Chapter 269 - Responsibility of Command

It is here precisely on time...! Please show mercy.

The arrival of Lich Queen Irila’s army was accompanied by the marching beat of skeletal feet.

Celaine squinted down at the winding corridor below from an old watchtower built into the mountain side. Before her, the expanse of undead marched closer, streaming through the thick trees like a tide of ants, their body concealed by shadows and the thickly clouded sky above. Dread filled her, but not out of fear of battle.

By some twist of fate, Leif had decided that she would be given command of the watchtower. Ten lives were now in her hands. After a year travelling with Hump, and years of training before that, it was going to take some getting used to, though, as Leif had pointed out, “You are a third circle Chosen of Owalyn. It’s only natural for people to look to you for leadership.”

Celaine wasn’t so sure, but Leif was in command. They numbered roughly a hundred hunters, each of them specialists selected for their skill in bowmanship, stealth, and the mobility to escape through the mountains if things took a turn for the worse.

Two miles deep into Mount Curvedhorn, there was no chance of reinforcements. They were all that could be spared to guard the ancient alpine pass. It hadn’t seen use in recent memory, that was, of course, until the undead started making their way across. The path leading through the narrow, rocky trail was steep and packed with a dense forest of old trees. Craggy peaks flanked it on both sides, one of which where the watchtower was built into.

Irila had warned of her endless armies, and they were coming. Through every valley, over every peak, and through the tunnels that they had dug through the deeps, like the one previously collapsed by Hump. All across the mountains, more armies like this one advanced. The keepers were keeping careful track of their approach following reports of ghouls in the forests around Drakalyn. It hadn’t taken long to discover there were many sources.

Today, they faced just one part of the attack. Their job, to hold the line as long as possible. As the trees stirred with movement, and Celaine glimpsed more and more undead arriving, she wondered just how long that would be. They could face one army, but more would follow.

“What do you see?” Athel asked. She was her second in command and a second circle Chosen. Her powers revolved around the hardening and strengthening of stone and home, making her perfect for the defensive position.

“They are coming,” Celaine said. “Perhaps a thousand.”

Athel grinned as if they had already won the battle to come. “Then they have fallen for our ambush.”

Celaine gazed across the ravine to the rocky slopes on the other side, where Leif and a hundred other hunters lay in wait. She couldn’t hear what the man was saying, but she got the point. He was pointing and waving his arms, positioning men along the ridge and preparing them for what would come. Large rocks were held in place by simple contraptions, and felled trees prepared to bar the path of retreat.

All Celaine and her squad had to do was draw the attention of the undead deeper into the ravine and slow their advancement toward the ruins of what had once been a walled gate across the path—a remnant of Alveron’s ancient cities and trade.

“The lich’s army comes,” Celaine shouted. “Light the signal fire!”

Above her, she heard movement, then smelled the putrid smoke of burning oilsap and wood. Thick streams of black rose into the air above, filling the sky with a signal that could be seen all the way in Drakalyn.

While the lesser undead lacked the intelligence to understand, the Overlords and other captains would see it as a call for reinforcements.

The roars of twisted undead monstrosities filled the forest, and the army picked up the speed of their advance.

Celaine swallowed nervously. She felt each beat of her heart like a drum. It was one thing to be responsible for her own life, but having those of her squad on her shoulders too was something else. In a way, it was paralysing. Any decision she made might be the death of them. What if they enemy had unexpected flyers? What if the tower was swarmed before Leif could get his ambush off? What if everything went perfectly yet they still failed? There was a route out of the tower, but they had miles of steep and rocky ground to cover before they would reach home territory. There was a reason nobody used the pass.

Don’t think about it, Celaine told herself as she realised, she was letting doubt get the better of her.

She looked over her squad—Athel at her right, the others spread out along the battlements to her left and above. Time felt both slow and fast at once. She remembered what Hump had once told her. It wasn’t about making the very best choices, it was about making a decision and moving forward.

“Ready!” Celaine called. Remember, target the commanders and more powerful monsters. Don’t take any risks—it’s not our job to kill them all.”

“Perhaps not,” Athel said. “Though we’ll kill as many as we can.”

Cheers rose through the watchtower. Celaine reached for the arrowbox on the floor at her feet, taking one and nocking it. As she waited for the undead to enter her range, she called upon Relentless Pursuit.

She felt the blessing at work throughout her body—a subtle increase in perception of her movements and position. More importantly, it was as if everything irrelevant was filtered from the world. There was only her and the monsters. Red spots gleamed on each of, rippling with the pulse of their heartstones.

Her eyes found the overlord, its body a storm of essence compared to the rest of the army. It was creatures like this that would survive the ambush, and the most important targets to kill.

The trap was set. It was just a matter of succeeding now.

As the Overlord stepped into range, just beyond the edge of the treeline in the open ground before the watchtower, Celaine drew back her arrow. Owalyn’s power raced through her, filled with the huntress’s killing intent. With a thought, she called upon Power Shot and Predator’s Intent, infusing her arrow with all the power she could muster. Silver light glinted in the bladed end, then erupted in rippling streaks. Her hair blew back, her cloak billowed, she strained as she pulled back her string to its limits. The entire world disappeared but for that single red spot upon the Overlord’s chest. Silence and darkness consumed everything, and in that moment of peace she let loose a breath.

The arrow flew straight and true as she knew it with. Sound returned in time for her to hear the twang of her bowstring and the rush of her arrow exploding forward. Around her, the rest of her squad released their attacks too, the light of essence and arrows filling the air.

