by Jeff Sabean
“Their commander first,” Heishi quietly reminded Tiane, who simply grunted in reply.
The knights continued toward the roadblock slowly, watching the wood line for signs of attack. The ambushers remained hidden, awaiting the signal to unleash hell on the hated high elves.
Without warning, a red-haired woodland elf stepped into the center of the dirt road, her bow in hand and an arrow knocked.
“What is she doing?” Heishi whispered, his aggravation obvious. “It doesn’t matter. Stick to the plan. If she gets herself killed, that is her problem.”
As he finished speaking, Am’eria lifted her bow and pointed it at the riders. With a cry of “Kill them NOW!" She fired the arrow at the lead rider, which missed terribly, and then pulled her sword as a group of five knights rushed forward to engage her. She dodged the first lance aimed at her, but as she stepped to her left the next rider skewered her through the chest, letting her corpse drop to be trampled by the horses as he continued to ride toward the barrier.
“Do you see the one who directed those five into action? Take him,” Heishi directed his sniper. As he finished speaking, he heard the shot from beside him and watched as a fireball erupted where the knight commander’s head had been a moment before.
“Zatus?” he asked.
“Yup,” Tiane replied with a grin as he looked for another target.
“Very cool. Gotta get me some of those rounds.”
“Can’t have my rifle, Top,” came the expected reply as he took a second shot, which exploded into the chest of the knight beside the headless commander.
The first shot was the signal the elves had been waiting for, and a hundred arrows filled the air as the knights paused, startled by the gun shots. Although the woodland elves were deadly accurate with their bows, many of the arrows bounced off the well-crafted plate mail armor worn by their enemies. Recovering quickly from the surprise attack, the next in the chain of command called out to the knights to retreat, and those who remained alive thundered down the road toward the roadblock, shields lifted to block the constant rain of arrows.
When the first group reached the barrier, two more explosions rocked the road as Aki and Zatus detonated their claymore mines. Hundreds of metal ball bearings ripped through the score of warriors and their horses, instantly tearing them apart and further blocking the road. The knights behind them crashed into the carnage, attempting to recover but unable to regain their momentum amid the arrows raining down on them from both sides.
Those in the rear attempted to turn around, only to be confronted by Di’eslo, who grinned as he held out his shield and launched a web of glowing energy from his shield, tangling the riders and horses together. As they struggled to cut themselves loose from the webs, Ja’ade and Mialin stepped into the road on either side of Di’eslo and began hurling fireballs toward the remaining riders.
In less than a minute from start to finish, the entire group of elvish knights were decimated, and silence hung over the battlefield.
The Xyrstiina sisters walked casually down the center of the road, taking in the casualties and nodding in approval. When they reached Heishi’s position, he stepped out to speak with the ladies.
“Casualties?” he asked.
“Only the one who ran out at the onset. I knew I should not have brought her, but she insisted, and I did not have the time or patience to argue,” Ja’ade answered, looking over her shoulder to the single woodland elvish corpse in the road.
“Now what?” Mialin asked, staring at the other-worlder intently.
“Now we clear the road as quickly as possible. If we are lucky, another group will come out to investigate. There is no way they did not hear those explosions, but hopefully they were unable to pinpoint the origin and we can use this same ambush site more than once.”
Glancing around at the destruction skeptically, Ja’ade finally nodded in agreement and waived her warriors out to begin the cleanup process.
“This only works with small groups of enemies,” Tiane reminded the ambushers as they dragged bodies from the road and covered the pools of blood with fresh dirt. “If they send out a large army, we will lose our position here.”
“Yeah, I know,” Heishi replied irritably. “But it is the best defense for now until Fion comes up with something else. We have to keep them scared to come this direction.”
“Well, one thing is for sure,” Aki replied as he tossed a body into the bushes on the side of the road, “We sure did make the grass grow today.”
Chapter 17 – Bring Out Your Dragons
At noon that day, Heishi checked in with Fion, who was standing in front of his army on the Eastern side of the city, still waiting for Linnie to show herself.
“How many have you killed?” he asked the human, who appeared as a small hologram floating over the wrist communicator.
“We have ambushed two groups so far, leaving no survivors,” Heishi replied with a grin. “I would estimate casualties somewhere around five hundred, and most of their horses as well. We let some of those run wild after removing their saddles and gear.
“The second group was much more cautious than the first. I am not sure what they can see or hear from the city, but I have a feeling our trap will not work many more times. Hopefully you have something else in mind, because if they march the bulk of their army this way, they will trample us...”
“I am hoping to draw out their queen to make this end quickly. Hold that line as long as you can, then fall back and prepare for the second part of your assault plan.”
“Roger that.”
“Who is Roger?” Fion asked with a confused look on his face.
“He’s friends with that guy Will everyone wants to fire at. Uhh, never mind. It is just how we acknowledge that information has been received.”
“Roger that,” Fion replied dryly, then disconnected the communication.
“How do you plan on drawing out their army?” Dracorex asked from his left where the dragon remained in elf form, leaning casually against a tree.
