The guard panicked. He swung wildly not able to distinguish the size of the creature in the shadows. His sword got struck in the mud. Unable to defend himself, the creature had an easy time biting into the guard. Heric watched as his guard fell to the ground dead.
Heric finished off the second creature he was fighting. Before he could turn to the third one it had vanished back into the woods.
Heric looked back. They were losing their campsite. The animals up front were just a distraction. The caravan could be picked off one by one, while the guards defended from the massive group in the woods.
Heric shoved his sword into the horse. He used it to wedge the horse off of his foot. The path to the field was clear for the moment. He needed to take it.
“Run out into the field!” Heric ordered. “Run as fast as you can. Take the torches. We’ll come back for our stuff during the daylight. Run!”
The guards backed up. They held the line waiting for the others to begin their escape. Heric grabbed Alexus over his shoulder. He was in no condition to run. Abigail rushed over to Nikali. She urged him to move.
“Nikali, you have to get up,” she said. He did not respond.
She slapped him across the face. “Do something!”
Nikali sprang back to life. He looked all around gaining his composure. He began digging through his pack.
“There is no time. Let it go,” Abigail told him. She grabbed his arm and began to drag him. Nikali got up still holding on to his pack. They ran out into the field. The guards were close behind them. Their torches lit up the field. There was no place to hide, for them or for the creatures.
“What’s your plan?” Abigail asked as they ran.
Heric turned to her, not stopping. “I’m going to create some distance. Then make a wall of fire. That should delay the damned things.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I’ll set the whole field on fire if that’s what it takes.”
“I’ll help,” said Nikali. He immediately stopped running. He threw his pack to the ground. Then he dropped a bottle shortly afterward.
The others noticed but did not want to stop. Heric yelled at Nikali to get moving again. Nikali remained where he was. He stretched out his limbs, readying himself. It was the first time since the beginning of the trip he felt like his old self again.
“We make our stand here,” said Nikali. “Light this field up.”
Heric rushed over to Nikali. He put Alexus down nearby.
“What are you doing?”
“We can do this. We can work together.”
“What did you do?” Heric asked. “How much Tamor Blood did you just drink?”
“Probably way too much,” said Nikali. He smiled at the thought.
“Alexus said-”
“I know what Alexus said. I don’t care anymore. I am not the man that quivers in the dark while others fight for me. I will fight my own battles anyway that I can.”
The torch in Heric’s hand began to pulse. Its flame raged up and down. Nikali watched it with fascination and intent.
“I can control the fire. Let it loose,” ordered Nikali.
Heric did as he was told. He dropped the torch. A path of flame circled the group. The flame reached out and up into the air seven feet. It began to spread out inch by inch.
“Keep it together,” said Heric. “This isn’t our land. I don’t want to destroy too much of it if we don’t have to.”
“As you wish,” Nikali breathed.
The fire stopped. It remained a thick circle around them. The animals were on the outside. Their sniffing and scratching could be heard over the crackle of the fire.
“How long can you keep this up?” Heric asked.
“I don’t know,” said Nikali.
“Bring the flame in a little. Keep it at three feet,” Heric ordered.
Nikali closed his eyes. He concentrated on Heric’s demand. The fire wall thinned out. Heric could see the animals circling them. They got closer as the wall of flame came in.
Heric struck. He stuck his sword through the fire and killed one of the creatures. He did not get a second chance at that maneuver. The creatures kept their distance from then on.
Nikali held the fire for hours. He did not move. He did not speak. This level of control was unprecedented. Drinking as much as he did would typically cause sickness. He hoped that using as much as he did so quickly would nullify that effect. As time went on he did not want to risk losing concentration with his powers waning.
The flames slowly got lower and lower. The wall was thinning out. Nikali tried to bring it back to full force, but it was no good. He was losing control of the fire. The sun would be up with in the hour, but Nikali feared it was too late.
“What’s our next plan?” Nikali asked.
“We fight,” said Heric. “You did well, Nikali. You bought us some time, thank you.”
“I can still help,” Nikali answered.
“How?”
“Just let me drop the fire.”
“Do it. We’re ready.”
The guards braced themselves for the attack to come. They created a tight perimeter. There was no gap between their shields. Alexus, Abigail, and Nikali stood inside their circle.
“Now,” said Nikali. The fire dropped. The darkness enveloped them. Nikali reached out with his mind. He was exhausted, but he pressed forward. There was still some arcan left in him. He reached out for the creatures. He could sense them surrounding the group.
“There are ten of them,” said Nikali. “They are so angry. We’re not food for them. We’re just sport. They know they can kill us. That’s all they want.”
“You can write their memoirs later,” said Heric.
“One’s charging on the left,” said Nikali.
Heric struck before he saw the creature. It ran directly into his sword. In one swift motion Heric returned to his starting position.
Nikali continued giving directions. The extra moment allowed the guards to take advantage of the attack. The creatures own momentum became their weakness. Swords would be waiting for the creatures as they charged.
