197 Go for the Throa (2/2)

But it was a needless worry for Amon hadn't chosen to escape. Instead, he charged at us with his remaining two hundred bodyguards.

This left me momentarily dumbfounded because two hundred soldiers wasn't much.

”They're coming,” Enna warned.

”I can see that,” I said.

”Not from the front,” she said tapping on my shoulder to get my attention. ”They're coming from the rear as well.

I looked over my shoulder. ”Shit…”

After they'd regroup, the three-hundred we'd left behind were at our heels, chasing after us as if they were bats out of hell.

”I believe you would call this being between a hammer and an anvil,” Enna commented.

”Well, you're extra chatty tonight…” I complained.

The enemy arrived all too soon, long before I had a chance to think up a counter — and we were suddenly in the thick of things again.

At the head of their charge were twenty mounted soldiers, and leading them was a dark-haired, dark-skinned salamander who wielded a burning spear in his hand.

”Enna, get ready!” I said.

Then I charged ahead of my men and aimed the swifthart in the direction of Amon, the Shield of Rah. But before he and I could finally meet in battle, two of his followers got in my way, their shadowblades aimed at my neck.

I blocked the first blow. Enna was kind enough to block the second. But the ferocity of their charge mixed with the force of their slashes threatened to unseat us, and we just barely managed to withstand their attacks. However, they did succeed in stopping my charge. It would cost them their lives though.

Edo and Thom, despite being on foot had kept up with my swifthart. Then, in the next second, they engaged the two mounted salamanders, and while Edo and Thom distracted them, Enna and I went for the killing blow.

It was about that time when Amon and the rest of his troops finally reached us, and it was like an outcropping of rocks getting struck by a mighty river, and we just barely managed to hold the line.

”I applaud you, officer of the Trickster Pavilion!” Amon said in a raspy voice. ”Your little tricks managed to reach my throat and force me to engage you myself.”

He raised an eyebrow at me just as his spear lunged for my chest.

After I parried his attack, he laughed.

”You must be the young commander who bested my lord at the Undercroft auction many months ago,” he said. ”He's spoken of you at length, the boy touched with fire… He bade all his officers strike you down if we ever met.”

I dodged a second spear attack while Enna attempted to attack him. He blocked her blow and sent the butt of his spear at her head. I parried that attack too.

”Funny, I'm here to kill you too,” I admitted.

We exchanged another blow and then another with Enna backing me up when she could.

Around us, the battle raged on with my guys getting the worse end of the stick as we were now beset from both our front and rear.

The bastard, Amon, taunted me about it.

”It seems your gamble failed, commander,” he teased. ”All that remains is the manner of your death and the total victory of the Dominion's right army this night.”

”Are you sure about that?” I fired back. ”Look behind you…”

At first, he must have thought I was simply trying to distract him because he just scoffed at me, but after his men began shouting in alarm, Amon finally turned his head to look behind him.

The eastern line of his square formation had been cut in half right down the middle, and passing through it were a number of riders from April's forces.

I realized that they must have broken off from the main battle just so they could aim for the general's head.

Funnily enough, the lead rider rode on a familiar-looking yellow swifthart. A creature of shadow and flame floated above her, burning a path for her to cross.

And if Aura and her band were all that arrived, it would have been enough, but it seemed another group wanted to join the party.

To the south, a number of riders had broken through the enemy and were now charging their way toward us at full speed. Luca rode at their head and his claymore gleamed under the spotlight of Idunn's moon.

”You were right the first time, Amon,” I told my enemy. ”My tricks have reached your throat.”