“Take cover under that wagon over there,” Megildur motioned to Marie to hide under a nearby wagon to avoid the attackers. Trying to protect Marie distracted the Aelfborn Lord. The Aracoix disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. After he felt Megildur was no longer a threat, the bird Warrior turned his attention to Marie and approached her while she lay under the wagon. He raised his sword to her but was unable to strike since Megildur jumped onto his back and plunged a dagger deep into his neck. The Aracoix Warrior flailed so hard from the wound that he threw Megildur from his back and pulled out the dagger. This attack served its purpose. The birdman now turned his attention back to Megildur. He remembered his training from Thaddaios and jumped to his feet, retrieved his sword, and engaged the Aracoix. Megildur was able to parry most of the Aracoix Warrior’s attacks but one landed on his armor and knocked him back. Megildur lowered his sword for just a moment and the Warrior took this time to advance against him. He spun around, as if he was going to run, but followed through with the turn until he came full circle. With his blade up high, he struck for the neck of the Aracoix and his sword hit its intended target. Megildur managed to lop off the head of the bird Warrior. The decapitated Aracoix’s body slumped to the ground. Megildur had his first engagement on the battlefield and he emerged victorious. His rejoicing would have to wait though, since they were still in danger from the Aracoix attack. He motioned to Marie to stay under the wagon and he turned to join his comrades in battle.
Turwaithion cried out, “Lord Megildur! Over here!” Megildur could see that Turwaithion, Maethorion, Bowen, and Thaddaios were deep in the battle. They vanquished several Aracoix themselves, but the battle was not over yet. He also could see they lost a few Warriors during this conflict. “The Aracoix safehold must be nearby!” Turwaithion roared, slamming another bird Warrior to the ground.
Megildur knew they could not stand to lose any more before getting to Aelarnost. He yelled out while leaving the group, “Watch my back. I mean to end this now!” Megildur ran out to the first Aracoix he could find on the ground, tackled him and held a dagger to the bird Warrior’s throat. “You tell your Master that we are not coming after the Aracoix, we mean to attack the Dar Khelegur to the north. However, if we see another Aracoix before reaching our intended target, I will turn my forces to your safehold when we finish with the Elves. Do you understand me?” The birdman nodded that he understood and once Megildur released him, the Aracoix flew straight into the sky and seemed focused on a distant target. A few moments later, the Aracoix shrieked out to the other bird Warriors, bowed his head in Megildur’s direction, and flew off. The other Aracoix attackers disengaged and pursued the first one Megildur threatened. Zeristan, Turwaithion, Maethorion, Bowen, and Thaddaios all gathered around Megildur to find out what happened.
“What did you say to that Aracoix?” Zeristan requested from Megildur.
“I told him that if I saw another Aracoix between here and Aelarnost that we would attack his safehold after we finish with the Elves,” Megildur replied with a sinister sneer on his face. Zeristan and the others loved his threat and all laughed about it. When the laughter diminished, Megildur asked, “So how many did we lose to the Aracoix?”
“Just a few, but I am having our healers summon them back as quick as possible,” Maethorion responded. “By the time Turwaithion has the rest of the army ready to travel this morning, we will have our lost Warriors back.”
“That is an impressive recovery,” Megildur replied. “What did you mean by saying the healers will summon them back?”
“Healers have the power to summon people across Aerynth,” Zeristan interjected. “Think of it as teleporting someone without being next to them.” Zeristan grinned since he knew Megildur would remember his first teleporting incident, which landed him in the livestock’s hay.
Megildur exclaimed, “Marie!” He remembered she hid under the wagon during the attack. He went back to find her unharmed and peering out from the wagon when she spotted Megildur.
Marie burst out, “Thank you for stopping that Aracoix!” She grasped Megildur and only stopped when she realized how uncomfortable Megildur felt during the embrace. “Excuse me for the outburst, Sir.” She brushed off her dress, bowed her head, and turned her attention on preparing to move out.
Megildur cleared his throat, took a deep breath to relieve his tension, and went to Maethorion, Atreus, and Zeristan who were all discussing the attack from the Aracoix.
“What provoked the Aracoix into attacking us?” Megildur asked the group.
