Chapter 13
Anree estimated that it would take one full day of solid travel to reach the castle. She was an expert map reader and she figured that with the aid she was given by the gods, the journey would be simple. Armed with the knowledge that the child was being held in Blackheart Castle the adventurers moved as swiftly as they could. If they could have run the entire journey; they would have done so. Their journey began by passing the southern side of Fairthesal Forest; heading west. The sun was shining brightly so there was no chance that the goblins would come out for another fight. The only leg of the journey that the adventurers were wary about was the next part. They would have to cross a series of baron fields. Areas like this are known for housing Orcs. That thought didn’t fill them with too much fear. The party only feared being slowed. If they arrived at the castle too late, the child may die; or worse, some evil could be spawned. Once the party managed to get across the fields then they would have to hurry along the northern cliffs. This would lead directly onto the path to the castle.
It neared midday when the last tree of the forest was behind them and they started their journey across the fields.
“Now listen.” Anree commanded. “We need to cross these fields as quickly as we can. If Orcs appear, we run and hack. Is that understood?” The others nodded in agreement. The jovial mood in the party had turned rather more serious since discovering the location of Isabelle. Anree pointed to the horizon.
“The path across the Northern cliffs is our destination. Keep your mind focused on the task at hand. If you start thinking ahead, you may not be prepared for what may come.” Anree was speaking more to Cohen and John rather than the others. Rhyll and Conrad were veterans of adventuring and their temperament could not be questioned. However, the road can be long and dangerous for a fledgling adventurer. Anree knew this well and as such, had been doing her best to mentor the young warriors.
They set off at jogging pace. After only a hundred metres the wind changed bringing with it a foul smell like that of a decaying carcass.
“That smell is awful.” Cohen shouted more used to the delightful smells in the palace.
“That is the smell of rotting flesh.” Rhyll said sternly.
“That is the smell of Orc.” Conrad continued.
The party could sense that there were Orcs all around. They couldn’t see them though. They pushed on, picking up the pace a little. Sure enough, the Orcs were watching. They were not stupid however. They would wait until the humans were in a place where they could not escape; a place where they would be totally surrounded and fair game for all. They would wait until they were in the middle of the most central field so that it was as far to go forward as it would be to turn back. This meant no escape. The party were starting to feel a little more secure. Two hours had passed since their dash for the northern cliffs had begun. The foul stench never subsided but their noses were getting used to it.
“We are nearly half way there.” Cohen shouted. “So far, so good.”
“Don’t jinx it you fool.” Rhyll said, being the superstitious type. Suddenly a penetrating wail echoed across the fields from the direction they were heading. Nobody had ever heard anything like it. The high pitch cut through their bodies like the blade of the sharpest sword in the land.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Conrad started. “Does anyone have any idea what it was because it sure was not an Orc?” Everyone shrugged their shoulders. Noises from behind suddenly caught their attention. They all turned to see the field they had left just a quarter of an hour ago was alive with motion. Dark figures were all moving at pace towards the group.
“I think we are about to be attacked.” Conrad said stating the obvious. Figures emerged from both sides of the party as well.
“We have run straight into a trap. They have surrounded us.” John said in a remarkably calm tone of voice.
“There are far too many to fight, especially if we have no cover.” Cohen stated with a tremble in his voice. The young prince was struggling to control his fear.
“The path to our destination is still open to us. They have not boxed us in entirely.” Anree started. “This fills me with fear and doubt. This may not be the trap. They are herding us someplace.
“You may be right. That shriek came from the west. I don’t really wish to find out what caused it.” Conrad agreed.
Anree started running towards the cliffs.
“Come on. It will be an hour to the cliffs at full pace.” She said.
The party were running as fast as they could maintain. The Orcs continued to close in around them. They were not attacking though. The creatures would charge and then back off. This was the pattern for the next hour. The cliffs loomed high above them. The party bounded up the hill on the southern side to reach the cliff top path. They stopped and looked back. The fields looked like a swarm of ants had invaded them. Hundreds and thousands of black figures were running around wildly.
“May the gods help the world if ever these creatures are unleashed upon the land?” Rhyll said, despair in his voice.
