Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (61 page)

While he gazed at them, the older of the girls stood up and began stripping off her clothes. A moment later the younger of the two began doing the same. If the girls had been commonly beautiful before, now they were absolutely ravishing and exotic as well. Their shapely bodies remained with all the perfect womanly curves of their humanity, and as they discarded their clothing Seth was if nothing else a bit embarrassed to discover that their bodies were not covered entirely with the short fur coat. In fact, starting at their necks and all the way down their breasts and abdomens to just below their navels, the flesh appeared remarkably unchanged. Their nipples remained pink and their flesh that of a pale milky quality. Seth too was shocked to find that, as the women turned to admire one another, each had grown a tail, which explained the need to shed their clothing. Impressed by the outcome, and now completely assured it would work with the wolves as well, Seth turned and strode back to the beginning of the line where Borrik and Jonas awaited him.

As he approached, Seth decided how his scheme could be pulled off with the least strain to himself. Seth then gave his men their orders, and before Sara could even return from wherever she had tethered the horses, he began altering his followers to create fierce warriors of them all.

Beginning with the first two men, Seth placed his hands upon their forearms, and reaching with his mind he dispatched the first wolf beyond the hill behind him. It was a short distance of maybe twenty yards, and the strain was barely noticeable at all as Seth drew the life force across the distance between himself and where the wolf had been. Then drawing the power into himself, he released it simultaneously in equal proportions into the two men before him. As the men began to change Seth released them, allowing Borrik and Jonas to grab the men under the arms and drag them away to complete their transformation, allowing yet another pair of people to take the front of the line. Thus the process continued, Seth altering two of his subjects at a time, both men and women, and as he had guessed, by keeping the proportion of two thirds man and one third wolf, he created with each transformation a creature of balanced perfection. These wolf soldiers were smaller than those he had altered incorporating orcs, remaining roughly their original size, but even so they would be ferocious fighters using feral instincts, claws and teeth to dispatch their foes. Two by two Seth repeated the procedure again and again, taking no time to rest between the repetitions.

Sometime shortly after beginning, Sara had returned and sat herself upon the grass, deciding it best that she should watch from a short distance, remaining out of the way. Over an hour into the process and nearly half completed, Sara watched as two half-nude oddly-mutated but beautiful girls gracefully approached Seth and attempted to curl up at his feet rubbing their bare breasts upon his legs. Though Seth appeared not to notice, so lost in his work, Borrik and Jonas swiftly sent the girls scattering with a bark and a growl.

Over three hours and four hundred and sixty two transformations later, Seth stood with his muscles cramping and body trembling, looking out over the small army he had created. His clothes beneath his armor were drenched, and his eyes stung from the sweat that had poured into them over the last hours. He had pushed himself to his limit, and beyond, but even so he had remained in control of himself, clinging to consciousness but mentally exhausted. Seth began to feel better as soon as he finished. Borrik had brought a flask of ale, and Sara approached to lend her body for him to lean upon, and within moments he cooled down, began to relax and his muscles began to un-cramp and eventually the trembling faded as well.

Seth beheld a sight unlike any other the world had ever seen before. Upon the grassy hills all around him the race of wolf men and women of his creation bounded and lunged, racing this way and that, learning the limitations of their new incredible bodies. Each and every one of Seth’s creations knew him to be their god and creator, and fortunately for Seth a hierarchy was already established simply by how the entire process had been performed. As Seth’s men had defeated the numerous alphas of all the packs they encountered, they thus became the alpha, and so each wolf they ruled, when split through Seth into two people, came again conscious to their bodies now in tune with their feral sides, and automatically aligned themselves with the alpha of Seth’s creation. No battle for dominance had ensued and Seth had incidentally created ranks among his troops by complete accident. Each of his original seven men had their own packs, making them his captains. The captains all served Borrik as their alpha, making him their general, and the leader of the entire united pack of wolf men and women. This realized, Seth formally announced Borrik as his second-in-command and Jonas as Sara’s personal bodyguard and third-in-command.

Thus Seth stood upon a hilltop moments later looking over his small army of magnificent soldiers, admiring his work with Sara in her beautifully menacing armor, believing that with his troops there stood a chance of victory in the days to come. Reaching out and squeezing Sara’s hand, Seth gave Borrik the order to form up his troops and prepare for a long march. Watching as the multitude of wolf people responded instantly to an unspoken command, Seth felt he had finally done something right. Then following Sara’s lead, Seth and his personal angel went to retrieve their mounts, hand in hand, trailed closely by both Borrik and Jonas. Mounting the great beasts, they drove heels to flanks setting a break-neck pace for the newly created army.

