Bastial Frenzy (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 4) (52 page)

Terren was down the ramp by then, already following the Dajrik through the gate. Everyone started to march. As Cleve came through the gate, he saw what Terren had described. Krepps, Humans, two Dajriks, but the sheer number of their enemies is what he noticed first. There were twice as many as those in blue standing ready to defend Oakshen.

Chapter 37:

EFFIE

Effie followed Penny as they came together with the rest of Kyrro’s army. She held Leo’s claws, grasping tightly to make sure she didn’t lose him. They crossed through rows of mostly men, all older than her and big with beards and permanent creases around their eyes.

Penny put her and the other mages with Slugari at the front—the very front. Her heart began beating wildly. The only thing between her and what she thought to be fifty thousand enemies was dirt.

Where are my warriors?
She looked over each shoulder, knowing they didn’t have much time before the Krepps would attack. Their enemies were nearly organized by then, separated into blocks. The enormous Slugari slithered between rows, shouting something. Tenred’s army was behind the Krepps. Surely Brady and his king were there somewhere.

The two enemy Dajriks were between the Krepps and Tenred’s troops. Hundreds of feet from each other, and with no one else near them, the Dajriks made up their own line.

“It was smart of them to target Oakshen,” Effie heard a man behind her comment.

“Why?” another asked.

“So we would have to face them on open land instead of behind the walls of the castle or the Academy.”

“I’d rather face them out here,” the other replied. “No walls could stop those giants, and they could destroy half our buildings just getting to us.”

Men started taking up positions in front of Effie. Equipped with swords, shields, and steel armor, she knew these were her warriors. These were the men who would protect her while she and Leo cast at their enemies.

But what would happen once the line of these heavily armored men was broken? Effie knew what was supposed to happen, as Penny had gone over it countless times. But what were the chances their plan actually could be followed?

Separated from her friends, Effie had only her classmates and the Slugari nearby. She was thankful it wasn’t Alex or Cleve in front of her, though. The front line had to be the most dangerous spot.

The Krepps seemed to be ready, for they began drawing their weapons.

“In position!” Effie’s commander yelled.

She stepped close to the warrior in front of her. He looked behind and then saw he needed to squat for her to see over him.

“You’re a small one,” he said, a smile hiding beneath his mustache. “But I need to be low anyway, so as not to be knocked off my feet.”

“I’m Effie,” she said.

“Effie Elegin?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered, confused.

“I’ve heard your name a few times around the castle. I’m Gerow.”

They shook hands. He had to have been her elder by twenty years.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he said. “So long as you do the same for me.”

She patted his shoulder. “Just wait until you see the fireballs I can cast with Leo’s help.”

Hearing his name, the Slugari shifted his glance up at her.

Suddenly, the enemies began to charge. There had been no warning, no chanting, no screaming or stomping. They simply ran, many with mouths open wide enough for Effie to see their sharp, bloodstained teeth.

“Ready!” her commander yelled from somewhere off to the right. “Aim wands.”

Effie’s grip tightened around Leo’s hand as she aimed her wand over Gerow’s shoulder.

The Krepps were quick, already within range of spells—at least with Leo’s help. But her commander hadn’t given the order to gather energy yet.

She decided to do so on her own. “
Bahsh
,” she told Leo.

He began to push Bastial Energy through his claws. She could feel it entering her body, causing hot tingles in her stomach. She watched the Krepps come closer, thousands of gray bodies thick with muscle, all wielding swords, some with saliva flying out from the corners of their mouths.

“Gather!” her commander said, but Effie already was near the capacity her body could handle. It was about time to cast.

She aimed her wand and started to focus. She looked into the yellow eyes of her enemies, noticing their rage and eagerness to kill.

How dare they come here! They will pay!

The Krepps were still too far for a fireball to hit them without losing much of its energy into the air. Instead, she released all the Bastial Energy at once, not mixing any Sartious Energy into it. She screamed to keep control so that it wouldn’t widen. The BE was so hot it came out as an orange ray, bursting from her wand in a flash.

It was gone in a heartbeat, but she’d turned it slightly while it was out there so that it swept across dozens of Krepps. They all screamed and fell. Effie could see smoke rising from their singed flesh. They must’ve been trampled by the others behind them, for the gaps their falling bodies created quickly were filled by more.

“Bastial hell!” her commander yelled. “Fine! Fire, fire!”

The other mages unleashed fireballs, each the size of a Krepp. They sailed high and long, seemingly resisting the pull of gravity as they continued to soar. A few still didn’t make it to the Krepps, and those that did landed far behind the front line of enemies.

“Gather and fire as quickly as you can!” her commander yelled.

Effie already had her next spell ready. She knew it would come out of her wand at such a rate she just had to direct it without much arc, straight at the enemies nearly there.

She cast an enormous fireball that was almost entirely red. Just the edges were orange with yellow mixed in. The outer rim was coming off as a tail while it spun through the air, but it struck her enemies too quickly to lose much energy.

There was an explosion of carnage as it hit the full-speed Krepps. Their bodies flew backward and collided with the others behind them. Other mages were casting fireballs nearly as large, causing the same carnage everywhere.

The number of Krepps seemed endless. No matter the size of the fireballs killing them, there were always more to take their place.

Soon, Gerow and the other warriors rushed forward to meet the Krepps. They collided with a boom of screams, metal, and flesh. As difficult as it was, Effie remained still. Men twice her size were rushing past her, engaging the Krepps sword against sword. She wanted to move, either to go forward and help Gerow and the others or to get back behind the warriors before they trampled her.

