“Gods,” Karus hissed as another of his men was cut down. Then, having backed through the door, he was outside on the street. The scene he found was one of chaos. Dwarves and legionaries were all mixed up, fighting the enemy in a wild, disorganized melee. The sound of the fight echoed off the walls of the buildings, and the stone paving was already slick with blood. Bodies lay haphazardly scattered about.
Somehow the enemy had gotten into the city, and not just a few. Kol’Cara and the elves came out next. Ugin growled as he emerged. It was a deep, menacing sound. The Vass lunged, stabbing back through the doorway, and took an orc, who had been attempting to follow, in the stomach.
The Vass’s sword had begun to blur with what looked like a swirling darkness. It took Karus a moment to realize the blade was burning with black flame. Ugin stabbed back into the doorway again at another orc, causing it to jump out of the way.
Karus had no more time for thought, as he was attacked himself. He crossed swords with a hulking orc and blocked a wild strike at his head. The creature wielded a curved sort of longsword and wore a mail shirt with a rough-looking helm. The blow stung his hand terribly, and with it, Karus’s anger flared.
Kill it, the sword hissed in his mind. Kill them all and we will grow in strength. Together … we will become powerful beyond imagining. Wield me.
As he blocked another strike, Karus felt his rage reach new levels. With not a little effort, he forced the enemy’s blade away before twisting and stepping in close. He aimed a strike for the right leg, which the creature had put forward as it lunged at him.
The tip of Karus’s sword bit into the orc’s leg, perhaps only an inch. The hilt grew warm in his hand and his enemy dropped, going completely limp, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The sword exploded into blue fire. In the heavily shadowed street, it seemed brilliant in its intensity, casting a blue glow on any who drew near. Karus welcomed the fire, for with it came more anger and rage. It seemed to empower him, make him stronger, faster, and deadlier. What soldier wouldn’t want that?
More, the sword hissed. I need more. Feed me. Together we become one and grow powerful.
The nearest orc, who had been making for Karus, came to a stop. It stared at the fiery sword in what was clear surprise tinged with wariness. It took a step back before snarling something at him in its own language. Feeling energized, Karus decided not to give his new opponent a chance to recover from its surprise.
He attacked. His opponent skillfully countered. Karus barely felt their swords connect. They engaged in a series of strikes and counterstrikes before he saw an opening and jabbed, aiming for the orc’s groin. The creature saw the blade coming. The creature dodged nimbly to the side while blocking and knocked Karus’s blade upward slightly so that it impacted with the orc’s armor.
Like he was cutting into parchment, the blade sliced right through the armor. He felt the tip of the sword bite into the flesh of the stomach, and with that, the orc collapsed, like the previous one.
Karus stared down at his deceased opponent for a long moment. The hilt of his sword was almost burning hot in his hand. The fire running along the blade was brighter too. Power radiated from the weapon and into him. He could feel it … he could feel the sword’s insatiable thirst and hunger. Time seemed to slow and the fight around him quieted a tad.
“Come on.” Kol’Cara grabbed at Karus’s shoulder, pulling him back and breaking the spell. “We have got to go.”
“No.” Resisting, Karus did not want to leave. His blood was up. He wanted to kill and there were a lot of enemies here that needed killing.
I want them all … need them … feed me …
“If we stay,” the elf shouted, shaking him roughly, “we die.”
The words penetrated. Karus blinked, the rage draining away. Serious concern replaced it. He had almost lost himself to the bloodlust, something that was unforgivable in a commander. He glanced around quickly and saw a scene of utter confusion about them. There were orcs seemingly everywhere, and mixed in were a handful of dwarves and legionaries battling desperately for their lives. The odds were most definitely not in their favor.
“This way.” Kol’Cara pointed toward the wall. “Ugin, we are leaving!”
