by K.L. Bauman
Chapter Forty-Four
Second String
Ayden was tired, but not nearly as tired as he thought he'd be. As he replaced his weapons on his belt, he looked to Volos whose bald head glistened with sweat. "Well," Ayden said as he caught his breath, "That was easy!"
Volos chuckled and the companions reformed the circle they'd lost during battle. Volos looked at everyone as his face sobered. "Round one. We need to do better at keeping this circle around Ayden. If it would've been anything other than sulkas, we may not have been so lucky."
Guilty faces shone all around Ayden, causing him to feel irritated. "Volos, it's okay. No one was paying attention to circles--we were fighting."
Volos scowled at him, but his eyes held nothing but concern. "If we don't keep you safe, we may as well put up a white flag and hand the sword to Degus ourselves." Then looking around to the rest of the group, he stated flatly, "We keep the circle tight."
No one argued. No one had time. A sudden flood of warriors poured from the bottle neck into the dead sulka-infested cauldron. The companions readied themselves, inching ever so slightly closer to Ayden. He drew his sword, and then did exactly what Volos had always instructed him NOT to do; he focused on the mass of innumerable bodies rushing toward them like a giant wave of deadly insects. We're all going to die! And it's all my fault!
He wanted desperately to scream "retreat!" but his voice had already done so, rendering him speechless. Volos' booming voice commanded, "Ready! Keep the circle tight! Keep Ayden and the sword safe! Go!"
Before Ayden knew what was happening, he and his circle of friends were charging toward the wall of adversaries. Vicious cries of war, clanking weapons, and screams of pain and death filled his ears. His companions, in spite of the rush of bodies and weapons against them, admirably kept a circle around Ayden, forcing the enemies away. Even so, several opponents seeped through to Ayden who cringed at helping them find their deaths.
These were not sulkas. The haunted eyes of elves, Veela, humans, and fairies greeted them with blinded hate. Whatever Degus had done to them, she had done it well. They fought with fearless fury, giving everything they had to end the life of anyone who stood in the way of their purpose, which was to kill Ayden and retrieve the sword.
Suddenly, Nya screamed as she was pulled away from the circle by a devilish looking Veela. Ayden managed to help free her, but the circle was broken and adversaries swarmed him, separating him from the siren. He could see Volos and Keena furiously beating away bodies, attempting to get to him. Sabina had become enraged and transformed. With nails and teeth bared, she ripped through the flesh of several more bodies, but made no progress as two bodies replaced every one that she killed.
Devlin was suddenly beside Ayden. His knives were only flashes of silver as he sliced at two elves and then threw a knife into the chest of a human. Ayden put his back against Devlin's and they fended off more of Degus' army. The other companions were swallowed in a wave of merciless warriors. Ayden screamed, "There are too many! We can't get past them all!"
Devlin didn't answer but growled as his body became rigid, causing Ayden to fear the worst. He thrust his sword into the chest of what he was sure was a human and then turned frantically to Devlin. Instead of finding the siren wounded, he saw that Devlin was smiling broadly as he gazed toward the edge of the cauldron. "We're no longer alone!" he stated enthusiastically.
Ayden kicked away another body and then chanced a glance toward the ridge. The rim of the cauldron was lined with live bodies. Ayden's heart leapt and his energy received a sudden boost as he recognized Palmaero. The stallion stood like an admiral before an army of unicorns of every size and color. The sun reflected off their coats, causing an illusion of fire dancing around their shining forms.
The unicorns were not alone. Beside them stood a vast army of fairies and elves, humans, and even--was that? Yes! Skeezicks stood at the head of a small group of dwarves in full armor, ready for battle! Ayden recognized more faces--faces that he had once fought against and taken to Hosgrow. Faces filled with fierce gratitude and loyalty.
Volos' voice boomed over the sound of battle, announcing to their enemies the arrival of their allies. Many of Degus' army turned toward the newcomers, but more bodies filed through the bottleneck, giving everyone plenty to fight.
As Ayden engaged in a dual with an elf, Palmaero reared and trumpeted with a shrill, high-pitched whistle. A cascade of brilliant bodies poured over the ridge toward the army waiting below. The unicorns were merciless warriors, thrusting their horns into the guts of their enemies and flinging them across the battle field. Sharpened teeth and hooves throttled and tore at anyone stupid enough to oppose them.
