Von surveyed the edge of the trees. Shadows danced in the firelight and the gnarled branches swayed in the wind, casting an eerie black veil over the weary travelers. He could easily imagine something out there. Imagination or not, he knew there were vyr still in these mountains, probably closer than he cared to know about.
A sudden scream penetrated the stillness of the night. The sound of a wildcat cry, only more human.
“Was that a snow leopard?” Yaris must have known it wasn’t.
Von wished he could have told Yaris yes.
“Vyr,” Kaiden whispered.
“Probably,” Soren acknowledged. “Wether it was or not, it sounded very close. We should go.”
“I agree,” Von said. “As dangerous as it is to travel in the night it is more dangerous to stay here. Kaiden put out the fire, Yaris help me with the horses.”
The horse were not pleased to have the harnesses placed on them again so soon, but the worst they did was whinny in protest. Von and Yaris soon had them hitched again to the sled.
Von jumped in the drivers seat and drove the sled forward, moving at a quick pace. He could not see far in the darkness, but he balanced the need for safety with his desire to be away from here. The horses sensed the mood and it was all Von could do to keep them in check. He did not want to run them all headlong off a cliff before he saw where they were going.
The other men rode with bows in hand, ready to draw. They watched the forest for any sign of movement, but in this light it was difficult to see anything. The wind began to stir and Von’s anxious feeling increased. They rode in silence, watching. The sounds of the horse’s hooves crunching the snow and the whistling of the wind through the barren branches broke the stillness.
The moon rose behind the trees into the night sky and its light reflected off the blanket of snow that covered the mountains. The higher the moon climbed the more the darkness dissipated. Von noticed the constellations rising into the sky as well. He saw the clerics cup, in the shape of a chalice, its stem pointing perpetually north. Blane and Barg, the twin hunters, opposite in the sky from their sister, the huntress, who would appear at this time of year before the early hours of morning, heralding the dawn. The cluster of stars known as the council followed the hunters across the sky. There were others as well, but the one that caught Von’s attention was the dragon. Known as the serpent on the Gothen Isle. Von’s breath caught as he traced the line of stars that ran from the dragon’s curving neck to the hand of the high cleric. Von had always been told that the high cleric held the staff of power in his hand, but it looked too much like a chain now. In the high cleric’s other outstretched hand was the council, floating in the immensity of space to land on the high clerics upturned palm. The constellations constantly moved throughout the years and seasons. Only the clerics cup kept a constant position in the night sky. How many generations had passed since the dragon was close enough to the high cleric to paint this picture in the heavens? Von thought he must be looking at something not seen since the Dragons Lords walked the icy land of the north.
He tried not to think too much about it and concentrated on the tree line. He searched for any movement that might warn them of something following. The moonlight bathed the snow in a soft glow. It was not as bright as the day, but bright enough. The forest however, was buried in shadow. Von watched as the shadows played tricks on his mind. The branches of the trees blew in the wind. His imagination told him something was there. He hoped it was his imagination.
Kaiden, Soren, and Yaris stood ready to draw arrows. Their silvery bows from Haven Keep gleamed in the moonlight. Watching them made Von think of the sled as an oversized war chariot, with its armored bowmen ridding into battle. With any luck they would have no battles tonight.
A guttural sound formed in the throats of Isk and Jen, their hackles rising. Soren drew his bow, nocked arrow coming to his ear in one smooth motion.
“They are coming,” he said.
No one had a chance to ask what he meant. The shadows became bestial figures, leaping out of the forest, like snowcats bounding toward their prey. The creatures coming at the men were not snowcats. They were larger and faster. Soren released, his arrow flying true to the target and the vyr stumbled to the snow, but more came forward, pouring out of the trees. Kaiden and Yaris let fly their arrows as well. Again and again. Some of the animals fell, but most of those that did rose again and continued the chase, slowed only momentarily by the arrow strikes.
