by K. M. Bonde
He removes a giant sword from his back, its serrated blade still dripping with blood from the earlier slaughter. The goblins die one by one as they try to break the gate, and the Azurghoul grows impatient with their failure. He turns around and yells, “Garth! Get up there and wipe them out.” Out comes a giant, gray-skinned monster wielding a spiked club.
“What is that thing?” asks Ryan as he watches the troll-like beast move toward the bridge.
“Whatever it is,” mutters Eadric, “it’ll knock our gate down in a matter of seconds.”
The ugly monster makes his way out on the bridge, dragging his club behind him. Drake’s arrows have no effect on the beast, some bouncing off him. The ones that do sink into the monster’s flesh don’t seem to bother him at all.
“Destroy that thing with magic!” Drake yells to Arddun and Elora. “Don’t let it reach the gate!”
The two mages send ice and fire flying toward the giant, hoping it will stop him. However, the smaller goblins in front of him jump up, sacrificing themselves to block the incoming magical barrage. Soon, the whole beast army has reached the bridge and stands ready to rush through if the gate falls.
“There must be hundreds of them,” Elora shouts to Arddun.
“Just focus!” Arddun yells as she launches another giant fireball toward the troll.
Elora nods and sends some icicles against the Azurghoul, but he simply blocks the attack with his sword. It angers him, but Elora sighs and switches her attention back to the troll, Garth. He makes his way to the gate and raises his club, smashing into it. The gate splinters with each strike, and soon, it cracks a hole in the gate large enough for the goblins to poke their heads through. Eadric, quick with his sword, beheads the first goblin.
He yells to Elora and Ryan, “Open the gate behind us and run for the mountains! We’ll hold them off as long as we can!”
Elora is about to protest when suddenly. Kvenalon comes into the courtyard carrying a bunch of potions. “I finally found it, the formula was hidden so deep in my brain.”
He walks to the gate and throws a potion on the gate, sealing it with a sticky glue. “I’ll be right back,” he says, then quickly ascends the walkway above the gate. Soon, he hurls more potions onto the bridge, covering the monsters in the same sticky substance. The more they move, the more they get stuck.
“Open the gate just in case,” Drake says. Elora nods, and she and Ryan open the other gate just in case they need to all move back.
Garth gets ready to swing at the gate again, moving slow from the increasingly sticky gel. As his club smashes into the gate, it breaks with a loud crack. The party now stands defenseless against the horde of beast rushing the bridge.
“Kill everyone but the girl, the girl is mine!” the Azurghoul shouts, still a safe distance beyond the bridge.
Kvenalon yells at Arddun and points to the bridge. “Set fire to the gel!”
Arddun sends a massive fireball down and it explodes, breaking the bridge where Garth stands so all the monsters fall into the depths below. Garth explodes from the impact, and his insides splashes over the wall.
Arddun bends down and covers her head. “Disgusting!” she yells. “You could have warned me!”
Drake brings out his daggers, and Eadric and Ryan ready their swords. Some of the beasts jump over the hole in the bridge, attacking them inside the gate. Felan bites the first to enter, giving the monster’s body a few shakes before tossing him off the side, lifeless and shredded.
A loud sound behind them, from the other bridge, catches their attention, and the group looks back. Elora smiles at the ray of hope in the darkness.
Chapter 36: The Clan
“We’re their last hope,” shouts Elof as he leads a small army of dwarves across the second bridge. “Keep going!”
As soon as the dwarves pour through the back gate, they swarm the courtyard, immediately attacking any beast in sight. Axes and swords clash against each other, and Drake moves swiftly around, slicing monsters with his daggers. Though Ryan struggles to stay on his feet, he manages to cut down a few monsters, and Eadric does what he can to help him. While Arddun burns enemies, Elora freezes them in place.
“I’m out of potions,” Kvenalon shouts.
Drake looks back at him. “Retreat to the mountain trail!”
“No!” Kvenalon replies. “I still need to heal others if needed. I have been healing people before you lads were even born.” He moves back into the tower together with a few clan warriors as they fight off the beasts.
