by Kurtis Smith
Finally, they came to the opening of an empty chamber with dim torches lit all around it. Davin’s first thought was that it was amazing a room of stone this large could have been built and maintained underground.
“Incredible, isn’t it,” Teague said, as if reading Davin’s mind. “Some of the Ancient’s magic is in the earth here. It is the only way extensive tunnels like these could exist.”
Davin and Teague stepped into the chamber and walked to the far side where two other hallways led out again. That made four exits total. Two on each side and all of which took off in different directions. He really hoped Teague had the way out memorized.
As the rest of their fighters trickled into the room timidly, a revelation came to Davin all at once. He froze, and gasped as he realized where they were. Egan and he had read the insane soldier’s mind in Habok.
And that mind had showed them this place.
Davin recalled a nervous looking group of soldiers standing where he stood, listening to the First Captain of the Grand Army.
Davin flicked his head toward Teague and spoke tensely. “This is not good. I have a feeling these tunnels aren’t as secret you think.”
Teague faced became both concerned and confused. “You think my father told others about them? He would never…”
“I will explain once everyone has entered here.” Teague accepted this and resumed silence as everyone continued to invade the room.
Davin watched as Egan emerged at the end of the line and then called the rest of the leaders together. They gathered and waited for Davin to reveal his urgent news.
“Egan, do you recognize this room?” Egan raised his eyebrows, not understanding. He looked around, seeming to do so only to humor Davin. Davin watched as Egan’s face changed to that of comprehension.
“Deverell and Grand Soldiers have been here,” Egan said, confirming Davin’s fears to the rest of the leaders.
Governor Seamus was the only one who hadn’t been informed previously about the extent of Egan and Davin’s powers. Davin waited for protestation, but it never came.
Instead he said, “There are many things I need to learn of your abilities, but if the others here trust you then I have no reason to question your words.”
“So that is what you did that night in Habok. You were reading that man’s mind,” Druce said, seeming to feel relieved that he finally understood what had happened.
“More like just his memories, but essentially that is correct,” replied Davin, before he turned to speak to the leaders at large. “We need to tell the rest to be ready to fight as we move through these tunnels. The army may be here already.”
Druce turned to address the fighters, but before he could speak a low, rumbling noise appeared out of nowhere in the tunnels beyond. Silence was called for in the chamber. A few seconds passed and it began to grow in volume, gradually becoming clear that it was the sound of boots clapping against stone. The increased rate of breathing by the chamber’s occupants was terribly unnerving. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind. The army had found them.
“To arms!” Druce yelled, grabbing his sword and raising it into the air. Everyone turned to him as if to make sure this was for real. Davin and Governor Seamus confirmed it. Those that had not been armored scrambled to the make themselves ready. The ones that were prepared stood stiffly, waiting for the arrival of whoever was in the tunnels.
Egan scanned the room for Kayleigh, rushed past several people, and pulled her aside. Speaking quickly, he said, “Take some archers and a small group of swordsmen. Go, if you can, and find hiding places within the city. Try to get placement on rooftops if you can. Ancients watch you. Go.”
She nodded firmly, saying nothing. She seemed to working up her nerve, but made no complaint. Instantly she began to move about the crowd, beginning to gather her small force. Egan lost sight of her and returned to the other leaders.
The last of the fighters were still armoring up when two arrows flew into the room from one of the side tunnels. They struck a man from Swift River twice in the legs, just missing his protection. He let out one loud grunt as he dropped in a crash of armor.
“We’ve got a man down!” yelled a voice from the direction of the fallen man, but Davin and the others knew the truth already.
Before anyone could react to the first attack, another two arrows zipped in from a hallway on the opposite side of the room. This time they embedded themselves into two other men’s chests, each just below the heart. Davin knew one by face to be from Lemirre. They cried out nearly in unison, stumbling from the strike. The accuracy of the shots could have only come from those trained professionally in combat.
“Move away from the entrances. Don’t allow them any more free shots!” Davin shouted, no longer in shock from the surprise attack. They had already lost three fighters.
“Archers, fire your bows at will!” shouted Egan.
Three volunteers offered to drag the dying men back away from the doorways. Davin caught a glimpse of their bloody masses as they passed and looked away quickly. It bothered him that their lives had been taken so meaninglessly. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if many more were lost.
Several of their archers that Kayleigh left behind stepped to the front lines, standing back to back with their arrows strung. They loosed their bows at the unseen targets in the tunnels. There was a least one wail of pain heard echoing through the chamber.
A horn blow burst through the labyrinth and vibrated the walls. Most covered their ears, but by the end of the long singular note, Davin found his were still ringing.
The clapping of the soldiers boots resumed. Egan spoke softly to the other leaders. “It will be an honor to fight alongside you all, gentlemen and ladies.”
“Save it,” said Druce abruptly. “Sentiments can wait, now we squash these insects.” He smiled, and Davin watched the warrior instinct come alive in him. Aiden held the same animalistic gaze.
“So I assume you won’t hesitate to return the favor they just offered our fighters,” Niahm smirked.
“Not in the least.”
There wasn’t time for any more levity. Grand Soldiers flooded into the chamber from three separate entrances. The soldiers advanced on the rebels and they converged into one group.
