Drafeng who had made it onto the walls now opened their maws and fired down on to the entrances, on to the stronghold. Barriers and shields snapped into existence.
Fysher lowered his arm, watching the beams that were just feet from the mages’ hands, their faces covered in sweat as they held back those tidal forces.
The golems and the machines were still fighting. The necro- mancers had given them souls, making them fight on.
***
Power crackled through Claire. She was surrounded by magical cir- cles with power that rivaled the kinds of spells that would take mul- tiple casters.
Seeing everyone had retreated, she completed her spell.
A bright-green, almost neon, with hints of yellow, beam of light cracked through the ground. The ground shifted and cracks
raced through the ground, through the wall of Shivernsin, and raced under the feet of the Drafeng rushing forward.
The commander in the rear must have sensed that something was wrong. The Drafeng started to turn and run back to the camp.
The ground shifted and tilted upward. The light shone through and the ground collapsed, giving way underneath the power of Claire’s spell.
Holes appeared under the ground. The reinforcing runes that the people of Shivernsin had created were inert. Drafeng and chaotic beasts fell. The incline that led up to Shivernsin collapsed. Rocks tumbled down, striking the hidden depths of Shivernsin that had al- ways been there, just hidden from sight.
The rise revealed the true size of Shivernsin, the collapsed ground now the graves of hundreds or thousands of Drafeng. Dust and snow covered the valley, obscuring one’s view of the other side.
Claire took a half-step forward. The power she had used had drawn from her deep reserves and she needed time to recover.
She looked out over at the Drafeng camp. It lay at the bottom of the pass, the wave of dust and snow rolling over them.
The people of Shivernsin were recovering. They had to crack open the cannon doors; the rocks had broken sections.
Claire looked at the Drafeng camp and her relief turned into fear.
The Drafeng camp emptied; they rushed forward over the de- bris and the rocks that had hidden Shivernsin.
The mortars were red-hot and there were only two that could continue to fire. The cannons weren’t in much better condition. None of them could see the enemy coming for them. The cloud and snow cover was so thick.
“Get those cannons and mortars ready! They’re coming!” Claire called out.
People were forcing the cannon ports open and the mortar doors. The melee forces were working to clear the debris around the base of Shivernsin to have stable ground to fight on.
Right now, Shivernsin was at its most vulnerable and the Drafeng commander seemed to have sensed this, sending in all of
his forces. It wasn’t as large as the force that had just reached the walls of Shivernsin but it wasn’t much smaller. The chaotic beasts and Drafeng with their multiple limbs didn’t have a problem with cross- ing the ground and charging at the stronghold.
The Drafeng changed into their ranged forms and started to at- tack the walls of Shivernsin. They weren’t aiming, just firing blindly through the cover. Hundreds of the beams hit the stronghold. They might have been blind, but they were still powerful.
Walls were struck; firing ports here and there were hit. A lucky hit pierced a mortar’s magazine. The entire section of wall blew out as the gunpowder detonated. More debris rained down on the de- fenders who were clearing the ground below.
Claire called up the Guardian mana barrier. The purple barrier covered all of Shivernsin, taking the impacts.
It will allow us to hold longer, but we can’t attack out of it. The Drafeng can push forward untouched.
“We need to hold them back. We need people out there to slow their advance—just a few minutes to get the guns up and running, then take the barrier down and hit them. If we don’t, then the de- fenders will just get overrun like they were with the last wall.”
Ideas filled and left her mind before she saw a man with wings of gold and fire rushing toward the enemy.
***
“No, you can’t! Anthony, you can’t!” Claire yelled out. Her heart felt as though it were being torn apart as she saw him standing there, a lone man with his sword.
He had the weight of Dena on his shoulders. He bore that weight, that responsibility; he was a joker, a prankster, a fool, a lover, a brother, and a good man.
He looked back and smiled.
Seeing that look in his face, she could feel him looking into her eyes. She could feel the care, the love in those eyes.
“In my eyes, you have always been a Guardian.” His voice was car- ried to her ears by Solomon.
She couldn’t help but choke up. She was unable to cry and she hit the ground, making the rock crack. “Come back to me! Don’t do this!” She looked at the Drafeng who were getting ready.
“We fight the strong and the armed.”
She coughed on her emotions, those words she had so proudly said in front of others centuries ago.
“We stand beside those who would stand beside us.” She thought of those she had fought beside.
“We stand for those who can’t stand for themselves.”
Those she wasn’t able to save—the regret that tore at her from in- side.
“We teach justice, not war.”
How she had wished for it to end, for there to be no more death, no more friends she had to bury.
“We drive for peace, not destruction.”
How she had hoped that the Drafeng would never reappear but prepared for it.
“We will not look away from the world, whether it’s darkness or it’s light.”
Even in Dena’s darkest hours, heroes had been made and people had stepped up.
“We are the harbingers, the peace seekers, the blood letters, the god killers, and the farmers.”
Her heart stilled. It was no longer Anthony’s voice, but the voice of all the Guardians with Shivernsin. They helped the wound- ed, they manned the defenses, they did their duty, and they bore witness to their fellow Guardians’ deeds.
