Return of the Ancients (33 page)

The thought ended abruptly, as if it had fallen off a steep dark precipice in her mind. She turned to the king.

‘Who accompanies our prince on his journey?’

Grimvaldr didn’t respond.

Eilif rose slowly from the chair. Her knees shook, but she stared unwaveringly into the king’s eyes.

Grimvaldr reached out for her as he murmured, ‘The Arnoddr-Sigarr.’

Her breath momentarily locked in her chest, and then exploded in a howl that pierced the long throne room. She batted his hand away. ‘No! He was to fight by my side. He is . . .’ She balled her fists. ‘There were a hundred others you could have chosen – why him?’

‘There were others, but Grimson trusts him – and I trust him. He has already proven his willingness to risk all for us. Who better to protect our future, than one brave sáál from the past?’

Eilif howled again and fell to her knees. She let her head fall and closed her eyes. ‘Was there no one else to go with him?’

Grimvaldr knelt down next to her. ‘As you said, Eilif, I could have sent hundreds, thousands. But I believe that stealth will succeed, where force would not.’ He paused, and then lifted her chin. ‘You know, there is a strength in that one, the likes of which we have not seen for an eternity. He is the right choice.’

Eilif got slowly to her feet. He was right. Grimvaldr was always right.

The king tried to embrace her, but she pulled away and ran towards the doors.

‘He’s already gone, Eilif. He will return when the time is right, and the land is safe once again.’

‘And who will keep
him
safe?’ Eilif cried, pushing through the doors, leaving the king and queen standing in silence.

Perhaps he had left something for her, something telling her where they had gone? She tore through the stone corridors, her armour clanging like cymbals as she barged through doorways, bounced off walls, not slowing until she came to his room, and shouldered open the door.

‘Arn, my Arn!’

The room was empty. She rushed about, searching, rifling through drawers – there was nothing. She balled her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to give her suffering a voice.

Every parting is a form of death
, he had said. Now the words made sense –
that
was his message to her. Eilif sank down onto the bed, burying her face in the sheets and drawing in his scent. Through the window, the moonlight washed over her.

She lifted her head and screamed her agony.

The first wave of the far Wolfen burst through the trees into a large clearing. They skidded to a halt, their eyes wideneing first in disbelief, and then in triumph.

Several Wolfen elite stood waiting for them, their hands tight on their sword hilts, with bodies nobly erect, and their demeanour calm. The banners of Grimvaldr fluttered in a breeze beside them.

A roar went up from the travelling warriors, who were now piling up in the expansive clearing, dozens deep, each craning over the other, to see the armoured warriors they would soon be joining.

‘Grimvaldr comes to meet us. Long live the king!’ A roar went up and they rushed forward. It was only when they were within a dozen paces of the motionless warriors did they see them for what they were – caricatures of living beings. Their mouths were sewn shut, and blood leaked from under armour where they had been pierced a hundred times. In addition, the elite warriors had been lashed upright, with even their necks bound to hidden stakes, giving them a proud posture.

The far Wolfen, confused, slowed, but only for a second as a screech tore through the air, followed by the hiss of hundreds upon hundreds of arrows in flight.

By the time a warning was roared, hundreds of bodies lay twitching on the grass. The same scene was repeated along a dozen slopes.

There would be no far Wolfen joining the battle this day.

‘I could have fought. I’m big enough.’ Grimson trailed behind Arn as they threaded their way along the winding path. He pulled his sword free and slashed at a hanging vine.

Arn spoke over his shoulder. ‘Stay quiet. There are Panterran about. And I know – I’ve seen you practise – you’re very good. But I am on a quest, and I needed the help of a stout heart. The king said you were the best man –
ahh
, Wolfen – for the job.’

‘A quest? Yes, I’m the best one for that!’ Grimson sheathed his sword and ran to catch up with Arn. ‘What
is
the quest?’

‘It’ll be long and arduous . . . and very dangerous.’ Arn looked down at Grimson. ‘I guess you could say, we’re looking for me.’

Grimson frowned in confusion.

