“That's actually a really good idea,” Myra replied, smiling at him as she spoke.
“Thanks,” he replied. “It's what I would do if this was Warcraft Two.”
“What?” she asked.
“An old video game,” Joey replied. “At least, I think it was. In fact, it might have been what they based World of Warcraft on.”
“It was,” Paul nodded.
The moment the young man made this assertion, a few important things happened in rapid succession. The first was that the enemy cavalry advanced down the slight incline on the far side of the field enough to put them on relatively level ground with Thaelen and his men. As soon as this was the case, the captain let out a fierce battle cry and led his men charging toward their foes. The undead foot soldiers, who had just finished getting into formation, gave a shout of their own and began marching across the clearing; the archers following a short distance behind them. Finally, the sound of horses’ hooves pounding the ground behind them filled the ears of Paul and his companions.
Just seconds later, Sarrac and the rest of their companions - leading a group of almost fifty Warriors - brought their mounts to a stop near the side of the paladin.
“The men on foot will be here as quickly as they can,” the ogre said, gazing over the foe filled clearing. “But, I don't think we can wait for them.”
“We can't,” Paul agreed. “Not if we want to stop those archers.”
“And, we do,” Joey asserted. “Trust me, you do not want to get shot by one of those guys.”
“Well, you would know,” Alena smiled.
“So,” the paladin said, drawing his sword. “Are we ready?”
“More than ready,” the ogress replied.
“Then, let's do it,” Paul said before kicking his horse into a gallop, screaming at the top of his lungs as he charged toward the unsuspecting ranks of the undead archers.
One thing the young man had come to realize during his time in Zanoth was that unintelligent undead, such as zombies, skeletons, and even reapers, were completely incapable of emotional responses. As a result, one could neither take them off guard, nor frighten them using purely natural means. So it came as no surprise that, although a sudden, and completely unexpected charge of well-armed cavalry from their flank might well terrify more intelligent enemies, the skeletons merely turned to face their new foes, bent their bows and fired in unison.
More than a hundred well aimed arrows fell among the Warriors at the first volley. This was immediately followed by a second as the distance between the riders and their enemies quickly closed. A number of deadly shafts rattled harmlessly off the paladin's well-crafted metal shell as his horse flew toward the ranks of the foe. Not all of his allies were as fortunate, however, and several Warriors fell from the saddle with black barbs buried in their bodies before the two groups clashed.
Just as the paladin severed the head of the first enemy that came within his reach, Thaelen and his men crashed into the enemy cavalry. The madness of a general melee instantly ensued, as shouts of rage mingled with cries of pain. Swords and axes flew through the air seeking to end the existence of man and monster alike. From Paul’s vantage point, it was impossible to tell, which of the two groups seemed to have the upper hand, but he was encouraged by the thought that Thaelen's forces were both more numerous and better armed.
For several seconds, the commanders of the foot soldiers stood irresolute, unsure whether to come to the aid of their outnumbered cavalry, or rush to support their embattled archers. In the end, distance seemed to be the deciding factor and the captains turned their troops back to engage the closest of their foes.
Although Paul, and the forces with him, were all mounted, they were also outnumbered by a ratio of more than three to one. The archers who were in closest proximity to the enemy dropped their bows and drew short swords. They fought defensively; not trying to deal damage so much as attempting to keep their foes at bay by pulling together into tight formations and blocking the movements of their adversaries. These skeletal soldiers stood as a bulwark between the cavalry and the remaining archers who fired incessantly into the ranks of the Warriors. This situation was further aggravated by the fact that sitting on horseback raised them above the fray, making them more conspicuous targets than they might otherwise have been.
The young man instantly realized that there wasn't a moment to lose. If he and his allies didn't want to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, they would have to fall back - quickly. At the moment, however, retreat would only offer their backs to hordes of enemy archers. They would have to somewhat reduce the number of bowmen in order to make a strategic withdrawal feasible.
With this thought in mind, Paul kicked his beast into motion; flying toward the largest pack of sword wielding skeletons. He lifted the holy symbol that hung from his neck in his shield hand and focused his entire will on the task at hand.
“Drop dead!” he screamed, as his mount crashed into the skeletal wall that stood between his allies and his enemies.
Divine power poured through the young man's body, engulfing his nearby enemies in a golden radiance that transformed their bodies into shimmering dust. Nearly forty of his foes were burned to ash by the blinding light that was the greatest manifestation of the paladin's power since he had first turned at the Shrine of Sarrin. Many of the undead within reach of the blast who weren't instantly destroyed, were filled with a terror that went beyond reason. Animated skeletons - who had neither a knowledge of life, nor a fear of death - fled before the paladin as if the gods of light were pursing them, many of them; casting their weapons to the ground as they did so.
The young man's allies immediately took advantage of the situation; rushing through the hole opened in the archers’ ranks and slaughtering them left and right. In less than a minute two thirds of the skeletons had been reduced to shivers of bone and Paul was calling for retreat.