“If they do not send someone out soon, I think it may be time for you to show yourself, my friend.”
Grinning wickedly, Dracorex nodded appreciatively before answering.
“I can draw them out, just say when.”
Staring intently at the city wall, Fion did not turn his head as he replied, “When.”
Dracorex straightened to stand up straight, then walked out into the light, continuing out in front of the army, walking casually as if he were out for a stroll. He stopped a dozen paces in front of Fion and could feel all the eyes of the city on him as he turned to smile at the shadow elf leader, awaiting confirmation that now as the proper time to reveal himself. When he received another nod, he turned back to the city and shrugged, loosening up the tension in his shoulders before removing the illusion.
Shadows swirled around him as he grew larger and larger, the illusion of an elf fading as his true form broke through. As he reached his full height, he lifted his head and roared as he stretched his wings out to their fullest. The ground shook with the power of the roar, and the shadows coming from his body seemed to soak up the afternoon sun.
“That ought to make something happen,” Fion muttered to himself as he stared at the dragon.
Almost immediately, the attackers heard a second roar, this one coming from the city. Fion watched intently as the sound of giant wings beating drifted across the field between where he stood and the wall. A large blue form lifted smoothly above the wall, and another roar echoed across the valley before it began moving toward where Dracorex stood waiting. As the shape got closer, he could see Gyrinth’s sapphire colored eyes glinting in the sun as they scanned the area, watching for a trap.
“He has no rider, go take him down,” Fion whispered to Dracorex, whose superior ears were listening for that exact command.
The shadow dragon beat his wings furiously, causing a rush of wind to whip debris toward the assembled army, then rushed forward to meet the i
ncoming attack. Gyrinth was larger than Dracorex, but he was also much slower. As the two closed on each other, the giant blue let loose its breath weapon, spewing lightning toward his opponent in an attempt to finish him quickly.
No novice to battle, the self-proclaimed Dragon King rolled to his right, avoiding the lightning and beating his wings to climb higher. He intentionally did not climb too quickly, and as the two came close together he reached out with his rear legs and slashed Gyrinth along the side of his head as he turned to follow the trail of shadows.
Having the higher elevation, Dracorex took advantage of his speed to unleash a blast of his own breath weapon, the shadows wrapping around his opponent and entangling it as he dropped onto its back and ripped at its wings. His eagerness for destruction made him overconfident, and Gyrinth screeched in pain and flapped his wings hard, tossing the smaller dragon from his back and biting onto his leg as he flew free.
Dracorex roared in agony as the larger beast’s teeth gripped his leg, and he coiled his wings around his body and let himself drop like a stone, snapping the blue’s head downward and jerking his leg loose as he fell. He maintained his controlled fall until he was less than a dozen feet from the ground, then he whipped his wings out wide to catch the air and soared back toward his waiting army of shadow elves.
Furious at losing his prey, Gyrinth followed in a blind rage, beating his wings hard to keep up with the nimble black dragon. He closed the distance on the wounded dragon and was lifting his head to unleash a blast of lightning when he realized he had been baited over top of the waiting army. Fireballs flew from multiple directions at once, blasting against his blue scales and igniting in his face. His lightning breath caught in his throat as he howled in fury, turning to rush back out of the range of the deadly elves as he dodged ballistae bolts.
Dracorex came on again after the assault of fireballs dissipated, tearing at the blue’s wings with his talons and attempting to bite anything he could get his teeth on. Gyrinth rolled as he shot back out toward the city, swatting the smaller dragon away again as he gained altitude and avoided any serious damage from the ballistae below.
He almost succeeded in escaping, and thought that he had, when Mialin dropped straight down from above with Ja’ade standing on her back, her fiery red hair whipping behind her as the fireball in her hand turned white hot. The golden dragon came in jaws open and latched onto Gyrinth’s throat, her rear legs ripping into his exposed belly, and when he opened his mouth to send a lightning blast at his attacker Ja’ade tossed her fireball into his face, the intensity scorching his scales and stopping his attack.
The two dragons dropped toward the ground locked in combat, neither able to gain the upper hand. Just before smashing into the rocks below, Mialin released the blue and kicked off, propelling herself back up into the air. At the last moment, Gyrinth was able to roll his body, flapping his gigantic wings and slowing his descent slightly as he crashed, the ground shuddering with the impact for hundreds of feet in each direction. He picked himself up, his legs wobbling a bit as he stood, and shook his head as he searched the sky for his opponents.
Before he could react, Dracorex barreled into him from the side, bowling him over as he latched his powerful jaws onto the blue dragon’s throat. He began tearing at Gyrinth’s belly with his claws and didn’t stop even as Mialin landed lightly next to him and giggled as she watched.
“He was quite dead the moment you bit his throat,” she called, her voice carrying across to the city where a shout could be heard at the news that their dragon was dead.
Dracorex continued to tear at the corpse, taking out his frustration at having waited for months to attack this city. Only when ballistae bolts fired from the city walls began to land close to where the two dragons stood did he stop and look back, the shadows curling around his body and his yellow eyes narrowing hatefully at being interrupted.
