by Peter Last
Josiah didn’t feel the pain of his new injury over the agony of his others. With a grunt, he reached with his right hand and pulled his sword from its scabbard. He swung the weapon upward with an angry shout. The tip cut into the belly of the griffin but caused little real damage. Josiah shouted in frustration and was about to try again when he saw the wall rushing to meet him. He hit the stone with a sickening crunch, and his grip on the griffin was finally broken. He bounced backward off of the stone and fell the fifteen feet to the ground. The jolt of his contact with the earth snapped his head backwards into the packed soil. Stars flashed across his vision; then all was black.
******
Cirro saw Josiah get carried off by the griffin, but there was nothing he could do about it. He gripped a javelin in his hand and let it fly at one of the beasts approaching him. The heavy spear didn’t hit the beast fully but only managed to cut through one of its wings. Cirro ducked as the griffin blasted over him and came to a crashing landing on the wall, knocking a mass of soldiers over the sides. It floundered to its feet and faced Cirro, strangling out a most annoying cawing sound as it did.
Cirro pulled his sword from his belt and slowly approached the beast. The most dangerous part of the creature, he knew, was the beak. Rumor was that a griffin could bite through an inch of steel, and though Cirro doubted the claim, he didn’t want to test it. He spotted a bow and arrows, but they were too far away, and he very much doubted that the griffin would allow him to get off a shot.
The griffin’s head shot toward Cirro who jumped backwards, tripping over a loose stone. He scrambled to his feet, swinging the sword in front of him to dissuade the griffin from making any more attacks. The beast lunged at him again, and this time Cirro was able to spin to the side and slash at its head. The wound was superficial and only served to enrage the griffin. It jumped forward, simultaneously lunging with its head, throwing Cirro onto his back directly under the beast. His sword arm slammed into the stone with enough force to jar his sword loose and send it tumbling off of the wall. Cirro and the griffin stared at each other. Malevolence shone from the beast’s eyes as it drew its head back for one final thrust.
A thrust which never came; the griffin gave a scream of pain and twisted around. Cirro saw an ogre clinging to the back of the animal. When it stopped moving, the ogre planted his feet and jerked its wings, flipping it backward onto the wall. The huge foot descended on the animal’s neck with a snapping sound. With a mighty heave, the ogre flung the body of the dead beast off the wall before turning to help Cirro to his feet.
Cirro nodded to the ogre in thanks. Then they turned to go in different directions, the ogre to fight the other griffins and Cirro to go find Josiah. He dashed down the wall as quickly as he could, jumping over dead bodies and other obstacles. He stooped down to grab a fallen sword as he ran and gripped it tightly in his right fist. He reached a rough set of stairs that had been built up to the wall and dashed down them two at a time, all the time searching for Josiah.
He spotted the griffin first. It was closing in on its prey, the human that was so much more difficult than any of the other ones. Cirro gritted his teeth and started to sprint toward the beast. He began to yell as he approached, and the griffin looked up just in time to see him hurtling through the air toward its head.
Cirro hit the animal with all the force that he could muster. The blow knocked it backward though it did not actually harm it. The griffin swung its head to the side, flinging Cirro off onto the ground. Cirro’s breath was driven out of him when he hit the dirt, and he lay on his back for several moments trying to draw air into his lungs.
Just as he was drawing in his first, ragged breath, he felt a beak clamp around his leg and lift him up into the air. Cirro had lost his sword and so reached into his boot for another weapon. The dagger he withdrew was no more than six inches in length and didn’t even reach the griffin’s body. Cirro slashed frantically, but it did nothing. The blood began to drain to his head, making him feel as though it might explode. Soon he would pass out.
