“Still,” Maernok pressed. “Why not gather an army to here and fight?”
Salarion shook her head. “If we alert Gilifan to our presence, or force him to run away as an army chases him, he will have more time to inspect the book. He needs Tu’luh to use the spell, but he could study the book in the meantime and discover my tampering.”
“But we could destroy the egg too, and then there would be no more dragons.”
Salarion folded her arms impatiently and shook her head. “Gilifan is able to lengthen his own life force, and he would either find a way to resurrect Tu’luh, or he would scour the world searching for a new host. Imagine if he traveled across the oceans and disappeared. How would we stop him then?”
“You are not very different from him,” Maernok said after a moment. “You are willing to sacrifice all the people in Pinkt’Hu just the same as he is.”
“I do it to save many more souls, whereas he does it to enslave them all,” Salarion countered.
“The blood is still upon your hands,” Maernok said. “How can you justify such a slaughter? It is not honorable.”
“I am Sierri’Tai,” she said curtly. “I am willing to do what it takes because I see the vast chasm of destruction that will engulf the world if I do not follow through with my plan. I will stop Gilifan, and I will break Tu’luh’s power, but to do that requires sacrifice. Gilifan must be allowed to use the magic as quickly as possible so as to prevent him from discovering my manipulation. Then, as soon as he has Tu’luh resurrected we will strike.”
Maernok shook his head. “But if none are immune, then we will be swallowed by the spell.”
Salarion shook her head. “I have a charm that will render you immune to the spell,” she said.
“Me?” Maernok asked skeptically. “What about you?”
Salarion frowned. “I do not have the strength to defeat Gilifan. I can use my magic to disguise us, and I will fight beside you for as long as possible, but it is you who must destroy the wizard.”
“Why not use the charm yourself?”
“Gilifan is as wise as a serpent,” Salarion said. “Long ago he put a mark upon me. He always suspected it was I who was responsible for my father’s fall, but he could not prove it. Furthermore, he needed my help. So, we made a pact. I promised never to slay him by my own hand or by means of my magic, and he promised the same toward me. He thought he had the upper hand, of course, because he knew that I am not immune to my father’s spell. He knows that in the end I will be turned by the curse.” Salarion looked up to Maernok with her sparkling, violet eyes and smiled faintly. “When he uses the spell, then you must kill me. After that you will be on your own. For a time after using the spell, Gilifan and Tu’luh will both be weakened. If you can fight your way through the remaining mercenaries, then you should be able to defeat the wizard.”
“If you altered the spell’s range, you could escape,” Maernok pointed out.
“Then who would disguise you and get you into the cave?” Salarion asked. “I am Sierri’Tai. I do what is necessary to achieve my goal.”
Maernok nodded and the two sat in silence for a while. Then, as he let the thoughts sink in he gave one final question. “How do I destroy the magic once it has been transferred?”
Salarion smiled. “That is not easily done,” she said. “The item must be given to the Champion of Truth. Only he will know how to destroy the magic.”
“Who is that?”
Salarion laughed. “A boy,” she said. “He is far in the east even now, preparing for the event. If you get the magical relic, make haste to the eastern wilds.”
She didn’t bother to tell the orc that he would also most likely die in the underground cavern. He was a seasoned warrior. Surely he already knew the odds were against them.
Maernok smiled and nodded as if he could read Salarion’s thoughts.
“I accept your plan. It will be a good fight,” he said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lepkin looked through the spy glass toward the south. The cool, late autumn breeze ran over his knuckles and frosted his breath.
“Can you see them?” Lady Arkyn asked.
Lepkin nodded grimly. “Just as you said. It appears they have brought their entire army north.”
Commander Nials held out his hand expectantly. Lepkin gave him the spy glass. “Mhm, that is a nasty looking bunch of brutes.”
“We are ready for them,” Al put in quickly. “Thanks to your fire barrier we have had enough time to construct thirty catapults, instead of the twenty we had planned on. We have enough stone for several engagements piled behind each one and we have wool blankets topped with dirt and straw to camouflage everything. Let them come up.”