Karus began backing up. A few feet away, Ugin slashed with his sword, neatly slicing through the throat of an enemy. The Vass reached out and grabbed his opponent, pulling him close so that they were face to face. The orc was choking on his own blood as he died, and Ugin seemed to be relishing the moment.
“Ugin!” Karus shouted again.
The Vass looked around and spotted them. He dropped the orc he’d been holding and began backing up as well. Several orcs closed in on him. He let loose an animalistic roar that set the small hairs on Karus’s neck on end and for a moment drowned out the sounds of fighting.
The black fire on his sword grew, flames licking violently at the air, stretching out almost a half foot from the blade. The orcs before him seemed to hesitate as they reconsidered the wisdom of challenging the enraged Vass. They turned, almost as one, and threw themselves on the nearest dwarves and isolated humans.
Dozens more orcs rounded the corner of the building and joined the fight, pressing their way forward in a line six across. They wore matching armor and carried large rectangular shields, and Karus recognized them as heavy infantry. They also had an officer directing them, who marched to the formation’s side with a standard-bearer. The standard featured a green clenched fist set on a black field of fabric.
The orcs fighting around them wore only mail shirts, which told Karus they were light infantry. In moments, the few defenders left in the street would be overwhelmed. He was sure of it.
“Run!” Karus shouted.
With that, they turned and ran for the stairs to the city wall. Behind them, there was a shout of outrage. Karus glanced back and saw a dozen orcs charging after them and gaining. He pushed himself for all he was worth.
Ahead, dwarven warriors were streaming down the stairs from the city wall to the ground. Someone above had clearly seen the fighting and sent help. Kol’Cara and Kelus’Su ran with them, as did Ugin. Karus glanced back around again. He had no idea what had happened to the rest of his escort or the other elves. He looked back again and saw the last of the defenders had been cut down. Almost all the enemy, it seemed, was after them … all except the organized formation of heavy infantry. They kept to their ranks and a steady pace forward.
A dwarven officer stood a few yards from the bottom of the stairs. As they were coming down to the street, he was shouting orders at his warriors and was working to form a line of battle. There were already two dozen lined up into a single rank. The line made space so that Karus and company could pass through their ranks. Once through, they closed up ranks and raised their shields, while bracing themselves. A heartbeat later, the enemy slammed into the scratch line with force and a tremendous crash.
The line wavered a moment, threatening to collapse, with some of the dwarves being forced to take a step back. The officer shouted and the dwarves, throwing their shoulders into it and grunting with effort, pushed back with their shields. The enemy gave and the line came back together again, shields interlocking. It was an impressive performance.
The officer called out an order. The shields parted and swords stabbed out. The agonized cries of the enemy answered. The line had stabilized. More dwarves joined it and the line expanded its length and depth. Within a few heartbeats there were two ranks, then three, with more than fifty dwarves filling the formation out and still more pounded down the stairs.
The dwarven officer shouted again and his line took two steps forward, forcing back the orcs hammering away at the shields. It also served to make room for those newly arriving to join the formation, making it longer and adding depth through additional ranks. A second officer arrived and took over from the first. The intensity of sound from the struggle grew by the moment.
Beyond the mass of orcs attacking the dwarve
n shield wall, Karus saw the orc officer with the heavy infantry had stopped his formation twenty yards away from the fight. He was calmly and deliberately reorganizing his ranks into a longer line to match the one the dwarves had made. It was orderly and well-executed.
Karus looked toward the wall. The stairs were choked with dwarves coming down to join the fight. There would be no going up. Forty yards away to his right, another stone staircase was also full of dwarves coming down. Karus looked to the left, toward the gatehouse. It was three hundred yards off. There were hundreds of the enemy already there, battling against a few dozen dwarves. More dwarves were coming down from the wall and emerging from the gatehouse to help hold the gate.
Breathing heavily from the run, Karus sheathed his sword and leaned his hands upon his knees, then straightened and studied the fight by the gate. If the dwarves failed to hold, the enemy would gain control of the gate. They would seek to open it so that the rest of their army could enter the city. A volley of arrows rained down from above. A handful of javelins followed. Dozens of the enemy went down.