“The armies of Thorntonvale would certainly fall to this horde. I think it would be the case even if your father had trained the armies from the beginning.” Cohen said to John.
“Well, unless these beasts can organise and stop squabbling amongst themselves; the humans should be safe.” Anree proclaimed.
“The chances of that many Orcs working in unison, is nil.” Conrad said confidently. All the while they were talking, the silent killers were approaching. Floating stealthily across the cliff tops, twenty-five Wraiths approached. They drew their swords carefully to minimise the noise. They succeeded. Five of the Wraiths were armed with bow and arrows. They were only twenty metres away.
“How could a horde of that many manage to hide away so easily?” Cohen asked.
Conrad answered the question.
“Being a thief, I have to hide in some precarious places. Once I…..LOOK OUT.” He shouted, suddenly. The party instinctively ducked or dived away. An arrow whistled past Rhyll’s head. They turned to see who their assailants were. As they did so the Wraiths armed with swords were upon them. The group were frantically trying to parry the barrage of blows raining down on them. The Wraiths with the bows were trying to manoeuvre around the party to put them in line with their arrows.
“Form a sweeping line. Don’t let them surround us.” Rhyll shouted. The party spread out as far as they could. Each time a Wraith tried to pass by the line on the left or the right, the party moved out again. Rhyll was doing the best job of staving off the multiple attacks. He finally managed to manoeuvre into a position where he could launch a counter attack. He had opted for two scimitars to fight this battle. They allowed him to defend and attack with both arms. He sliced at the legs of one wraith before trying to decapitate another. The blades passed through both times causing no damage to either Wraith.
“They cannot be killed.” He shouted. The others heard panic in his voice.
“Aim for the torso.” Anree replied staving off numerous attacks. Rhyll did just that. At the next opportunity he had to attack he knocked one Wraith’s sword away and thrust a scimitar through the centre of its chest. A piercing scream went up and the wraith disappeared in a puff of black smoke, its black robe dropping to the floor. Rhyll’s confidence rose and he pressed on. Cohen and John were having a hard time of it. John was nearly surrounded and he had taken a few minor blows. He had a large cut across his forehead that was causing blood to run into his eyes effectively blinding him.
“Help me.” He shouted, desperately hoping one of the others was fairing better. Cohen was nearest to him and heard his call. He was fairing better but could not find the opportunity to strike. The sheer number of blows the Wraiths were throwing meant that there was no chance for him to counter, especially because he only had a single sword and a crossbow for a weapon. He jumped backwards to avoid a series of blows. He briefly glanced across at John. A Wraith had managed to
get behind him. John was using his shield for cover but the Wraiths were battering him to his knees. Cohen lunged at his assailants, forcing them to retreat a little, then, with an effort, he jumped a long way backwards. Pulling his crossbow from his back Cohen launched a bolt towards the Wraith attacking John’s back. The bolt pierced whatever passed for a spine on these creatures. The Wraith went up in smoke. John took the opportunity to retreat from the attack and wipe the blood from his eyes.
“Are you alright?” Cohen shouted between parries. John only nodded; he had no breath in his lungs for speech. Collectively, the party had only managed to slay four Wraiths. Anree called everyone to her. When everyone was within a couple of feet she uttered an incantation. A barrier formed around them. The Wraiths hacked at it but their weapons did nothing.
“My shield will protect us for a few moments only so we need a plan and quick.” She said.
“They are too fast and too strong.” John said wiping more blood from his head.
“I have an idea.” Conrad began. “It is very risky though and could put us at a disadvantage if it fails.”
“We are going to fail unless we try something. Tell us your plan.” Cohen said desperate for a way out.
“When we come out fighting again I will fall back. The four of you will engage the Wraiths with the Swords. You need to split the pack down the middle. That means that two of you shall veer off to the right; the other two to the left. I will then charge down the middle towards the archers. I will make a lot of noise to try to get them all looking at me. I will then use a flashlight potion. These potions emit a flash brighter than the sun. If these things are looking in my direction, they should be temporarily blinded. Then we cut them down.”
