Alexus stumbled to his one good foot. Then he felt a presence in his head. He could feel Nikali floating around in his thoughts and emotions.
“I’m not an animal, Nikali,” said Alexus. He shot back the same attack. Nikali screamed out in pain.
Nikali stiffen up. He couldn’t control his body. He came to his feet. All of his strength was gone. He was trapped.
“You are right. I am more powerful than you,” said Alexus. “I can light your body on fire from the inside. I can leave you here. You’ll be pecked upon by the birds until you die of exposure. I can make your heart stop beating.”
Nikali mumbled something. His mouth was forced shut and he could not get his words out. Alexus released his jaw. He wanted to hear Nikali’s final words.
“Don’t do this...”
“Too late,” said Alexus.
Nikali shook his head. “Don’t do this to Heric. End it quickly for him. He deserves that.”
“Only if he goes quietly.”
Nikali closed his eyes. He waited for the end. Then the silence became deafening. There was a roar in the wind. It echoed through the trees. Nikali opened his eyes. Alexus was standing before him confused. He was not the source of the sound.
Nikali could feel Alexus’ hold growing looser. Alexus was concentrating on something else. They looked towards the woods. The rumbling grew louder. Beneath them the ground began to shake.
“What is that?” Nikali asked.
“Our arcan, they must have sensed it,” stuttered Alexus.
“Who sensed it?”
Out of the tree line came dozens of figures. They soared into the sky above the heads of Nikali and Alexus. As they flew over them it rained down blood.
“Avadons,” said Alexus.
The avadons crashed to the ground surrounding the two of them. They growled and snapped their teeth. Blood covered their faces and hands. Their eyes were pure black. They all stood over six feet tall. They were savages.
There was no further hesitation. The avadons swarmed their new prey. Nikali tried to fight them off but there were too many of them. One avadon got its hands around his neck. Nikali could feel its breath on his face. He could taste its blood dripping into his mouth. Then his whole world went red.
Chapter 27
Marina leaned over Heric’s shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly from behind. Together they stared out the window at the city below. Lanterns lit up the streets. The people were still out celebrating the closing of the season.
“You feel tense,” she said. “What’s wrong? We should be celebrating.”
“It’s been a long day,” said Heric.
Marina started to move her hand down Heric’s stomach and toward his groin. Heric grabbed her wrist. He flung her hand away.
“Don’t,” he said sternly.
“You didn’t object earlier,” said Marina.
“That was a mistake.”
“A mistake? I am going to be your wife.”
“You don’t mind this arranged marriage?” Heric asked her.
“Am I not desirable?” Marina asked. “You are. The first time I laid eyes on you, I wanted you. The women adore you and the men fear you. Now, I’m given the chance to have all that. I’m taking it.”
Marina came face to face with Heric. She pressed her body up against his. “I can make you happy, Heric. We can be great together. You just have to trust me. I want what’s best for us both.”
She kissed him gently on the lips. Then she moved over to nuzzle his neck. She could feel his heart beating faster.
They were interrupted by the sound of alarm. All through the city horns were blaring. Panic enveloped the streets. People were rushing about, crying out in fear.
Heric broke himself free from Marina’s embrace. He went to his window to see what was the matter. There was no sign of danger. The night covered the horizon in darkness.
“It can’t be,” said Marina. She had panic in her eyes. “They’re early.”
“What is it?” Heric asked.
“It’s the avadons. They’ve breached the tree line.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s the only purpose of this warning.”
Heric returned to his room. He immediately ran to one of his chests. Inside was his armor. As soon as he started to put it on Marina objected.
“You are not going out there,” she said.
“As you said, the avadons are early. Half the soldiers are probably caught off guard. They’ll need all the help they can get.”
“You are not Louson. This is not your fight.”
“This city will be under my protection soon enough. I better make sure it makes it to that time,” said Heric.
“Don’t do this, Heric,” begged Marina. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Heric hesitated for a moment. He looked at Marina’s longing eyes. She did not want him to go. He leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips. “I’ll be back.”
The military base was already under attack. General Rarian led his soldiers against the avadons coming out of the forest. They glided through the air, almost flying. The soldiers remained in pairs. As the avadons took to the air above them they struck with their swords. Some avadons fell to the ground where they were attacked by the partner down below. Many of them continued on to swarm the base.
The archers positioned themselves at the city perimeter. Prince Randall was leading the men. They looked down into the outskirts of the city waiting for any sign of the avadon raid. The avadons would be at the city walls in minutes. Then the signal was given. The archers fired into the night. Their arrows, dipped in tar and set on fire, lit up the sky.
The avadons were in the field. Their shadows danced around the arrows. The archers were given permission to shoot freely. When an avadon took to the sky arrows would strike it down. Their advance was slowing.
“They do not come into the city,” yelled Randall. “An avadon has never breached our walls. Do not let this be the first time.”
