Razcon tried to rally his troops for a counter attack after they had been divided by the first attack. He had to reunite his forces if they were to obliterate Glenfair. His whole plan of attack had been to form a half circle around the army of Glenfair and crush it by his superior numbers. That was no longer possible by the kind of attack Glenfair had used. Now his army was divided and that whole strategy was useless. He had no idea what his forces in the north were doing. All Razcon knew was Glenfair had formed an attack on his half and were pushing toward him, further dividing his army. They desperately needed to break the attack of Glenfair and rejoin his forces in the north. At first they seemed to make headway and then that came to a halt. What he saw next caused him great distress. His army was being obliterated by the attacking force of Glenfair and the rebels. At first they were just losing ground, and then his soldiers were melting away before the attackers. Now for the first time Razcon feared they would loose this battle. He yelled for his soldiers to push forward, but the soldiers fleeing south from the battle caused his assault to be stalled. Razcon’s forces seemed to stand still, but Glenfair kept advancing toward him.
Pi rode along the battle line north searching for Sucinord. Finally she saw what she was looking for. The rebel soldiers were falling back before an individual that was throwing them about like rag dolls. She quickly dismounted and ran into the fray pushing anyone aside that got in her way. One soldier raised his sword and began to swing it at her, but she merely brushed it aside. Then suddenly there was Sucinord before her and she crashed into him with such force they went flying backwards to land upon the sod. Sucinord tried to bring his hand forward but it was held in place by Pi.
Sucinord’s eyes grew wide and he said, “You are another like unto me.”
“Yes,” Pi replied. “Only I am not over a thousand years old like the other you destroyed. You will not injure any more humans.”
Sucinord smiled a greedy smile, “Then we battle to the death.” As he said this he threw Pi off of him and the two began to warily circle each other. Sucinord came charging in and Pi easily sidestepped him and leveled a blow to his neck that would have severed any humans’. This sent Sucinord flying to land upon his back. He quickly sprang to his feet and kicked at Pi’s head, narrowly missing her. She turned sideways and threw her elbow into the ear of Sucinord causing him to stumble sideways. Pi did not wait for him to recover his balance. She kicked hard at Sucinord’s knee and saw it buckle inward with the blow. She knew the mechanics of Sucinord’s knee had been damaged slightly by her blow. Sucinord bellowed with rage and swung a fist at Pi’s face. She easily dodged that blow but was unprepared for the second that caught her in the mid section sending her flying backwards. Sucinord rushed in and leapt into the air to land on Pi. But Pi saw this and brought her feet up so forcefully under the chin of Sucinord that he spiraled backwards in flip to land some distance away.
So fierce was their battle that the armies had cleared a space around them. Some had even quit fighting all together and were watching the incredible conflict taking place between the two androids. Back and forth the battle raged, the two oblivious to the war going on around them. Sucinord began to realize that he was losing this battle to the other machine. He could only think of how he had defeated the other like himself. He had to get his hands on her as he had done to his creator. Sucinord feigned a blow at the head of Pi and slid down taking the feet out from under Pi as he slid into her. As she fell he grabbed a hold of her and pulled her to the ground. His hands quickly found her throat and he began to squeeze.
Pi realized she was in trouble as she began to descend upon Sucinord. Her neck simply fell into his grasp as they crashed onto the ground. Pi remembered seeing the severed head of Andronicus at the retreat above the falls and knew she was in the same danger. Her hand came forward with all her might and she smashed through the chest wall of Sucinord. Her hand surged upward into the chest cavity of Sucinord and seized the power supply of the evil android. Pi grasped Sucinord’s power supply in her hand and began to squeeze as she felt the pull and wrenching of Sucinord at her throat. She squeezed with all her might upon Sucinord’s power supply as her own consciousness began to fade.
King Edward’s advance quickened as they pushed south. He had fewer and fewer soldiers try and engage him in battle, and if they did, they died swiftly. Soon Edward was fighting very little as the Sabatols in terror dropped their swords and fled before his advance. Edward could see a short distance south was the king of the Sabatols. He pushed on faster swinging his sword and creating a wide path toward the Sabatol king.
