Kazin, meanwhile, was told by Krendal not to transform unless it was absolutely necessary. A dragon alone against such a mob stood no chance. Kazin was directed instead to prepare his offensive magic and use it when signalled. Any archers among them were to shoot at the same time.
Della selected a position to Kazin’s right behind some sacks full of sand. She propped several fire sticks and their scrolls up beside her.
“What are you using those for?” asked Kazin.
“To fire at the enemy, of course,” said Della.
Kazin grinned. “Of course. You’ll need someone to read the scrolls right after you fire the sticks, though. Otherwise the sticks will get trampled before you have a chance to read the scroll.”
Della handed Kazin the scrolls and their eyes locked momentarily. “You better not get tongue tied,” chided Della with a twinkle in her eye.
“I leave the tangled tongue business to Sherman,” said Kazin. “He’s better at it than I am.”
Della giggled.
“Maybe I should read the scrolls,” said a voice behind them. The mage and elf spun around to confront Kazin’s father.
Della recognized him and blushed.
Calin noticed and looked at Kazin. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” he said, nodding in Della’s direction.
“Oh—uh, Dad,” stuttered Kazin, “this is Della. Della, this is my father, Calin.”
Calin took Della’s hand gently. “A pleasure! I’d tell you Kazin told me a lot about you, but I haven’t seen him for weeks! He did tell me plenty about you in the few minutes he’s been home, though.”
“Dad!” said Kazin reproachfully.
“Was any of it bad?” asked Della slyly.
“Let me think,” said Calin, putting a hand under his chin.
“Dad!” exclaimed Kazin again. “Do you want to be turned into a frog?”
Calin laughed. “Certainly not.” He winked at Della. “It was all good, I’m afraid.”
“You’re just saying that because Kazin threatened you,” said Della mockingly.
“That’s enough, you guys!” lamented Kazin. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a war about to be fought!”
“I’ll take care of the scrolls, son. That way you can be free to use your magic. If you can set fire to the clothesline, you can fry those skeletons to a crisp.”
“What’s this?” asked Della curiously. “You set fire to a clothesline?”
“Don’t ask,” muttered Kazin.
A loud explosion, followed by others, drew everyone’s attention to the approaching forces. They were dangerously close now, and the signal was given to begin setting off the fire sticks that were placed in hidden underground locations just outside of Marral.
Enemy zombies and skeletons were torn to bits by the explosions, their body parts flying high into the air. A horde of orcs also suffered in the initial blasts. Those near the explosions were killed or wounded.
Cheers rose from the defenders at the sight of the successful explosions. They had drawn first blood.
The attackers continued to press forward, but they lost formation somewhat as they stumbled over their own fallen.
Within moments, more explosions went off, doing significant damage to the attackers. Even so, barely a dent was made in the overall size of the enemy. Doggedly they continued, undeterred by their own casualties.
Krendal signalled the long range troops to fire. Arrows, lightning bolts, and fireballs poured into the closest attackers, setting some aflame and frying others to a crisp. It made very little difference as the following ranks poured in to take the place of their fallen comrades. Spell casters were visible now as they commanded their undead forces to the forefront. But the expected magical attack never came. Apparently the enemy felt confident that their numbers were superior enough to overrun the defenders without the aid of a magical assault.
More explosions went off but several attackers had made it to the barricades. Pitch forks clashed against rusty swords, and it didn’t take long for the first defenders to fall. Injured defenders were immediately replaced by fresh troops, and carried back to the inn to be tended to by the clerics. The dark skies overhead would make it difficult for the clerics to use their healing magic, but that couldn’t be helped at this time.
Suddenly a thunder of hooves could be heard and the defenders in the middle dove aside to make way for the cavalry. Some attackers sprang through the sudden opening in the barricades victoriously, only to be cut to pieces by the defenders’ charging cavalry.
Sherman and Perenia led the charge and then the cavalry separated into two groups as soon as they rode past the barricade’s opening. When the horses were through, the townsfolk sprang into position to seal off the opening.
Perenia charged to the left with her group and Kazin and Della cheered her on as she ran past. Her speed was obvious as the remaining cavalry followed her a good distance behind.
Della, Kazin, and his father watched as the attacking forces were temporarily pressed back by the charging cavalry.
Stepping back was a mistake, however. More fire sticks went off, and those who had pulled back were instantly blown to pieces as they stepped near some more of the concealed fire sticks.
The enemy was determined not to put up with such a minor setback. They pressed forward once again and this time some human mages and lizardmages sent ice bolts and fireballs into the defenders. A protective magical shield came up quickly, but not fast enough to divert some of the original spells from striking their targets. Two buildings caught fire, and several defenders were injured or slain.
The enemy now had their anti-shield magic underway. As the shield protecting the defenders was wearing off, the defenders waited anxiously with their bows and magic, poised to strike the moment the shield dropped.
