“Can you hit them from here?” he quietly asked Sayana, crouched down in the snow next to him.
“Yes,” she assured him. “The blast will be huge, so it’s good that we’ve stayed back.”
“I'm moving into position now,” Pacian said to Aiden as he crept past. “As soon as you've created your diversion, I'll go in and make sure those engines never work again.”
“I won't disappoint you,” Sayana told him just before he disappeared into the bushes.
“Do your boys have the horses ready?” Aiden asked Sergeant Evans. “Your experience is going to count for a lot in this fight.”
“They’re saddled up and ready to charge,” he answered, then looked to the princess. “We’ll do our utmost not to disappoint you, Your Highness.”
“Shall I ask for the favour of God to be bestowed upon us now?” Nellise asked, drawing a faint smile from Aiden.
“I can't think of a situation where I wouldn't want God on my side, to be honest,” he responded, then looked to Colt.
The ranger signalled back, his longbow at the ready. Aiden nodded to Sayana, who raised herself up on one knee and began a rhythmic movement with her arms.
Seconds later a torrent of fire materialised and blasted towards the siege engines. It struck the barrels sitting next to the trebuchet which detonated with incredible force. The bodies of engineers and mercenaries were sent flying through the air.
Other barrels of pitch, stacked neatly between the two engines, ignited with a flourish, sending a plume of fire thirty feet into the air. The suddenness of the strike sent the mercenaries into disarray. The few horses they had tethered nearby in the darkness pulled free of their ropes and bolted into the night.
It was a perfectly executed opening move, but their advantage wasn't going to last long. Even now, the officers of the Steel Tigers were shouting orders to control the flames. A dozen mercenaries led by a brash and loud sergeant formed up and moved the towards Aiden's position.
“This is probably the time, then,” Aiden muttered to himself, pulling out the last scroll he had left over from the deceased wizard's collection. By the light of the nearby flaming pitch, he quickly read through the incantation before intoning the words aloud, releasing the energies stored many decades before.
A brief tingling sensation covered his body as the scroll disintegrated in his hands. Aiden looked ahead and saw the mercenaries seemed to slow in their advance. But it wasn't them, as such - the incantation altered the flow of time around him, giving his allies a brief advantage over their adversaries.
“Here they come,” he said grimly, drawing his sword from its sheath and speaking the word that would bring his force shield into being. All tiredness and doubt had fled from his mind and body. To his right, Sayana stood with her ancient dwarven axe in both hands, her clothing faintly glowing with protective magicks. When the mercenaries were in close enough, Aiden gave the signal to charge forward and fight.
“Aielund forever!” Criosa called in challenge to the mercenaries, as the men of the Kingdom Guard thundered past on their horses. They crashed through the enemy line, knocking down and trampling those unfortunate enough to get in the way.
With his incantation speeding them up, Colt, Nellise and Sergeant Evans sent an impressive barrage of arrows into the scattered ranks of the mercenaries. The mounted soldiers kept moving, sweeping around to make another pass at the enemy infantry.
Their diversion had worked, for the second trebuchet had its ropes cut, and the fires were slowly making their way toward it, thanks to a trail of pitch poured across the ground by Pacian. The remaining engineers were in disarray, trying to put out the fires and save the trebuchets from total destruction. Aiden glanced to his right and noticed Sayana was looking around with a perplexed expression on her face.
“I could have sworn I heard something moving around,” she said nervously.
“You don't think it's that dragon, do you?” Aiden asked hesitantly. Before she could answer, she was bowled into the snow by an unknown assailant. Sayana screamed in pain, for the shadowy figure had stabbed her with a dagger at the same time, and the two of them wrestled on the ground for their lives.
Aiden couldn't help her, tangled up and rolling around as they were, but a moment later, flames erupted from her position, engulfing the mercenary agent and forcing what appeared to be a short, athletic woman, back into the snow.
Three more of these agents came out of hiding and struck at Aiden and Sayana, using clever flanking tactics to disorient and take advantage of gaps in their defences. Aiden was struck from behind, leaving his back searing with pain from a laceration. When he whirled around to strike back, he was hit on the back of his leg from some other assailant.
