CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
‘Three wyverns!’ exclaimed Red, shaking his head in disbelief.
‘That’s what the scout said,’ said Eben.
‘You’re going to have quite a task,’ said Red, laughing nervously. They were sitting around the fire with Cassiel and Stella in the early evening.
‘I’ll do my best,’ said Eben.
‘I think King Ignis is very troubled by this news,’ said Cassiel. ‘We beat the small army of muckrons in Scaldonia without too much trouble. This one is much larger, and they have Skatheans and the Zyranian Enforcers with them.’
‘Most of the men are very confident. They think we will win and return home soon,’ said Stella.
‘They are fighting for their homeland, so they will fight bravely,’ said Cassiel.
They slept in their tents and woke early. The feeling of anticipation was growing among the troops. Rumours about the enemy army were circulating throughout the camp; however, the men kept up their confidence as they knew they were fighting for their families and homeland and that there was simply no option to fail.
The army set out about an hour after sunrise and moved quickly. The men seemed restless to get to the battle; they all knew it was the last task before a triumphant return home to Ancora. Eben rode in full armour at the front of the army with King Ignis. He felt ready for battle. He could feel his fingers tingling from the anticipation.
‘It’s going to be quite a fight, Eben. They have assembled an army of Skatheans, wyverns, and wizards. We only have soldiers, archers, and cavalry’ said King Ignis.
‘We will fight bravely. The men are ready,’ said Eben.
They continued marching across the plain. By mid-afternoon they could see a distant line of trees of the Altus Forest. Smoke rose in a thick column forming a dark cloud directly ahead. As they marched closer they could see the smoke was rising from an area between two small hills.
‘We are not far from them now,’ said King Ignis.
Another hour passed as they marched onward. They could see the encampment of the enemy in the distance just outside the forest at the beginning of the plain. General Hugo rode up beside King Ignis and Eben.
‘We will use our cavalry again,’ said King Ignis as his eyes scanned the distance.
Eben could see the muckron army was marshalling itself into long lines parallel to the forest. It was instantly clear that the enemy army was massive.
‘How many muckrons are there, Hugo?’ asked the King.
‘Twenty thousand at least,’ said General Hugo stoically. They could see the dark shapes of three wyverns rising up from the ground into the sky above the muckron horde; two of them were red and one was green. Their scales glimmered in the sunlight.
‘What do you think, Hugo?’
‘We face a difficult fight,’ said General Hugo. The King turned to Eben. ‘And you, Eben?’
‘We can either fight or retreat, but if we retreat we’ll have to fight them again at Galdir anyway.’
‘You’re right, Eben. We must fight them either way. Hugo, assemble the cavalry. Tell the men to be ready’
General Hugo rode off and began shouting commands to the army. The army began to move into an attack formation. The cavalry moved to the front with the heavy cavalry making up the first line with five lines of light cavalry behind. The infantry formed about ten lines behind the cavalry, and the archers stood not far behind the infantry.
Red and Stella rode up toward Eben. Stella had acquired a knight’s shield, which was flat on the top edge and curved downward to a point at the bottom edge. The shield was dark red with a golden lion painted across it. She also carried a new sword at her side instead of the two short swords she had carried into the previous battle. Eben noticed that she had a rope coiled with a grappling hook. Red wore shining new armour and an open-faced helm.
‘What’s the rope and grappling hook for?’ asked Eben.
‘For catching wyverns and pulling them out of the sky,’ replied Stella with a confident smile.
‘Stay near me. This is going to be much bigger than the last battle,’ said Eben.
‘We won’t let you get away from us,’ said Stella.
They looked toward the enemy lines and could see two riders crossing the field, one of them carrying a blue banner.
‘It’s the banner of terms. They want to negotiate,’ said General Hugo.