Predatory screams pierced the night. Von’s hair stood straight. He cracked the reigns hard. The horses bounded forward, needing little encouragement. Von felt the men behind him lurch against the side boards at the sudden burst of speed. The horses thundered down the slope, yet the vyr still came. They were everywhere. There was no hope in outrunning them. Closer and closer they came. The forest swarmed with the beasts. Nightmares come to life. Demons rising from the Rift. The arrows would not hold them off for long. How many arrows did they have? Surely not enough.
Von fumbled with his own bow, attempting to get an awkward shot off while still trying to steer. Amazingly he hit what he aimed at. He did not know how much damage he had done, but if it kept the vyr off that much longer, he would continue shooting.
The horses screamed in terror. A vyr was suddenly upon them from the front. A massive body of hair and muscle pulling at the horses. Hatred gleamed in its eyes. No animal could show that emotion. Von desperately shot, taking the monster in the throat. Down it went, under the hooves of the horses and then the skids of the work sled. The sled crashed into the vyr, sending the sled flying into the air. A feeling of weightlessness came over Von until the sled slammed back down on the mountain, somehow staying upright, still careening down the steep grade, horses at a wild sprint.
The force of the impact almost sent Von to the ground, but he held fast to the rail. He turned and peered over his shoulder. He saw that Soren had been thrown, but the man was already up and running, sword in hand. Von did not think he could force the horses to slow down for Soren, but Soren did not need them to. He ran along side the sled at animal speed, fighting and slashing at the vyr. Every sword stroke put a creature to the ground, or at least kept it from reaching the sled. Soren could not do it on his own. There were too many. Kaiden and Yaris were unable to hold the creatures back. Fangs and claws ripped at the ancient sled, tearing at its occupants. Isk and Jenn snapped back, protecting their human companions. The vyr came forward, undeterred. The men would be overwhelmed in a sudden rush. Von could not die without fighting, and he would not let Soren die for him.
He leaped from his seat, landed in the back of the sled, sword and dagger in hand. Anyone watching him would think him mad, flailing and slashing about, but he moved with a purpose, with a speed he once thought impossible. Sword and dagger whirled and spun, each stroke finding its target. More than once the sled became airborne. With each landing, more vyr fell away. Kaiden and Yaris fought as well. They shot arrows at the hairy masses that threatened to leap on the sled. Some still broke through. Those Von did not take, Soren did, yet on the vyr came. Monsters Von was sure had taken death blows rose from the bloody snow and continued the pursuit.
Von heard another scream over the din. It pierced the night. Not a vyr, the horses. Von turned to see a horse fall to the jaws of a vyr. The other horse fell under the weight of the first. The sled could no longer stay upright, crashing into the fallen horses, spinning around, then tumbling to its side.
Von hit the ground hard, then slid. He didn’t know how far. The sled continued sliding too. Somehow Kaiden and Yaris had remained inside with one of the dogs. Von didn’t know which. The men clung to the rails desperately. Von had to move or he would be crushed by the weight of the sled. There was no time. He could not move fast enough in the deep snow. He braced for impact, then remembered pulling the sled around the courtyard of Haven Keep. Instead of readying himself for the blow that would kill him he reached out with his hands and caught the sled. It stopped instantl
y. The work sled felt as light as ever. Then the horses, still harnessed, slid past. Their weight whipped the sled around. Von barely had time to jump inside before he was again speeding down the slope.
A vyr scrambled to the top of the overturned sled, massive claws grabbing at Kaiden. Yaris stabbed with his dagger under the fleshy part of the jaw. Isk and Jen attacked as well. Where they had come from Von did not see. The vry’s scream turned to a gurgle. Another shape was on them, moving at the speed of the vyr. Von caught himself in mid swing when he realized it was Soren.
“Cut the horses free,” he yelled.
Kaiden went to work with his dagger on the harnesses. The sled began to slow. If they did not get moving again they would be torn to shreds by the approaching vyr. A snow drift halted their movement completely. Kaiden still did not have the horses cut free. They would have to fight the creatures here.