Felan bites and growls as he jumps from one monster to another, shaking them around and tossing them to the side. The bridge is filled with monsters, so many that they cannot all squeeze through the gate, forming a bottleneck. This gives the party breathing room and can kill the monsters as they enter through the gate.
The thorough and focused fighting gives respite in form of advancement for the clan. They move through the gate and on to the bridge, giving Elora and her team a much-needed rest.
“Let’s get back to the walkway,” Arddun says, motioning for Elora to follow. “The bottleneck will help us be more effective from above.” They leave the courtyard, climbing up to the walkway.
“Who is that?” asks Ryan, pointing to a dwarf with brilliantly shining armor. He seems to be commanding the rest of the dwarven force, shouting encouraging words.
“Remember the ale, lads!” he shouts.
“That’s Theo, the High Armorer,” Eadric says, readying his sword again. “He’s highly respected among the clan.”
Impatient, the Azurghoul walks out on the bridge. “Useless pieces of meat!” he yells to his beasts, raising his sword and stalking toward the dwarves.
The might of his sword and the supernatural strength he possesses pushes the clan back toward the courtyard. From on top of the tower, Elora and Arddun raise wards on the clan members, alternating between protective spells and firing magic at the monsters.
Thanks to Azurghoul’s ferocious attacks, the monsters are regaining momentum and are once again jumping the hole to reach the gate. Theo gets to taste the might of the Azurghoul when his sword hits his armor. Theo plunges back through the courtyard and ends up against the wall on the other side, alive, but bruised and shaken.
Elof runs over. “Theo! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he grunts. “My armor took the brunt of it.” He looks at the armor and sees the huge cut reaching across his chest. Elof tries to help him up.
The Azurghoul has made it over the hole and to the gate, now slicing the clan to pieces. They retreat to the courtyard, trying to keep the gate secure. “Don’t let him past!” one shouts.
Elora yells to Felan, “Stay away from the biggie!” as she and Arddun moves away from the gate. The Great Wolf moves toward her, and she pets him and whispers, “Run to safety in the mountains.”
Felan looks at her with sad eyes, not understanding why he cannot stay and protect her like the rest.
“You have been at my side for so long,” she says. “If this is where it ends, I want you to be free. Run for the mountain and be free. There is no need for you to suffer for what we do here today. But I promise, I will try to meet you soon.”
Felan tilts his head to the side, then he licks Elora’s cheek. She scratches his head one last time, then motions for the bridge. “Run, Felan!” He takes off as commanded, stopping to look back at her only once.
Eadric, Ryan, and Drake attack the Azurghoul all at once, together with five brave dwarves.
As the Azurghoul swings his sword again, Elora shouts, “Watch out!”
But it’s too late, and the sword hits the warriors, sending them flying to the other side of the courtyard. Eadric and the dwarves took most of the damage as they were in the front, though Ryan and Drake are both bleeding as they lay on the ground. Eadric is next to the wall passed out from the hit, but his armor seems to have saved him from death.
The Azurghoul cackles as his army of beasts begins to surround the to
wer gate. Some of the goblins capture Arddun, wrestling her to the ground and preparing for the final blow against the mage.
Azurghoul lifts his sword to finish the weaklings in front of him when Elora suddenly sends a large ice ball his way. He flinches, taking a step back.
“Impressive, little girl,” he says, glaring at her. “My master would have been interested in teaching you to be one of his magic users. If, of course, you would not have been the pesky little pretend queen. I will show you what real strength is, no magic, just raw force. Beasts, kill all survivors!”
Then, he swirls his hand at Elora so she falls to the ground, her staff sliding over the bloody stone floor in the courtyard. He lifts his sword to strike Elora.
Elora's life flashes before her eyes as she looks at the mighty sword being held against her. Her magic does not affect this vile monster; it barely scratches him. Seconds turn to minutes as she looks around her at the devastation. Elof is helping Theo while Eadric, Ryan, and Drake are all wounded, unable to fight any more. Through the door, she sees Kvenalon fighting monsters off with a few brave dwarves inside the tower. Arddun is been held down by three goblins and will soon share the same fate as Elora.
