Thaddeus and his group had almost made their way to the southern gate leading into Lasticall. It had taken them less than an hour, but the terrain was very rugged and slowed them down considerably.
“It should not be much further to the southern gate, just over this hill,” Thaddeus said as he dug his feet in the loose earth, almost reaching the top of the hill that separated him and his small group from Lasticall.
Caleb had already made it to the top, for deer are very good at climbing hills. River was trailing closely behind Thaddeus. After a few more moments, the trio was finally on the downhill slope, making much better time than they had on their way up.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“I do not know what is making the ground shake like it is, but I do not like it,” River said as she stopped dead in her tracks.
“Nor do I,” said Thaddeus.
“Should I go ahead and take a look?” asked Caleb.
“Yes, but be careful. Stay out of sight,” said the King.
Caleb jumped high into the air, transforming into a small brown hawk. He soared off toward the direction of the earth shattering sounds. Gliding just below the clouds, Caleb had an excellent view of the forest. It was a very old forest with ancient trees populating the landscape. The wildlife thrived in this area of Calencia. He noticed trees and plants that he had never laid eyes upon before. These were the most beautiful woodlands he had ever seen. He soared graciously toward Lasticall, letting the steady wind do most of the work. The city was surrounded by a thirty foot high stone wall. If this gate is closed, the only other way into the city would be to fly over it, Caleb thought.
As he came closer to the city he finally saw what all of the commotion was about. Just outside of the city’s wall was an angry mob of the Breathless and a gigantic creature that was tearing away at the stone barrier surrounding the city. Engeniums were lined along the top of the stone structure and were raining down arrows upon the attackers. Many of the Breathless were falling, but the small wooden arrows seemed to have no effect on the large creature whose only goal was to tear down the wall and let Hasbarie's dark forces enter the kingdom. Caleb quickly turned and made his way back to Thaddeus and River. He dove to the ground where Thaddeus stood, taking his human form again as he touched down.
“Thaddeus,” he said with urgency in his voice. “Lasticall is under attack! Hundreds of the Breathless, and a large beast are at the southern gate. We must go now!”
Thaddeus tore off into the forest. It was only a few minutes until Thaddeus and his group had arrived at the southern gate . Just as they came close enough to witness the attempted siege of Lasticall, the Woggen tore down a large section of wall. Thaddeus and his group were standing behind Hasbarie's forces, unnoticed. The rest of the wall came crumbling down as the Woggen let out a deafening roar that carried throughout the kingdom.
“The Battle of Jericho2,” Caleb said softly.
“What?” asked Thaddeus.
“Nothing. What shall be our course of action?” asked Caleb.
“We fight,” Thaddeus said sternly, as he drew his axe.
“Where should we focus our attack?” asked River.
“We must bring down the giant beast. The city will not be safe until it falls,” said the King as he stared at the Woggen, which was now tearing down the rest of the wall so the Breathless could enter the city.
For blessed sake, thought Thaddeus, what type of creature is this?
Just as the last of the wall came down, the Breathless attempted to enter the city but were driven back by the Army of Lasticall. The Engeniums came pouring out of the city, swords and bows in hand. Azonis, Rasmere, and Koste were leading the attack. Azonis and Koste began to cut their way through the creatures, clearing a path for the rest of the army to advance. Rasmere stood atop a pile of rubble, firing the Bow of Elmidas at an unbelievable speed, each shot driving through the decomposed head of its desired target.
Thaddeus and his trio stood still for a moment watching the events unfold before their eyes. The magnitude of Hasbarie’s attack became clear to Thaddeus. It is war.
Azonis and Koste were fighting back to back, as they were surrounded by what seemed to be a never ending onslaught of attackers. Black blood flew through the air with each strike of their golden swords. The fronts of their shields were no longer golden, but black with the blood of their enemies who had gotten too close to the two Engeniums and were met unwelcomingly by devastating bashes of their shields. Rasmere did not take his eyes off of the Sestian. It seemed every second that passed, another of the Breathless fell silent by his bow.
The army was now amongst the chaos. Their ranks were being scattered by the numerous foes and the large Woggen, who was now rushing through the Engenium warriors. The Woggen would lower his head and charge like a bull taunted by a red cape, killing friend and foe alike.
“Let's move,” said Thaddeus as he stormed off to join the fight.
River was right at his side. This came as a surprise to Thaddeus. River did not hesitate. She showed no signs of fear. She was prepared for war. Caleb turned back into the purple panther and tore past Thaddeus and River. He lunged into the air and came down on the back of an unsuspecting enemy, tearing at its throat. Thaddeus cleaved his way through a wall of Breathless with his axe. He was cutting down his foes like a farmer with a sickle, cutting away the overgrown earth to prepare a new plot of food.
River was positioned at the end of the bridge unleashing fire bolts into the horde. An exorbitant group of the Breathless turned and began stampeding toward her. She lowered her staff and touched it to the ground at the end of the bridge as she muttered an incantation. The charging creatures came within feet of her, but that was as close as they got. When their feet touched the earth near her, a large hand constructed of rock and dirt came from the ground and swatted the attackers, sending them flying into the ravine. Black blood spewed through the air, covering River in the rotten stench. The hand disappeared and she, once again, began to set the non- living creatures ablaze.
The King of Galdarath finally fought his way to the Sestian of Lasticall’s side.
“Looks as if you could use a hand, old friend,” said Thaddeus as he sank the blade of his axe into the head of one of the creatures who was about to attack Azonis from behind.
“Thaddeus, what are you doing here?” asked Azonis as he plunged his blade deep into the heart of another creature.
“No need for pleasantries. A simple thank you will suffice,” the King said, swinging his axe violently as another wave of attackers fell upon them.
Thaddeus, Azonis, and Koste worked together like a well-oiled machine. With the arrival of the King and his companions, the tide of the battle began to turn. River had made her way across the bridge, and Caleb was wreaking havoc as a large eagle, grabbing and dropping the Breathless into the ravine. The numbers of the Engenium soldiers had been greatly reduced by the Breathless and the rampaging Woggen, who had still not come close to Thaddeus.
Rasmere had fired well over two hundred arrows without missing a target, saving Azonis numerous times. The Breathless had encircled Rasmere, forcing him to draw his golden sword. He was a splendor to behold. The Sword fought with a skill and grace unbeknownst to many. He did not fight frantically; his strikes were calm and calculated. His preferred method of hand to hand combat was counter attacking. As the Breathless made their looping swings at him, he would duck or dodge the attack and return a deadly strike of his own. Dispatching of the Breathless came effortlessly to him.
The Woggen had grown weary of toying with the heroes. He let out another loud screech. At once, the remainder of the Breathless became still. The surviving Engenium warriors quickly cut them down. The only participants that remained in the battle were a handful of soldiers, Rasmere, Thaddeus, Azonis, Koste, Caleb, River, and the blood thirsty Woggen.
Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel Page 38