Seth reined in his mount to slow down as he caught sight of the first massive plumes of smoke on the horizon. He and Sara had run their mounts hard all afternoon watching the mountain range ahead grow at a steady rate, trying to cover the distance as quickly as possible. Seth’s new army, smaller in stature than his previously created wolf men, were hard pressed to keep up the pace, though keep up they did. Seth witnessed from time to time the two young women he had joined with the great feline bounding over the hills parallel to his army with amazing grace and agility, and he knew he should like to create more like them one day. Seth looked to his side, gaining Borrik's attention, and shouted orders to his second-in-command. Almost instantly the army of beast men and women following his mount began to fan out across the ever steepening hills and ravines. He had fewer than five hundred troops at his disposal, including nearly two dozen wolves remaining, but he wanted to make as impressive an entrance as possible. He had seen looks of disbelief in the eyes of some who rode in the king's retinue, and he had noted Vladmere's scrutinizing sneer. Seth planned to have the last laugh. Shouting for Borrik to relay more orders as they grew nearer the main army, the darkened silhouetted forms of his troops faded in the dwindling light of evening as they fell back following the orders of their creator.

Minutes later Seth and Sara rode into camp with Borrik and Jonas sprinting to either side. Locating the largest tent in camp, Seth slowed his mount to a trot as they approached unhindered. In front of the tent, gathered in a small circle stood the king and all of his advisors and councilors. Seth could not have planned it more perfectly.

Hearing the approach of the horses, all who stood huddled with the king raised their heads and turned to see who had come. Though many looked at Seth and his companions with mixed emotions, it was the king who finally spoke first.

"Well met, Lord Seth," the king greeted him. "Happy to see you have arrived unscathed." The king looked at Seth and his three companions and, assuming the worst, simply smiled compassionately.

"Yes, Lord Seth, glad to see you have arrived with your dogs. Will your troops be arriving anytime soon?" Vladmere spoke up from the crowd in an attempt to belittle the man already proven his better.

Seth could not help but grin as Borrik snarled in response to Vladmere’s comment, but taking his cue he answered the man.

"Indeed my troops are just behind me, and all have arrived unscathed as well," Seth said with a wicked grin.

From the darkness beyond camp, as if on some unspoken command, a great chorus of howls exploded into the night drowning out all other sounds, then reaching a crescendo. As quickly as the sound came it vanished as hundreds of wolf men and women of varying size and color loped into camp, a vicious glint in their eyes, tongues lolling out the sides of their toothy grins. Wolves also roamed into camp among the men of Seth’s creation, and Seth was pleased to see the astonished looks upon all the faces of the king's many advisors. More pleasing, however, was watching the mocking grin fade from Vladmere’s face into a scowl of hatred. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye Seth decided to up the ante and give Vladmere one last thing to ponder.

"Just for you Vladmere, seeming you are so enthralled with my dogs...," Seth said, regurgitating the word, "I have also brought my cats."

Taking their introduction the exotically beautiful feline sisters pounced in from beyond the corner of the tent landing just beside Seth. The two girls crouched showing off all their curves, then baring their teeth and claws the girls added to the jest by hissing at Vladmere, causing the man to retreat a step. To which many of those gathered, including the king, had a laugh at Vladmere's expense. Sara too could not help but giggle a little, though fortunately the sound was muffled by her helm.

"Well met indeed," the king said again, this time shaking his head in disbelief. "I dare not ask how you accomplished so much in so little time, a god among men indeed," the king joked. "However, these are dire times, Lord Seth. What are your numbers and their ability to fight?" The king’s tone became serious with his questioning of Seth’s appraisal of his troops.

Seth explained to the king that he commanded nearly five hundred of the hybrid troops, and though most were unskilled in battle and poorly armed, he assured the king that his men could rely on their feral instincts, fighting flawlessly together with ferocity unlike anything they had ever seen before. His troops had better vision even in darkness, they could hear and smell things other men would not be able to distinguish, and being part wolf they had higher endurance then common men, and were stronger too. The king took all of Seth’s estimations at face value, nodding his approval once again. Then the king asked Seth if his men were rested enough after such a long run to take posts immediately, and Seth assured him that indeed they were able and ready. Thus indulged, the king commanded Seth to have his troops set up a perimeter around the camp, and be the night-time guardians to their ill-rested human counterparts. Seth simply nodded to Borrik, who silently relayed the command, and all stood in awe as the hundreds of milling wolf men and women sprang into action instantaneously, and disappeared in all directions back into the night, their four-legged companions obeying the unspoken command as well.