“I assume we need to close our eyes.” Anree said.
“Yes, you will need to or you will be blinded too.”
“How will we know when you are going to throw it?” John asked.
“I will shout.” Conrad replied.
“You will be shouting to attract the attention of these demons.” Rhyll said.
“Just keep your ears open and your eyes closed.” Conrad said bluntly.
“My shield is fading.” Anree shouted.
“Let’s do it then.” Conrad said with a psychotic gleam in his eye. “Lend me your shield, John, so I do not get shot as I charge the archers.” John duly obliged.
The magical shield failed and the Wraiths attacked again. Anree, Rhyll, John and Cohen formed a tight line and drew the Wraiths in to the fight. They then started to part slowly. Conrad had hidden behind a nearby rock. It seemed like the Wraiths had forgotten him. He was just about to make his move when he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see an Orc, with it’s sword above its head, ready to strike. The sword came bearing down. Conrad tried to move but the blade caught him, slicing his arm drawing blood. A frenzied attack followed as the Orc tried desperately not to lose its advantage. Conrad searched for a vile of mist. They were all gone. As the Orc attacked again, Conrad kicked at the Orc’s leg catching the knee of a straight leg. A loud snap was heard as the Orc’s leg broke. The Orc came crashing to the ground hard. Like lightning, Conrad was up on his feet and struck; plunging his dagger through the neck of the Orc. He looked up over the boulder. His friends were in serious trouble. Conrad readied his flashlight potion, raised the shield in front of him and charged towards the archers. Time seemed to slow. He was shouting as loud as he could, looking at the Wraiths to see if they were looking at him.
“Now.” He shouted as a warning to the others. Conrad smashed the vile on the ground closing his eyes first. A blinding light emanated from the vile that lasted a fraction of a second. The Wraiths howled their piercing screams. Conrad continued forward; arrows pinging off his shield. Two archers were still firing and three sword wraiths seemed unaffected. Rhyll ripped through five Wraiths in a couple of seconds. The party were pressing their advantage. It was John who was still struggling. He was almost blind from the blood pouring from his head wound. The Wraiths he was fighting knew this and had not stopped to look at the commotion. As John had closed his eyes, he had been struck again. His left arm had a huge gash in it and was nearly useless. Cohen charged over to help him; a fury was in his heart fuelled by a deep affection for his friend. He hacked mercilessly at the wraiths but they parried his blows and struck back. A blade penetrated his shoulder. The colour drained from his face. He fell to one knee. He was shocked into submission. A wraith had just raised its sword to hack Cohen’s head from his shoulders when a huge war hammer spun by and struck the wraith in the chest. It was knocked to the ground. Rhyll had thrown the hammer but it was Anree who jumped in to help. She finished off the wraith on the ground with a swift, smooth lunge of her sword. She then turned to help John. Conrad dispatched the archers with ease. One puff of black mist came after another. At the conclusion of the battle, they all looked round to see if there were any more assailants.
“So they were Wraiths? John stated checking his wounds.
“They were Wraiths.” Anree confirmed. “Ghosts that neither live on earth or in the Ether world.”
“They were fierce fighters.” Rhyll said tending to Cohen who had collapsed to the ground in shock.
“It seemed like a trap set for us. If this is so, someone or something now knows we are here.” Anree stated. She moved over to Cohen. “Let me take a look at him.” She said ushering Rhyll away. Anree began to chant. She placed her hand on Cohen’s wounded shoulder. A strange red glow emanated from her hand. A couple of minutes later she stood up.
“There, he will be all better by morning.” She turned her attention to John. “Now it’s your turn.” As she reached for him, he jumped back.
“I am fine thank you.” He said bluntly.
“What is the matter?” Anree asked, surprised at his reaction.
“I would rather not be artificially healed; especially not with magic. I don’t trust it.” Anree accepted his explanation with the thought that she would heal him in his sleep.
Conrad spoke.
“We do not have time to sit around. It seems that the Orcs are now in pursuit. They will be here within minutes.
“We move.” Rhyll shouted.
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Resurrection (Book 1: The Chronicles of Chaos) Page 15