<h2>CHAPTER 88 – NEVER TOO LATE</h2>
Echoes of the fight outside got closer and closer as the battle raged on, until they were so loud it woke Commander Cel’a from her rest. When she opened her eyes she saw her son waiting by her side. A brief smile flashed across Fisceron’a’s face before the concern took back over. Cel’a immediately worried if she missed the entire battle. She sat up and rubbed his face.
“How much have I missed?”
“The enemy has infiltrated the city and have now entered the courtyard.”
Commander Cel’a sighed. It was all she could do. She wanted to cry, or perhaps go back to sleep and wait to be killed. After everything she had done, all she had risked, was it worth it in the end? The enemy was at the door. If it was down to less than a hundred men, then at least she will be able to make a difference. She stood up and wobbled but found her balance without much delay. Fiscerone presented his mother with her spear. She held it in her hand, and it was not heavy. The gods favored her this day.
The Adoras left the Citadel and looked around for a field commander. She saw Galastad ordering troops.
“There!” Fiscerone pointed to the front where Prince Axion was fighting.
Instinctively upon seeing her prince in danger, Commander Cel’a yelled out, “ARMS!”
Before they knew it they were surrounded by a battalion of royal guards. Cel’a wielded the power of the guard like a fist and blasted through the enemy forces directly to Axion. Her son ran ahead and gave her the signal. Cel’a sprinted up and jumped, getting a boost from Fiscerone, the spear twirled along with her through the air and hummed a faint blue trail. The spear made quick work of all the darksiders between her and Axion, she landed right next to him, and her guardsmen followed, forming a circle around them.
“I am so glad to see you, Commander. The men cheer across the city upon the sight of your spear reentering the battlefield.”
“There is still hope, my prince. Is this all that is left?”
“Anilithyistad was last seen holding Lake Niobi beach. I lost my other Metuchen brethren in the city. Mortikahn was…I shouldn’t have… I needed to…”
Axion was visibly shaken. Cel’a tried calming him down.
“It is okay prince. He is a fierce warrior. We will see your cousins again. There has to be something keeping the entire enemy host from crushing the courtyard. I bet you it is them out there.”
“I had to leave them…to fight him.”
Axion pointed ahead of them towards Admiral Zorrowfold. Commander Cel’a assessed the situation at hand.
“Axion, whether you like it or not, his fight is with you. I can try to take him, but I’m not yet at full strength. Our best bet is to centralize the fighting to one front.”
“I can beat him, but these warriors are all laced with dark magic, especially the champions.”
“We can beat them with technical prowess in the field. They are chaos, but we are a force to be reckoned with. Are you with me, your grace?”
“Let us go to Galastad, and in doing so, bring our fight to him, merging two of the biggest fronts in the courtyard.”
“Good idea, that might attract the smaller skirmishes around us.”
Axion, still upon Huntross, led them away from the front of the Citadel to where Galastad was fighting right by the only other entrance besides the bridge Axion came over…Crimson Boulevard. The legions Admiral Zorrowfold had massed moved across the boulevard to where Axion and Cel’a converged with Galastad.
Like a wave crashing, the lines of soldiers swirled around each other and then dispersed back to their appropriate sides, before clashing again. And so it went, warriors on both sides died. They successfully drew all the fighting to the edge of the courtyard. With Commander Adora now back in the fight covering the prince’s blind spots, he was free to be unyielding. He carved his way to Galastad. The Metuchen knight was cutting necrogallion down at the legs and leaving the killstrokes to the more timid men behind him. He must be down to militiamen, completely out of their depth and crippled by nerves. He kept them tightly huddled in front of the fallen gate like the cork to a wine jug.
When they saw Axion and the royal guard approaching their spirits soared. The cheers greeted them. Prince Axion in his resplendent armor atop the mighty steed that was Huntross, cuting down enemies all around them, quickly completing a perimeter circle. He pulled up next to Galastad who removed his sword from a darksider on the ground.
“It’s only getting worse. This will not hold.”
Galastad spared no time for pleasantries. He got right to the point. This felt good for the time being, but it was not a solution. Axion flushed red with guilt. He could not say it out loud. Everytime he thought it, or someone said it he thought the same thing. There was no solution to this. They were just waiting for the end. All they could do was survive long enough and maybe help would come.
The fight hit a stride for the resistance, repelling the darksiders from the courtyard. That was until Admiral Zorrowfold moved in along with a regiment of dark riders. Axion could see worry flood Galastad’s face. Dark plated riders dispersed into the enemy ranks and then all of a sudden they were pushing back. Axion looked around. The horsemen were headed for him, massacring what allies he had left in the pursuit. He pulled them out of the fight and led them into the hedge maze. Commander Cel’a could not follow and knew Axion would want her to stay as his representative in the field, so she fought along with Galastad.
