Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

  “Farrell, we need you up here. Meglar unleashed something the other wizards can’t contain. We’re retreating now.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  Miceral left Farrell hoping he’d listen to everyone, but worried he would not. It didn’t help that Klissmor was anxious today. The two hadn’t led their people in battle since Northhelm fell. Today they planned to exact a measure of revenge for the loss of their ancestral home.

  “Easy, old friend.” Miceral patted Klissmor’s muscular flank. “It will come to us soon enough.”

  “Child, I have been a part of more battles than you have years of life,” Klissmor said. “I do not need a young colt like you telling me how to prepare for a fight.”

  “Of course you don’t, you old battle horse.” Miceral almost fell off as Klissmor’s gait discovered a previously unknown hitch.

  They rode past troops finding their places in formation. He and Horgon had consulted with generals from each of the refugee kingdoms. The hardest part had been integrating the various elements of each nation into the battle plan.

  Some units were easier to utilize than others. Endor and Respital had superior heavy cavalry, while the Muchari favored light horsemen that better suited their greater agility. Yar-del had been a seafaring nation whose people lived in walled cities by the coast. Cavalry gave way to infantry that could fight on land or sea. Arvendia was the largest of the Seven Kingdoms in landmass but the least populated. Warriors from the nine tribes were among the finest archers in Ardus.

  Due to their enhanced strength, Chamdon wore extra-thick armor that made them hard to kill with conventional weapons. Most arrows and spears proved ineffective. But a spear thrown by a Muchari arm had the power necessary to kill even these heavily protected foot soldiers.

  Mounted Muchari fighters armed with spears constituted the first wave of attack. Horgon’s plan called for each Muchari to hurl three spears at the approaching army, then peel off to the left or right. The heavy cavalry elements of Endor and Respital, armed with iron-tipped lances, would bear down on the hopefully disorganized ranks of Chamdon. The Muchari spearmen would join the ranks of the light cavalry that followed the lancers and the armed infantry bringing up the rear.

  Baylec had trained the infantry to work in teams of four when attacking Chamdon. Although this approach required greater numbers to be successful, it was expected that the various cavalry elements would reduce and disorganize the ranks of enemy whom the infantry would face.

  After a long debate about the need to conceal some strategies from Meglar, they agreed to have the peregrines drop sharpened stones from as high as they could accurately deliver the missiles. Miceral had pointed out that after Northhelm and Belsport, Meglar already knew they were active in the world again.

  Rank after rank of anxious foot soldiers cheered as he and Klissmor rode past. Beyond their formations, the light cavalry readied themselves. Most impressive were the heavy lancers. Once the fully armored horses reached full speed, even Chamdon had trouble slowing them.

  Miceral finally reached the head of the army, and Klissmor crested a small hill so his troops could see him. He didn’t like giving rousing speeches before a fight. Warriors needed clear heads, not reckless abandon. Thankfully, Horgon gave the speech before they moved into formation. The hardest part was reminding soldiers what Meglar did to captives. All that remained was for Miceral to take his soldiers through the Oath of Khron.

  “Please make sure everyone hears me, Klissmor.”

  “Whenever you are ready, my friend.”

  Miceral raised the Arm of Khron over his head. “Behold the Arm of Khron. Mighty Khron looks with favor on those who abide by His code, and through this Gift, He lends His strength and skill to all who swear the oath in the Arm’s presence. If you are true to the warrior’s code, repeat after me and receive His blessing.”

  Thousands of voices repeated the words Miceral had memorized by heart. He watched with interest their reactions when they received Khron’s blessing. Reaching back with his right hand, he drew one of his swords. “For the Six! For our family! For our freedom!”

  The entire army raised their weapons and shouted back at him. Miceral wondered what the Chamdon thought. Could they understand what the sound meant?

  The support units, made up of the young, the old, and those too maimed to fight again, moved through the forward elements, handing out the javelins to be used in the first wave. An old human male, who looked willing in spirit but lacked the strength to march out for battle, brought Miceral his. “Khron’s blessings on you, Lord Miceral.”

