The Axe's Edge

by Summers, Derick J. M.

  And in a way, that was exactly what this current argument with Ar’n’tor was all about. Ar’n’tor insisted that his mages had successfully blocked the Elves from any magical prying eyes, while Lan’thor was not so ready to believe.

  “I told you,” responded Ar’n’tor in his most condescending voice. “This morning’s attack had nothing to do with me or my mages. We were, we are, completely hidden from view. I cannot be held responsible because a Goblin sees us pass or a guard makes too much noise and gets himself killed.”

  “Don’t you dare!” snapped Lan ferociously. “Don’t you dare suggest that my warrior deserved his fate! No one deserves that fate.”

  Ar’n’tor raised his hands in surrender, realizing he may have pushed the young commander too far.

  “Of course he didn’t. No one deserves such a fate. All I’m suggesting is that there are many, many other explanations for how that Goblin horde found us this morning, but it wasn’t because our magic was breached. Trust me when I tell you that we are completely hidden from prying eyes!”

  As fate would have it, that was when the first ball of energy hit the camp. It slammed into a small cluster of warriors, exploding in a ball of light and heat, sending pieces of Elves flying through the air.

  Elves scrambled for weapons while mages began their weavings. Ar’n’tor looked momentarily stunned as Lan’thor began shouting orders to his warriors.

  A second ball of energy smashed into one of the Elfin mages as he struggled to raise a shield to protect himself and the warriors close by. Caught unprepared, the energy ball tore through the partially formed magical shield, then through the mage himself and finally into several of the warriors.

  Ar’n’tor finally reacted. Rallying the remaining mages, they quickly began gathering their energies in response. Lan was unable to spare them little more than a glance as he rallied his own warriors against the horde of Goblins that had suddenly appeared around their perimeter. With a disjointed bellow of war cries, the Goblins charged the taller Elves.

  The vicious, little grey monsters came in large numbers - two or three for each Elf - and the warriors soon found themselves fighting for their lives. They barely held their own against the Goblins’ superior numbers and were in grave danger of being overrun by the berserk creatures. All the while, bolts of energy rained down upon the mages’ magical shield.

  Raeth knew her place well. As an assassin, she was trained to attack from the shadows, to avoid the face-to-face confrontation. This situation was no different. She prowled the perimeter of the battle, concealed in the swamp and wrought havoc where she could. Her position out of the thick of things allowed her to keep an eye on the entire battle, to see the bigger picture, and she quickly realized that things were not going in their favour.

  The mages were so busy holding their shield against the magical onslaught that they weren’t able to assist the warriors. Without the warriors to protect them, the mages would fall to the Goblins or lose control of the shield as they attempted to defend themselves, at which point they would fall victim to the energy attacks raining down on them from some unseen assailant. The situation was dire indeed.

  She had not been able to provide warning about the first energy blast that had hit the camp. She, too, had been caught by surprise. But she was able to trace the trajectory of the incoming energy blasts and pinpoint their origin. With the location firmly in her mind, she slipped closer to the fray, getting close to the Elfin mages. It was time to take the offensive.

  Moving quickly, she sought out Ar’n’tor. With luck, he and his mages would be able to launch a magical offensive and take out the attacking mage. If the magical attacks could be put to a stop, the Elfin mages would be able to refocus and assist with the Goblin threat. Finding Ar’n’tor was easy enough and she quickly relayed her idea. He nodded in response and began rallying his mages for the assault, drawing energy from each of them.

  The smile that spread across Ar’n’tor’s face set Raeth’s hackles on edge. Instinct screamed its warnings at her and she retreated to the safety of the swamp. As she watched, Ar’n’tor pulled more and more energy from the mages around him. It was then that the screaming began.

  To her horror, Raeth watched as the mages feeding Ar’n’tor burst into flame, seeming to burn from the inside out. All the while, Ar’n’tor continued to smile, a near hysterical glee filled his eyes. The realization sickened her. Raeth knew then that they had been betrayed.