Heric and Forman arrived at the city walls to see the field on fire. Avadons ran through the grass, burning alive. Soldiers waited on the other side of the gates. They were ready to charge out into the field and finish off anything that the archers had not eliminated.
Heric could see out in the distance that the military base had caught on fire. It was set ablaze. The fire could be seen across the castle. Dark figures jumped about in the chaos across the field. There were faint screams coming from the soldiers at the fort.
The two of them rushed over to Randall. They were reporting in for duty. “What can we do?” Heric asked.
“You don’t have to be here,” said Randall.
“What can we do?” Heric said again.
“Right now, nothing,” said Randall. “The avadons are out in the field, open targets for us. We’ll let them push a little further then send out the troops. My men will strike them down from there.”
“What about your men at the fort?” Heric asked. “They are not going to last much longer.”
“It’s too late for them,” said Randall. “The fort is too far, and there are too many avadons in between. We wouldn’t get to them in time, and it would only allow the avadons to gain more numbers in the field before we could get to them all. This attack needs to be on our timetable.”
“You’re just going to leave your men to die,” scolded Heric. “I can hear them screaming in pain. They are begging for help.”
“It’s those men or the kingdom. I’m willing to make the sacrifice to win this. They understand what’s at stake.”
Heric turned his back on Randall. He was not going to convince him. Instead he looked out to the burning building in the distance. Heric had never seen anything like the avadons. This new enemy sent a chill up his spine.
“We need to do something,” said Heric.
“You heard Randall,” argued Forman. “There is no
thing we can do. He’s letting go of the fort.”
“I don’t want to take the fort back. I want to save whoever is left out there. We can do that with a small team.”
“You’re crazy. You don’t know anything about these things. They could see us coming from a mile away.”
“We move in the dark along the field to the left. There is a stream that goes by the fort. The fire and it can lead us out. It’s just a short charge after that to the fort. We can do this.”
“Nobody is going to help you,” said Forman. “They have their orders.”
Heric pushed past Forman. He walked down to the Louson soldiers waiting by the gates. Forman was close behind him, but he could not stop his friend from talking.
“Soldiers,” shouted Heric. It got the attention of many of the guards down below. “Our allies are dying out in the fort. The avadons have swarmed them, and they are engulfed by fire. They are asking for help. I want to go out there, but I cannot do it alone. Will you join me?”
The soldiers were quiet. Their eyes darted from one to the other. Nobody was brave enough to step up and break their orders.
Without a word, Heric continued walking. There was no time to gather his Eluan guards. The Louson men in the fort were dying. Heric stepped through the guards looking each one in the face. Nobody could meet his eyes.
Forman came up from behind. He whispered into Heric’s ear.
“Don’t do this. I don’t want to follow you,” said Forman.
“I never asked you to,” said Heric.
“Where you go, I go.”
They reached the doors. A guard held his place. He stood in between the door and Heric.
“Let us through. We’re going out there,” Heric ordered.
The guard quivered in his place. His hand shook on the block keeping the door secure. He was frozen in fear.
“Let them through,” said another. A soldier stepped up. He was smaller than most. His armor was too bulky for him. He did not have the musculature to fit into it.
The guard at the door still hesitated. He looked at the skinny man with angry eyes. “You can’t order me,” said the guard. He spit at his companion’s feet.
“I can,” said another. It was an older soldier. His hair was white, and his armor had lost its shine years ago. “Open the door. Let us through.”
“Us?” Heric asked.
“I’m going with you,” said the old man. “You’re going to need somebody to show you the way.”
“Thank you,” said Heric.
The guard at the door reluctantly opened the door behind him. He shook his head as the three men left the protection of the castle walls. Then just as he was closing the door behind him, the skinny soldier followed.
“You’re going too, Tyeche? Nice knowing you,” snickered the guard. When Tyeche was beyond the door, it slammed shut. They could hear the block being put back into place. They were now stuck outside.
“Thank you for standing up for us back there,” Heric said to Tyeche.
“It’s Effet, actually. They just call me Tyeche.”
“Why?”
“It means arck shit,” said the older soldier. “He cleans the stables.”
“I’m a trained soldier,” he defended.
“Who’s never seen any battle,” said the older one. “Stay here. You’ll just get in the way.”
“And who are you?” Heric asked.
“I am Captain Kastor. I’ve fought enough of these avadons, I bet even they know my name by now.”
“Good,” said Heric. “You said you could lead us there. I suggest you start. Your friends are dying. Effet is coming with us. We need all the help we can get.”
The group of renegades walked through the night undetected. Their path was lit by the arrows in the sky. It rained fire as the avadons thundered across the field.
All of the attention was on the battlefield. As they hurried up the river they did not encounter a single avadon. Their challenge was up ahead. The fort was deep in the path of the rest of the avadons. There was no telling how many were left at the fort. It was impossible to count as figures jumped in and out of the light.
“Kastor, where would the men go for an attack like this?” Heric asked.