Crash!
The southern wall fell, distracting everyone fighting in the courtyard. Spangalore’s behemoth legion arrived. When the smoke blew through the courtyard, it was pushed down by the black rain, but it held. The floor emanated a layer of smoke.
The rest of the smoke blew away with the winds of the storm only to reveal Admiral Zorrowfold approaching with his broadsword drawn. He raised the massive sword to take Commander Cel’a’s head. The sword hit her spear and nearly cracked it in half. He was already taking another swing at her. She raised her spear up and it took one more blow from the broadsword without cracking. She had to do something. How was he so fast with that hulking sword?
A third strike came down on her head, this time it was stopped by Galastad. His sword chipped but that made the admiral’s broadsword get stuck. Galastad let go of his sword with one hand and punched Zorrowfold in the face. The admiral yelled in frustration and jerked his sword, twisting it, snapping it up through Galastad’s sword and into his chest. Galastad exhaled. His eyes trembled and his touch grew cold as ice.
Commander Adora watched in horror as she got back up. Admiral Zorrowfold yanked the broadsword up one last time, opening Galastad’s ribcage for all to see. He spilled over in a heep of guts and bones. Admiral Zorrowfold took another step towards his target as if nothing had just happened.
Commander Cel’a attacked with a spear strike. She hit him in the shoulder between his armor. Cel’a drew back her spear and the tip was red with blood. Admiral Zorrowfold was furious but did not flinch. He swung his broadsword down on her again, this time with a little less power, thanks to the wound on his shoulder. Commander Cel’a blocked and even though it was not as impactful as his other strikes, this one finally broke her spear in twain. Cel’a anticipated it and immediately drew the short sword, slicing the back of the admiral’s leg, an artificial wound intended as a distraction as she fell back.
Before Commander Cel’a retreated she grabbed her speartip. She could not bear to leave her spear broken on the floor. This was the best she could do in the shuffle. Cel’a tucked the spearhead into the belt on her waist. Most of her troops and that of the militia were busy fighting over Galastad’s remains. They were almost treating it as hallowed grounds. Afterall, for many of them and the rest of the kingdom, he was the hero of Port Caliber, at the beaches with them when these monsters first landed. He was an inspiration to the people of the Pride and the ShoreLands alike, many of which were fighting at Zepathorum.
The only thing that stirred the lion’s share of them out of it was the sight of Commander Cel’a in retreat. She knew what the men were doing and joined them. The fact remained clear.
“We need to find Prince Axion. There has to be help coming soon. We can hold them! Hear us oh holy lorde Magnanimous guardian of the north and the golden dawn, bless us with your grace, now more than ever before.”
Horns cried out to the north and east. They were not the sounds of the enemy. These were horns of the North. These were horns of the Pride. Beyond the walls of Zepathorum a mass of eight thousand reinforcements gathered. Although they were not all cavalry, they were all on horseback. From the Serengeti banners walked the son of Castle Rosi Island on Maximus the golden lion, and his father leige lord of the lion kingdom, Mercinestor Casterosi. Cipher’s father kicked his horse and turned around to face his men.
“Our brothers and sisters are burning inside that city. Will we let them die in fear? No! We are the warriors of the north! This darkness will not be stopped unless we band together here this day! Ride now with me and send the darkness whence it came! The glory of the Pride will shine again! CHARGE!” Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Cipher didn’t have to kick Maximus, he pounced ahead as Mercinestor’s sword jabbed forward. In no time they were passing his father. The lion was unnaturally fast, faster than any horse, faster than any other lion. He glided down the fields to the standing army waiting to pour into the city from the breaches in the walls. Leading up to the city they had a plan so when the moment came they showed little hesitation.
Mercinestor was no stranger to battle strategy, fighting along side Theomitus. Such a long time ago when they were young. Turns out it ended up being perfect practice for something like this. He only wished his friend were here to guide him. Theomitus, even before he was a king, had this uncanny way of inspiring Mercinestor.
As kids, Theo helped him fit in at the cities, having grown up on an island. On the battlefield, they worked best when the prince took charge and Mercinestor covered his back, much like Cel’a and Axion. The Arkenoir’s definitely had a certain way about them. When most people see a fire they run away from it. The King and his Princes were crazy enough to run right in and convince you to come with them, just in case there were people burning.
Any other commander out on the field would order the archers to stay back, especially ones as fine as the ZenFor Archers. Instead, Mercinestor had them with the Orbaliss Paladins. The idea being that they would take the dark forces by surprise and establish a hold either inside the city wall or on it, most likely the Gatehouse, drop the archers and paladins and then create a stronghold. For Mercinestor he was worried about after the initial charge, and momentum was no longer on their side. The dragon kingdom numbers were overwhelming and too large to ignore. Mercinestor remained optimistic but also set forth certain contingencies. If they need to retreat, better to do so back into the city they were trying to defend instead of running away.