  More balls of energy rained down. With no barrier in place, the balls of energy crashed into Elfin warriors and Goblins alike, wreaking havoc on both sides. All the while, Ar’n’tor stood serenely in the center of the clearing killing the mages under his care.

  A flash of silver and one of Raeth’s thin bladed knives caught Ar’n’tor in the side of the throat, breaking his concentration and causing a lapse in his attack. But it was too little too late. The damage was done. The mages - now unlinked from Ar’n’tor - collapsed to the ground in smoldering heaps as the attacking mage’s sparkling blue energy continued to rain down from above and the Goblin horde attacked with renewed fervour.

  Outnumbered and Overwhelmed

  With the Elfin mages dead, their bodies still smoldering to ash, there was no hope of a defence against the attacking mage’s destructive blue energy. The unseen mage initially concentrated his attacks on groups of Elves for maximum effect, each ball of energy wounding or killing five or six Elfin warriors. Realizing the mage’s strategy, the warriors quickly spread out, making themselves harder targets. Unfortunately, alone like this, apart from their comrades, the Elves soon found themselves under the renewed attacks of the Goblin horde. Each warrior found himself surrounded by four or five of the little grey monsters. They swarmed the Elves with spears and swords, driving the superior fighters to the ground with sheer numbers. Once down, the creatures wasted no time in butchering their opponents.

  Lan did his best against the growing horde of Goblins, his sword flashing as technique slipped away to be replaced by the frenzy of desperation. The flow of battle pulled him away from the raining death of the magical attacks, but into the heaviest concentration of Goblins. Lan could see the blue energy bright even against the afternoon sky and knew the terrible effect it was having upon his warriors, knew that he was helpless to do anything about it. As he watched, a group of nearby warriors was blown apart by one of those blasts. Their screaming as their flesh boiled from their bones was a horror that Lan’thor knew he would carry with him to his grave.

  What he didn’t know was where his Elfin mages were and why they weren’t offering any shielding against the attacking mage’s attack. All around him the press of Goblins was pushing him and Le’land farther and farther back towards the tree line. A cold realization flowed through Lan’thor. He knew there were too many of the little grey beasts, and with death still raining down from above, the outcome was clear.

  Motion to his right drew Lan’thor’s attention as his young companion stumbled into him. Blood fountained from Le’land’s throat, the young warrior’s hands grasped for him, his eyes pleading. Lan watched in horror as the young Elf collapsed to the ground before him, his lifeblood soaking into the swamp. A howl of anguish tore from Lan’thor’s throat as he renewed his frenzied attack against the Goblin horde. A throat slashed here, an evisceration there. Goblins fell before his flashing sword, unable to stand against his sorrow-fuelled intensity. Le’land’s killers shared his fate.

  Raeth had watched young Le’land fall. After disabling Ar’n’tor she moved to warn Lan’thor of the mage’s treachery, but the fighting around him was too intense and she couldn’t get close. She had seen the Goblin with the spear charge the young warrior and had thrown one of her knives to intercept it. She had been too late, embedding her blade in the creature’s throat even as it tore out the young Elf’s with its spear. She had witnessed Lan’s anger and the renewed intensity of his attacks. She watched the Goblins falling before the wicked edge of his sword.

  Fro
m her vantage point in the branches of a tree at the edge of the clearing, she could see that Lan was the last Elf standing, the rest of his force had been devastated by the enemy mage and the sheer number of Goblins. It was clear that the Goblin horde also knew that the crazed Elf with the sword was the last one. More and more of them flowed toward Lan, pressing against their brethren as they pushed to take their opportunity at the sword-wielding Elf. But if one died on his blade, three more filled the gap. The horde understood that he couldn’t last forever. Eventually, he would fall. They gathered together, pressed the attack and waited for an opening. Lan’thor fought like an Elf possessed, wreaking destruction with every swipe of his weapon, but sheer numbers pushed him back to the edge of the clearing.

