She watched as a large line began to form near the entrance of the inn. It soon doubled in size. For some reason, the line did not seem to be moving forward any longer. A loud scream issued from a nearby street. Everyone froze for a moment before the commoners in line began shoving and pushing to reach the safety of the building. Several of her guards quickly intervened and tried to restore order to the panicked group.
With a feeling of urgency, Kalista wondered what was preventing the refugees from entering the building. It was obvious that the galdaks were no more than a couple of streets away. Something needed to be done quickly or the commoners would be defenseless when the monsters reached them.
Kalista hurried back across her antechamber and threw open the door. Her remaining guard followed at her shoulder as she strode to the stairs and began to descend them. When she reached the base of the stairs, the problem became instantly visible. The room was completely packed. There was no space for anyone else to enter. Two guards stood at the base of the stairs, preventing any of the peasants from ascending them.
She glanced across the crowded room at the open door. A mother was trying to secure the safety of her child by lifting the young girl over the heads of the people jammed in the doorway. Another scream echoed through the open doorway. Those in the common room tried to shift and make more room, but it was obvious the large group of people outside the inn would not fit.
There was plenty of room, however, on the stairs and in her own antechamber. Kalista quickly ordered the guards to move from the base of the stairs and allow the commoners to occupy them and her antechamber. She then turned and hurried back up the stairs. The two guards joined her other guard and followed her into her room. They took up positions outside her bedroom door as peasants began to pour into her antechamber with visible relief clearly written across their faces.
Kalista smiled and returned to her bedroom window. The line of citizens in front of the inn was moving once again. It would not be long before they were all safely inside. Suddenly, the din of the nearby fighting stopped. The silence was unsettling. Almost immediately, three large figures burst into view from the neighboring street. It was too dark to make out their features except for their luminous yellow eyes. The galdaks had made it past the city guards.
34
“I still do not think it wise that you lead the charge,” Gavin stated firmly. “It is too dangerous.”
“I understand your concern,” Blaize replied. “But my men need to see me lead. It will give them courage and help to make the difference in the battle.”
“You are too valuable to lose in the battle,” Gavin continued. “Who will lead if you are killed?”
“I have several competent generals,” he replied. “Besides, you are ultimately in charge and active command would revert immediately back to you.”
Gavin was still technically in charge, but he had wisely deferred to Blaize’s experience and allowed him control of the army. The young man forgot too often that the army was still his. The High King had given command of the army to the Baron of Candus. Gavin had assumed control when his father had been killed. He had appointed Blaize as commander general, but it was the young man who was still ultimately in charge.
“I still do not like it,” Gavin stated.
“If you command me to stay, I will,” Blaize said as he swung up onto his mighty steed. “But if you still trust my judgment, you will allow me to lead how I see fit.”
Gavin stared back at him for several moments without responding. When the young man didn’t say anything, Blaize nodded to him and hurried to the front of the cavalry. There was no time to waste. The galdak wielder had continued to wreak havoc on the Kalian Army, allowing several more groups of the monsters to break through the defenses and enter the city.
Blaize had quickly come to the same conclusion he had formed when facing the human wielder at the Pass of Banshee. The only way to stop the wielder from picking apart the army was to go on the offensive. Blaize didn’t particularly want to be the one leading the attack, but he couldn’t ask anyone else to lead such a dangerous mission. He had been lucky enough to survive such a suicidal attack once and hoped he would be lucky enough to survive another.
He quickly conferred with the other cavalry commanders to assure the plan was perfectly understood. There would be three groups of cavalry that would simultaneously attempt to plow through the mass of galdak warriors and reach the wielder. They were not to concern themselves with anything but reaching the wielder. The two commanders saluted and prepared to charge.
In the meantime, the galdak wielder had continued sending down lightning and fireballs into the midst of the troops. Blaize surveyed the lines and checked on the hidden groups of archers working their way towards the front. Convinced everything was in place, he raised his hand in the air and filled the night with a loud battle cry. His horse leaped forward and began charging towards the front line.
The Kalian soldiers moved to the side to allow the three columns of cavalry to thunder through. Just before the horsemen reached the galdak horde, three groups of archers who had worked their way towards the front of the fighting fitted their bows and sent a volley of arrows ahead of the charging cavalry. The arrows effectively thinned out the galdaks directly in front of the three groups of horsemen.
Blaize whipped out his two massive blades as his horse burst across the front line and drove into the midst of the galdak horde. Most of the galdaks leapt to get out of the way of his horse. Those that didn’t were trampled or brought down by one of Blaize’s swords.
Soon, three long columns of horsemen, riding five abreast, were plunging deep into the galdak horde. All three columns were heading directly for the galdak wielder even if it didn’t appear so. Blaize had ordered them to take zig zagging courses to make it harder for the wielder to strike them. The wielder had been easy to identify even though he was positioned so far back in the sea of red warriors. The frequent fireballs leaving his hands made it simple to pinpoint his location.
Blaize banked hard to the side as the air crackled. A lightning bolt slammed down just behind him and to the side. It seemed the wielder had caught sight of them. Several more lightning bolts crashed down towards the other two groups of horsemen. Blaize urged his mount to continue forward at a rapid pace but found himself obliged to slow down as the way ahead continued to grow more and more clogged with galdaks. The creatures had overcome their initial surprise at the charge and were beginning to offer more resistance to the horsemen.
He soon found himself barely making any forward progress at all. He had gotten close enough to see the old, gnarled wielder, but it was obvious it would be incredibly difficult to get any closer. Instead of focusing on moving forward, he began swinging his blades fiercely all around him in an effort to clear some space. However, his attempts to clear the area failed. Each time he cut down a galdak, another would step forward to take its place.
