Scars of battle - prologue

‘Lucky’ was Captain Kira Raedwynn’s original feelings towards their current situation. She wasn’t so sure about that anymore. The soldiers on either side were leaning on their shields or spears, shoulders rounded, and heads bowed. The gentle hillside outside the castle was littered with twisted and broken thoraxes and jointed limbs.

There was no hint of trouble when they arrived at Kervelyn Castle two weeks earlier. The captain and her fighting band had spent several weeks scouting the surrounding hills and woods. The castle garrison was welcoming, and their beer barrels were full. They had expected a few days rest before heading south.

Kira was the first to sense something was off. She was sitting with her men sharing a few drinks - Lauren sticking with water and reading a book. That's when she heard the distant rumble. She paid no attention at first. It could be a thunderstorm or maybe a landslide in the mountains. That changed; however, as the sound got closer.

It wasn’t haphazard, it was regular, like the marching of hundreds of boots or sharpened limbs. Captain Kira went to see the commander who listened to what Kira had to say. If it was anyone else, he might have dismissed it away, but everyone knew to take Captain Raedwynn’s ears seriously.

And that was that. Scouts explored the area around the castle and soon reported back what Kira already knew at that point, an army was on its way.

Captain Raedwynn offered up the services of her small force enthusiastically. She had thought it was lucky they were there to help. She had been expecting another enemy raid that could quickly be beaten back. Yet, two weeks later the castle was still under attack. The initial few hundred enemies soon turned into thousands.

Kira's main responsibility should have been to keep Lauren safe. Her skills made her precious, and more than that, Kira couldn't help dotting on her like a little sister. Instead, her men were fighting in the hottest fights, taking casualties, all because she wanted to be the good soldier.

She knew it was too late for regrets now. The commander had died several days ago, leaving her the most senior officer in the field. If she tried to leave now, the castle would fall. A call for help was sent by slingshot hawk as soon as the enemy was spotted. Reinforcements should arrive soon. They just had to hold out a few more days.

The lull in the fighting was coming to an end. A fresh assault could come at any moment. Kira turned to Lauren next to her ‘what are we looking at?’

‘About a thousand troops in this wave. Mainly swarmers, a few wyrms. Nothing too much to worry about.’ Lauren bit her lips and furrowed her eyebrows, ‘except there’s something off about the larger wave coming from behind.’

‘Off? How?’ Kira turned and gave Lauren her fall attention. All the remaining officers were silent. Same as Captain Raedwynn’s senses, everyone knew to stop and listen when the otherworlder, Lauren gave her assessments.

‘The force is the largest we’ve faced, even so, I sense too much magic for their numbers. Can you see anything Kira?’

‘Not yet, they are too far away even for my eyes. Lauren, please get back behind the second curtain wall. They’ll be here any minute.’ Lauren turned to leave, her Dutch braided pigtails swinging as she walked.

Kira checked the buckles on her bronze vambraces on each wrist and put her hair back into a ponytail. From what Lauren had said, she knew they were approaching a critical moment. Either they resist the assault, or the walls crumble and the defences are breached. If the worst happens, she could grab Lauren and abandon the castle’s defence. She would mourn the loss of her men, but she had to prioritise Lauren’s safety.

'Up men, up. We don’t have long. Archers, prepare to draw your bows. Artillery, ready to fire. We have a minute or two at the most.' Kira shouted at the top of her voice.

On the other side of the wall, the crawling things gathered. Long claws, sharp teeth, and pincers. Armoured skin, leathery wings and bulging eyes.

'Fire!'

The ballista’s launched, ripping holes through thorax and abdomen, spouting earth into the air. Catapults chucked barrels in high loops that came splintering to the ground. Viscous liquid splashed everywhere. Arrows, fire tipped, ignited a wave of fire.

Inhuman voices screeched and wailed. From the barbican, Kira watched. Good start, but more are coming, she thought.

'Captain, that’s the last of the fire liquid.' said Kannan, the middle-aged man next to Kira, face craggy and covered in dirt. A captain of an artillery team, he was Kira’s acting second in command. He rubbed the sweat from his receding hairline.

'Get the mages ready.' Kira’s green eyes were fixed in the distance, her neck craning. There was something unsettling about how the mass of slashing scythes and segmented limbs were organised. Usually, they charged recklessly. but these were more organised.

The only mages still on their feet lined up, forming two groups of six on the two corner towers.

'No time to wait, let them have it.'

Great snakes shook themselves to life: two bronze chains 100 metres long and as wide as two calvary horses, side-by-side. They swayed and raised like a cobra dancing to a flute. Then they came crashing down.

