Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) (28 page)

But the Thrahks continued their march, and came closer and to the line. Bhoors ran in every direction trying to avoid the mayhem, many of them killing their own men in front of them for a chance to flee. The once epic battle had turned into a collection of skirmishes amongst the enemy while the Medorans watched and waited.

The nearest Thrahk held a shrieking, squirming Bhoor in its massive hand. The doomed soldier was hurled high over the heads of the Mages at the front and landed lifeless behind the Medoran lines. Tannis immediately noticed this and gave the visual cue to ready the catapults.

He yelled to the nearest Mage
, hoping he would hear him
. "Can they pass the shields? Can the Thrahks come through?"

The Mage nodded, furiously, unable to take his attention away from the approaching enemy. I
t was clear that the magical shields
would only block the magic of the Thrahks and not their bodies. Tannis hoped that the shields would also allow the boulders from the catapults to pass as well.

He gave the order to fire and stones crashed into the Thrahks. Several were wounded bad enough not to stand again, but their chests still opened fire on the army in front of them. Archers had apparently been given orders by their superiors to fire arrows, but they bounced harmlessly off the bony armored plates jutting from the monsters' skin. A few stuck in the softer parts near the belly and neck, but the Thrahks did not even seem to notice. They marched on, confused by the shields but still blindly bent on killing.

The catapults fired as fast as soldiers could load them, but they did nothing to deter the Thrahks from advancing. When one of their fellow beasts fell, it seemed
to do nothing more than excite
them. They
would click their claws together rapidly or snap their jaws shut over and over as they picked up speed.

Something had to be done quickly. Once the Thrahks reached the Mages they would step right through the shields and there would be no protection for the army at all. The catapults were effective, but not nearly accurate enough to stop the coming onslaught. Many Thrahks collected more and more arrows in their softer areas, but their skin seemed to be far too thick for it to have any effect at all.

"Archers! The eyes!" Tannis yelled
as he pointed at his own eyes
.

Arrows ripped though the air at higher angles, most missing or glancing off the bony skulls. Their eyes were tiny compared to their size, smaller than a human fist.
In addition to that, they were as tall as most Medoran buildings.
This made them difficult targets even for the best archers, but at least Tannis had some hope that it would eventually prove effective.

Some of the braver Medorans
rushed out passed the shields. Since they were deemed useless, t
hey had discarded their metal shields, but
they
kept their long spears. They ran in random patterns to confuse the Thrahks, but the monsters still grabbed
some of them
and crushed them in their huge hands. But even though some of them died, their action seemed to draw the attention of the Thrahks away from the battle, and the terrible beams of destruction began to happen less often.

The other soldiers saw this and ran out to assist.
The spears were just long enough to reach the bottom of the soft underbellies of the Thrahks, although it took many stabs through the skin to see any blood. Even after several piercings through the thick skin, the creatures barely noticed the wounds
at all
.

It wasn't long before the Thrahks lost interest in the
soldiers buzzing around them, and t
hey once again started attacking the shields with the same intensity as before. It seemed that the closer they got to the shields, the more impact their energy had on them. The light that accompanied a blocked attack was less purple, and more of the bright blue color that came from their chests. Judging from the change in color, Tannis assumed that the Thrahks were beginning to overpower the Mages. The heels of soldiers and Mages dug hard into the mud as they did their best to repel the attack.

Finally a lucky archer was able to hit an eye. The Thrahk thrashed violently, insane with pain and rage. It pawed at the thick wooden shaft protruding from its eye socket, but the slightest touch triggered far more pain. It screamed and roared and whipped its arms about, but it halted its advance and stood still.

Two other Thrahks
soon suffered the same injury
. The beasts normally ignored the roars of their companions, but they were beginning to pay attention to the roars of pain and frustration. Some of them slowed, and a few even stopped and stared at the injured Thrahks.

The first Thrahk to be blinded by an arrow suddenly had soldiers swarming around it. They stabbed anywhere they could
with their spears, and finally dark streams of blood began to pour from its belly and down its legs. The beast grew angry and it tightened its muscles as it tried to taunt or frighten its attackers. It leaned down and let out a mighty roar. Hot, foul breath rushed passed the nearest Medoran, and thick stings of saliva plastered his face and body. The soldier heaved his spear into the open mouth and it landed solidly at the back of its throat with a wet thud. The Thrahk convulsed a few times before its muscles went slack and it crumpled to the ground. One final gust of air escaped its lungs before the beast gave up clinging to life.

The other soldiers saw this and tried to repeat the results. Of course, they were not battling compliant adversaries, so killing the remaining Thrahks would not prove to be that easy. Still, spears and arrows flew through the air and brave Medorans hacked away at whatever parts they could reach. The Thrahks did not seem to fear the Medorans, but it was clear that they were getting aggravated. They also began to be more cautious, and they started to avoid the soldiers when they could.

As the battlefield emptied of Bhoors, Tannis began to notice men who looked a lot like Vohl in the distance. They were on horseback, and kept t
heir distance from the bedlam. But s
ome of them began to creep closer to the battle as they realized that the Medorans were able to bring down several of the Thrahks. They would need to change their strategy is they wanted to win the battle.

One of the immortals kicked his horse into a full run. He rushed
by
several Thrah
ks and Medorans fighting for their lives but made no attempt to join the battles. He rode as fast as his horse would carry
him right to the front lines, and a
shower of arrows came down on him as he rode. It was clear that the arrows brought him pain, but they did not bring him down. His horse, however, finally succumbed to its wounds and
collapsed
to the ground while running. The Dirujen rolled several times, breaking most of the arrow shafts that stuck out of his chest.