Razcon watched the approaching Glenfair army. What he saw made fear rise in his heart. Very little had ever made Razcon afraid, but seeing the demon warrior of the stories advancing toward him was pure terror. As the warrior got closer he could see that it was the king of Glenfair that had pleaded with them to depart his land. His soldiers were no longer trying to stop Glenfair’s king. Instead they were dropping their swords and fleeing as he approached. Soon Glenfair’s king reached him and had stopped a short distance away.
Edward spoke; “You should have left when you had the chance, then none of this bloodshed would have occurred. You made a league with that devil, Sucinord, and now your people are paying for it. All of the blood of these slain are on your hands.”
Brianna at first thought Edward’s pause was to give Razcon a chance to surrender. She almost surged forward to intervene but then she realized Edward had no intention of letting Razcon live.
Razcon’s impulse was to flee for his life, but years of discipline and self control caused him to stay. He realized after the king of Glenfair’s words had finished that he could not flee anyway. If he did escape back to Sabatol, he would be hanged or executed. After loosing this battle he had no more power in his kingdom. His only option was to fight. He charged forward toward Edward, and with the skill of a great warrior king, engaged Edward in battle. Metal rang and sword clashed with sword. And then as Glenfair’s king sidestepped his attack and swung hard into his sword, an odd thing happened. His sword was cut in half by Glenfair’s king and it continued until it bit deep into his side. His momentum carried him past Edward to land upon his back in the dust. Razcon looked up into the face of Brianna Karahtz and knew his life’s journey had come to an end.
Brianna watched Razcon charge Edward. For the first time Brianna saw that Razcon was not only brave but very powerful. If she had not seen Edward in battle she would have feared for him going against as large and strong an opponent as Razcon. Now she knew Razcon would stand no chance in battle with her husband. True to her predictions, in a few short moves, Edward sidestepped Razcon’s charge and with a swift swing cut through his sword and into his side. He landed in the dust at her feet holding the hilt of his broken sword.
Brianna looked down and said, “You shed the blood of innocent lives to take that which was not yours. It will cost you everything.” As these words were uttered, her sword came down quickly and ended Razcon’s life. She then bent down and removed the ring from his finger and the crown he wore and placed them in her tunic.
When the southern portion of Razcon’s army saw that their king had perished they dropped their weapons and fled south toward the pass and the way back to the Sabatol kingdom. Drinidel’s regimen arrived at that moment and Drinidel looked at Edward and the dead Razcon, then the fleeing army.
Edward knew what Drinidel was thinking and so he answered, “Let them go. I do not desire their deaths, only that they leave Glenfair. We must go swiftly to aid in the battle north of us, it still rages fiercely. Duke Zandel, take your men and make sure this portion of the army continues south. If any resist, kill them. Jonnos, Adriell, come with us.”
Mason nodded and headed with his troops slowly after the receding army of the Sabatols.
After Duke Zandel’s departure Drinidel spoke to Edward, “You are the legendary warrior of Glenfair!”
Edward looked at Drinidel and replied, “What
I told you is the truth, that was my father. But I have inherited my father’s abilities. Come we must make haste to help our brethren to the north.”
Drinidel nodded and said, “Your forces go east and I will go west with my men. That will give the greatest aid in the battle north.”
Edward nodded and north they ran. As they got closer to the battle, he could see that it was much different with the northern half of the Sabatol army. Glenfair and Lentz’s forces were holding firm, but making no great progress. Where the two battle lines met there was fierce fighting. Although half of the Sabatol army had fled south, the northern portion was still a larger host than all of Glenfair’s army.