So, the bulk of the cavalry led into the enemy host before the Gatehouse like a giant spear. Within that spear formation were the Serengeti specialty forces along with Mercinestor. The front of the tip was Cipher Casterosi riding atop the royal lion Maximus. The ferocious beast struck fear into the hearts of those that preyed on it. Cipher enjoyed the rush. This was nothing like riding a horse. The wildcat wasn’t running a marathon but a series of sprints, jousts, lunges, some ending on just his hind legs, all the while not breaking his gait or momentum. The perfect golden tip for a spear.
When riding a horse you worry about the horse bucking, up and forward, sometimes back, but never like this. Riding a lion devoid of stability, the shoulderblades dropped and ran along the ground like a river, need be, the cat could be upside-down in a matter of moments. It was completely unpredictable and exhilarating. Cipher held firm onto the lion’s mane, with his sword at the ready, disposing of any darksiders foolish enough to come within his reach. They were cutting right through the enemy lines.
Up ahead of them was a behemoth slamming into the wall with a massive sledgehammer. It was on the verge of breaking the wall. Maximus stopped dead in his tracks, for the first time since they started the charge. It nearly sent Cipher flying off his back. The lion bellowed out a roar from deep within him. The behemoth stopped when it heard the roar. Something made Cipher think…
“Get away from my city.”
The behemoth dragged the hammer and turned for the lion. Maximus twitched and Cipher took it as a sign to dismount. Cipher grabbed a hold of the lion’s golden-brown hair even firmer than before. Cipher could swear he saw a very human-like smirk peak out of the corner of the lion’s mouth. They lunged forward like Cipher was getting thrown forward through time, in a blur they were up the behemoth’s back. Maximus kept trying to find a place to bite the behemoth, but it was covered in armor. Cipher let loose and snatched the back plate. Maximus scurried off, careful not to get caught. Cipher followed the lining of the back plate to find where it connected. He did, and just to his predictions it was a thin piece of metal. He brought his sword down upon it and in one stroke shattered it. Except the back plate of armor on the behemoth did not fall.
Cipher kept looking down the edge of the armor. There were small latches on each side, haphazardly spaced apart, in fact, there were two latches at the bottom. Cipher made quick work of them. Each time he felt the armor plate loosen. At the last he braced himself and slide off the behemoth with the armor plate. At that very moment two things happened. The behemoth stumbled forward, and the lion attacked. Maximus crawled back up the behemoth even faster than the first time. Cipher quickly realized being on the lion most certainly held the lion back. Instead of just sinking his fangs into the back of the behemoth’s neck, Maximus locked his claws in and began devouring the behemoth’s flesh.
Cipher watched the brutality of it. The behemoth spun and lurched forward, swatting at its back, where it couldn’t reach, the life slowly fading from its eyes, as Maximus chewed into its back until he reached its spine, and then snap… lights out. The behemoth hit the floor, lifeless, and Maximus trotted over to Cipher, bowing down, letting him once again hitch a ride. They kept running down until they reached where the behemoth had come from, the breach in the Gatehouse. Cipher and Maximus peeled off and continued to fight as the rest of the cavalry, led by Mercinestor, poured into the Gatehouse. The commander of the Zenfor Archers, Lady Kara Ventrilles, passed by Cipher and nodded to him. He nodded back to her and together they guarded the flanks of their troops as they fought inside the Gatehouse.
Cipher took a moment to look past their immediate surroundings. The battle was going well. That’s when he saw the golden catapults lining up against his cavalry. In a matter of moments, their barrage demolished the link between Cipher and Mercinestor’s forces. Cipher held firm with the Zenfor Archers at the Gatehouse, but Mercinestor scrambled with the rest of the cavalry. Cipher watched the golden battalion press down upon them in the storming rain. This was not just the dragon kingdom at work here. The golden army had to be from Crucifire Plains where parts of the city were actually paved in gold. Only the best mercenaries came from Crucifire Plains. Cipher had to do something. Kara got his attention. She raised her sword and her archers yelled out, lifting their bows in turn and in unison. Kara waved her sword down and the Zenfor Arches loosed a volley of arrows at the catapults. The arrows struck the crew hauling the catapults, finding spots between their golden armor, to either bring them down or kill them.
Warlord Cassius sprung onto the scene at the gatehouse and began a cavalry assault against the Zenfor Archers. Cipher and the Orbaliss paladins stepped between them and the resulting battle ensued. Cipher tried to stay on Maximus for as long as he could, but the lion was just too quick. Cipher was practically ineffective, spending most of his energy on keeping from falling off the magnificent beast. The lion was bolting between golden rider and necrogallion foot soldier. Every strike was so fast and so powerful, that combined with the lack of time in between strikes kept Cipher constantly unbalanced.