‘Eben, follow me. Let’s ride to meet them,’ said King Ignis. The King rode out across the field. Eben turned Swiftwing about and charged after the King. A minute later they were nearing the two riders. One was a Skathean, revealed by his deathly pale skin and cold piercing eyes. He carried a long sword and no other weapon, and he wore the dark attire and a black cloak. The other rider was also wearing a long dark cloak. As the King and Eben approached they both recognised the familiar face of Falsig.
King Ignis halted about thirty feet from the two enemy riders, and Eben came up to be beside him. Sweat was dripping from Falsig’s swollen and ugly face. His eyes were red and bloodshot.
‘What terms do you bring?’ asked King Ignis firmly.
‘We ask you to surrender!’ answered the Skathean, his voice cold and harsh. ‘If you surrender you will be disarmed and allowed to return to your homes after taking an oath of allegiance to the Lord of Veredor.’
‘We will never surrender. Your evil army will die today unless you leave our lands and return to where you came from! We will never serve your master,’ shouted King Ignis, his voice deep and strong.
The Skathean slowly moved his horse forward. ‘Is this the son of Elons? Did you know your father, boy?’ asked the Skathean with a sly grin. Eben felt his heart drop and was astonished that this Skathean knew his father’s name. He was speechless. The Skathean looked back to the King. ‘His father couldn’t save himself. Do you think the son of Elons will save you, King Ignis?’
‘What do you know of my father?’ asked Eben. The Skathean simply grinned evilly and said nothing.
‘Even if we die today we will die with our honour,’ said King Ignis firmly.
The Skathean scoffed and sneered. ‘Honour! Your honour is nothing but a lie; it is your greatest mistake,’ said the Skathean, sneering at King Ignis with contempt. ‘You hope to hide yourself from the real truth: there is always a price on a man’s honour. And freedom, we Skatheans are free from the burden of your foolish morality. We possess real freedom.’
King Ignis held his head high and stared directly into the eyes of the Skathean. ‘You are completely enslaved by your evil desire; freedom has no place in you.’ The King’s voice was clear and strong. ‘Today you will see our honour in all its glory, and you will see that these good Ortarian men are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the good of all people. What I speak of is real freedom. Freedom is the choice not to be ruled by fear, pain, and desire. Such freedom has no place in you, Skathean. Today you will see real courage, and you will realise that you are mistaken. You have taken the dark path because you believe you will gain something for yourself, but nothing is ever truly gained that isn’t given.’
The Skathean backed away and stared at King Ignis in silence. He then looked from the King to Eben.
‘I look forward to taking possession of the Sword of Light.’ He sneered contemptuously and then turned his horse back toward the enemy lines. Falsig waited a moment before turning his horse and following after the Skathean. King Ignis and Eben then rode back to the waiting company.
**
King Ignis and General Hugo were riding at the front of the army. The lines had slowly advanced to be within a thousand yards of the enemy ranks. Eben rode with Red, Cassiel, and Stella. They looked across the plain toward their enemies. The army of muckrons was waiting in the flat area between the two small hills. Smoke rose above the monstrous army, creating a thick dark cloud that hovered low. The three wyverns circled in the smoky sky as the sound of deep booming drums echoed across the plain.
‘They are using the hills and forest as a natural shield to stop our cavalry flanking them,’ said General Hugo.
‘We will ride directly at them and smash through their front lines like we did in Scaldonia,’ said King Ignis. ‘Eben, I’ve told my knights to challenge the Skatheans. I’m hoping that you, Red, Stella, and Cassiel can focus your strength on the wyverns.’
‘We will,’ said Red proudly. King Ignis nodded and then turned to General Hugo.
‘Hugo, tell the archers to position themselves on the two hills and to shoot at the muckrons below. Tell them to hold those hills.’
King Ignis then looked back at his army. The army was eager to make a move. Hugo rode through the ranks of the men and shouted orders. The King rode over to be beside Eben.
‘This will be a mighty battle. If we are overwhelmed I will blow a horn four times to tell the army to retreat.’
General Hugo returned from giving the orders a moment later. ‘We are ready to advance,’ he said. King Ignis rode in front of his army.