Sayana didn't waste any time - with one swing of her axe she leaped forward to cut down the stealthy warrior. Aiden was about to move to support her exposed flank, when he was hit on the side of the head by the hilt of a weapon. He staggered to one side, trying to pull back from the unknown assailant.
Shaking his head to clear it he noticed that Pacian had emerged from the undergrowth to aid them, stabbing and slashing at the agents with fury and precision.
A flash of light suddenly caught Aiden’s attention and he risked a quick look. What he saw was a robed woman with lightning flaring from her fingertips, sending electricity arcing along the armoured men of the militia, shocking them and dropping them to the ground.
“Nel, wizard!” Aiden called, to which she responded with a quick nod, and pulled the crystal out of her belt pouch. It was however, too late to prevent the robed woman from conjuring chunks of snow and ice from the ground, which hovered before her. The pieces spun around, ice chips flying off them until the points became sharp and then darted at Nellise.
Her breastplate protected her a little but the rest of her body bore the brunt of the icy blast tearing through her leathers. She stumbled from the onslaught, blood oozing from a number of tiny wounds. Nellise still had the crystal raised in one hand and this time, as the wizard attempted to unleash another assault it failed, drawing a string of curses from the woman.
Aiden wanted nothing more than to charge the mercenary wizard at that moment, easily the most dangerous combatant on the field, but the way was blocked by a wall of warriors. The Kingdom Guard were doing their best but they were sorely outnumbered.
“You got this?” Aiden asked Pacian, who was busy fighting alongside Sayana against the remaining mercenary agents.
“Go!” Pace cried, smashing his opponent across the face with the hilt of a dagger, then bringing his knee up hard and fast to shatter her nose.
Sergeant Evans had overheard the brief exchange and with his supply of arrows depleted, drew a heavy mace and ran forward to join his men on the front line. Aiden followed close behind, and the two of them charged into the mercenary ranks.
The battle surged around him and Aiden couldn't tell if they were winning or losing. Half of their cavalry had fallen, but a large number of mercenaries had been dropped as well. Aiden slashed at his foes and used his invisible shield to block their attacks, all the while making sure he wasn’t too far from the sergeant. He was keenly aware of his lack of armour so kept his focus on aiding the efforts of his allies.
A crackle of lightning suddenly surged through the fight, catching Aiden as well. His muscles were wracked with pain for a long moment, and he barely kept control of his body.
“She's too strong,” Nellise called with exasperation from nearby, her prayers faltering as the wizard found a way past her protective influence.
“Sarge, get her,” Aiden gasped, struggling to keep up the fight.
“There's too many of them to break through,” Evans snarled as he bashed a mercenary’s head in. Suddenly, a blast of fire shot through the air and engulfed the wizard who was evidently not invulnerable to its effects. Her charred body was blasted through the air, leaving a trail of flame and smoke.
Aiden let out a cry of triumph, but then held his breath
as Sayana staggered to one side and fell unmoving into the snow. He was about to go to her aid when the ominous sound of hooves pounding the ground could be heard, growing louder with each passing moment. Turning toward the noise, his heart almost stopped when he saw Robert Black astride a massive stallion, finally joining the battle.
The remaining mercenary warriors pulled back and the warhorse ploughed through the three militiamen, crushing two of them to death while Robert swung a massive ball-and-chain, sundering Sergeant Evan's shield and leaving him broken on the ground.
The commander's weapon struck Pacian on the shoulder as he rode by, and it was only his reflexes that prevented him from sustaining a mortal injury. Two arrows flew past them in quick succession striking the last remaining mercenary in the chest, leaving only the unstoppable visage of Robert Black to deal with.
The stallion turned and charged for their position once more and Aiden didn't know how to deal with it. Exhaustion was catching up with him, slowing his mind and body, while facing the premier military power of their time – the mounted warrior. He stood, watching the advance of the warhorse as if in a dream when he was suddenly pushed to the ground from behind, to land in the snow a few feet away.
