The Realms of Animar (36 page)

“They should make it,” Guderian said. “The closest—”

Stealing his thoughts, a faint call sounded from afar. It was that of a wolf, an unmistakable howl that sent shivers down the spines of the people of Avryndale. As they looked on, scores of dark figures leapt from the depths of the carnivore army and took to the air, filling the sky with dark shapes of various sizes.

“Birds!” Guderian yelled.

Concern captured Avryn instantly. He had not expected the carnivores to have Avian allies. He looked at the approaching birds and then the charging line that slowly climbed the hill. They wouldn’t make it.

Avryn then looked over the troops gathered around him. He considered sending in the horses but the birds could keep out of range and the archers were useless against small targets. His eyes then fell on Arodon and his collection of unusual soldiers.

The grey-skinned leader of the Aquans stared back at Avryn. He knew it was his time. After a brief nod to his troops, Arodon and his nightmarish companions lumbered to the front. Like the charging line before them, they carried no weapons but a mere glimpse of the mysterious creatures from the underworld sent shivers down the spines of any who dared look.

With a wave of Arodon’s hand the Aquans charged down the hill. They would help but speed on land was not their strength. Avryn had hoped the Avians would be a surprise they could spring on the carnivores but it was obvious there was no other way.

As if reading his mind, Guderian said, “We need to signal Airulli.”

“Do it,” Avryn agreed.

Guderian lifted the horn to his lips once more, this time sending forth a long single bellow. The two men then turned to the village walls and watched as Airulli’s soldiers took to the air and morphed to various forms of birds, taking with them a variety of weapons - mostly clubs, spears and bows.

As the Avians soared toward the battlefield a large eagle swooped past Avryn’s head and stirred his hair. The graceful creature had a massive wingspan and dark brown feathers. It was Airulli.

Avryn then called forth the guard captain Semu from the nearby troops. When the man drew near, Avryn pointed to the narrow tract of land upon which they stood. It was the only way to reach the gate by land since the remainder of the village was encircled by the wide spike-lined pit.

“When they come the horses will charge,” Avryn said. “Your men hold this spot no matter what. Keep them close together and hold out as long as you can. Let the archers pick off anything trying to jump the pit.”

Ever stoic, Semu simply nodded in agreement. The look in his eyes told Avryn everything he needed to hear. Nevertheless, the guard captain then said, “It has been an honor to serve you.”

“I hope you are not resigning now,” Avryn replied with a grin. “Your timing would be most unfortunate.”

Then, catching Avryn by surprise, Semu did a most surprising thing. Instead of a growl or merely turning away at the first sign of humor, his thin lips briefly hinted a smile and, to the shock of all nearby, he laughed. Not a loud, prolonged burst of course, but a short, yet deep and hearty chuckle.

Quickly recovering, the stout guard took one more glance at his king then hastily turned away, anxious to return to his men and prepare them for the imminent assault.

***

The grey overcast sky became dotted with dark shapes as the Avians of both sides took to the air. Although smaller than most other animals, the Avians were fast and elusive and made difficult targets for those on the ground. Their tactics were incredibly complex and required an enormous amount of agility and practice.

In general, when attacking ground opponents they approached their enemy from above, morphed to human form to strike and then retreated back to the sky to prepare for another round. Arial combat was even more difficult and took years of training to truly master.

Composed of mostly hawks and vultures, the birds aligned with the Carnic forces viscously descended upon the large, slow-footed beasts. They targeted the elephants first and morphed into human form just before they landed on the backs of the helpless, lumbering beasts and hacked and stabbed with spears.

Before the attacking flock could turn on the rest of the chargers, Airulli’s aerial soldiers arrived, creating a collage of entangled birds that spewed forth blood and shrieks of pain into the air above the battlefield. The incredible sight captured the attention of the troops on both sides, all except Arodon and his band of Aquans. Focused on the task at hand they continued down the hill, eager to save their dwindling allies.