‘Today we are called to rise up and fight for our freedom!’ he cried. ‘We will show our enemies that this is our land! Ortaria is our country! We will live free from oppression, now and always! Let courage and bravery be your weapon! Be strong! Be true! Fight for your family! Fight for all that is good!’ A loud cheer rose from the lines of troops.
The men were ready to advance. King Ignis turned to face the enemy. He drew his sword and pointed the blade at the muckron horde. A moment later the first line of heavy cavalry started moving forward.
Swiftwing leapt after them and the pace rapidly increased. Red, Stella, and Cassiel followed closely behind. The light cavalry followed further back. King Ignis rode ahead with the knights toward the left of the advance. Eben stared ahead at the front line of muckrons. They had crossed five hundred yards. The smoke cloud above them was darkening. Several moments later the cloud above began to swirl.
‘For Ortaria!’ cried King Ignis. The knights brought their horses to a gallop.
The swirling dark cloud began to glow red. Eben could see wizards standing on both the small hills with their hands held high above their heads. The sound of a mighty boom echoed across the plain; a moment later fire began raining down on them from above.
Massive flaming blasts exploded around them. Cavalrymen were being thrown from their horses as the rapid charge continued. Eben felt the heat of an explosion beside him; Swiftwing leapt over burning ground and charged onward through the heat and smoke. Eben drew his sword. The muckron lines were fast approaching. The knights and heavy cavalry crashed through the front lines, and a moment later Eben was among them. He hewed down a muckron as he rode forward into the enemy ranks. Red and Stella were beside him, both of them swinging their swords wildly. Cassiel was throwing bright flames to the left and right as he rode a little back from them. Eben continuously cut and stabbed in all directions. The muckrons scattered before him. Swiftwing pushed forward through the throng of monsters.
Twenty feet away a wyvern swooped down and dragged a knight from his horse, casting him to the ground. Eben turned Swiftwing and saw Red struggling with a muckron and Stella backing away as two muckrons attacked her. He charged forward and cut down one of the muckrons that was attacking Stella. Meanwhile Red cut down the muckron he was fighting.
‘We have to kill that wyvern!’ shouted Eben above the calamity of the battle. Cassiel rode over. His hands were glowing brightly.
‘You lead the way!’ shouted Red.
‘Follow me!’ cried Eben.
Swiftwing dashed forward through the battlefield toward the red wyvern. The four of them smashed their way through the horde of hideous pig headed muckrons. Directly ahead the wyvern was causing havoc among the Ortarian cavalry. The beast was leaping from rider to rider, ripping them from their horses. Eben charged onward. The wyvern turned itself around and howled. It then jumped at him ferociously. Eben stabbed out with the Sword of Light, but the wyvern parried the blade with the edge of its scaled arm. The beast then pounced forward and knocked Swiftwing over. Eben fell to the ground and rolled away. Stella swung her rope, and the grappling hook caught on the wyvern’s horns. The creature howled ferociously and whipped its head, dragging Stella off her horse. She leapt through the air and flipped backwards in a feat of acrobatic mastery. Eben had lost sight of Swiftwing in the heat of the battle.
Eben, now on foot, ran at the fierce beast. He propelled himself at the howling wyvern, stabbing out with the Sword of Light. A flash of red light struck him in the same moment, sending him tumbling back. He fell in the grass and for a moment felt breathless. Zarceler appeared and was standing near the wyvern with two Skatheans beside him. His hands were surrounded by a bright red glow.
Eben quickly regained his feet. An instant later one of the Skatheans charged. He parried the incoming strikes and counterattacked with several cuts and stabs, but the Skathean blocked his counterattacks. The other Skathean came into view.
‘Hand over the Sword of Light!’ hissed the Skathean, leaping at Eben. Eben deflected the first cut and the second. He then struck back, knocking the Skathean off balance.
