by Brian Murray
The axe-wielders and miners hacked down the remaining beasts and Caynians with ease. Slayer kept his arm in the portal, holding the gateway between the two realms open. Soon all of the miners had entered the realm of the mortals, massed down the corridors, and walked out into the massive courtyard. Then the Solus entered the realm. For hours, the little creatures scampered through the portal, following the miners and Wanderers out into the courtyard. Several Caynian mounts were brought through the portal, led by miners.
Slayer pulled his hand from the portal and it instantly closed. He split his quarterstaff and hacked at the pillars. Several axe-wielders saw what he was doing and helped the man topple the pillars. The portal between the realms would not open there again. Gan-Goran walked up the steps and bowed his head. “Tanas?”
“No . . . It is Slayer.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“What do you expect from me? My . . . ” The warrior hesitated. “Our friends are in peril.”
“Yes, yes and we have a long way to travel.”
“Do not worry, old man. These men will not require rest.”
“What of us men?”
Slayer smiled and pointed to the massive horses. “These horses will require no rest. You can cure the men of tiredness. We will get there in time—trust me, old man. Can you cloak my presence?”
“Yes,” answered Gan-Goran, “Why?”
“I like surprises,” replied Slayer, his smile radiating mischievousness.
“Talking of surprises, I have one for you outside? Heaven knows where she came from.”
Slayer ventured outside and saw a pale horse. He let the persona Tanas forward and the man smiled. “Essie!” he called happily. The animal stepped forward and nuzzled into Tanas’s chest. “You always find your way to me, huh. Now we’re truly ready.”
CHAPTER 24
The Dark One watched in utter disbelief as his once-champion crested the hill. In all of his travelling along the Paths of Time, he had not seen him. The base man heard the gate splinter.
“It is him,” hissed the Dark One to no one. “He will not thwart me this time. TO THE CITY!” he boomed.
The Caynians rushed for the gate and started to enter the city. The Dark One looked up again at the warrior and saw a black line of men emerge behind him. The Dark One mounted his black steed and rode towards the western gate surrounded by over two hundred Caynian, and Fury at his side. The rest of the Caynians charged towards the new force brought by Tanas.
***
Chaos was being pushed back when a sensation hit him, like his soul had been punched. He looked up and saw his nemesis dismount from a pale grey horse and remove his armour. Chaos wanted to rush forward and face the warrior, but the weight of fighting continued to push him backwards. He heard the Dark One’s order. Chaos turned and raced to his horse. He vaulted into the saddle and followed Malice, who rode towards the Dark One.
***
Zane, Rayth, Rowet, and Thade all watched in disbelief as another silver-armoured warrior appeared on the hilltop. All along the hill men and small creatures appeared. Thade looked at Rayth and Zane, who instantly recognised the small grey creatures—the Solus. They watched as the warrior dismounted and changed out of his silver armour. When he put on his long, brown leather coat and wide-brimmed hat, got from a saddle bag, Thade started to grin. As the newcomer tied the scarf over his eyes, Zane smiled his distinct smile.
Rayth squinted through the rain. “That looks like Tanas,” said the former axe-wielder, shielding his eyes.
“You bet it is! And he has brought help,” said Thade.
“I don’t understand—aren’t those the Solus from the mine with him?” asked Rayth.
“I don’t care. It’s Tanas, so they must be here to help,” countered Thade.
“But the silver armour,” started Zane. “Does that mean . . . he must be . . . ”
“Let it be, Zane,” interrupted Rowet. “He has brought help and that is what matters.”
The friends watched as Tanas mounted his pale horse and thundered down the slope with his army following. The rain eased as the miners and Solus charged into the beasts and the Caynians. With savage brutality, they ripped apart the Talon Hunters and Shadows. Their sheer numbers and lack of fear of dying turned the battle.
Tanas pulled his horse to a halt before his amazed friends. “Greetings,” he called, smiling broadly. “Not too late, am I? I thought you might need a little help against those goddamn beasties.”
