By the Sword (29 page)

This is something I will have to think about later.
If I survive.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Jalarn brought all of his attention back to the duel. He unleashed a series of aggressive strikes at Ittonifer, but the man was ready for every single one of them.

With a great roar, the Malinorian ruler lifted his sword above his head and jumped. He crashed his blade into Jalarn’s. The sword flew out of Jalarn’s hands.

Ittonifer held his blade at his throat. It was over.

“Killing you like this would take away the fun,” said Ittonifer.

Jalarn knew what that meant.

“Get up. Your death will be witnessed by all of Malinor and Sanctus today. You will see the largest army that the continent has ever known, and you will die knowing that you threw it all away. I was right in not telling you about my backup plan.”

Ittonifer pressed the point of his sword into Jalarn’s back.

“Move!”

They walked out of the prison, down the dark hallway, and out of the castle.

Thousands of men in Malinorian armor approached the battlefield. A mere two thousand or so knights from Sanctus stood gaping at the army that was about to bring its devilish fury upon them.

“How did you do it?” asked Jalarn.

“You will never know.”

*****

The thundering rhythm of the massive army’s battle drums combined with its deliberate marching made the ground vibrate. Only moments ago, Tanel and his fellow warriors had been elated at their victory. Now, fear and defeat laced the air.

The surrendered Malinorian knights shifted nervously where they knelt.

“I should have known that it was too good to be true!” cried Atalsa nearby.

“Retreat!” cried one of the commanders.

Tanel wished that they could, but it was not an option. Every innocent civilian in Sanctus would die if they did. Malinor would infiltrate the city
shortly after them
. It was better to fight.

Chrissa jogged up a hill and lifted her voice.

“Listen, warriors of Sanctus!” she shouted.

Some people stopped to listen, while others paid her no mind.

“Don’t you see? The devil is doing this to drive the faith and hope out of us. As a former servant of his, I know his wicked ways. This is our chance to stand up to his force and show him that our God is so much more powerful than a few Malinorian knights. And even if we die today, we still win.”

Most of the soldiers and knights near Tanel scoffed and shook their heads.

“She’s crazy! Look at all of them!” shouted Tasar.

“Her new faith is clouding the reality that is before us,” said Timlin.

An older knight elbowed Tanel and shook his head.

“To stay would be sheer madness. Queen Roselyn would have no army left. The Malinorians will destroy our families.”

“No, Chrissa is right,” said Tanel.

He
ran
up the hill and stood at Chrissa’s side.

He was met with an audience of both angry and fear-ridden faces.

“God has brought us this far. He turned those monsters against our enemy. Remember what we have been taught since our youth – that He lives in us! Who can we fear with God in our hearts?”

There was a great murmuring from the crowds. Many soldiers turned to leave.

“Cowards!” shouted Endil as he joined Tanel and Chrissa on the hill.

“You call yourselves soldiers?” shouted Chrissa.

Below, Pori chased after Timlin. He grabbed him by the arm. The two brothers began to fight. Tasar and Atalsa argued with a group of soldiers. Soon, the air filled with loud shouts and accusations.

“I can’t believe this!” cried Chrissa.

Sweat poured down Tanel’s face. There was a great army coming toward them, but their army was in disarray.

“Silence!” shouted Commander Sanere.

He was standing on another rise close by.

The fighting and arguing ceased. Everyone froze and stared at the commander.

“If you run, Ittonifer will find you. He won’t stop until we’re all dead. Do you want your innocent loved ones on the run, too? We gave the queen our word that we would protect her and her people. Please, stay and fight. General Edandir would have said the same thing if he were here. What would he think of us if we quit now?”

“And where is he?” shouted a knight from the crowd.

Several shouted their agreement.

Sanere ignored them.

“This is your calling, people. If God is with us, then who can be against us?”

“Remember
w
ho it is that you are fighting for!” said Endil.

A surrendered Malinorian knight stood then. Many gasped when they saw that he was only a boy of fourteen or fifteen. He was the same one that had surrendered to Tanel.

He approached General Sanere.

“I will fight with you,” he said.

The army fell silent. They stared at the young Malinorian. He looked around and then spoke.

“You spared my life when I would have taken yours. Malinor has no respect for enemies. I’ve seen what your God can do. He protected you from the beasts.”

“If you mean it, then get out of that armor,” said Sanere.

The boy complied.

“Thank you for your bravery, son,” said the commander.

Dressed only in a thin tunic and pants, the new recruit stood bravely next to Sanere. Tanel removed his breastplate and ran down the hill, making his way over to the one that they stood on.

“Take this. You may need it more than I,” said Tanel.

He fastened the armor on the boy.

“Thank you,” the lad said.

Tanel prayed that the lad would survive the day. He had more courage than many of the young warriors that were twice his age.

Five more of the
kneeling
Malinorian soldiers rose and removed their armor, taking their place next to Sanere. Tanel breathed a prayer of thanks to God as even more came, stripping themselves of their past allegiance and joining with the righteous army. More than that, they were taking a step toward God without any consideration of their own gain.

Many of the retreaters stopped in their tracks and watched the moving display of loyalty.

“Will you not stay?” Commander Sanere called. “Ittonifer’s surrendered men have agreed to join us in the face of adversity.”

