'Sometimes I think that I'd rather fight an overwhelming number of goblins then deal with women,’ he thought. “Uh, I don't think that you're a coward. Every one of us is scared.” He slid closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She turned back towards Aaron, with a small tear running down her cheek.
Every so softly, he reached out to rub the tear off. “Why are you here?” He asked.
Elona blinked in confusion. “Dale brought me and the other girls out her to make money off of the soldiers.”
“No, I understand that,” Aaron said, “What I mean is, what are YOU doing here? How did you start working for that guy?”
Elona pursed her lips, “I didn't have much choice. My father was unhappy about having four daughters, so he sold me any my younger sister to Dale.”
Aaron's mouth dropped. “Your father sold you into prostitution? How could he do that? Is that even allowed in Telur?”
Elona took a deep breath, “I was not born in Telur. I was born in the southern kingdom of Aranell. It is a common practice to sell unwanted daughters to men such as Dale. My father received one hundred gold pieces for me and I was branded with the mark of the slave.” As she spoke, she pulled up her left sleeve to show the tattoo that was branded on her left shoulder. The tattoo looked like a chain attached to a collar. “Telurian law insists that I be allowed to buy my way out of slavery, but since Dale gives me what wages he sees fit, I will never be free.”
Aaron was dumbfounded. How could this be? Surely, fathers did not sell their daughters into prostitution. The poor girl's plight saddened him as much as it enraged him. He shook his head, “I had no idea that such things happened, and especially not here in Telur.”
She smiled at him, “I thought that you were a kind man, naïve perhaps, but kind.”
As they talked, the night air got a little chilly, as it tended to do at night in the mountains, and Elona snuggled closer to Aaron for warmth.
Chapter 15
The next day dawned clear and sunny. Philip was standing next to Flare gazing out over the valley. As of yet, the goblins hadn’t been spotted, but it was only a matter of time.
Philip looked up at the sky, and said, “What a beautiful day.”
“A beautiful day to die, huh?” Flare replied, casually.
Philip nodded, “Perhaps, and perhaps not. We should have been dead a long time ago.” He nodded at Flare, “You know your actions last night may have been just what these soldiers needed.”
Flare winced, “I was trying to forget about last night.” He turned towards Philip, “What makes you say that?”
“Haven't you noticed them today?” He motioned toward the soldiers, “Yesterday they were listless, but today they move as if they believe in what they are doing.”
Flare turned his attention to the soldiers moving about. Whether they were carrying weapons to the wall, stretching before the upcoming battle, or helping the townspeople get ready, they did seem to move as if they believed. Perhaps it was worth it, but he kept picturing the soldier from last night.
Philip opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again in bewilderment.
Flare turned to see what Philip had noticed, and was surprised to see Atock striding toward them. He had completely shaved his head. He had been proud of his long thick locks of hair, but now they were gone.
Philip snickered, “Did you lose a bet?”
Atock locked gazes with Philip, and Philip stepped back. “It is a custom of my people that when a warrior dies, his head is shaved before he is buried.”
“But you’re not dead yet.” Philip said, confused.
Atock moved past Flare and Philip, heading towards his position, “No, but it won’t be long.”
“He's awful depressing.” Philip said quietly, after Atock had moved away.
Flare posted guards on the western wall, and then had the guardians gather the rest of the troops and merchants in the courtyard.
When they were assembled, he scanned the faces of the defenders, seeing bravery and fear in the eyes of every person. His stomach was already tightening, and he said a silent prayer for a quick death, both for himself and the rest of the defenders.
Flare took a deep breath, “The time has come. The deeds and actions of today will be remembered long after we are gone, but we must fight this fight with everything we have. I know that most of you are scared, and to be honest so am I, but every minute that we hold this fort saves lives. Every second that we delay the goblins could save a family member. It might be your father or your mother. Perhaps a brother or sister. You might save a girlfriend or lover. Who is saved, doesn’t matter. What matters, is that we are doing our job and sacrificing ourselves for Telur.” He took a deep breath, “I honestly didn’t think that we would make it this far. I salute the courage of every person here.”
DING! DING!
“The goblins are coming.” Atock said.
Flare raised his voice to be heard over the sudden din of noise. “Remember. No sacrifice goes unrewarded.” He raised his arm and saluted the assembly. “To your posts!” He shouted.
‘Gods sometimes require a sacrifice.’ A voice said.
Flare looked around, before he realized it was the same voice that had warned him against following Colonel Holt’s orders.
“Who are you?” Flare asked. “What do you want?”
He waited several moments before deciding the voice would not answer him. ‘Well, if the gods want a sacrifice, then they’re going to get a sacrifice.’ He thought.
Flare took up position in the middle of the semi-circle of troops guarding the gates. Upon inspecting the gates this morning, he had decided that the goblins wouldn’t waste time trying to scale the walls. He watched the quick preparation, with a numb detachment. Death was at hand and he knew it.
He moved to the center of the semi-circle, directly in front of the gates. Looking around, Flare couldn’t help but feel anguish at all the death the fort was about to see. Intense remorse rolled over him, and he had to blink back tears.