  Raeth saw the bolt of blue energy soaring over the heads of the farthest ring of Goblins, the brightness of its crackling energy a second sun, momentarily blinding her. With spots in her vision, she watched in horror as she followed its trajectory. The energy ball would impact on top of Lan. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

  Some primal instinct saved Lan’thor and he leapt backwards from the ball even as it hit. He managed to throw most of his body out of the way. Searing pain flashed through Lan’s body as his sword arm took the brunt of the energy, sheering it clean above the elbow.

  The attacking Goblins were not so fortunate. Pressing the attack as they were, they found themselves occupying the same ground as the incoming crackling energy. Goblins were blown apart from the blast. Limbs and worse were splattered outward, away from the impact sight. The nearest ring of creatures not immediately killed by the explosion was thrown back off its feet.

  Lan’thor’s own panicked leap away gained extra momentum from the force of the blast and he found himself sailing into the swamp, until an unfortunately placed tree brought him to a sudden and painful halt. Mercifully, Lan’thor blacked out.

  The chaos gave Raeth a window of opportunity to leap down from her perch and grab hold of Lan’s now unconscious body. Hoisting him across her shoulders, she fled away from the battleground. One of the little monsters must have recovered more quickly than the others and spotted the movement. A burning sensation slashed across Raeth’s thigh as the Goblin’s spear grazed her. Refusing to look back, Raeth blocked the pain and scrambled into the swamp with Lan.

  Be Careful What You Wish For

  Reese stood at the edge of the clearing, his sightless eyes following the Goblin’s movements as they waded through the blood and gore of the battlefield finishing off the wounded, both Goblin and Elf.

  “A success, I would say.”

  The voice came from behind him. The mage turned to face Siris.

  “Nearly,” he replied.

  “Nearly?” questioned the younger man, surprised.

  The mage nodded and returned his sightless gaze to the battlefield before he replied.

  “The leader escaped, carried away at the hands of a figure cloaked in black.”

  “Carried away?” Siris inquired. “That would suggest he was wounded.”

  “Both of them, if reports are to be believed,” the mage agreed.

  “Unfortunate, but likely nothing we need worry about. The swamp is hardly forgiving to the injured,” his companion announced. “Two Elves in the swamp is hardly a threat.”

  “I would agree, if not for this.” The mage lifted Lan’s sword and handed it to Siris before continuing. “An Elf with a sword,” he mused. “Do you recall when last we saw such a thing?”

  Siris’ eyes hardened to ice, his expression to stone. It was clear that he did indeed recall as he fell silent and pondered this development.

  A lone figure, lean and thin, stumbled through the death and chaos of the camp making his determined way to Reese. He clutched at a nearly healed gash in his neck, but a broad smile stretched across his distinctly Elfin face.

  “My friend, it is good to finally meet you in life,” Reese said in greeting.

  “We did it!” Ar’n’tor announced with pride. “All dead! I will rule all the Elves. They will all bow before me.”

  A blur of motion caught Ar’n’tor’s eye as Siris flew into action behind Reese. The enraged general tore the sword free from the mage’s hands and slashed toward the Elfin mage. It happened so fast there was no time to even try to defend himself. Ar’n’tor was certain he’d met his end.

  Stopping short, Siris rested the fine blade against the frightened mage’s throat, the razor edge biting into his already injured skin. Siris’ own breathing was heavy as he glared up at the magic user.

  “No, not all, you stupid fool!” he raged.

  “What do you mean, not all?” Ar’n’tor stammered, his eyes wide with fear. Every breath, every swallow made the keen blade bite deeper. “Who lived?”

  “The leader has escaped,” Reese explained calmly before resting a hand on Siris’ shoulder and guiding the man away. Ar’n’tor nearly crumpled in relief as the crazed human turned his back on them.

  “Lan’thor!” Ar’n’tor spat the name like a curse. “But how? I saw him surrounded by Goblins. His fate was certain. He was vastly outnumbered.”

