by M J Webb
“Drrraaeselesse!”
His rapid and terminal descent was immediately halted. He was brought to a very abrupt stop which disorientated him, leaving his body in a mild state of shock. Once again, he was suspended in mid air for a very short while, before falling and being unceremoniously dumped onto the hard soil. This delayed reaction was all the time his enemy needed. The warriors closest to him closed the ground before the teenager had chance to recover and defend himself. Their weapons were raised as they raced in to finish him!
It was a Falorian who was the nearest. The fearsome creature swung his sword downwards as soon as he reached the young Keeper, whilst he was still a little dazed, aiming to deliver a killer blow at Jake’s head.
But Jake somehow survived! There was an almighty sound of clashing swords. The noise was so great and furious that it drowned out the intense din of battle momentarily, and almost shattered Jake’s eardrums, the blow being so close to his head.
The Falorian’s weapon had been halted by a powerful strike from that of Lord Caro! He was just in the nick of time. His desperate action had certainly saved Jake’s life and his last minute intervention now placed him in mortal danger. He had sprinted to Jake’s aid knowing full well that he would be outnumbered by at least four of the enemy who had attacked Jake and were separated from the rest of their comrades. Jake knew nothing of the action that had saved him until it was over. He turned swiftly as he heard the clash of swords and he witnessed Lord Caro launching attack after attack upon the surrounding warriors, managing to just about keep them at bay with an extraordinary display of skill which proved beyond doubt that his title of Perosyan champion was well earned.
Lord Castrad and several other knights soon joined him and together they held the enemy at bay for the few seconds Jake needed to recover.
“Jake, are you alright? I thought we had lost you! Jake, we have to...!” cried Princess Zephany, as she reached him and helped him to stand. There was real urgency and emotion in her voice, but no sign at all of panic.
“What? Yes, I’m fine. Err... Stand back!”
He lifted his hand and shouted out ‘bratiq.’ The sphere jumped up in front of him and began to rotate as the blades appeared. He launched it immediately at the warriors attacking Caro and the rest, killing them all with one pass as he guided it to weave through the crowded scene and hit them in turn. Then, the Keeper looked up and searched the sky above, hoping to kill the graxoth which had almost finished him. But the assassin was nowhere to be seen and Jake felt a cold chill run down his spine. Lord Caro detached himself from the fight and came running over to check on his welfare.
“Are you hurt, Keeper? Where is it? Where has the creature gone?”
“I... I don’t know,” replied Jake, “but he’ll be back, just like a terminator, you can count on that. Thanks mate, I owe you my life.”
***
At the entrance to the caves the herethdar poison was finally ready. The flowers had been boiled down and the liquid had been poured into portable containers. Queen Bressial ordered all of her archers to soak their weapons. She was just about to lead them into the city streets in search of the others when they witnessed the fight between Jake and the graxoth, in the sky above and ahead of them. They watched with utter dismay as the young Keeper plunged to the ground and they could not help but fear the worst. It seemed that their hopes had been cruelly dashed at the very moment of their deliverance. But, the noise of clashing swords followed almost immediately and several cries rang out which could only have been Estian, telling the Queen and her warriors that their allies were not far away.
“Hold fast!” she bellowed, ordering all of her soldiers at the entrance to stand their ground. “Form a protective shield around this cave. They will be here soon, so prepare to cover their retreat!” She pointed at a young soldier who was carrying a battlehorn. “You! Please, blow that thing and sound the recall. The rest of you, get that poison inside here quickly! It is our only means of defence.”
The young soldier blew on the horn as hard as he possibly could. The defenders of the cave entrance braced themselves and waited anxiously for the rest of their army to join them.
***
Meanwhile, in the dark recesses of the cave, far away from the scenes of battle and devastation and deep under the mountain, Tien was holding a flamed torch. He was staring with mounting concern at an immoveable object. The end of the cave was a complete dead end, a wall of impenetrable rock which formed the sides of the vast prison in which they were trapped.