One of the soldiers on the western wall leaned over the inner rampart, and shouted, “There almost here. It looks like they're attacking the gates only.”
The soldiers were arranged in a defensive semi-circle around the badly damaged gates. Spears had been half buried in the sand with the spear heads pointing upward towards the gates. The idea was that the goblins would have to sacrifice a large number of attackers to get through the spears. There were extra spears placed at even intervals around the circle, and there were some soldiers that were assigned simply to replacing broke spears. The soldiers that were proficient with the bow were placed to the rear, their job would be to try and inflict as much damage as possible from behind the defenders’ main line.
Flare drew his sword, and waited for the inevitable.
“KLANG!” Was the only sound that betrayed the goblins attacking the gates. “KLANG!” rang out again, and dust and rubble flew up from around the hinges. “KLANG!” rang out a third time, and the gates seemed to hang there for just a moment, and then with a tremendous crash, the gates collapsed, and the pathetic stone wall that the defenders had tried to build in front of the gates fell as well.
A huge wave of dust and sand rolled over the defenders, but dirt was the least of their problems. No sooner had the gates collapsed, then the goblins were through the entrance.
If not for the spears, the defenders would have been swept out of the courtyard before they even knew what was happening. The spears, at least initially, saved the defenders. Wall after wall of goblins rushed the spears. There was no hope for the goblins in the front to survive, but they didn’t even slow down. The goblins in the front of the charge, threw themselves upon the spears. The weight of the dead goblins slowly pulled the spears downward, which allowed the goblins behind the first charge to attack the defenders. Barely moments into the fight, the defenders found themselves face to face with the attackers.
Flare dodged the clu
msy swing of a goblin, and slipped the tip of his sword between the goblins’ ribs. Before the first goblin had hit the ground, Flare was engaged with a second goblin.
There seemed to be no end to the goblins. The only thing that kept the defenders from being totally overrun was the narrowness of the breach in the wall. The hole, where the gates had been, only permitted so many goblins to come through at once and they were surrounded by the defenders. Even so, the goblins continued to inflict damage, with soldiers falling at an alarming rate.
Flare didn’t even notice as soldier after soldier fell beneath the charge of the goblins. He was too busy fighting for his life.
The fight continued for what seemed like hours at the excruciatingly fast pace. Flare had no idea how long the fighting had actually been going on, but death began to appeal to him as a release from the pain that his arms and body were feeling.
All of a sudden, a ferocious charge by the goblins broke through the right side of the human circle. Flare watched in horror as ten or so goblins ran through the lines and sprinted down the streets. He kept his head, and counted the goblins. There were nine of them, and that little piece of information would help the defenders know when all the goblins had been tracked down. The hole in the defenders’ line was quickly closed, but the damage had been done. With goblins free in the fort, the defenders would have to watch their backs and fight the attackers.
The goblin that Flare was fighting slipped in the loose sand, and that was all the opening he needed. A quick thrust through the throat, and the goblin fell to the ground quite dead.
The battle had momentarily moved away from him, and he rested his hands on his hips trying to catch his breath. He rested for just a moment, before Murleen pushed her way through to him.
“Flare! There are goblins loose in the northern half of the fort. They must be caught quickly, or it won’t matter if we can hold the wall tonight or not.” Murleen said.
“I know.” Flare said, still breathing deeply. “Take twenty soldiers and track them…”
“I can’t!” Murleen interrupted. She turned her body more toward Flare, and he notice the nasty cut on the outside of her knee.
“Murleen! Kara needs to look at that. Come on, let’s find her.” Flare said, taking Murleen by the arm and pulling her toward the courtyard.
Murleen jerked her arm away, “If we don’t hold the wall, it won’t matter. And if we manage to hold the wall by some miracle, then Kara can look at it tonight. I can’t chase those goblins, but you can. I'll stay here and lead the defense, while you track down those goblins.”
“What?! I’m not leaving you…” Flare started.
Murleen put her hand on his forearm, moving closer. The look on her face softened as she looked into his face, “I understand what you’re trying to do, but you can’t. Outside the bedroom, you must treat me like every other soldier.”
Anger flared up and left him as quickly as it had come. Flare’s eyes dropped to the ground, “I still don’t like it.”
Murleen’s hand moved from his arm to his cheek. “Quickly, you must go.” Barely audible, she added three words that made his head swim, “I love you.” She paused for just a moment, and all too soon, she broke the contact. “Go, quickly.”
Flare turned and quickly selected fifteen soldiers and ten townspeople. He gathered them together, and addressed them a little ways away. “All right. I don’t want you to die heroes. I want you to find the goblins and then shout for the rest of us. Three or four humans should be able to stop a goblin, much better than one human versus one goblin. Do you understand?”
They nodded, and Flare split the defenders into groups of two, with at least one soldier in each group. He assigned one of the townspeople as his partner.
Flare’s partner was a young man, barely into manhood. He had short brown hair, and his face was covered in freckles. He was carrying an axe and he had a long knife in a sheath attached to his belt. He still had the thinness of youth, and looked scared.
“What’s your name?” Flare asked.
“Ollel, sir.” The young man answered, his voice shaking.
