Life

by Rosie Scott

  Tilda's correspondence was expected in early-429, which meant that the ships we'd sent back to Eteri from Olympia were probably preparing for their return trip. If Tilda was going to order the Sentinels to abandon us after Hallmar, the letter on its way to us right now held that message. To make matters worse, we expected to take Hallmar by the end of the year, so Tilda's demand could be followed immediately upon its receipt. It was possible that I'd spent the last five years of the war preparing for this campaign and fighting to claim land that would soon belong to my enemy.

  There were so many concerns I had about the war floating around my head that I barely batted an eye when one of them came true three short weeks after leaving Griswald. Our army had left the Quakes behind us, though they still were visible to the northeast. We were headed northwest, where Hallmar was on the plains just below the northern coast of Hammerton. The city sat just east of the Chairel border. Bjorn had once joked about this to me when I was a little girl. He'd said that Hallmar was so hungry for land its buildings spread over the plains as if they were breeding, but they all were in a line along the Chairel border since the dwarves didn't wish to be taxed for using land that wasn't theirs.

  For now, Hallmar was still out of sight, but our army was headed north. When Azazel informed us that we had company coming from the west, we halted our men and waited.

  Coming directly from the Chairel border was a mob of silver and blue that glinted in the early morning sunlight. As it slowly neared, I saw hints of green as well. Even before I saw the soldiers clearly, I already recognized their armor.

  Chairel had sent an army of Celds. As the military neared, I was shocked by its size. Celendar was notoriously anti-war, so I figured that when we finally came to face them, their army would be minuscule. It was not nearly the size of our own, for our force was made up of multiple armies meant to invade, while theirs was merely intended as support. It nevertheless posed a significant threat, for not only was it intimidating in its size, but it was also varied.

  At the forefront of the army were the Knights of Celendar. They rode on white horses which were clad in silver and blue armor as prestigious and heavy as their own, granting rider and mount with extra protection against both weapons and magic. There were hundreds of knights alone. Trailing behind them were thousands upon thousands of archers and mages in separated units, each one led by a general. All of these men and women were clad in silver and green.

  The ways of the Celds were often a mystery to most. They were the only race on Arrayis to know Old Elvish, which was a language they claimed they could use to communicate with both plants and animals. Many believed this was mere superstition. Some people in Chairel even thought the speech was simply an ancient form of our modern day magical tongue. I remembered overhearing Sirius complain that it was the Celdic way to keep particular magical knowledge to themselves and out of Chairel's hands. It was an ironic complaint, to be sure, but he'd had his reasons for it. Only the Celds knew earth spells which could aid plant-life, and they stubbornly refused to share this knowledge with Chairel. Remembering our fight with the goddess Nirit in the Silvi rainforest made me ponder whether the Celds could also control plants much like I could use charm to turn the loyalties of animals.

  Lastly, the Celdic elves were the most private race on Arrayis. They preferred to stay in their forest while keeping all non-Celds out of it. Chairel had very little knowledge of the Celdic government or lifestyle even though Celendar was within its territory. Although I'd befriended and formed a romantic relationship with Silas as a young adult, he'd kept most things about the ways of his home city private. Traders and diplomats were vetted thoroughly each time they entered, even if they were well-known and trusted. In a way, the Celds lived similarly to the Icilic in that they were isolated and distrusting of others. The only differences between the two seemed to be that although Celendar was run with the ideals of privacy and strict law and order, its populace held no hatred for racial impurities.

  The mystery of the Celds was at the forefront of my mind as the army finally moved so close to us their marching shook the land. Usually, I could use my knowledge to help me size up a foe or know what to expect in battle. While I knew more about the Celds than most due to my history with them, much about their skills and culture was unknown to me. Still, I refused to feel intimidated.

  The Celdic Army came to a stop a short distance from our own, piling up in waves of silver behind the Knights of Celendar. At the front and center of the knights, their leader raised a hand, encouraging the army behind him to be still and quiet.