Von and Soren stood with their backs to the overturned sled, facing three charging vyr. The middle creature fell to an arrow. That must have been from Yaris. Von had no time to see if the vyr stayed down. A half second later one of the remaining vyr crashed into him, slamming him against the sled. The weight of the collision drove his sword deep into the vyr’s chest, but it still clawed at him. Desperately he pulled at his sword, so he could strike again. It wouldn’t move, his arm was pinned against the runner boards. He twisted his sword, tried to wrench it free. It moved only finger widths. The vyr was confined in its movements as well. Von’s other hand still held the dagger. Again and again he stabbed. He could feel the claws tearing at him, trying to rip away flesh. His bone and muscle felt bruised and broken, but the claws never made it past his mail armor. He continued to stab, over and over. He couldn’t breathe, he was going to be crushed to death. Finally the vyr stopped moving, but he was still pinned beneath its weight. He squirmed and fought to get out from underneath the thing. Yaris was there, helping him push the massive animal off him.
Von stood and saw the danger had not passed. Thirty spans away six more of the demons raced toward them. The things were a wall of death. A wall that would crash over the top of Von and his companions in only moments.
“Get in!”
Von was not sure who yelled, but when he turned Yaris was climbing back into the sled and Kaiden was already waiting inside. The sled was up right again and the horses, now dead, had been cut free. Soren started pushing the sled straight down the slope. If Von did not jump in now he would be left behind.
Von jumped, vaulting himself into the sled, cramming between the two dogs. Soren continued to push, sprinting as fast as he could. Faster and faster the sled picked up speed, until finally Soren leaped inside. They sped down the mountain in the sled, picking up more and more velocity. Soren had hurled them straight down the nearly vertical mountainside. Surely the vyr could not run this fast, not on this steep slope.
Von’s breath caught as he realized they were in the air again. They had gone over a ledge. Further into nothingness they flew. Then the weightlessness returned as they fell. Downward, farther and farther. They had to hit ground again sometime. He clung to the rail as tightly as he could. He hoped the others had enough sense to do the same.
The impact finally came with a jolt, but he held fast. The sled gradually came into greater contact with the mountain. The grade was steep, they were traveling faster than ever, speeding across the ice and snow, trees and rocks whipping by on both sides.
Von did not know how long they raced down the mountain, or how far, but eventually the sled began to slow. He hoped it would stop before they hit a tree. He did not wish to escape from the vyr just to die crashing into an oak, or falling off another ledge.
Slowly the sled began to decelerate and the mountainous slopes gradually leveled. Von sat up to get a better look at their surroundings. They were sliding through a snow covered meadow, slowing more and more. Finally the sled came to a rest. Von stared up the mountain at where they had come from. It had taken them four days to climb that mountain, now they had descended it in just one. He could see the trail the sled had left in the snow, like some giant animal. There were no signs of the vyr. They were left behind up on the mountain.
“How could there be that many?” Kaiden asked.
Von wondered the same thing. “With so many of those things in the mountains we should have seen them or known about them before now.”
Soren stared up the mountain the same way Von had. “I do not know, but something stirs in the Rift. Something dark. I believe old things are coming again.” He turned and gave Von a knowing look, like he somehow knew a secret that Von kept. A secret Von was not sure he knew himself.
“I think we are at least safe for now,” Von said, avoiding Soren’s eyes. Did he know about the dream, about Brimstone? “How many do you think we killed?”
Soren shook his head. “I’m not sure. We wounded many, but I think we only managed to kill a few. Many I thought for sure were dead came after me again.”
Von remembered the one he was sure he’d killed with his sword. After taking a blow like the one he’d given, the thing should have laid down and died, yet it had not.
Soren continued, “Death does not come easy to these creatures. I don’t think we have seen the last of them.”
Von thought the same thing. He did not like the prospect of facing the vyr again, but he would have to if he was going to return to Haven Keep.
