Runefell_The Tempest's Fury

by Shawn Sodman

  On top of the north castle wall, one of the many Amazons of the Silver Moon calls down to those below, “Shamans are breaking through!” In the city streets, fifty paces from the north gate, five shamans stand in a semicircle with two more shamans standing behind them. The five orcnea spell-casters in the half-circle formation concentrate on the same spell and create a massive ball of ice. The shaman in the middle aims the spell and sends it hurling towards the gate. The boulder of ice smashes against the wooden barrier, damaging the gate further.

  Kel'ana, Ja'noa, and Evelena are nearby, still on top of the wall. Kel'ana pulls back the bowstring of Glacies and aims at one of the shamans, but finds that her arrow is defected away.

  “It's no use,” says Kel'ana. “I can't hit them while they’re protected.”

  Evelena's mother, Adolayn, joins them and says, “No normal-sized spell will likely get through their protection. However, if we combined our spells, like they’re doing, we should be able to hit them.”

  “I don't know how to cast the earth spells,” says Kel'ana.

  Evelena adds, “And I cannot summon ice.”

  “You won't need to,” says Adolayn to her daughter. “You and I will combine our magic to summon a stone so large that their spells will not protect them, while Kel'ana will aim the spell.”

  “Ja'noa is better at aiming spells,” admits Kel'ana.

  “Very well,” replies Adolayn. “But we have to hurry.”

  In the streets, the shamans have summoned another enormous ball of ice. They send it crashing into the gate, destroying it. Amazons, mostly from the house of La'harn, prepare their weapons and shields and stand around the fallen gate.

  On the wall, Evelena and Adolayn face each other and begin to concentrate on their spell, while Ja'noa stands back, forming a triangle with them. She holds out her hands to help hold the growing earth spell. Ja'noa aims the large stone at the group of orcnea shamans. Adolayn gives her a nod and the spell is thrown. Much more accurate than a catapult, spells thrown like this rival even the goblin cannons in their ferocity. The chunk of earth and stone strikes three of the five orcnea shamans in the half-circle and continues on, striking one of the two shamans standing behind them.

  While such spells are devastating, they come at a high cost. Ja'noa, now exhausted, stumbles backwards. Kel'ana grabs her arm to prevent her from falling off the wall.

  Evelena says, “I almost forgot how tiring it is to do that.”

  “I didn't even cast the spell,” says Ja'noa, confused. “I only aimed it. Why did it affect me so much?”

  “I’m sorry,” says Adolayn. “I forgot to warn you that if you don't know the spell you’re throwing, you will be tired more easily.”

  Orcneas begin charging towards the newly fallen gate as the Amazons on the ground stand ready to fight. Kel'ana begins to fire Glacies at the enemy while Adolayn and Evelena begin to summon more stones to magically hurl. Ja'noa readies her star steel daggers and waits for the orcneas to come through the gate into the courtyard.

  The sisterhood holds their ground in a tight half-circle surrounding the gate. The orcneas begin to enter the circle, and as they do, Ja'noa throws her daggers into the back of an unsuspecting foe. She calls back her magic weapons while more orcneas fill in the center of the ring of Amazons.

  The clash is a bloody one that favors the battle-tested women from the Mana Forest. Their superior weapons, armor, and skill are too much for the reddish-skinned invaders. Behind the first row of Amazons are two groups. One group stands ready to take the place of a fellow warrior if one should be injured, while the other group assists from a distance by casting various spells. Some of them are increasing the strength and speed of their sisters, while others cast spells that target the enemy.

  A dark mist moves about the orcneas, covering their heads, obstructing their view. While the mist does not harm the enemies on its own, the orcneas must flee it or be completely blinded. In their haste, the distracted orcneas are easy targets. Controlling the darkness, Va'leen stands at a safe distance from the battle. She is careful not to obstruct the view of her fellow Amazons as she moves the mystic shadow from one orcnea head to the next.

  A short distance away, at the breach in the dock wall, the orcneas clear a path as the ogres charge forth with their battering ram. With only men carrying shields in their way, the ogres break through the line as the orcneas swarm through behind them.

