The Battle for Liferné

by Caleb Monroe

  “Evasive actions, Shadow!” Shadow ignores my order and instead spins around to face the incoming onslaught head on. “What are you doing? We need to get higher so the arrows can’t reach us.”

  Shadow roars, and right when the arrows get into range, he takes his wings and slings them in front of him unleashing the hidden blades. The blades fan out and destroy all the arrows.

  “That was awesome. Cecilia was right, you are winning.” Shadow puts away the blades with a flip of his wings before taking off for the safety of a higher elevation.

  Once Shadow returns us to the safety of the clouds, I tell him, “Now we have to wait for Tayus to give the command for the castle defenses to attack. Once the army is distracted by the elemental barrage, we will have our window to attack.”

  Shadow takes us to meet with the army of griffins hiding in the clouds. Shadow flies above all of them and begins to chirp, growl, and roar. I know that he is giving the griffins one hell of a speech. Shadow punctuates his speech with one final, mighty roar.

  “On my call, we attack!”

  Shadow roars in agreement.

  I cannot help but feel a little uneasy that I am up here in the safety of the sky while Tayus and his soldiers sit on the ground with only wood buildings to hide and protect them. I am forced to watch and to wait silently for our moment to attack.

  The Mortem Mangoners are now closing in on the third ring, and I know Tayus wants to wait until the very last moment to launch our first attack. He must draw the soldiers into the third ring before our army can mount any type of successful attack.

  Shadow flies in circles as he awaits my order. I watch carefully for our window of opportunity and find it when the crystal army gets a hundred yards away from the useless brick wall Pontis had constructed. I hear a ferocious cry come from the soldiers below, signaling that the battle for the lives of everyone on this planet has finally begun.

  I watch as every catapult and crossbow we have unleashes its attack. From this height, I can see that nearly all of them are on target with the imposing mass of crystal men.

  The arrows from the crossbows are the first to make contact. The Mortem Mangoners who are not able to get out of the way are shattered upon impact, releasing black dust into the air, but the ones who only lose a limb or two are back on their feet within seconds. Their ability to regrow appendages is going to make this much more difficult.

  The green elemental pearls, one of our two more effective weapons, make contact with the ground in and around the army, and the earth trembles as the compressed vibrations inside the pearls are released and dispersed into the ground beneath.

  The crystal men who are at the epicenter of the earthquakes are shattered into pieces and even their regenerative abilities cannot put these men back together. The rest are merely thrown off balance, but this barrage slows the army down, which was always the true intention.

  I see our opportunity and shout, “Now! While they are off balance!” Shadow and the army of griffins who were placed in the sky with us dive through the clouds screaming their war cries.

  The Mortem Mangoners are not ready for the fury of cries that we rain down upon them. Black dust fills the air as each cry collides with the enemy soldiers.

  The griffins are focusing their attacks on the front portion of the marching army, and as we begin to pull up, the griffins’ wings send the dust of those they killed back to the rest of the Mortem Mangoners as a sign of our power.

  “Regroup and then circle around for another attack.” I hear the cheers from the troops on the ground, and I see that they are unsheathing their weapons for the battle about to reach them. “Once this next attack of pearl bombs stalls the enemy, we will go again.” Shadow chirps at me as we circle high enough to make sure the Mortem Mangoners cannot hit us with the arrows they are firing at a constant rate. “What are they doing?”

  The Mortem Mangoners are grouping together in threes and fours as they raise their hands high into the sky. I cannot make out the finer details, but the end result is clear.

  “They are constructing giant shields.”

  From this high up it looks like the army is carrying giant, thick black shields above their heads. The bombs are no longer getting through to the ground, and the Mortem Mangoners can repair their shields faster than the shockwaves of the pearls can damage them.

  “There is no point in doing another fly by, Shadow. Those shields are going to negate any of our attacks.” Shadow roars and his troops spread out and make their way to the battleground, landing on different rooftops throughout the northern end of the third ring. “You told them to take care of the Imago first, right?” Shadow growls at me for questioning his leadership. “I’m just checking, buddy.”