***

Lightning flashed on the horizon while the clouds lurking above grew darker still. The threatening weather however was of no consequence to Fatalis or Ash. Their attention was on the battlefield where they watched with delight as the strongest of the herbivores toppled to dust. Elephants were a breed Fatalis despised particularly for reasons he could never quite decide, although he wondered if this was related to the dull taste of their flesh. He made note to avoid them when he feasted later that day.

Fatalis watched the spectacular aerial battle unfold above him and he wondered if perhaps the oracle’s habitat was up there, fighting for the freedom of their beloved sage. Their dedication was touching but by nightfall they would all be dead.

“Birds killing one another, definitely not a scene I ever imagined,” Ash said as his eyes focused on a duel taking place hundreds of feet above. “Ours seem to be winning but should we send the rest perhaps?”

“Let them fight it out,” Fatalis roared. “Save the smaller birds for their archers.” He smirked and then continued, “They served their purpose. The bigger cattle are the only ones that can give us trouble. Without them we will overrun the village with ease.”

Ash stepped forward and squinted. A group of soldiers from the village were heading down the hill toward the battlefield. Even from afar something about them seemed out of place.

“Do you see that small group?” he asked while pointing to the unusual soldiers. “I haven’t seen anything like them before. Do you think these might be the ones the coyotes encountered in the woods?”

Fatalis was unimpressed. “Possibly. They look like big ugly cows to me.” He chuckled at his humor then added, “Maybe Avryn has them inbreeding.”

Although Fatalis never admitted concern, he began to grow uneasy as the unusual legion of figures continued down the hill, with each moment their bizarre features growing more clear.

Fatalis looked over his army and detected a slow to the cadence of their drums and a softening of their cheers. He grew enraged when he realized that the strange enemy had captured the attention of his forces. His orders to his generals had been clear. Keep them taunting. Intimidation was a must.

Returning his attention to the unusual adversaries, he focused on the figure in front, most likely their leader, a grey-skinned and chiseled specimen with muscles that would rival his own. Fatalis watched as the brute of a man continued down the hill, unaware of a hawk that approached him from above. The bird sliced through the air with razor-sharp claws outstretched and maneuvered in for a strike.

At the last possible moment the grey-skinned man crouched down and deftly avoided the attack. Then, in the blink of an eye and without the slightest of delay, the strange figure jumped into the air and morphed into a monstrous grey-skinned creature with a massive jaw of countless teeth. It swallowed the bird whole and, before it crashed to the ground, shifted back to a man and looked for his next target.

The drums stopped and the cheers came to an abrupt end. The battleground fell eerily silent.

Consumed by anger, Fatalis then spotted an enormously obese dark skinned figure bounding toward a cluster of several Avians in human form that were finishing off a wounded rhinoceros. One of the men spotted the large enemy approaching and alerted the others who quickly shifted their attention.

Although outnumbered, the large man ran toward them, ignoring their spears and apparently ready to end his gluttonous life. When the group drew near the man began to hop and then, just before impact, he jumped into the air and flung himself toward them, morphing mid-air into the most enormous beast Fatalis had ever seen. It was a gigantic somewhat block-shaped creature covered in a dark bluish colored shiny skin dotted with white splotches and a large flattened tail. The creature slammed into the Avian soldiers, flattening them instantly, then rolled down the hill and came to a stop just before shifting back to human form.

Fatalis was stunned. He did not know from where these strange creatures had come but they had incited his ire and stolen his glorious moment. He vowed to hunt them down and rid the world of their existence. They would pay for aligning with the enemy.

“Did you see that thing?” Ash asked in a voice that quivered with panic.

Fatalis did not reply. He listened to the silence that had overcome his magnificent army and reduced thousands of bloodthirsty mercenaries to cowards.

Ash prodded once more. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”

Fatalis angrily grabbed the assassin by the collar. “Enough whimpering!” he roared. “Send them in. Send them
all
in.”