The elf Ayden battled was tough. His movements were all too crisp and deadly accurate. Their weapons struck, spewing showers of sparks around them. The weapons parted and stars disrupted Ayden's visions as the elf's heel connected with Ayden's chin. He held his ground, refusing to fall, and sliced the air with his dragon blade, narrowly missing the elf's throat. A body fell between them and Ayden's feet were suddenly pinned beneath it-he couldn't move! He dodged the elf's strikes as Volos' lessons flooded his memory.
The elf swung his blade swiftly toward Ayden who had to limbo in order to avoid losing his head. The flat of the elf's blade brushed against the tip of Ayden's nose as it sliced through the air parallel to his backward- bent body. He stood and blocked the elf's weapon as it was swiftly swung back toward him. They pressed against each other as dark eyes bore into Ayden's. The elf hissed, "You don't deserve such a weapon! Our steel was meant for greatness!"
"You mean like being puppets for a dark sorceress?" Ayden growled back. As he finally loosed his feet, the elf pushed him, then took his sword and moved so quickly that, for one horrid moment, Ayden thought he was dead. But the tip of an arrow suddenly appeared through the elf's chest, momentarily paralyzing him before he fell atop another body. Ayden would have to thank Da'ewyn later.
He glanced quickly to the side, seeing that the dwarves were chopping the legs of their adversaries like trees. Ayden caught Skeezick's eyes and they nodded to each other before continuing the battle.
Slowly, the circle re-formed around Ayden and they began to make their way toward the bottleneck. They passed hundreds of fallen bodies. A few, much to Ayden's dismay, were Palmaero's troop. The fairies and elves had taken many losses as well. Meadow fairies transformed and zipped toward opponents and transformed again, using the element of surprise to their advantage. But the fairies on the opposing team were all too aware of their tactics and overcame many of their opposition. The sooner I get to Degus, the sooner this can all be over! Ayden thought.
Just as they were approaching the mouth of the bottleneck, a series of earsplitting screeches filled the air. Despair cornered Ayden as a menacing black cloud of Razr birds swarmed them from above. In the light of day, Ayden could see their serrated beaks and hideously long, spiked necks. Not caring who they terminated, the devil birds snapped their wings toward the masses below. Bodies fell to the earth like flies as the dagger-feathers ripped through the crowd.
Ayden tore one of the daggers that Da'ewyn had made from his belt and flung with full force as a Razr swooped toward them. The dagger sank into its chest and the bird dropped to the ground with a blood-curdling screech as warriors dodged out of its way.
Da'ewyn grabbed at Ayden's belt, taking two more daggers. From out of nowhere, she produced some thin rope and tied the daggers to two of her arrows. Aiming carefully, she shot the arrows simultaneously into the air, taking down two more of the birds.
With sickening horror, Ayden watched as many more of Palmaero's troops fell to the feathers of the Razr birds. He flung Phantom and Whisper one at a time with one hand, turned and beheaded a siren, sheathed his sword, and then caught his other weapons as they returned from slaughtering another bird.
Another rain of black daggers showered down
on them. Ayden's insides jolted as Volos growled in pain. Four feathers were imbedded into his back. He looked at Ayden with a fierce expression. "Keep going! You have to get to Degus!"
Ayden didn't want to leave his friend. Keena took Volos' side, "You heard him! Keep going! We can manage ourselves!"
In spite of Volos' and Keena's valiant efforts, Ayden and the others were unable to grant their command. The Razr birds continued their attack along with the ground forces. Ayden felt the heat of one of their dagger-like feathers as it sliced through his forearm. Ignoring the pain and bleeding, he continued to fight.
After several minutes, Ayden was convinced it was all but over. With the help of the Razr birds, even Palmaero and his troops could not overcome their adversaries. They had all received several more wounds from the deadly feathers. If nothing else, they would bleed to death before they passed the bottle neck.