“Errast! It is no use. This is a feat of wizardry that is way beyond my powers. Creating a pathway through my mountain, the route in and out of my cave where the spirits allow me to live safe from harm, was not of my doing! They were there to help me, they guided me. I do not know if I can do this alone, I have never...”
He stopped himself in mid sentence, realising that he was talking to himself and conscious of the fact that several pairs of scared and frightened eyes were staring at him from not too far away. Eyes belonging to people who were all looking to him now to deliver them safely from harm. He was suddenly filled with determination and he took a very deep breath.
“No Tien, you do not have the luxury of self doubt on this occasion! You cannot walk away this time. You have to try!” he told himself. “These people deserve better than to die here underneath this mountain, they are innocent of all wrongdoing, and they are the ones you swore to protect. This is your life’s purpose, what it has all been about. This is why the spirits allowed you to live for so long. Now is your time to shine.”
He closed his eyes and searched his mind for a spell powerful enough to move a mountain.
“Draaeell eneath veathe lionne. Prraarrl kellell iesthiere. Varruus shnaeal liatte... Heyuthe!”
The entire cave suddenly began to shudder slightly. Soil and small rocks began to fall, loosened by the sudden motion, which now felt as though it would collapse the caves entirely. The people began screaming and crying, convinced that they were all about to die. But then, the shuddering suddenly stopped and the cave ahead of Tien began to crack right down the middle, directly in front of him. The small break weaved its way upwards and downwards until it reached the ground and had stopped at a height of around eight feet. Then it widened and it kept on growing rapidly until it became a large, seemingly endless tunnel; a pathway through the mountain! It was around twelve feet in width. Tien and the startled onlookers were completely dumbfounded. Gasps of amazement and cries of relief echoed all around.
The old wizard was perhaps the most relieved of all. He smiled gently, but he was now feeling very weak. It was all he could do to stand. Somehow though, he forced his weary frame to move and ventured into the darkness, holding the torch out ahead of him and beckoning the others to follow.
The whole civilian population of the great city, column after vast column of terrified men, women and children, the members of the Juyen included, began their long trek through the tunnel to safety. They walked for miles to escape through the mountain and emerged on the other side.
***
Jake, Zephany and the knights and archers of the Estian Alliance were having a very rough time of it now. They were trying desperately to retreat to the caves but the enemy warriors seemed to be everywhere. They emerged from every conceivable door, window and alleyway now that the defenders had no time to erect more barriers to bar their advance. They were mercilessly hunting down every rebel and Estian they could find. Before long, Princess Zephany’s army was in full retreat, running for their lives!
Groups of all sizes and conditions began limping back to the relative safety of the caves, where Queen Bressial ushered them inside quickly and told them to go as far as they possibly could. She was growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of the two young leaders and very fearful for her beloved cousin. To add to her concerns, the reports of Jake’s actions in saving many of the warriors from certain death accompanied almost every survivor.
Jake
now knew for certain that he possessed the only weapon capable of defeating King Vantrax’ warriors. Though he was completely exhausted and relying on his very last reserves of energy, in desperate need of a rest, he raced from hotspot to hotspot, throwing his sphere and taking out as many of the resurrected warriors as he could.
The Heynai’s ball was an awesome weapon, it killed as directed by Jake and the teenager wielded it with unparalleled skill, controlling it with ease and maximising its effect. But, it was only one weapon and its influence on the outcome of the battle was limited as a result. There were just too many of the enemy! Its continual use was taking a great toll on the young Keeper.
Princess Zephany and Lord Castrad had remained with Jake and supported him as best they could, launching attacks with swords, knives and arrows to distract and slow the pursuing warriors until Jake had arrived on scene to engage them. Now, at long last, most of the Alliance soldiers had managed to retreat and only the survivors of Caro’s legion remained facing the enemy onslaught, together with Jake and Zephany.
