25. Galene
Chapter twenty-five
Galene
M y first battle. I feel numb to the idea. My heart threatens to burst from my chest as we reach the outer gates of the Kingdom. The sheer scale of it is like nothing I could have imagined. The illustrations in the books I’ve seen do not do this place justice. It could be a very beautiful, magnificent place under other circumstances, when there aren’t fires raging through the buildings and monsters tearing through the streets.
Wini stays behind as she is on the verge of unconsciousness. Wills stays with her by the outer gate, although as we rush by, I hear Wini telling her brother to join the battle and forget about her. I don’t hear the rest of their talk as the booming sounds of chaos bombard me. I tighten my hold of the spear in my hand as we run through the inner courtyard to the nearest streets. Impossibly tall buildings loom over us in the distance, some of their tops disappearing into the dark clouds.
A screeching dragon roams the sky overhead, joined by smaller dragon-like creatures who are throwing themselves into buildings to destroy as much as they can. One of the smaller dragons has picked up someone in the distance and drops them. The destructive madness around us drowns out their screams.
Through the remains of a broken building, a ten-foot troll barrels through the smoke and debris to swing a gnarled club at white-armored Kingdom Guards. Short, stout creatures are among the invading army. Their pointed ears and mottled green skin make me think of goblins from the old stories.
Rourk calls for us to charge forward. His fierce, confident voice gives me some strength, but doesn’t remove the crippling fear coursing through me. This is already too much for me and my legs are weaker than I’d like. But I have to stay strong.
The vast city has a pyramidal shape, meaning we have several levels to climb if we’re going to reach the center. We come to a wide abandoned street with short buildings on either side, the paved stones cracked and scorched. Ahead, Kingdom Guards battle with an enormous troll. Frightened civilians rush through the street, ducking into alleys or hiding behind carts and barrels. Some are banging on doors to be let in.
Several cackling goblins burst out from an alley and charge at us, waving metallic clubs and oversized hammers.
When we get close enough to engage with the goblins, I see their forms are decayed and rotten. These are not living creatures. Some have eyeballs half-hanging out of their sockets while others have gaping holes in their bodies. They all have white-glazed eyes.
“They are undead,” someone yells shrilly .
“The undead army of Thanek,” someone else yells.
None of us had been expecting this, but we engage in the battle with vigor. We fling arrows into the charging goblins and attack with axes, knives, and spears.
Bohan is surprisingly brutal and effective in combat, cutting down several of the undead army with his broadaxe. Small creatures drop from the roofs above, falling onto those around me. These have the petite three-foot frames, pointed noses, and sharp teeth of vicious elves. They wrap their claws around necks and sink their teeth into flesh. I rush up and stab an elf in the back with my spear, causing it to fall to the ground, writhing and shrieking. Another stab ends its thrashing. Then the thought comes to me. Will these undead stay dead?
An axe swings down and cuts the downed elf in two. I startle and look up to see Zayne is there with the ax.
“The more pieces, the better,” he barks, and rushes off.
The enormous dragon swoops down to us with a blast of hot wind. Delis is in the air, flying toward the dragon. My heart jolts at the sight of her charging at the dragon head-on. The dragon snaps its long mouth at her, but Delis cuts to the side at the last second and spirals away. The dragon veers and takes chase, no longer interested in us. I lose sight of them both when they clear the rooftops. I hope that crazy brave girl will be okay. She’s given us time to fight without the dragon bothering us.
I look for Rourk but don’t see him anywhere. That sends violent shivers through me. When we reach the Kingdom Guards, their white armor gleaming in the glowing firelight, we help them fight back the giant troll and surrounding goblins. It’s then that I see Rourk, who has picked up a sword and is diving under the feet of the troll, slicing its shins as he goes. My heart swells at the sight of him. I want to stay close to him, but I don’t want to be dependent on him.
If there’s any sense of surprise or confusion from the Kingdom Guards at the sight of us, it doesn’t show. There’s no time to explain who we are or where we’ve come from. I look back to see some villagers at the back of our group battling more of those cackling elves. The roar of another troll echoes through the street, though I cannot see where it is. That sends more dark fear through me. The sounds of death and destruction are all around, and no place is safe.
The sight of my father barreling through the undead army with his axe gives me a tremor of hope. He is proving to be a surprisingly formidable warrior. I need to be more like him.
Someone falls down near me. It’s Geron, a fisherman, who has lost his spear and is on the ground, crying out as a goblin leaps on him. I swing the spear and knock the goblin away, but see that Geron has been slashed in the chest. Others help him up.
A body is on the ground. My heart leaps into my throat. It’s Tan, Yovin’s son. His stomach has been cut open, and he lays there with frozen fear on his pale face. We are all rushing around him, ignoring his dead body. I think I’m going to vomit.