“Welcome!” boomed Rowet happily.
“We have not finished,” said Tanas, pointing to the western gate. “They have sundered your gates and will breach your city.”
“Get me some horses!” bellowed Rowet, fear rising from his soul. Several horses were brought and the friends mounted. Rowet raced off towards the western gate.
Tanas turned towards Thade. “Where is Dax?”
“He . . . he fell,” said Thade, simply bowing his head, the hurt still burning the man’s soul.
“Who?” asked Tanas, his eyes glowing red beneath his scarf.
“One of your . . . ” Thade corrected himself. “One of the Dark One’s bodyguards. The one with two swords.”
“Chaos,” hissed Tanas, Slayer now took control, and he galloped off towards the western gate without another word.
***
Platos had seen the threat to the western gate in a dream and now it became a reality. In his dream, he had concentrated the city’s defences around this gate. He now waited for the beasts to breach the gate—it was only a matter of time. The town-planners had been in an uproar when the master armourer asked for the area around the gate to be razed to the ground. Platos wanted a killing ground and with his non-tactful form of diplomacy, he had got his way.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The pounding on the gate started in earnest. Now the smithy was not only the master armourer, but also the Chosen’s warlord. The enormity of the duty showed on the huge man. He removed his helm and let the rain cool his head. He ran his fingers through his greying hair and smiled to himself. Let those beasts come in, he thought. He looked up at the mound and saw Danf and the other defenders fighting like men possessed. A loud splintering noise seized his attention. Platos’s eyes shot back to the gate. The first axe blade had sunk through the wood.
Another axe breached the gate. “Men . . . wait until they’re in the open. Then give them hell!” bellowed Platos, who manned his weapon. A man screamed from the mound. Platos did not look up, but watched the gate. More and more axes slammed through the gate. Suddenly, one of the doors swung open. Clawed hands reached in and wrenched the gate outwards, against the hinges, and it snapped loudly. A brief pause followed then . . . Beasts and huge warriors swarmed into the city.
Platos held his arm up, waiting for more of the beasts to enter the killing ground he had created. All around the men waited for his signal. He dropped his arm and bellowed: “FIRE!”
Around the killing ground, ten crossbows with metal balls fired. The noise was deafening. The effect as the shots cut down beasts, Caynians, and their massive mounts was devastating. The iron balls ripped through skin, fur, and the Shadows’ exoskeletons. Plumes of gore flew into the air as the projectiles ruptured the beasts’ bodies.
While the first set of crossbows rearmed themselves, the second, including Platos’s, fired at the beasts still massing through the gates. After four rounds, the killing area was littered with broken, shredded corpses. Platos told crossbow units one to fall back. The men lifted their huge crossbows and ran to their next fall-back position. The second units fired again. Their crossbows were on wagons and they quickly wheeled to their fall-back places. The beasts could mill farther into the killing ground, but the constant firing from the crossbows prevented an outright charge. Then one of the crossbow’s wires snapped. The closest beasts were on the men in an instant. That was it; confusion and mayhem caused one of the teams to fire at a different angle.
The shots hit another team
of men and they accidentally fired back at the team who fired at them. Platos screamed for the men to fall back to their next retreat positions. Platos and two other teams were to protect the roads leading to the southern quarter. He was not sure how many other crews had survived, but he reached his station and he would not fall back until his death. His wife was behind him, at their forge, and he would not move.
***
With the crossbows cleared, the Caynians and the Dark One entered the white city. They did not follow the beasts and other Caynians who rampaged through the city. They headed for the winding road that led to the palace on the hill.
***
Rowet slapped his horse into a gallop. His heart raced. He had to get into the city. He had to defend his daughters. From the corner of his eye, he saw a Kharnack warrior get smashed from his horse. He looked around and saw it was Maldino. Without thinking, the Chosen skidded his horse to a halt, wheeled it to his left, and slammed its rump. He cannoned into a Talon Hunter’s back as it reached down for the unconscious chieftain. The beast was knocked clear and several Kharnacks hacked the creature into pieces. Seeing the chieftain was being looked after, Rowet turned his horse and dug his heels into its sides. He galloped towards the shattered western gates.