The ground in front of the castle erupted; bodies impaled or crushed under the weight. The chains shook again. The spikes tore through flesh and earth as each one swiped along the ground, meeting in the centre. The earth growled, drinking the blood of the fallen.

'Good, now pull the chains back.' Kira ordered. The chains slowly lifted then fell, barely raising a few metres. ‘Get them up!’

'The mages are exhausted, captain.’ Kannan said, ‘They need a rest.'

Kira watched the incoming forces 'There’s no time. If we can’t get the chains up, break them and toss them over.’

Men smashed with hammers, axes and swords against the chains, but they weren’t breaking. It was clear they wouldn’t, not in time; they were reinforced with magic circles after all.

'Oil or tar, do we have any left?' Kira asked.

'There might be a barrel in the gatehouse. Maybe in the kitchen,' Kannan replied.

'Send men to grab whatever we have and bring it here quickly.' Kira said, but she could see they wouldn't be quick enough. 'Shield bearers, Get to the base of those chains. Spearman, form a line behind. We’re going to have to hold them off. Archers, get your bows firing.'

Up the chain they climbed, grotesque mouths of mandibles and chattering teeth. The shields held them back and the spears pierce them. The dead fell over the wall, but more followed. Above wings fluttered. Mandibles bit.

'Captain, the barrier is weakening.' Kannan shouted, gripping the side of the wall and watching the fight for the corner towers.

'I can see that! If you’ve got a crossbow, slingshot, anything, take aim at their wings.' Kira swung her sword through the wings of a stabbing fly that got too close. These they can handle, but if anything bigger comes along...

'The oil captain!' Kannan pointed at a dozen men carrying barrels up the tower stairs.

'Shield bearers, push those things back, now! Get that oil over the side.'

The group on the left got the oil to the chain and tipped it over. Creatures slipped and tumbled down. That would buy some time. Except, on the right they were struggling.

'Kannan, take command here.' Kira jumped from the tower onto the main battlements and ran.

She pulled out her sword and made her way through the line of men. Her sword rose. With one downward thrust, she cut through three of four of the creatures. Raising her left hand, she released a shockwave which sent the rest falling.

The oil poured down right chain. Kira and others use watercraft magic, covering every inch of the chain. The creatures slipped and fell, unable to keep their grip. Kira gave herself a minute and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. If this is the worst of it, then they might just be ok.

'Kira, something is coming! The amount of magic is immense.’

I had to jynx it, Kira thought. She peered down into the castle’s outer court. 'Lauren, you should be back behind the second curtain wall! Get back now.'

'I’m on my way, but I had to warn you. Can you see anything?’ Lauren said.

Kira didn’t need to use magic. They were clearly visible now, and the size and organisation of the enemy army started making sense. Three demons, three great demons no less. The soldiers could see them too; gasps of shock and mutterings spread through the line. That was it. Kira knew the castle would fall. She needed to get down to Lauren and escape if there was time.

The largest demon stepped forward. He was massive, at least 12 foot tall. On top of his head, two great curled horns were supported by thick neck, shoulders and back muscles. His legs, covered in thick purple- black fur, bent. From his crouching position, he pounced, shooting into the sky before. He smashed through the dying barrier, landing dead centre in the outer court.

Behind the great demon’s back, rows of stones turned in the air like the blades of a windmill, neatly arranged in layers of circles. They looked like a mosaic, forming a densely packed disk. The demon lifted his left arm and pointed a purple circle of light above his wrist towards the nearest soldiers.

Stones snaked around his shoulders, arm and forearm, heading towards his wrist. They passed through the purple circle and were unleashed. Dozens of stones shot forward; projectiles ripping through everything.

The demon lifted its hairy right forearm and hand and brought down its sword, cutting a man nearby. The left arm rose again and shot. This time a great fiery explosion ripped through the men. Another shot of stone follows, sending plumes of dust up into the air. Stones rattle against metal; men screamed in pain.

Kira ran towards the stairs on the wall. Last time she saw Lauren, she was down in the courtyard. She needed to find her right away. At that moment, the two other demons dropped from the sky, one scarcely four metres from Kira. One of those monsters wrought so much destruction, Kira thought, three will be the end.

Kira gripped her sword. This demon was female, white fur instead of black, and two straight horns about 20cm long. If Kira could reinforce her body, she might be able to fight it off. She charged forward swinging her sword upwards, but the demon blocked with the shaft of her halberd.

The jewels on Kira’s left vambrace shone red and blue. She threw a punch at the halberd, splintering the metal and sending shards clattering down. She then swung her sword in a wide horizontal arc. The demon jumped back but the tip of Kira’s blade grazed the demon’s thigh. The beast stumbled before picking up an abandoned sword by her foot. The two exchanged a series of blows, seeking an opening.