Tannis yelled when he finally realized what the Dirujen was trying to do. "Look away!"

But it was too late. One of the Mages had made eye contact with the Dirujen and he immediately lowered his arms
, lowering the magical shield as well
. Soldiers rushed out to stab the Dirujen, but it was too late. One of the Thrahks saw the commotion at the line and made its way toward the area.

The Dirujen finally lost consciousness as Medoran swords and spears opened up enough holes to drain his blood. Tannis knew that the man could not be killed, but if the soldiers could
do enough damage fast enough, they could at least nullify the threat and render the Dirujen somewhat harmless.

Tannis looked to the Mage that had been affected, hoping to see him regain his wits and replace the mission section of the shield. But his mind still seemed to be controlled by another Dirujen off in the distance. Tannis thought that perhaps the last silent command given by the fallen Dirujen was to obey another Dirujen. This would ensure that the Mage would remain under control even after the first Dirujen met the Medoran blades.

The soldiers quickly tied the injured Dirujen up and carried him away. The sight caused the other immortals to pause, probably out of fear of being captured themselves. They had no reason to fear death or even really pain, but there was no telling what their enemy would do to them if they lost consciousness in battle and ended up a prisoner.

The Thrahk nearest to the gap in the magical shield stomped close
r
and closer. In a few more strides, it would cross through the line and wreak havoc on all of the Medoran army. Tannis could not think of how to remedy the situation in time, so he just accepted the fact that at least one Thrahk would pass. But he would have to do something. He called for his warhorse, Rhodiir to be brought to him.

Rhodiir broke into a run immediately, not even needing the command. Tannis drew his sword as he closed the gap between him and the Dirujen in the distance. If he could just reach him and interrupt the connection between him and the Mage, then the shield could be made whole again. Clumps of mud and grass flew up behind him as R
hodiir
tore across the field.

Tannis did his best not to injure the Dirujen's innocent horse when he struck. He knew the immortal could not break eye contact with the Mage and that made him a defenseless target. Tannis saw it happening at incredibly slow speed. The sword whistled through the air as he swung. The skin of the immortal's neck pinched and folded before the edge finally scored the skin and sliced into muscle and vein. The blade caught on the windpipe and then jostled in his hand as the blade aligned itself between the vertebrae. The skin at the back of the neck offered little resistance by comparison, and the blade exited cleanly.

Although the Dirujen's head should have been severed completely, it had reattached itself before the sword had even made it all the way through his neck. But Tannis had succeeded in disrupting the connection between the Diru
jen and the Mage in the process. Regardless of the lack of injury, the impact had knocked the immortal out of his saddle and onto the ground. Tannis leapt from his horse and put a massive boot on the man's chest.

The Dirujen smiled up at him. "It is too late, Medoran. One of the Thrahks is through."

Tannis flipped his sword over and thrust it though his neck, burying it hilt-deep into the ground underneath. Not only did this prevent the immortal from speaking, but it also kept his spinal column severed. For the time being, he was unable to move his body.
Tannis decided to leave the man there pinned to the ground.

Even though he tried hard to avoid it, his wild swing of his sword had nicked the ear of the Dirujen's horse. He briefly touched the muzzle of the skittish animal
in an effort to apologize before he left. But Rhodii
r didn't let him linger long. The horse
pressed his nose against his back to remind Tannis that they were surrounded by danger. Tannis wasted no more t
ime and mounted his giant steed and rode back to the Medoran shield
s
.

Chapter
34

Rommus dismounted after a long ride from Brinn to the battle at Taburdum. A soldier led his horse away as he assessed the situation on the field. Mages seemed to be putting up some kind of a shield to protect against approaching Thrahks. The Bhoors had retreated some, leaving a large, empty area for the Thrahks to move through unhindered. The walls around the city of Taburdum remained intact, and no Medoran troops were engaged in any conflicts there.

Colossal siege engines fired from deep behind the Medoran lines. Stark white boulders littered the open field, along with a few injured or dead Thrahks. Lifeless, bloody humans at the front line and well beyond looked like a crimson wave lapping at the shores of Medora.

The soldiers on the right side were panicking. One of the Thrahks had
somehow
made it
through the shields
and was killing anyone near it. On occasion, its chest opened and a bright blue beam of energy obliterated everything in its path. Glowing pools of orange remained of the melted steel, but nothing at all remained of flesh or bone.

The more distant Thrahks fired their beams as well, but the invisible shield kept their damaging rays from scorching the soldiers. The air crackled and popped with the furious combat of magic versus magic, and it smelled of burned and decaying flesh.

Rommus had no idea what to do. He suddenly felt very helpless.
The majority of the men stood their ground, but the soldiers off to the right were full of dread and looking for a way to escape the Thrahk pouring doom out onto their ranks. Many, however, were using their long spears to attack the monster, and some of the spears had drawn blood.

Rommus called forth the armor. A red flash alerted the troops to his presence, and he walked swiftly through them. When they realized he had arrived, they parted to let him through and he broke into a run. He drew his golden sword and focused everything on getting to the Thrahk attacking his men and killing the thing.

Before he arrived, the creature locked eyes with him. It roared as its chest began to open and the core of light inside it began to glow. An instant later the energy was released, and Rommus took a direct hit. For a moment the world went white and qu
iet, and he thought he had crossed
over into the next world. But his armor had saved him. He had been knocked from his feet, and everything around him was burned. Clumps of earth and small stones rained down all around him as he stood.