Arn patted him on the shoulder. ‘We’re looking for traces of my people. I don’t believe that they all flew away one day . . . or that our spirits did. Some would have stayed; some would have hidden from whatever happened. I need to know what that was. I just need to prove I didn’t cause . . .’ Arn swallowed hard, but that voice in his head wouldn’t be silenced.
You just need to prove it wasn’t you who caused the extinction of humanity, that’s all . . .

Grimson nodded. ‘I wish Eilif could have come.’

The name felt like a dagger wound. ‘Me too, Grim.’

‘My name’s Grimson. Only Eilif is allowed to call me Grim.’ The young Wolfen thought about it for a moment, and then said, ‘But you can call me Grim, too, I guess.’ He nodded, satisfied with his decision.

Arn didn’t hear him. He stared distractedly into the distance, where Eilif stood, sword raised, facing down a horde of Lygon that pounded across the ground towards her.

‘Arnoddr, did you hear me?’

Arn shrugged, not wanting to talk anymore. He felt tired and depressed.

‘This quest – where will it take us? Arnoddr, this quest – where will it take us?’ This time, Grimson tugged at his arm.

Arn glanced down at him and blinked, seeming almost surprised to find that he wasn’t alone. He reached instinctively for Vidarr’s map, folded in a pocket sewn into his vest. ‘The dark lands, and you will need to help. You will need to tell me if there is anything you recognise as being dangerous. I might not see it. This is your world now, Grim.’

The young Wolfen sighed, and then nodded. ‘I can do that.’ He thought some more. ‘The dark lands – I wish we had more Wolfen with us. I wish we had Strom with us.’

*****

Strom’s head bobbed above the slavering crowd, his staring eyes towards the distant castle. Goranx stood at the front of the horde and shook his grisly trophy. Both Panterran and Lygon cheered.

Mogahr raised an arm to silence them. She looked at the pike with the Wolfen champion’s head impaled upon it, and her lips parted in a grotesque smile.

‘
By the time of theee next sssun’ss risssing, I want a thousssand, thousssand more Wolfen headsss upon my ssspikesss.’
She held out her hand and a Panterran thrust something into it. This, she held up to the horde.

It was a long metal sword, with a jewel-encrusted pommel and leather-wrapped handle.
‘Creeeated by the Panterran blacksssmiths, and harder than the ssstrongessst Wolfen sssteeel. Made from a block of the ancient’s hardest iron’

She turned the sword over and sliced the air with it. ‘
The weaponnn of a true championnn
.’ She sat forward, her near hairless body cloaked by the darkest hour of the night.

‘The championnn who brings me Grimvaldr’sss head, will have thisss weapon as proof of hisss mighty deeeed.’

The crowd roared, and the sound washed across the hilltop as news of the reward passed along the ranks.

Mogahr lowered the sword and looked to Orcalion.

‘
Begin the attttack.’

Grimvaldr stood in his stirrups and looked along the line of warriors. His elite were organised into two hundred phalanxes, five deep and ten long. Rows of archers stood in position behind them, and then two columns of another twenty thousand Wolfen.

The castle once had rolling green plain spread out before it, gentle hills rising into forest along its sides. Now, the plain was churned, the forest burning; the king surveyed the horizon, knowing that after several days of preparation, they were out of time. There would only be one chance.

Grimvaldr turned to two of his generals, Lon and Karnak. ‘The east and west columns must not break. You must keep the Panterran attack funnelled down the centre of the plain. If too many of the gravilents get in among our troops, their armoured hide will take too long to penetrate, and we do not have the time or troops to spend on bringing them down.’

Karnak nodded. ‘Mighty stones have been piled high, and on top of that will be Wolfen spears – they will not break on our eastern side, sire.’ He looked at Lon. ‘And if the general needs help, I’ll make sure they don’t break on his side as well.’

Lon laughed and struck Karnak’s armour with his fist. ‘You’ll be singing in Valhalla long before they break my line, oldling.’

The generals both turned to Grimvaldr. ‘Ready, sire. On your word.’

‘Take your positions.’

