by Pedro Urvi
The Elemental went up the mountain city to fight its brothers. The Great Elemental of Ether stepped out to meet it, hurling the warriors at its feet through the air with every step. Meanwhile the Great Elemental of Ice was attacking the troops of the House of Air.
The two giants stared at each other with brutal golden eyes imbued with the Power of the Golden. The Great Elemental of Fire roared in defiance, and flames issued from its mouth. The Great Elemental of Ether, refusing to cower, replied with a spectral scream. The Elemental of Fire attacked, and a huge fiery arm struck the torso of the other Elemental. But the fiery arm went through the immaterial torso. The attacker roared in rage and frustration. The Elemental of Ether launched a lethal gust at its opponent. The gust wounded it and forced it to step back, but it recovered and counter-attacked. It opened its mouth and sent a great gust of fire against its enemy. The Elemental of Ether took the impact of the flames in its face and chest, and its ghostly body caught fire. Its opponent roared in triumph.
When the Great Elemental of Ice saw its ally perish, it stopped its attack against the warriors to engage with the Elemental of Fire. Both giants exchanged colossal blows as each tried to make the other fall. The Elemental of Ice took two steps forward and with a massive strike toppled its enemy, which fell backwards in gusts of flame like a mountain collapsing. The Elemental of Fire tried to get back to its feet, but its rival was already upon it. It rose to one knee, and before the blow could make contact it sent a burst of flame against the icy creature. But unlike what had happened with the Elemental of Ether, this time the gust of fire did not affect the ice creature in the same way. Part of its right arm and torso melted and fell to the ground as water. The Elemental of Ice roared and sent a freezing blast at the creature of fire. With a bray of despair, the Elemental of Fire went out, its flames dead beneath the power of water. It stayed there on its knees, its body a smoking mass. The Elemental of Ice launched a powerful kick, destroying its rival and sending its remains flying all over the battlefield.
“No! Damn you!” cried Asu. “Attack! All together!”
The Warriors and Lords of the three armies hurled themselves against the wounded Elemental. The giant creature kept fighting until it was brought down by the attack of thousands of warriors. It fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces of ice, which a moment later were no more than water.
“Yes!” Asu cried exultantly. “Nothing is going to stop me!”
Adamis felt this was the end of his own people. Asu called his two allies, and they met at the command post.
“They are ours now!” he said.
“My Warriors are ready for the final attack,” Lurra said.
“My forces have been badly hit,” said Aize.
“So?” Asu shot back.
“So it would be better if it were Lurra’s forces that took the lead now.”
Asu turned to Lurra, his eyes narrowed. “And what do you think of that?”
Lurra’s eyes turned to the battlefield, then to Aize. He took a step toward him, and with a swift movement buried the stone dagger up to the hilt in his eye. Aize died with a look of bafflement on his face. Before his body had reached the ground, Iradu gave the order to attack the House of Air.
Asu smiled sardonically at Lurra. “You asked, and I granted it to you.”
Lurra looked satisfied. “Thank you,” he said, and gave an exaggerated bow. “I could never stand that whiner. He has got what he deserved.”
Asu nodded, eyes gleaming. “Iradu, do not leave a single Lord, Warrior, or Enforcer of the House of Air alive.”
“As you wish, my Lord.”
Adamis watched in astonishment as the forces of the House of Fire and the House of Earth betrayed those of the House of Air and put them to the knife. Evening came, and he witnessed the bloody fall of the once-powerful House of Air.
Chapter 34
The battle between men and Gods entered its decisive stage. Kyra and Albana had managed to eliminate the Lords and cause heavy casualties among the Warriors on the northern stretch of the plain. Meanwhile the Peoples of the Steppes and the Trees had surrounded the Warriors and were relentlessly pressing on with the aim of killing the Golden soldiers.