“To those who know these words, they know our oath.
“You have heard a warrior’s words. “A Guardian’s word is their law.
“We do not give it freely and do not accept it without under- standing.”
Anthony’s voice was deep and powerful, mixing with the voices of the remaining Guardians of Shivernsin.
Anthony’s familiar tattoos blazed to life: A green bull on his left arm. A golden dragon on his right. A phoenix on his right leg. A shadow on his left. A white tree appeared on his back.
The power of Dena gathered toward him and he charged for- ward, gold and red wings leaving a trail behind him.
Claire turned and ran into Shivernsin. She cut past the people there and saw Aila and Tommie, as well as Ramona, Ryan, and Rachel.
They looked at one another; they had all seen Anthony charge out there.
Claire jumped up onto Ramona and turned her toward the door- way that had been Shivernsin’s main entrance to the northern pass. “Come on, girl. Trust in me.”
Ramona snorted and charged forward. Ryan and Rachel fol- lowed, carrying Tommie and Aila.
People called out in alarm as they charged forward.
Claire’s hands filled with power as blue wings appeared from Ra- mona, Rachel, and Ryan’s bodies.
Not today. Not this time. I won’t leave you out there again!
***
Anthony gripped his sword tight, feeling all of his familiars awake now.
He was coming in low and fast. The Drafeng were pushing hard, charging forward.
He shot out of the smoke and snow, to the edge of where the pass had once been, giving him an unobstructed view of the enemy. Anthony’s wings disappeared as the tattoos on his body es- caped his body, transforming into his different familiars: A bull kin covered in green tattoos holding a ham
mer. A humanoid phoenix with a ruby mage’s staff. A dragon with a golden bow. A purple- and-black suit- ed butler with a mask for a face and daggers made
of shadows in his hands.
Finally, Wendy stood there, wearing a white-and-silver suit of ar- mor, with a sword in her hand. “Seems these Drafeng don’t learn.”
Wendy grew taller, to the size of Anthony. On the back of her ar- mor, there was a tree. Instead of green and browns, it was made from vibrant blue leaves wreathed in golden light, the body of the tree sil- ver and white.
Standing beside each other, the backs of their armor seemed to have been carved by the same artist.
“No, they don’t!” Anthony let out a yell as he raised his sword. Purple runes traced over his armor and up his sword. He crashed into the ground, throwing up a shockwave of purple flames that crashed into the Drafeng.
“Seems like a few things have changed while I was sleeping.” She smiled as a white spell formation appeared in front of her.
Solomon gave her a fancy bow.
“Good to see you woke up.” Dave smiled, but his eyes chilled as he faced the enemy again.
“I was supposed to be a peaceful clan spirit.” Bruce laughed. “I was looking forward to retirement,” Penelope said.
“You, retirement? Do phoenixes do that? I just thought you kept on being reborn again and again?” Wendy quipped.
The familiars grinned. “The old game?” Dave said.
“You’ll lose this time!” Bruce yelled and ran forward with a yell.
Penelope hit her staff against the ground and spell formations appeared around her.
Wendy raised her hand and a spell formation appeared above the Drafeng.
A gold arrow appeared in Dave’s hand. As he drew back his bow, Solomon disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Dave fired arrows, creating beams of light around him. Solomon appeared above a Drafeng; his blades cut them apart be- fore he disap- peared in a flash of black smoke again.
Bruce hit the Drafeng like a force of nature, his pole lay- ing them
out.
Penelope’s spell formations burst into flames and re- vealed flame
elementals that shot out fireballs into the Drafeng. She tapped her staff; a line of fire ran across the ground, into the Drafeng lines, and exploded. A small volcano underneath the Drafeng tossed them away.
A pillar of light shot out of the ground, killing the Drafeng un- derneath. The spell formation glowed with power and several smaller spell formations stemmed from the main spell formation.
The loose rocks that had been the pass above were crushed and tossed away with the forces at play.
The power drained out of the main formation, falling apart. The secondary formations sent something crashing toward the ground, sending Drafeng flying and covering the area in dust.
Spirit knights appeared in the craters, created from the power of Dena.
“Being outdone by my familiars!” Anthony was covered in pur- ple lines. He turned into a purple blur, his sword a howling afterim- age as he tore into the Drafeng.
He threw his sword, killing a Drafeng. His arm glowed green and he punched a chaotic beast, sending them back the way he came.
He flashed forward in a puff of smoke. His sword turned gold; he snatched it out of mid-air and Solomon saluted Anthony.
Six stood against hundreds, slowing the Drafeng.
Drafeng targeted Bruce with their ranged beams but he moved out of the way. Solomon appeared behind him. His normal impas- sive devil mask had changed into one of a grinning devil. Drafeng blood colored the white, red, and black mask.
Anthony dodged an attack, throwing his sword at the attacker. He fired a beam of crackling golden lightning through several beasts, arcing through their ranks as Wendy’s sword cut through the air itself. A blade of white light extended from her weapon as it cut through the ranks of the enemy, slicing through them with ease. Wendy created a barrier, protecting Penelope, who had turned into her phoenix form, getting out of danger. Penelope flew over the Drafeng, pulling the snow up with her passing. Embers fell from her wings, burning all below her. She transformed into her humanoid form, using her staff once again to send out fireballs that
hit a Drafeng aiming for Bruce’s blindside.