  “My thanks,” Miceral said as he accepted his weapons. “Lenore’s blessing on you, my friend.”

  “It is time,” Klissmor said. “The peregrines report they are in position and await your word to begin.”

  Klissmor faced the approaching army. The enemy was still far enough away to appear small against the horizon, but the distance would close rapidly once the mounted warriors began their charge. Miceral looked over his shoulder, raised his sword, and pointed it toward their enemy. Klissmor leapt forward, and the army followed behind its commander.

  Miceral and the first element put some distance between themselves and the heavily armored cavalry. They’d need some time to veer off after they tossed their spears, and the lancers required open ground to gain speed before impact.

  “The peregrines are making their run,” Klissmor said.

  Miceral sheathed his sword and withdrew a spear. “Spears ready!”

  Without looking back, he cocked his arm. “Throw!” His arm came forward as he shouted, and hundreds of javelins arced across the sky. Before the missiles struck, Miceral ordered the launch of the second wave.

  The first wave of spears hit the leading edge of the charging Chamdon like a brick wall. Normally wizards would cast spells to destroy projectiles before they could hit their targets. Meglar’s wizards, however, often neglected to do this, given the superior armor of their foot soldiers. Today such carelessness would cost them. The impact from the first javelins to strike pushed the rushing creatures back several feet.

  Seconds after the first wave struck, a rain of heavy, sharp stones fell from the sky, adding to the chaos among the Chamdon. Because they were released so high up, the stones had enough velocity to crack skulls, break bones, and penetrate armor.

  Unlike the prohibition on Miceral’s forces, Chamdon didn’t worry about leaving their wounded behind. They only focused on attacking their enemy. If one of their ranks went down, they trampled them beneath their feet. Not only were those who fell crushed to death, they often caused the others to break formation. That was part of Horgon’s plan; disrupt the enemy just before the charging lancers struck.

  The second barrage of spears hit Meglar’s army seconds before another wave of rocks fell from the sky. When the hail of stones ended, the third volley of spears mowed down the front rows of the enemy force.

  Miceral and his spearmen were a few hundred yards from their enemy when they split in two and veered off. Behind them the lancers built momentum for maximum impact. Miceral and the units in the center pushed hard to get out of the way of the armored warriors and horses.

  As Miceral turned left again to link up with the rest of the light cavalry, he looked over his shoulder to watch the heavily armored horses churn toward their prey. With precision born of practice, the lancers lowered their weapons and braced for impact.

  Between the peregrines’ assault and the spears launched by the Muchari, Meglar’s force lost some of its organization. They were no longer running in a tight formation. This separation allowed the line of charging horses to smash through without having to barrel over too many of the large, armored creatures. As Horgon hoped, the number of horses that stumbled and fell were minimal, which served to reduce initial casualties. Once forward momentum slowed, however, these slow-moving knights were in danger of being overwhelmed. To aide in their escape, the light cavalry struck seconds after the heavy horse, and the
infantry was right behind them.

  The first part of their plan unfolded as expected, but Meglar’s army held the advantage in hand-to-hand fighting. Miceral hoped their superior numbers would minimize casualties, but he expected their losses would be significant. He drew both swords and prepared to engage the enemy.

  Klissmor rode into the enemy ranks, and Miceral noticed a dark cloud forming several hundred yards behind Meglar’s forces. Before he could examine it more fully, he reached the surviving Chamdon and needed to focus on keeping alive.

  Miceral and the other Muchari pushed deep into the disorganized invaders as the heavy cavalry turned. The two groups hacked their way through the Chamdon until they joined up. By then the infantry had arrived and worked in groups of four to isolate and engage one Chamdon at a time.

