Soldiers of Avarice

by Stephen L. Nowland

  Aiden wanted nothing more than to charge the mercenary wizard at that moment, easily the most dangerous combatant on the field, but the way was blocked by a wall of warriors. The Kingdom Guard were doing their best, but they were sorely outnumbered.

  “You got this?” Aiden asked Pacian, who was busy fighting alongside Sayana against the remaining mercenary agents.

  “Go!” Pace cried, smashing his opponent across the face with the hilt of a dagger, then bringing his knee up hard and fast to shatter his nose.

  Sergeant Evans had overheard the brief exchange, and with his supply of arrows depleted, drew a heavy mace and ran forward to join his men on the front line. Aiden followed close behind, and the two of them charged into the mercenary ranks.

  The battle surged around him, and Aiden couldn’t tell if they were winning or losing. Half of their cavalry had fallen, but a large number of mercenaries had been dropped as well. Aiden bashed his foes and used his glowing shield to block their attacks, all the while making sure he wasn’t too far from the sergeant. He was keenly aware of his lack of armor, so kept his focus on aiding the efforts of his allies.

  A crackle of lightning suddenly surged through the fight, catching Aiden as well. His muscles were wracked with pain for a long moment, and he barely kept control of his body.

  “She’s too strong; I can’t stifle her magic,” Nellise called with dread from nearby, her prayers faltering as the wizard found a way past her protective influence.

  “Sarge, drop her,” Aiden gasped, struggling to keep up the fight.

  “There’s too many of them to break through,” Evans snarled as he bashed a mercenary’s head in.

  Suddenly, a blast of fire shot through the air and engulfed the wizard, who was evidently not invulnerable to its effects. Her charred body was blasted through the air, leaving a trail of flame and smoke.

  Aiden let out a cry of triumph, but then held his breath as Sayana wilted and dropped to her knees from the effort. He was about to go to her aid when the ominous sound of hooves pounding the ground sounded, growing louder with each passing moment. Turning toward the noise, his heart almost stopped when he saw Robert Black astride a massive stallion, finally joining the battle.

  The remaining mercenary warriors pulled back, and the warhorse plowed through the three militiamen, crushing two of them to death, while Robert swung a massive ball-and-chain, sundering Sergeant Evan’s shield and leaving him broken on the ground.

  The commander’s weapon struck Pacian on the shoulder as he rode by, and it was only his reflexes that prevented him from sustaining a mortal injury. Two arrows flew past them in quick succession, striking the last remaining mercenary in the chest, leaving only the unstoppable visage of Robert Black to deal with.

  The stallion turned and charged for their position once more, and Aiden didn’t know how to deal with it. Exhaustion was catching up with him, slowing his mind and body, while facing the premier military power of their time — the mounted warrior. He stood, watching the advance of the warhorse as if in a dream, when he was suddenly pushed to the ground from behind, to land in the snow a few feet away.

  Looking up, he saw that it was Colt who had shoved him aside as he charged past and swung his sword at the saddle, severing the straps that held it on the horse’s back and throwing Robert into the snow. The horse, wounded from the strike, bolted into the night, while the armored form of the mercenary commander rose ominously to his feet, discarding his ball-and-chain in favor of a longsword and shield he drew from over his shoulder.

  “You?” he roared, looking directly at Aiden, Colt and the others from behind his visored helm. “We’re fighting a bunch of civilians and a couple of rangers? And here’s me thinking I was in trouble.”

  “Oh, I got plenty of that for you, right here,” Colt shouted back, stepping forward to engage the commander directly. The sound of his greatsword clashing against the mercenary’s shield was deafening.

  Black smacked aside the greatsword and brought his own heavy blade across, slashing the big ranger’s chest, cutting through leather and the flesh beneath. Their weapons weren’t subtle — each swing had the potential to take off a limb if they weren’t fast enough to get out of the way.

  The commander continued to use his armor and shield to deflect the greatsword’s sweeping arc. “We need to get in there and help,” Aiden whispered to Nellise, who was bent over, trying to catch her breath after the intense fighting.