Karnak and Lon turned to each other and gripped gauntleted hands at shoulder height as they stared into each other’s face. Lon spoke quietly. ‘May Odin allow us to spill rivers of Panterran blood before he calls us.’

Karnak grinned. ‘Odin’s strength, brother.’

Both pulled on their reins and wheeled their horses, racing them to either side of the plain.

Grimvaldr watched them go as Sorenson rode up beside him. ‘The scouts report that no sign of the far Wolfen have been sighted.’

Grimvaldr looked to the sky. ‘They will come . . . If they are able, they will come.’

The Panterran’s drumming stopped, and horns blared eerily across the plain.

‘They come.’ Grimvaldr turned his horse back to the front of the ranks with Sorenson beside him. He rode along the lines of Wolfen, holding up his fist. In turn, the Wolfen thumped gauntleted fists against their chests as he passed.

‘This day, we face a threat from vile creatures of the dark. They will give no quarter – neither must you. The Panterran would seek to bring this kingdom down, and crush the Wolfen into dust.’ The king roared, ‘But they do not know who it is they fight!’

A roar rose all along the ranks. The sound of fists being beaten against armour was deafening as Grimvaldr rode along the lines of his Wolfen.

‘I will lead you into battle, and I will see victory, or I will see you in Valhalla. Odin be with the mighty Wolfen!’

Grimvaldr lowered his visor. The silver snarling wolf covered his own fearsome visage, making him seem like a shining automaton made for war.

Along the lines, one after another, steel visors clanked down into place.

The Wolfen were ready.

*****

Mogahr was carried in a sedan chair to the highest point on the hill, so she could watch the chaos from on high. She smiled, counting the ranks of the Wolfen warriors, knowing she had them enormously outnumbered.

‘
The foolisssh king waitsss in vain for hisss warriorsss from the far landsss. Perhapsss he will be joining them, before they will be joining him
.’ Her hissing laugh carried in the air, but was drowned out by the sound of the massive gravilents, lumbering out onto the plain.

The giant creatures were fully armoured now, their heads were covered in iron helmets that had long sharp spikes welded into their flesh to the sides and front. In battle, they would swing their low skulls from side to side, decimating the tightly packed troops.

These living tanks swarmed with Panterran archers and Lygon warriors. The beasts’ objectives were simple – break through the forward ranks of the Wolfen, so the Panterran could rain arrows down on their heads, and then allow the Lygon to drop down and bring hell in among their midst.

And this would only be the first wave of the Panterran attack.

Mogahr hissed, ‘
Take me a little clossser, I wisssh to sssmell the blood as it flowsss.’

*****

Sorenson watched as the colossal beasts started to pick up speed. Still in almost total darkness, the moving mountains were unmistakable. To the east and west, Lon and Karnak’s columns had done their job. By piling boulders high, they created an uneven battleground that did not suit the low, heavy war-beasts. For now, their riders would choose a path that allowed them to pick up speed – right down the Wolfen elite’s throats, and right where Grimvaldr wanted them.

Sorenson looked to the king next to him; like the rest of the front-line Wolfen, their expressions were unreadable behind their helmets, but all waited on Grimvaldr’s word. Beside the king sat Freya, her hand already on the hilt of her sword, and next to her was the smaller figure of Eilif, her head bowed.

Sorenson moved up beside the princess, and could hear the small whisper of a voice drifting out from behind her visor – perhaps a prayer. He reached out to touch her shoulder. At first, she jumped at the contact, but then settled back in her saddle. He leaned across to her.

‘There was an old philosopher who once said, “Use an enemy’s strength against it, and make that strength its weakness.”’ He lifted his visor and smiled at her. ‘Fear not, princess. We have a few tricks to play yet.’

Eilif nodded jerkily and she drew in a shuddering breath.

The Wolfen on horseback pulled at their reins as the horses started to become agitated. By now, they could not have failed to catch the scent of the strange beasts approaching them. Every Wolfen could feel the thunderous impact of the gravilents’ feet as they struck the ground, each now reaching speeds akin to a horse’s gallop. Unchecked, they would easily crash through the Wolfen lines.