Undying Blood - Beta - Chapter 18

The shouting of the veteran line finally met its match when the enemy formed a defense quicker than I thought. 

It was almost as if they had materialized out of thin air, appearing in the battle rows right after they had detected the attack.

“There are a lot of them!”

“Did you expect them to not show up?” Stenson shouted back. “No army should delay a defense that long!”

The sound of horses moving along the ground created a cacophony of noise all around. Like thousands of drums all beating at once, the sound could be felt in his chest.

Movement to the left caught Francis’s attention, and he saw the first flag appear as the two armies drew near.

The mages stopped moving, their guards coming to stand before them, shields upward as the ones tasked with raining down destruction set up for the first spell.

No horns blew, and no warning was given. The men at the front had to trust those behind them to do their job.

Giant balls of ice began to form in the air above the casters and then shot forward, racing like siege weapons had launched them.  As they flew, each ball broke into five more and then again, growing once more into the boulder size they had first been.

Two more salvos fired off like this, and from the back of his horse, Francis could see the enemy's shields forming in midair, shattering the impacting balls of ice and raining down frozen chunks.

Most of them still made it through those defenses.

Letting out the breath he had been holding, Francis watched as the destruction began to appear in the rows of cat and wolfkin warriors.  He wasn’t sure how much of the area he had depicted suffered under the spell, but it did do what they had said it would.

Men shouted and battle sounds rang out as metal on metal peeled over the cries of death and pain.

“We’re pushing forward!” Stenson cried out. “The lines are thinned!”

His horse kept pace with the generals as the battle started in earnest, and instead of focusing on the carnage before him, his eyes were studying the robed casters to his left.

They jogged forward, getting a little bit more distance before stopping again, the shields raised once more around them.

Fire began to twist and turn around their bodies like a coiling snake of flames.

One moment, five snakes were in the line, and then they soared into the air, racing into the sky until they were above the enemy line.

The magical creatures exploded in a shower of flames. Chunks of burning stone began to rain down, and a hint of sulfur filled the air.

“By Egbus, it's working!”

Tearing his gaze from the spells and the mages, Francis smiled, turning to see that he, too, was watching the same display.

Stenson was smiling, an actual happy something appeared to be working for once, grin upon the one-armed man’s face.

Yards continued to be gained, as the army pushed forward, the damage of the spells doing their job.

A cloud of darkness formed overhead and began to drift downward upon the veteran troops.

“Sound a horn! Spread the lines out!”

A loud peal came for three seconds, pausing for two and then again, repeating this five times.

“What is it?” 

“A disease attack,” the general shouted. “It will slow the men down, weaken them and cause boils and sores to appear. The real problem is how it spreads.  Even those who miss the initial cloud can catch it. Somehow it transfers on touch but those damn animals never seem to suffer from it!”

A spell that only impacts one side of the army… pretty convenient.

Making a mental note, Francis watched as best he could, unable to stand in the saddle for a better look as the leather strap kept him firmly planted on his ass.

The roar that had once been almost deafening as his country men pressed the advantage faded, replaced by many more cries than before.

A horse galloped to where they we from the front.

“Sir!” called out am older man in plate armor. “The first line is almost gone.  We are going to be down to just two in another minute!”

“Order the thorn spell! We need it sooner even if we can’t reach as far!”

Without hesitating, the rider turned and raced to where the mages were jogging to catch up.

“This is battle boy, never forget that.  Everything changes in a moment and we must adapt, even if it means losing some of the strength we hoped for.”

Francis bobbed his head, studying the casters who heard the news for the next spell to be cast, a few of them glancing in their direction.

It looks like their robes are sticking to them… just how hard is it casting spells?

Having no idea what requirements and what it took to even channel the simplest thing, all he could do was speculate at how draining each spell was.

Four casters moved to the front, running ahead, two of them he could see were women, their long hair tied behind their head as they jogged with their guards.

“ARROWS!”

The sky turned dark and a wave of black death came at the army.

Shields raised upward and cries came as the descending implements of death fell upon them.

Horses cried out, fallign to the ground and men were tossed from the beasts, some not moving like their steeds.

A barrier formed above him and the general, sending the ones that had been near them off to the side and away from them, breaking the black wooden shafts upon impact.

“I have my own mage,” Stenson said when he noticed the wide expression on Francis. “Not every mage can cast the spells they are and some are better suited for defense.”

“But you didn’t put those on the list!”

Frowning, the older man nodded.

“I did not… I should have realized it wasn’t common knowledge for you but there are men and women scattered through our ranks, able to summon small shields like that one to help protect us.  Now, get ready. We are about to test this plan of yours.”

The mages who had ran forward were motionless, arms buried in the ground, a green light radiating from their bent over bodies.

