My mind spun at the implications as I quickly tried another tack. “So if you’re now willing to share me, then what was up with the jealous posing when Enelya was here?”
I could actually feel their mental probing combing through my mind as they sought to understand the context of my words. With a loud mental snort, Starfire answered for them both.
Frostbrand’s claws lightly dug into my chest.
I wasn’t used to having people truly close to me except for Grandsire, nor had I particularly spent any time around children or women I was intimate with. At the same time, neither Starfire nor Frostbrand struck me as being particularly childish. Besides their sibling interplay, both girls’ thoughts seemed very mature for their age. I didn’t know if that was because of the link we shared or simply the difference of a Werewolf’s upbringing. Stroking their backs soothingly, I held them close.
“Tomorrow will be a busy day, how about we get some sleep for now.”
The girls couldn’t settle down immediately. They were just as exhausted as I was, but now that they were safe in my arms the tears began falling. I don’t know how long it was that they cried, but I finally managed to calm them down after a time. While there was much that needed to be said between us, none of it was pleasant. There wasn’t a part of their lives that hadn’t been left untouched by the devastation, so instead of talking about their mother and father, the Pack or the nightmare that had been my childhood, I entertained them with wondrous stories of Earth. The horrors of what had befallen our people could wait for another day. For now, it was our time to share and get to know each other. Before I knew it, they were fast asleep in my arms.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for me. For the longest time, I stared into the darkness beyond the dying embers of the fire. You’d think I would have been deep in thought with how best to handle the coming convocation with the Forest Clan or figuring out what the Tuonellian’s next move was going to be. While those things did weigh on my mind, it was nothing compared to the focus I had on the maelstrom of emotions filling my heart and the physical need I had to take Enelya again.
I felt so out of my depth it wasn’t even funny. I couldn’t call myself a virgin anymore either. Enelya had quite thoroughly taken care of that. While I was still coming to terms with what we had shared, there was no doubt in my mind that Enelya was comfortable with the intimate nature of our physical relationship. It wasn’t “Skuldir Líf” that drove her to be with me, but her own desire. The kiss she’d given me before she left earlier had made that abundantly clear.
Grandsire had on more than one occasion mentioned the casual regard Wild Elves held towards sex. A topic that I had never thought to question him further on until now, when it was too late. Obviously, the old wolf had some stories he’d managed to keep to himself even after all of these years.
The overwhelming problem that I now faced was that I couldn’t stop thinking about sex. Instead of keeping my distance and being oblivious to the physical charms the Elven girls so readily displayed, I suddenly found myself focused on the curve and shape of every pair of breasts I saw. What made matters even worse was that the girls were just as interested. To say that I was horny would have been an understatement. I would have ripped Enelya’s leathers off and taken her as soon as she entered the tent if the girls hadn’t been present.
Immediately I chided myself for the uncharacteristic selfish thoughts as I fought against my hormone infused mind. The situation with Starfire and Frostbrand was another matter altogether. The girls’ needed me now more than ever. Even though the feelings I had for them was very different then the burning desire I had for Enelya, the intensity of those complex emotions were just as overwhelming to my heart. It was more than they were Pack. I loved them with the core of my being. Within a few days, hours if you wanted to count the actual waking time we’d spent together, we shared an understanding and connection that few life mates ever reached and already the connection was growing stronger. That thought alone blew my mind and left me thinking for hours until sleep finally found me.
***
Location Irlendria / Startüm Ironwolf:
Hands pulled at me urgently as the emotionally charged thought shot through my mind.
Instantly my eyes snapped open as the years of constant training kicked in. Before I was fully conscious, my body was already in motion as I sprang to my feet. Starfire’s sudden shriek was enough of a warning to change my spear strike into an elbow hook as I quickly scooped the girl out of the midair before she could hit the ground. Around me, the night lit up with the familiar warm and cool colors of my darkvsion as I took in the scene around me.
Standing in a low crouch at the entrance to the tent, Frostbrand growled warningly as she looked out anxiously into the night. Her entire body was tense and ready to spring as her eyes and ears scanned the night. Striding up behind Frostbrand in three steps, I joined her lookout with Starfire clutched fearfully to my neck.
As if to confirm her words, the excited barking calls of the Wencis suddenly filled the air as Elven war horns began calling out in alarm. All around us, Wild Elves rushed about strapping on weapons and armor at a run, before leaping onto the back of the nearest Wenci. There was no formal uniform like on Earth; each warrior was an individual. Their armor was handmade from whatever was on hand, consisting mostly of bone breastplates and boiled-leather hide adorned with colorful feathers and spirit beasts, while weapons were a hodgepodge of bone-carved daggers and tinnearlian-wood spears.
For all their lack of formal military training, their response time was phenomenal. Within two minutes of the first horn calls a ferocious wave of warriors, at least five hundred strong, were high-tailing it across the small meadow when a shimmer wall of metal appeared at the edge of the forest. Standing up beside me, Frostbrand’s clawed finger pointed in the direction of Mount Haldamir.
