Legends of Marithia: Book 3 - Talonsphere (25 page)

Drubb drew his own sword and growled at the sight before his furious eyes. “Whatchya make of it, hey? Come on then!”

The charging elf slid to a halt, looking around to see that he was on his own. “I will not let this stand!”

Drubb laughed. “But there ya are, standing.”

The elf narrowed his eyes and sneered as he said, “I will remember this.”

“Go on, get outta here,” Drubb said, leaning back against the wall. It was a small victory, but it made him feel better.

Hearing laughter and merriment inside the walls, he frowned and banged the hilt of his sword against the door. Deep down, he hated being alone, and his companion getting all the attention. He didn’t have many friends, so he didn’t want to upset him by voicing his feelings. “Alright, you’ve had enough fun in there, haven’t ya? Come out already, I’m sick of waiting for ya.”

The door creaked open and a sweaty Marr emerged, sliding his helmet on and sheathing his sword. He shut the door behind him and stared Drubb down. “Alright, I gotcha already, sheesh! What’s your problem?”

“I am bored and sick of this. Since those blood suckers escaped, we’ve seen no action, have we?”

“And yer complaining about that? Yer crazy.”

Drubb shrugged and spun around. “What else is there to do around here?”

The door creaked open again and a curvy elven warrior emerged, winking at Marr before heading back toward her post and frowning as she saw Drubb.

“Ya lucky sod,” Drubb said.

Marr frowned and his shoulders drooped. He wrapped his arm around his much larger friend and walked with him toward the centre of Crondor.

“I’m sorry Drubb. I’m sure your time will come, hey?” he said, smiling.

Drubb felt his pride was dented, and wanted nobody to see his weaknesses, not even Marr.

Drubb’s face hardened and he shook his head, “Whatchya talking about? I don’t need no troubles from women.”

Marr laughed as they continued. “Yer a smarter man than I, Drubb.”

That made the bulky elf smile. Marr could say the nicest things to make him feel better. They neared one of Crondor’s cemeteries and both stared at the graves in silence.

“Drubb, Do ya still hear them?”

“Every night, I do.”

They walked toward the freshly dug graves, reading the names of the many elves buried before them.

“If we stay here too long, we’ll likely become one of them,” Marr said.

“Let’s get outta here then.”

“No, desertion’s punishable by death. Do ya want to die? And did ya hear the battle in Greenhaven? Now is not the time to go anywhere. I’m surprised they haven’t sent a messenger already. Sounded like they took quite the beating.”

He knew that Marr was right. Maybe he should count himself lucky for being so far from all the conflict. After all, he would rather deal with ghosts than battle an army. He nodded and raised his head. The sight he laid his eyes on made his heart skip a beat.

Drubb stared over Marr’s shoulder, his mouth gaping wide as he pointed and began stuttering. “M... m... m... Marr!”

Emerging from the south-western lowlands, and marching through the endless dead and dying trees, were a long line of women and men, their eyes glowing shades of red.

“Shit, Daywalkers! A whole army of ‘em. Sound the alarm!” Marr said, his face paling beneath his helm.

A loud bell rang out over Crondor, and the many elves scrambled to attention within. There were frantic cries all around them. “Demons!”

A rogue elf ran toward the town, escaping from the dead tree line. One of the demons snapped out her arm, her hand splitting open and a long tentacle flew through the air, its tip a metallic snake-like head. The demon’s weapon plunged through the elf’s armour. The demon yanked its arm back, and knocked the elf off its feet, retrieving its weapon as the elf bled out on the ground, crying out for help.

Drubb wished he hadn’t longed for excitement. He turned to Marr and asked, “Aren’t ya commander now? Do something!”

Marr clenched his jaw and drew his bow, pointing at the outer houses of Crondor. His concerns were overtaken by his training and experience. He was in charge of defending the town, and that was exactly what he would do.

“Form a line. Shields at the front, archers behind. Move your arses!” he said, drawing an arrow and taking aim at the long line of fast approaching demons. Letting his arrow free from its binding, it sped through the crisp air. A demon laughed as she spun to her right, avoiding the sharp tip from finding her flesh.

Damn these fucking demons!
he thought.

This was not going to be a standard battle. The rules were as unknown as the enemies they faced, and for the first time in his life, his battle training was being questioned. This was not what he signed up for, but he would be damned before he died in this forsaken town.

I need reinforcements, and I need them now.

Marr turned to an elf and pointed at the stables. “Ride to Greenhaven, and ask for help. Go!”

The elf nodded, his face brightening before he sprinted away.

The elves knelt in a long line between the houses and trees, planting their large shields into the dirt and staying behind them. Archers quickly reached their places, taking aim.

Marr snapped his face back to the incoming army, his helm shaking in his peripheral. Grimacing, his stomach sickened at the realisation that the elves were not at any advantage.

They heard the demons’ shrieks, wails, and chattering in the winds, but could not make out a word. Marr marched behind the line of elves, drawing another arrow from his quiver and aiming high.