Ikai, on the other hand, was losing the battle in the south. The Warriors’ initial assault had been brutal, but what followed was truly devastating. Once in the midst of the horde of rebels the Warriors, like the incredibly effective soldiers they were, began to deploy all their destructive power. The rebels fell dead under the onslaught of their silver spears and elemental shields, or else were blown apart when they were caught by explosions of Power which had been created to destroy everything around. For every Warrior that fell, hundreds of men died.
In the midst of the battle, Ikai sent Power to his protective sphere and confronted the God-Warrior in front of him. This Warrior belonged to the House of Ether and had created a lethal mist around him. More than thirty unfortunates had already fallen dead at his feet at the touch of this mist that seemed to devour their spirits. Ikai focused his attention and sent a Spirit of Agony against the Warrior, who defended himself with shield and elemental spear. But since it was a monster of the same element, ether, he could not manage to inflict any damage on it. Seeing the success of his attack, Ikai created a Spirit of Pain and launched it against the Warrior. The two spirits devoured the Golden, who was unable to defend himself.
An icy shock warned him that he was being attacked from behind, and he turned to find himself facing a Warrior of Water. He ordered his two spirits to attack, but this time the spear and shields of ice succeeded in damaging them. The Warrior destroyed them, although he was left badly wounded, and Ikai sent a third spirit to finish him off. His use of the Power had attracted the attention of several Warriors. One of them, from the House of Earth, hurled a sharp-edged javelin of stone at Ikai’s sphere with enormous strength. It weakened the sphere. To his right, Burdin leapt onto the back of a God of the House of Air. The enormous God-Warrior had created two whirlwinds with violent shakes of his shield. These sent the rebels flying through the air, to fall headlong on to their comrades.
Ikai and Burdin fought with all their might in the midst of a chaotic battle which they were losing, little by little. The rebels were fighting and dying like heroes. They would not give up, they kept attacking even when everything indicated that they were lost. A Warrior of the House of Fire saw Burdin standing up beside the body of the Golden he had just killed. He flicked his spear, and a fiery whip issued from it with a crack and caught Burdin in the back. The Highland warrior arched in pain and roared. The whip lashed again and struck him in the chest with tremendous force. He fell and did not get up again.
Several Warriors of Water were making their way forward through the sea of rebels, creating waves with a synchronized swinging of spears and shields. The waves they were spreading were icy, and the rebels were frozen to death as these reached them. The few survivors were cut to pieces by the icy spears of the Golden. The rebels defended themselves with bows and spears, but the Gods kept coming. They advanced, wounded countless times, continuing to kill like titans of War.
Ikai gave the death-blow to the Golden who was attacking him and glanced hastily round to assess the situation. Twenty Warriors of the House of Fire were advancing from the east, destroying anyone in their way with fireballs and outbursts of flames. The battle was lost. He wiped the sweat from his brow, breathed out heavily and gave the order to retreat. Burdin, wounded, looked up at him from the ground, imploring him to go on fighting. Ikai shook his head. He could understand his friend’s feelings and would have given anything to carry on, but it was suicide. The Warriors were too strong. They were being butchered.
“Retreat!” he cried to his people.
The survivors of the Senoca, the People of the Highlands and the People of the West began to fall back towards the New Shelter. They ran for their lives as the Golden regrouped, preparing to hunt them down.
To the north, Kyra noticed t
hat her brother was retreating.
“We have to help them!” she shouted to Albana.
Albana nodded gravely. “They’re being massacred. There are too many of them. Let’s get things here finished and help them.”
They attacked more fiercely, finally managing to finish off the last Warriors who were still resisting in the north.
“We did it!” Kyra shouted, her energy renewed.
“We need to get into formation and move south,” said Albana.
They reorganized their forces quickly and began to move toward the New Shelter. At the far end they could see Ikai and his people running away from the two thousand and more Warriors, who were pursuing them in two long lines in an unbroken formation, keeping up a marching step.