Lady Arkyn cleared her throat.
Al blushed slightly. “And thanks to your arrows no orcish scouts discovered our secrets.”
Lady Arkyn offered a smile.
Al rolled his eyes and turned for the ladder to climb down from the tower. “I will command the dwarves. We’ll keep those dunderheads from crossing the chasm.”
Nials turned and held a red cloth over the balcony. An officer down below signaled back and then ran down the line. Commander Nials turned back to Lepkin then and smiled. “It will be an honor to see the great Master Lepkin wield his mighty flaming sword.”
Lepkin cocked his head to the side a bit and folded his arms. “I gave the sword to the Champion of Truth.”
Nials frowned slightly and glanced down to the sword hanging from Lepkin’s waist. “Well, I am sure you will manage in any case.”
“In Mercer’s absence, I have become the ranking officer for the men of Ten Forts,” Lepkin explained.
Nials nodded and patted Lepkin on the shoulder. “Heroes belong on the field, not in towers. Leave the strategy to me.” Before Lepkin could reply Nials gestured out to the men below on the field. “We can’t win this war if we are split betwixt three commanders. Let King Sit’marihu run the catapults with his dwarves, and I will command the men. You are a great warrior, but you are no general.”
Lepkin bristled. Still, he knew that Nials was right. Lepkin could only muster a semi-polite nod before turning away. He stopped just before descending the ladder and looked back to Nials. The large commander was already turning back to face the oncoming orcs. “Commander Nials,” Lepkin began. The man turned back to regard Lepkin.
“Yes, Master Lepkin?”
“I will take the remaining dragon-slayers along with Lady Arkyn. You can command the others, but I will be more useful if I have autonomy.”
Commander Nials drew his bottom lip up and narrowed his eyes as he considered the notion. Finally he nodded. “I would expect nothing less,” he said.
“Additionally, I will be in charge of Lady Dimwater and Marlin when they arrive.”
“As you wish. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a field to command.”
Lepkin nodded and descended the ladder.
He made his way back toward a smoldering fire pit nearby and spied Virgil Gothbern. The dragon slayer saw Lepkin approaching and rose to meet him.
“What are your orders?”
“How many dragon slayers do we have left?”
“We have four,” Virgil said. “Except Jubal is still recovering from the wound that the orc gave him. So, we have three that are able-bodied, including myself. Eriem and Aelron have positioned themselves near the old bridge.”
“Let’s go,” Lepkin said. “Do you know where Lady Arkyn is?”
Virgil nodded and pointed out behind Lepkin. Master Lepkin turned to see Lady Arkyn jogging toward them, her bow in hand and her quiver empty. “Where are we going?” Virgil asked.
Lepkin turned and sneered. “We are going to hunt officers.”
Virgil shrugged and nodded. “Sounds pleasant.”
The two waited for Lady Arkyn to reach them. Her golden hair was kept in a neat braid that bounced with her steps. Her brown trousers showed smudges of dirt and blood and her wool top was torn on the side,
revealing just a hint of her toned stomach as she ran.
“Take a few on your way back, did you?” Lepkin asked noting her quiver.
Lady Arkyn nodded. “A few forward scouts,” she confirmed.
“Refill your quiver, and maybe get an extra one or two besides,” Lepkin said.
Lady Arkyn glanced over her shoulder at the tower. “Nials assumed command, didn’t he?”
Lepkin nodded.
“I thought he might,” Lady Arkyn said. “He isn’t one to share authority.”
Virgil frowned and looked to Lepkin. “You gave him command of everyone? But, why? The men look up to you. They have been loyal to you, and they have broken their backs preparing the field for you.”
“Not for me,” Lepkin corrected. “We prepare the field to defeat the enemy. The more experienced commander has assumed control of the army. It is as it should be.
“What about the dwarves, do they agree?” Lady Arkyn asked.
“Al will remain in command of the dwarves,” Lepkin replied. “Come, we are wasting time. I have charge over a select group, and I intend to sting the enemy where it counts.” Lepkin pointed to Virgil. “Go and get the others. We’ll be heading far to the east. We’ll double back and then select orc officers to drop.”