******
A yell pulled Josiah from his sleep, though it did not get him to open his eyes. Something warm and sticky splashed onto him, and his mind struggled to figure out what it was. He forced his eyes open, seeing only fuzzy shapes at first, but slowly those shapes came into focus. He had a massive headache, and when he tried to sit up, his head pounded in pain. He spread his arms, and his hand came in contact with something round and hard. It felt like a staff, so Josiah pulled it toward himself and tried to use it to push himself up off of the ground. Pain stabbed through both shoulders and he was unable to use his left hand. Gathering all his willpower, Josiah used the staff and his right hand to lift himself from the earth and onto his feet.
He leaned heavily on the staff as he forced his eyes to make sense of the image that had again blurred. The first thing he saw clearly was a mass of feathers, and the memories of being carried by the griffin crashed back into his mind. The sense of danger jerked his mind to complete consciousness, and he saw the griffin holding Cirro in its beak at almost the same instant he realized that the staff on which he was leaning was actually a spear.
Josiah tried to grip the spear with both hands, but pain flared from his left in protest. The fingers, he noticed, were twisted oddly, and he wondered how badly it had been damaged. Shoving the thought away, he grabbed the spear tightly in his right hand and stabbed it forward into the griffin’s chest. His shoulder screamed in protest, and he was only able to make the spear penetrate six inches into the beast.
The griffin screamed in anger, dropping Cirro onto the ground and batted the spear away with a claw. The wound on its chest was deep though not serious enough to slow its attack. It shrieked again and lunged at Josiah who ducked out of the way and stabbed the spear through the griffin’s wing. The griffin shrieked in pain and jerked its wing back, ripping the spear from Josiah’s grip and flipping it over next to the wall. It screamed again, staggered back two steps, and turned to face its other attacker. Cirro clutched a bloody sword in his hand, and the griffin sported another cut. Distracted as it was, the griffin did not see Josiah dash around it to where his spear lay. He retrieved it and turned to face his adversary, but was cut down by the flying body of Cirro. The two men fell into a heap, and the griffin advanced on them with sounds of delight. The humans who had caused it so much pain were finally about to be dispatched.
Josiah groaned and rolled over, extracting the spear from underneath him. His grip was near the head, and he pushed the weapon back until its butt hit the wall. The griffin was on top of Cirro by now so Josiah yelled at it. The griffin looked up but did not move. Josiah let go of the spear to grab a rock and fling it at the animal. The rock bounced off of the griffin’s head, and the creature went ballistic. It reached Josiah in one bound and reared its head back for a thrust. Josiah frantically reached for the spear and wrapped his fingers around it. With a jerk of his arm, he yanked the spearhead upward just as the griffin jabbed downward. The spearhead caught the griffin in the open mouth and, braced against the wall as it was, smashed through the back of the creature’s head.
Josiah didn’t even notice the pain in his shoulders as he rolled sideways, away from the giant body as it crumpled to the ground. He lay there for several minutes, catching his breath and finally taking inventory of his body. Both of his shoulders, he noticed, had large puncture wounds in front and back from the claws of the griffin. His left shoulder was also out of joint, and his left hand was crushed. The rest of his body was covered with bruises and cuts from hitting the wall, but he would survive.
Slowly Josiah rose to his feet and staggered over to where Cirro was still lying on the ground. He was unconscious and required some extra encouragement to awaken, but Josiah was able to provide it. Josiah steadied Cirro as he got up, and together the two friends climbed the stairs to the top of the wall. The first thing that met Josiah’s eyes was the mass of black soldiers marching toward the wall. The front line was a handfu
l of yards away, and for the first time, Josiah realized what a pathetic barrier it was. The enemy army would sweep straight over it and carry the defenders along with them. Anyone who stood in their way would be crushed. There was no hope of fighting against them.
The second thing Josiah noticed was that the griffins were no longer attacking. They circled high above the city and watched the scene unfold beneath them, waiting for the battle to end so that they could feed on the dead. Determination filled Josiah, and he turned to Cirro.
“I think my left shoulder is out of joint,” he told his friend. “Get it back in, will you?”