“Right, come on, that’s it!” shouted Jake. “I’m done in and I reckon I’ve done just about all I can do. Quick, let’s get to the caves!”
They all turned around immediately and sprinted for their lives. Soon, a hail of arrows began flying past them and they knew for certain that their enemy was not far behind. As they cleared the last street and spotted the entrance to the cave, Caro glanced over his shoulder to see an enormous Thargw bearing down upon Jake. The Thargw was well out in front of his comrades, he was just about to catch up with the exhausted Keeper, who was lagging a little behind due to his fatigue now that the Heynai were not around to help, and the stones’ powers had waned.
The Perosyan knight drew his sword as he halted his run. He struck the mighty battlesword of the ferocious warrior just as it was being swung viciously in Jake’s direction, parrying the blow a fraction of a second before it felled the youngster. A great swordfight followed, it raged for only a few seconds, but it was fierce and savage.
As Caro engaged the Thargw, Jake tried to stop and help him, but he was pulled away by Zephany and led to safety. The Perosyan champion was like a man possessed. His sword was moving so swiftly that his opponent was struck and wounded several times, but none of the wounds affected the Thargw in any way and the Perosyan’s strength began to fade. To make matters worse, his comrades were now only yards away and Lord Caro was in serious trouble!
One lucky strike of the Thargw’s battlesword caught Caro’s weapon and the full force of the blow ripped it from his hand. It fell to the ground leaving the Perosyan defenceless. The ferocious warrior brought his sword around to finish the gallant knight off and...
‘Thwack, thwack, thwack...!’
A salvo of well aimed arrows suddenly whizzed past Caro’s ears. They tore into the enemy warriors just as they were about to engulf him. Some of them missed his own body and head by only a matter of inches. This time however, the arrows were fired by Queen Bressial’s troops and the tips had been coated in the flower’s poison. The Thargws and their Falorian comrades began falling in droves, a split second after being struck. A chorus of cheers erupted amongst the knights of the Alliance and Lord Caro was able to pick up his sword and run swiftly into the cave.
When he entered the relative darkness, he reported immediately to Princess Zephany, who was waiting for him.
“Princess, are you unhurt? Tell me you are alright!”
Zephany smiled warmly at him, a smile which was full of sincere gratitude and respect.
“Caro, I do believe that I could seriously grow to like you!” she stated, almost bursting into tears with relief.
Chapter 34
28th August – Dassilliak – Perosya
“So my friends, what do we do now?” asked Queen Bressial. She had detached herself from the fight at the entrance to the cave once it was clear that her archers were holding the enemy at bay and joined the others, a little to the rear. “Do we try to launch an attack of our own? Try to retake part of the city, now that we know we can kill their warriors?”
Everyone looked towards Jake, expecting him to respond. It was Princess Zephany however who spoke in a surprisingly upbeat, confident tone.
“No. We do not have enough knights or archers for such a fight. The city streets are narrow and easily defended, our strength at present lies with our archers, and they need to keep their distance from the enemy in order to be effective, something they will not be able to do out there. No, these are Thargws we face, the most dangerous of foes. Engage them in a close fight with swords when they outnumber you by far, and you will regret...”
“The Princess is right!” interrupted Jake, firmly. “We have to face facts. I’m sorry to have to say this but the city is lost, we cannot change that. The best we can do now is to survive, live to fight another day. I suggest that we...”
“Frah! I apologise to you all, but I for one cannot accept that decision! We can do more. I am going back out there, to rescue my King! Who is coming with me?”
They all turned to see who it was who had defiantly and forcefully interrupted the young Keeper. Lord Castrad’s face was full of determination. He was doing up his belt and once he had finished, he began dipping his sword into the last remaining vat of poison, the remainder having been emptied into containers and carried off by the escaping army, on Tien’s instructions.