Strangely, part of her wishes that she would be there running with Felan instead of being here. She wishes that she could be on an open grassy field, running with Felan, laughing and feeling the sun in her face. Perhaps that is what the Stream is if that is where she is heading after this life.
The sword strapped to her back pulses. Comet, she thinks. If I can just hit him once, perhaps I can make this beast bleed. Instead, she brings out the dagger she received in Flaxan. In a final attempt at victory, she raises her dagger in front of her, gripping the medallion Alric gave her back in Flaxan. Please, protect me, she thinks as she prepares to strike.
Chapter 37: The Seramon
Suddenly, the sound of trumpets echoes through the courtyard, coming through the gate from the field beyond.
Trumpets! Where? With the Azurghoul distracted, Elora looks around. Beyond the sound of trumpets, the sound of hooves hitting the ground in a rhythmic symphony sounds like a storm coming closer. Everyone is distracted, looking for the source of this sound, including the monsters and beasts. The Azurghoul looks behind him, trying to discern the source of the distraction.
There, behind them, are warriors with a flag raised showing the emblem of Seramon.
Eadric sits up and shouts, “It’s Bruce! It’s the Seramon!”
The warriors ride swiftly and straight through the beasts, slaughtering them as they go. They use swords and pikes from their horses and are not faltering their steady hands as they strike mercilessly. At least fifty warriors on horseback thunder onto the scene, rapidly thinning out the ranks of the Dark Army.
Drake is up on his knees, and he looks at Elora. “Now!” he shouts.
Elora is not slow to react, slashing her dagger over the Azurghoul's stomach so he starts bleeding. With her other hand she creates a sharp magical icicle and sends it through the open wound. It enters the Azurghoul, and he screams in pain, dropping his sword on the ground. He stumbles back through the gate, holding his hands around the icicle sticking out of his belly. He yells and curses as he pulls the icicle out, ready to throw it back at Elora.
But Drake has got his bow and arrow, and he manages to send an arrow toward the icicle. It drops to the ground, and two dwarves throw their axes toward the Azurghoul. They hit him in the head and chest, and he stumbles backwards and trips over a dead goblin. There is no bridge for him to land on. Instead, he falls down the abyss below, screaming as he falls.
The clan warriors are once again pushing toward the gate with little effort. Without the Azurghoul, the rest of the beasts are in disarray. Those who does not fall prey to a sword or axe flee the battle in fear. One of the Seramon warriors commands a few to ride after them and slay them. “Let no monster or beast live! Grimdar will feel the pain when the Warriors of Seramon returned.” They ride after them with raised swords.
Elora picks up her staff on the ground and then helps Ryan up. He smiles at her and hugs her close.
Kvenalon exits the tower and looks around the scene. “I have a lot of work to do,” he mutters. “Ryan, you first.”
One warrior dismounts and runs to the gate, swiftly jumping the hole in the bridge. He comes up to Elora and takes off his helmet, and Elora grins. It’s Bruce. He hugs her. “Are you okay?”
Elora melts into the hug for a moment before pulling away. “It’s so good to see you again! Thank you for coming. How is Mom?”
“She is doing better being back here,” Bruce says. “Her condition is improving, and the healers are doing what they can to help her recover.”
Elora grins. “I thought my last moment was here. The Azurghoul was going to kill me, but you saved me.”
Bruce looks down at her, fatherly love filling his eyes. “You saved yourself with your blade. It has been a long time since anyone slayed an Azurghoul. They will surely write songs about this moment.”
Eadric makes his way over to Bruce and greets him with a firm warrior handshake, clasping each other near their elbows. “How are Myrna and Remus doing?”
“They are fine Eadric. Both are safe, as is all of Flaxan.”
Ryan and Drake approach, and Elof and Theo soon join the happy reunion too. All the clan warriors cheer with their axes in the air after the last beast has been slayed.
Elof raises his axe as well and says, “This must be celebrated with ale and good food!”