I didn’t need to switch my sight to know what the hundred or so warriors were. The massive platemail armor covering the intruders from head to toe was a dead giveaway, but the corrupt evil of the Chaos Shards radiating out from them was what truly made my blood run cold. “Ironidium Knights.”
Feeling my tension Starfire studied the advancing Knights confused as the mounted Wild Elves formed up to attack.
Setting Starfire next to her sister, I began donning my armor. “We have to stop this now, or they’re all dead.” Feeling the girls’ confusion through our link, I spoke quickly. “After the Battle of Daeron Fortress, the Wild Elves were nearly wiped out. They didn’t take part in the rest of the war that pushed the Tuonellians from the Alliances’ lands, so they don’t truly understand the danger they now face.”
Catching Starfire’s stray thought, I answered grimly. “Yes, they really are that tough, but that’s not the worst of it. They’re infected.” The sudden look of horror on her face said it all. “Exactly, now we need to find Enelya!”
Looking over her shoulder, Frostbrand’s thoughts rang in my head.
My armor was a mess from the earlier battles I’d fought with the Demon Knight on Earth and the Horde here on Irlendria, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it for now. Strapping on my gear, I scooped the girls into my arms exiting the tent at a run.
“Where is Enelya?”
“Emperor, we have a phalanx of Ironidium Knights a hundred strong inbound, and they’re infected.”
Rippling emotions played across the Minotaur’s bestial face as the large bull considered my words. “Tiberius is adequate Paladin.”
Meeting the bull’s eyes, I shook his gauntleted hand. “Then call me Startüm.”
Frowning deeply Tiberius’ grave eyes scanned the mounted Elves forming up before the tinnearlian line. “They’re planning to charge the Knights?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
I saw the incredulous looks of the legionnaires at Tiberius’ words as the large bull sidled up next to me. “You must stop them from using this strategy or our plans will be destroyed before they’re begun.”
“Agreed. Frostbrand, where is she?”
Following Frostbrand’s outstretched arm, I saw Lúthien screaming at the Spirit Mother as Enelya and Nessa argued with the Blood Guard that struggled to hold the silver-haired girl back. “Follow me.” Immediately I took off running as the Minotaurs fell in behind me.
Unlike the young Emperor, I’d never seen the Ironidium Knights in action, but I’d heard enough of the stories from Grandsire to recognize the danger we faced. From my understanding, the platemail functioned like magic power armor. The suits were nearly impervious to physical and magical attacks and were designed to increase the wearer’s speed and strength. There had never been more than a thousand Knights at any one time. The hundred Knights aligned before the Wild Elves were a substantial portion of their total number. One that the mounted warriors were ill prepared to face. As I approached the group around Enelya, I heard the Spirit Mother’s shriek of outrage as she sprang to the back of the graying Wenci standing next to her.
“I will not flee from any enemy within my own domain!” Whipping her mount around, the Spirit Mother drew a long dagger. “Blood Guard to me!” As one, the Blood Guards sprang to the backs of their Wencis’ following their Clan Leader. Across the meadow, Wencis came rushing out to join in the battle against the Knights.
Coming up behind Enelya, I dropped the girls to the ground before grabbing her as she leaped for Nessa’s back. “No, you must help me stop this!
Whipping around in my arms Enelya beat at my arms half crazed. “I must go to her!”
Hearing Enelya’s distress, Nessa’s upper torso twisted around to snatch her lover from my grip, but I was quicker. Catching Enelya’s the slim wrists I held her fast.
“No!” I felt the power of the Alpha rising up inside of me as I held Enelya’s frenzied eyes with my own. “Use your heads, if we don’t stop this now all hope for rebuilding the Alliance will be lost!”
For a moment longer both women fought against my grip until Lúthien snapped at them angrily. “Stop fighting the truth, you both know he’s right.”
“But the Spirit Mother …”
Cutting Enelya off, Lúthien completed the sentence for her. “Will die if we don’t stop this stupidity along with the rest of her people.”
Whipping around in rage, Enelya’s eyes flared as she scowled at Lúthien for a long moment, before nodding to Nessa that it was okay. Giving up on her struggles Enelya turned to glare at me coldly through the dreads hanging in front of her face.
“What do you command Maître?”
Understanding the implied insult, I released them both with a snarl as Enelya glared at me fiercely. Whatever, she could call me Master if she wanted to. If Enelya hadn’t wanted me to give her orders, then she shouldn’t have sworn Skuldir Líf to me. The blaring call of bone horns suddenly rang out as I saw the Spirit Mother reach the mounted warriors below. Without slowing down, she charged through the formation as the whole battle line surged forward around her.
“By Tapio’s beard, no one charges a line of Ironidium Knights!”
I immediately recognized Prince Dorthonion’s voice as the group of Forest Elves from the day before ran up to us, when I noticed a familiar silver-haired face peering at me from behind Enelya’s shoulder. I’d never met Argus, but the memories I’d shared with Enelya gave me the Wenci’s name as his large almond brown eyes studied me closely. Even though I felt drawn to the Wenci, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the impending disaster unfolding below as the tribe charged across the meadow in leaping bounds.