Ikai ordered the rebels to take cover in the houses. Here they would make their last stand, on roofs, at windows and in doorways. They brought out bows, arrows and knives and prepared for the end. Death was on its way, echoing on the plain under the boots of those elemental soldiers of horror and destruction.
From the roof of one of the houses in the center, Ikai searched for his sister and Albana.
Burdin was stretched out on the roof. “Are they on their way?” he asked. Ikai could not understand how he could still be alive. With those wounds he should have died, but he refused to.
“They’re on their way, don’t worry. They’ll catch them from behind.”
Burdin smiled. “We’ll finish them off,” he said confidently.
Ikai weighed up the situation. Even with Kyra and Albana’s forces, their chances were slight. He scanned the battlefield, where more than a hundred thousand braves, men and women, lay dead. Rage and frustration brought the beginning of tears to his eyes. They can’t just have died for nothing. We can’t all die for nothing. He tightened his fist over the disc and wished he could have the Power to stop that army of Golden before they annihilated all Men. But he did not have it, and the end was approaching inexorably.
Three hundred paces from the houses, the Warriors stopped. The front line stepped forward and took up its formation. The second turned to face Kyra and Albana’s forces and took a step forward too. Ikai sighed deeply. Seeing those two formations, he knew they would not make it. Even without their Lords, these soldiers knew what they had to do and how to do it. They were perfectly trained in the art of war.
Kyra and Albana’s forces stopped three hundred paces away and waited for Ikai’s signal to attack. He put the horn to his lips and was about to blow it, but did not. If he gave the order, they would most likely all die. His heart was telling him to use it; his rational mind prevented him. He took a deep breath. Fighting meant a chance for them: a slight one, but a chance nonetheless. Fleeing doomed them to be hunted and executed. He owed it to all those who had already given their lives. His heart won over his head, for once. We’ll fight! For them, for all!
He took a breath and was about to blow the horn when he saw the five golden carriages in the distance. Each of them was coming on to the plain from a different direction. His heart missed a beat. More Lords! He shook his head. He could not believe his bad luck. The five carriages advanced separately until they had the Golden army in their sights, then stopped. He watched them closely, trying to work out what this could mean. He could see them better now: they were not Lords but Eyes-of-the-Gods, Enforcers. He lowered the horn, at a loss. The Eyes stretched out their hands and discs flashed on them, each one the color of their respective House. The flashes were repeated at intervals.
Suddenly the two lines of Warriors broke their formation. What on earth are they doing? he wondered. They divided into the Five Houses and each one formed itself into a triangle. Very slowly, closely observing one another, they began to retreat and separate. What could all this mean? All of a sudden, before the astonished gaze of all, from the House of Fire there flew a huge ball of fire which crashed against the triangle of the House of Ether and exploded in flames. From the triangle of the House of Earth flew an enormous boulder, spinning vertiginously, which crashed against the side of the triangle of the House of Water.
Ikai was left open-mouthed, so that it took him a few moments to react. By Oxatsi! They’re attacking each other! What was happening? And more importantly: why? The triangle of the House of Air was retreating, while the Houses of Water and Ether defended themselves against the attacks and launched attacks of their own. Suddenly the House of Fire attacked that of Air, which attacked in turn.
Seeing this, Ikai finally realized what it meant: the Eyes on the carriages were messengers sent by the Golden Houses. He tapped the bracelet on his right hand and heard the message the discs were repeating over and over: The great Golden war has begun. Glory to the winner.
“The Golden… are at war,” he stammered.
Burdin assumed he had not heard properly. “What did you say?”
Ikai gestured at the battle taking place between the triangular formations. “The Gods are fighting each other.”
“By the three goddesses! This gives us a chance!”
Ikai nodded. “It does. This changes everything.”
Without wasting any more time he crouched and activated the bracelet. Using Adamis’s disc he made contact with his sister and Albana. It was risky, but this new situation demanded it.
“Are you risking communication? It might be intercepted,” came Albana’s immediate reply.