  They said nothing yet. The Seran Renegades and the Sentinels all stepped forward. Though Altan prepared to address our new contenders, I grabbed his arm and said, “Let me handle this.”

  I stepped to the forefront of our group of leaders. I felt thousands of Celdic eyes on me as I shouted, “Take your men and leave. Seek the safety of your forest. This way offers you nothing but death.”

  The knight at the front of the army tilted his head, before he reached up, pulling his helmet off. His eyes were a piercing blue, and though he appeared to be in his late twenties, he gave off the confident aura of one much older. Along with that, however, I sensed intense anger. My eyes were on his hair, which hung over his forehead in a distantly familiar shade of sienna.

  “This way offers redemption,” he said to the contrary, his tone firm and intimidating. The hand he'd left on his reins moved up, and he tapped once on an emblem that adorned the armor over his heart.

  My stomach clenched when I realized what it was. It had been so many years since I'd last seen the Galan family emblem. With the goddess Aleyah's words to me swirling through my head, I replied, “You are Firth Galan, brother of Silas. I understand your family has been discredited by their association with me. But I plead with you, retreat back to Celendar. Open battle with my army will only result in death.”

  “You have no idea of the ramifications of your actions, do you?” Firth retorted, his perfect skin creased between his eyebrows. “My family has not only been discredited, it has been banished! Our orders are to kill you and the necromancer or not come back at all. Your pleas for our retreat mean nothing. If you and the necromancer do not die here today, we have no home. No future.”

  “I will soon rule Chairel,” I replied evenly. “I offer the Galan family relocation and shelter anywhere in my domain. If Celendar will not have you, I offer you a place with me.”

  “We do not want a place with you!” Firth shouted, causing his horse's ears to flick back nervously. “You have no domain!”

  “Do not be daft, Firth. Look at the size of the army behind me. We will slaughter you, and then we will move forth to Hallmar and beyond. Chairel will be mine within the decade. It will be my domain. I will destroy your army if I have to, but I am offering you mercy. Celendar does not want war. You cannot want war. Retreat and be safe.”

  “How dare you lecture us about war when war is what you are waging!” Firth growled.

  “I started this war, Firth, and I have every intention of finishing it. You are merely a distraction. I want no quarrel with you. I want no quarrel with Celendar. I simply understand our differences. I offer you peace because that is what Celendar wants. I'm willing to comply. Celendar is only Chairel's puppet in this war. You and I both know that. Retreat today, and when I am queen, I will recognize Celendar as an independent state. You will be free to live in peace in your forest.”

  Firth's nostrils flared, and he took a few deep breaths before he said, “Have you not heard a word I've said? My family no longer holds any power. We have been banished. Unless we go home with the heads of Kai Sera and Cerin Heliot, the Galan family is no longer a part of Celendar. Your plans for Celendar are surprising, but there is nothing I can do with them.”

  “Then, again, I offer you shelter.”

  “The very idea of taking shelter with necromancers makes me sick,” Firth replied, before leaning over to spit on the ground as if keeping the curse o
f the word itself away from him. “I tire of words.” His striking blue eyes moved over my head to the others behind me. “Which one of you is the necromancer?”

  I turned around to the others. I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Those of you who are necromancers, step forward!”

  The ground trembled when the soldiers followed my request. Our army consisted of one hundred and thirty thousand men, and around thirty thousand of those were necromancers. Most of them were Alderi, but many Vhiri as well as a few humans from my own ragtag army followed the order.

  I turned back around to face Firth. “They are all necromancers. Take your pick.”

  The general's nostrils flared again as he stared over the masses in silence. He finally glanced behind him and yelled, “Silas! Come forward!”

  I swallowed hard, waiting to see my ex-lover for the first time in years. I'd figured he was here, ever since Firth first admitted that their entire family was banished. Still, when the archers and mages parted to let him through and his green eyes found mine, an ache fluttered through my heart.