  “I need to check on the wounded,” she whispered, slowly making her way over to Sayana’s last position. Criosa, having kept out of the fighting so far, joined her to assist in any way she could. Pacian was in the snow nearby, on his knees, struggling to get back on his feet. Aiden could see he was just about done for.

  Turning back to the duel taking place before him, Aiden could see that his fears were well founded, as Commander Black hadn’t really slowed down at all, but the big ranger had taken some brutal hits and was fighting defensively.

  Aiden raised his scepter, and with as much energy as he could muster, aimed it at Black and waited for an opportunity. Colt was pushed backwards after parrying a heavy blow from his opponent, and Aiden saw his chance.

  He spoke the command word and blasted Robert with a beam of light. It wasn’t enough to cut through his iron armor, but he seared some of the less protected areas, at least. Aiden doubted he could muster another shot, so he moved forward to assist.

  Moving as quickly and quietly as he could manage, Aiden moved within range of his opponent, and swung with all of his remaining strength.

  The scepter struck true, driving into Black’s left thigh and staggering the surprised warrior enough for Colt to strike his helm with his greatsword. The blow caused Black to falter, but he still had the presence of mind to spin with the blow and swing his sword at Aiden.

  The force shield took the brunt of the impact, deflecting the sword above his body so that Aiden wasn’t struck directly. What he didn’t see coming was Robert’s shield, which combined with a lunge to smash into Aiden’s side with all the weight of the heavily armored man behind it.

  Aiden felt his right arm break from the blow. The scepter cracked and fell from his nerveless hand into the blood-tinged snow, with Aiden screaming in pain as he fell right along with it. Turning his head, he was somewhat relieved to see Colt pressing the attack, keeping the man busy so he couldn’t finish off what he’d started.

  It had all been worth it, however, for the blows Aiden had struck had slowed Black enough to give the ranger a fighting chance. Colt grunted with each swing of his greatsword, and fought as if he were trying to bash his way through his opponent’s heavy armor. It might have been protecting him from the deadly cuts the sword would have inflicted, but Aiden was sure Black was covered in bruises underneath.

  The mercenary commander brought his weapon in high, but Colt managed to block it — a near-fatal mistake, as his slowing reflexes couldn’t bring any defense against Robert’s shield. It smashed Colt in the face, dazing him momentarily and giving Black an opening to drive his sword straight down into Colt’s foot and through into the snow beneath.

  Black withdrew the bloodied sword immediately as Colt fell. The mercenary paused to catch his breath, ambivalent toward the screams of his fallen foe.

  “Hell of a fight, mate,” Black said to Colt between breaths, “but you never really had a chance. Still, you’ve got my respect for almost ruining my whole plan.”

  “Are you planning to talk me to death?” Colt snarled between clenched teeth.

  “Nope, sword to the head,” Black replied evenly. “I like to gloat a bit sometimes. Sorry to bore—”

  He was interrupted by a diminutive form who attempted to stab him from behind, having crept up close while he had been speaking to Colt. Black whirled around, sword first, but met only empty air as it passed over the top of the person crouching behind him. Aiden was astonished to see Princess Criosa, rapier in hand, attempting to fight the big mercenary.

 
“Criosa?” Robert asked, as startled as Aiden. “I don’t believe it; you fools brought her along? This changes everything. I’ll be able to salvage this entire situation and hold her for ransom.”

  “You’ll have to catch me first,” she challenged defiantly. Robert set about doing just that, swinging his heavy blade around, side on, to try and subdue her. Criosa was extremely nimble, however, and easily dodged the attack.

  She wasn’t alone, either. Sayana was again on her feet and pressing the attack, and Aiden could see a shining breastplate moving in from another angle as Nellise rejoined the fight.

  With Robert’s injuries, Aiden figured the three women might stand a chance. Sayana was still unsteady on her feet, but unwilling to yield. All Aiden could do was hold his broken arm close and watch from a snowbank.

  As Nellise approached to strike at the mercenary with her staff, Robert’s shield impacted her helmet and sent her falling back into the snow. Sayana roared aloud, raising her axe high above her head, then lunged at the mercenary, chopping with what strength she had left.