  Shadow takes us to the rooftop where Tayus is positioned, right at the forefront of the army. He shouts up to us, “How many do you think were destroyed in your attack?”

  “Enough.” I see that the shields are shrinking as the remainder of the crystal army easily breaks through the brick wall.

  “We only need to hold out until the crystal army enters the third ring! Are you with me?!” Tayus raises his sword into the air, prompting every soldier near the front line to reciprocate his battle cry. “Charge!!!”

  And so, it begins.

  Shadow and many of the griffins near the front line launch an array of cries now that we are facing the crystal men head-on in battle. Many of them try to put up shields to stop the attacks, but it seems as if it takes a few of them working together for their shields to be effective against an attack of this decimating power. The cries cut right through the charging Mortem Mangoners, creating a cloud of black dust that Tayus and his men break through to meet the new front line of the crystal army.

  Tayus and his forces cause the Mortem Mangoners to spread out, covering most of the northern end of the third ring. The houses and workshops in this ring are providing our troops the chance to encounter fewer Mortem Mangoners at a time, helping to diminish the advantage they had with their superior numbers.

  The first waves of soldiers collide, and you can hear the screams as both sides are being cut down as metal and crystal clash.

  It does not take long before the Imago are released to join the battle. The griffins follow Shadow’s order and whenever they see one, they abandon their fight and work together to kill it.

  Shadow flies us into the forefront of the battle where I witness two of our soldiers getting run through by a charging Mortem Mangoner who turned the crown of his head into a long spike. I take my Sica, swinging it downward to decapitate the murderer as we fly past.

  A sharp scream originating from a griffin penetrates my ears through the multitude of unsettling sounds filling the battlefield, and when Shadow turns us in the direction of the shrill, I see ten of our fighters taking on three Imago.

  “We need to help them!” I helplessly watch as two griffins are slaughtered before we can make it to them. “Cry!” Shadow launches his attacks meant to distract one of the Imago, allowing the griffins engaging it to flip it over and strike the killing blow. Two of the riders swoop in from above and are able to blind one of the beasts before running it through with their spears.

  “Look out!”

  My warning does not come fast enough, and I am forced to watch as a rider’s lifeless body falls to the ground with at least ten crystal arrows protruding from his back. A few crystal soldiers were able to sneak up behind him and his griffin while they were attacking the Imago.

  Shadow changes directions, leaving the last Imago to be killed by his troops, and takes us to the source of the arrows. Shadow slings the blades in his wings like fans, destroying the arrows fired at us and providing me a clear opening to the archers.

  I leap off his back, tossing a green pearl into the center of the six crystal archers. I roll to my feet and dismantle the two nearest Mortem Mangoners starting with their legs. I finish by driving my blade through their heads to make sure they are not getting back up. Shadow comes swoo
ping in and slings his left wing, unleashing his blades and destroying the four remaining archers, as I run to get back on his back before his feet ever touch the ground.

  Shadow loops us high into the air, and from here, I can watch as the battle unfolds. The Mortem Mangoners have now begun to disperse more than half of their army into the third ring. The castle defenses we moved into this ring are helping to keep the enemy off balance, allowing our fighters to hold their own, but we are not winning by any stretch of the imagination. We are barely holding our own, and it will not last too much longer from the looks of it.

  Tayus is doing his part by having his men slowly back up in the direction of the fortified wall of the fourth ring, allowing more of the Mortem Mangoners to come inside the third ring at a somewhat manageable rate.

  “There he is. He finally entered the third ring.” I point to the leader of the invading army as he and his Imago finally enter the battlefield. I hold on tight as Shadow dives at the leader, but we are forced to abandon our attack when we hear Tayus shouting to fall back.