  Silas hadn't aged a day save for the bags beneath his eyes which spoke of stress and turmoil. The beautiful pearly white bow he'd always carried was slung over a shoulder. As Silas came to stand behind his brother, I found myself looking at his hands. He had comforted me with them at one time. I remembered his constant concern of me over-exerting myself back when we'd thought my magic use was killing me.

  Our last time in Sera together was full of mistakes and regrets. In his desire to protect me, Silas had made decisions which led to Cerin's capture and planned execution. Working to get Cerin out of the dungeon had led to Bjorn's death and Sera's massacre, and thus the outbreak of the war. In a way, all of this had happened as a direct result of his decisions. I had the feeling when I looked into his lost and troubled eyes that he not only knew this, but that it was killing him. Silas had tried to make only the best decisions, but the home city he had such a fondness for had abandoned him anyway. Every fear he'd ever expressed about his family being affected by his decision to stay with me as long as he did had come true.

  “The necromancer, Silas,” Firth said. “Point him out to me.”

  Silas's eyes were still on mine for the moment, saddened and withdrawn. Then they moved over to where Cerin stood behind me.

  “You do not need Silas to point me out,” Cerin announced, before stepping forward to be beside me. “I'm standing right here. I'm the one you want. If you'd had the decency to call me by my name, I would have made myself known.”

  “And your name...?” Firth prodded.

  “Cerin Heliot.”

  “You.” Firth pointed past us to the rest of the Renegades and Sentinels. “Generals of Eteri?”

  “Most of us, yep,” Altan replied.

  “I only offer this once,” Firth said carefully. “Our only concern is with Kai and Cerin. Chairel has other armies concerned with fighting you in Hammerton and overseas, but right now, these two are the ones we want. Step away from this fight. Save yourself the casualties. I will not bat an eye if your armies continue from here to take Hallmar. Between you and I, I have no loyalties to Chairel or Hammerton. Only to Celendar and my family. Leave us Kai and Cerin and be about your way in peace.”

  “Ha! No,” Altan answered quickly.

  A nerve above Firth's eyebrow twitched. “This is a most unwise decision.”

  Altan burst into laughter. “Is it? Are you blind? Look at our army, and then look at yours! It's laughable you even have the gall to demand anything from us! You should be running home to your precious forest, friend, because if you pick a fight with us, you're not gonna be seeing tomorrow.”

  “The arrogance of the Vhiri is not understated, I see,” Firth commented.

  “I don't need arrogance when I got soldiers, friend,” Altan retorted. “But I got plenty of both.”

  “Brother.” A Celdic woman clad in silver and green rushed forward from the ranks. A Galan emblem shone over her heart. “This is suicide.”

  “So it may be, Chameli,” Firth replied. “What would you have me do? Retreat like a coward? Go back to Celendar and tell them we found Kai Sera on the field and turned back around? We would be the laughingstock of the city.”

  “We are already shamed. We have already been banished. But at least we are alive, brother.” Chameli's bright green eyes found mine before they looked away in fear. “You've heard the rumors as much as I. Kai Sera is unstoppable.”

  “Such a thing does not exist, sister. Fall back in line.” Firth glared back at me as his sister followed his command. “If I fall in battle today, I will die for a cause. I fight for the redemption of my family, and I fight to hinder the spread of necromancy.”

  “You may fight to prevent necromancy, Firth,” I began, “but you will succumb to it and become a part of it. Every soldier you lose today will become my own.”

  As Firth came to understand my meaning, his eyes dilated with rage. “Prepare to charge!” He screamed, grabbing his helmet and putting it back on his head. Behind me, the Sentinels yelled orders to their own armies. I heard Calder shout out to his beastmen to transform, and as the screams of their transformations rang out into the air, the horses belonging to the knights before us started to snort with anxiety. Uriel gave the directive to his army to protect Calder's as they were vulnerable.

