The beat of tribal drums echoed across the plains, m.u.f.fled by the sounds of an army on the march. With Seven at her side, Elya surveyed the thousands of tribesmen standing in loose squares. Her hands itched to charge towards the glowing city, but her training kept her in place. She"d never been in charge of a force this large, especially one so disparate in composition and training. The tribes made up the majority of her army and she was relying on the Yesaul"s experience to skirmish with the creatures that blocked their way. Then she would charge forwards with her Knights. It was simple, but unaware of the capabilities of the Banners, it was better to leave them to their own devices, rather than devise complex plans no one could execute.A series of horns roared, blasting defiant notes at the enemy. Elya took a deep breath, eyeing the swarm of creatures and waved her arm to signal the a.s.sault.
Mounted tribesmen gathered in front of the army, raising their famous horse bows. On command, a hail of arrows flashed across the sky, punching into the ranks of unarmoured creatures. Great swathes of the creatures fell and mournful howls rose from the swarm. They poured forth, shrieking at her army as they charged across the plains. Volleys of missiles tore through their ranks, every arrow causing death, but they pressed forwards unconcerned by the horrendous losses. The Banner"s cavalry melted back into the formation as they fired, retreating from the oncoming swarm. The horns roared again, ordering the infantry formations to prepare. Elya"s gaze swept the Arkh Legion which held the centre of the army, heavy infantry already preparing their short spears for a volley.
An ear-shattering explosion echoed across the battlefield, drowning out the swarm. Elya glanced up to see the familiar flaming orb of Imperial War Magic tracing a lazy arc across the sky. She swallowed through the lump in her throat as the fireball smashed into the enemy lines, billowing into a ma.s.sive flare that hurled bodies at the edge of the spell dozens of feet while the h.e.l.lish inferno devastated everything in its path. The creatures screamed in fear, their lines breaking around the attack, but even more emerged from the ground, a never ending sea of horrors.
The shriek of metal and the shouts of ten thousand voices shook the battlefield as the armies clashed. The creature"s charge broke against the wall of infantry, the Arkh Legion a bastion of strength that pushed into the creatures in a flurry of spear strikes. The tribesmen took a more fluid approach, howling back at the creatures, hacking with axes and sabres, cooperating with their companions for protection. The army"s lines bent under the pressure and the creatures instinctively moved towards the weakened sections, hungry for blood. Whenever the lines were about to crack a fireball would land amongst the creatures, giving a brief respite for the soldiers to fall back and let fresh troops flow to fill in the gaps.
Elya stared at the battlefield in silence, waves of emotion flashing in her eyes.
"Isn"t he ready yet?" She barked and Jarek scrambled to speak into the small Magical device Uzukai had handed to him as they scrambled onto the plains.
"Mage Uzukai says the Farcasters are ready, but an opportunity hasn"t shown itself." Jarek reported, staring wide-eyed at the battle. The boy was surrounded by a dozen bodyguards. As much to keep him away from the fighting as protecting him.
Even as they"d marched, Elya"s staff remained in close contact to coordinate their sortie. Under the pressure of the terrifying Magical power of the city, it resulted in loose lines to hold back the creatures and Elya"s Knights hovering and waiting for a chance. Luckily, Uzukai had a full a.r.s.enal of the Magic bolt launchers known as Farcasters, and his addition to the simple plan was in multiplying their firepower. The old Mage wasn"t averse to using the entire a.r.s.enal just to cut a path open for her forces.
"North! The North Side! Quickly!" Jarek called excitedly with the device pressed against his ear. Even as he spoke two fireb.a.l.l.s exploded among the northern flank. The signal was all she"d been waiting for and Elya yanked her reins, trotting in the direction of the blasts, Knights gathering around her. The scent of blood and fire a.s.sailed her senses and Elya leaned forwards to pat her battle charger, the powerful warhorse agitated by the proximity of combat.
"Form up!" Alexis roared as they approached their lines. Elya couched her lance and eyed the Knights forming three ranks facing the enemy. She closed her eyes for a moment, praying to the Fates to protect her people and her Fiancée. With a deep breath, Elya summoned a stream of Aura to swirl around her body. She couldn"t allow herself to be drained before freeing Nikolai so she could only reinforce herself a little. Gooseb.u.mps rose on her skin, a sign the surrounding Knights were gathering their own Aura.
"It"s time." Elya"s eyes snapped open at Jarek"s solemn voice, and she raised her fist to signal the advance.
Mounted tribesmen galloped past her, a slashing attack which sent a hail of arrows into the enemies, breaking the attack long enough for the Children of the Dragon to fall back and make way for the Knights of Chernigov. Elya held her reins tightly as the two ranks of Knights in front of her picked up speed.
"Wait here Jarek." Elya ignored the boy"s objections and waved for his bodyguards, who bowed to her and dragged Jarek away under protest.
"Ataman must learn war." The Inichi Yesaul had joined her raiding party without invitation. Not like she"d raised any complaints. The man was a consummate warrior by all accounts.