“Form up on us!” Druce commanded to their fighters. “Do not let them split us!”
The rebels obeyed as the first soldiers were upon them, and more soldiers weren’t far behind. The chamber filled fast. But the confined surroundings worked to the rebel advantage, with pure numbers not making as much a difference.
Each side connected the first strikes of their weapons. The sword arms of the soldiers and the rebels flailed back and forth. Sparks could be seen in the dim light when the swords met other swords or armor. The rebels continued to retreat into one large force, while swinging away at their opponents.
When they had been pushed back as far as they could go, Egan yelled out at Davin, already trading blows with a soldier himself. “Davin, Driocht, against the main group of soldiers!”
Davin did not hesitate. Running to the fore of their company while dodging around men locked in combat, wasn’t easy. Two soldiers stopped him in mid-step. He nearly ran into them. One of the soldiers took a wild swing in his direction. Davin easily dodged it and stabbed one of them in the chest, right through the thin armor. The other was taken down by a sword strike to his left. Aiden had appeared out of nowhere. Davin nodded in appreciation.
He arrived at the front of the line and pulled the Wind Orb into his hand. He pushed his arms out away from him and then back in, focusing on the dark matter. The wind whistled through the tunnels as it came. Some of the people stopped fighting to wonder what the sound was. Seconds later, it erupted into the chamber, sending soldiers just now joining the fight flying across the room. They hit the walls on the opposite sides of the wind that had blasted them with a loud thumps. Their swords had either dropped from their hands or impaled in them, and their armor left enormous d
ents in the walls when they crashed. The maneuver had taken care of many soldiers, but they continued to come.
Fear crept into the faces of the other soldiers momentarily. “Do not fear their sorcerers!” shouted a commanding officer. “Fight to the last man.”
This command renewed the resolve of the soldiers and they continued to advance.
Davin didn’t have time to start another attack because someone brought a sword down inches from his head. The power of the swing ruffled his hair. He pulled forth his sword and met the other blade in the middle of a high swipe. He pushed it aside forcefully to the left; the soldier stumbled and spun around. He impaled his enemy in the lower back.
Davin looked around momentary. Three more of their numbers had just dropped around him. Their opponents had just become free to torment others.
To his left and farther down the chamber, Egan and Druce worked together, dropping soldiers together. They progressed nicely, covering each others’ backs and shifting position constantly. Neither of them had been touched yet, and the confidence of this showed on their faces.
“Davin, I need one of the orbs! Can you reach me?” Egan bellowed, spotting Davin in the mob grunts and clanking.
“I would not give up my sword if I were you. Your skill has yet to be matched by these men,” Druce growled at Egan, as he chopped at an outstretched arm coming at him. The blow severed the arm and sent it to the ground a few feet away. “Save that power, you’ll need it. This isn’t even a fraction of the standing army,” he finished.
Egan tried not to let his disappointment show too much, saying only, “Fair enough.”
As another man from Swift River fell on Egan’s right side, Egan was forced back into the battle. The soldier who had been freed of his combatant glowered at the Descendant and swept at his feet. Egan reacted a half second too late, the swing of soldier cutting a small gash on his shin. The soldier, unfortunately for him, was too enamored with killing the magic user that he failed to see Druce slash at his back.
“Are you sure you aren’t one of my kin?” Egan said, admiring Druce’s amazing battle ability and apparent invulnerability.
Druce smirked. “I can be if it makes you feel better about your own skills.”
Davin nearly reached Egan, but he was rushed by several bodies much more bulky than his own. Foolishly, the soldiers rushed him all at once. They didn’t know his speed. He ducked out of the way as they swung at the spot he once stood. Their swords connected with each other and sent their wielders to the floor.
That’s the second time they have tried to do that to me.
“Catch the orb!” yelled Davin as he threw the orange-red device over the fighting. Egan reacted quickly enough to the swipe the item out of the air. He grasped it and pulled it down to his body.
Davin looked around him and noticed that Egan, Druce, Aiden, and Governor Seamus were still fighting away. Each of them was engaged in their own urgent fighting matters, but Niahm, Kayleigh, and Teague were gone. Hopefully they made it out of the tunnels alright.
He grew so worried that he didn’t see a small handful of soldiers rush him. Before he realized what had happened, they had sent him sprawling to the ground. His head was dizzy from hitting the stone. A small drip of blood fell down his face.
One of them spoke to him in a stiff manner as he raised his sword. “I know what you are. Your kind should not be allowed to live. You will only cause chaos and destru-ugg”.
He was unable to finish his sentence because a sword had been stuck through his abdomen. His face turned rigid and then relaxed as his life faded. The killer was revealed to be Prack. Davin was very grateful for the pub owner’s intrusion. They only had time to exchange nods before the other soldiers were upon them.
Davin tried to use the wind orb, but failed to be able to concentrate. He stepped in front of Prack and speedily took down two soldiers. Prack disarmed another man handily and sent a vertical cut up his body, spraying blood over both of them. Davin never knew Prack to be a fighter.
The longer we stay here the more will come. And we may need to help the others.