“Ollel, Call me Flare. If you see a goblin you let me know immediately, and you stay behind me. I am counting on you to guard my back and to warn the others.” Flare said, as calmly as possible.
Turning back to the other groups, Flare added, “Remember, shout if you see a goblin. And be careful.”
With one last worried look back at the ongoing battle, he led the groups in different directions into the northern end of the fort.
Murleen led the soldiers against the goblins at the gate. The fighting continued to be fierce and she fought furiously, directing soldiers to where they were most needed.
The fighting was taking its toll on the defenders. Soldiers continued to fall beneath the charge of the goblins. They fought on, without even being able to mourn the fallen soldiers.
Murleen soon noticed that the fighting was slacking off, and that scared her. There were still plenty of goblins, so they shouldn’t be withdrawing. ‘What are they up to?’ She wondered.
No new goblins came through the fallen gates, and it didn’t take long to finish off the goblins that were left inside the walls. Murleen soon found herself in the middle of the defenders, with the moans of the injured the only sound to be heard.
Murleen, although confused by the sudden withdrawal, didn’t waste the opportunity. “Get the wounded back behind the lines!” She hollered at the soldiers around her. She was helping move the wounded back, when the shouts of the soldiers alerted her. She sprinted to the gates to see what was happening, saying a silent prayer as she ran.
Flare and Ollel moved quickly through the deserted road. So far they had not seen any goblins, and he was starting to worry. If the goblins avoided detection for any amount of time then they would have provided a serious distraction to the defenders.
They were moving through the street, when a shout came from several streets over.
“Quickly! Follow me!” Flare said.
They sprinted through two alleys, and emerged onto a narrow street where a battle was taking place. Two defenders had stumbled across two of the goblins.
One of the defenders was lying on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood. Flare barely even noticed that he was not a soldier.
The second defender had his back against the wall of a building, trying to hold off the goblins. He was holding his own, probably because he was a soldier.
The goblins had their backs to Flare, as they fought against the lone soldier. He drew his sword and sprinted at the nearest goblin. The goblin never saw him coming, and Flare ran him through with his sword.
He pulled his sword free just as the other goblin stunned the soldier with a blow to the face. The goblin then brought his scimitar down on the soldier’s head; instantly killing him.
Flare and the remaining goblin faced off.
He held his sword, with a relaxed two handed grip, straight away from him pointing toward the goblin. He slowly moved away from the wall.
With a vicious roar, the goblin charged, swinging a massive overhead swing.
Flare wisely didn’t try to block the swing; instead he just deflected it away from him. Trying to take advantage of the goblin's momentary loss of balance, he tried to quickly slip his sword into the goblin's gut.
The goblin was too fast, and slapped Flare’s sword away with his scimitar.
Now, Flare was momentarily off balance, and the goblin pressed his advantage. His scimitar was too far away from Flare’s body, so the goblin simply punched Flare in the face.
Flare was stunned by the powerful blow and fell to the ground. He lost his grip on his sword, and scrambled to find it.
Looking up, Flare saw the goblin raise his scimitar over his head and start the swing that end Flare’s life.
With a shout, Ollel charged into the fight. Ferociously, he swung his ax. Once, twice, three times the goblin deflected blows from the young man. The boy simply di
dn’t stand a chance against the monster. The goblin deflected a swing from the young man, and then ran him through with the scimitar.
To his dying day Flare would remember the look of surprise and pain that registered on Ollel’s face.
Time seemed to slow to a miniscule pace. Flare watched as the goblin slowly raised his scimitar above his head. The goblin had a two hand grip on the scimitar, as he prepared for a final blow. Only then did Flare notice the blood dripping from the scimitar. Blood that belonged to Ollel. Blood that would be on Flare’s hands forever.
All the death and pressure, that Flare had endured, seemed to explode from within him. The blood seemed to be a catalyst for all the anger and pain that Flare had faced. He felt a tremendous force building up within him, and he felt like he was on the verge of exploding.
The hate and anger, bordering on the brink of madness, erupted from him in a primal blast.
The goblin was lifted off his feet, and flung back into the stone wall behind him.
For a split second, Flare thought it was an illusion, but the sound of the goblin's bones snapping on impact convinced him that it was real.
He blinked his eyes, and looked at the crumpled bloody mess that had been a goblin. ‘What happened?’ Flare wondered. He slowly stood up, looking around for an explanation.
“I’m sorry, Ollel. You deserved a better fate than this.” Flare said to the young man. Tears came to his eyes, “Thank you for saving my life.”
Flare turned from the carnage, wiped his eyes, and began looking for the other defenders. As he walked, he wondered how the fight was going at the gates.
Murleen reached the courtyard before the gates, and slid to a halt.
Scared Defenders were running and stumbling away from the gates and into the fort. Coming through the gates were giants. They dwarfed both the gates and the goblins and humans around them.
Giants appear basically human, except for their size. These giants were hill giants. Hill giants are normally between twelve to fourteen feet tall, and weigh between four hundred and six hundred pounds. To put it simply, they are ferocious fighters.
The Guardians: Book One of the Restoration Series Page 27