He let out a “huah!” as he slammed the ground with his pole. The area around him shot out a blast wave, throwing the Drafeng into disarray; three of them caught arrows from Dave before they landed.
“Those were mine!” Bruce yelled.
“Boys—such a low score.” Wendy ran forward with Anthony. The two worked together as if fluid water: they covered each oth-
er, their sword art complementing each other’s. It was the same, al- lowing them to understand the actions of the other perfectly to cover them.
“Your footwork is too slow! Come on—blade higher there, An- thony! Did you forget everything I taught you as you were napping?”
Even fighting, Wendy was teaching him.
Anthony looked at the battle. They were only slowing the Drafeng; they were getting around them at the edges. Dave,
Solomon, Penelope, and Wendy were doing their best to con- tain the sides but they were getting past, with more Drafeng mak- ing their way to Shivernsin, which was still working to open their sealed ports, clear the rubble from their defenses, and rebuild them where they had been crushed with falling rock.
Anthony ducked as a spell shot over him, killing a Drafeng.
He glanced back to see Ramona, Ryan, and Rachel emerge from the wall of dust and snow. They landed on the ground, their legs dig- ging into the snow as they carried Tommie, Claire, and
Aila forward. Claire’s hands flashed with magical power and stone stakes shot out of the ground, piercing Drafeng. Aila stood in her stirrups, firing arrow after arrow that burned with purple light. Tommie fired gnome grenades from his arms, blowing up the Drafeng and
pushing them back.
Anthony ran forward, taking an arm from another Drafeng. He turned and jumped. His sword cut an arc through the air, cut- ting in- to the Drafeng’s neck. He dropped to the ground, rolling as a ham- mer hit the ground.
All of his familiars were fighting. Claire stayed back with Wendy and Penelope as Tommie and Aila ran into the battle, jump- ing off Rachel and Ryan. They landed on either side of Anthony.
Tommie slammed into a Drafeng, his left arm a shield; his right turned into a blade. He stabbed it forward, killing the Drafeng. He used the blade to cut the bag on his back. Smaller Gnominators dropped to the ground, wrapped up in Aila’s spells, which animat- ed the miniature Gnominators. The bags on the side of Rachel and Ryan burst open and five Gnominators ran forward under Aila’s command.
“You—” Anthony started.
“I’m not letting you fight without me again!” Claire yelled. Lightning shot out from her fingers, connecting to several Drafeng.
She raised her hand, drawing a stone slab from the ground and tossing it into the air.
Dave’s neck turned red, expelling flames that launched the slab away, crashing into a chaotic beam, raining down on the Drafeng.
The Gnominator spat out Goblin bombs, taking the pressure off of Penelope. With a screech she turned into a phoenix, passing the Drafeng in a blur. Bodies dropped behind her.
“Aren’t we friends? Can’t leave you out here on your own,” Tom- mie held up his arm as it switched to a crossbow.
Several purple arrows passed him. As if they had eyes they weaved across the battlefield around animated mini-gnominators.
Drafeng dropped to the ground, staring at the small machines in accusation.
“You’d get into too much trouble!” Aila laughed.
Bruce in his bull form smashed into a group of Drafeng. As they fell, a shadow flashed around them.
Solomon stood next to Bruce, playing with his thin blade. Bruce reached out, his staff appeared as he slammed it on his ground. Vines appeared from the ground, grabbing onto Drafeng. A flash of light cut across th
e land. The light faded back to Wendy as Drafeng slid apart.
“Too right, I was always telling him to be more social. You know just talking to imaginary friends will make anyone lose their minds.” “You might be imaginary Fairy!” Dave Expanded again,
releas- ing a breath that shook the entire are, melting stone and vapor-
izing Drafeng.
Anthony looked at them all fighting. “What are you doing, stab!” Claire yelled.
“Ah! Yes dear! Sorry! Come here you!” Anthony charged into the fray.
Can’t let them fight by themselves.
***
Logan’s body trembled. He couldn’t see the group out there. He could hear the sounds of fighting and see the flash of light even through the thick cloud.
Beams still landed on the barrier but there was less of them.
Mortar doors were kicked open and port gears engaged, start- ing to pull them up. Many were still stuck, the sealing wax now a hin- drance instead of a protection.
He watched, looking out at the lights, fearing that they might be the last time that he saw them clash.
The Drafeng were coming, but they were buying them precious seconds. Rocks were broken below and used to repair the new walls of Shivernsin that had been crushed with the falling roof above.
His hip vibrated. The runes upon it glowed purple and it shot from his hip. He reached forward, with an alarmed yell that died in his throat.
His family’s stone hammer—the heirloom that had been passed down with each generation and a promise, an oath to hold the north—fell toward the ground. Its purple light was almost sw- al- lowed up with the dust and snow; it was settling but the lack of wind and the mountains on either side kept it contained.
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