Already, the first reapers had reached the scene of conflict. If the allies were going to stand a chance against such a large force, they would have to fall back and regroup. Fortunately, this was equally obvious to everyone and, as a result, the call to retreat was universally obeyed. Of the just over fifty riders that had charged toward the enemy, nearly forty of them were still in the saddle and ready for combat and neither Paul nor any of his companions had suffered any serious harm. As comforting as this was, however, nearly two hundred of the enemy were still marching in their direction.
The moment they regained the top of the hill, the young man glanced over the battlefield. Thaelen's forces seemed to be doing well, but their fight was far from over. The commanders of the forces they faced had reorganized their ranks; placing their remaining archers behind the files of zombies and reapers who were steadily moving forward. Unless something unexpected had happened, the Warriors on foot would arrive within minutes. Although he was fairly certain they had reduced the enemy's number sufficiently to ensure victory, Paul didn't want to risk a blood bath. They needed to do everything they could to kill as many of the undead as possible before the foot soldiers arrived.
“Follow me!” he cried, wheeling his horse sharply to the left and flying toward the very edge of the clearing.
His allies instantly obeyed this summons while their foes did their best to keep their archers behind a wall of melee soldiers. The bow wielding skeletons were not the paladin's target, however. As soon as the distance from the enemy forces allowed it, he turned his mount and charged directly toward Thaelen's embattled forces.
The moment he felt he was within range, he once again used the divine power to turn. Although it proved far less effective against the ghouls and ghasts that made up the enemy's cavalry force, several were burned to ash, while a handful of others fled toward the far side of the field. This, along with the additional Warriors arriving on the scene, soon shattered the enemy cavalry completely.
By the time this was done, the hundred or so Warriors who had marched to the battlefield on foot arrived. The remaining undea
d, however, who had once again turned their forces to face the paladin and his companions, were unaware of this. As the allied foot soldiers charged down on them from one side, their cavalry charged them from the other, trapping them between two deadly foes.
Although those undead who have no intelligence feel no natural terror, the same is not true of those monstrosities who have both thoughts and emotions. This being the case, the hearts of the remaining ghouls and ghasts melted in fear of the it and his allies. Having been outmaneuvered once again, and finding themselves in a quickly closing trap, they fled the field as fast as their mounts would carry them; leaving their forces to win or lose as best they might without further aid or guidance.
Bereft of command, the undead almost immediately stopped fighting as an army and instead battled as a group of individuals. As a result, the allies were easily able to slaughter them. In less than a quarter of an hour, the last of the reapers was cut to pieces; littering the ground with bits of broken bone.
The moment the battle ended, the allies turned their attention to those of their company who had been wounded. The fairy and the paladin used what strength they had left to drag the most critically injured back from the dark precipice of death, while their companions attended those who were in less immediate danger. Although they managed to save a number of lives, nearly twenty of the Warriors had fallen to rise no more.
By great good fortune, and perhaps the grace of the gods, none of these young men had wives or children currently traveling with them. Paul reflected on the fact that, although their deaths were certainly tragic, at least they had died fighting for what they believed in. He was also grateful for the fact that, for the moment at least, he wouldn't have to try to comfort any of these men's families with such thoughts.
Having saved what lives they could, most of the band turned their attention to rounding up horses and gathering weapons and equipment, while a small number returned to the caravan to let them know that the current danger had passed. The Warriors managed to recover over seventy mounts, a large number of melee weapons and bows, and thousands of arrows.
The horses were a windfall beyond all hope under the current circumstances. The beasts would both increase the size of their cavalry and help speed their journey. And, although the weapons weren't currently needed, as all the Warriors were already better equipped, they might well prove useful in the future. At least, they might if the ranks of the rebels continued to swell with volunteers.
By the time all these considerations had been attended to, the sun was beginning to set. Thaelen made the suggestion that they spend the night in the clearing before continuing their journey. For one thing, they had just crushed the largest undead force in the area, so they would probably be relatively safe - especially if they were to build several massive fires around the camp. For another, they needed to attend to their dead.
After a few minutes of consultation, this plan was agreed upon and quickly put into action. The men began chopping down small trees on the edge of the clearing while the carts were moved into the center of the glade and arranged in a circle. The horses were allowed to graze on what little grass filled the area while several small fires were lit. Although most of their provisions consisted of bags of grain, some meat had been brought from Kafmara and the scent of it being cooked soon filled the air.
Roughly an hour after the sun set, the bodies of the fallen Warriors were placed on a large pyre their former companions had built in their honor. As it was lit, Thaelen addressed the band. He spoke of the courage of the fallen, the righteousness of their cause, and thanked the gods that no widows or orphans had to endure witnessing the current ceremony.
Many of the women and children wept as he spoke and, even among the men, the light of the blazing fire was reflected off many a tear filled eye. Pain and suffering was invariably what the undead brought to the living. Submission or resistance led equally to the grave. Until Zanoth was freed from the grip of these monsters, there would never be peace, there would never be happiness, there would never be hope.