“The Aracoix have a strong dislike for all other races,” Atreus replied. “With the exception of a few who have joined mercenary or Thief guilds, they affiliate only with other Aracoix. They also despise magic and renounce all Gods. Nobody even knows where these birdmen came from. They just appeared in Aerynth during the Age of Strife.”
“What was that focusing the Aracoix did before departing?” Megildur inquired.
“The Aracoix have the ability to communicate with each other using telepathy,” Zeristan educated the Aelfborn Lord. “When they first arrived nobody knew how to converse with them, but some began to understand their mental form of telecommunication.”
“I assume they did not like us approaching their borders and felt we were a formidable threat,” Maethorion added. “Their safehold is to the southwest of here and I am sure they were tracking us through the night.”
Megildur resounded, climbing upon his horse, “I am sure they will not interfere with us during our journey. Maethorion, are we ready?” Maethorion gestured to move once again. Megildur sat bold in his saddle and addressed his army. “We will continue to Aelarnost and arrive in time to attack during nightfall. Let’s move out!” The Aelfborn Lord was even more confident after his newfound victory over the Aracoix.
They started their turn northwest, pulling away from the bay, and heading into the frozen mountains. They avoided these icy peaks as long as possible, but now they must enter them in order to reach the Elven fortress. The weather was still sunny but getting colder as they ascended toward Aelarnost. Their plan to attack Aelarnost was a simple one. They would stop just outside the tracking range of the Elven fortress and send out scouting parties. Their function would be to eliminate any Scouts outside the fortress that could alert enemy forces of their arrival. Atreus would have his troops cause a distraction near the front of Aelarnost. Megildur would use this diversion to slip in undetected and rescue his sister. Also, he was unsure if his parents were still trying to free his sister or if they had succeeded and were already back home in Fort Viatrus. He would have to find out after their rescue attempt. They would soon be at Aelarnost and he would have his answers, one way or another.
CHAPTER 16: Assault on Aelarnost
Maethorion signaled Megildur that they had finally arrived just beyond Aelarnost’s tracking range. Megildur halted the troops and signaled for the scouting party. Between the two great factions, the Centaur Cohort and the Church of the All-Father, they had nearly a dozen qualified soldiers for the job, comprised of Scouts, Huntresses, and Rangers. Megildur was confident in their skills and had already seen their abilities after the one Scout saved him from the Thief, Gaal.
“I want you to split into groups to isolate all Scouts and sentries around Aelarnost,” Megildur instructed the reconnaissance party. “Be sure to take them alive, because if you kill them and they return to the Tree of Life inside Aelarnost, they will know we are here before we are ready. Now, Turwaithion will divide you into groups and may the All-Father guide you in your mission.” Turwaithion divided them into four separate units, one for each direction. It was not long before the first group appeared dragging along a Scout from the Dar Khelegur. Turwaithion had the Scouts bound to trees in the south and guarded. They had six Elven Scouts tied to the trees and all of the groups, but one, reported no more Scouts in their search path. The final group came back dragging one suspected Scout, but the man was not Elven. He appeared to be Human. The Ranger and Scout
dragged him before Megildur, Zeristan, and Maethorion.
“Lord Megildur, we found this man trying to sneak into Aelarnost,” the Centaur Ranger proclaimed. “He said he was trying to get back in for his family.” The Ranger lifted the half-conscious man’s head and Megildur could see it was his father, Aedan.
Megildur exclaimed, “Father! Release him at once!”
“Yes, M’Lord,” the Ranger and Scout both replied while they carefully laid Aedan on the ground.
“Father, are you injured?” Megildur inquired as he knelt down next to his father to assess his health. Aedan was not bleeding from any injuries, just a bit shaken from the blow to his head during his scuffle with the Ranger and Scout.
Aedan cried out. “Megildur, is that really you boy?” Even before Megildur could reply, Aedan embraced his son. Aedan became fully aware of his surroundings and that confused him a bit. He pulled Megildur back to ask, “Why does this army follow your command and whose armor are you wearing?” Before Megildur could reply, Turwaithion approached with news.
“Lord Megildur,” Turwaithion announced. “The scouting parties are all in and no more Scouts or sentries remain outside the perimeter of Aelarnost.” Aedan gawked at Turwaithion and then back at his son.
