Fight the fight

Vlahar

Even though we are hidden in the forest, I don’t feel safe at all. In front of me, lined up in tense and silent ranks, are my companions—friends with whom I have shared so many happy moments. But now, not one of them isn’t clutching tight to their shield.

Omid and I are concealed behind a thick curtain of ferns, and my heart won’t stop pounding for a single moment. My hands grip the wood of my spear with all their strength.

Up until today, our “conflicts” have been nothing more than small ambushes, tricks, raids for supplies—nothing serious. Never, in all the years I’ve served under Omid, have we faced the enemy openly, especially not with so many people. An entire army is under our command, and yet we are not in the front lines.

«Stay calm, my friend,» Omid tells me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

«I believe it too,» I reply with a smile. «After all, Liliane is in the sky, watching over us, isn’t she?»

«Yes,» he adds with a half-smile, «but who do you think is watching your back down here?»

I feel a little better. «I’m counting on it!» But there’s one thing I still don’t understand. «Buuuut… why aren’t we the ones standing at the very front?» I ask him, pointing at those in the first row. «We’re the leaders, right? Shouldn’t we be the ones leading from the front?»

Omid shakes his head. «Our duty is not to die, Vlahar. It’s to direct, to give support. We are the mind, the voice that must coordinate. If we fall, the entire ground army is finished. We cannot afford stupid mistakes.»

“Mmmhhh… He hasn’t really convinced me,” I think. “But I admire the way he turns fear into strategy."

Suddenly, the “bark” of a tree from the Forest of Reeds, which Omid was holding, bursts into flames. «IT’S TIME!» he shouts. «MARCH TOWARD THE CASTLE! KEEP YOUR SHIELDS HIGH!»

The army advances with the dull thunder of boots and armor. We march on, and the forest opens onto an open field. And there, halfway across, stands the other army, waiting for us.

«SHIELD WALL!» Omid cries, the command spreading like a wave. «SPEARS AT THE READY! FORWARD!»

The sky above us darkens. A thick rain of enemy arrows falls toward us. «RAISE YOUR SHIELDS!» I shout. “Well, at least we tried.” I think to myself, bracing for impact. I hear the boom of distant explosions—but not the crash of arrows. I lower my shield and see the arrows dissolving midair into a swarm of strange little creatures with large, colorful wings. “Thank you, Laila.”

We keep advancing until we clash. The impact can be felt even back here. The thrust of our spears finds its mark. The zombies ignite in an instant, burning to ash. Yet those behind them don’t care about their fallen and keep pushing, pushing relentlessly.

«HOLD FAST!» I shout, and no one seems to retreat even a single step. As soon as one zombie turns to ash, another is struck down, and slowly, incredibly, we press forward.

But then the earth begins to groan beneath our feet. The ground turns swampy, impassable, slippery. «Radomir?» I ask.

«No, his goddess isn’t capable of this. This must be the work of Veles’s acolyte.» Omid clarifies.

«Ahhhh, you mean Vuk? No.» I add, realizing my mistake.

«Vuk has a different vow to the god. This is Nemanja’s doing.»

The front ranks begin to be overwhelmed. Strangely, the zombies have no trouble, unlike us, who are sinking to our ankles.

Omid halts, closes his eyes, and whispers a prayer to his god, Ahura Mazda. «Protect the soldiers from the treachery of the land and the weapons of the enemy, infuse your pure power into each of us.»

When he opens his eyes again, the soldiers shine with a faint white light. Enemy blows rarely strike vital points, and our companions no longer seem hindered in their stride. A sigh of relief escapes my lips. But just then, the ground trembles, and two more large platoons arrive from right and left, closing us in with a pincer attack.

«Damn it. What do we do now?» I ask, turning toward Omid.

«Have faith.» he replies, gritting his teeth in a forced smile.

°°°

Nadia

I am crouched on the bowsprit of the lead vessel, clinging to the polished wood as the fleet surges into the wind. Behind us, some fifty ships follow in formation.

Kenji, on the bowsprit of the third vessel, breaks the silence with his deep voice. «It’s time to begin.» On the horizon, lighting the black sky, are the azure flames of the burning Forest of Risi.

I look at Søren, rising to his feet on the bowsprit of the central ship. He turns toward the princess, his expression tender. He embraces her tightly. He says something, but I cannot hear. Then Laila floats toward him. The two gaze at one another and kiss—a long, intense kiss that makes my heart race. Laila pulls away, but Søren holds her hand. Laila crosses her arms, saying something. Søren laughs, ruffling her hair with his free hand. She now looks serious. Søren chuckles nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

In a flash, Laila conjures a transparent cube, offering her hand to Lili, guiding her inside with elegance. «Bye!» they wave, before darting off, vanishing toward the eastern side of the castle. Søren dons his helmet, the polished metal reflecting the stormy sky, and pulls up his hood. «Well. This is my stop.» He salutes us with an ironic military gesture and dives backward, headfirst, into the void.

A lump forms in my throat. I’m anxious for them, of course, but I know how much we’ve trained. “I must trust him, just as he has trusted me!” I breathe deeply, trying to calm my heart.

«Nero-san has already begun—you can hear the clash of swords even from here.» Kenji remarks proudly. I strain my hearing, but I cannot catch a sound; they’re too far away.

When I glance ahead once more, my heart sinks. Before us materializes a dense swarm of aitvaras; so many that they completely blot out the view of the castle. «This wasn’t in the plan! What do we do?» I ask, turning to Kenji.

Immediately, Kenji roars: «CANNONS! FIRE AT WILL!» The ships obey, and the blasts are so powerful they tear holes in the enemy formation, obliterating entire swathes of aitvaras with ease.

A sudden boom makes us jolt. My ears ring. The ships lurch. One of the vessels behind us explodes into a ball of fire.

«Where did those shots come from?!» Kenji exclaims, whipping around to face the fleet. Two more ships are preparing to fire, but just before they can, they explode in the same way. «CEASE FIRE!» he commands.

A rider on an aitvaras approaches us head-on. Now that he’s close, I see the creature is undead. «Why did you stop the attack?» the rider asks. «I was enjoying watching them blow themselves apart!»

«Was that you?» Kenji demands, hand on his sword hilt.

The rider forms a bow of lightning. «Is this enough of an answer?» He looses three arrows. In an instant, Kenji’s blade is in front of my face, just barely cutting one of the arrows that was about to strike me full on; the other bolts don’t stop, piercing through the ship we’re standing on.

«Are you alright?» he asks, panting. The other arrow has pierced his shoulder clean through.

The enemy praises him with a chilling tone. «Impressive reflexes.»

«Who do you think you’re dealing with?» Kenji asks, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. «I am Ito Kenji, general of the Archipel Céleste. Now tell me—who the hell are you?»

«Maros, captain under Stoyan’s command and Acolyte of Perun.» Then, with a gesture of his hand, he beckons. «Come then, general. Step forward.»