  Miceral swiveled on Klissmor’s back to chop the sword hand off a Chamdon next to him and then stuck his other sword through the creature’s eye socket. He swore he saw a look of relief on the demented face of his dead adversary as it collapsed onto the ground. With a lull of activity around him, he looked back toward the rear of the enemy and found the black cloud had grown many times larger. Dark flashes of energy illuminated the inside of the opaque mist.

  “Klissmor, ask the wizards if they know what that is and if it poses a threat.”

  Before he received an acknowledgment, a flash of black lightning struck the rear of Meglar’s forces, leaving charred remains in its wake. The cloud started to move in their direction.

  “Master Jamison said they have no idea what it is, but it is definitely magically created,” Klissmor said.

  Miceral snorted. “I didn’t need him to tell me that. Can they stop it?”

  “They are not certain how to handle it or even if normal shields will stop it. They recommend you retreat and allow them to come up with a defensive plan.” Klissmor’s tone conveyed his worry.

  “If we retreat now, we’ll lose our momentum and allow them to regroup. Our plan relies on exploiting the disorganization in their ranks. If they reorganize, we’ll lose our advantage.”

  Klissmor paused a moment before answering. “Jamison says if you remain where you are, you’re too far away and too spread out for them to shield you. Given Meglar’s proclivity toward sacrificing his own soldiers, it’s likely he wants us to keep fighting until that weapon arrives.”

  It went against every instinct Miceral had to retreat. The cost to his troops would be great if the handlers reasserted control over the chaos the enemy had become.

  Another flash from the cloud made the hairs on his arm stand up. Several Chamdon flew through the air from where the energy had struck. “Order the troops to pull back. Collect all wounded and head to the staging area.”

  Klissmor and the other mounts wheeled about and retreated with all speed. As Miceral had feared, the handlers used the retreat to gain control over the Chamdon. Miceral and his troops used the time to put distance between them and their enemy.

  The cloud lurched and slowed until it moved no faster than someone out for a casual walk. The flashes of energy did not diminish but intensified. A shimmering wall of energy appeared between the cloud and the defenders from Haven. The first several strikes landed away from the barrier. But once the first blast found its target, every bolt after that struck the defensive wall. Where it hit the shields, huge holes appeared.

  “Jamison said their efforts will not stop it.” Klissmor slowed his pace so Miceral could observe the threat from a safe distance.

  “Can you contact Nerti while I try to reach Farrell?”

  “Yes.”

  Miceral focused his attention on his amulet and called out. “Farrell, we need you up here. Meglar unleashed something the other wizards can’t contain. We’re retreating now.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  Chapter Ten

  The cloud became darker, wider, and angrier than a moment ago. It continued to lash out against Meglar’s forces, but Miceral knew they were the real target.

  “Can you describe it for me?” Farrell asked.

  “It’s bad. The wizards can’t hold it back, and we’re pulling back our forces.” He knew that wasn’t helpful. How could he describe what he didn’t understand? “You need to see it for yourself.”

  Like Farrell had taught him, he opened his mind and extended a link. Farrell didn’t immediately accept the offer. “Use my eyes, Farrell.”

  Miceral felt the light, tentative touch of Farrell’s mind as it entered his own. The odd feeling of someone there but not there told him Farrell was looking through his eyes. It only lasted a minute, and when he felt the duality disappear, he reasserted his mental protections. Without being asked, Klissmor raced after their retreating army.

  Scanning the field, Miceral saw Farrell and Nerti approaching the cloud from the north. The other wizards were a few strides behind. They looked small against the growing storm. When he looked back, there was no sign of Meglar’s army. They must have used the cover the mist provided to regroup behind their weapon. Farrell crested a small hill and stopped.

  “Take me to Farrell, please.”

  Klissmor changed course and galloped toward Nerti. Farrell and the others were talking. After a moment, Farrell dropped down and picked something up from the ground.