“Sewing confusion by cutting off the heads,” Lady Arkyn commented. “I like it.”
“Good, then go and get arrows.”
*****
Lepkin, the three dragon-slayers, and Lady Arkyn all crept along through a thicket of briars and brambles. It was slow going, but they found if they stuck low to the ground there was enough space to maneuver without getting hung up on the thorns. The enemy marched only sixty yards away from them, marching slowly toward the chasm.
Commander Nials would wait until the orcs were close before launching the catapults. The idea was to surprise and catch as many orc warriors as possible. Lepkin, would try to circle around and aim for a few of the captains to further complicate the orcs’ retreat.
“There,” Lepkin whispered as he signaled for all of them to halt. “The one with the gold trim upon his platemail, riding the goarg. That is the captain for this grouping.”
“I can take him now,” Lady Arkyn said.
Lepkin shook his head. “No, let them pass by until the catapults launch. After the orcs have realized their mistake, then take him.” Lepkin continued on slowly through the briars. “Virgil, you stay with Lady Arkyn, the rest of you come with me.”
Lepkin, Aelron, and Eriem slithered over the dirt. The sand and grit scratched and scraped against their armor. Occasionally the brambles would shake as a thorn caught on one of them, but they were careful not to tug against the briars. Instead, they would stop and use their fingers to pry the thorn free. It slowed them considerably, but it didn’t attract attention from the passing army.
As they neared the edge of the briars, they were forced to stop. A dozen orcs were peeling off from the main group and moving toward them. Lepkin signaled for the others to stop. They hugged low to the ground, hoping that their black armor wouldn’t be visible through the brambles. Lepkin hardly breathed for fear of making noise. The heavily armored orcs approached, and then stopped short of reaching the brambles. They formed a circle and two of them removed backpacks and pulled wooden blocks and squares out.
Lepkin watched as they quickly assembled a field table and then slapped a map over it. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but he assumed that this group was tasked with finding an alternate route around the chasm. It was smart. Send the army directly in to draw all of the enemy out and make them reveal themselves while you send smaller parties out to scout the terrain for alternate routes. Lepkin assumed there was likely a similar group out to the west somewhere.
Master Lepkin slowly inched backward so he could whisper to the others. “When the catapults fire, we are going to kill these orcs.”
Eriem and Aelron both nodded. The three of them crawled and angled themselves so that they could emerge from the briars without too much difficulty. Then they waited.
It didn’t take long before shouts rose up throughout the orcish ranks. These shouts were followed moments later by thunderous crashes. The stones beat upon the troops and dirt as great drums. Lepkin launched up, the other two joined him.
The dozen orcs quickly drew swords and axes.
Lepkin thrust his sword into the back of the nearest orc. Eriem cut the head off of an orc to Lepkin’s left, spraying blood up and out over the table in the center of the ring. Aelron drove a dagger into an orc’s face and then moved on to slay a second with a single thrust of his sword.
Lepkin used his leg to push the corpse from his sword. His left hand reached down and pulled the dead orc’s axe from its hand and raised it up just in time to block a strike from his left. He brought his sword back in quickly, smashing it into the orc’s armor, but it had little effect other than to cause a great vibration in his arm as steel collided against steel.
The orc came in with a left handed uppercut, but Lepkin spun away. The orc pressed the fight, running forward and swinging his axe in a sidelong chop. Lepkin ducked quickly and brought the axe in his left hand down at an angle against the orc’s knee. A horrendous crrrack resounded from the orc’s leg as the joint bent inward and the axe lodged itself inside. Lepkin brought his sword up and over his head, deflecting the orc’s attack, then he stood and barreled his spiked shoulder up and into the orc’s chest. The Telarian steel proved much stronger than the orc’s armor. The spike pierced through, screeching and squealing as it pierced through the metal and found the flesh underneath. The orc grunted, and his limbs went weak.
