The Exodus Sagas: Book IV - Of Moons and Myth (40 page)

“
Our mistress to the magicks beyond has something special for us, Nareene always delivers the most wonderful and delicious of rites. You will see him in the arenas in time, and by then I would not recommend placing your bets against him. Come Chalas Kalaza, it is time to meet the spirits of the hells and become so muc
h
more than yo
u
already are
.” The lords three bowed and hovered toward the stairs, this time with their prize held helpless and hovering behind them.

“My family thanks you for the information, Lords of Devonmir. We call our debts even as well. Best dark wishes in your experiments.” Sylette Sassari spoke gracefully and bowed as the three hovered away with the famous undefeated brown minotaur.

Ruby of the Sea and Emerald of the Ocean both bowed as well, then turned to Cadius and Sylette. “Our affairs here are settled, your domain is secure, and we must travel west. The Patriarch wishes the White Spider to find answers to Jade of the West and the fugitives that sank the Altestani vessel.”

“I will inform Johnas of how greatly appreciative we are here, and how well the Emerald Eight have managed to handle our disturbances. I hope to see you both again.” Cadius looked over the railing into Ajastaphan Arena, admiring his new domain of power in the White Spider.

“Pray you do not see us again.” Ruby of the Sea added.

“For that means you are unable to handle things without our guidance.” His twin, one of the quadruplets, Emerald of the Ocean commented in return.

“Then, I hope to never see you again.” Cadius corrected. Those two were silent, as always, and left without word nor hassle.

“And you, dear Sylette, where do we stand with the Sassari family?”

“I have a name, that was all I needed to put reason to my cousin Vossir’s death. Though I will admit, we suspected one of yours responsible for the deed, the Lords of Devonmir gave me one much more probable and valuable to Shalokahn.” Sylette Sassari drew her paired Simnorri blades in a flash, then spun them as if they were lighter than air, and sheathed them with a malevolent grin.

“And that name was?”

“T’Sarrin. Shinayne T’Sarrin of Kilikala. She passed through here recently, rescued that gray horned beast with the Lazlette woman, and left many dead behind her. Whether it was her or your traitor, Kaya T’Vellon, that killed Vossir, it matters not. Between the Sassari family and the T’Sarrin family there is a history that leaves no room for coincidence.”

“Then we, the White Spider and the Sassari family, hunt the same group to the west. Perhaps a union?” Cadius admired her, desired her, she was thin and elegant, deadly and intriguing all with one breath.

Sylette laughed loud and wickedly. “Amusing, truly, but I work alone. Farewell Cadius, tell your spiders to stay out of my way. If another of my family ends up with so much as a hair out of place in this city, my brother Avricas will be here,
personally
.
Pray he does not bring Surma Shatan with him.
”

“I will be sure to pass the word of warning along.
Farewell.” Cadius walked between his ogre as he watched the lady assassin of Shalokahn leave the balcony. He made motion for more wine from his two ogre guards. They looked to one another, shrugged, and began arguing over who would grab and pour.

“
Ahhh…
almost perfect,
almost.
” Cadius released several months’ worth of tension with a collapsing thump into his chair, spilling some of the wine. He poured some more for himself, looked over the arena, and thought of Rinicus three-blades, his old friend for so many years. He looked up, hoping his beheaded friend could see that he had gotten some vengeance on his murder. Then he looked down, realizing that like himself, Rinicus would be deep in the hells when life was over. He drank, laughed, and drank some more as the soon to be dead were announced into the arena.

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His falcon hilted broadsword plunged down from his mare again, and another Harlian soldier felt the kings steel through his chest and met the blood smattered field.
Arrows uncounted covered his men and the Harlian forces, their steeds, and the field before Castle Valhera, yet he fought on.
Mikhail Salganat turned his horse to the left, trampling another Harlian soldier, then charged ahead toward the raised blade of the Captain of their forces. He did not care for numbers, he knew not how fared the north or south fronts, just that an enemy was still keeping him from his son.

Banner with the black falcon behind him with his squire, he raised his shield with the same symbol, and charged the Harlian leader. His shield caught the rapier, yet his point reached fast to the thigh of his foe. As his enemy went to raise his shield and counter
attack
, Mikhail smashed his steel shield up into the other, and slashed his sword across the Harlian’s chest. His mare kept the charge, his men cheered as their king had dispatched his third Harlian officer with his blade, and the king of Chazzrynn raised his
bloody
blade high.
A few more men were cut down, more surrendered, and soon he heard the hails and roars of victory behind him. It had been long since he had won a field, but that feeling came back as if it were yesterday.

He turned around to rally his forces, Lord Corey beside him, but as he looked
,
the hope was stolen from him by his own eyes. Out of two thousand men, he had but three hundred or less following. Mikhail looked north and saw the same,
General
Fandruss and
Sir
Jallan having few
foes left but perhaps one hundred men
alive
. The king looked south, he saw Aelaine and Kendrynn Shilde, and two hundred men at t
heir front. He guessed that he had just over half a legion remaining, another full when he
summoned the reserves and archers, and he knew that not one Valhirst soldier had come out a gate so far.
Johnas Valhera ha
d decimated his men, and his own Harlian forces, with senseless abandon and cruel
cowardly
volleys.