Shaking his head, Karus understood they were in a real bind. There had clearly been more tunnels into the city. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He wondered how the enemy had found them so quickly, then forced that thought aside. It was irrelevant now. The enemy was here. His energies were better spent on trying to fix this mess. If he could get some strength into position, some organization, a cohort or two, he would be able to turn things around and push the enemy back. But first, he had to find his men.
A horn blew from the top of the wall.
“No.” Karus froze, ice seeming to form in his veins. It was the call to give up the walls and fall back to the defenses within the city. “No … no … no!”
Another horn sounded in the distance, answering the first. He looked back on the enemy and shook his head in utter dismay. He could not believe how quickly everything had fallen apart … was falling apart. There were hundreds of orcs in the city, maybe even thousands. He had lost control. With the horn call, they were giving up the walls … sooner than he had expected … could have dreamed possible. It also meant the city gates would be abandoned.
Had Dennig made that decision?
Karus’s anger blazed white-hot. The sword flared into brilliance. His plans were falling apart. He had to somehow gain control of the situation. But that required getting back to his men. He saw Kol’Cara staring at him. So too was Ugin. The Vass’s eyes were on the sword.
“We’re not doing any good here. I have to get back to the legion,” Karus told Kol’Cara. “I need to exert some control before this becomes a true disaster. I’ve been out of contact too long.”
“If I recall”—Kol’Cara pointed down a side street to their left—“there is a defensive position about four hundred yards that way, along one of the main avenues. I believe we can take backstreets to get there.”
It sounded good, more than good. Once there, he could begin getting a handle on things, reconnect with the legion, take command, and coordinate the city’s defense. More important, since it was the nearest defensive position, reinforcement would be flowing in as men and dwarves retired to it from the city walls. They would be able to begin checking the enemy’s taking of the city … at least for a time.
Since the walls were being given up, there would be no retaking them. The enemy’s strength in numbers was just too great. His secondary plans would go into effect and that would involve bleeding his enemy and making the taking of the city a true meat grinder.
“Right,” Karus said. “Let’s go.”
They jogged behind the dwarven line, which was holding back the orcs. With every passing moment, more dwarves joined the growing defense. However, the same was happening on the enemy’s side. It was shaping up to be a serious fight, especially when the enemy’s heavy infantry pushed forward.
Karus followed after Kol’Cara as they ran along the wall and beyond the fighting. Within moments, the fight was fully behind them. They turned onto the side street. There was no pursuit. The enemy was too focused on the dwarves to worry about a handful of individuals fleeing.
Despite the darkening shadows of the city, the heat was still brutal, oppressive even. Slowing to a jog, Karus found himself once again breathing heavily and sweating like a pig. It was just the four of them now: two elves, one Vass, and Karus.
The sounds of fighting could still be heard, but the farther they traveled down the street, the more muffled it became. After four hundred yards, the city around them became still, abandoned, and seemingly dead. It was eerie, for he kept expecting the enemy to emerge from one of the numerous dark alleys or doorways they passed.
The street did not lead them straight to the defensive position. Unexpectedly, it curved around and started going in the opposite direction than they wanted.
“I think if we cut through here,” Kol’Cara said as they came to a stop, “it might take us closer to where we need to go.”
As he gazed into the dark alley, Karus found himself sucking serious wind. Running in armor was never easy and was always exhausting.
“This is not the time, I think, to become lost,” Karus said to the elf between heavy breaths. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Kol’Cara said. “I am.”
Karus wondered how, for the elf was relatively new to the city. But he seemed certain, and Karus decided to trust him. Besides, it seemed the right direction to Karus as well. There was a shout behind them, that snapped their heads around. It was followed by the clash of weapons. At the far end of the street a fight had broken out.
