The Battle
1887 Words
"Someone betrayed us!" King Tolis angrily mutters.
All eyes turns to glare at Adriel, their obvious suspect.
"No matter how many times a snake sheds it's skin it always remains a snake." Shella says, her voice hoarse with range.
"You think I am the traitor even if I have been with you since the box was found?" Adriel questions, frowning at them. "Why doesn't any of you think of that pretentious werewolf Prince? It's been hours since he left!" He adds and sudden realization dawns on the group.
In their agitation to find the sword they had believed every word the prince had said without bothering to investigate the validity of his story. Now an unknown enemy approaches, and a battle must be fought to protect the city and the box.
Tolis gazes back at the distant army, his eyes able to observe more detail than just shadowy figures marching.
"Their troops include many werewolf soldiers." He notifies, making the group tense farther.
"Let's take this box and escape to your kingdom." Edric persuades.
"That box is our only lifeline. Get your troops ready to fight, they can buy us more time to open the box if you have any silver weapons to kill the wolves." Tolis replies. "I will fight alongside you if that will help your courage."
Edric immediately darts down the stairs yelling, "all soldiers to the gates!" Theo hugs his sisters before rushing away as well.
"Get the refugees inside the city. The ones that are strong can join the fight." Tolis orders the guard closest to them.
He turns and beckons Shella to move back into the hall. Adriel and Mila follow closely.
"We will do our best to buy you sufficient time to unlock that box." He looks straight into Shella's eyes as he addresses her. "Your mother would not have locked it if she thought you couldn't open." He urges.
"I will do my best not to fail you." Shella replies, moving back to kneel by the box, Adriel and Mila join her.
Outside the palace lines of armed men sprint towards the gate, King Edric's yells can still be heard within city streets and commanding figures move to defensive positions.
Within a short moment several battalions have made battle formations outside the city gates.
A few miles to the west dust storms indicate the enormity of the approaching enemy hordes.
"They are at least ten thousand of them gauging from their marching formations". King Tolis says to Edric and Theo as they join the defending army outside the gates.
"Before we engage the enemy, I need an assurance of sanctuary in your kingdom for me and my family." Edric mentions to Tolis in a shaky voice.
"Say no more your Majesty, it's time to show fortitude to the defenders of this city." Tolis reprimands his comrade.
King Edric takes a deep breath before yelling out loud in a voice laced with apprehension. "Today we have a great victory before us! We do not yet know who our enemy is or what they seek. But I guarantee they will rue setting foot in our lands! Hooray to our victory!"
The soldiers hurrah in response but they sound just as fearful as their king.
Tolis huffs in disappointment before steering his horse forward.
"Men of Arwos, I fight among you today because I have faith in you. Faith and courage are what brings victory, not numbers. We will strike at their ranks and when they fail to remain in line Their solidarity will fail, and in their confusion we will put an end to them!" He directs in a strong voice full of resolve.
The soldiers cheer louder and the faces of those on frontline light up with confidence.
Silence pervades as they watch their enemy draw closer and closer to halt about hundred metres away. Roars of their generals echo as they issue orders to assume battle formations. Battalions of werewolves move to the frontlines.
The formidability of the invading forces is conspicuous from afar with battering rams and catapults.
"Are you sure we shouldn't have stayed behind the walls and fought from there?"
Edric asks Tolis in a quavering voice.
"If we had let them get close to the walls with those catapults your city would be in shambles already." Tolis answers, frowning at Edric's fear.
Four men including Prince Ardolf detach from the frontlines of the invading army and ride towards the defending army only to halt midway. Meanwhile King Tolis and Theo followed closely by Edric ride forward to meet them.
Prince Ardolf hides behind other generals and keeps his gaze down like an ashamed man.
"What business do elves have in human kingdoms?" One of the other werewolf generals angrily asks Tolis seeming agitated by his mere presence.
"What business do werewolves have in human kingdoms?" Tolis responds.
"I am sure you have heard of the gracious return of his majesty King Zedon. With the help of his necromancers he has conquered death itself. We come to reclaim what is rightfully his. Hand over the sword or we will kill you and everyone else to get it!" A second general threatens.
"We only have a box not a sword you dummy!" King Edric grumbles, standing behind Tolis.
"Bring that box to us and there won't be a war." The human general says in an assuring voice.
"No. You either leave the way you came or you won't leave at all." Tolis hisses.
"We march for a greater cause than you can imagine. Our great master Zedon has risen with mighty powers from the dark world of the dead. If you choose to defy him it will be to your own demise." The human general menaces.