  To the east, the third and final gate to the castle is now under siege, as four more ogres begin to bash into the door with a battering ram. Lord Damion is atop the wall with a line of archers. On the other side of the wall, in the streets of Sheathelm, hundreds of orcneas wait for the gate to fall.

  Men gather around the entrance and begin to brace it with wooden beams and anything else they can find or salvage. Damion climbs down the stairs and helps two others drag a scorched support beam from one of the goblin ships.

  Inside the castle, King Arioch watches from the atrium as the orcneas continue to force their way into the castle grounds at the docks. The Lunar Gate is open and the last of the injured are evacuated to the southern stronghold, along with Levin and his men.

  “Sound the bell!” Arioch orders. “Call everyone into the keep!”

  Down below, Baeldeth fires one last arrow from the bow he took earlier. He tosses it aside as he begins to descend the stairs. The elves and humans come down from the walls that surround the castle grounds as they begin to file into the main keep. Once the walls are cleared, the Amazons back away from the north breach, keeping themselves in a line so that the orcneas cannot flank them. They meet with the soldiers guarding the west breach, and together they slowly fall back, continuing to fight as they go.

  One of the ogres that smashed through the line of men with the battering ram still fights behind the newly-formed rows. Its back is to the wall of the castle as it swings a club the size of a horse. The soldiers gather around with their spears, but hesitate to move in. With his longsword in hand, Baeldeth steps forth from the crowd to face the enemy twice his own height. He has imbued his blade with the same magic that he used on the arrows earlier. The longsword looks more like a blade formed from a dense fog than steel.

  The ogre swings its club in a sweeping motion before it. Baeldeth leaps over the stump-like club before landing on the ground and rolling to his left. The ogre lifts its weapon over its head as Baeldeth steps in next to his enormous foe. Now too close for the ogre to effectively strike with his club, Baeldeth slashes his sword across his foe's thigh.

  The ogre grabs Baeldeth with its free hand and throws him to into the soldiers gathered around. Several men are knocked down as Baeldeth lands on them. The prince's personal guard looks up as the ogre waves its club high over its head, letting out a menacing roar. The ogre prepares to swing its weapon as the men on the ground instinctively put their arms up as if that will protect them from the giant club. The intimidating invader steps forward when its leg gives out. The wound from Baeldeth's blade forces the ogre to fall. The men charge in and finish off their compromised foe as the orcneas continue to gain ground against the retreating defenders.

  Inside the castle, the people are quickly making their way through the Lunar Gate. Since most of the city was evacuated days earlier, most of the remaining people are either soldiers or Amazons.

  Sven makes his way over to Yentroc and asks, “Where is Lyra?”

  Yentroc looks around and finds all of her friends except for Lyra. “She must still be in the library.”

  “Sven will get her,” he says.

  Yentroc waves her arms at Rehma and Gelana as Sven heads towards the library. Gelana spots Yentroc and comes over to her, pulling Rehma along.

  Gelana says, “I’m glad you’re all right. Have you seen the others?”

  “Yes,” Yentroc replies. She points across the throne room. “Evelena is over there with Ja'noa and Kel'ana, Kristieana is in the atrium with the princess and Ya'leigh, and Sven just went to get Lyra from the library.
”

  “Rehma and I were just heading for the gate now,” says Gelana.

  Yentroc says, “Go on without me. I want to wait for Lyra.”

  “All right,” Gelana says. “We'll see you on the other side.”

  Rehma and Gelana head towards the gate while at the library, Lyra is with Headmaster Grunwalt. Lyra's magical tome, the Infinitus Libellus, lies open on one of the tables on the lower level with a pile of scrolls next to it. Lyra takes one of the rolled parchments and places it in the hollowed book. She closes the cover of the book before opening it again to reveal the empty compartment, then repeats the process. Almost all of the shelves within the library are now empty. Grunwalt brings another armful of scrolls to the table for Lyra to place inside the magic book.

  Sven burst through the door calling Lyra's name. The young Amazon looks up the stairs as Sven begins come down to the lower level. He says, “Lyra, it is time to go now.”

  Lyra looks at all the scrolls on the table. “We’re not done yet.”

  Seeing all the empty shelves, Sven says, “You have enough. If these were important, you should have taken them first.”