  I generated a life shield for myself, and Cerin did the same beside me. We then quickly shielded the other Renegades. Even though we hurried to brace ourselves, the Knights of Celendar charged first, and they were faster than we were.

  Cerin had been preparing to raise the dead, but he was targeted as much as I was. The thick plate of a horse's chest armor bashed into the white magic of his shield, and he was thrown back, disappearing into the crowd of soldiers beyond. I barely had time to worry about him before another horse collided with me, sending me skidding back across the grass until my boots lost their grip. I hit the ground on my back, and the knight who'd rammed me jerked his horse's reins and kicked it into pursuit.

  Alliv material in masse. Cream-colored alteration magic hovered above my palm as I watched the horse gallop toward me. The animal was wholly protected on all sides from heavy steel armor, but its underbelly was vulnerable. As it neared, I thrust the magic out to its gut.

  It hit the animal's stomach exactly as I'd planned. The horse itself was suddenly a fraction of its former weight. The immense weight of its armor and that of the knight on its back was now far too much for its lighter body to handle. The horse collapsed beneath its own protection, its barrel belly exploding from the pressure put on its rib cage as it fell over newly shattered legs. Because it had been in the midst of a gallop, the dying animal slid over the grass from its momentum, leaving a streak of blood and trailing intestines. The knight on its back hurried to stand up when it stopped, only to find one ankle had been broken in the abrupt fall. He held both hands over the break, and life magic soon spread over his armor.

  I hurried to stand, shooting death bombs into the Celdic cavalry. One of the horses was hit with the black magic, slowing as the energy slid into the vulnerabilities of its armor and seeped away its life. As it died it abruptly stopped its charge, and the knight on its back flew over its head, dying in mid-air from the remnants of the spell. The fog imploded back into my chest, and every sense became sharper with a new high.

  Black tendrils raced through the area as Calder came to my defense, newly transformed. The crushed horse rose again, most of its organs slopping out of its broken belly through flaps of skin as it stood on legs only held together by dark magic. Its rider still sat on its back trying to heal his ankle, but he lost his balance as the undead animal reared. The knight fell to the ground beside the pile of equine gore, screaming as his disemboweled mount used its hooves to trample him.

  Calder shot two enervat spells into the crowds, screeching ecstatically when he was overwhelmed with power. He crouched to the grass on all fours, his silver-blue tail twitching as he tr
acked the nearest horse. As it neared, he launched himself at it, all of his talons facing forward as the horse screamed in fear. As the horse skidded to a stop to try to avoid him, the lizard-kin clashed straight into the knight on its back. Man and beastman tumbled to the ground together, and as Calder's limbs were a blur of color in the air with a frenzied attack, the lone horse fled from battle.

  “Cerin! Get outta the way, ya dolt!” Maggie's shout pulled my attention to the south, where multiple knights were after my lover as he regenerated his shield. As he hurried back to leave room for Maggie, he shot a death bomb at two of the charging horses. Even though both of them fell, more were galloping near.

  Maggie stood taller than many of the knights even when they were mounted, so as she rushed forward with her hammer, many of the horses grew fearful. The engineer grabbed her war hammer with both hands near the end of its handle, abruptly stopping just yards away from the charging horses and throwing herself into a spin. With the sound of rapidly swirling blunt steel, the long weapon crashed into the chest armor of two different horses. One of them abruptly fell dead from a stopped heart, and the other collapsed beneath its rider, injured and disoriented but still alive.

  Another knight charged at Cerin, deliberately choosing to do so on the opposite side from Maggie. Cerin was immensely powerful, but the Knights of Celendar favored longswords. Because they were mounted, they liked using momentum to swing the large weapons through foes on the ground. Throughout the frontlines of our army, Vhiri and Alderi soldiers were being cut down left and right by this method, and in many cases, the hits were so strong that bodies fell to the ground in severed pieces.