He felt the claw of the wyvern grab him around the chest from behind. The beast lifted him off his feet and squeezed him tightly as it beat its wings and flew skyward. Eben turned himself in the wyvern’s grip and drove his blade deep into the beast’s scaly neck. The wyvern shrieked in pain and released him. The ground approached rapidly, and a moment later Eben slammed into the field, dropping his sword. The dragon simultaneously plummeted into the ground and heaved around for a moment before it lay lifeless. Eben, in a daze, struggled to get up and looked around for his sword. It had fallen a little way off and he scrambled across the field toward his weapon.
The shadow of a Skathean moved between Eben and the Sword of Light. Eben stopped in his tracks. The Skathean grinned as he approached Eben. Stella quietly picked up the Sword of Light from the ground behind the Skathean. The dark knight, catching sight of her, turned and sneered, and an instant later he charged at Stella. Stella struck out with the Sword of Light. The Skathean parried and counterattacked, but Stella was quick to defend and deflected the stab. Again the Skathean struck out, and again she parried. She thrust the Skathean’s sword to the ground as she kicked out, knocking him off his feet. The Skathean rolled backward and lay stunned on the muddy ground.
In that moment a great horn sounded, ringing out across the battlefield. It blew again and again, and then a fourth time. Eben looked back and could see the Ortarian army was retreating and being forced back by the horde of monsters. Clearly the army of men were being completely overwhelmed. The Skathean regained his feet as Stella handed the Sword of Light back to Eben. A moment later Red came into view. The muckrons were crowding the battlefield around them.
‘The army is leaving!’ shouted Red.
The Skathean laughed evilly as he stood up. ‘Your army is finished!’ he said in a heckling voice. ‘Ortaria is ours!’
Eben looked about and could only see muckrons and Skatheans; the main Ortarian lines had fallen back about fifty yards and were being pursued by thousands of muckrons. Stella and Red looked at Eben, worry etched into their faces. They were trapped with enemies all around. Eben could see the situation was becoming hopeless as packs of muckrons approached from all sides.
A moment later a great howl echoed out across the battlefield and every eye turned to see its origin. A massive black wolf stood on top of the hill to the north.
‘Kiarn!’ shouted Eben, feeling his heart leap in his chest.
They all watched as hundreds of wolves, bears, jackals, and other creatures emerged from the edge of the forest, flanking the muckron army. The wild animals charged into the monstrous horde. The Skathean’s face became deathly pale as he stared at the army of forest creatures tearing into the muckron ranks. The evil knight dashed away at great speed toward the rear of the battlefield and was gone from sight moments later.
The horn sounded again, ringing out just once, which was the call to attack. The Ortarians cried out as they pressed forward against the lines of muckrons.
Cassiel rode over a moment later. ‘The creatures of Altus; they’ve come to save us!’ he shouted as he looked across the battlefield in wonder.
‘Let’s help them!’ cried Eben, rushing forward with his friends following closely.
The muckrons howled in horror, and in a short time the tide of the battle had turned. The muckron army was being pushed toward the southern side of the battlefield. The wolves and bears attacked them with savage ferocity, and the Ortarians grew in confidence at seeing the monsters in retreat and knowing they had such powerful allies fighting with them.
Eben fought his way through the horde. He looked ahead and could see a giant bear pick up a muckron and cast it at another pig headed monster. Packs of wolves were circling the muckrons and forcing them to back away toward the southern side of the battlefield. To his right Stella and Red were pursuing a small group of muckrons that were trying to escape to the south of the battlefield.
Eben caught sight of Zarceler. The evil wizard was blasting the wild animals and Ortarian soldiers with his magic. Eben rushed toward Zarceler.
‘Have you come for more pain?’ screamed Zarceler, lifting his glowing hands. A bright beam of red light shot across the distance at Eben. Eben held his sword up. The energetic blast of light was deflected and struck the ground. Zarceler sneered and again raised his hands and flames burst forth through the air. Again Eben used the Sword of Light to shield himself from the fire. Eben advanced as Zarceler turned and started to run. Moments later Eben was at his heels. Zarceler fell to the ground and looked up at Eben with terror in his eyes. Eben raised his sword and was ready to strike.