  From the corner of my eye, I see that an Imago has slipped past our riders and is charging at him and his squadron. Shadow shoots a few cries as he makes his way to Tayus, clearing out the squad of crystal men flanking the Imago’s right side.

  “I got this one. You watch my back.” Shadow roars and flies a few feet off the ground, using the blades on his wings to cut down many of the Mortem Mangoners directly in front of us. He whips around to cover me, and I use his sudden stop to send myself flying at the Imago who just killed the two men standing next to Tayus when it slung its deadly tail.

  I use my momentum to drive my blade into a gap between the Imago’s armor, causing it to turn its attention away from Tayus.

  “Get out of here! I got this one,” I shout to Tayus.

  “We can’t hold out much longer! They are going to overrun us soon.”

  Tayus blocks an attack from a crystal soldier that has transformed his arm into a battle ax, then abruptly pulls his sword back causing the Mortem Mangoner to fall forward as he loses his balance. As the Mortem Mangoner stumbles, Tayus slices upwards, cleaving the crystal man in half.

  “Just go! We only need to hold out a little longer, and then my plan will work.” Tayus turns and runs to gather his men together to hold out for one last push by the Mortem Mangoners, leaving me to deal with the Imago.

  “It’s just you and me.” I pull a blue pearl out of my pocket and get ready for the Imago to strike. I hear Shadow’s blades and talons making short work of the Mortem Mangoner behind me, and I know I must deal with this thing fast or he will be overrun. I watch as the Imago’s elevated torso begins to sway back and forth like a snake readying to strike. “Come on already!”

  The Imago takes my invitation to attack, diving directly at me with its pincers thunderously clapping. I leap into the air to the right, and I feel my armor take a hit from one of the pincers as it grazes my back. The extra weight of the armor slows me down, but I will not overlook that again.

  The Imago recoils and attacks again, and this time I jump higher, landing right on top of its head. I quickly toss the blue pearl, freezing the monster’s head in a large jagged ice block.

  It begins to lash out erratically, and I seize the opportunity by grabbing onto one of the Imago’s dagger-like feet and swinging my way up to the unprotected neck of the beast. I drive my Sica deep into the belly, and then let gravity do the rest as my blade opens the creature up as I fall. I land with my back to the dead monster, letting the weight of the Imago crush a few Mortem Mangoners who could not get out of the way as it fell to the ground.

  I want to stop and catch my breath, but Shadow now has twelve crystal soldiers in front of him and he is being pushed back.

  I run full speed at Shadow, using his back to send myself flying at the crystal men trying to kill my friend. I land, and together we take out a dozen more Mortem Mangoners with our blades.

  Through a light black cloud, I see their leader coming my way. There is half a squadron between him and me, and as he closes the gap, he pulls two large blades out of his crystal shoulders. He begins to cut through our soldiers as if they are children standing in his way. He swings his blades with such precision and speed, never missing his targets.

  He is so focused on those in front of him that he does not see the two men charging from his left, but then I remember he is not alone. His Imago emerges from the black dust that fills the battlefield, grabbing both men before they can ever get close. It dispatches them with its pincers and tosses them to the side.

  I stand my ground, ready to take on this monster who is out of my league, but this is a fight I cannot run from. There will be no more running, never again. Shadow comes sliding in front of me, wielding his blades like a fan to destroy the Mortem Mangoners closest to me.

  He growls at me, and I tell him, “I’m not running! We have to stop him if we want to stop the army.” Shadow ignores me and uses his beak to lift me in the air. I get the message, and after he puts me down, I get on his back. Shadow takes off for the sky, using a few cries to destroy more of the enemy that is in his path.

  Shadow takes us to the safety of the air, and I yell, “Why are you running?! We need to get down there and help them.” Shadow chirps at me, forcing me to look below. I see our griffins are attacking the Mortem Mangoners and with the help of the riders, they are holding their own, even against the Imago. But they are stretched out so thin that they will soon be overrun just like our other soldiers. Our troops are nearly backed all the way up against the fourth wall.