  “He was,” Reese replied. “And he should have died, but during a moment of confusion on the field he was secreted away by a figure shrouded in black.”

  “Raeth!” Ar’n’tor cursed again. “His Dark Elf companion, I should have known. I believe it was she who gave me this.” The Elf indicated the cut to his throat.

  Siris seemed to finally get control of himself and turned to face him again. A shiver ran down Ar’n’tor’s spine as the strange man studied him with cold eyes.

  “An interesting woman to say the least,” Siris finally announced, an evil glint in his eye. “I will have to make her acquaintance. If she survives, of course.”

  Reese gave his companion a sharp glance, with those white, sightless orbs. Ar’n’tor found the gesture disconcerting but couldn’t guess at its meaning. Whatever had passed between the two was lost on the Elfin mage. Before he could ponder it further, Reese was speaking to him again.

  “These loose ends must be dealt with before you can rule your people.”

  “Yes,” Ar’n’tor nodded in agreement. “And I will finish the both of them, I owe them both a debt.”

  Ar’n’tor turned on his heel and strode off purposefully into the forest. Reese and Siris watched him go.

  “Do you really think he can do it?” Siris finally asked skeptically.

  The mage’s sightless eyes followed Ar’n’tor for another moment or two, a smile creasing his lips.

  “No, not at all. But, I do believe he will find them and keep them busy long enough for the horde to arrive and finish them all.”

  Siris mirrored Reese’s smile as he stared off into the swamp where Ar’n’tor had disappeared.

  “I do love the way you think, my friend. Though if the female survives I might have a use for her.”

  Short Lived Getaway

  Raeth was struggling. She didn’t know how far she had travelled or for how long, but she was certain it wasn’t far or long enough. Lan was a dead weight across her shoulders and though as an Elf he was considerably lighter than a human of comparable proportions, his weight and the wound in her leg were sapping what little remained of her strength. She was making incredibly poor progress as she struggled through the swamp. It had been a very long day indeed. After slipping away from the scene of the battle she had tried to maintain a good pace, trying to get them as far away as possible. But she didn’t know how much further she could manage. She needed to stop and rest sooner rather than later.

  With her muscles screaming in exhaustion, she collapsed to her knees near the roots of a large tree. As carefully as possible, she lowered Lan to the ground though it was still more of a drop then a placement. A muffled groan was his only response as he passed back into oblivion.

  Doing her best to clean the wound in her leg with fresh water from the skin she carried, she quickly bandaged and wrapped it. Thankfully, she tho
ught, the wound was minor. It should heal quickly assuming it didn’t get infected, though in the swamp, that was definitely a challenge. Regardless, right now she just needed it bandaged so she could press on and hopefully put some distance between themselves and the Goblins.

  Lan groaned in his sleep and she watched him lay there for a moment, unconscious. She gently stroked his cheek. Checking his wounds, she was happy to see that the vast majority of them were relatively minor cuts, abrasions and burns. Not at all unexpected, considering the fight he’d endured. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she next examined his severed arm. Blessedly, the energy that had severed it from his body had also mostly cauterised the stump, though the jarring run through the forest had not been kind and the wound was seeping. Leaning down she gently kissed his forehead and whispered softly,

  “Don’t worry, my love. We will get through this.”

  “That seems extremely unlikely!”

  Instinctively, Raeth dove to the side, her thin bladed throwing knife flashing through the air towards the figure that’d just appeared. Her aim, even while she was rolling, was true and the blade sped towards the Elf’s heart only to collide against a field of blue and fall harmlessly to the ground. Ar’n’tor laughed.

  “Foolish girl, did you really think I would let you catch me the same way twice?”

  The blast of energy that Ar’n’tor sent screaming towards her would have punched a hole right through her if she hadn’t still been moving from her roll. As it was, the explosion hit the ground and propelled her forward into the underbrush, knocking the wind from her lungs.