  Miceral checked on the cloud, which it grown again. The edge of the dark mist was rapidly advancing and would soon reach them. When he turned his attention back to Farrell, the three wizards were backing away. Farrell sat atop Nerti and raised his hands. Energy shot up from several points on the ground and created a shimmering cocoon of energy around the pair. Seconds after the bubble was complete, the edge of the cloud rolled over their position.

  “Farrell! What in the Eight Gates of Neblor are you doing?” He urged Klissmor to head toward them, but the unicorn veered off to meet the other wizards. “Get away from there!”

  As gently as he could, Farrell entered Miceral’s mind and used his eyes to see the threat. Beneath him, he felt Nerti already moving toward the cloud.

  A dark gray mist, with streaks of sickly black energy throughout, churned slowly across the battlefield. He noted the shields Haven’s wizards erected had modest success. They deflected the random bolts of power, but once struck, the fabric of the shield degraded to the point it needed to be taken down and reformed.

  He disengaged from Miceral’s mind once he saw the dark cloud himself. Nerti stopped on a small rise to give him a clear view of the danger. Extending his inner sight, he searched for clues to its origin, and more importantly, how to turn it aside.

  “What is it?” Erstad asked.

  Farrell was unsure if this was directed at him or the others. He looked at his old teacher and had trouble reconciling which of his teachers he spoke to.

  “Dangerous,” Farrell said. He glanced at Wesfazial and avoided looking at his mother. He needed to concentrate on the threat, not make sense of this new reality. “It appears to draw energy from magic and return it in a form that dissolves shield energy.”

  “That is dangerous,” Wesfazial said in a way that reminded Farrell of Sanduval. How could he not have known? Now that he’d learned the truth, the signs were so obvious.

  Zenora peeked his way and then turned to Erstad. “The better question is, how do we stop it?”

  “Destroying the spell’s binding would be the most efficient way.” Farrell noted their confused expressions and continued. “Every spell has a base from which all threads are woven. Trace any one of them back, and you’ll find the core. If I can find the core, I can destroy that, and the rest of the spell dissolves.”

  “In theory that makes absolute sense, but . . .” Zenora exchanged looks with the other two. “You can see the threads?”

  “I told you I could. At Belsport, remember?”

  “Right.” Erstad nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about that but forgot when we were dealing with your hands.”

  “Which is a good reason why you shouldn’t try again,” Zenora said.r />
  Farrell waved his hand. “Catfish and canaries.”

  “What?” Erstad sounded annoyed.

  “These situations are totally different. You can’t compare the two.” He jumped off Nerti’s back. “There I didn’t have the time to find the core, and I tried something else that resulted in my injury.”

  Scanning the ground, he summoned every stone the size of his fist to move toward him. From the group he selected twelve and scattered the rest.

  “How do you know you’ll have the time now?” Zenora asked. The concern in her voice reminded him of all the instances when Cylinda said or did something like a mother would.

  “Because I’ll be inside the cloud and in contact with the spells.”

  “You can’t go inside! That’s crazy.” She looked to the others for support.

  “She’s right,” Erstad said. “You don’t know what it’s capable of.”

  “Hmm.” Farrell ignored them and cast the needed spells on the stones. With his connection to the Source still in place, he moved rapidly through the steps and filled them with energy. “Sorry, Master, but I’m no longer the student you can tell not to do something. My new shielding will protect me long enough for me to unravel this nightmare. And if I can’t, it will allow me to escape.”

  “How can you be sure?” Zenora’s voice had a frantic edge.

  “One can never be sure of anything . . . Mother.” He snorted at the truth of that statement. “Haven’s wizards have shown that normal shielding is effective against it to a degree. This new shield is constantly regenerating. Even if a section degrades, it will repair itself before a second attack can hit the same spot. And I’ll make a powerful traditional shield inside this one.”

  “Again, how do you know that will work?” she asked.

  A random attack from the cloud struck nearby, and the cloud now covered most of the battlefield. The last of Haven’s troops carried the casualties toward the mountain, leaving the ground empty. No one offered any suggestions, so he began to lay the stones in a circle around him.