The Warriors of Seramon are still on their horses, waiting at the edge of the bridge. A wind kicks up, clearing the bridge of all debris except the bodies and blood. A few clan warriors walk the bridge and push down the bodies of the dead beasts to the abyss below. Other warriors carry or drag bodies of monsters and creatures to the bridge, disposing of them into the same abyss. Soon, only blood is left as proof of this battle, of course the broken gate and bridge, too.
“This place has not seen a battle for a long time,” says Eadric. “And now, the first true battle against the Dark Forces has been won. It is a day to remember.”
The warriors gather their dead and wounded, preparing to return home to the mountain.
Elora makes her way up on the walkway, and Ryan calls for everyone’s attention. “Thank you, brave warriors, for coming to us in our time of need. These are dire times as the dark is once again moving. I have not been here long, but I already feel a strong connection with these lands, and I’m ready to fight and protect this kingdom from the great evil that is facing us. Grimdar will not stand a chance if we stand together.”
The warriors below cheer and shout, whooping at their victory.
When Elora comes down, Bruce pulls her aside. “I have to return to Flaxan.”
Elora frowns. “Why? We need your help.”
“When news of this battle reaches Grimdar, he will come hunting down the Seramon. I must gather all the warriors. I left the village to find the nearby warriors, and they all came with me to fight for their new queen. Now, I must find the rest and have them come to you as well. There are over five hundred warriors out there in hiding, and you will need them all when the time comes. Continue your journey, and never give up. You will grow stronger every day you spend in the kingdom. You are close to the Stream here, and it will guide you and protect you.”
“Thank you,” Elora says, and he pulls her into a hug.
Everyone comes by to hug Bruce and shake his hand before they leave the courtyard toward the mountain.
Bruce turns back to Elora. “Before I leave, please come meet the warriors. They would want to meet you.”
She walks out on the bridge and jumps over the hole, and soon she stands in front of the Warriors of Seramon. They all bow to her from their horse and raise their swords, shouting in unison, “Our Queen! We will protect you to the end of time!”
I’m not prepared for any of this, she thinks, watching the armed men declare their allegiance for her. B
ut they believe in me. I need to believe in myself. She looks at them and steadies her voice. “Have faith in the Stream and let it guide you as it guides me. Find the missing warriors and come back to me. You are my holy warriors against the darkness, and we will be victorious.”
They all cheer and bow again, and then they turn back toward the city. Bruce mounts his horse. “See you all again soon,” he says. “Be safe!”
“Bruce, wait!” Eadric comes running and hands a letter to him. “Could you please give this to Myrna?”
Bruce takes the letter and nods. “Of course.” With that, the Seramon ride away as they came, mighty and fearless.
The sun is making a last effort to stay up over the horizon, the day longing to finally end. Elora gazes at the Seramon as they ride off, and she smiles. Then, she turns around and returns to the others who have already begun their journey toward the mountain. Ryan and Arddun are waiting for her, and she takes Ryan's hand and walks over the bridge, finally crossing Death Pass.
Chapter 38: The Pass
As they cross the bridge, Elora peeks down Death Pass, getting a glimpse of its dark emptiness. It is deep, very deep, so deep she can’t see the bottom. Thick fog lays on top of the darkness like dark frosting on a cake.
This seems normal to everyone but me and Ryan, she thinks. This is everyday life for everyone in this world, battles and dangerous terrain and so much darkness. She looks at the warriors as they walk over the pass; they’re laughing and in good spirits, not knowing what waits for them next. But Elora is worried, knowing she must face another Ancient One. What happens if I can’t tame it? It might hurt these people, she thinks. Her heart leaps, and she grows cold. The wind has started making its way down the mountain and Elora takes a step closer to Ryan to cuddle and steal some of his warmth.
They walk past a sharp bend and begin their ascent. Elora and Ryan are trying to keep up with the others, and Elora can’t fathom how fast the warriors are with their short legs. They have a focus and spirit that does not seem easy to break. I’m glad these people are on my side in this war. I couldn’t do any of this without them.