Cirro looked at the shoulder and placed his hands on it. He felt the bones underneath the skin and positioned his hands. In one deft motion, he pulled the bones back into alignment, causing a stab of pain to flare through Josiah’s shoulder. Josiah could tell immediately by the lessening of his pain that his shoulder was back to normal. He looked around and saw a shield on the ground before him.
“Take that shield and strap it to my left arm,” he told Cirro. “I can’t grip with my hand, so you’ll have to fasten it extra tight.”
Cirro retrieved the shield and slid Josiah’s left arm through the straps. He tightened them as much as possible, wiggling the shield to test his work. The piece held, and he stepped back.
“Thanks,” Josiah said. “Now, let’s give this dratted army what for.”
“Yes sir,” Cirro said and grinned for the first time in a long time. “I’ve been wanting to fight someone my own size. Those griffins are interesting to fight, but they’re so large. Now these soldiers,” he gestured to the army on the other side of the wall. “They shouldn’t be so hard, I think.”
“Now you’re thinking optimistically,” Josiah commented. “There’s a million and one of them, but they’re your own size. I think you could even find the good side of having to eat the food at the academy!”
The front line of the army reached the wall, and ladders they had previously held sideways were stood up and laid against the wall. One of them slammed down between Josiah and Cirro, and in seconds a climbing soldier’s head popped into view. Cirro made a lazy sweep with his sword, sheering off the top of the ladder along with the soldier’s head. The decapitated body toppled off of the ladder, but in seconds another soldier rose in its place. Cirro swung his sword again. The soldier leaned backward to escape the movement. It almost looked as if he might hang on, but then he lost his balance and toppled backwards.
A second ladder slammed up against the wall in front of Josiah, and he drew his sword arm back for a strike. A soldier came into view, holding his sword above his head in order to stop any downward strokes, and Josiah almost laughed to himself at the attempt at protection. He dispatched the soldier with a stab and turned to another ladder that had just crashed up against the wall. He swung the shield on his left arm into the face of the soldier there, throwing him down. A slash of his sword killed another soldier coming up the ladder on the right, and Josiah immediately turned back to the one on the left to kill a soldier there.
Sweat was already pouring off of him, and his wounds ached terribly, but he refused to quit. For several minutes he continued to switch back and forth between the ladders, knocking soldiers off in turns. By this time, reinforcements who had previously been scattered by the griffins were returning to their places on the wall, along with soldiers who had been stationed in other areas. The increase of defenders made the task of keeping the attackers off the wall much lighter, and the soldiers who had valiantly held them off were now able to have a rest.
Josiah stepped back and allowed two men to step in and take care of the ladders he had been in front of. He slid his sword into the scabbard and bent over to catch his breath, resting his palms on his knees. Cirro was similarly fatigued and stood next to Josiah, catching his breath as well.
“Come on, General,” Cirro said after a minute. “Let’s get you back to safety.”
Josiah consented, and Cirro led him back to a position on the higher castle wall which was not currently being scaled. Nathan and Levvy were there along with a contingent of ogres and elves, including a squad of Megaeras. The two Generals were in an animated conversation, talking loudly and gesturing at the soldiers below them but stopped when they noticed Josiah approaching.
“Good night!” Nathan exclaimed. “You look terrible, man. What happened to you?”
“I got into a fight with a griffin,” Josiah answered. He smiled slightly and added, “Not to be cliché, but you should see the other guy.”
“You faced a griffin and came out of the encounter alive?” Levvy asked in surprise. “Fire and brimstone, you’re tougher than most ogres!”
“Cirro helped,” Josiah said and gestured to his body guard. “And really, it’s only by the grace of Elohim that we came out of it alive.”
“And severely hurt. Sir,” Cirro addressed Nathan, “General Pondran has serious wounds in both shoulders as well as a crushed hand and several other, less serious wounds. I know he would never ask, but perhaps you could spare a healer?”