Looking up, he saw that it was Colt who had shoved him aside as he charged past and swung his sword at the saddle, severing the straps that held it on the horse's back and throwing Robert into the snow. The horse, wounded from the strike, bolted into the night while the armoured form of the mercenary commander rose ominously to his feet, discarding his ball-and-chain in favour of a longsword and shield he drew from over his shoulders.
“You?” he roared, looking directly at Aiden, Colt and the others from behind his visored helm. “We’re fighting a bunch of civilians and a disgraced ranger? And here’s me, thinking I was in trouble.”
“Oh, I got plenty of that for you, right here,” Colt shouted back, stepping forward to engage the commander directly. The sound of his greatsword clashing against the mercenary’s shield was deafening. Black smacked aside the greatsword and brought his heavy blade across, slashing the big ranger's chest, cutting through leather and the flesh beneath.
Colt recovered and attacked again, but this time with more caution. Their weapons weren't subtle - each swing had the potential to take off a limb if they weren't fast enough to get out of the way. The commander continued to use his armour and shield to deflect the greatsword's sweeping arc.
“We need to get in there and help,” Aiden whispered to Nellise, who was bent over trying to catch her breath after the intense fighting.
“You and Pace can do that, I need to check on the wounded,” she whispered, slowly making her way over to Sayana's last position. Pacian was in the snow nearby, on his knees, struggling to get back on his feet. Aiden could see he was just about done for.
Turning back to the duel taking place before him, Aiden could see that his fears were well-founded, as Commander Black hadn't really slowed down at all, but the big ranger had taken some brutal hits and was fighting defensively. If Aiden didn't get back in there, Colt was finished.
He suddenly recalled the enchanted sceptre, and although it was heavily damaged, it might be good for one more blast. He aimed it at Black and waited for an opportunity. Colt was pushed backwards after parrying a heavy blow from his opponent, and Aiden saw his chance.
He spoke the command word – and nothing happened. Spitting out a curse, Aiden tossed it aside and moved forward to assist. He crept around behind the mercenary, hoping to keep Black distracted.
Moving as quickly and quietly as he could manage, Aiden moved within range of his opponent, and, spying a place on his armour where the steel plating separated, stabbed with all of his remaining strength.
The blade struck true, driving into Black’s left thigh and staggering the surprised warrior enough for Colt to strike the helm with his greatsword. The blow caused Black to faulter, but he still had the presence of mind to spin with the blow and swing his sword at Aiden.
The force shield took the brunt of the impact, deflecting the sword above his body so that Aiden wasn't struck directly. What he didn't see coming was Robert's shield, which combined with a lunge to smash into Aiden’s side with all the weight of the heavily armoured man behind it.
Aiden felt his right arm break from the blow. His sword fell from his nerveless hand into the blood-tinged snow and he fell to his knees, screaming in pain from the shattered arm. Instinctively, he knew he was vulnerable to a follow-up attack from the mercenary. Turning his head to check, he was somewhat relieved to see Colt pressing the attack, keeping the man busy so he couldn't finish off what he'd started.
It had all been worth it, however, for the blows Aiden had struck slowed Black enough to give the big ranger a fighting chance. Colt grunted with each swing of his greatsword and fought as if he were trying to bash his way through his opponent’s heavy armour. It may have been protecting him from the deadly cuts the sword would have inflicted, but Aiden was sure Black was covered in bruises underneath.
Two successive hits against Colt quickly turned the tide of the fight however, and each swing of his sword was slower than the last. Black brought his weapon in high, but Colt managed to block it - a near-fatal mistake as his slowing reflexes couldn't bring any defence against Robert's shield. It smashed Colt in the face, dazing him momentarily and giving the mercenary commander an opening to drive his sword straight down into Colt's foot and through into the snow beneath.
Black withdrew the bloodied sword immediately as Colt roared in pain and fell. The mercenary paused to catch his breath, ambivalent to the screams of his fallen foe.
