by Brad Clark
Time seemed to stand still. She had no idea how long she and been fighting, or how many Bargoroth had fallen. Her shoulders and arms were sore. Her chest heaved with exertion, but there was plenty of fight left in her body. She and her Sak’Hurai trained for their whole lives and knew how to push their bodies past their limits. They were nowhere near those limits. Then suddenly, the skies opened up in front of them. There were no more Bargoroth charging at them. Her mind didn’t comprehend right away what that meant. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, she only wanted to continue the fight. The bloodlust of the battle still filled her soul, and she needed to release her fierce energy on someone. All she saw were the backs of Bargoroth running away from them but towards the main battle with the Taran Centurions. On the ground, buried in mud and blood was a path of dead and dying bodies.
Lowering her swords, she took a moment to breathe and collect her thoughts. She quickly scanned the Sak’Hurai to evaluate the wounded. Most had some sort of cut, slice, or broken bone, but only a handful of her warriors were seriously hurt. There had just been too many Bargoroth to be able to get out of the battle without injuries. It didn’t appear that any of her warriors had fallen, and none acted as if they were incapacitated. Despite all their running and fighting, most of them looked fresh and ready to continue to fight.
Then, she turned away from her warriors to see the chaos of the battle that was half a mile away. The neat and orderly Taran rows and columns were in disarray and were being pushed back up the hill. Thousands of Bargoroth were massing behind the battle, waiting to join in the melee. The entire Taran force was committed to the battle. Although they had stretched their lines of soldiers from one end of the battlefield to the other to prevent the barbarians from outflanking them, it had made their force weak, and it would not be long before the Bargoroth would break through their lines and completely surround the Centurions. She felt sad for General Aeneas, as he seemed an honorable and worthy man. At least he would die a soldier’s death.
With a quick and sharp command, she instructed her warriors to begin a double-time run straight east.
In no time, Nikki and her warriors added distance between themselves and the battle. She hoped the Bargoroth would just let them go, but it didn’t take long for the Bargoroth to notice their escape. With a wild cry, a large group of barbarians broke away from the back of their army and began chasing her and her warriors. Quickly, she gauged their distance and realized they should be able to outdistance them and get away without further fighting. She did not want to shirk from extending the battle, but this fight was not theirs, and they needed to get to the battle that meant something.
After only a couple heartbeats of thinking, Nikki let out a sharp shout to tell her soldiers to run. In two strides, she was in a near flat-out run. The formation of Sak’Hurai began to spread out as the faster runners moved forward, and the slower runners started to lag. Unfortunately, the Bargoroth were undeterred by the speed of the Sak’Hurai and kept chasing, screaming and shouting as they did so. Her hope that the Bargoroth would let them escape disappeared quickly. She tried to push harder, but it didn’t take long for Nikki to feel their formation faltering as the pace took its toll on herself and her warriors. With furious intensity, she pushed forward, but she knew that neither she nor any of her warriors could keep the pace for much longer.
With her lungs screaming for air and her legs rubbery, she raised a sword over her head and called out the command to slow. There was no chance of escape, and they needed to preserve enough energy to be able to fight their way to freedom. It took several strides before everyone’s pace slowed to a walk. Without further orders, the formation closed ranks. Gasping for fresh air, she tried to not show her fatigue. Blood pounded through her ears, keeping her from hearing her warrior’s gasps and groans. The Sak’Hurai had over-extended themselves and were trying to draw as much air into the bodies as quickly as they could. While they did their best to recover swiftly from their sprint, swords remained drawn and eyes focused on the enemy. No one talked. No one complained. They were too disciplined for that.
Nikki shouted out a command for the Sak’Hurai to spread out and prepare to counter-attack. Their sprint had allowed them to separate themselves from the main Bargoroth force, and only a small contingent had chased after them. Sak’Hurai do not wait for the enemy to attack. They take the fight directly to their enemy. While the Bargoroth continued to race towards them, screaming and shouting in a berserker rage, the Sak’Hurai waited long enough to regain their breath and recover their full energy. When the Bargoroth were about a hundred yards away, all the Sak’Hurai sprinted forward.
But only half of the Hurai warriors engaged the Bargoroth right away. The rest quickly encircled the small force of two hundred dirty and smelly barbarians.
None of the Sak’Hurai enjoyed killing, especially Princess Nikki, but they all knew that it was necessary in war. They also didn’t like merciless killing, but the Bargoroth gave them little choice. Even as the slaughter became apparent, none of the barbarians dropped a sword or asked for mercy. They all continued to fight to the last man. Even fatally wounded, they crawled and scratched and tried to fight back, which forced the Sak’Hurai to deliver finishing blows.
It did not take long before there were no more barbarians moving.
Nikki was concerned that more Bargoroth would be sent after them. If several thousand were sent, they would be hard-pressed to successfully fight back. Even if they sent groups of a hundred or two hundred, the Sak’Hurai would be able to defeat them, but eventually, arms would get tired, and mistakes would be made. Nikki knew that her warriors needed a rest and would not be able to be effective fighters for too much longer. Fortunately, all the rest of the Bargoroth warriors were still engaged in the main battle.
