Part 15 (2/2)
Another brother throws a dark resin which expands greatly into a three foot wide viscous ma.s.s which strikes the warrior priest and encases him from the chest up in a sticky, gooey substance.
Taking up their staves, they begin moving toward the entrapped warrior priest.
Bam!
An explosion knocks them backward as the vines and gooey substance is blasted away from him. At the same time, a black miasmic cloud forms before the warrior priest and flows toward them.
Brother Willim raises his hand and a breeze develops to blow the dark cloud away but has no effect. The brother next to him throws a batch of seeds at the black cloud. On their way, the seeds blossom into bright yellow flowers and when they encounter the black cloud, absorb the darkness into them. Turning black, the flowers drop to the ground where they wither and die.
Two brothers have closed with the warrior priest and are laying upon him with their staves. His sword is out and easily blocks their attacks. A swarm of gnats appear in summons to one of the brothers and immediately moves to the warrior priest. They cloud his face and begin working their way into his armor.
Deflecting the staves, the warrior priest seems unaffected by the insects swarming him and crawling within his armor. Suddenly the ground again sprouts vines which work to entangle his legs. Between blows to deflect the staves, his sword strikes down and cuts away the vines holding him.
”Too long has your kind walked the earth,” Brother Willim says. ”Death is your hallmark.”
Around the warrior priest, dozens of dark spheres appear. They begin zooming in and around him as they fly toward the brothers. Each one emits a small burst of energy when they draw near his enemies causing a red welt.
Brother Willim calls out in the language of his G.o.d and b.u.t.terflies fill the air. Giant red and green b.u.t.terflies begin targeting the black spheres. As each comes into contact with one of the spheres, both the sphere and the b.u.t.terfly disappear until only a couple b.u.t.terflies are left.
”Long have we been training to take down one such as you,” Brother Willim says. ”Our brethren have fallen to yours for far too long. No longer!” He raises his hands to the sky and says, ”Now, feel the wrath of the Hand of Asran!”
The staffers fighting him begin to glow with a greenish light as the power of their G.o.d infuses them. Striking out, the warrior priest gets inside the guard of one and runs him through, eliciting a cry as the man falls away only to be replaced by another.
Again, the ground beneath the warrior priest opens up. This time however, instead of the minor vines from before, these are likened to roots of an old oak tree. Thick, strong and ma.s.sive, these grasp him in a vice-like grip that quickly immobilizes him. Striking down with his sword, the blade does little more than knick the outer bark.
Legs encased and immobile, his defensive capability is now drastically reduced. Blows from the two staffers land upon him more frequently and with increasing force.
Bam!
An outward explosion attempts to remove the vines from him but only succeeds in loosening them for a brief moment before they tighten once more.
A bright light is suddenly among them as Miko comes with the Star of Morcyth ablaze in his hand. Kneeling down beside the fallen priest of Asran, he begins healing his wound.
Whack!
The end of a staff strikes the warrior priest in the forehead and knocks the helm from his head.
Whack!
A strike to his hand causes his sword to fly through the air.
Whack!
Blood begins to flow from his nose as a staff takes him across the face.
”Now, we finish it!” cries Brother Willim.
The staffers back away from the warrior priest as Brother Willim calls upon his G.o.d. The roots holding the warrior priest begin writhing as a cry escapes the man's throat. With a rip and a tear, the roots pull the warrior priest apart as arms and legs come away from the body. One long root wraps itself around the neck and with a quick pull, the head comes away.
As the roots drag the dismembered body of the warrior priest into the ground, a malignant presence can be felt as if some evil spirit walks the battlefield, then is gone. When the last of the warrior priest has been dragged beneath the surface, Brother Willim and the others relax. The flock of birds which had come to their aid begins to disperse as well and men are once again upon the walls.
Coming to his fallen brother, he asks Miko, ”Will he live?”
Looking up at him, Miko nods. ”Yes. He will need rest for a day or two but he should be alright.”
”Praise Asran,” one of the brothers says.
Over where James pa.s.sed out, Jiron has already appeared and is removing him to a place of safety.
A crossbow bolt strikes the ground nearby and Miko who says, ”We better get out of here. The battle isn't over yet.”
Just then, the gates to the palisade open and the army issues forth with a roar.
Chapter Eleven.
Miko mounts his horse and they hand the injured brother up to him. ”Get back behind the line of staffs,” he tells them. Turning his horse toward Lythylla, he bolts into a gallop holding tightly onto the injured brother before him.
Brother Willim and the others begin running toward where Illan and the rest are preparing to meet the onslaught of the enemy. As the Hand reaches their lines, Illan says, ”Good work there.” Brother Willim simply nods his head as he and the other brothers follow Miko on into Lythylla to see about their comrade.
Jiron, leading the horse bearing James, moves through the defenders as they part for him. He soon pa.s.ses the Brothers and crosses over the bridge into the city. Off to one side of the gates, a soldier waves to him and indicates a nearby guardhouse beside which Miko's horse stands tied to a post. Henri is there and takes his reins as he pulls up alongside Miko's horse.
”Is he alive?” Henri asks, referring to the unconscious James.
”Yes,” replies Jiron. ”He gets like this every time he does too much magic.”
Henri helps him remove James from the horse and together they bring him into the guardhouse. The injured brother is already laid out upon blankets on the floor, a pack has been placed under his head for comfort.
Madoc healers are there and have already begun examining the brother. They place James on a blanket next to him. Jiron takes Miko by the arm and says, ”We have to get back to the others.”
”Yes, you're right,” he says. Then to one of the healers he adds, ”Take care of them.”
”They'll be fine,” the grey haired healer says. ”You go do what you have to.”
As Jiron and Miko leave the guardhouse, Brother Willim and the rest of the Hand arrive and pa.s.s them on their way into the guardhouse. ”I think they are in good hands,” says Jiron.
”Me too,” agrees Miko.
They mount their horses and turn them toward the gate. Jiron pauses but a moment when Lord Pytherian catches his eye from where he's keeping watch on the battle from atop the gate. Nodding to Jiron, he then turns back to the battlefield. The courtyard is filled with every available man, as are the streets leading deeper into the city. The whole Alliance army is waiting for the word to go. It was decided to keep the bulk of their forces within the walls in the hopes of fooling the enemy into launching an attack. If they but knew how many awaited them, they would never leave the relative safety of the palisade.
Returning through the gate at a gallop, they head back to their comrades who are about to face the brunt of the Empire army. Jiron sees the soldiers of the Empire are forming ranks this side of the palisade as more and more stream through the gate. Guess they're not going to wait for us to attack. Guess they're not going to wait for us to attack.
Out in front of their force, the crossbowmen take position as they prepare to rain down a volley of death upon them. Jiron recognizes the army commander that was with the warrior priest when he and James had gone for the initial meeting before all the hostilities erupted. The man must think now would be his best chance at success seeing as how James has collapsed and one of the priests of Asran is down.
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