Ahead, the huge troll is swinging its club at some of our group. I’ve never seen a creature so big and angry before. It’s enough to make me want to freeze with fear, but I don’t let it. I look inward and summon my light and throw it at the troll. A cube of golden light cuts through the air and smacks into the troll. It knocks it off balance, but it isn’t enough to damage it. The troll soon regains its balance and is angry, thrashing and growling, with spit flying from its mouth. My arms glow with a vibrant light as I run, ready to throw the light for offense or defense at any moment.
Huddled dark figures in an alley are whimpering and cowering. They look to be a large family, hiding from the devastation. As we fight back skeletal soldiers, we help the family into a nearby house, where an elderly couple hurriedly welcome them in. Everything is moving in a blur, but it feels good to help people. To do some good.
Someone’s pained yells catch my attention. Freddick has become overwhelmed and fallen to the ground. His opponent is a new enemy. This one is a hulking man-beast with fur covering its forearms and shins, and a pig-like snout on its dark-skinned face. A long black mane runs down its head, wavering as it stomps toward Freddick. It raises a hooked sickle-like blade. I try to rush to him, but several people are in my way.
Zayne rolls beside Freddick and comes up to slice his axe across the furred beast’s leg. The beast drops to its knees but looks more angered than pained. Freddick gets up and joins Zayne in planting his axe into the beast before it can attack them, helped by two more villagers coming from behind.
We keep moving forward and reach marble steps that lead us up to the street above. A blast of fire shoots through the street, telling me that Yelena is still with us and using her fire magic. The ball of fire misses a goblin and hits a building, blowing out its windows and doors. I know there’s going to be a lot of collateral damage, and that none of us have yet to master our powers, but I just hope we don’t end up hurting each other or innocent people.
A shrieking creature with fluttering butterfly wings heads for us from the street above. It has sharp blades for arms and legs and is like something out of a nightmare. The ground shakes a moment before a chunk of the ground bursts upward and strikes the fairy creature, knocking it out of the air. I look around to see who has manipulated the earth, but don’t see who has that power. Whoever they are, they have yet to reveal themselves.
We ascend to the street above and see a hulking troll that has to be over fifteen feet tall. It’s tearing through the buildings with its meaty fists, and pauses when it sees our large group approaching. The sight of it holds me back and sends fresh fear through me. I can’t believe we are all here in the middle of this war. And it pains me greatly that it feels like there are fewer of us. I don’t want to think about who we’ve lost already, and who has fallen back with grave injuries. We’re moving too fast to look back or pause.
Rourk leads at the front. He pushes off a wall and leaps into the air to avoid a swinging fist of the troll, and flips to the ground with a spin to slice it across the torso. He moves with impressive athleticism and prowess, making me realize how unskilled the rest of us are.
The giant troll swings its club and knocks down several villagers, throwing some through the air like dolls. A dark shiver crashes through me. This foe could easily kill us all .
I rush forward and summon a square of light in the air, which I use as a step to climb into the air. I push off a second light square and then a third, climbing higher as I reach the raging troll. There’s no time to think of my actions. I just need to do what I can to save others. I push off the highest square of light and fall onto the troll, wrapping my arms around its neck. It bucks and twists violently, trying to shake me off, but I manage to hold on. My head swims with nausea and fatigue. I summon a thick slab of hard light into my hands and, in a flash, the light cuts through the troll's neck. I drop to the ground and roll away as the troll crumples in a bloody heap, its head almost torn from its shoulders.
I can hardly believe what I’ve just done, but I’m thrilled with myself. I get up and pump a triumphant fist into the air. Freddick comes by with wide, impressed eyes. Rourk is ahead, watching me. He gives me a sharp nod and there’s a hidden smile that’s meant only for me.
Rourk raises his sword and leads us farther down the street, toward where Kingdom Guards are battling skeletal soldiers in battered, torn armor. They are like warriors fresh out of the grave, re-animated with some kind of dark, ancient magic.
A charged ball of lightning strikes one of the skeletal soldiers and causes it to explode in a shower of sparks and bones. That fills me with hope. We are all using our abilities, combined with the tactics and skills learned from Rourk. Maybe some of us have a chance of surviving this.
A light in the sky causes me to stop. My face drops and horror grips me. A streak of fire is falling toward us, as if thrown by an unknown force. We cry out and dive away as it crashes into the ground near us. My vision blurs as I’m thrown through the air. I hit the ground hard, my breath leaving me as I roll into a wall. A piercing whine rings through my ears while I push myself to my knees. I cough through the smoke in the air, my eyes stinging. It feels like I’ve just been struck by a boar. My bones are jarred and rattled, seeping the strength from me.
Bohan is groaning loudly. His shoulder is reddened and burned, his face and torso blackened with soot. Others are helping him up.
“Keep going,” Rourk calls out to us. “Head for the center.”
I look up to see him ducking into a side alley, away from us. Where is he going? Why is he leaving us?
I follow him into the alley.