"Not while the Khan is in danger." Chen rasped while spinning his lance, sparks of lightning dancing around his armoured form. He was the only one on foot although he didn"t need to be mounted to keep up. The Thunder Lancer armour"s speed and power were legendary. Even the silent Seven had climbed on horseback without any complaints, Nezgrom strapped tightly to his back.
"Yes. First save Khan." The Yesaul"s ensemble clattered as he nodded.
Alexis signalled from her position at the head of the third rank and they advanced, tightening their formation with each step. Three fireb.a.l.l.s fell among the already broken creatures lines, the prelude to a Magical onslaught. Uzukai"s Farcasters exploded with power, Magical bolts streaking overhead from his station on the cliff. The already wavering enemies were faced with a continuous wave of power, raw Magic shredding their lines. Each bolt tore through a handful of creatures, unstoppable like a vengeful beast.
A second, final wave of bolts fell on the creatures, Uzukai"s ammunition spent, and Elya heard the familiar thundering of hooves as her Knights charged into the weakened enemy lines. Pulses of Draconic Aura soared into the sky as the first rank shattered the wavering creatures, bodies hurled into the air at the impact. The second rank was already galloping even as the first disengaged to make way. Elya snapped her visor down, levelling her lance as her horse broke into a mad dash. She didn"t even have to order it, the heavily trained beast in tight lockstep with its companions as they thundered across the plains.
Her eyes narrowed, pulse racing as the second rank peeled away, pennants of a hundred Houses flickering in the wind. The creatures in front of her were reeling, clawing to get away from her army. Seeing their snarling faces stricken with terror filled her heart with satisfaction. She leaned forwards, bracing herself and roaring in defiance. Elya growled and pushed out with her lance, twisting it like she was opening a lock. To either side of her, a hundred Knights were mirroring her movements, the elegant gesture misplaced on this field of blood and death. Aura poured into her arms, a deafening blast tearing from her weapon into the creatures. It was like a wall of pure force smashed into the enemy, shredding whatever remained of their lines.
Unlike the previous Knights which disengaged, Elya led her forces to plough through what was left of the enemy, slicing through shrieking horrors with every step. She plunged her lance deep into a howling creature that leaped at her and discarded the weapon to unsheathe Razors Edge, the magnificent blade glistening in the streams of light shining from the city. Elya lashed out to either side, not stopping for even a second as she broke through the creatures, her eyes only seeing the terrifying Magic swirling around Galicia. At her side Chen didn"t even bother to use his weapon, letting the weight of his armour crush everything in his path. Within moments they were free of the enemy, only the plains and ruins before them.
They flew across the rest of the distance to the city, the only sound the drum of hooves and the dull thud of Chen"s armour. Elya growled at the scrambling figures lining the ruined battlements of the city. She clenched Razors Edge tightly and leaped from her horse to land just outside of crossbow range. With a sweep of the cracked walls, she marked several positions and shouted orders to her Knights.
Chen sparked with power beside her and Elya drew deeply on her Aura, eyes fixed on a squirrelly little man dressed in the robes of a Vilinian Mage.
He had to go first.
"Attack!" Elya launched herself towards the wall even as she shouted, a single leap bringing her to the fl.u.s.tered Mages side. The already fractured battlement couldn"t withstand the force of her jump, crumbling under the pressure, but Elya twisted and lashed out. Her blade screamed through the air, shattering the Mages barriers and slicing him in half. She flew through the air, punching through a wall with a bone shattering crash. Enhanced by Aura she simply grunted and skidded to a halt after several feet, leaving a deep scar in the stone beneath. Chen appeared on the battlement in a flash and Elya gazed at the familiar bursts of lightning with a slight smile. Nikolai had spent a few hours one afternoon trying to explain why the armour could only channel lightning.
The defenders on the wall were a motley crew, unable to withstand their attack. They quickly broke once their leaders and the few scattered Mages were dead. A handful of Knights hopped to the ground and started digging at the wall to make an escape route while the rest of the troop gathered around Elya.
"Wish we"d never come back to this place." Alexis muttered, her sword level with the earth in case any creatures rose from the ground.
The habits they learned at Galicia were difficult to break.
"I couldn"t agree more." Chen whispered, his already hoa.r.s.e voice almost inaudible.
"Now where?" The Inichi Yesaul scratched his cheek as his words echoed throughout the empty street.
"I think it"s pretty obvious." Alexis pointed to the vortex swirling over the city.
No sooner had the words left her mouth then the vortex was swallowed by a blinding pillar of light. Shivers ran up Elya"s spine, shocked at the terrifyingly familiar sight.
"That"s… impossible. He said it was destroyed." Chen"s armour trembled. The Thunder Lancer lurched against a nearby wall, gripping it so tightly the weakened masonry turned to dust.
Elya didn"t care whether it was impossible, already sprinting towards the light as fast as her Aura infused body could take her.
Nikolai was bound to be where the Magic was strongest.