***

Spooked by what she had seen, the horse whinnied and lifted its legs, forcing Avryn to quickly brace himself. The animal forms of the Aquans were truly an unbelievable sight.

“Woah girl, it’s ok,” he said before turning to Guderian. “I don’t suppose we have another thousand or so of those on the way?”

“No, afraid not,” Guderian replied. “But there is a whole world of them if you would like to go visit.”

“Perhaps when our little situation here is resolved,” Avryn said with a smile. “It might be a great change of pace. I can only imagine what you saw down there.”

“I haven’t slept well since.”

Avryn chuckled.

Feeling drops fall from above, Guderian held out the palm of his hand and looked to the sky. The threatening clouds began to spit and rain was soon to follow. “Well, at least they should like the rain,” he said.

Avryn nodded in agreement. “Well, our Aquan friends seem to have quieted the carnivores for now.”

As if on cue, the unsettling howl of a wolf sounded once more, this time noticeably longer. Guderian and Avryn glance at one another nervously.

Seconds later their worst fears came to life when a wave of cheers erupted from the carnivores. Avryn watched in horror as the mass of soldiers started towards Avryndale from all sides. The Aquans had indeed made an impact. An entire army had been unleashed.

Chapter 37

R
ain fell upon them at a steady pace and forced Guderian to wipe his eyes while he sat atop his horse in front of the legion of mounted soldiers. Comprised of both archers and swordsmen they sat at attention, ready in the face of death. With each passing moment the carnivore army grew closer and enabled Guderian to make out specific forms within the sea of troops. Some were in human form while others had taken the shape of animals from all parts of their world.

He turned in his saddle and took one last look behind him, one last glimpse of the village he had vowed to defend. Commanded by Semu, the foot soldiers had formed a line across the land bridge in front of the village. The long pikes and spears they held quivered as the ground beneath their feet shook, not from quake or eruption but from the sheer mass of the swarm of death that bore down upon them, drawing closer and closer with each passing moment.

Guderian’s eyes then fell upon Joli who was standing ready atop the gate wall. In her left hand she held her bow while her right hand was clinched in a fist above her head, signaling to the other archers that metal-tipped arrows would be used first.

For a moment he watched her, wondering if he would ever see her face again. He begged her to look his way, just briefly, just one more time before he rode into battle. He sighed when she lowered her fist and drew an arrow from the holder at her feet. Her focus was elsewhere, where it belonged.

Guderian then spotted Avryn as he trotted along the front of the pit, across from a number of villagers that had gathered along the wall. He recognized them as the Metal Runners but he was surprised when he spotted a young girl that was among them and not in the tunnel.

“Alia!” Avryn yelled. When the girl looked up at him he continued, “Find my wife. Tell her to get Thane to the tunnel right away. Tell her to keep him there. You should go too.”

The girl looked confused. “Where is he?” she asked.

Avryn steadied his horse and looked around. He then withdrew a key ring and tossed it to her where it landed at her feet. He waited while she picked it up.

“He’s locked in the cell where we held Mordigal,” Avryn replied. “That’s my key, she has one as well but in case you can’t find her you might need it.”

“You locked him up? How could you?”

“Go!” Avryn yelled.

Alia took off like a thunderbolt, ran past the other villagers and waited as the gate rose before she slipped inside. Avryn watched the massive portal slam shut behind her then he returned to Guderian’s side at the front of the mounted troops.

“Let’s go,” Avryn said.

Guderian nodded then slowly unsheathed the sword strapped to his side and looked down the hill where the Aquans were bracing for attack. Holding the shiny blade aloft, he glanced over his shoulder, took a deep breath and then shouted with all of his might, “Charge!”

***

Drops pelted her wings relentlessly as the owl soared high above the battlefield while she scanned the ground below. From above, the size of the invading force was even more frightening. They were thousands deep on all sides of the village and Trussil knew it would take a miracle for them to survive the onslaught.