisper anxiously. Her father did not stop them, but waited until everyone had calmed down again.
“Besides the cities on Crook Island, Alea Yll and Shadow Hall are the only cities that have not been attacked yet. We can only assume why this is so, but at the same time we must also assume that our time is coming. I know everyone has already been doing guard duty day and night, but I must urge you to be even more vigilant. Our Scouts have reported Vampyre tracks a few miles south of here and although it seemed to be a small group of only four or five, we think that they may be gathering for an attack on Shadow Hall.”
Again, there was commotion in the crowed and their combined worry was weighing heavily on Maia. She found it difficult to breathe and wished she could get out of there.
“We have also had reports from Greystone that some of the Scouts have not returned and some Wood Cutters and Hunters have gone missing. Commander Willowbay assumes these to be the acts of Vampyres in the area and will be taking a Regiment to investigate further. He also says that there has been some strange activity around the Gate. Although they have not seen anyone come or go, the energy field within the circle was definitely activated several times during the past Quarter.”
Maia’s skin crawled; she knew what that meant and so did her father. She had explained it to him after she had come back from Naylera. Vampyres were certainly coming through the Gate right under the noses of their own troops.
“We are now at war,” Jagaer said, raising his voice over the murmurs of the crowed.
Everyone fell silent.
“We must expect an attack at any moment and I want everyone to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Please make sure you are all aware of your given positions for the defence of the city. Double check all your weapons, equipment, tra
ps, and the water buckets in case of fire. I do not want anything to go wrong when we can least afford it.”
Her father droned on about the safety of the city and the things that needed to be done to keep it safe, but Maia could listen no longer. She had come out of her tree once Midnight had returned and Jaik had gone to give the news to their father. She had slept in her bed that night, but had been plagued by strange dreams. Jaik had then woken her early in the morning and asked her to attend a meeting at the House of the Guardians with him immediately. The meeting had lasted for hours and everything her father was sharing with the people this afternoon had already been discussed and she already had her orders.
When she noticed some other people leaving, obviously to see to their tasks immediately, she quickly got up and followed them out, Rothea right behind her. She needed some air and to get away from the anxiety of her people.
“Maia, wait,” Aaron called behind them as they pushed their way through the crowded door.
Once he had caught up with them they walked in silence until they were clear of the crowd and then descended the steps of the Elder Gate together.
“I believe you will be flying patrols from the air,” Aaron said when they were finally alone.
“Yes,” she replied, trying to keep her disapproval out of her voice. “But with a city such as this there is not much I can do from up there if there is fighting here on the ground. I would be better placed here, where I can protect my people.”
“I admit that I have yet to see my first Vampyre and I know little about how they fight,” Aaron said, “but I do know the people here. They are all strong and great fighters, even the young ones, and we have spent many hours devising the security systems around the city. I personally have designed many of the traps your father has chosen to employ.”
“Are you not anxious, Aaron?” she asked, startled by his upbeat demeanour.