The air filled with a growling blast of noise. Glancing at the sky, Ayden expected to see blackened clouds and the return of the storm. Instead, a wave of excitement rushed through his body as he looked just in time to see the silver dragon swoop through the air toward a Razr bird. The broken silver chain swung from her neck as she angled through the air. She wasn't alone. Ayden's core pulsed with the power of five more dragons' battle cries. A blue, green, red, gold, and another silver dragon swooped through the air, their wings stretched out like giant kites and their teeth shining like polished blades.
Ayden's silver dragon bore down on the Razr bird as it flung its wing feathers at her. They seemed more like real feathers as they bounced uselessly off of the dragon's shining scales. The dragon raised her head, then thrust it forward as she breathed icy fire at the Razr bird. The blast paralyzed the bird long enough for the dragon to grasp it in her claws and tear it in two.
Ayden was joined by a multitude of grateful warriors as they cheered their heroes. The red and gold dragons tucked in their wings and spun gracefully through the air, avoiding a rain of black daggers. They then breathed fire, sending two more Razrs to their fiery deaths. The blue and other silver breathed icy flames, then clamped their jaws around their prey, causing the birds to shriek as their bodies cracked between powerful jaws and teeth. The red dragon swung its tail, which carried vicious looking spikes, and knocked a Razr bird clear out of the battlefield.
Ayden could've lost himself watching the grace and power of the dragons' attack on the birds; however, Da'ewyn's voice drew him to the task at hand. "Come on! We need to keep moving!"
He scanned for Volos and Keena, but couldn't find them in the mess of fighting bodies. The rest of the companions urged him forward. They made it to the middle of the bottleneck and were forced to stop. More of Degus' army blocked the entrance leading to the large opening where she waited.
Tired and bleeding, Ayden and company forced their way through the narrow crevice. Fighting was even more difficult, given the lack of space.
Da'ewyn screamed with rage as another Veela drove a knife through her shoulder. The princess grabbed an arrow, but was too close to her subject to shoot. So she simply thrust the weapon into her attacker's eye, sending the other Veela screaming and running away, covering her face.
Then, it seemed, everything went downhill. More warriors entered the already compacted crevice and overpowered Ayden and his friends. Their Razr wounds continued to bleed, along with many other scrapes, cuts, and gouges. They were getting weaker with every passing second and they knew it. Ayden felt overwhelmed, tired, and hopeless.
A human with the body of professional wrestler carrying a club bore down on Ayden. It was a crude weapon, but the boy had skills. With Ayden's weakness and attitude, it wasn't long before he found himself on the ground, rolling back and forth as he narrowly missed the boy's skull smashing weapon. Horrible thoughts taunted him. Thoughts of giving up, of letting the man smash his brains out to end it all.
But then something happened that unnerved him more than anything he'd seen or done that day--more than the severed body parts and splaying blood or the corpse-infested ground. Freya's voice sounded in his mind, but not as an echo or a memory like before. As clearly as if she was standing next to him, Ayden heard his grandmother's desperate plea, "Ayden! Hurry!"
Ayden's feet found earth before he had time to contemplate what he was doing. Grabbing the pouch from his belt, he flung muddle powder in the boy's face, causing instant confusion. The stunned human before him was a blur of blood and flesh as Ayden screamed with rage and panic, slicing through anything and anyone else in his path. Unaware of the source of Ayden's sudden renewed strength and sense of urgency, his companions faithfully followed suit.
The small group mowed their way through the bottleneck, leaving a mass of bodies in their wake. They reached the entrance to the larger opening of the "hourglass". Ayden readied himself for the next wall of warriors that was certain to be waiting for them. He and the others ran through the opening, screaming and raising their weapons.
A line of ten warriors stood like statues, waiting for the companions. Ayden didn't take time to ponder where the rest of the warriors could be. He ran full force at the man before him, ready to slice him with his weapons. But as they struck, the bodies vanished like the mist in the morning sun. Stunned, everyone stood tensed and ready for anything.
Ayden's eyes rested on the five trolls standing guard in a semi- circle before a shining, black, stone throne. Through a crack between their bodies, Ayden could see a stark contrasting white figure sitting calmly at the edge of the throne's seat. His heart attempted to break out of its bone prison and make a run for it. Degus!
Chapter Forty-Five
Betrayal?