  The shining axe held an edge sharper than any iron weapon, shearing through Black’s armor and severing the straps that held it in place, cutting deep into his arm. The mercenary reflexively spun around to protect his vulnerable flank, dropping his shield in the process, for his wounded arm could no longer carry it.

  Sayana tried to follow through with another attack, but received an unexpected kick to the stomach that knocked her back. Criosa then stabbed at Robert’s arm, but left herself vulnerable to a backhanded blow from Robert’s armored fist that sent her sprawling into the snow.

  Robert was too busy to pursue her, for Nellise had regained her footing and pressed the attack. He met each swing of her staff with his blade. Aiden couldn’t believe the man was still standing, let alone fighting.

  Criosa steeled herself and stepped back into the fight, trying to poke her rapier through a gap in the joints of his armor, but Black kept moving around, making her task all the more difficult.

  The princess finally made a mistake, dodging left when she should have gone right, and received an unexpected kick to her midriff which sprawled her out in the snow, winded. Nellise stood alone against the powerful mercenary, and appeared to have given up all hope of trying to take him down herself. She slowly backed away while keeping her guard up.

  She had moved about three yards when Aiden noticed a small form descending from above. It was Sayana, silently floating down through the air with her axe raised above her head. Nellise looked up briefly, and whether or not it was intended, her reaction alerted Black to the presence of the threat.

  He whirled around at the last minute, but wasn’t prepared for what was coming. Sayana ceased her casual descent and dropped like a stone, bringing her axe down on his head with all of the force she had built up from the fall.

  Only Robert’s honed reflexes prevented the axe from splitting him in two. The weapon cleaved through the front of his helm, almost splitting it in half and gashing his face terribly. The devastating blow finally dropped the powerful man, who fell backward to the ground amongst his fallen comrades.

  Aiden silently exulted in his friend’s victory, and slowly picked himself up off the ground to make his way over. Sayana, Nellise and Criosa gathered around the grievously wounded mercenary, who was clutching at his wounded face.

  “Yield or die,” Nellise declared, standing over him with her staff ready to strike, her chest heaving from the exertion of the fight. The mercenary didn’t respond at first, but Aiden couldn’t believe for a moment the man was still prepared to fight.

  “I yield,” Black croaked, looking up at them out of his right eye, the left one having been destroyed by Sayana’s final stroke. “You’ve fought well for a bunch of untrained civilians.”

  “Order your forces to surrender,” Criosa demanded. “You shall have plenty of time to think of your mistakes during your impending imprisonment.”

  Black actually managed a macabre laugh, not exactly the sort of sound one should be hearing from a defeated enemy. “I don’t think I’ll be going to prison, Your Highness, as there isn’t going to be much left of Culdeny in a few minutes.”

  “What are you talking about?” Aiden asked, a feeling of dread descending over him.

  “I’ve made arrangements,” the mercenary replied cryptically.

  “Enough of this nonsense,” Criosa ordered impatiently. “We’re taking you into town, and anything that befalls it happens to you as well.”

  Robert looked up at the sky, as did Aiden, noticing that the sun was about to peek over the horizon. “The dragon,” he breathed. “It’s going to strike at dawn, isn’t it?”

  “Azurefang might be a little crazy, but she does what she’s paid to do,” Robert confirmed, seeming to be more relaxed with every passing moment. “So, here’s what’s going to happen. I—”

  Pacian appeared next to Robert at that moment and interrupted his speech by plunging a dagger into the man’s throat, sending a torrent of blood gushing onto the snow. Black clutched at the wound in a futile attempt to staunch the flow, gasping for breath. Aiden was stunned, and could only stare at Pacian in disbelief.

  “Don’t just stand there, run!” Pacian shouted, grabbing an equally shocked Nellise by the wrist and pulling her in the direction of town. An ominous roar could be heard in the distance, a sound that had the hairs on the back of Aiden’s neck standing on end.