“Now!” cried Krendal when the shield failed. Arrows and lightning bolts ripped into the enemy like daggers of death. It was still not enough to stop the advance, and the two sides clashed viciously, both attackers and defenders falling equally.
A loud explosion occurred directly in front of Kazin and a couple of orcs were thrown aside like kindling. Kazin sent a lightning bolt into the necks of two approaching zombies and caught sight of a mage carrying a skull staff. The mage saw him first and sent an ice bolt in his direction.
Kazin batted the bolt away with a momentary shield and returned the favour. The attacking mage did the same thing as Kazin, batting the projectile away with a casual wave of his hand. Then he grinned viciously and pointed his staff at Kazin, sending a crackling lightning bolt at the young mage.
Kazin raised a hand and chanted a complex spell he had studied and practiced in the past few weeks. Bits of crystal clear sand dropped from his fingertips. The lightning bolt did an about-face and the attacking mage was too slow to react. The bolt struck the mage’s staff and lit up his entire body. When it faded, the mage slipped silently to the ground. His staff fell down beside him. Kazin wasted no time destroying the skull atop the staff with a well-directed lightning bolt of his own.
Several nearby barbarians staggered as they regained control of their bodies. They didn’t take long to throw themselves at their hateful controllers. They were finally overcome by the hordes surrounding them, but they did some nasty damage before they died. Other mages on the defender’s side saw what Kazin had done and tried to do their part by concentrating their fire on the enemy’s skull staves. Attacking mages were pushed back by the concentrated attacks of the defenders and their realm of influence began to dwindle. For the moment, the magic users were repelled.
Hooves could be heard again and once again the cavalry poured through the gap in the barricade. Kazin surmised that the cavalry had re-entered the town at another point and then cycled back toward the front through the barricade. It was probably more effective
than changing course and trying to re-enter the town from the exit point. This way, they could remain at full speed and use their charging ability to the fullest extent.
Calin finished crushing the skulls of two skeletons from atop the barricade using his magical mace. He looked and saw that Kazin was now playing catch with a lizardmage using a fireball the attacking mage had created. Calin climbed back down behind the barricade and handed a fire stick to Della. He pointed at the lizardmage and the elf nodded.
Della shot the fire stick to land near the lizardmage and Calin read the scroll. The stick exploded and the lizardmage staggered with the blow. Just then Perenia came charging past and her lance pierced the lizardmage’s head. Its body convulsed as it was dragged a short distance before being dropped and then trampled by the horses following the centaur. The skull on its staff was trampled as well.
Three nearby dwarves regained their senses and turned together to ward off the attack of several zombies behind them. Townsfolk cried out to them to run for protection behind the barricades.
The dwarves did as they were told. Two dwarves managed to climb the barricade to safety, but the third one was too slow. A few skeletons caught him from behind. Some townsfolk rallied to his rescue. They defeated the skeletons, but the dwarf was slain.
“Shield is coming up!” cried Krendal. All long range fighting by the defenders ceased. Only the attackers in close were still a threat, and they were quickly singled out.
Calin battled with a heavy set orc, but was thrown back by the powerful beast. It raised its axe to finish the human, its eyes gleaming wickedly, but a combination of an arrow and a lightning bolt prevented it from carrying out its objective. The orc was dead before it hit the ground.
“Thanks,” muttered Calin as he struggled to his feet. “Those things are tough!”
It occurred to Kazin that his father had probably never seen an orc before.
A scout came running by and spoke urgently with Arch Mage Krendal.
“What?!” exclaimed Krendal. “Where?”
The scout pointed north and handed his looking glass to Krendal. The arch mage raised the glass to his eye and scanned the horizon. Then he swore.
Kazin ran over to Krendal. “What is it?”
“Another army of undead,” growled Krendal. He handed the looking glass to Kazin. “Ready the scrolls for the northern fire sticks!” he cried over his shoulder.
Kazin looked through the glass and saw what the scout had reported. Another army of skeletons and zombies was approaching. He lowered the looking glass but raised it again as something caught his eye. There it was again. A live human walked in their midst. Kazin focused the looking glass and gasped.
“Read the scrolls on my command!” ordered Krendal.
“No!” cried Kazin suddenly. He spun to face the arch mage. “It’s not an enemy force! They’re on our side!”
Krendal looked at Kazin dubiously. “How do you know that?”
“Rubin, one of my companions, is leading them!” exclaimed Kazin.
Della looked at Kazin from her location by the barricade when she heard him mention the sailor’s name.
“I don’t know,” said Krendal doubtfully. “Are you sure?”
Kazin looked through the looking glass again to make sure he was not mistaken. The force had veered away from the town and headed for the enemy instead. As they neared the enemies’ flanks, the first signs of battle could be seen. They were fighting!
“Look!” cried Kazin. He handed the looking glass to Krendal. The arch mage checked the scene for himself. “Well, I’ll be!” he exclaimed, stunned.
“The shield is weakening!” exclaimed Valdez.