***
Gan-Goran crested the hill and looked down at the fighting. He had been riding the massive Caynian stallion, using his magic to keep it fresh. The ride had been extremely uncomfortable for the old man, spreading his legs over the mount’s broad back. But now he had arrived. His eyes were drawn to the fighting before the moat. He saw someone knocked from his horse. The magic-master squinted and recognised the motionless figure of the Silverswords chieftain. Gan-Goran stabbed his heels into the sides of his mount. The beast lurched forward down the slope, nearly causing the old man to tumble off. Grimly, he held on, glad his bone-jarring journey would soon be over.
***
Several heavy cavalrymen saw the Caynians ride into the city. Then they saw their king riding towards the broken gates. “Heavy cavalry, to me,” screamed one of the surviving captains. “To our king!” he bellowed, pointing at Zane. Heavy and light cavalrymen together with Royal Lancers heard the call and galloped towards the gates.
***
Slayer had regained control of his body and raced towards the gate. Dax’s death had touched him and now all he saw was red. Anger, rage, and hatred drove the man and he sought vengeance.
***
Zane, Thade, and Rayth followed behind the blind warrior as they raced towards the city. All around the three Rhaurns, horsemen from all three nations gathered—there were heavy cavalry, light cavalry, Royal Lancers, Dar-Phadrin clansmen, and Kharnacks. All of them galloped to the city. They reached the bridge just behind Rowet and Slayer. They raced across the hardwood structure, their horses’ iron shoes pounding noisily. Rain started to pour again. Lightning streaked over the city. The men slammed into the back of the beasts, cutting, hacking, and killing them. Most of the Kharnacks and clansmen followed the beasts, whilst the Rhaurn horsemen followed their king who galloped towards the palace. Thunder boomed over the sounds of the battle, rumbling on and on.
“To the white palace!” screamed Zane over the clashing of battle and the fading, grumbling thunder.
***
The Imperial Guards manned the winding street that lead to the palace. They had three metal ball-firing crossbows positioned on the road, the last at the palace steps.
The Caynians thundered up the road and turned around the first bend. The squad leader ordered the first crossbow to be fired. Caynians and their horses fell, obliterated, as the balls ripped through them. Behind them the others continued. They rode over their fallen comrades and bore down on the Imperial Guards. The Caynians ploughed through the Imperial Guards, crushing the crossbow and men. Behind the leading Caynians, the Dark One, Malice, Chaos, and Fury followed.
Turning another corner, another crossbow fired and downed more Caynians and their mounts, ripping them apart, spraying the warriors behind in blood. But again, the following massive warriors did not hesitate. They rode their mounts through the blood and gore, and trampled over the Imperial Guards as though they were not there. The Caynians thundered up the corkscrew street, whilst others rampaged through the city. Many citizens remained in their homes, but others ventured out into the streets unarmed. Those poor souls were hacked down first without mercy and devoured regardless of gender or age—men, women, and children were all victims. Behind the Caynians, the Talon Hunters and Shadows feasted on the fallen, shattering windows and smashing doors to reach others hiding inside.
***
The remnants of the heavy cavalry led the way, forming a galloping battering ram chasing down their prey. Zane rode alongside Thade and Rayth, whilst Slayer and the Chosen followed closely behind the heavy cavalry. The Chosen wanted to overtake the relatively slow armoured horsemen, but he knew they would give him the best chance of getting to his palace. They reached the winding throughway that led to the white palace. They charged up the street and trampled over the gore from the first crossbow. There were injured men lying at the side of the street, but the men did not stop. They continued in pursuit, leaving the injured for others to care for.