  Grunwalt says, “He’s right, Lyra. These aren’t that important. We should go.”

  “Just let me finish what’s on the table,” argues Lyra.

  Sven shakes his head. “No, we are going now.” He grabs Lyra around her waist and lifts her over his shoulder.

  “Sven, put me down! Now!” Lyra commands.

  Ignoring Lyra's request, Sven says to Grunwalt, “You, get Lyra's book and backpack.”

  The Headmaster nods, picking up the Infinitus Libellus. He then picks up two backpacks as Lyra, kicking and flailing her arms, yells, “I will not be carried like a child!”

  “Then stop acting like one,” Sven replies.

  Grunwalt starts up the stairs as Sven looks one last time behind him. Coming through the door from the adjacent garden are three orcneas. Lyra yells, “Sven, I swear to the gods that if you don't put me down right now...!” Sven sets her down in front of him. Lyra, not realizing the threat behind her, says, “That's more like it.”

  “Blind them,” Sven says.

  “What?” Lyra asks.

  Sven puts his hands on her shoulders and turns her around to face the orcneas. As he draws his axe, Hellfire, he repeats, “Blind them.”

  “Oh!” Lyra gasps as the orcneas spread out and prepare to attack with their maces. “I-I can do that,” she stutters.

  Sven looks down as Lyra casts her spell. The unsuspecting orcneas are caught by surprise by the sudden flash of light from Lyra's hands. After watching the floor light up from her spell, Sven looks up and says, “Good work.” He pulls Lyra behind him before stepping forward and swinging his flaming axe at the orcnea on the right, killing him.

  Sven lifts his leg and kicks the orcnea on the left in the chest, knocking him to the ground. He stands over his fallen enemy and swings his axe into the skull of orcnea. As Sven struggles to pull Hellfire free, the last orcnea swings his mace wildly, striking Sven's right shoulder. Undaunted by the pain, Sven frees his weapon. As he prepares to strike the enemy, a searing beam of light from Lyra kills the orcnea.

  “Very good,” Sven says as he shrugs his right shoulder to see how badly he was injured.

  Grunwalt calls down from the top of the stairs, “Hurry, before more arrive.”

  Sven and Lyra climb the stairs and exit the library. They make their way back to the throne room as the last of the troops enter the keep. The massive doors are closed and the few troops that remain begin to pile debris in front of it.

  “We must hurry,” says Grunwalt as he begins to run toward the stairs leading to the atrium.

  Standing in the middle of the throne room is King Arioch. Chance stands at his side. As Sven and Lyra pass them, Sven asks, “Do you need Sven to stay?”

  “No,” Chance answers. “We are all leaving, including Arioch.”

  Sven nods and continues on his way to the gate. Yentroc is at the top of the stairs, and when she sees Sven and Lyra coming up, she sighs with relief.

  At the entrance of the throne room, a guard dumps a barrel of a clear oil across the floor. Arioch says to the men, “Everyone to the gate!”

  The last of the men hurry up the stairs as Chance casts a spell setting the fluid ablaze. “That should hold them until we are out,” says Chance.

  “I hope so,” says Arioch. “Let's go.”

  The orcneas try to force their way into the keep. Chance and Arioch are the last ones to enter the atrium, where the Lunar Gate is still open. Sven, Yentroc, and Lyra enter, followed by the last of the soldiers. A'ranah and Jadelyn are waiting at the entrance to the gate. A'ranah says, “Hurry, we’ve been holding the gate open for a long time.”

  Arioch turns to Chance. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I have to make sure the gate is destroyed,” says Chance. “I can jump from the archway and transform before I hit the ground, and since Jadelyn has already cast a spell to allow me to see the invisible and Yarwin cast a protection spell from arrows, there is not much that can harm me.”

  “Very well,” says Arioch. “Just be sure you don't get caught in the blast. The black powder is dangerous enough, but when that gate is destroyed...”

  Chance nods. “I know, don't worry. Now go, and close the gate.”

  Arioch enters the gate, followed by Jadelyn. A'ranah touches Chance’s forehead and casts a spell that allows them to communicate. She says though the spell, “If you get into trouble, call for help.”