General Lentz was amazed at how easily the confused army of the Sabatols was penetrated by the rebel forces Drinidel and he led. The wedge punched clear through the main line of the Sabatols, then Drinidel pushed south while Lentz attempted to push north. The gap between Drinidel and Lentz widened, not because of any progress Lentz was making north, but because of Drinidel’s push southward. Lentz’s forces had come to a complete stall, and now he was worried they would be overcome. At that moment the forces of Glenfair joined them and the battle turned slightly in their favor. He was amazed to see how ferociously the Glenfair soldiers fought. He knew now for sure that Razcon had underestimated this little kingdom’s determination to survive. As the dukes joined the battle, Lentz moved his forces to the far west flank of the Sabatol attack. The regimen he commanded was still larger than the Glenfair army that had joined him. He was making progress when he noticed the Glenfair army was beginning to spread itself too widely. He should not have moved his forces so far west. But to his utter amazement Glenfair held firm. Duke Rollins forces were next to his, then duke Crestlaw, and lastly duke Prescott.
Terry Rollins had fought in the Wickshield war with Edward’s father, King Raven. In that conflict, the Rollins dukeship had suffered the greatest losses. When his father, Felton Rollins had died, and he became duke, he began a strict training of his dukeship for war. The Wickshield war had been Glenfair’s only conflict, and because most were unprepared for war, they had been injured or had perished. That had prompted Terry Rollins to demand of every man in his dukeship to spend at least one week a year in arms training and military preparedness. He never wanted his dukeship to suffer as it had in the Wickshield war. He could see now that his required training was now paying off. His men handled their weapons adequately, and did not flinch or flee in the heat of this tremendous battle. He had to admire his men, in the face of superior numbers they were undaunted in their task. He knew this was partly due to the fact that the Sabatols not only wanted to crush their army, but kill their wives and children as well. They had nothing to loose, and surrender was not an option. Soldier after soldier of the Sabatols fell before his forces, and yet they kept coming. How long could they maintain this kind of fighting before they tired and were overcome?
Jason Crestlaw with his analytical mind assessed the battle situation quickly. Even with the successful dividing of the Sabatol forces they were at a great disadvantage. They were in for a very long and costly battle unless the Sabatol forces broke ranks and began to flee before them. That seemed unlikely given the quick reorganization of their forces after the initial surprise by Glenfair. In fact, the Sabatols themselves were probably waiting for Glenfair to break ranks and flee. Jason was thankful for Lentz and the regimen he commanded. He knew they would hold their battle line firm, for like Glenfair they faced utter destruction even if they surrendered. Being branded as traitors, they likewise would lose their lives if they were not victorious. Jason hazarded a quick glance south and saw that Edward’s forces were making progress. With Edward’s talents perhaps the southern attack would be victorious and come to aid the forces in the north. Jason quickly focused on the battle before him. Duke Rollins was on his left, and Duke Prescott on his right. Jason began moving to the forefront of the conflict and soon was in the heat of battle. The armor of the ancients he wore was a great aid in the battle. Lighter than conventional armor it reduced fatigue, and aided in the offense with the ever sharp sword cutting through most obstacles it encountered. As soldier after soldier fell before Jason and his men, they were replaced by more of the Sabatol forces. There were too many, Jason realized as the battle raged. If the battle continued as it was, Glenfair’s forces would tire and be overcome.
For an hour the battle raged in the north. Even with the ancients light armor, Jason Crestlaw began to tire. He noticed it was so with his men as well. If not for the fact that there was no chance for surrender, Glenfair would have succumbed long before this. It was no consolation that Lentz’s forces still held firm, Glenfair’s defense line was going to give at any moment. And when that happened, Lentz’s forces would be overwhelmed along with them. A calmness settled over Jason. They had fought well, but the history they struggled so hard to change was going to be fulfilled. The Sabatol forces were starting to break through his defenses and his men began to die. Anger surged within Jason and he screamed a battle cry and his assault increased twofold. The Sabatols began to fall before him, and carried with his bravery his men thrust forward as well. Then the pressure of the Sabatol forces stopped pushing forward, and then began to give way before them. Something drastically had happened to alter the flow of the battle. Then he realized that Edward and Drinidel had joined the battle with their forces. New hope gave Jason and his men renewed energy. Now Glenfair had the advantage and began to carve its way into the Sabatol army.