“They would secure themselves in the training deck. It comes to a choke point at the entrance, plus all the weapons are already in there. It’s the easiest room to defend if it comes down to that.”
“Then that’s where we’re headed. If we can pick up somebody along the way, we will. If we can get more numbers- the easier it will be to get out of there.”
Then Heric turned to all three of his comrades. “You can leave right now. I will understand. None of you has to do this.”
“I go where you go,” repeated Forman.
“Those are my friends in there. I’m going to get them out,” said Kastor.
“I’m not being called a coward as well,” said Tyeche.
Heric nodded in acceptance. “Lead the way, Kastor.”
Kastor charged out into the field. The others were quickly behind him. The fires were getting closer. Soon the arrows were being fired over their heads. The embers tingled against their skins.
It wasn’t long before they saw their first avadon. It was wounded due to the arrows. Kastor chopped off its head with one swing of his sword.
They were nearing the fort. The fire heated up the night. The sweat coming from their bodies was now due to that instead of the exertion of battle.
There was only a quick sound of scuffling to warn them more avadons were approaching. Instinctively, Kastor took the high ground. Tyeche took the low.
The avadon charged on all fours. It screamed at Tyeche. He thrust his sword sideways. It blocked the avadon from striking him. Then he raised it up. The sword dug into the avadons neck causing it to raise forward. Kastor finished the job. He swung, aiming directly at the head. The avadon was dead before it hit the ground.
The victory was short lived. More avadons were nearby. Heric and Forman took their positions. They had been training in the style of Louson fighting, but they were still more comfortable with their own.
They each took their own avadon. It was a struggle as Heric tried to land a serious blow onto the avadon. It did not move like most men. Its reach was farther than it should have been. Heric could not judge how far back it would go when he swung. He had to continue stepping forward each time he attempted a blow, and each time the avadon would glide past his blade. Then the avadon would jump through the air. Heric would try to catch it on the way down, but his timing was always off. It never landed when it should have.
The avadon made its own blows. Heric was scratched up from its nails. He could feel his armor dent in at places. It rubbed against his body, further limiting his movement.
Forman was having no better luck. The avadon he was fighting continued to strike him then hide back in the shadows. Forman swung wildly into the grass, hoping to strike a lucky blow.
Heric decided to change tactics. He let down his guard. His sword was to his side. The avadon charged. Heric let the avadon collide with him. Then Heric grabbed on. The avadon jumped into the air, but it dragged Heric along with it. The two of them flew for several feet before crashing to the ground. Heric reached over and grabbed it by the skull. He twisted wildly, breaking the avadon’s neck.
With his adversary down, Heric got to his feet. He ran over to Forman who was still trying to get at his avadon. Heric took the low ground. He knelt down in front of Forman. They waited for the avadon to return.
It charged out of the grass. Heric used his sword to block the attack. He hit it with the butt of his sword. That sent the avadon rocking upward. Forman thrust his sword into its heart. It spasmed in pain then died on his sword.
The coast was clear once again, and the group returned on their journey. They reached the entrance to the burning military fort. Heric looked back. The archers on the castle wall were still firing arrows out over the field. There were more avadons
out there than before. He looked out the opposite way to the tree line. More figures bounced about, but he could not make out what was going on. Heric could hear the faint sound of screams, but they did not sound human. He would have to worry about that later.
They charged inside. Avadons ran through the halls. This time around Heric and Forman stayed together and fought as a team. They were able to dispose of the avadons faster and more efficiently than one-on-one.
Kastor continued to lead the way. He stopped at every corner before turning. They ran into avadons down several passageways. Some avadons were on fire, some of them had been stabbed, and some of them were feasting off of dead soldiers. The latter were the particular targets of Kastor and Tyeche. They wanted to avenge every fallen friend of theirs.
Finally they reached the bottleneck. Kastor was right. There were several dead avadons scattered throughout the grounds. The Louson soldiers had gone this direction. Quickly, they waded through the dead bodies to the door.
It was bloody. Handprints covered much of it. Scratches from claws were etched in it. Heric grabbed the handle and pulled open the door.
He shot back. Swords struck out at him. None of them made contact. He heard a familiar voice order the soldiers to stand down. There were half a dozen of them in total. They were the only survivors out of one hundred soldiers. Rarian broke through his men. He was glad to see Heric and the others.
“Is it over?” Rarian asked.
“Not yet,” said Heric. “The avadons are starting to move toward the wall. There are still several inside the fort. We need to move.”
“How many of you are there?” Rarian asked.
“Just us four,” said Kastor.
“I see,” said Rarian. He understood the situation.
They raced out of the fort. The soldiers were rejuvenated. They had a second chance at life and they were not going to lose it so soon. The avadons they encountered on their way out were swiftly defeated.
The night air felt wonderful on their skin. Even so close to the fire, they were relieved to be out. The arrows had stopped firing. They could hear the rumble of feet. The ground fight had begun.
Eluan Falls: The Inheritors of the World Page 15