Some returned.

The great enemy army drew nearer, but Tanel’s faith in God’s deliverance had deepened so much that he craved to charge into battle. They had come so far. He was not going to throw it all away now.

“Archers, rejoin with Sir Tanel and fire on my command!” said Commander Sanere.

Chrissa smiled at Tanel as she walked by him.

“See you down there, Commander,” she said.

She was acting as though the whole thing was a game.

“Be careful, Chrissa.”

The archers raced up the hill to stand with Tanel. He was too nervous to be happy about his new
responsibility
. Tanel’s bowmen formed two lines parallel to one another, waiting for the command to release their swift arrows on the enemy. The opposing army was close now.

Several moments passed, but Commander Sanere had not ordered them to fire yet. The mass of Malinorian soldiers was getting too close. Tanel would have fired at them several moments ago.

“Steady, soldiers,” said Commander Sanere.

Tanel’s heart thudded rapidly. He could now see the whites of his enemies’ eyes. In moments, their armies would collide.

“Fire!” the commander shouted at last.

Hundreds of arrows whistled through the air and rained down on the unshielded Malinorians. From where he stood, Tanel could see that several hundred men had fallen, but it had barely made a dent in the numbers. He drew another arrow.

“Fire!”

Another series of arrows speared into their enemy, but the Malinorians were running faster. The sword fighters of Sanctus charged into the
formidable
army. The battle had begun once again.

*****

General Edandir’s heart raced as he directed his firedrake over the battling soldiers. Where in the realm did all of those Malinorians come from? Ittonifer had outdone himself this time.

The general ached to go down there and aid his soldiers, but he had to complete some crazy mission first – a mission that involved rescuing Jalarn, no less. He could barely believe what Uittan had told him to do, but he also knew that the prophet would never tell a lie.

He landed his dragon on the roof of the castle and climbed down the thick vines that covered the side of it. With the intention of entering through another open window, Edandir heard Ittonifer’s thick voice just below. He and Jalarn were standing by the castle entrance.

Edandir jumped down just a few paces away from them and unsheathed his sword.

Ittonifer met him with the powerful swing of his sword.

“Edandir, we meet again. You’re just in time for the grand finale.”

The general slashed away his enemy’s blade.

Ittonifer laughed hollowly.

“Impressive isn’t it?” Ittonifer said. “Pity you’re on the wrong side.”

Jalarn stood rigid. Edandir barely recognized the young man. There was vulnerability in his deep green eyes where there had once only been hatred. Something in him had changed.

“What are you doing here?” asked Ittonifer.

“I came to repay the man that saved my daughter’s life.”

Jalarn’s eyes widened at the mention of Talya.

“Then you wish for death.”

Edandir swung at Ittonifer’s head, but his opponent blocked him and gave him a swift kick in the gut. Edandir stumbled back, regained his footing, and then stopped what would have been a fatal stab to his chest.

Out of the corner of his eye, the general noticed someone else approaching them. He turned to face whoever it was, but all he saw was a black gauntlet slamming into his face.

*****

Tanel had never fought so hard in all of his life. The soldiers of Sanctus were completely surrounded by the massive imperial army, and only one of the reptilian beasts that God had turned back against the Malinorians remained. A group of Malinorian knights surrounded it now and stabbed at it until it fell with a loud roar. Because of Ittonifer, ten beasts had been uprooted from their safe home and had been killed in a foreign, evil place. Now they were gone forever.

The ten giants took on several enemy knights at a time, but not without suffering large gashes on their limbs. They were starting to wear down.

“Help me!” Atalsa screamed nearby.

She had run out of arrows. Eight enemy soldiers already encircled her.

Tasar was running toward her, but he wasn’t going to make it in time. His heart thundering, Tanel shot three of the men that were coming at the girl. He went to shoot another arrow, but there were too many Malinorians blocking his view.

Tanel fought back tears of frustration as he shot as many of the oncoming enemy as he possibly could. No matter how many he slew, several more came. They were like ravenous flies on an animal carcass.

“I trust in you, Lord. I know
You
will deliver us out of the evil one’s hand. I can’t do this alone. Please help me. And help Atalsa and the other knights.”

As he felt for another arrow, Tanel noticed that there were only five left.

I will have to make them count.

He fired at the closest men, dropped his bow, and then unsheathed the sword at his side.

Chapter Nineteen

Queen Roselyn had lain praying on the floor of Sanctus City’s chapel for hours. Thunder roared in the distance. She slowly got up and looked out of the church’s window. Rain splattered against it as lightning flashed nearby. She imagined the general and his army fighting in the slippery mud and flinched.

She paced back and forth
,
worry enveloping her once again
.

No. God will not let the devil win. Sanctus will conquer Malinor. There is nothing to worry about. He has heard my prayers.

She went down on her knees and returned to praying.

“Lord, as Your Word says, ‘He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.’ I ask that you give my general, soldiers and knights the same protection that
You
gave King David in his time of need.”

The heavy wooden door flew open and Roselyn nearly jumped.

It was Uittan.

She relaxed, but her heart still raced.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion, but I need you to come with me at once.”

Without a word, Roselyn placed the hood of her violet cloak over her head and followed the prophet out into the pouring rain.