Mighty Hammer Down

by David J Guyton

"There are men of magic on the field Zidaoz. What will we do about them?"

  "Where are they? How can you tell they are using magic?"

  The soldier pointed. "At the front line of battle. They are using some sort of fire against us. The men down there are panicking."

  Zidaoz rolled his eyes and focused on the battle far off in the distance. He saw a great ball of orange flame and even felt its warmth on his face. He crossed his hands and held them out towards the battle. When he called forth the magic, a great beam of darkness came forth and shot towards the horizon. In the split second it took to conjure the beam, it stole every bit of sound and light from the battle. When it was over, it had stolen the lives of every man before him. Thousands of his own men died from the terrible magic.

  The soldier stared at him with wide eyes. "Zidaoz, you have slaughtered your own men."

  "No, I have killed some of the meddlesome Mages who pester my army like bees. The other men I killed were simply standing in my way. They served their purpose. The Medorans now know that I do not care how many of my men die. We will win this war at all cost."

  "But those men had wives and children. How could you do that to them?"

  A sneer came to his face. "If I hear another word from your mouth I will do the same to you. Make yourself useful and find Lohken Dirujen."

  When the man ran off his sneer slowly twisted into a smile. He could feel the fear in the air and it was more intoxicating than any wine could ever be. His men fought because of that fear. The Medorans trembled before him. Soon the enemies of Rohni would be destroyed, and all would bow to the Zidaoz and his god. He watched his soldiers picking through the armor and weapons of the men he had killed with his magic. He was absolutely delighted at the fact that they did not falter or miss a step. They were all dedicated to the cause. They were all fighting for god. He remained silent a long time, dizzy with his power as the battle continued.

  "I am here Zidaoz. What did you need?"

  He turned to the voice behind him. "Ah Lohken, I am glad that you could finally make it to the battle."

  "I have been here all along and you know it. We have been tending to the beasts."

  "Yes, yes." he said as he rolled his hand at the wrist. "Where are these things? I do not see or smell them."

  "They are hidden over there in the center of the field. We had them dig trenches so that they could lie down and not be seen among the troops. They will rise up as soon as we sound the horns."

  "Do it," Zidaoz said as he tugged at his beard.