  He had the presence of mind to look around and make sure everyone else was running, and saw that Colt was still down on the ground, grievously wounded. Aiden rushed to his side and offered a hand.

  “Get out of here, I’ll just slow you down,” Colt grunted, but Aiden was in no mood to deal with his death wish.

  “Get on your feet, mister,” he shouted, kneeling down to reach around the ranger’s shoulder. Realizing Aiden wasn’t going to give up on him so easily, Colt accepted his help and did what he could to carry his own weight.

  The man weighed a ton, and Aiden was forced to use every ounce of his remaining strength to move him. With one last check of the area, he saw Criosa and Sayana were helping the equally wounded Sergeant Evans to his feet, despite meeting similar protests from the tough old soldier.

  Somewhere above, in the gathering fog, the dragon Robert Black had called Azurefang headed towards Culdeny.

  It was a quarter of a mile to the town gate, and the group was struggling to move as fast as they could, considering half of them were barely able to stand. The sounds of Culdeny could be heard through the fog, a combination of cries for help, shouted orders for soldiers to follow, and the clash of weapons as a few of the Steel Tigers kept on fighting, not realizing their leader was already dead.

  “Get off the road!” Aiden called out to the others nearby, changing direction to head into the trees. He hoped it was enough cover to protect them from being spotted. He set Colt down in the bushes and hit the ground himself, wincing from the pain of his broken arm as he slid to a halt.

  Pacian and Nellise came in next, collapsing onto the ground. Sayana and Criosa managed to get Evans into the copse as well, just as the sound of beating wings passed overhead and the dark silhouette of the dragon wheeled through the misty sky.

  It roared again, and the fog was illuminated by the blast of fire as it doused part of the town in flames. Cries of both panic and defiance emanated from the other side of the wall as Aiden and his companions sat helplessly, unable to change Culdeny’s fate.

  For several minutes, Azurefang circled over the town, sending down torrents of fire at leisure, but its path through the air was uneven and erratic. Sounds of inspirational battle cries coming from the eastern wall brought Aiden to a realization — the men on that wall should have been preoccupied by mercenaries, but since the mercenary’s reinforcements had been eliminated, it left the defenders free to rain bolts and arrows into the dragon’s hide.

  The dragon suddenly made a strange noise, sounding more like a startled yelp than a roar
. Unable to see clearly through the fog, Aiden could only guess what was happening in the skies above, until a small explosion of fire lit up the massive beast for a brief instant as something impacted its hide. It was accompanied by a shriek of pain and surprise from the dragon, which circled away from the town as another small explosion landed on its hindquarters.

  “What the hell is hitting it?” Colt asked nobody in particular.

  “Is there a wizard in town I wasn’t aware of?” Nellise wondered aloud. Azurefang was maneuvering through the skies in a random pattern, blasting fire down upon the town as more explosions hit its massive bulk.

  The dragon snarled and something dropped out of the sky, landing heavily near the road roughly twenty yards away. A brief glimpse of its massive, serpentine body, with dozens of arrows sticking out of its hide, was visible as it flew in the clear for a moment.

  If Azurefang saw them at all, it didn’t pay any attention. The dragon flew away from the town, back to the east and the safety of the mountains. For the first time in hours, Aiden finally relaxed and as his adrenaline ebbed, he felt all the pains and exhaustion of the past day hit him at once.

  “I guess it bit off a little more than it could chew,” he muttered in amazement.

  “Go and see what fell on the road,” Pacian prompted him.

  Despite his broken body, curiosity got the better of Aiden, and he slowly hobbled out onto the road to take a look. Lying in the snow was a metal spear, eight feet in length, and with a barbed tip covered in blood. Part of the shaft was charred black from the explosion, but there was no indication as to why the ordinary-looking spear had caused the charring.

  “What the hell is the matter with you, anyway?” Colt growled at Pacian as Aiden returned. “Robert Black had surrendered, and you had to go and stick a knife in his throat?”

  “We had to run, and he was going to do everything in his power to be difficult,” Pacian explained. “I couldn’t leave him there, knowing the dragon was coming and he was in league with the beast. He can’t command it when he’s dead.”