Chapter 104 Rohak
Chapter One Hundred Four
Rohak
No one spoke, no one breathed as we hid between the undulating terrain and deep within the ancient oaks that surrounded the hills.
Scouts returned roughly an hour ago, hurriedly telling Torin and me that Solace’s army was quickly making its way through the northern part of Deucena after nearly flattening Alvor. I could see the tension in Torin’s eyes, the tick in his jaw, as he processed the potential loss of his friends.
But he knew as well as I did that now was not the time for mourning or grief.
There would be plenty of time for that in the days to come, but dwelling on what we could not change would only serve to distract us from the coming fight.
A fight that was sure to be bloody and riddled with death.
Just hopefully not mine.
I shook my head, heart pounding with adrenaline for the upcoming battle and knowledge that if I died, Faylinn followed.
And I would simply not allow that to happen.
“Steady,” Torin whispered, drawing imperceptibly on the torrent of magic that pulsed beneath his skin. Earth coiled in one hand, the grass beneath his palm stretching as if to reach the power held there, while Fire held the other, the heat of it so deep I could feel it feet away.
My own hand clenched around my sword, the leather creaking in my grip. Now was the only time I truly wished for access to my magic. A last hurrah to protect those I loved so fiercely.
But it was not to be.
Steel was my only hope of survival now.
The jangling of metal and crunch of boots grew louder in the quiet of night.
Signals passed down from Torin to the other rebels hidden within the plains, each of his Mages readying their own powers.
I sent similar signals to my Mages and Vessels, the sound of silently rasping steel filling the air as pressure built just as quickly with so many Mages drawing on power at once.
There was no way a goddess would be able to miss the sudden charge in the cool night air, and my heart leapt at the thought of our surprise being foiled before we could use it properly.
I inched closer to Torin, making sure to keep away from the Fire that crackled between his fingers.
“We are going to lose the element of surprise if we do not move soon,” I growled low enough for only Torin to hear. “The magic in the air is too heady. She will discover us.”
Torin jerked his head in a quick nod before signaling to his men farther north, the first line of defense against Solace.
We’d nestled ourselves deep within the middle of our soldiers, needing the vantage of both north and south to communicate with our armies.
And, as much as I wanted to be on the front lines, the reality of battle meant we’d all have a chance at Solace and her sycophants.
If they don’t discover us first.
“Earth Mages,” Torin whispered to me as I signaled down my line seconds later.
The ground rumbled beneath my feet, the earth itself groaning and cracking as it split into two, fissures erupting from dozens of palms.
Cries and shouts of alarm rang out through the night as our attack struck a few of Solace’s followers, plunging them to their deaths hundreds of feet below the surface.
We used that moment of surprise to our advantage, widening the fissures further to swallow as many Mages and Vessels as possible before stitching the ground back together once more, burying them deep underground.
Our Air Mages responded next, pushing a swirling vortex of wind that should have swept up half of Solace’s army in one fell swoop. But much to my surprise and Torin’s unease, the wind died almost as soon as it had started.
“Solace,” he muttered.
Fuck. If our Air Mages were useless against her, that meant our Water Mages would encounter the same blockades.
“Can you do that to their Earth and Fire?” I asked, listening to the shouts and cries of battle and the ring of steel against steel as the first portion of our troops met Solace’s resistance.
“Yes,” he clipped, eyes rapidly darting about as if trying to decide the next best move. “But it would mean I would be completely focused on that and not on—”
His words cut off sharply as the sky was suddenly lit with fire from a thousand hands, the previously darkened plains awash in a sudden reddish glow, exposing the rabid, hateful gazes of hundreds—thousands—of men and women as they stood just beyond the hills.
My breath caught in my throat, bile coating my tongue.
“ATTACK!” Torin screamed, my voice quickly following.
As if spurned into action by his words, Solace’s army descended upon us, stuck in the hills, with a frenetic energy that had my heart beating an erratic rhythm in my chest.
They came like a flood, bodies clashing against bodies with screams that were cut off by gurgles and steel against steel.
The iron scent of blood flooded the air and coated my tongue until I could practically taste its headiness.
Ash and fire rained down as attacks from both sides were sent wayward or struck their intended targets.
All the while, the fire in the sky raged and writhed, trapped by a dome of air. As if illuminating our presence was the only way to aid her sycophants in their attempted destruction.
Fireballs and wooden spears came first, no rhyme or reason to the attack, as our Air Mages erected a quick shield, disintegrating the attacks as they hit.
But it was little more than a quick deterrent.
Air Mages attacked next, sending gales of wind through our shields, causing us to dig our heels deep into the rich soil lest we be blown back into the trees.
More than one soldier lost their footing, high-pitched screams cut short as their bodies were impaled deeply upon spikes that the trees suddenly sprouted, coaxed forth by Earth Mages.
What in gods’ name are we up against?
For the first time, perhaps ever, I had a distinct sinking feeling in my gut. Something that felt an awful lot like fear.
I shook my hands out and quickly dispelled my darkening thoughts as Solace’s army broke through our Air Shields, magical attacks accompanying physical ones as they clashed with our army.
I raised my sword on instinct, blocking a particularly savage overhand cut from a man as large as a tree.
My arm vibrated with the intensity of his strikes, my teeth rattling with the effort of keeping him at bay, never attacking but always defending.
We twirled in a dance of flashing steel and labored breaths as I fought to protect Torin at my back.
I could feel the godling’s frustration rolling from him in waves as he pressed his palms into the earth, desperately trying to call forth his magic.
“Torin!” I called, parrying another blow that would’ve taken my head from my body. “Now would be a great time to join!”
“Fuck!” I roared, spinning away from a second sword that joined the fight, the tip of it nicking the top of my thigh. Pain erupted from the spot as hot blood ran down my pant leg. I skipped backward, bending back to avoid another heavy cut from the first soldier.
“Torin!” I screamed as I whirled this way and that, parrying strikes from both men. The fire cast them in a light that stretched shadows across their faces, illuminating evil smiles and desperately glinting eyes.
“To think, I could be the one to bring the famed General’s head on a platter to my mistress,” the second attacker hissed, his voice as thin and reedy as his greasy hair.
Chills erupted down my spine.
They knew who I was—they knew I was here.
What else did they know?
“Torin!” I called again, aiming a strike at the large man’s body that he easily parried. “I could use a bit of help here.”
Both assailants were younger than me by decades, and I was already growing winded. If I didn’t find some way out of this fight, and fast, my energy would be too depleted, and I would be of no use to our soldiers.
A comforting presence neared my elbow, and I turned in shock to see a grim-faced Torin standing shoulder to shoulder with me, a blade clutched in each of his hands.
“Your magic?” I asked as we circled the two attackers, vicious gleams in their eyes now that the fabled godling had joined the fight. I had no doubt Solace wanted his head more than even my own.
“Locked,” he said tightly.
I blanched.
“Locked?”
Torin simply nodded his head once before launching into a series of attacks, sword sweeping in graceful arcs as he leapt and bounded after the treelike man. My eyebrows rose in appreciation, jaw slacking slightly as I watched him dance.
Even without his magic, Torin was formidable.
I just hoped it was enough to keep us alive until help arrived.
If help arrived.