After a small deliberation with the king and his advisors, Seth assured them no enemy would encroach the camp this night. Having had little sleep in weeks, all agreed to let the human soldiers relinquish their posts and get a good night’s rest. Their tent already erected for them, Seth and Sara wished all a restful night and retreated to moderate privacy, followed all the while by Borrik and Jonas. Seth told Borrik in no uncertain terms that he wished to be notified of any would-be attackers and the outcome of each battle, and also reminded Borrik he needed five more orcs to complete the transformation of his captains. Orders given, Seth and Sara entered their tent and, removing their stifling armor, curled up in one another's arms to try and get some sleep before the battle started in earnest.

Seth had yet to see their enemy, though he had seen the hundreds of fires burning across the valley at the base of the mountains nearly half a mile away. Just as Seth and Sara began to tumble into darkness as sleep took them, Borrik, pulling back the tent flap, announced the first of nine skirmishes that would happen throughout the night. The fourth such skirmish resulted in the live capture of the five orcs that Seth required, and true to his word Seth rose immediately to not only complete the transformation of his captains, but also to alter the orcs' armor into that of the hideously beautiful armor of his men and equip his remaining captains appropriately. As Seth had promised, the humans slept unhindered throughout the night, his own troops defending them flawlessly. The wolf troops killed to a man all would-be attackers, minus one goblin they maimed but allowed to return back to its master, where it undoubtedly reported the humans' new allies. Countless hideous monsters, not of this world, that fought like mad berserkers tearing apart his comrades with razor sharp teeth and claws before disappearing again into the darkness like wraiths.

Seth did manage to get a few hours’ sleep in the predawn hours of the night, and when he rose again in the morning, was surprised to find the young women he had combined with the great feline curled up at the foot of his bed, sleeping with their bodies entwined, purring softly. It was both erotic and adorable, but Seth thinking it unacceptable to stare, turned away from the pair, and roused Sara just as the thrumming of war drums sounded from across the valley. From outside a great howling arose followed shortly by the blaring trumpets of war horns and the camp exploded into a mass of movement and organized chaos.

Seth and Sara raced to don their armor, helping each other as they dressed. Borrik, tugging the tent flap aside, poked his head in but realizing his master was well aware of what was amiss, released the flap and continued to stand guard outside, awaiting orders. Finally fully dressed, Seth strapped on his sword, leaving his staff behind in the tent. Sara lashed a quiver around her waist and drew her crossbow, slinging the weapon over her shoulder before rushing out of the tent on Seth’s heels. Seth paused to glean what information he could from Borrik, and was summarily told that his troops remained all around the camp as were their last orders from the night before. Seth, thinking on his feet, told Borrik to recall their troops and have them meet him. Seth then strode off with Sara leaving Borrik and Jonas to follow, heading for the crest of the hill to peer across the valley below. Seth was forced to circumvent regiments of men who were forming up before marching off to take their positions on the battle lines, as well as dodge past hurrying soldiers and messengers running this way and that.

Nearing the top of the hill Seth saw all the men from the night before speaking hurriedly, gathered around the king, making hasty plans for the battle. To the right of the king and his council were gathered the Knights of Valdadore, and Seth noted his brother among them, thinking it odd that his brother was hardly dressed for the occasion since he was wearing nothing but trousers with a large sword strapped to his back. Shaking his head at his seemingly confused twin, with Sara at his side Seth approached the king and the members of his war council. Many nodded to Seth in respect, and coming among them he caught the tail end of the meeting as those gathered dispersed to relay their orders. Standing now alone with the king and Sara, Seth looked down into the valley below and the roiling black mass of bodies that was their enemy, slowly but steadily approaching. Looking to the crest of the valley where the kingdom’s troops gathered Seth was sorely disheartened. Though he had been told before that they were outnumbered at least four to one by the immense invading army, Seth had to see it with his own eyes to truly understand their predicament, and apparently his fear showed plainly upon his face.

"Lord Seth, on behalf of the men I would like to thank you for a good night's rest. Your troops performed perfectly, just as you had promised," King Valdadore said. "As I promised you, today it seems the kingdom is both in need of your services and that of your men, though you being more acquainted with their abilities shall remain in immediate control of them. I would ask that you place them in reserve positions to strengthen the line should our men begin to fail, as your troops have not yet rested."