“Cousin, do not be so foolish! What you propose is nothing short of suicide. You would never reach him, there are too many of them. And besides...” began Queen Bressial, desperately trying to convince him of the folly of such an undertaking.
“Maybe not, but I have to try! I owe it to him not to desert him now. I feel so useless standing here when…”
“Err... Okay, what’s going on? What am I missing here?” asked Jake, interrupting the Nadjan knight. “Where is King Artrex? Isn’t he with Tien?”
“I am afraid not Jake,” replied Zephany, “he is in a very dark and lonely place right now. He was far too badly wounded, we could not move him, and... He lies where we left him, on his bed in his chambers, in the city palace.” The young Princess wiped away the tears from her eyes when she had finished speaking.
“What??? No! Vantrax will kill him! Right, Castrad, let’s go, I’m coming with you!” rasped Jake, speaking instinctively out of pure emotion.
“You... Will let things run their course! You will do nothing, Keeper!”
The deep, growl of a voice barked the command in a way which told everyone present that it was beyond questioning, an absolute given which had to be obeyed, and was definitely not up for debate! The voice came from behind them once again, it was forceful but calm, the kind of voice that oozes authority and belongs to someone quite clearly used to giving orders, and having them obeyed.
“Knesh!” cried Princess Zephany, as they all caught sight of the Gerada’s ghostly apparition once more. “Where have you been? Where are the spirits? Why have they forsaken us in our time of need? My father, what can you do for him? He needs your help!”
“Be assured, there is a reason for everything. This is what had to be. We will protect him.”
“But how?” asked Jake. “The whole place will be crawling with Thargws by now. How will you hide him in amongst them?”
“It will be done, Jake. That is all you need to know for now. Time is running out for you all. There are creatures approaching which I fear may... Look! You have to go now, get out of here and leave this place! Head for the city of Te’oull, in the heart of Perosya. Word of your journey, your stand here, has spread throughout this land. Those who have stood by and watched as King Vantrax sought to enslave the Estian people have finally awoken! It is but a trickle at present, a tiny flow of pure, liquid courage; the hopes of those who needed something, or someone, to rally behind, someone to believe in. But, it will soon grow to become a stream, and then a river... Assuming of course that you survive this fight and are there at the end of their trek to lead them? They foll
ow our guidance now, and they will converge on that city.”
“Oh, I see,” said Jake, who was so tired now that he could not think of anything else to say.
“You will be pursued, Keeper. The wizard will never falter in his hunt for you. You have the stones he seeks and you have thwarted his plans far too many times now for that. He stands on the very brink of domination. He has only to defeat you to fulfil all of his ambitions, and he knows it. We spirits are weak in some ways. We can do nothing more than advise you, we cannot fight by your side. I wish it were not so, but the Heynai were badly affected by the spells they cast to help Ben. They are in need of rest and...”
“Ben?! What’s happened to Ben?”
“I can see the concern for your friend in your eyes. I will not lie to you. Ben is facing the toughest fight of his life right now. The battle for this city is far larger than you could imagine. It is bigger than any that has ever been fought on Estia, and Brraall and his people are more than playing their part to ensure your survival. Do not let their sacrifice be in vain! They draw away many of the King’s forces for you, warriors who would certainly have tipped the balance in his favour, numbers that would have overwhelmed your position. Go now, through the pass beneath this mountain, the one which Tien has created. Take the army to Te’oull. Stay no longer than you have to Jake, for I cannot tell if you will make it through this day.”
Jake gulped hard. The vision vanished as quickly as it had appeared and Knesh was gone. The cries of wounded men immediately followed. The archers at the cave entrance were beginning to take casualties and he decided quickly to act.
“Okay, that’s it then. Everyone into the cave! Come on, let’s go!”
They all reluctantly followed his command, even Lord Castrad, who had heard the Gerada’s words and accepted that it had to be. But, Princess Zephany and her new perpetual shadow, Lord Caro, refused to budge.