The lion crunched down on the spine of a darksider and then lunged up for a golden rider. As they sprung up, Cipher released his grip on the lion and used the momentum to flip backwards, gracefully landing on his two feet, sword drawn. Maximus moved on without skipping a beat, but still staying close to Cipher, mostly behind him. As Cipher engaged in the fight alongside the crumbling Gatehouse he noticed the lion at work. Cipher couldn’t help himself. It fascinated him. Amongst this massive battle of humans versus fallen humans and monsters, this lion champions the field. With Cipher off his hide, the royal lion Maximus was able to move even faster. The enemy warriors were avoiding it, creating a barrier for the Gatehouse reinforcements to regroup.
Cipher fought alongside the lion in the center of it all but didn’t try to do anything crazy. He kept his eyes on the battlefield and tried to find his father. The golden army was easy enough to track, but the commander had disappeared, perhaps going after Mercinestor. Cipher knew his father could take care of himself. His job was to hold down this part of the fallen wall. Who knows how much of the city’s defenses had fallen? All they could do was focus on this breach, the clear and present danger. Maybe if they were lucky enough to secure the Gatehouse he could venture further into the city to find Prince Axion.
“There!”
He heard an archer scream out and point to a golden rider, it was the commander of the mercenaries, he was riding back towards the catapults which were moving forward…right towards them. The catapults fired directly at Cipher and Maximus fighting in the breach. The shock sent Cipher flying through the air back into the city. He kicked something involuntarily and started spinning uncontrollably.
His body twisted up and rolled against the cobblestone floor. He reached out to grab ahold of something but abruptly rolled up a piece of broken building. The second floor had crumbled down, and this part of the floor was flush with the ground of the street walk. Cipher came to a stop and took a moment to get himself up. Aside from some minor scrapes and bruises he somehow survived the bombardment. His sword was nowhere to be found and neither was the lion Maximus.
Cipher picked up a spear and started running back to the Gatehouse. The dust from the wreckage was still dancing in the breach, getting pricked by the black raindrops. The darksiders spilled forward into the breach and surrounded Cipher. He knocked back their clumsy strikes, deflecting, letting them get into position. Then Cipher would counter their strike and bring them down before they could even think to block.
Cipher was two or three moves ahead as they blindly attacked. Sometimes he would line two enemies up together and with one joust of the spear he dropped them simultaneously. He could keep this up until a dark champion revealed themselves. If something like that happened, he would most certainly need Maximus to return. In this skirmish, it was getting harder and harder for Cipher to keep tabs on the battle and positioning. All he could really tell was the more darksiders he cut down the closer the golden ranks got to him. Did they have infantry or was it the cavalry? Either way, Cipher alone would not be able to last long.
The golden cavalry almost crushed their own allies as they stampeded through the Gatehouse breach. Cipher retreated to the edge of the broken wall, covering the stone staircase to the Zenfor archers. He called out and the paladins sounded off back to him. They moved forward and attacked the golden riders. Cipher ran up the stairs where Kara Ventrilles was waiting for him.
“Do you have a spare bow?”
“I’ve got something a little better than that for you.”
She tossed him his sword. Kara must have picked it up after the barrage. Cipher caught it by the handle and they both smiled at each other.
“Thanks.”
Kara commanded the archers to split into two groups. One group continued to fire on the approaching catapults and the other group fired on the golden riders in the breach. Cipher knew it was just a matter of time until the catapults fired on them along the battlements. He needed to get the archers and paladins inside the city.
“We need scouts to report on the rest of the city’s conditions.”
“I sent four out already. Only one has returned so far. The eastern wall is practically gone. Trampled by behemoths.”
“Gods have mercy.”
“Take your archers and paladins into the city.”
“And then what?”
“Survive.”
“What about you?”
“I have to find my father.”
“That’s madness, Cipher.”
“I have to try.”
Cipher turned to leave out where the wall was still intact and there were abandoned ladders for him to sneak back into the fight. Before he could go Kara stopped him.
“Wait.”
Kara Ventrilles grabbed Cipher and kissed him. They embraced each other. Cipher saw the world as it was and what it could be if they prevented extinction. Kara’s lips were soft but firm. She held his face in her hand and when the kiss was over she pushed him away, slapping him gently. Kara smiled.
“Go, you fool. Find your father but come back to me.”
And then she left with the rest of her archers evacuating. Cipher watched her leave and departed himself, sliding down one of the boarding ladders. Once the wall fell at several parts around the city the fight left the initial breach before the Gatehouse. It gave Cipher an opportunity to slip behind enemy lines and began the search for his father.