The forces led by Edward went east and around the main battle lines. As they passed Edward noticed that the line of Glenfair was in danger of collapsing. He prayed that their help was not too late. He quickened his pace and crashed into the Sabatol army just north of the fighting. Edward once again began to use the armor of the ancients and his talents to wreak havoc on the Sabatol army. He looked north during a slight lull and noticed that Jonnos Zandel had moved too far north and was in danger of being overwhelmed by the forces still north of them. He clenched his teeth and began to work his way north when he noticed that Adriell was way ahead of him. Evidently she had seen the trouble Jonnos was in before he had. Edward was glad and had hopes that Adriell would reach Jonnos in time.
When Edward’s forces first crashed into the northern flank of the Sabatol army, the fighting was intense. Adriell for a short time was fighting beside Edward when she noticed that Jonnos was not with their soldiers. She quickly glanced north and saw him fighting a battle that was increasingly drawing him away from Edward’s main forces. She headed immediately in that direction, dodging and cutting her way toward Jonnos. Her reflexes and fighting skill were superb, not as well tuned or strong as Edward, but far beyond any normal warrior. During the battle something had happened to her she did not expect. She had trained with Pi in the art of warfare since she was a child. But now her hidden genetics bounded forth, taking her to a new level she had never experienced. It seemed all the instruction Pi had given her flowed and worked effortlessly in the battle. Jonnos was now completely surrounded and alone. She could see he was fighting for his life and quickened her pace to reach him. Then Jonnos fell and Adriell felt an emotion she had never before felt. A fearful panic of losing someone special hammered into her soul. She quickly shoved that aside and with great speed ran toward Jonnos. Two soldiers stood in her path and began to swing their swords at the approaching Adriell. She saw the motion but did not want to take the time to deal with them so she leaped and somersaulted over the the two soldiers causing the swing of each of their swords to collide with each other. Landing on her feet running she was almost there. If she could only reach him in time....
Jonnos in his zeal had moved too far north. Now he saw that he was in danger as Sabatol forces moved between him and the rest of Glenfair. He was all alone and cut off from the rest of his company. He chided himself for being so foolish. And a moment later he was fighting just to stay alive. He was doing well and several soldiers in front and to the side fell to his
excellent fighting. Everywhere he turned there were soldiers. Something caught his right side, but he ignored the pain and kept fighting. It seemed the sounds of the battle grew quieter until there were no sounds at all. Everything seemed to slow down and became detached in an odd sort of way. He was still fighting but it seemed someone else swung his sword. Then something struck his leg and he started to fall. He knew his life was going to end, and he thought; how sad that he could not say goodbye to Adriell and tell her how he really felt. As he hit the dust and the enemy soldiers started to rush in on him, he waited for the inevitable. But something exploded into them and soldiers were falling to the ground all about him. The next thing he knew, Adriell was pulling on his tunic and yelling for him to get up. Jonnos sprang to his feet, new energy infused into him by Adriell’s heroic action. Together, back to back, they fought the Sabatol’s until Edward’s forces gained their position.
When Edward reached Jonnos and Adriell, the tide of battle changed drastically in their favor. The Sabatols broke ranks and began to flee before them. In a few moments a large gap had formed along the whole fighting front. This happened so quickly that fighting actual stopped altogether as the Sabatols retreated into their own ranks. Those who were on horses could see that the southern half of the Sabatol army had already fled. Word spread quickly and the remaining Sabatol’s surrendered and dropped their weapons. Since the army of Glenfair was between them and the safety of the southern pass through which they had come, there was no place for them to flee to. They simply stopped and waited to see if Glenfair would show them mercy.
Edward called for two horses to be brought to him. He rode one while Brianna rode the other to the front and middle of their forces. Facing the Sabatol army, Edward began to address them in the sudden quiet that had come about by their appearance.
The King's Descendants Page 19