***
Location Irlendria / Ohorn Tastagard:
With a sharp bark, Ohorn ordered his Blood Guards in tighter around the Spirit Mother as their Wencis bounded in front of the tribe’s rough line of mounted warriors. His piercing blue eyes silently studied the shimmering formation of Ironidium Knights in the moonlight as he tried to make sense of Lúthien’s warning. It didn’t matter how much armor they wore. They were on foot, outnumbered and armed with only oversized two-handed sword. How could they be a threat to his Clan? It was absurd.
Still the ominous words refused to leave him. Ohorn’s thoughts were brought back into focus when he noticed a Wenci beginning to outpace his Unar. Instantly he recognized the short-cropped dirty blonde dreads.
“Tiernan!” The young Elf’s head whipped around baring his teeth as his fierce green eyes met Ohorn’s blazing with excitement. “Back into position now!”
For a moment, Ohorn was sure Tiernan was too far gone with the hunter’s lust to follow his command, but with a visible shake, the young Elf cleared his head. Reigning in his Wenci, Tiernan fell back into position.
Shaking his head in annoyance, Ohorn once again questioned the wisdom of accepting the young Elf into their ranks. While Tiernan had more skill than most of the warriors he’d trained, that didn’t mean anything if the youth lost himself to the wild fury of the hunt. That lack of control was something they all had to fight. It was from the Sál Tengilinn. The price the Clan paid for being joined to their Wenci brothers and sisters, but its effect was always worse in the younger warriors.
Ohorn’s doubts were forgotten as the Spirit Mother let loose with an undulating war cry. Rising onto her Wenci’s back, she spread her arms wide as the tribe charged across the meadow. The feathers tied to her tinnearlian spearhead flapped in the wind as the Spirit Mother crossed her arms overhead. In response, the tribe’s bone horns blew up and down the line as the ends of their formation suddenly leaped forward in an all-out sprint. Racing in front of the main body the two wings suddenly cut diagonally across the battlefield. At once the warriors armed with spears, javelins and arrows let loose with a massive volley.
Readying his spear, Ohorn crouched low on Unar’s back. As the entire force leaped forward into an all-out sprint, his eyes searched for the enemy through the ranks of the thinning attack waves. The tribe’s tactics were simple but effective. While the first waves curved around to attack the enemy’s flanks, the main force would charge down their throat.
Ohorn howled with his Clan’s brothers and sisters as they sprang through the widening gap directly in front of the Ironidium Knights’ line. Gripping Unar’s long fur tightly, Ohorn felt the tension in her body suddenly release with a snap as the first row of Wencis leaped over the enemy’s heads. Landing on her long clawed hands Unar spun around quick as lightening, while the flowing rows of Wencis behind them crashed headlong into the armored line with a resounding crash. Without hesitation, Unar launched them into the rear of the knights’ formation as Ohorn sprang from her back. Hurdling over Unar’s head, Ohorn howled slamming his tinnearlian spearhead two-handed into the nearest knight’s defenseless back.
Ohorn wasn’t aware of his spearhead shattering as his legs locked around the armored waist. As the line of Ironidium Knights was buried under the weight of the tribe’s attack, he clung to the armored back mindlessly hacking with the broken shaft of his weapon as Unar’s claws slashed at the winged helm.
It was the shrieks of the dying that finally broke Ohorn out of the
hunter’s trance. Around him, Wencis and Elven warriors were being slaughtered as the knights they were attacking began rising back to their feet unharmed. Unbelievably he stared at the shattered shaft in his hands as the reality hit him.
Tinnearlian was the hardest known substances on Irlendria. All of the races built their weapons from the incredibly tough metal. Even the Tuonellian Hordes had been vulnerable to their attacks, but this-. Ohorn’s eyes shot open in horror as the Knight beneath him suddenly rose to its feet backhanding Unar into the air.
***
Location Irlendria / Startüm Ironwolf:
The edge of the tribe’s encampment sat atop a small rise, which gave us a perfect view of the assault unfolding below. While the brutal efficiency of the tribes’ tactics were impressive, it was ultimately useless against the Ironidium Knights. The Klavikians armorers had designed the suits to be able to withstand the massed attacks of the Tuonellian Hordes. Unless a lucky strike made it through an eye-slit, the knights were nearly invulnerable.
Almost immediately the triumphant howls turned into shrieks of pain as swaths of Wenci and Elven warriors were suddenly flung back. Across the battlefield, armored shapes began rising out of the writhing press of bodies as the knights’ massive two-handed swords began cutting and slashing in great sweeping arcs. Tearing my eyes away from the bloodbath, I urgently spun Enelya around to face me. Whatever anger she had held for me disappeared from her eyes as soon as she saw the nightmare unfolding below.
“If I can pull the Spirit Mother out of that mess can the shamans slow the knights down long enough for us to escape?”
“We can try, but I don’t think our spirit magic will be enough.”
Pushing up next to me, Lúthien spoke urgently. “I can do it, but they must be clumped together.”
“Paladin, if you can get the Wild Elves to pull back my Rangers can manage that.”
Clapping Lúthien and the blonde hair Prince on the shoulder, I looked confidently into their stricken eyes. “Get your Elves into position. I’ll –“
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