  While looking at the horror that is the battle below, I realize the reason why Shadow brought me up here. “They are inside the third ring. They are inside the ring!” Shadow pulls his wings all the way in and we fall. “Do it!” Shadow shoots his wings out at the last second allowing us to hit the ground hard, but safely, while roaring as loud as he can. The roar sends shockwaves through the ground. “Time to win this war!”

  A moment goes by, but nothing happens. The war-torn battlefield is only filled with a medley of weapons clashing and men dying. Nothing is happening.

  Nothing.

  “Oh no. Captain didn’t get it done in time.”

  Chapter 18

  “What do we do, Shadow?!” We both search around trying to find any sign that our plan is going to come through. “Our men are stuck in this death trap, and it’s all because of my stupid plan. I told them if we could just get them close to the fourth wall that everything would be fine. This is all my fault!”

  I keep frantically looking for any signs that this is going to be alright, but all I hear are screams of our soldiers dying as they try to fight against the crystal army that now has us pinned against the wall to the fourth ring.

  Shadows’ ears suddenly start to twitch, and he lowers his head to face the ground.

  “Is it happening?” The ground begins to softly tremble, and while everyone around me is terrified, I shout out in joy. It worked. “Get ready to take them down!” Soldiers all around me are looking at me like I am the crazy one. I see my riders grouped together as they make a fly by firing cry after cry that is demolishing a large line of Mortem Mangoners. The men around me begin to feel the tremors intensify as they look to the ground, trying to figure out what is causing this.

  Shadow leaps into the air seconds before the violent tremors reach their pinnacle, and as I look below the feet of the Mortem Mangoner army, I see small holes beginning to form all around them. Our soldiers and I watch as many of the enemy are swallowed up by the emerging sink holes. And a few seconds after they sink from the battlefield, we hear a multitude of griffin cries followed by black dust erupting from the holes.

  “Attack!!!” I hear Tayus shout as he charges for the crystal army that has been left bewildered.

  “Riders! Take to the sky and rain down terror from above!” Shadow and I are joined by the eleven riders that are still alive, and we head for the Mortem Mangoners who are now backing aw
ay from the wall to the fourth ring.

  You can tell that they are confused, but I hear a scream arise from the middle of the army and I watch their leader call his troops to order again. The Mortem Mangoners form rank as Tayus and his soldiers, along with my riders, close in on them. They seem to have regained their composure, but then the tide turns in our favor.

  From behind the Mortem Mangoners, and even in the midst of them, the griffins that I sent to help Captain burst through the numerous holes that formed in the ground and take to the sky, destroying a large portion of the crystal men as they emerge with their cries aimed at the sky. The sky is filling with black dust as our enemy’s numbers begin to dwindle.

  “We have them surrounded! Finish it!” Tayus collides with two Mortem Mangoners and quickly deflects their attacks before taking their heads.

  Shadow charges in using his talons to destroy two Mortem Mangoners who snuck up behind Tayus. I hop off him and use my Sica to parry a few attacks from a crystal man before cleaving his left arm-turned-hammer. I quickly kick him in the stomach, and when he bends over, I spin around cutting him in two.

  “I told you this would work,” I tell Tayus while blocking a sword swung at his back.

  Tayus spins, stabbing the same crystal man through the chest. “You had Captain dig a giant tunnel all the way to the kingdom?”

  Tayus begins fighting another Mortem Mangoner while I flip over Shadow’s back to kick another Mortem Mangoner in the chest. “I knew if we just hit them with a head-on attack they would spread out and use their numbers against us, but this way we have them trapped between our soldiers and the one hundred and fifty griffins we have. They can’t defend against two different fronts. I was going to do this against your dad, but this worked out well, too.”

  Shadow comes flying in, doing a barrel roll that turns him into a tornado of whirling blades as he releases the hidden swords in his armor. He clears out nearly twenty Mortem Mangoners in one swoop.