***
The Dark One and his Caynians reached the steps of the palace. Another crossbow fired, sending its murderous projectiles into the Caynians’ ranks. Warriors and their mounts fell, and more than one thousand Imperial Guards screamed their war cry and charged into dismounting Caynians. Chaos, Malice, and Fury were the first to dismount and ran forward to meet the clansmen. The Dark One slowly dismounted and pulled the Blade of Yallas from its sheath. He stepped forward as ten clansmen charged at him. With one arching swipe of his black sword he cut through many, and sent others flying through the air. Others charged to him. The effect was the same. The Dark One cut himself a path to the steps with Chaos and Fury protecting his back.
The Imperial Guards killed many Caynians due to their sheer number. But the combined power of the Caynians, with the Dark One, Malice, Chaos, and Fury soon started to cleave through them. Bodies were scattered all around and on the steps. Rain mixed with the crimson blood, forming tiny rivers of death that flowed down the steps and streamed down the winding street. The Dark One reached the closed doors. He wedged the Blade of Yallas between the tall hardwood doors and uttered a spell. Upon saying the word of power, the doors began to glow. They creaked and started to bow inwards. The moaning changed to snapping. Suddenly, the doors ignited and imploded into the building, sending lethal dagger-length shards and splinters peppering the defenders waiting inside. The screaming started inside the palace.
The Dark One turned and raised the Blade of Yallas. “Rise and kill!” he yelled. Then he entered the white palace wielding the Blade of Yallas and used its power to bring back the dead. All around the steps and in the city, zombies rose and picked up their weapons. The soulless people began to kill their countrymen, their friends doing their master’s bidding.
***
The heavy cavalry rode over the carnage caused by the second crossbow units on the winding street. Behind the heavy cavalry the friends rode on, all grim-faced. Like the Chosen, Thade thought of one person. He had already lost his beloved friend and mentor, and he would not lose his lover. When the thought entered his head, Thade slapped the rump of his horse with the end of his reins, urging the tired mount on.
The heavy cavalry could hear the sounds of battle and men screaming ahead. They drew their swords and crashed into the backs of the Caynians which, together with the zombies, fought the Imperial Guards. Warrior clashed against warrior and horse clashed against horse in the mayhem which ensued. The Caynians wielded their enormous broadswords and double-bladed axes, killing men and horses. They just hacked and lashed out at anything that moved.
***
Zane reached the fighting and pulled his horse alongside Tanas, who was blocked from reaching the steps. Zane looked across at Tanas who had his head bowe
d, masking his expression, but he could feel the rage building in the warrior. Zane pulled his helm clear and threw it in frustration. He knew they were close, but now they were losing time.
***
Fury waited on the top of the steps, looking down at the carnage and smiling. He looked towards the back of the fighting and saw one of the Children of the Light who sat on a horse next to his brethren. Fury could sense his presence. He pulled free one of his small black crossbows and loaded it. Carefully, he took aim. Which one? Fury decided, re-aimed, and fired. The bolt headed for the Child of the Light—Zane.
***
The young king tried to heel his horse forward, kicking out with his feet, trying to make a path. He saw a way, but Tanas grabbed his reins. In slow motion, Tanas dropped the reins. Zane looked towards Tanas, but his eyes did not reach him as something on the palace steps caught his attention.
***
Inside the white palace, the Dark One made his way to the Chosen’s private rooms, leaving a mass of zombies in his wake. Within those rooms two Children of the Light waited. They waited for death—he had seen it.
***
In the city Platos fired his crossbow, sending out his vicious projectiles, but he was forced to retreat again. The master armourer and warlord was being forced farther back into the southern quarter. The clansmen along with Platos pushed the wagon around a corner. The crossbow boomed again into more Caynians, who followed the weapon relentlessly. One of the clansmen swore.
“What?” screamed Platos, looking over his shoulder. He saw the problem. The wagon had been pushed into a dead-end. At the end of the alleyway was a tall wall. Platos cursed aloud. Here in the narrow alleyway, the Warlord for the Chosen would make his last stand. He shouted at his men to move and fired the catapult again. The shot slammed into Caynians, sending out a fountain of gore. The clansman started to prime the weapon, but this time when they wound back the bow, the firing wire snapped.