But this was part of the plan. She and her Slugari needed to be still so they weren’t killed by their own men as they stormed past.

Finally Penny gave the order. “Mages move north!”

Effie practically dragged Leo, unable to tell her legs to slow enough for him to keep up on his own. Soon she came together with a cluster of mages who’d been casting alongside archers. They were protected by their own line of warriors. Their Dajrik was close by, though Effie didn’t know how he would get through his allies without crushing them.

Still with Leo, Effie prepared to shoot fireballs far enough that they wouldn’t strike her own warriors holding off the Krepps.

“A Dajrik is coming this way!” Sneary shouted.

To her dismay, Effie saw the Dajrik lumbering right at them.
He has an enormous black shield! And a massive sword in his other hand!
The weapons must’ve been resting on the ground when she saw the Dajriks earlier. The shield alone looked to be a third of the creature’s weight. The Krepps in front of the giant quickly moved aside so as not to be crushed.

“Archers, shoot it down!” Sneary demanded.

Effie found Cleve among the archers, standing out because of his size. Beside him was Zoke’s sister. No less than fifty arrows came from their group.

The Dajrik was so far away that only a few arrows hit, and only one got by his shield—striking the giant right in the forehead. He uttered a cry of anguish but didn’t slow.

Still too far for fireballs, Effie watched and waited for her chance. Cleve was the first to draw another arrow, firing it before some even had their next loaded. It sped through the air with a hiss, striking the Dajrik’s knee. The giant stumbled for just a blink, then regained his pace.

“Dammit,” she heard Cleve mutter as he readied a third.

Another barrage of arrows came, all blocked by the shield.

“
Bahsh
,” she told Leo, still wondering how she could get fire past the Dajrik’s shield.

The giant had reached them easily. While hardly any Krepps had gotten past the thick line of Kyrro’s warriors, he’d merely run past the frenzy of swords, and no man could stop him.

“Psychics!” Effie heard Sneary shout, though it was just background to her own focus of drawing in Bastial Energy.

The Dajrik was coming at them, his tall shield covering his face down to his knees. How could she kill the giant when he could hold his shield like that and simply crush them with his feet?

His feet!
Effie thought. It was her only option. Her fireball needed to get over the heads of the archers in front of her, yet remain low enough to get beneath the Dajrik’s shield. It was a tight fit, making her wish she was taller. She lifted her arm high, pointing her wand. Then she unleashed all the energy she’d gathered.

Her fireball cleared the heads of her allies, though many of them still ducked from the startling heat as it sizzled over them. It spun and hissed, but her aim was slightly too high. Half of it struck the base of the Dajrik’s shield. At least the other half reached its mark, slamming into the top of his shin.

The giant howled and stumbled. For just a moment, he lowered his shield and twisted. Arrows managed then to find his torso. Horror made Effie lose her breath when it all seemed to be for nothing. The Dajrik fixed his shield and continued toward them, nearly there.

She noticed psychics running toward them, Reela being one of them. Meanwhile, their own Dajrik rumbled forward. Archers near the front turned and fled to make space for the giants to engage each other.

Both were shouting in Slugaren as they came close and picked up speed. But then the enemy Dajrik pointed his enormous sword past his shield.

Stop!
Effie wanted to shout to their Dajrik. He had no chance against the other’s weapon.

Luckily, their Dajrik halted before he was too close and bent to dodge a slash of the enemy Dajrik’s sword. Both were slow in their movements.

Out of the corner of Effie’s eye, she saw the battle between the Krepps and warriors shifting toward them, making it clear their men couldn’t keep the Krepps from progressing toward the archers and mages much longer. Even worse, many Krepps had followed the path of their Dajrik, going around Effie’s allies before they could reform their line.

We’re about to be overrun!

“Mages and archers, time to thicken!” Sneary yelled.

Effie had dreaded hearing this order. But she knew to trust the warrior instructor. She hurried toward the warriors fighting the Krepps, wondering if the men really could keep the Krepps off the archers and mages when combat surrounded them. And what of the ally Dajrik? They couldn’t leave him with all the Krepps coming.

“Group One warriors, fall back to the Dajrik,” Sneary said. “Psychics, join them. Mages and archers, prepare to engage close combat with the Krepps.”

Effie was being separated, commanded into the thick of battle, for there was nowhere else to go. She saw Alex coming from where she needed to be, joining Cleve, Zoke, Zeti, and even Reela as they rushed toward the fighting Dajriks.

Effie ground her teeth together and pulled Leo forward.

The sing of steel came from all sides. The Krepps were close enough to hear their grunts and deep screeches. Effie was surprised to find many of them were female, some nearly as tall as the Human warriors fighting them.

Leo murmured something in a frightened tone, pulling on her hand so she wouldn’t get closer. Krepps seemed to pick up his scent, for they no longer were interested in killing the warriors, only getting by them. She watched two enemies get themselves killed by trying to push forward, drool clinging to the corners of their mouth.

But some Krepps did make it past, now licking their teeth as they ran straight at Leo. He screeched and tried to flee, but Effie held him tight.

“
Bahsh
!” she yelled.

She felt a little come from his hand, though he still tugged on her, trying to make her run.

“
Hallio
!” Effie said, trying to get more BE from Leo. “
Hallio
Bahsh
!”

But he wouldn’t listen. He tried to let go of her hand while she held tight.

Archers shot the closest Krepps coming through the line of warriors. It gave Effie and Leo more time. She tried again.

“
Hallio
, Leo. Need
hallio
!”