  Chance replies, “I will.”

  A'ranah enters the gate, and it closes behind her. Chance looks at the stack of barrels full of black power. Around them are piles of the dark explosive and a long, thin line of black powder leading away from gate to the southern edge of the atrium. Chance takes his position next to one of the pillars where the trail of powder ends. He holds out his hand and magically ignites the line of powder, then leans back against the pillar and waits.

  Chapter 65

  The Adversary

  The line of black powder is slowly consumed by the flame that Chance ignited moments before. Chance continues to hide behind the pillar in the atrium as he hears the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs from the throne room.

  He listens to the voice of Lortec Ka command a soldier in Orcneish, “Put out that flame!”

  Chance peeks around the corner of the pillar to find General Ka standing at the edge of the stairs with two soldiers. One of the orcneas runs over to the line of powder and breaks it up with his foot. The flame burns out as it reaches the point where the soldier kicked the black line.

  Lortec approaches the gate as the orcnea that put out the flame turns around and sees Chance. “Elf!” yells the soldier.

  Chance uses his magic to ignite the line of black power once more, then draws his sword. The orcnea looks down at the flame and begins to break up the line again. Lortec, over twenty paces away, watches Chance charge out from behind the pillar and run the orcnea soldier through.

  “Slayer!” bellows Lortec. “I was hoping to face you again.”

  Chance sheathes his sword and begins to walk slowly backward toward the pillar. “I am sorry I can't say the same,” he replies as he summons a fireball in his hands.

  Lortec eyes the gate as he nears Chance. “So, you would kill us both to destroy the gate?”

  “No,” Chanced replies as he reaches the edge of the atrium. “Just you.” Chance throws the ball of fire as he dives from the archway. While falling to the ground below, he transforms into his eagle form. He pulls up and begins to fly away when he looks back to see the atrium still standing. Then he looks inside and spies General Ka with his chest smoldering.

  In his head, Chance can hear A'ranah ask, “Chance, I can see you leaving, but the gate still stands. What is happening?”

  Chance turns and glides back towards the atrium. Over the sea, he spots the orcnea drakes returning. He says to A'ranah, “It's th
at orcnea general from Northwind. He stopped my fireball from hitting the black powder.”

  “Get out of there, Chance,” says A'ranah. “Belron can drop a fire elixir on it.”

  “No,” says Chance. “The drakes are returning now. I will make sure the gate is destroyed.”

  To the south, on the coast, A'ranah looks out from the top of a tower carved from an outcrop of stone at the top of a hill. It is part of the stronghold that the forces of Sheathelm and the Amazons of the Silver Moon have fled to.

  Arioch, standing behind her, asks, “What's going on?”

  A'ranah answers, “Chance told me that the general he fought in Northwind is there.”

  “The one resistant to fire?” Arioch asks.

  “I believe so,” says A'ranah.

  Arioch finds a goblin with a looking-glass and says to him, “May I borrow that?”

  “Of course,” the goblin replies.

  Arioch takes the looking glass and peers through it at the castle.

  Back at the atrium, Chance lands and transforms back into an elf. He looks around at the other orcneas when Lortec says to his soldiers, “Chance Na'Moon is mine to kill! Surround the gate and make sure he doesn't destroy it. He then turns to Chance and says, “You are no different than when we first met. You fled then, as well, but this time you returned.”

  Puzzled, Chance asks, “What are you talking about? You were the one who ran away when the ships crashed.”

  Lortec laughs, “Do you believe Northwind is the first time we met? Oh no, Slayer, that was the second. The first time we met was a long time ago. It's funny how I always remembered you being much taller, but I was only a child then.”

  Chance begins to circle the gate to get a clear shot, but Lortec continues to put himself in the way. Chance says, “So you were one of the children in the Second Orcnea War?”

  “Is that what you call it, a war?” Lortec asks. “We refer to it as a slaughter, but yes, I was there. I tried to fight you then, but you ignored me. You turned your back to me and fled as my village burned.” Lortec draws his sword as Chance draws both of his. Lortec continues, “I am not a child now, Na'Moon, and I will not be ignored. Turn you back on me now if you dare, Slayer. I will gut you like a swine.”