Almost simultaneously Kyra demanded: “What’s the matter? Why are they fighting each other?”
“Stay put. The Golden are at war.”
“If they’re at war, we’re the least of their problems now. I doubt if there’ll be anyone listening to what we’re saying.”
“That’s probably true,” Albana said thoughtfully.
“That’s really good news!” Kyra said. Her voice was jubilant.
“Don’t get involved. Let’s see how things develop.”
“Right,” said Kyra. “That’s the wisest thing to do, even though I’d gladly cut them all to pieces! What are we going to do once they finish killing each other?”
“Wait to see how it all ends. Let’s not be too hasty. Be ready for my signal.”
“We will be,” Albana said.
The battle between the Gods was both terrible and devastating. The Warriors used their entire arsenal of elemental power without breaking their triangular formation. The attacks were concentrated, seeking to break the defenses by pounding against the sides and damaging them. The din they created was deafening, as if a thousand storms were gathered together above the battlefield. When one Warrior was brought down, another from inside the triangle took his place. Little by little the three Houses lost soldiers under these devastating attacks. The first triangle to fall was that of the House of Ether, one of whose sides collapsed when the last Warriors who formed the barrier were engulfed in flames. The House of Earth attacked them mercilessly with a rain of rock and explosions of stone. Under this pressure they tried to retreat, but the House of Fire bombarded them with fire. The flames from the explosions finished off the last forces of the House of Ether.
Ikai realized that the Houses of Fire and Earth, instead of attacking one another, were jointly attacking the other Houses. This was revealing. Soon afterwards the House of Water fell, its soldiers wiped out by flames and rock. Finally their focus turned to the House of Air. Its Warriors created great winds and generated hundreds of electrical discharges to fall on their enemies. These caused many casualties, but they could not withstand the two Houses in alliance. And suddenly everything fell silent. The din faded and the two surviving triangles remained motionless. They had both been severely battered and were barely left with enough warriors to hold the formation. Ikai waited patiently. He did not want to be hasty. Would they attack each other?
The two triangles began to move, advancing toward each other. He half-closed his eyes. What was going to happen? To his surprise, the triangles of the House of Fire and the House of Earth fused into one.
“There seems to be
something more behind this,” he muttered. “Alliances…”
Burdin looked at him blankly.
Ikai pondered for a long moment, as he liked to do. He came to a decision and communicated with Kyra and Albana.
“We’ll kill the victors.”
“That’s a good decision, brother.”
“Are you sure?” Albana asked.
“Yes. We need to send a very clear message to the Eternal City. If they attack us they’ll be decimated.”
“Agreed.”
“Get ready. We’ll attack at my signal.”
The signal came, and a sea of rebels surrounded the enemy triangle. For a moment nobody attacked. The Golden kept up their defensive formation, while the rebels smeared their weapons with Aruma’s preparation. Very slowly, Ikai took five steps forward and stood facing one side of the triangle. Kyra and Albana did the same and faced the other two. The Golden were watching them. Ikai raised his protective sphere, and a moment later the other two raised their own. The Golden could not ignore the provocation and attacked, focusing their elemental power on the three of them. Ikai let out his breath in a long sigh. This was just what he wanted. Their spheres would withstand the first charges, and this would prevent them from attacking their people. He sent more power to his sphere to strengthen it, then gave the order.
“Attack! For freedom!”
The sea of Men hurled itself at the islet of Golden.
And the unthinkable happened.
The Men defeated the Gods.
Chapter 35
“Take the Royal Palace!” Asu ordered his troops.
The armies of the Houses of Fire and Earth hurled themselves into the attack. The battle was ferocious. The defenders of the House of Ether, with the help of the survivors of the House of Water, fought with all their might, their Power and their desperation, knowing that to yield a single step would mean their end. The first to die and vanish from the battlefield on both sides were the Enforcers. They fell in great numbers, unable to face the immense Power of their Lords.