The calm before the storm: Part II

News had reached the castle quickly, and Zaharia rushed to the entranceway to find his brother holding their fallen comrades. Alfric and Rayan were set on the ground with their arms crossed, Fiore lay atop them weeping. Half the brood was stood around the corpses crying or crumbling, much like the walls that kept them safe.

“Fiore…”

“Brother! Look what they’ve done! What they’ve done to us…” he held Alfric up, embracing his lifeless corpse. Aiyana followed her father into the commotion and saw the bodies, she too covered her face and dropped to her knees.

“What happened?” Zaharia asked.

In between his cries, Fiore responded “We found them, the Princes. When Rayan tried to speak with them… they laughed in his face, and cut right through him. I tried to stop them, but they were too strong. Alfric fought valiantly, and gave his life for me.” He held the body tighter and his cries echoed throughout the halls.

The brood panicked, if two of them were taken down so easily they had no chance. Zaharia needed to regain control, but he too was completely blindsided by the news. While Rayan was by no means a powerful fighter, he could hold his own and taking out a few humans shouldn’t have been a problem. Alfric on the other hand, he was a warrior they had struggled against before. Sure, Geraldo was the strongest in the brood, being the master of the blade but, Alfric was a close second. If both of them couldn’t survive, the brood was in massive trouble.

“Can we escape?” He asked, knowing that Fiore wouldn’t have had the time to find a new home for them. His brother confirmed this as he shook his head, “I don’t know. Our hunters came back with some food but it won’t be enough for a winter, especially not for everyone. We can try to go through the tunnels but we’ll be out in the open, and if we don’t find shelter…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence, those with him could envision it.

“Atlas’ men won’t be far behind us if we do go through the tunnels. If they don’t get to us first, the sun will.” Geraldo added.

With no escape, and no means to quell the incoming army, it was time to make a drastic decision. Zaharia approached and placed his hand gently on the shoulders of his fallen comrades, wishing them well in the afterlife.

“Selik, how much time do we have before they reach your barrier?”

“An hour, at most.” The mage responded.

With so little time, Zaharia knew that they would lose many this night. But if he could think quickly, if he could be the great leader his father, and his father before him were then they had a chance to come out of this.

“I want a message sent out to the sick and the young to find shelter and hold up until this is over. If we can’t avoid this we have to hit them head on. Geraldo, you’re the strongest of us, I need you leading the lines.” Zaharia instructed.

The swordsman covered his chest with his fist “it will be my honour.”

“Brother. If it starts to look like we will fail, I need you to be the one to escape with Aiyana and the children. I will signal you and we will hold them off as long as we can.” He held his brothers arm. “If I fall, Aiyana will need your help protecting our family. I need you to devote yourself to her as you have to me.”

He didn’t notice the flicker of disgust in Fiore’s eye. He held his elder brother closer “I will, brother. I will do right by our family.”

*-*-*

The orders were laid out, the soldiers placed upon the war front awaiting the oncoming enemy. Many stood shaking, knowing that the chances of them leaving alive were slim to none. Inside the castle was pandemonium. It’s usual peaceful hustle and bustle atmosphere was torn to pieces, revealing panic and desperation.

Zaharia travelled through those hellacious hallways, hearing the screams, feeling the pressure. But there was only one thing on his mind. He rushed back into his study looking for his daughter.

Aiyana had returned to her father’s study after seeing Rayan and Alfric. The tears were still drying on her face and left her eyes reddened. She wiped away a few and sat up. Zaharia sat beside her and held her hands in his. “Aiyana listen closely, we don’t have much time.”

She feared what had made him so panicked, losing two friends already was painful. But it was clear there was more to fear.

“They are coming. It was never about an agreement, they wanted war and they will soon have it. I’ve instructed your Uncle to watch over you and escape should we get overwhelmed. He’ll help you once you get out of the tunnels, but for now I need you to go to your hidden room until he comes to collect you. No matter what happens do not open that door unless you hear me or your uncle, do you understand?”

“I-“ she couldn’t respond, it was too much to take in.

“Truth be told I would like to get you all to evacuate now, but there isn’t enough time.”

She grabbed hold of him, gripping him tightly. “You’ll come back, right?”

He felt a tear form. Seeing her marry, bring life to the brood… just to see her smile one more time, he’d fight a thousand warriors for that. But he feared it may be the last time he would see her.

He embraced his daughter, and placed a kiss on her head.

*-*-*

He barged out onto the courtyard, seeing Selik sat before him and the force they feared on the other side of the barrier. It took everything he had not to start shaking uncontrollably, run back into the castle and run away with his daughter. But the men ahead of him knew they would die, yet still they did not cower, they did not cry… what sort of leader would he be if he turned away now.

Selik had been sat on the cold ground pouring his power into their barrier for hours, he’d been drained of so much mana he looked like a husk and it was a wonder he was still able to push more out.

Further ahead of him was the barrier’s edge, and a wall of soldiers trying to tear it down. King Atlas’ army were hailing down spells of their own and each one sent shockwaves across the shield’s surface. Each hit it took was transferred to Selik, each one was like a punch to the face. It didn’t take long for that barrier to crack and shatter. As soon as it fell Selik lost consciousness and the brood would be left defenceless, the two armies would clash.

There was no turning back.

The mountain was bathed in eerie darkness, and complete silence. By the end of the night, it would bathe in something far more wicked. Rain began to fall, eventually sounding like applause from the gods that had set up this tormenting torrent.

Both sides were unmoving, hoping their glaring would be enough to kill the enemy but of course that was not the case.

Out stepped King Atlas’ heir, Prince Hector. A hero of his people with the look of one too. He knelt down and circled his fingers into the soft dust beneath and watched it float away in the wind, whispering a prayer as it went. When he stood, he lifted the holy sword of Regalia high into the sky, a sword once wielded against the brood mother herself. He let it drop, catching it as its tip pointed to Zaharia. Beside him was his younger brother Cassius, grinning from ear to ear. “The last of the blood suckers, what a sad sight this is.” He cackled. “What do you say boys? Shall we put these heathens out of their misery?!”

Hector moved his blade and blocked his brother’s path with it. A confused Cassius stared at his brother but he did not stare back, keeping his eyes forward always. “This army is mine to command, not yours Cassius.”

The youngest Weiss hissed and fell back in rank, leaving his brother and commander to lead the line as the tip of the spear. “My father sent me here to eliminate murderers. Here you stand before me. I will give you one chance to lay down your weapons and surrender. Stand, fight, and all of you die. Surrender, and only some of you will die. What say you?”

Not a single Nightshade dropped their weapon or their bloodlust.

Hector almost looked inspired. “Very well. Full Cover!!” He bellowed, each of his soldiers unsheathed their weapons and readied themselves for a clash, “We end this with one strike.”

He took in the wind and breathed deeply.

On the other end of the battle, the Nightshade brood used the time to ready themselves. “All of you. We’ve fought for our lives every single second. Now we fight for our loved ones. We will get through this and live the life we deserve. Never forget that” Zaharia told his army calmly. Contrasting the assertive dominance of Hector, Zaharia’s force were imbued with a hope of a better life.

The time for waiting was over. Prince Hector pointed his blade to his enemy and cried out… “FORWARD CHARGE!”