He recognized with disappointment that in all directions there seemed to be a never ending tide of red warriors. The cavalry’s charge had succeeded in bringing the horsemen deep into their enemy’s ranks, but they had been stopped short of reaching their ultimate goal. To either side he could see the horsemen fighting valiantly for their lives as thousands of galdaks swarmed around them.
At least the galdak wielder’s attention had been diverted. He was now sending small fireballs towards the individual horsemen that were closest to him. Blaize hoped the reprieve was giving the main body of soldiers the opportunity to solidify their lines of defense and prevent any more galdaks from gaining access to Kavar.
The horsemen were fighting valiantly, but it was clear they would all end up dead if they didn’t return to the main body of troops soon. Blaize cut down several more galdak warriors before rearing his horse in the air and shouting the command to fall back. The horsemen nearest him took up the cry as well. Having given the signal, Blaize turned his horse around and began cutting his way back towards the city. The remaining cavalry followed suit, and soon the three groups of horsemen were moving at a steady pace towards the city. Each group was considerably smaller than it had been, but it appeared that the majority of those remaining would be able to reach safety.
The area around Blaize suddenly lit up as a flaming ball of heat slammed into his back. The force of the blast threw him from his horse, and he crashed to the ground in a mess of fire and pain. He quickly rolled back and forth to extinguish the flames. He then leapt to his feet with his blades flashing. Each swing of the blade shot pain across his back, but the pain was the least of his worries at the moment.
He was completely surrounded by enemies. There was not only the handful currently attacking him but thousands more in all directions. His muscles were bruised, his back had been scorched, and he was tired. Nonetheless, he was still alive, and while he lived, his enemies would continue to fear him and fall before him.
Blaize mechanically cut down every galdak that approached him. His body was soon covered in sweat from the exertion, but he didn’t slow down. His blades continued to whirl through the air and cut the flesh that got too near him. Galdaks began to pile up at his feet. He suffered several nicks, but for the most part, none of the monsters’ blades got close to him. He began to feel winded and had to acknowledge that he couldn’t keep up his defenses forever.
Blaize was an honest and practical man. He understood the odds he was facing. He also understood what the eventual outcome would be. A great warrior always had to be honest with himself, even when he didn’t like the truth. He was going to die. He knew his life would soon come to an end, but he refused to go down easily. Someone else in his position might decide it was time to lie down and die, but he would not. He was exhausted, burnt, bleeding, and surrounded by thousands of enemies, but he was not dead yet.
Deep inside, he accepted the fact that he would not survive the battle. He knew he could not escape death this time, but he would never give up. He would continue fighting until his last breath. He would die as he had lived, with two swords in his hands, fighting to protect the innocent.
The acceptance of his situation sent a surge of conviction and purpose through his body. He began to feel strength that he had thought was already depleted flow through his limbs. He cleared his mind, shut out his pain, and focused on one thing: ridding the world of as many galdaks as he possibly could.
Blaize leapt free of the pile of bodies surrounding him and with his swirling blades, cleared enough room to easily maneuver once again. The galdaks continued to rush him and fall at his feet. His blades seemed to sing as they swirled through the night air in a whirlwind of death. He fought harder and longer than he ever had in his life.
Galdak after galdak fell beneath his blades. None could touch him, but they kept trying. The dead bodies began to pile around him higher and higher. There was soon a tall barrier completely surrounding him. It was high enough that it became an effort for the other galdaks just to reach him. Once they had climbed over the wall of bodies, they wished they hadn’t.
The world became a blur of black and red to Blaize. He no longer knew if the red was the galdaks’ skin or the galdaks’ blood or his own blood. All he knew was that he had to keep swinging his blades. Bodies piled up next to him, and he was forced to climb on top to continue fighting. He began to grow sluggish and was nicked on the head. Blood streamed down his face, making it even harder to distinguish his foes. His ears then failed him, and the sounds of battle disappeared.
In the relative silence, he yelled out and swung with all his might in one last burst of ferocious defiance. He felt, more than saw, several more galdaks fall to his swords. Then a bright light enveloped him. His life was at an end. Blaize collapsed as he felt the consuming heat of fire. He had given all he had and could give no more.
* * * * *
One of the three galdaks noticed the last of the commoners hurrying into the inn and pointed in their direction. The three began to eagerly advance towards the still open door of the inn but paused when five guards stepped out to join the three that were already outside. The three monsters quickly discussed something before one of them let out a howl. They then stood staring with hate at the eight guards. Apparently, the galdaks did not like the odds.
Kalista breathed a sigh of relief. The refugees were all safely in the building, and the guards would easily be able to keep the beasts at bay. The three galdaks grunted and turned their attention to ripping up the nearby tents. She watched anxiously as several of the soldiers began advancing towards the destructive monsters. The guards suddenly stopped short with surprise. Kalista followed their gaze and let out a small gasp. Nearly twenty galdaks had just appeared from a different nearby street.
The three galdaks left the tents and excitedly ran towards the newcomers as the guards made their way back to the front of the inn. The odds were now solidly in favor of the galdaks. Kalista looked on as the galdaks quickly conversed among themselves and began advancing towards the inn. The eight guards were holding their position, but it was obvious they would be hard pressed to stop over twenty of the monsters by themselves. If the galdaks got through the guards and into the inn, a massacre would ensue.
Kalista quickly left the window and opened her bedroom door. Two guards snapped to attention while the other was staring out the antechamber window. The room was packed with commoners of all ages. There was a sense of tension, anticipation, and fear in the air. It was apparent she was not the only one who was aware of what was about to take place outside. She motioned for the guard at the window to join her.