The rams continued, the catapults flung stone into Valhirst, and King Mikhail raised his hand for the flag of Chazzrynn. His first thought was retreat and regroup, yet the main gate was almost broken through. He thought next of Bryant, in there, somewhere.
He waved the banner of his realm, signaling Lord Burrain, Lord Dimitri, and Chancellor Marcus to bring the reserve legion and the siege ladders.
Another charge of men, tools of war and siege
en route
, and another roar of victory erupted. The gates to Castle Valhera fell in a
t both the
south and
western front
s
.

“Brave men of Chazzrynn,
into the castle!”
King Mikhail roared like a lion, like warlord on fire, and like a
fearless
Salganat King.

Thunder echoed from a gray sky with no storms, turning the heads of all to the west.
Even
Johnas Valhera on his battlements, directly above his uncle, turned to see what it was. At first, only helms rose slowly
over the horizon, a row of helmets
fifty men wide. Then faces appeared, bounding up and down on armored steeds. Lances lowered as the charging cavalry crested the hill, five deep, then ten, then sixteen rows deep could be seen and heard. They parted as they came around the artillery and camp of King Mikhail, no one knowing for sure whose side they were on. Everyone was ready fo an attack as the cavalry charged toward the dwindling battle. Suddenly, a white flag unfurreled, then another with the red feathered crosses of Alden, and then banners of the black falcon rose from bannermen into the wind. Lord Alexei T’vellon drew his broadsword and pointed it up to the battlements, right at Johnas Valhera.

“
For Chazzrynn, for honor, and
For King Mikhail!
”

“It’s
the Knights of Southwind!” Lord Corey smiled so hard it hurt his face.
The cheers went loud, the reserve army charged alongside, and the invasion of Castle Valhera began.

“
Ready, loose!”
Johnas Valhera’s voice could be heard from above.

Arrows by the thousands flew outside of the courtyard and through the gates.
Lord Corey was feathered and dropped dead
as were the men with the battering rams.

“
Now!
” The voice unseen again, but the Prince of Valhirst it was for certain.

Burning oil flooded down the battlements.
The screams of men
having their flesh and features
melted away was a sound Mikhail had hoped never to hear again. His forces were trudging over the dead and dying, right into arrow fire, and cramming into the broken castle gates.

“
Light them!”

Torches by the dozens flung over the edges of the castle and created a wall of fire around the moat.
The cavalry was in disarray, steeds balked and reared, even the Knights of Southwind were held up at the bottleneck. Arrow slits by the dozens suddenly held archers in black masks that fired into the slow moving mob of Chazzrynn soldiers.

Still, the
two thousand
men of King Mikhail
and Southwind
charged in, gloriou
sly, face to face with three thousand
well rested soldiers. The ladders hit the castle walls by the dozens, the reserve legion began their climb, and King Mikhail charged through with Marcus Mederris one side and Alexei T’vellon on the other. The king looked to his left, he knew the stairs to the battlements, and he knew Johnas was up there. Bloody broadsword in hand, he led
his entourage toward the courtyard
, and to victory.

“
I am coming Johnas Valhera
! Y
our king comes for justice!”
Mikhail heard growling as he ran the stairs and his men charged the Valhirst soldiers. The clash of blades and men nearly drown it out, yet it sounded like many
large felines from his left beyond the walls
.

“
I am waiting uncle, I see
you brought my
crown!”
Johnas drew his longsword and raised his shield seeing the king appr
oach. He pointed toward the keep with his blade,
far above the
courtyard. “A
ll of Valhirst to arms!”

Black clad agents poured from every vantage, crossbows fired, daggers flew end over end, and fast blade cuts into weary soldiers spilled blood over the stone. Lord Unarvin charged his men into the legions of King Mikhail, followed by the armies of Valhirst. The courtyard was filled with battle, the balconies and battlements swarmed with southwind swords, and masked men cut from corners and shadows.

J
ohnas Valhera watched as his thousands
battled
thousands
in the courtyard, flashes of black
clad agents
whittling down the numbers too fast to count. He waited for Mikhail to make it up the steps, then he ducked under his shield as an explosion erupted behind him. Smoke and rock was everywhere, he could no
t see five feet in front of him, yet the breeze was slowly assisting. Johnas stood and glared down at his south wall as two hundred men of Vallakazz poured in, led by Captain Shilde and Aelaine Lazlette.

“
To
the king!”
Aelaine yelled as her wand let loose a y
ellow ray of mist, it fanned over ten charging soldiers, and they stumbled and squirmed
uncontrollably to the ground
.
Kendryn
n and his remaining men plunged
broadsword
s through them before they could rise, and the forces of Vallakazz moved into the courtyard
.

“
Kill them!
Open the east gates and let our new friends feast on Vallakazz!
”
Johnas pointed toward Ael
aine and Captain Shilde
. Just as he did, he spun around having heard heavy breathing behind him. He looked at the sweaty, bloody,
armored King Mikhail with his solid black eyes
.

“To the death?” Mikhail caught his breath from the stairs.
Something was odd for Johnas to be all alone on the battlements, yet he raised his blade in challenge.

“Yes, uncle, to the deat
h.” The doppelganger raised its blade and shield
, and walked towar
d the king atop
Castle Valhera.

Clank, clank, clank…

The easter
n
gates that led to the docks opened. Through the passing smoke and dust, hundreds of green and yellow
feline eyes atop shadowy forms were waiting.
A scruffy man with a patch ove
r his eye drew a longblade and
dagger, pointed toward Aelaine Lazlette, and his brethren roared and hissed
with feline anticipation
.