Zarceler cowered on the ground, covering his face with his hands. ‘No! Don’t!’ he cried, begging for his life.
Eben delayed for a moment. ‘You deserve to die!’
Cassiel appeared beside Eben a moment later. They looked down at Zarceler. ‘Let me live. I can change,’ begged Zarceler. ‘I was following orders. I’m not evil. It’s the Master, not me...’
Cassiel considered the situation for a moment. ‘We can tie his hands behind his back; his magic would be much reduced,’ said Cassiel. ‘We could take him as a prisoner back to Ancora.’
‘Stand up!’ said Eben firmly, pointing his sword at Zarceler. The wizard stood up.
‘Hands behind your back!’ ordered Cassiel. Zarceler complied. Cassiel went to tie his hands. Suddenly Zarceler turned and grabbed Cassiel. He held a small knife up against Cassiel’s throat.
‘Drop your sword or Cassiel dies!’ hissed Zarceler.
Cassiel stood completely still. He looked across at Eben and shook his head. Eben stared into Zarceler’s mad eyes and could see he would surely kill Cassiel.
‘Drop it!’ screamed Zarceler wrathfully.
Eben reluctantly dropped his sword. Zarceler grinned as he looked down at the sword on the ground.
’Now step back!’ cried Zarceler. Eben took several steps back from the wizard. Zarceler threw Cassiel aside and then picked up the sword. ‘Now the Sword of Light is mine!’ he said, cruel glee filling his eyes.
A great cluster of Ortarian troops were nearing them as the muckrons were in full retreat and were rushing up and over the slopes of the southern hill. Zarceler laughed like a madman and waved his hand; a shockwave of glowing red energy struck Eben. Eben felt the heavy impact as he flew back several feet and crashed into the ground. He was dazed and shaken and looked up at Zarceler. The wizard slowly walked toward him and was grinning evilly. He cast another red burst of painful energy at Eben. Eben felt his body cramp and shake. He could hardly take a breath. Cassiel began to get up. Zarceler knocked him back down again with a spell and smirked.
‘I knew it would come to this. Now you will both die for causing this foolish revolt,’ said Zarceler. He lifted his hands once again.
Eben caught the rapid movement of something dark out of the corner of his eye. A moment later Kiarn leapt from left field. The dark shape of the wolf throttled the wizard. The Sword of Light fell from the Zarceler’s hand as he cried out in horror. In an instant Kiarn’s mighty jaws ended the life of the evil wizard. Zarceler’s body lay still and lifeless. Kiarn’s golden eyes glanced across at Eben for a moment. An instant later the wolf ran off after the retreating muckron army.
Eben pulled himself up off the ground. His body was aching all over. He walked over to Cassiel and helped him to stand up. He then picked up the Sword of Light, and together they looked southward at the fleeing muckrons.
‘It is done,’ said Cassiel.
Red and Stella walked over and were completely exhausted. The four friends hugged and embraced.
**
The army set up camp beside the forest. Eben sat in a command tent with King Ignis, Red, Stella, Cassiel, several knights, and field commanders. King Ignis had his face bandaged. He looked very weary.
‘I am sad to say that we lost many good men. Brave General Hugo also died in the battle,’ said King Ignis. Eben felt the sadness in the room at the news of the death of General Hugo ‘We have completely destroyed the muckron army. The archers on the southern hill stopped most of them from escaping; only a few muckrons breached their lines. Two of the wyverns escaped, and another was found dead on the battlefield. We have also captured several Zyranians. General Hugo and all the men who died here today will be remembered forever. We will ride to Ancora and free our people from tyranny. Today we have brought light back to Ortaria. We will take that light to every corner of our land.’
They heard the strength in his voice. There was a sense of hope growing in their hearts.