“Right,” Karus said, “the alley it is. In we go.”
Hastily, he started forward. The alley was very narrow. Karus had to turn sideways to keep his armor from scraping against the walls and making unwanted noise. It was filled with trash and years of debris no one had bothered to pick up. The alley smelled strongly of decay.
They moved along quickly, doing their best to make as little noise as possible, and came to another street. Peering around the corner, Karus looked to the left and then right. He saw no one. Directly ahead was another alley. He could see a street at the far end and a matching alley across from that one.
“I think that street there,” Karus said, trying to remember the layout of the city, “at the end of the next alley, might be the one we want.”
Looking back, he saw Kol’Cara, who was just behind him, give a nod of agreement. “It does look broader, like a main way. I believe you are correct.”
There was the sound of more fighting behind them, louder this time. That meant it was closer.
“I’d say moving forward is as good a decision as any,” Ugin said, “especially if we don’t want to be caught.”
“Right.” Karus made his way quickly across the street to the next alley. No shouts of alarm came. He breathed out a breath of relief as he stepped back into the shadows. This alley was choked with what seemed like ages of debris. It was very dark, as the buildings to either side were three stories and seemed to be apartment tenements of some sort.
After tripping and almost falling on his face over a discarded amphora that had been broken in two, Karus drew his sword. It seemed to know what he wanted and flared to life. He held it before him for light as he continued forward, careful not to trip over the discarded trash and debris.
They came to the end of the alley and, sure enough, found it was a main street. Several defensive positions would be located along its length. Karus was certain.
At the corner, he looked to his right and saw orcs. More than a dozen of them about forty yards away. They seemed to be milling around, doing a whole lot of nothing. He pulled his head back and sheathed his sword to keep its light from alerting the enemy to their presence. He looked back and pointed to his eyes with two fingers and then in the direction he’d seen the orcs. Kol’Cara gave a nod. Ugin clamped his jaw firmly shut and tightened his hold on his sword, which was still burning with black fire.
Ka
rus peered quickly to the left and saw one of the defensive positions, about a hundred yards distant. It was likely why the orcs were doing nothing. He could see legionaries manning the wall, which was an immense relief.
To get to safety, they would have to make a dash, cross the defensive trench, and then climb the wall. The legionaries holding it would have javelins and could provide them with cover. The tricky part would be reaching the position before the enemy caught up to them.
“How do you feel about running?” Karus asked, quietly. He was already tired but there was no question in his mind about making the attempt. “The defensive position is about one hundred yards off. The orcs are closer and there are a lot of them.”
“We’re gonna have to run for it,” Ugin said, without hesitation. “I don’t want to be caught by them.”
“They might make a pelt out of you,” Kol’Cara said, “for a cold night.”
“That’s not funny,” Ugin hissed back.
“I was not joking.” Kol’Cara squeezed by Karus and peered around the corner at the orcs.
“You’d make a nice throw blanket,” Kelus’Su said from behind the Vass. “I am sure all that fur keeps you very warm in the winter. I mean, why even bother wearing clothes when you’ve got fur? I just don’t understand you Vass.”
“I shouldn’t have to put up with this,” Ugin said to Karus.
“It’s going to be a race,” Kol’Cara said.
“Yep,” Karus said. “It’s gonna be a race all right.”
“What are we waiting for?” Ugin asked. “Or are we just dragging our feet so the elves can continue to insult me?”
Ugin shot Kelus’Su a look that said blood would be spilled if he spoke another word.
“Let’s go,” Karus said to Kol’Cara and patted him on the shoulder. The elf stepped out onto the street. Karus followed and was about to break out into a run when a half dozen orcs emerged from an alley a building down toward the defensive position, on the other side of the street. The orcs came to a stop, looking just as surprised as Karus felt. Ugin shouted out a war cry and, shoving past Karus, charged them.
The First Compact: The Karus Saga (The Karus Saga: Book Book 3) Page 31