Seth nodded his agreement while looking over the advancing hoard, hope of victory escaping him. The enemy neared the center of the valley and at a quarter mile away Seth could feel the ground rumble with their movement. The enemy commanded at least forty thousand troops; his own king commanded ten thousand and Seth could only add to that near five hundred more. The kingdom of Valdadore needed a miracle.

"So what is our plan?" Seth asked, knowing that any plan would be in vain at this point.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve, Seth, this isn’t my first campaign. The basic plan is this. The main army is to hold its line to stop the enemies’ approach. Myself and my knights will be our offense, along with Vladmere’s battle mages, and you, as I promised, will be given the leisure to fight as you see fit, and command your men to help as you deem them capable. Those are the fundamentals," the king said with a sly smile.

"I hope those are some amazing tricks you have in your sleeves," Seth smiled. His jest was more or less to hide his own uncertainty, but Seth did realize that this was not the king's first battle, nor his first encounter with this very enemy. But Seth could not help but wonder if the king had ever faced such dire odds.

Turning to relay his orders to Borrik, Seth caught his brother's eye and they shared a solemn nod of understanding. Turning his eyes from Garret, Seth was astonished to find all of his wolf men only yards away, formed up into four ranks awaiting his orders, his captains standing at attention at their head. Borrik posed ahead of the troops by several paces awaiting his master.

"You came to me seeking a means to vengeance," Seth shouted to his troops. "But today I offer you more. Today as you bring justice to those who have wronged you and your loved ones, by dealing death you gain glory and honor. We are asked by our king to take a reserve position as a means to hold the defensive line if it falters. I’ve seen the enemy as I am sure you have, and I tell you without our help the line will fail. Today you must be ferocious, show no leniency, mercy or quarter, for you will be given none. Fight together and communicate well, use your instincts and let them guide you. Today you write the first page of a history of a new race upon the world. Write it well, for if we waver it will be the only page to ever be written about you," Seth concluded.

His men erupted into a mixture of cheers and howls, and Seth strode to the head of his small army. He led them down the hill to the center of the defensive lines, and taking their place immediately behind the main front, Seth was happy to discover he had a clear line of sight from this slightly higher elevation. The king it appeared already used a wise strategy. By holding his men here above the base of the hill, they commanded the higher ground, giving both archers and mages an unimpeded view of the enemy over the heads of their own defensive line. If the line was forced to fall back, the attackers would have to fight an uphill battle the entire way.

Seth watched as the enemy approached, and he also watched as the Knights of Valdadore spread themselves throughout the defensive line in preparation for the battle. Seth knew his men would be needed; he only wondered how long before he would be forced to order them into battle. Red-robed mages flowed down the hill by the dozens, falling in behind the defensive line, taking positions among the archers. The enemy lines grew nearer, and only a few hundred yards out Seth could distinguish between orc and goblin and other races of men as well. Asking Borrik’s assurance, Seth pointed out two such races among the enemy and Borrik labeled them as ogres and trolls. The ogres it appeared were sluggish creatures, but made up for their slow speed with immense strength. The trolls were tall, thick-limbed creatures standing more than a head over the orcs. They had tough, wrinkly, leathery hides that almost reminded Seth of tree bark, except for the sickly blue hue.

On and on the enemy came, its war drums thrumming louder and louder and the ground responded by trembling more and more beneath the feet of the immense army. Coming within two hundred yards, the enemy it seemed was near enough. A command was shouted upon the crest of the hill where tents were torn down, uncovering massive steel ballista, which were summarily loaded and loosed upon the enemy. Each bolt from these ballista was as big around as Seth’s wrist, and longer than his body was tall. These were massive machines, and Seth was surprised that not even he had seen through their disguise. Dozens of ballista began to fire, resounding through the valley with a thwonk, thwonk, thwonk. Giant bolts sailed through the air each carving a path several men deep within the enemy’s lines. Each time one of the huge bolts struck home, screams would issue from the enemy horde, but where their comrades fell, the enemy continued ahead trampling their dead or dying comrades.

Another hundred yards closed between the opposing armies and Valdadore’s archers began to loose volley after volley of arrows into the sky, bringing them raining down upon their enemy as hundreds more fell. But hundreds was merely a scratch upon this horde and they continued to trample their dead and move forward. As they closed in further, the drumming ceased and the black-armored horde charged the defending army screaming in their vile languages chants and war cries that drowned out all sound.