We will never bow to your master. If it's blood you thirst for you will choke from your own." Tolis concludes steering his horse to turn back. Theo and Edric follow him.
"Archers!" Tolis shouts as contingents of bowmen move to firing positions atop the walls.
"Shields!" The cry from one of the rival generals echoes from the other side followed by a canopy of protective shields spread over the invading army.
Deep growls jumbled with cracking sounds can be heard as herds of werewolves transform into frightening, ravenous beasts.
"Fire!" Prince Theo's order sends a rain of flaming arrows whistling towards the assailants side. Some lines collapse with men and beasts howling in agony only to be struck with additional waves.
Amid the chaos a roar of a werewolf cuts through the air, unleashing a deluge of werewolves towards the defenders.
"Spears!" Tolis shouts.
Tapered spears await the charging creatures. Red mist covers the frontline areas as most of the werewolves impale themselves upon the silver spikes, smashing, tearing of flesh, stabbing and wails prevail.
A few minutes later a carpet of bloody bodies and carcasses separates the remaining armies.
"Retreat!" Tolis issues command followed by a short movement backwards by the defending army as if inviting their foes to charge.
"Attack!" The invaders receive the order and hordes of human soldiers sprint towards their opponents. On reaching the piles of dead bodies many stamble.
"Finish them!" Tolis orders unleashing the remaining troops upon an enemy already in disarray.
From the resulting clash it becomes clear that the enemy troops are being vanquished.
King Tolis takes a break from fighting to inquire of the whereabouts of King Edric.
"His Majesty needs to know that his army is on its way to victory." He says to Prince Theo.
"He left us before the battle commenced." Theo tells in a regretful voice.
Back inside the palace Shella angrily slams her fist against the table her sixteenth attempt to open the box fails.
"What if she locked the sword in there so that no one can ever use it again!" Mila asks in a saddened voice.
"My mother used to tell me that . . . if I should go back to her house when my light turns into darkness." Shella mutters with a thoughtful expression. "When . . . light turns into darkness. That might be the code!" She exclaims out loud.
Adriel and Mila casts her confused stares until she starts moving the tabs on the box again.
"The image of the sun must align with that of the moon. With something that represents change between them." She says, hastily moving the tabs until the image of the sun and the moon are adjacent to each other. She them moves the tab with the image of a chameleon between them.
A clicking sound is heard before the box bursts open.
"Yeah!" Adriel shouts in celebration and rushes forward to grab the sword.
But they all gasp in shock when the contents of the box turns out to be a rolled up scroll.
"Damn it all!" Adriel shouts in overwhelming fury as Shella picks up the map from the box and unfolds it.
He paces back and forth, muttering curses under his breath.
"This might be lead us to where my mother is! If we find her we find the sword." Shella exclaims in awe.
"Incase you have forgotten there is an army of monsters outside the gates! How do we turn them back without the sword?" Adriel questions angrily.
"We show them that the sword isn't here." Princess Shella answers.
Adriel takes a moment to consider her suggestion before rushing forward and picking up the empty box.
"Come with me!" He says dashing towards the door. Shella hurries after him with the map in her hand.
At the centre of the vicious battle outside the gates, the empty box lands in between the armies, grabbing the attention of those nearby.
Gradually the hostilities die down as the generals and soldiers on frontlines shift their focus to the open box.
"Cease the fighting! We have opened the box! This useless scroll was the only item in it!" Adriel shouts from atop the walls while Shella holds up the rolled up parchment in her hand for everyone to see.
The two remaining generals of the enemy army look at each other, unsure what to do.
"Turn back the way you came or we exterminate you!" Tolis warns in a fearsome tone and the two generals vigorously nod the heads.
"We shall leave immediately." They accede, aware of the strategic defeat their army has suffered.
"I am going to throw a party to celebrate the victory! We have crashed their mighty army! Hooray to our victory!" King Edric who has instantly appeared in the battlefield yells in celebration, steering his horse forward to get closer to King Tolis.
"Zedon himself and his necromancers were not part of the army. It's obvious that was a tiny portion of his forces. We must read that map immediately and see if it will help us find the sword. Otherwise the walls of your city will not stand in the next battle." Tolis responds and Edric's smile fades.
"I appreciate your wise counsel, your Majesty. Let's get inside and see if that map bears the location of that accursed blade. Perhaps in it Shella might also learn the whereabouts of her mother." Edric says.
The Two kings and Prince Theo make their way back inside the palace, leaving the soldiers to celebrate the victory and gather the injured.
- Writer