Megildur commanded, “Very well. Atreus and Maethorion, prepare your forces for the diversionary front. Zeristan get Bowen, Thaddaios, and two Rangers. I will join you soon.” The three men nodded, knowing Megildur needed to be alone with his father, and they departed to prepare for the pending attack.
Aedan demanded when he rose to his feet, “Lord Megildur? What is going on son? Who are these people and why are they calling you Lord?”
Megildur countered, “Father, I can explain everything to you, but I must first get inside Aelarnost and rescue Aranel.”
Aedan divulged, “It’s not only your sister inside, but your mother as well. Your mother and I returned to New Mellissar after the Dar Khelegur forces killed us both. We rushed back to Fort Viatrus, to find you were both gone. We assumed they took you both back to Aelarnost for slave labor, so we made the long journey here together only to find your sister once we slipped inside the safehold. They inadvertently killed me during my torturing. They meant my suffering to be an example to other slaves of what would happen for disobedience. I just recently made it back and was looking for a way in, when your Centaur friend clubbed me over the head and dragged me here.” Aedan was rubbing the newly formed knot on his skull.
“Let’s go rescue them together,” Megildur replied, holding out his hand to his father. Aedan shook his hand and pulled him in to embrace his son. “It’s good to see you are well, Father.”
“Likewise,” Aedan responded. “But do not think this lets you off the hook. I still expect an explanation as to what is going on, Lord Megildur.” Aedan gave his son a slight smirk.
Megildur agreed, “Yes Sir, I will explain everything once we free Mother and Aranel.” He knew his father would hold him to this promise. How was he going to be able to explain that when he died in Fort Viatrus from that Minotaur attack that he met the All-Father? The All-Father then selected Megildur as His champion to recover Shadowbane and bring peace to Aerynth. He experienced it first hand and still found it unbelievable.
Megildur and his father moved closer to Aelarnost to find Zeristan talking with Maethorion and Atreus. “Are we all set?” Megildur asked. All three replied they were ready. “This is my father, Aedan. He will be joining my stealth group coming in from the back of the safehold.” Each of the three shook Aedan’s hand.
“Your son has performed admirably, you should be proud of him,” Zeristan commented. “You raised him well.”
“Thank you. I look forward to hearing how he performed after we rescue the others,” Aedan replied while looking at Megildur. He did not have a look of disappointment or disgust, but more of curiosity. He knew his son must have done something noble and worthy to earn the armor he wore, not to mention his command over two great factions.
“Maethorion, Atreus, begin the diversion,” Megildur commanded. “Once you have the majority of their forces to the front of the safehold, I will lead my group to the opposite side and search for the captives.” Maethorion and Atreus agreed. They gathered their forces to the southwestern corner of the safehold. Once the massive groups of nearly a hundred soldiers were in position, Maethorion ordered his Channelers into the air above the southwestern corner. Channelers were powerful magicians who have learned to channel the major elements within Aerynth…Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. Maethorion now had several of these powerful magicians in the air creating a violent and destructive lightshow over the heads of the Dar Khelegur. One Channeler would cast a spell of lightning, while the other two bomBarded the safehold with fire and ice. This assault not only caused a diversion but also eliminated much of the Deathless Empire forces.
Atreus positioned his troops at the southeast corner of the safehold and began his assault. Most began pounding on the walls, shaking loose the stone structure. This gathered the remaining armies within Aelarnost to that corner of the compound. The inhabitants attacked with arrows and a barrage of magical spells to sway the Centaurs. However, this only strengthened their resolve and they retaliated with arrows and spears. It appeared to the Aelfborn Lord that the diversion was a success.
“Alright, let’s move to the northeast side,” Megildur instructed. Megildur, Aedan, Zeristan, Bowen, Thaddaios, and two Rangers moved into position. The walls around Aelarnost were similar to Greensward Parish, in that they were Elven in design and tall. At least archers did not line these walls, thanks to the diversion led by Atreus and Maethorion on the opposite side. Now it was Zeristan’s turn to sneak them inside Aelarnost. Megildur glanced at the Wizard, who took that for his signal to levitate above the top of the perimeter wall and survey the compound. After a moment of checking for enemy forces, Zeristan descended to report his findings.