All around them arrows littered the ground and a few of the guards who had been there to protect them had paid the ultimate price, joining the number of warriors lost so far.

Three quick horn blasts echoed across the field and Stenson nodded.

“It’s time! Sound the charge!”

One long ten second blast of the horn came and those mages who had not ran up with the others began to sprint forward.

Each line of the cavalry picked up speed and without any commands, his own horse started to match the pace of Stenson’s.

Unable to see what the mages were doing because they quickly outpaced them, Francis turned his attention to the battle ahead.

Men from their side were dead, trampled underfoot, right next to the lifeless bodies of the beastkin they had engaged.

The line of veteran troops were shifting slightly, forming gaps for the calvary as the men boxed off the left and right sides.

A wedge formed quickly as the horses moved into position with a precision that seemed impossible to believe even as he watched it.

“Full speed!”

Three short, quick blasts followed by a fourth long one sounded and as if on cue, each horse moved with intent, hooves hammering into the dirt below, sending up clods of soil.

A wave of sound was everywhere, replacing the one of men and beasts fighting, now a tide of death, coming to wash out everything before it.

The initial clash that appeared in his vision showed that none of those beastkin even slowed down the tip, the rush of horses and men plowing through the weakened and battered line.

Up ahead were the giant beasts with siege weapons, looking like they were still trying to get ready to fire.

Seeing something so large it would give many trees size envy, Francis squinted, trying to make out what kind of creature it was on the back of those grey skinned beasts.

Smaller than the other creatures, swarms of enemies moved along the wooden weapons, yet near the back stood something that blended in with the large creature.  It’s skin matched it and stood twice the height at least of the smaller animals.

Each one lifted stones into the buckets, preparing to fire if given the chance.

“FOCUS AND HOLD ON!”

Stenson’s shout wasn’t mean to chide him. Instead it was the only way the general was certain his instructions would be heard.

They had reached a speed faster than any normal warrior could run.  Bodies were dodged or trampled, the horses not wasting time and somehow able to keep their footing on a slickened soil, turned wet from the amount of blood that had been spilt so far.

A gap between the enemy lines could be seen, the once endless rows of wolf and catkin’s no longer present in the area they were charging.

Still something felt off and the hundred yard gap or so that was present between the last of their enemies and the next group seemed wrong.

Arrows rained down on the left side that was cut off from the middle of the battlefield, cutting down those who hacked at the thorns which had sprung up.

Shouts came and a horn blew up ahead announcing that the tip had broke through the last row.

“We are doing it!”

Stenson grinned again, his eyes scanning the area before them. He rose up in his saddle, one hand on the reins, his body bouncing with a controlled and experienced movement as he peered ahead.

Twenty yards or so into the space between the last line of beastkin and the main armor, the cavalry saw what was coming and Francis had no idea how to describe it.

Grey and dark black skinned animals burst forth from the wall of troops that were near the siege ones.

They ran on four legs, had armor and each had to be at least eight or nine feet tall.

From here it was easy to make out a horn on the tip of the wide head on the beast, easily three feet long if Francis had to guess.

“What are those?!”

Gone was the grin, replaced by a frown and the general said nothing.

Lances were lowered and as three rows of the enemy charged at the cavalry, the number that was present made Francis’s stomach tighten.

A thousand? Maybe more?

Each one was wider than a horse and when the first of them met the charge of the tip, the weapon they had used to push this deep was snapped off.

In seconds the line of charging beasts tore through the cavalry, horses and men being tossed up into the air.

Yet with that vision before them, none slowed down, knowing there was no turning back.  They had already ran past the line of veteran warriors who had come in from behind, protecting their flank and doing what they could to keep them safe from this side.

None of those men could see, however the carnage being caused as the enemy that it appeared none knew of laid waste to the lives of countless men and horses.

“Prepare to engage!”

Stenson’s shout seemed louder than usual and a roar from the men nearby carried a hint of hope.

What the heck are they looking at? We’re losing this trade!

Scanning everywhere, Francis found no trace of them being better off.

Then he saw it.

Knight Ginge was moving through the newest enemy, still on his horse, cutting down those which got close to him.  

Unlike most areas of the cavalry, a few pockets had someone in them that was succeeding.  

How strong is he?!

Stenson held up a sword, it’s blade turning from silver to red. Waving it in the air as he shouted, more men joined in.

As the stallion surged ahead, Francis held on to the leather rein as tight as he could, his mare not letting the war horse she followed get away.

Coming at him were four of those creatures, covered in gashes, black blood running across their skin, red eyes locked upon them right now.

Fumbling with the sword on his hip, he tried to prepare for what was coming, knowing this was not going to be at all like the first fight he had encountered here.