Suddenly carrying several hundred pounds of dead orc, Lepkin was forced to fight awkwardly as another orc charged in before Lepkin could disengage himself. Lepkin wheeled around, presenting the dead corpse pinned to his shoulder as a shield. The charging orc was repelled as his own spear glanced off his fallen comrade. Then Lepkin pushed forward, driving his feet and using the corpse to bumrush the attacker. They all fell to the ground, but Lepkin pulled his legs in for momentum and swung from his waist, effectively rolling into a sideways somersault that at once disengaged his pauldron from the corpse and placed him within striking distance of the attacker’s throat. He drew his sword across the orc’s neck and ended his life.
A sword-wielding orc was already upon him, bringing his sword down in a massive chop. Aelron barreled into the warrior before the sword ever connected with Lepkin and the two flew off to land several feet away from Lepkin. A moment later a dagger ceased that orc’s shouts and all twelve were dead. Master Lepkin rose to his feet and saw the mound of corpses around them.
“Grab the map,” Lepkin said.
Eriem seized the parchment and stuffed it through the narrow opening at his neck to rest behind his chest plate. “We should move,” he said.
Lepkin turned around to see massive stones raining from the sky. Upon impact, dirt and orcs were thrown for yards around each stone. The shrieks and shouts of those caught by the hulking missiles were nearly drowned out by the quaking thawump as each stone crashed down.
“Look there,” Aelron said as he pointed up to the north.
Lepkin turned just in time to see the captain fall from his goarg. The beast had several arrows in it as well, but it showed no signs of slowing as it charged directly toward the three. Lepkin and the others quickstepped out of the way just seconds before the goarg growled and galloped through where they had just been standing. Its hooves tore up dirt and clods of grass as it ran on. The captain’s corpse was stuck with its foot caught in the stirrup. Two arrows protruded from the small space between the helmet and hauberk and blood dripped from the captain’s neck, painting a semi-solid red line in the dirt.
“She hit the artery,” Eriem said.
Lepkin nodded. “Let’s circle back.
The three of them ran around the other side of the brambles as fast as their armor would allow. Lady Arkyn and Virgil killed three more orcs
that came at them after the captain fell, then they hacked their way through the briars and out to meet Lepkin and the others.
“Come on, we need to go,” Lepkin shouted.
A group of nearly thirty angry orcs tore through the brambles after them. The five of them sprinted in a north-easterly direction. They were too far out for the catapults, so they didn’t have to worry about inadvertently being crushed by friendly fire, but that also meant they would need to handle the orcs on their own.
Lady Arkyn strung an arrow and in a single moment turned back to fire without losing step as she sprinted. The arrow flew straight and true, sinking through the slit in an orc’s visor and dropping the orc instantly. A couple orcs that were too slow to evade the obstacle tripped on the corpse, but she knew that wouldn’t stop them.
“We won’t be able to outrun them forever,” Lady Arkyn said. “They’ll catch us by the ravine.”
Lepkin knew she was right. “Keep using your arrows,” Lepkin ordered. “Take down a few more and then we’ll turn on them.” Lady Arkyn broke off toward the west. “That isn’t what I meant!”
“Keep going!” Lady Arkyn shouted.
The majority of the group continued on after Lepkin and the others. Lady Arkyn fired two arrows, slaying two orcs that were after her. She quickly set another arrow to her bowstring and stood her ground. An arrow through the neck killed a third. Four more sprinted toward her. She strung another arrow. They were thirty yards away. The arrow pierced through another orc’s armor. The three remaining orcs were now twenty yards away as she fired another arrow. This one caught a lightly armored orc in the groin. It wasn’t an instant kill, but it did take him out of the fight. She fired another arrow as the last two were ten yards away. The arrow sunk into an orc’s skull.
She pulled another arrow as the last orc closed in. He raised a heavy sword over his right shoulder. Lady Arkyn had no armor. If she took a blow from that sword it would be the end. Her arm brought the arrow out of the quiver and over her shoulder. There was no time to string it. The orc was already swinging.
Return of the Dragon (The Dragon's Champion Book 6) Page 10