On the walls and in the courtyard, most soldiers were running away, trying to reach the gate to the second wall. Stabbing flies harried them as they fled. In the courtyard some soldiers in green and silver still stood their ground. Protected by Kira’s men, Lauren stared intently at the great demon, her eyes shining yellow green.

'Not yet, I haven’t found a weakness yet. Keep it back. Keep it back.' The demon swiped felling two more men.

'There must be something. What could it be?' Her eyes fixed on the rotating stones behind the demon’s back. Some of them looked like glass. They were deliberately hidden behind, but nothing escaped Lauren’s keen eyes and quick insight. 'There, that’s it. Keep it distracted for just a few more seconds.'

Lauren held out her hand and half a dozen fire balls burst into life behind the demon. They grew larger and brighter, going from a bright red to yellow, from yellow to white. The girl closed her fingers, and the fireballs raced forward, crashing into the glass phials and shattering them. The liquid inside burst into flame and engulfed the demon.

The explosion expanded. Fire tumbled in all directions. Lauren had no time to move. Her arms crackled and seethed as she tried to cover her face from the flames. She screamed in pain and fell to her knees.

The demon too lets out a deep long cry; its back badly burnt and its large mane on its shoulders and back still partially alight, but it was struggling back to its feet. Lauren had miscalculated. She had never fought a demon before. She didn’t know how resilient they are.

The burning demon picked up a nearby spear and thrusted. Despite the beasts weakened state, the point still pierced breastplate, then bone, then flesh. The spear tip emerged from Lauren’s back and lodged into the ground with such force the shaft snapped.

The demon pulled back the spear before staggering and falling to the ground. The female demon on the wall, seeing her comrade seriously hurt, jumped down from the wall. Kira watched as the female and the second male demon steadied the injured demon before fleeing over the wall.

By some miracle, they had survived an attack from three demon’s Kira thought, rubbing dirt from her green tunic. She had better find Lauren and get to the second wall. There was now a chance that the castle could hold long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Kira slowed her pace as she took in the remains of the fight. Bodies laid everywhere and the soil was scorched black. Then she noticed, in the centre, laid a young girl with double Dutch braids.

'Lauren!' Kira ran down to pick her up. What was she still doing her. She should have fallen back to the second wall. How bad is it? Kira held her hands to the wound, a large hole in her chest. Lauren’s skin was turning white, and she wasn’t moving. ‘Stupid girl. This isn’t your fight; this isn’t even your world. Why take such risks?’

'Captain, we need to fall back to the second wall. The enemy are disorganised but not defeated.' Kannan had joined the group from the barbican with the rearguard. He rested his hand on the captain’s back.

'We need a stretcher. Can we get one in time. No. Never mind, I’ll carry her.' Kira stood up, cradling the body in her hands, tears running down her checks. 'Do we have any potions, Kannan? She needs healing.'

Kannan and the other men looked to their feet. ‘Captain that won’t help. Nothing will.’

Kira clutched Lauren close to her, holding her checks next to hers. Kira’s tears mingled with the blood and dirt in Lauren’s hair.

'I’m sorry captain.' He turned around and grabbed the breastplate of a young solider nearby. 'Niall, and you, Rhys, help the captain. Make sure she gets to the other side of that gate.' He turned around, addressing all the men, 'Let’s get the hell out of here.'

Once all men were through, the gate came down. Men and women all watched in silence as Captain Kira walked through the inner courtyard. They looked at the lifeless body in her hands. Those that had ran looked away in shame. Those that stood and fought, cried freely. All owed their lives to a child, barely seventeen.

On a small bench, in a small garden surrounded by flowering trees, Kira laid her down. After one last embrace, she held the cold hands in hers and carefully removed a ring. She then took off her cloak and placed it over the body before turning away, hand resting on her sword hilt.

*

Three days later relief came. A large force pushed its way through, slaying the remaining creatures in the valley and plains. By the time they reached the keep, scarcely fifty of the defenders were still able to stand. The rest were slumped down exhausted, nursing injuries or lying in the ground.

The new arrivals marvelled at the number of dead monsters that filled the castle enclosures and the plains outside. When they asked how the defenders survived such an assault, Kannan said only this: 'We suffered greatly, but we made sure to pay them back at least threefold.’

Captain Kira said nothing. She walked to the far corner of the castle enclosure to a piece of land now blackened and burnt. Scorched tree trunks filled the space, and in one far corner stood a pile of ashes, burnt wood and iron nails. She stood there a while, tightly gripping a ring. Rings this small, she thought, have no place on the battlefield.