Below, the Overlord looked up just as the arrow pierced its chest. There was a shaking boom as silver exploded, following by a blast of the lich’s purple essence. The Overlord collapsed in an instant; the leader of this army destroyed. Moments later, others along the frontlines fell—rotten green ape-like monsters, with both jutting from their skin, and ghostly phantoms that threw fire.

More undead emerged from the trees, racing for the blocked off gap in the wall. As they neared, Athel activated her blessings. Green light rose like a veil across the wall below, solidifying their barricade. As undead tried to climb it, a glittering barrier of silver blocked their way, leaving them stuck before the walls.

“Now!” Leif roared, his voice thundering through the mountain.

The hammer of axes on wood echoed through the pass, beating hard and fast. First, trees descended at the rear of the undead force, blocking off their retreat and funnelling them in. A few seconds later, an avalanche of rocks descended on the skeletons. Dust rose from the opposite ridge as a hundred boulders rolled upon the horde below.

Then leif rose into the sky atop Brutus, swooping down and unleashing fire upon the now rock filled ravine. Arrows rained from both sides, slaying anything that remained. What came next was a massacre.

They’d one. It was just one victory amongst many, but every victory counted. As Celaine gazed upon the unmoving remains through dust and smoke, cheers and warhorns echoed through the valley. Her voice joined them.

***

Nisha soared through the hall under Hump’s guidance, twisting through metal rings and turning on command. She came to the dummy at the back of the hall.

Hump envisioned her breathing fire over it, striking it precisely on the head.

Flame!

Her mouth opened and a jet of dragon’s breath erupted from within. It struck perfectly on the stone dummy’s chest, the air roaring with heat. Hump grinned, praising her through their bond. While Keeper Yunillia had told him that dragons were not tools like magic, that didn’t mean the same precision techniques didn’t help.

Nisha swooped through the air, circling back around and landing at Hump’s feet, chirping excitedly even before she’d come to a full stop. She looked up at him with her beautiful, wide purple eyes, her mouth agape in a gofy grin as he dropped a chunk of wild pig into her mouth. She snapped her mouth shut, munching and slurping on it greedily. Ravenous growls came from deep in her chest and she flapped her wings excitedly.

“Good,” Janeen said. “That was excellent, Nisha. You’re doing so well!”

Nisha looked at her as if after another snack.

Hump beamed proudly. “She is, isn’t she?”

“One of our best younglings, truly.”

You hear that Nisha, Hump said. You’re the best!

While her understanding of such a complex sentence was limited, from the way she started running between them and flapping her wings, it was clear she got the point. It wasn’t long before Janeen caved and gave her a second treat.

He’d come to find the former dragon keeper to be an exciteable woman. She wasn’t particularly fond of Hump, but he didn’t let that bother him. Nisha was what mattered. While she avoided casual conversation, her focus on Nisha was exemplary, and she was perhaps even more excited than Hump at the little dragon’s achievements.

In a surprising way, Hump found her pleasant company. There was no ulterior motive. Her intentions were pure, though he got the impression her mind wasn’t entirely there. At times, particularly when distractions ran out, there was a listlessness to her eyes. It reminded him of Myra—a mixture of almost child-like joy, followed by complete indifference. A consequence of losing her bonded dragon no doubt, but Hump hadn’t dared to ask her about it. He didn’t even know her fallen dragon’s name.

He and Nishari were there for training. It was partnership with Janeen, so that was how he treated it. Personal matters were left to the side.

That evening, he was more pleased than he’d expected when Vamir returned home, and surprised when he saw Kelec and Eva there in company. The two hadn’t spoken to him since the final trial, not that he held it against him. Like Celaine, Ado, and pretty much everyone else he knew, they’d been busy on the battlelines.

“Hump,” Kelec greeted. “Good to see you.”

Hump didn’t hide his surprise. “And you, Kelec. It’s been a while.”

Kelec smiled. “It’s been a busy week, I’m sorry for not stopping by sooner.”

“We were deployed to Highgaze,” Eva said. “Not the most interesting location.”

The four of them sat together behind Vamir’s house, staring out at the distant mountains and enjoying the warmth of the summer evening. They caught up for a while, explaining the situation outside of Drakalyn to Hump. It had been almost two weeks and he’d heard almost nothing. Janeen was completely uninterested in the war, and Keeper Yunillia had locked herself in isolation as she tended to her curse. With everyone else away, Hump had only Walt for company and the occasional lunch with Myra.

The war effort was going about as well as he’d expected. There were too many undead for the forces of Drakalyn to make any progress toward so they were forced to remain on the defensive. It was far from ideal, but they could only rely on Owalyn’s blessings and the dragon keepers to locate the lich’s phylactery. Irila had to be destroyed—that was how they would win this war.

It was the only way.

“You should know,” Kelec said as they stood to leave, “the hunters don’t blame you.”

“Blame me?” Hump asked.

“He means for the trial,” Eva said. “We get it—at least most of us do—you have your own goals. There’re no hard feelings. Celaine was clear about you from the beginning, that she didn’t expect you to stay.”

Hump smiled. “I appreciate that. I should be out there with you all.” He clenched his jaw. “I should be fighting.”

Kelec gripped his shoulder. “I look forward to fighting by your side, my friend.”

He watched them go, then turned his eyes toward the mountains, drumming his fingers against his leg. Nisha stared at him curiously—she must have sensed the anger and fear building in him. Out there, Celaine was fighting. All the while he waited in Drakalyn twiddling his thumbs.

It was a prison. A prison he needed to be free of.