“We should go. I do not care if you die, but you may still be needed in this assault,” Ja’ade called down to the shadow dragon from Mialin’s back.
He turned his hateful gaze on the pretty elf and snarled, but when a projectile landed right beside his leg, he nodded his agreement and they flew back behind the line of shadow elves.
“Well, if that does not get their attention, I do not know what will,” Fion deadpanned as the two landed on either side of him facing the city wall. “I thought you said there were three dragon defenders of Harmonui?”
“That is what the elf princess Gabrielle stated, yes,” Mialin replied as Dracorex simply snarled.
“I wonder why only one came out to fight?”
“If they had known we were here I am sure the others would have joined. Gyrinth was a very old and powerful dragon, and my assumption is that his arrogance was his downfall. He would not have wanted to share the kill of a small shadow dragon, and that is why we remained hidden as long as we did.
“Make no mistake, Master Fion, they will be ready for us now.”
Chapter 18 – Hard Pressed
The day dragged quietly by following the death of Gyrinth. The attackers expected an immediate response by the two remaining dragon defenders of the city, but instead a silence fell over the battlefield. The late afternoon sun baked the warriors lined up on the East and North, and to the West the ambushers laid in the cool shade of the woods trying to remain vigilant.
“Are they waiting for the cover of darkness to attack?” Heishi asked on the conference call Fion had initiated with the commanders on each side of the city.
Fion scoffed at the notion, then realized the other-worlder was inexperienced in warfare in this plane.
“It is true that these high elves have infravision, which allows them to see clearly in low light situations, but so do the orcs and goblins, and my people can see in complete darkness. No, they know they would be at a disadvantage attacking us at night, human. I am not sure what they are waiting for to be honest...” Fion replied pensively.
“I would guess they are lulling us into a false sense of security, then. Keep our people on edge for as long as possible, let exhaustion set in, and then attack when we least expect it,” Heishi replied, earning agreeable responses from all the commanders. “We should start letting our people rotate rest schedules to keep them fresh.”
“An excellent plan, human. All commanders will begin rotating your warriors through a rest cycle. We must remain alert, as we have struck the first blows, but I do not want to lose the edge we have gained thus far.”
With that, the communication ended, each commander sending word to let the warriors rest as they waited for a response from the city. The day quickly turned to night, and the night slipped past uneventfully, although the attackers began to get restless the longer they waited.
As the sky in the East turned a brilliant shade of red, the front gates of the city burst open. Ranks of foot soldiers came through first, their polished silver armor gleaming in the morning light, carrying the white banner with crossed swords of Harmonui out front. Commanders on pure white stallions rode back and forth across the front of the ranks of soldiers as they formed outside the city, beginning to march steadily toward the waiting horde of goblins and orcs.
Krait the Destroyer rode to the front of her army on the back of a large ekastatu, the beast standing closer to eight feet tall with black skin and grey stripes. Her mount was outfitted with armor, and its razor-sharp talons on each of its six feet were enhanced with spikes protruding from its protective gear. Her armor was black with red spikes at the shoulders and elbows, and on her back was slung a battle axe and black shield with a red spike in the center which matched her armor.
As her mount carried her effortlessly along the front lines of goblins, she called out to her horde, building their bloodlust as they watched the hated elves marching toward them. She knew the smaller goblins would be fodder in the fight, but if they did their job, they would soften the defenses of the elves for her orcs to tear through.
As the elves continued their march, she
could see the barbarian Trodgen out front, the only one not on a white stallion. He stomped ahead of the rest, clearly desiring to be the first to draw blood.
“So be it,” she grumbled to herself, then let out a war cry and turned her mount toward the oncoming elves and led the charge.
Waves of goblins rushed behind her as she headed straight for the barbarian who took such pleasure in torturing her people. As her fury mounted, she ripped her weapon and shield from her back, picking arrows out of the air as they began to drop around her like rain before a storm.
She closed on the barbarian, but then the edges of the elf formation wrapped around, creating a horseshoe shape and converging on her. She was cut off from her objective, and instead found herself batting aside lances from foot soldiers attempting to remove her from her mount. She swatted aside a lance with her shield and followed through with a downward swing of her axe, the serrated blade slicing cleanly through the armor of her target but sticking as she pried it back out.
Having stopped her forward momentum, she rolled from the side of her mount, kicking it loose to wreak havoc among the ranks of elves closing in as she put a boot against the chest of the elf to her side and wrenched her axe free of his chest.
Gaining her footing, she looked to her left and right and saw the swarm of goblins pouring over the elves. They were being cut down three to one, but were effectively causing confusion on the battlefield, which was the purpose for the stupid creatures.
She looked over her shoulder and called out for the first ranks of orcs to enter the fray, and then returned her attention to the mass of elves converging on her position. She rushed forward, screaming insults at the puny elves as she sent them flying every direction with each swing of her mighty axe, trying to find Trodgen again. She finally saw his head above the mass of goblins, and turned toward him, decimating the lesser warriors between herself and her prey.