The Sak’Hurai broke ranks to observe the battle. Even Nikki was drawn into watching what looked to be a massacre. The Taran army had been pushed to the top of the hill, and soon they would be retreating down the backside. Their problem was that they had nowhere else to go. They were now caught between the Bargoroth army and the freezing cold, swiftly flowing river.
“Look how fiercely they fight,” Kile said. “No regard for their own lives. They just push forward, trading life for life.”
Nikki turned her head slightly to look at Kile. She was not sure if he was in awe of the Bargoroth or ridiculing them. “An inefficient way to fight,” Nikki replied. She was impressed at their tenacity and sacrifice, but not so much at the waste of life. Sak’Hurai fought not only to win the battle but to survive it as well. It did no good to slaughter the enemy if you could not survive the fighting.
“Do not be so hasty to judge,” Kile said. “They have been at war for a generation, and they smell victory, which means they would do anything they can to finally bring this to an end. We would do the same if our lands were being invaded.”
Nikki turned away from the battle. Such a massacre was not something she cared to watch any longer. “We should keep moving before they send more to attack us. We left many of them dead behind us, and they may wish to seek vengeance.”
“We should cut the heads off their dead.”
“What?”
“The Bargoroth are a superstitious people, and they take warnings seriously. If we cut off the heads of their warriors and line them up in front of their bodies, they will heed our warning and not chase after us.”
Nikki raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Remember, I visited them several times, and I took that time to learn their culture. I had to, else they would have killed me. Trust me, I know what I am talking about.”
Nikki gave Kile one last questioning look before giving the order for her Sak’Hurai to do as she asked. They did so efficiently and without question.
Watching the furious way they fought, and the resolute way they chased her warriors down, a thought popped into Nikki’s head. She almost dismissed the thought but decided there could be no harm in at least bringing it up.
“Could they be trusted?” Nikki asked.
“Trusted?” Kile asked. “How do you mean?”
“To fight with us. At our side.” She saw the odd expression on Kile’s face, so she added, “against the Deceiver.”
Kile looked at Nikki long and hard, then he turned to look at the row of heads that were lined up in front of the headless bodies. “After killing so many of our kind, you think they will take up arms with us and go into battle as allies?”
“You befriended them, right? We are not Taran Centurions, so we have no reason to be at war with them. Just look at them. Can you imagine that ferocity against the Deceiver’s army? We would be unstoppable!”
Kile shook his head. “I think you’re crazy. We’ve wasted too much time standing and talking. We need to get moving before they send their whole army at us.”
Nikki planted her feet with a wide stance and crossed her arms. “You go. Lead the Sak’Hurai to Karmon and find Conner. I will follow behind, hopefully with an army of hungry barbarians.”
“You know nothing of the Bargoroth or their protocols. They are not fond of powerful women, especially those that wield steel.”
“I have faced such men all my life.”
“Out here, with them, you are nothing but a woman with swords, and that is not something they respect.”
“I will make them respect me!” Nikki said confidently.
“And if you try, they will simply kill you. I know them well enough that if you were to just show up in the midst of their army, they would have their way with you before they kill you. They are who they are, and they are barbarians who would rather kill you than befriend you.”
“I need to at least try. The Tarans have been overrun, and soon this battle will be over. They will be celebrating their victory, and hopefully, they will be in a good mood.” She uncrossed her arms and stepped forward. With a softer voice, she continued, “I have to try. The bigger the army we put up against the Deceiver, the better.”
Kile looked at her for a moment and then looked at the massacre that was happening to the Tarans. “Of the two of us,” he said. “I know them the best. I know their protocols, and maybe they might even remember me. I will go with you.”
Nikki gave a sharp nod of agreement. She had hoped that he would volunteer. It would have been her right to ask him and force him if necessary, but this could easily be a one-way trip to the tip of a sword. You don’t demand soldiers go on suicide missions, but you do hope they volunteer for them.
Nikki pointed to a Sak’Hurai named Denn and waved him over to them.
“Denn, you will lead the Sak’Hurai to Karmon. Kile and I will be visiting with the Bargoroth to get them to join us in our fight against the Deceiver.”
Denn raised an eyebrow and asked, “How will I find Karmon?”
“Travel east,” Nikki said. “If you are too far south, you will come to the Gulf of Taran, and you will simply follow its northern banks around to the east. Karmon lies on the eastern shores. If you are too far north, you will come upon two mountain ranges. One to the north, one to the south. Both ranges run east and west. Karmon lies to the south of the southern mountain range.” Denn gave a nod of understanding. “However, you may simply listen for the sounds of war, and go towards it. We may already be too late. You go, now. Hopefully, we will be following right behind with another army.”
All the Sak’Hurai had heard the exchange and didn’t need to be told that Denn was now in charge. He was a capable warrior and as loyal as any. Without another word, he led the Sak’Hurai east, leaving Kile and Nikki standing alone.