“There are no guards in sight,” Zeristan stated. “I can translocate us just beyond this wall and next to some buildings. I do not know which building they use for their slaves. Ready?” Zeristan looked at the other six members of his group and since nobody protested, he waved his hands in a circular motion and sent the entire group into the enemy’s compound. Once materialized, Megildur noticed the buildings Zeristan spoke of. Since nobody was certain which of the numerous buildings the slaves resided, they split into several groups to shorten their search.
Zeristan and Maethorion paired up and searched a building together. The Wizard opened the door and peeked inside, only to find rows of beds. He presumed this was the barracks for the troops.
Megildur, along with Aedan, came across a small hut. Although they found no prisoners in the hut, it had shackles against a wall and torture devices on a table near the door. Aedan winced after getting a whiff of the room. The smell of rotting flesh and dried blood was overwhelming. “They had me blindfolded when the guards dragged me out of the barracks, but this smells like the place where they beat me.” Aedan pulled back from the hut and noticed a building with waste flowing from under the floorboards. “This looks like the place they held us, it also lacked proper plumbing.” It did indeed resemble slave barracks, but the lock on the door did not appear easily circumvented.
Zeristan boasted while walking up behind Megildur, “I will handle this.” With a quick spell, he was able to melt the hinges off the door. The massive metal door then toppled over to the ground, allowing Megildur and the others access inside.
Vanya cried out, “Megildur, we are over here!” Megildur could see that both his sister and mother dwelled in a separate cell for the women.
“Mother!” Megildur replied. “Zeristan, help me with this door. Bowen and Thaddaios take the Rangers and free the men.” Megildur watched Zeristan work his magic again and melt the hinges away. When the door fell, Megildur and his father moved it aside to let all of the slaves out. Megildur went straight to his mother and sister, when the path was clear. “Mother, I am so happy
to see you again.” He embraced his mother and did not want to let go. He pulled back and looked down at his little sister. He was unsure if she would be happy to see him or angry with her brother for not saving her from the Elves’ first attack on their village.
Aranel shrieked out as she ran for her brother, “Megildur, you rescued me!” She fastened herself to her brother’s side and kept repeating, “You rescued me, you rescued me.” He let her hang on to him for a few moments and finally he pulled her back and knelt down to her.
Megildur assured, “I promised Father I would protect you. I am sorry it took me so long though.” His sister did not care. Having her entire family back together overjoyed the young Aelfborn.
“I am proud of you Megildur,” Vanya said and then looked at Aedan. “We both are proud of the man you have become, but how did you convince anyone to follow you?”
“He convinced two factions to assist in his quest,” Aedan interjected. “Plus, they call him Lord Megildur, for which he has not given a reason yet.” His father and mother both looked at him with confusion in their eyes. The entire conversation even puzzled Aranel.
“I promise, I can explain everything,” Megildur replied. “But I prefer to discuss this once we’re far away from Aelarnost.”
“That would be preferable, but not possible it seems,” Zeristan interrupted, gesturing outside the doorway at the substantial group of Minotaurs converging on the slave barracks. They formed a barricade outside the building but for no foreseeable reason they stopped their advancement several yards away. They remained huddled, as if they awaited further commands.
Megildur whispered, “Zeristan, can you transport us outside the fortress walls?” He was unsure if Zeristan could transport all the slaves, since there were now several dozen of them that they rescued.
A sinister voice hissed nearby, “You could try half-breed, but it will cost you this little wench’s head!” Megildur could see no one, except their group and the large group of Minotaurs. This voice did not come from the enemy blocking their escape but from within their own group. Aranel gasped. Megildur turned to her to see his sister’s head yanked back by someone or something, but no attacker was visible to him. A blade materialized at his sister’s throat. When he followed the blade up, he could now see an Elven Assassin wielded it. Certain rogues, such as Assassins, Scouts, and Thieves, possess the ability to vanish from sight completely. This invisibility makes them hard to detect and even harder to fight. Aedan advanced on the Elf, but this only increased his grip on Aranel. This caused her to wince in pain from the now increasing tension of the blade upon her throat.
Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn Page 10