“Of course,” Nathan said. He motioned to one of his guard, who approached. “I need you to see to General Pondran. Do whatever is necessary to heal him; I want him in good order as soon as possible.”
“Yes sir,” the elf answered with a salute. He took Josiah to the side and began to move his hands over the various parts of his body, mixing physical and magical means to ascertain the damage.
Satisfied that his commander was being cared for properly, Cirro turned his attention back to the battle. The soldiers on the wall clearly had the advantage and were easily holding their ground as they cut down the attackers who continued their attempts to scale the ladders. Men with pikes were also moving up and down the walls, shoving ladders off wherever they could. This was only a setback for the attackers, who would immediately raise the ladders again. Altogether, though, it looked as if the defenders might be able to hold off the attack.
Then the archers entered the fray.
Up to this point there had been no action from the enemy archers. Cirro presumed this was so that they wouldn’t hit their own soldiers; however, in their inability to capture the wall by sheer numbers, they had thrown caution to the wind. Swarms of crossbow bolts and arrows rained down on the wall, striking and killing attackers and defenders indiscriminately. Bodies piled up on the wall and spilled off both sides, falling on the men who had managed to get under cover. Then as quickly as it had started, the assault was over, and the enemy swordsmen were making another rush on the wall. This time there was nobody on the wall to impede their advance, and they swept over the barrier in a mighty wave.
The defenders were taken completely by surprise at the sudden attack. They crouched under the protection of the wall, waiting out the archers’ attack, and suddenly they were being engaged in hand-to-hand combat again. Despite their surprise, they fought well and were able to hold the line, though they were driven backward by the onslaught. The Generals were forced to abandon the castle to avoid being surrounded and directed the retreat of their men. Josiah, gripping his sword in his right hand and, still having a shield strapped to his left arm, was directing a staggered retreat pattern. As one group of soldiers retreated a few yards, another group would hold the line. After the first group had turned and was set, the second group would turn and retreat past the line, and the process would repeat itself. The army switched back and forth for almost a mile, and the enemy was still hot on their heels.
Molkekk’s army had given very orderly chase up to this point, but frustrated as they were with their inability to catch their prey, they finally broke ranks and rushed forward with reckless abandon. Josiah immediately gave the signal, and his men stopped retreating and advanced as a line. All along the line, the other soldiers did the same thing, and the soldiers of Molkekk broke upon them as they hit. For several minutes all was chaos as the enemy army tried to reform while at the same time attacking. The defenders kept up a slow advance the whol
e time and swept over thousands of the enemy.
And then the dragons arrived.
At first no one could tell whose side they were on, but they made their loyalty clear very quickly. The first thing they did was begin to harry Molkekk’s soldiers and force them backward, giving the soldiers of Magessa a much-needed rest.
One of the dragons broke away from the flock and circled the defenders three times. Then he straightened his flight out and sailed in for a landing behind their lines. The dragon was massive even by dragon standards. It was fully one hundred and fifty feet long and had a wingspan to match. Its claws were larger than those of most dragons, and its teeth looked deadly even from a distance. Its scales were black with traces of white, a combination that Josiah was not aware existed. But the biggest surprise was the rider himself, for as Josiah watched, none other than Einor, king of Dublack, dismounted. Another dragon, this one of regular size, landed to the side of and slightly behind the first. Another elf jumped off this beast, jogged up to stand beside the king, and together they approached Josiah, Nathan, and Levvy.
“Josii!” Josiah called when he recognized the king’s companion. “King Einor. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.”
“Good to see you again, Josiah,” Josii said. He grabbed Josiah’s outstretched hand and pulled him into an embrace. He slapped the other man on the back before letting him go. Josiah staggered backward and coughed.
“Well, I used to think it was good to see you, but now I’m not so sure,” he gasped.
“Enough of the pleasantries,” Einor said. “General Nathan, what is the situation on the ground here? We saw some of it on the way in, but not enough to be able to adequately grasp the situation.”