As soon as the ceremony was complete, he urged them all to rest. They had a long way to travel on the morrow and all of them would need their strength. This done, Thaelen joined Paul and his companions around their small fire.
“So,” Darek said, glancing over at the captain, “you were a little late. We had to overthrow Kafmara without you.”
“I surmised that much,” Thaelen nodded. “What happened?”
“A lot,” Alena replied before recounting the preceding events.
“Well, that explains the women and children,” he said shaking his head.
“Speaking of which,” Paul replied. “Where are Anne and the kids?”
“Safe,” Thaelen said. “At least, gods willing, they are. I sent them ahead with a few of the men to our next rendezvous point.”
“That was a good idea,” Darek nodded. “Anyway, what kept you?”
“The undead,” Thaelen chuckled. “We must have been seen by a falauk or something. This morning, the scouts spotted the army from Kafmara and we spent the rest of the day trying to outmaneuver them. I thought we'd lost them before we reached this clearing. Then, right before we made it across, their foot soldiers started marching out of the woods. Their cavalry had managed to drive us into a trap.”
“That explains how they ended up surrounding you,” Joey said.
“They had to be watching us somehow,” Thaelen continued. “We didn't see any falauk or anything else, but we may have just missed them.”
“Maybe,” said Myra thoughtfully, “but I'm not sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Grathis could have had someone scrying on you,” she explained.
“I suppose it's possible,” Thaelen admitted. “Do you think Nyssa should hide the camp?”
“I don't think there's any point,” the former lich replied. “If you were being watched, then Grathis already knows roughly where we are. Plus, Paul has The Veil, which is more powerful than anything Nyssa could cast.”
“By far,” the fairy agreed.
“Alright,” Joey said. “Would one of you two like to explain this babble to me? I mean; I suppose I need to do my best to keep up with what's going on in the magic scene, what with me being a wizard and all.”
“You're a wizard?” Thaelen asked, gazing at the man from under a single raised eyebrow.
“No, he's not,” Nyssa asserted. “He's more like a baby that can accidentally use magic.”
“Well, either way,” Joey continued, “it's still a good idea for me to learn as much as I can.”
“That's true,” Myra agreed.
“I'm glad you think so,” he smiled. “Anyway, scrying was what Nyssa did with the bowl of water and flowers and everything.”
“It was,” the fairy nodded.
“And, that allows you to see things from afar?”
“It does.”
“Alright,” Joey nodded. “But, if the undead can do that, how can we escape?”
“We can't,” Myra replied, shaking her head.
“Well, Miss Optimist, we have so far,” Joey pointed out. “So, how'd we manage that?”
“To start with,” the fairy began, gazing at the young man with a condescending expression, “as Myra just explained, Paul has The Veil.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that everything anywhere near us is completely hidden from magic,” she explained. “It would take the power of a god to scry on him or anything around him.”
“Or, an equally powerful artifact,” Myra added.
“True,” the fairy admitted. “But, if there's an artifact like that for scrying, I've never heard of it.”
“Nor have I,” the fair lich agreed.
“Okay,” Joey nodded. “So, The Veil protects Paul from scrying...”
“Or, any other kind of magic used to detect or find things,” Nyssa interjected.
“Right,” he replied. “That being the case, the undead can't us
e magic to find us right now.”
“Correct,” the fairy said with a smile.
“Alright. But, what about when Paul's not around? We took The Veil with us when we left Thaelen's camp. Could the undead have scried on them then?”
“Of course not,” Nyssa laughed. “I hid the camp.”
“How?”
“Fairies are extremely gifted at the magic of concealment,” Myra replied. “They can make things almost impossible to find; no matter what method you use to search for them.”
“I see,” Joey said. “Well, why doesn't she just hide us?”
“It doesn't work like that,” the fairy replied. “I can hide places, not people. I mean, other than making them invisible, which obviously I can do. Either way, it takes a good deal of time and effort to hide a place. Plus, it doesn't last forever. So, every few weeks, I have to recast my spells to keep our camps from being scried on.”
“Sure, sure,” he said thoughtfully. “But, why couldn't the undead just watch Thaelen or one of the other Warriors and then wait for them to disappear? If they did that, they could find our camps.”
“You really don't know anything, do you?” the beautiful fairy asked, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head slowly.
“No. I don't,” he replied, “but, I'm trying to learn.”
“I guess that's true,” Nyssa smiled. “Well, scrying is really hard work. You can't keep it up for hours on end. At least, I can't. I get a terrible headache. So, basically, you either need to know roughly where what you're looking for is, or have it not moving around at all. You could watch a group of people for a while or search an area day by day, but you couldn't just watch Thaelen all day every day; if you see what I mean.”
“Still it seems like they'd be able to figure out where we were in time.”
The Fortress of Donmar (The Tales of Zanoth Book 2) Page 14