He glanced around again, wanting to find a way out. Bodies were beginning to line the floor, which was making getting anywhere fast difficult. Davin noticed dead fighters from both sides as he maneuvered among the fighting. Swords, shields and armor were still ringing with an ear-pounding clatter as the mass continued to battle.
Davin stopped and sent a swipe of wind to his right where one of their people was struggling. The soldier grabbed at his neck as it suddenly broke into profuse bleeding. A few seconds later he was down. The man who had been fighting looked up in surprise and then thanked Davin with a wave of his sword. Davin ran along a little further and performed the feat again to success. He downed two more soldiers this way. If they could clear a path with Driocht they might be able to make it back into the tunnels with minimal problems.
The third one of them was the commanding officer that had made the command. He was fighting Governor Seamus. Before Davin could call the sharp whip of air again the governor received a nasty cut on his leg that made him stumble backward. As the soldier went in for the kill, Davin pushed the Driocht out at him lazily. It missed the officer’s throat but swept under his legs, sending the man flipping onto his head. A pool of crimson issued from it moments later, and the man moved no more.
“What is your plan to get out of here?” Davin shout out to Egan as he finally reached him. Egan elbowed a soldier in the face and sent a sword through his neck before turning to Davin.
“Teague led them toward the exit when the fighting broke out. They will try to keep hidden and find out what’s going on in the city. Don’t worry. They should be safer than we are. Down!” Davin dropped. Egan pulled the red orb into his hand and pushed a ball of flame into the soldier swinging at Davin from behind. He screamed as his body burned.
“We need to get moving ourselves,” Davin said, watching the weapons flying wildly around him. He needed to not fall down on his guard.
“I agree,” Druce interjected, stepping away from a fresh kill. “Let’s push everyone to exit. I am done with this place, and we are trapped here.”
Egan wasted no time. “Push forward! We make for the city!” he yelled to their fighters. There was a slight pause as these words were taken in by room at large. The reaction time was fast. A yell of excitement escaped the lips of many.
Egan, Davin, and Druce led the charge. Davin pushed forth pulse balls of wind at three second intervals, keeping soldiers out of their way to the exit they needed. They met only slight resistance, but they knew soldiers would file in quickly behind.
The rest of their fighters followed. This bold advance took the soldiers by surprise. Some of them were dead before they could react, but many recovered quickly. Out of the corner of Davin’s eye he saw Haskell fall from a blow. His heart panged for the kind man shortly before he was thrust back into the battle. The dead will be honored properly when this is over.
As Davin and the others advanced to the far exit, Davin began to let a smile leave his face. It disappeared quickly as a new set of voices sounded behind them. A fresh wave of soldiers flanked the rebels from the side doorways.
Before Davin could speak, he was attacked by the newcomers. He deflected a wide blow to his left side with a vertical block. Another soldier swung at his head. He ducked just in time, rolling into the man and sending his off his feet. Davin returned the favor that was almost bestowed upon him and took off the man’s head, or at least most of it. The section of the neck he hadn’t severed caused the head to hang loosely. The other was sent against the wall next to them. The rush of wind was so hard the soldier left a dent in the stone.
“We don’t have fighters left to take them head on,” Davin growled, growing more frustrated. “The exit is clear.” He pointed to the doorway that they were nearest.
The survivors began to pile into the doorway, moving in a chaotic manner. Some were being carried because of their injuries
. Davin looked away. He didn’t want to see who was maimed or missing from the group.
Soldiers pressed from behind as the last of Lemirre and Swift River entered the tunnels. Davin joined at the end of the line. Darkness consumed them once as they tried to run toward the city. There was still light, but it was much fainter in here. The fact that they were so compact together didn’t help either.
Behind them Davin heard, “I want half of you to return back the other way! That’s an order!”
He knew what they were going to do. He called to Egan, whom he knew who was ahead of him. “They are going to try and cut us off farther down!” He knew Egan heard him even though he didn’t respond.
The mob rounded a corner a little farther down. Egan led them to the right and Davin hoped he knew where he was going. They attempted to pick up speed as everyone began to spread out more. The soldiers continued to chase them from behind and kept pace without actually reaching them. Every now and then arrows would fly dangerously close to them. The boots of the soldiers echoed heavily on the walls, which drove Davin mad with uncertainty about their actually position in the frail light.
They drove straight forward at the next four-way cross roads. The torch light showed more of those directional signs with the strange symbols. Many outwardly expressed their hope that this underground excursion was almost finished. Davin couldn’t help but agree.
At last, one of the arrows struck a woman near Davin. She fell unexpectedly, sending a large handful of their fighters tumbling. The army would surely catch them now. Davin had to think quickly.
An idea occurred to him almost too late to act. He stopped suddenly and let the stragglers pass him so that he was at the very rear. The soldiers’ heaving bodies revealed themselves in the soft light a few seconds later. Davin called upon the wind one more time and forced it toward the ceiling. The power he put into blow made him sweat. It had been worth the effort though. The stone began to crack. Seconds later, an enormous slab fell to the ground, allowing dirt to flood into the tunnel, blocking the hallway slightly. It wasn’t much, but it might slow them down a little.