“Hit them high and rain our arrows down on them. Fire at will!”

Bows released and their arrows whistled through the air, the sky filling with them as they sped toward their targets. One demon, a woman, appeared to be leading the demons toward Crondor. She pointed in the elves’ direction and the demons burst into a run, dodging from side to side.

They were an organised, clever army of demons. This was unlike anything he had prepared for. Demons had never worked together before.

“Again, but aim ahead of their path! Fire!” Marr said.

Another volley of arrows launched at the now running demons.  A few of them growled and cried out as the arrows found their targets. Most demons remained. A few unlucky demons were launched off their feet as the arrows plunged through their skulls. It stopped them as they remained on the ground, twitching.

A surge of hope charged through Marr and he managed a cheerful grin at their success.

They are not invincible.

“Kill them, kill them all!” shouted the demon leading the charge.

Drubb’s smile was wiped from his face as the demons approached at speeds leaving them little time to react.

The demons began to change forms and the elves laid eyes on the many horrors bearing down on them. A woman’s head split open as snakes burst from her skull and slithered through the air. One elf fell to the ground, screaming as his fist and then body turned to stone.

A male demon leapt to the ground, his skin splitting open to unravel arachnid-like legs.

“Don’t look into their eyes. Prepare for battle. Hold the line!” Marr said, seeing that they were evenly numbered, but underpowered.

No, I will not let fear into our hearts.

Drubb looked to his friend as they shared a glance, perspiration covering his skin like a moist sheet. Marr saw his reflection in Drubb’s helm, looking like a man possessed.

“Crondor cannot be lost. We were waiting for a fight, and a fight we have! For Marithia!” he said, notching another arrow and taking aim at an abomination before them.

“What do we aim for?” an elf said.

Marr answered while releasing an arrow. “Just like any other demon we’ve dealt with. Head and heart!”

The front line of elven warriors held their swords steady as the ground shook beneath their feet. A few shared nervous glances.

“Hold!” Marr said, staring down a newly notched arrow at the demon leading the charge. The lead demon narrowed her eyes as she swept her arms upward. The ground before them exploded, covering the elves in dirt and resulting in a thick dust cloud.

Marr coughed the dirt from his lungs. The demons were already upon them. His heart felt as if it thumped through his throat.

“Now!” he said, leaping over the elf crouching in front of him and turning to the side, hammering an arrow through the skull of a demon.

The elves burst forward and into battle, their shields and swords meeting flesh. Shrieks of demons and elves pierced the air behind him. His feet pounded into the ground as he notched another arrow, looking deep into the cloud of dust.

“Where are you, you fucking wench!”
he said, scanning for the lead demon.

The dust cloud whipped through the air, and he caught sight of her. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled as his arrow launched toward her. The demon rolled to the ground to avoid his arrow.

“Damn you. Just die already,” Marr said, notching another arrow.

Each arrow he smoothly fired, could not find flesh. She launched at him, knocking him to the ground. He scrambled for a weapon, but she pressed his arms to the ground. Struggling against her hold, he spat in her face.

“Drubb! Anyone, Kill this bitch!” he said.

“The name is Wumvarn, and you will serve as a fine meal,” she said, smiling with razor sharp teeth.

She tore his chest plate off him and dug her claws into his sternum. His screams were interrupted as Drubb knocked her to the ground, rolling on top of her as they landed in a pile of dirt.

Clutching his chest to stop the bleeding, Marr retrieved his bow with one hand and stumbled toward Wumvarn. The dust clouds had mostly cleared, and he saw that many elves had been defeated, leaving few to defend the town. He watched Drubb stand and towered over Wumvarn’s body, raising his sword high. As his sword cut through the air, Wumvarn rolled out of the way and stood defiant, the tip of the blade hit nothing but dirt.

Marr swallowed hard. He knew that this may be the day he would die. A thought crossed his mind that at least he had experienced some pleasure on the day of his death. He would go down fighting.

Raising her eyebrow, she asked, “Are you going to run like the cowards you are? This town belongs to us now.”

Drubb and Marr shared a glance, nodding in agreement. Drubb launched his hip sword into the air.

“Not if we can help it,” Marr said, catching Drubb’s hip sword by the hilt.

The elves charged at Wumvarn. Marr kicked into the dirt, sending dust into the demon’s face. The demon shook off the dirt and laughed, gripping the air before her with both hands, raising her arms and lifted the elves from the ground, suspending them in the air.

“So, which of you wants to die first?” she said.

Marr looked around to see that no help was coming. He turned back to Wumvarn and spat in her direction. “Damn you, you horror!”

“I was damned long ago, elf.”

Wumvarn pulled her right hand toward her and his body flew through the air to land on her fist, which punctured through his ribs. His screams weakened as he felt his heart being ripped from his chest. When he fell to the ground, the last memory he had before his world quickly darkened, was Drubb’s cries as he suffered the same fate.

Why did no help come?
he thought, before he thought no more.