Only two animals remained. Nikali was losing his connection with the animals. His directions were coming later. He could no longer stand. He sat on the ground, leaning up against Alexus.
In a final effort, Nikali reached out. “One to your right. The other is straight ahead. He’s holding back. He’s big.”
With that, Nikali fainted. He was pale as a ghost and trembling.
Heric struck the creature to his right. It took two strikes but it fell dead with its pack. That left only one more to deal with.
It was silent out in the night. This one did not sniff. It did not growl. Its steps were silent. Heric could barely pick it up.
“Hold the line,” Heric said. He stepped out into the field. The guards closed their perimeter behind him.
Heric walked forward. He was alone in the dark. It was the only way to find the creature. Let it come to him.
The creature attacked from behind. Heric collapsed underneath the weight of it. His sword went flying out of his hand. Nikali was not exaggerating, it was the biggest one yet.
He was able to turn onto his back. He faced the animal, not that it did him any good. It was too dark to see beyond a few inches. Heric thrust his chin down to his chest. The creature’s jaws punched down on his armor, but missed his skin entirely.
Its hot breath swarmed over Heric’s face. He gagged on the smell. His helmet was being crushed in on his head. He could feel it pinning up against his skull. The pressure alone was building up- pain throbbing in his head.
Heric reached out and grabbed the creature’s leg. He wrapped his hand completely around its ankle. He could feel the bone underneath the leathery skin. With all his force he snapped the animal’s leg.
It howled in pain. Heric did not relent. He twisted and pulled on the leg he had hold of. When the animal began to shuffle around, Heric freed his other hand. He grabbed hold of the a
nimal’s leg that he was breaking from the point where it was still attached fully. He pulled the leg apart, ripping through the animal’s leg muscles and skin.
The animal screamed in pain and tried to make a retreat, but it was unable to with only three legs. Heric stood up. He held the leg in his hand like a weapon. The creature huddled to the ground to hide from his adversary. Heric showed no remorse or mercy. He struck down the animal with its own leg.
The field was silent. Heric returned to the circle. Abigail was tending to both Alexus and Nikali. The guards remained at their posts.
“Is it over?” Abigail asked.
“For now,” said Heric. “There could be more of them. They might attack during the day now, or maybe tomorrow night. We just have to keep moving forward.”
“But we’re down two horses. How are we going to move fast?”
“We’ll ditch some stuff. We’re almost there. We can make it.”
Their conversation came to a halt. The sounds of footsteps filled the air. The field was coming alive with the sounds of wildlife.
Heric sighed. He struggled back to his feet. He was not ready for another fight like that. His sword was missing out in the field. All he had to defend himself was the leg of a dead animal, a shield and his personal nunchucks.
The sounds grew louder. They erupted into the night. There was an entire pack of them. Heric beat the talon of the dead leg against his shield. It echoed into the wind. He let the war drums fill the morning air. He and his guards would fight to the death defending the others.
Then there was a familiar voice.
“Hold up!” said Forman. “They’re here! They’re here!”
A torch struck open the night sky. Forman was riding a new horse. He looked like he had not slept in days.
Heric dropped to one knee. The leg of the creature gave him support. He smiled joyfully at his friend’s entrance. There was nothing better.
“You look like crap,” said Heric.
“Speak for yourself,” said Forman.
Forman circled the group. He looked at all the dead animals in amazement.
“Maybe you didn’t need our help,” said Forman.
“It would be welcomed at this point.” Heric stood back up. He let the dead leg drop to the ground. He posed no threat to Forman and the others.
More torches filled into the darkness. Soldiers circled the entire group. They were dressed in armor that Heric had never seen. He recognized the crest though.
It was a design Alexus had shown him years ago. It was a giant creature encircling a city, the fury arck of the Louson Kingdom.
Chapter 13
Heric continued to resist to go to sleep that night- despite the fact that there were more than enough guards to protect them from any more attacks, and that he was exhausted from the fight all through out the previous night: He would never let his guard down. The rest of his group quickly passed out when they learned they were safe. Nikali was still down from his arcan crash.
The guards repeatedly told Heric he could relax; that they had everything in hand. Heric went as far as just sitting. He watched as the soldiers of the Louson Kingdom collected the dead bodies of the fury arcks and carried them with their shields to a pile nearby. They left bloody trails as they dragged the animals across the field.
There was one man standing outside the perimeter of the soldiers. Forman was standing right by him, nodding his head at everything the man was saying. The man was giving orders to the rest of his men. His uniform was flashier than the others. There was little dirt or tear to his outfit. The man’s helmet was polished and as shiny as if it was new. Heric watched as the man bowed his head after every fury arck passed him. After the sixth arck Heric had had enough.
Heric forced himself to his feet. None of the Louson soldiers tried to stop him. They knew it was going to be pointless. Heric had already put up enough of a fight just to stay awake. Every step was exhausting, but he did not show it. This was his victory. He was going to take it.
The man giving orders paid no attention to Heric, even when he walked past all the guards. The man continued giving orders. Forman immediately jumped in to block Heric from getting any further.