“Get ready to—!” began Krendal. He stopped himself abruptly. Standing just outside the shield protecting the eastern defenders was the thickest enemy force anyone had ever seen. There was no way the hordes waiting there could be stopped this time.
“Withdraw to the second barricade!” shrieked Krendal. “Everyone grab a scroll and read it as you retreat!” He thrust some scrolls into Kazin’s hand. “Hurry!”
Calin was dragging Della behind him by the hand and ran past Kazin toward the second barricade. “Come on, Kazin!” he cried.
Kazin trailed after them and they dove for cover behind a slightly more solid barricade. Hundreds of townsfolk and mages did the same.
From that moment everything happened at once. The shield collapsed, the enemy surged forward, fire sticks exploded left and right, and chimeras flew down from above and set buildings and people ablaze with their fiery breath.
Arch Mage Noreen received a fiery blast from one of the creatures at point blank range and fell to the ground screaming. No one could get near her as her cloak burned, the flames giving off a tremendous amount of heat.
“Die, you spawn of evil!” shrieked Krendal savagely. He let a bright blue bolt of lightning surge out of his staff into the offending creature’s flank. The entire battlefield erupted into a blinding flash of light for an instant. When the light vanished, the chimera, the target of Krendal’s wrath, trickled to the ground in the form of ashes. The powerful magic, along with a last rush by the heavily depleted cavalry, made the attackers hesitate long enough for the rest of the defenders to make it to temporary safety behind the second barricade. Krendal was the last one back, tears of rage welling in his eyes. He had lost another arch mage. That loss was mirrored in his eyes.
“Limbard!” he called shakily. “Limbard! Where are you?”
“Right here!” answered the arch mage, coming forward.
“You’re in charge of the shield now,” said Krendal. “You know what to do.”
“You got it,” said Limbard. The arch mage organized the shield casting mages and told them to prepare themselves.
The enemy had regained their composure by now and surged ahead confidently.
“Mages, archers, fire away!” cried Krendal. He let loose himself with so many fireballs and ice bolts that Kazin lost track. How many spells could the arch mage cast at the same time, he wondered?
The defenders rallied, but little damage was made against such numbers. The battle became savage and strained, and just when things seemed hopeless, a miracle happened. It happened so suddenly that even the chimeras were caught off guard.
Hordes of arrows rained down upon the enemy from above. Moments later, pegasi, ridden by elves armed with lances and bows, flew into the fray. They clashed with the chimeras and the aerial combat was underway.
Meanwhile, thundering could be heard as thousands of centaurs, ridden by elves, rammed into the enemy’s southern flank.
The defenders in the town of Marral were still being pressed back by overwhelming forces, and arrangements were underway to send the survivors south by ship to the protection of Arral. But such was the determination of the town’s defenders that no one wanted to leave, especially now that the elves had come to their rescue.
So the townsfolk held their ground, their backs to the water. The fighting was bitter but firm. One resident, an inn keeper by the name of John Barlow, fought so savagely that others rallied to his call. Try as they might, the attackers could gain no more ground. The Rising Moon was within the center of the defenders, and the clerics and druid moved swiftly from one patient to the next, the sounds of battle too close for comfort.
Meanwhile, the attackers in the town were cut off from the main body of undead as the undead forces in the north under Rubin’s command met up with the fresh southern forces of the centaurs and elves. Fortunately, the king of the elves recognized Rubin and understood that the forces he led were allies, if unusual ones. He particularly didn’t want to intervene in the vicious conflict of undead anyway.
Sherman and Perenia used this brief respite to circle back from their previous charge and press into the enemy surrounding the townsfolk. This relieve
d some of the immediate pressure, but the enemies’ forces were too dense. The centaur and warrior circled away once more to join forces and then made a combined attempt to penetrate the crowd surrounding the valiant townsfolk. They succeeded and weakened the attackers enough to help the defenders keep them at bay.
The remaining forces of the enemy were not deterred by the appearance of the elves. Their numbers were still superior, and their magic wielders more numerous. The chimeras were nearly obliterated, but the mages on the ground used their combined magic to strike down any pegasi foolish enough to come within range. The rest of the army continued its advance and eventually the elves and centaurs began to give way.
The gain made by the undead attackers was short lived when a new sound became audible on the battlefield. A steady drumbeat, accompanied by a strange blaring sound, made known a new force to be reckoned with.
On the north eastern horizon, where the attackers had come from, were numerous ranks of dwarves. To their right, marching in tune to the dwarven drumbeat, were tall, horned creatures. The two forces marched as one, hammering into the back of the undead army with such force that the screams were heard throughout the battlefield.
Mages attempted to cast spells at the dwarves but to no avail. Somehow they were immune. Similarly, the minotaurs, whose bloodlust raged in their veins, did not respond to the magic either. Spells against these forces were useless.
It was then that the biggest threat made itself manifest.
Shrieking savagely, loudly enough for all to hear, and rising majestically above his own forces, was a bony white creature. This creature looked similar to its minions and sounded like only one thing. A bone dragon.
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 67