“Hell of a fight, mate,” Black said to Colt between breaths, “but you never really had a chance. Still, you've got my respect for almost ruining my whole plan.”
“Are you planning to talk me to death?” Colt snarled between clenched teeth.
“Nope, sword to the head,” Black replied evenly. “I just like to gloat a bit sometimes. Sorry to bore -” He was interrupted by a diminutive form who attempted to stab him from behind, having crept up close while he had been speaking to Colt. Black whirled around, sword first, but met only empty air as it passed over the top of the person crouching behind him. Aiden was astonished to see Princess Criosa, rapier in hand, attempting to fight the big mercenary.
“Criosa?” Robert asked, as startled as Aiden. “I don't believe it, you fools brought her along? This changes everything. I'll be able to salvage this entire situation and hold her for ransom.”
“You'll have to catch me first,” she replied defiantly. Robert set about doing just that, swinging his heavy blade around, side on, to try and subdue her. Criosa was extremely nimble however, and easily dodged the attack. She wasn’t alone. Sayana was again on her feet and pressing the attack and Aiden could see a shining breastplate moving in from another angle as Nellise re-joined the fight.
With Robert's injuries, Aiden figured the three young women might stand a chance. All he could do was hold his broken arm close and watch from a snow bank. As Nellise approached to strike at the mercenary with her staff, Robert's shield impacted her helmet and sent her falling back into the snow.
Sayana roared aloud, raising her axe high above her head then lunged at the mercenary, chopping with what strength she had left. The mithral axe held an edge sharper than any steel weapon, shearing through Black’s armour and severing the straps that held it in place, cutting deep into his arm.
The mercenary reflexively spun around to protect his vulnerable flank, dropping his shield in the process, for his wounded arm could no longer carry it. Sayana tried to follow through with another attack, but received an unexpected kick to the stomach that knocked her backwards. Criosa then stabbed at Robert's arm but left herself vulnerable to a backhand blow from Robert's armoured fist which sent her sprawling into the snow.
Robert was too busy to pursue her, for Nellise had regained her footing and pressed the attack. He met each swing of her staff with his blade.
Aiden couldn’t believe the man was still standing, let alone fighting.
Criosa steeled herself and stepped back into the fight, trying to poke her rapier through a gap in the joints of the plate armour, but Black kept moving around, making her task all the more difficult.
The princess finally made a mistake, dodging left when she should have gone right, and received an unexpected kick to her midriff which sprawled her out in the snow, winded. Nellise stood alone against the powerful mercenary, and appeared to have given up all hope of trying to take him down herself. She slowly backed away while keeping her guard up.
She had moved about three yards when Aiden noticed a small form descending from above. It was Sayana, silently floating down through the air with her axe raised above her head. Nellise looked up briefly, and whether or not it was intended, her reaction alerted Black to the presence of the threat. He whirled around at the last minute, but wasn’t prepared for what was coming. Sayana ceased her casual descent and dropped like a stone, bringing her axe down on his head with all of the force she had built up from the fall.
Only Robert’s honed reflexes prevented the axe from splitting him in two. It cleaved through the front of his head, destroying the helm gashing his face terribly. The devastating blow finally dropped the powerful man, who fell backward to the ground amongst his fallen comrades.
Aiden silently exulted in his friend’s victory and slowly picked himself up off the ground to make his way over. Sayana, Nellise and Criosa gathered around the grievously wounded mercenary, who was clutching at his wounded face.
“Yield or die!” Nellise declared, standing over him with her staff ready to strike, her chest heaving from the exertion of the fight. The mercenary didn’t respond at first, but Aiden couldn’t believe for a moment the man was still prepared to fight.
“I yield,” Black croaked, looking up at them out of his right eye, the left one having been destroyed by Sayana’s final stroke. “You’ve fought well for a bunch of untrained civilians. I’m pretty impressed actually, though the shame of my defeat to such people will haunt me for the rest of my days.”
Nature Abhors a Vacuum (The Aielund Saga Book 1) Page 35