“Heric, you need to go sit down. Do not do this,” said Forman.
“Get out of my way.”
“This is complicated, Heric.”
“Then I will need it explained to me. Move, Forman,” ordered Heric. Forman backed up. He put out his arms in surrender. He would let Heric hang himself if that’s what he wanted.
Heric walked forward, but it was not until Heric was completely in front of the man did the Louson commander address him.
“Please get back,” said the man. “You’ve been through a lot. We will handle the rest.”
“I just want some answers,” said Heric.
“They can wait. We have a lot of organizing to do. You all did a number on this place. Did you have to kill so many of them?”
“Those things were trying to kill us. I would pick my life over theirs any day.”
“And what about the field?” asked the man. “Look at it. It’s ruined. Between the fire and the blood, grass will never grow here again.”
“I lost three good men last night.”
“And we lost nearly a dozen of our fury arcks. I would say that is a worthy trade.”
“Those were royal guards,” fumed Heric. “Do not compare them to animals.”
“Those animals protect these forests. They provide a service for the Kingdom, unlike you and your travelers.”
“Who do you think you are talking to? I am not just another guard that you can give orders to.”
“Yes, you’re Heric Caning as I’ve been told. I’m honored to be in your presence. Now, go sit down, and let me do my job.”
“You have no right to speak to me like this. What is your name?”
“I am Randall Arraw, Prince of Louson. I really suggest you do what I say. After all, My word is law around here.”
The morning arrived with no further trouble. Heric kept to himself within the safety of the guards. All of the fury arcks had been buried and it was time to leave for the Kingdom.
The group from Eluan was gathered into a carriage for the duration of the trip. It offered plenty of space for the exhausted group. Cushioned seats and a soothing scent welcomed them.
Nikali was carried in. He had not yet recovered from the night. It looked as if a fever had caught him. His clothes were damp with sweat, his head was burning up, but his lips were blue. Only his labored breathing gave hints of life.
Alexus tried to treat him with remedies that he had learned on his travels. It was slow going because of his own pain from the wound to his ankle. The wrap he had applied earlier was soaked in blood. It had swelled to nearly twice its size and discoloration was beginning in his toes. Abigail had to assist him with his treatment. He frequently ordered her to get things from his bag or to fetch more water.
Every time the carriage bumped Alexus winced in pain. Alexus’ discomfort slowed down his work on Nikali. What should have been a simple process turned into two hours on the road to the Louson Kingdom. Nikali was eventually wrapped up in warm clothes and given an herb medicine developed by Alexus. It would help give Nikali nutrients his body desperately needed.
They arrived outside the gates of the Kingdom an hour later. There was no fanfare, no parade. The mood was very solemn at the entrance. All of the guards at their post stared at the carriage carrying Heric and the others. Word had already spread about the fury arcks. It was a dishonorable slaughter.
Abigail slept on Heric’s shoulder. Only Heric and Forman were still awake. They sat in silence. Heric looked outside to see the walls of Louson envelope them. He kept replaying in his head the words he was going to say to the King when he met him. There were many apologies that had to be made.
The change in pavement that the carriage was traveling on caused the group to stir from their slumber. Abigail sat up quickly after she realize
d where she was. Heric grabbed her hand to comfort her.
“It’s okay,” he said. “We’re safe. We’re at Louson.”
“How are they?” Abigail asked, gesturing toward Alexus and Nikali.
“Nikali looks to be doing better, but he’s still unconscious. You did a good job. I’m worried about Alexus’ foot though. The wound looked pretty bad the last time I saw it. He might lose it.”
“That will crush him.”
“He’s still alive. He should be thankful. We all should be.”
The carriage stopped. There were mumblings from the guards. Their words could not be made out from inside the carriage. Heric looked out to see what the commotion was. Randall Arraw was giving orders to his men. He gestured several times to the carriage.
Two guards approached the entrance to the carriage. They opened the door. The light was blinding. One of the guards looked over at Abigail.
“Madam, if you’ll please come with us,” said the guard.
Abigail looked confused. She grabbed hold of Heric’s hand tighter. The other guard entered the carriage. He grabbed hold of Nikali. Heric looked stunned as the guard began to drag Nikali out of the carriage.
“My men can handle that,” said Heric.
The guard did not say a word. He continued to carry out with his own orders.
“Please come with me, madam,” said the first guard once again.
“Where are you taking her?” Heric asked.
“Prince Arraw has a room prepared for her,” said the guard.
“Then she can accompany myself and my men to her quarters,” said Heric.
“That is not Prince Arraw’s wishes. Please come with me. She will be safe with us,” he said once again to Abigail.
Nikali was out of the carriage. The guard dragged him over to a nearby stretcher. He was quickly taken away. Heric grabbed hold of Abigail’s hand tightly. Together they rushed out of the carriage past the guard. Forman was close behind them.
“I’ll find out where he is going,” said Forman. “Don’t worry.”
“These are our people, Forman,” said Heric. “They are under our protection, not theirs.”
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