Chapter Seven
“Does it still hurt?” Elissa asked. She and Conner were in their royal apartment, and Elissa had just stepped out from behind a three-panel room divider. Two young chambermaids who had helped her dress trailed behind. With their duties complete, they quietly slipped out the door.
“No, not at all,” he replied with a smile, but the look she gave him was telling. Clearly, she did not believe him.
“You rub it like it does.”
“It really does not hurt.” Conner patted his shoulder, to show that there was no pain.
He had been wounded when the ancient Elven creature Malkalith and driven the Spear of Salvation through his shoulder. Even though Hargon’s healing power completely healed the wound and left no visible mark, the memory of carrying the pain for their two-week trek from the land of the Dwarves was something he would not soon forget. During the journey back home, he could not sleep at night for there was no comfortable position that would not cause further pain. This only made the trip more arduous as he never could get fully rested. By the time he and the Dwarves had been met by Elissa and the dragon Myllia, he was barely able to walk. Fortunately, Hargon’s healing touch not only fixed his shoulder but quickly restored his strength. With a fresh body and a healed shoulder, he was able to fully recover and properly prepare for the coming war. Occasionally, though, the memory of the pain that had been a part of his life for so many days came back to haunt him. He felt the need to rub it, to remind himself that he was fully healed. During those times, he had to force himself to drop his hand away from his shoulder, just like he did now.
“Don’t worry about me.” Conner walked over to her and put his hand on her belly. Her flowing gown was loose, hiding the bump that was their child. “You just take care of our little child.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “I am so glad we are together again. I never want to be anywhere without you. Promise you will never leave my side again!”
He hugged her close, knowing he could not make such a promise. Even if he did, the words would be meaningless. There was a battle to be fought, and there had been too many deaths around them to make promises that could not be kept. Instead, he tried to pretend she had not asked for a promise and said, “Glaerion and I are going to do another training session.”
Elissa frowned and said, “I have a meeting with King Illichian and the rest of the war council to plan the defense of the castle. You should be there, too. Plus,” she added with a stern gaze. “You should be resting that arm.”
“I’ve been at those meetings, and it will take you two hours before you actually start talking about anything meaningful. Maybe Glaerion and I will show up late so we won’t have to sit around grumbling about the waste of time.”
Elissa pushed herself away from him and held him at arm’s length. “Are you making fun of our royal protocols?”
Conner laughed. “Yes, I am!”
“Well, I will miss you not being there.”
There was a knock on the door of their apartment, saving Conner from having to respond. He did not want to be in that room at all, and he did not want to have to lie to Elissa about wanting to miss it.
“Come!” Elissa called out.
Glaerion stepped through, his face all business. “Are we ready?”
“I’m still sore from yesterday, but it feels good to get back at the training.” He grabbed his swords and walked briskly to the door.
“Be careful,” Elissa called out. “Don’t hurt him.”
Conner glanced back and said, “I’ll do my best to take it easy on him.”
They could hear her laughter as they left the apartment and started walking down the corridor.
***
“She was talking to me, you know,” Glaerion said in his steady and serious tone.
Conner grinned and replied, “Yes, I know. But, I definitely won’t take it easy on you.”
Glaerion just shook his head without responding.
Conner did not have his swords strapped to his back, as he usually carried them. Instead, he held one in each hand. Soon enough, they would be back in action, defending against the onslaught of the Deceiver’s army. When he took the time to think about his adventures, he realized how lucky he was to still be alive. He glanced at Glaerion and realized that it wasn’t just luck. It seemed like it had been an eternity ago since
he had been shot with crossbow bolts in the gladiator ring in Tara City. Left for dead and cast aside with all the other dead bodies, Hargon had healed him. Whether he had been dead or not, he never figured out. But the dream that he had was still clear as if it had happened yesterday. The man named Michael had told him that he was chosen to lead this fight, but he would not be alone. Along the way, he was given friends and companions who would help him. Some of those had not survived, but they had all contributed to him being here at this moment and able to meet the Deceiver in one last decisive battle. It made him guilty to think that he survived when so many hadn’t. That guilt made him push himself in training so that he would be fully prepared for the battle.
Although no one knew when the Deceiver’s army would arrive, he was sure it would be soon, if not within the next day or two. They were all ready to fight. The Elves and Karmon soldiers had been training together, so they each knew how to work together. It would still be up to the leaders, King Illichian and Queen Elissa, to be sure that they fought with a united front. They were meeting now with a handful of Karmon Knights to ensure that they had a plan for victory. He was not a soldier or tactician, so he knew he would likely not be able to offer much in the manner of planning. He would much rather turn his mind off and train.
They reached the wide entryway that opened up to the bright spring sunlight. Although there was still going to be some cold weather ahead of them, today, the sun brought a summer-like warmth to the mountains. They bounded down the five steps that led from the castle to the hard-packed courtyard. Glaerion stopped, closed his eyes, and turned his face to the sun.