Chapter Thirty-One
Flenn couldn’t think of a reason Oded and Tostig deferred to him. They possessed the superior fighting force and the greater experience. He should defer to them. The opposite was the case. The two men listened to Flenn and followed his decisions. They gave advice, but made Flenn aware it was only advice and his was the final decision.
Only a few hours had passed since the fight with the Halfen, but Flenn was already working out a plan to get into Azmark safely and warn Baiden. He was not sure it would work. It all depended on wether the Halfen army had already laid siege to Azmark. The problem lay in not knowing where the Halfen were. Everything hinged on knowledge he did not have. He hoped he wouldn’t be forced to formulate an entirely new plan upon reaching home. By then it might be too late. He weighed many options, reviewing the possible scenarios in his mind as he rode at the head of his growing band of fighters.
The little army was still far enough away from Azmark that the farms remained scattered, with most of them set far back into the forest, away from the old road Flenn and his men traveled. The few farms they passed were usually inhabited by men who wanted to join the fighting. When the homesteaders learned a Halfen army was invading they came running, bringing their son’s and their weapons with them. It was heartening to learn most of the Kailfen clan were still loyal and would fight for Baiden despite the enormity of the odds against them.
Some farmers, with the help of Tostig’s scouts, ranged further out, recruiting men from farms and villages hidden deeper within the forest. Each farmer recruited knew of additional farms, mostly friends and relatives, concealed even deeper in the trees. Eventually the farmers took the duty over completely, allowing Tostig to concentrate his efforts on scouting ahead.
The small force he started out from Azmark with had grown. There were nearly three hundred men with him now, and more coming in faster than he could keep track. He hoped to have at least five hundred able bodied fighters by the time they reached Azmark.
Flenn held no delusions these men were hardened soldiers, but he could not imagine Ky possessed anything different. The men of the north were born and bread fighters. The descendants of warriors feared throughout the lands of the south. That was before the time of the empire, but some people had long memories.
Most of those coming in rode horses, but not all. The men on foot kept up pretty well. All the men, young and old, some he would wager were barely starting their fourteenth winter, had brought bows. The other weapons they carried were a mix of swords, long and short, with even a claymore or two, as well as axes and spears. He even saw a wa
rhammer and a couple of maces. Their armor was just as much a hodgepodge as they were. Dented helmets and breastplates, large wooden shields, sometimes square sometimes round. Occasionally a man wore armor that was fit for a lord. It probably belonged to a grandfather who had once been more than a farmer. The sight of these men reminded Flenn they were not just farmers, they were freemen, accustomed to fighting for their land and for their lord.
Flenn worried Tostig had been gone for too long. He normally reported back by now. There were Halfen scout’s out there, Tostig had already taken out two. The Halfen men died silently, with no way of warning their army of Flenn’s position. Eventually the Halfen would wonder why their scouts did not return, and it wouldn’t be long before they sent a larger force to find out why. Flenn hoped Tostig hadn’t gotten tangled up with such a force.
Flenn and most of his men rode in silence. At first they came boasting of what they would do to the Halfen. Flenn worried they might not know what they were getting themselves into. Eventually, as the hours wore on, they grew quieter. They still boasted some, but most rode or walked quietly.
Flenn couldn’t see a way to win, but he would fight anyway. Baiden couldn’t have more than fifteen hundred men inside Azmark, and that was only if he’d managed to gather men from the outlying communities. They were outnumbered more than two to one by the Halfen. It would be eight to one when the larger trailing army joined the foregaurd. Even with Oded’s southern army fighting along side them they were still sorely outnumbered. The southern forces brought the odds back to two to one, but that was before taking an account of the Hywell and Kragen. Tostig had seen evidence of them gathering armies of their own. The Whaleren would most certainly send forces to aid Ky. Who knew where the Celten’s would stand? The last time he saw Dethan the boy did not sound supportive of Baiden. Who knew what effect the death of Dethan’s father would have on him? If the Orlenc still stood with Baiden they were probably just sealing their own doom. The north was about to be plunged into a civil war. Flenn was disgusted. They were doing the Horde’s work for them.
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