Seth stood paralyzed for a moment as he watched some of the Knights of Valdadore shimmer and explode to immense size as they charged into the oncoming horde. Mages from both armies issued fireballs into the ranks of their opponents as cries of horror and dismay rang from both sides. Seth could not believe the horror as the first clangs of metal meeting metal arose as the blackened horde attempted to hack its way through the defensive line. Unable to watch as his fellow humans fell, Seth took a deep breath and focused himself.

Reaching out with tendrils of power Seth drained the five nearest enemies he could locate, and feeling the power surge into him, he unleashed it all in a single attack. Wicked yellow-green lightning exploded from Seth’s fingertips over the heads of Valdadore’s defenders into the nearest ranks of the black army, exploding bodies in a singed rain of blood and flesh as more than a dozen men were obliterated. Seth again reached out and drained more enemies and again unleashed lightning upon his foes, destroying another wave of attackers. As he repeated the process of draining yet a third mass of enemies for his power he realized his mistake.

Using lightning as his method to kill created a dazzling display, and though it lent courage to the hearts of those men nearby holding the line, it too made Seth an easily visible target to the enemy. As Seth drained the third wave of attackers, balls of fire lanced towards him at incredible speed. Hardly having time to react, Seth raised his hands as the first struck home, and although absorbing the power from the blast just in time, Seth was barely able to recover before the next one struck. Again and again the fireballs came from seemingly all directions. The blasts crashed into him over and over, sometimes two or three at a go, and on each occasion Seth scarcely had time to react and recover before the next blast struck. Seth was brimming with power as he absorbed blast after blast of magical fire, yet try as he might he could not locate the enemies’ mages among the masses of dark-armored creatures. The enemy was intelligent. Whereas the mages of Valdadore were all easily distinguishable upon the hill in their red robes, the enemy disguised its mages among the thousands of troops, but if Seth could buy himself some time to focus he had another means of locating the fireball throwing pests.

Still rocked by blast after blast and filled with energy almost to breaking point, Seth found an opportunity and unleashed a great torrent of fire from his palms into the black ranks of enemy troops, decimating dozens of them. Recovering quickly Seth absorbed the next two fireballs, and remembering a lesson he learned from the grizzled old mage just days ago, Seth again unleashed his power, bewildering the many mages that had him targeted for death. Where Seth had once stood, now stood a dozen identically-armored men who rapidly spread out along the hillside standing clear of the other archers and mages defending the hill. Seth had bought himself the moments he needed. Careful to remain focused to keep his illusion selves in place, Seth reached out, seeking only the brightest auras among the attacking horde. These would be the blessed among the attackers, those infused with the power of the gods they worshipped. Locating three of the nearest Seth tore through one’s life force, severing it from the god it served, and ripping it from the goblin whom it sustained. Recoiling his tendrils Seth exulted in his small victory as the power rushed through him. Already having a lock on two more mages, Seth dropped his replicas and unleashed fireballs of his own, incinerating them before they could retaliate.

His closest threats destroyed, Seth surveyed the carnage around him. Giant armored men from both armies battled upon the field as the Knights of Valdadore clashed with equally blessed opponents. Thus far the defensive line held, but was thinning in many places. Blood and gore covered the ground everywhere and the smell of burnt flesh hung heavy in the air. Fireballs lanced in both directions as ballista bolts rang overhead into the attacking army. Valdadore’s archers continued to fire volley after volley though their numbers had been greatly depleted by magical fire. Seth watched as the line struggled to hold just ahead of him, the enemy trying to reach him and eliminate him as a threat.

Turning to Borrik, Seth gave the command and within an instant his troops sprang forward, bounding and leaping over their human comrades into the fray, teeth gnashing and claws raking at the enemy as the line surged once more forward. Borrik and Jonas remained to protect Seth and Sara if the need arose, standing like statues to either side of their master, whilst Sara crouched behind lending her small crossbow bolts to the rain of arrows upon the enemy. Seth watched as one of the massive Knights of Valdadore took a blow from a massive orc who crushed his own comrades beneath his hulking feet. Seth launched a fireball into the giant orc’s face seeing the kingdom’s knight at a disadvantage, and reaching out with his mind he severed the orc's umbilical to the god he served. Seth saw as the orc shimmered, once again becoming average size, and could not help but smile as the Valdadorian Knight, raising his massive leg, crushed the orc beneath his boot. Seth finally realized how he could turn the tide of this battle.