The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(178)

Across the battlefield she could see the Avanti archers moving to the front as they prepared for the coming charge. Closing her eyes tightly, Jala whispered a prayer to War on Valor’s behalf.

“Merrodin!” Valor bellowed and she could feel the ground shake as the warhorses thundered across the field. Her eyes opened and she watched with held breath as the Arovan cavalry closed on the Avanti. The air filled with arrows as the enemy archers loosed, but as Valor had told her his wind spell kept any from hitting the Knights.

Jala have you reached the Avanti camp yet? Jail’s voice broke through her mind and she barely registered the words as her eyes followed Valor across the field. The knights on either side of him had branched out to form a wedge formation that would break through the enemy’s lines with ease.

We are engaging them now. Where are you? Jala responded half-heartedly. The pounding in her chest increased as the knights reached the halfway point of the field.

Do not engage them! Jail bellowed in her mind as Valor’s horse faltered in its charge. Jala’s heart stopped as two more of the Arovan horses fell as the ground split open under them. A dark form rose from one of the chasms. The creature was immense in size, bigger even than Valorous and built like a wolverine. It launched itself onto the closest knight with ripping claws taking the warhorse and its rider down into the pit it had sprung from. Do not engage them! Jala, did you hear me? They have the Warrens mercenaries with them, Jala! Jail screamed in her mind.

Too late, Jala replied numbly, cutting the mental link as she frantically searched the field for Valor. She couldn’t even see a glimpse of his purple armor in the chaos. Her father was rushing forward with the militia to try to lend what help he could, but it wouldn’t be enough. A flash of purple caught her attention and her eyes locked onto what remained of Vanguard. The horse was lying too still, its body halfway into one of the tunnels. “Valor!” The scream tore from Jala’s throat and her heels were in her horse before she fully registered what she was doing.

Chaos rose on all sides as she maneuvered her frantic gelding through the crevasses and screaming horses trying desperately to reach the last place she had seen Valor. Her horse snorted and jumped to the side, nearly unseating her as the ground before her split open. Barely registering what she was doing, Jala launched a Windscythe spell into the face of the creature lunging toward her. Its skull split as the spell hit it, showering her with hot blood. The creature’s rider threw himself from the animal as it fell back into the depths, but Jala was too far past to worry about him. The militia would have to deal with the man.

“Valor!” Jala screamed again as she dropped from her frantic horse beside the pit where Vanguard had fallen. With her heart pounding in her throat she searched the ground, terrified that she would find his body, but he was nowhere to be seen. Snarls erupted from the tunnel below and Jala dropped down on the ledge and slid into the depths without hesitation. The chaos of the fight above faded and she could barely make out the form of one of the wolverine-like beasts as it slashed viscously at a knight. Calling on her magic once more, Jala sent a lance of ice through the beast pinning it to the tunnel wall. The creature snarled and convulsed trying to free itself, not seeming to understand it was already dying. Moving forward quickly, Jala knelt down by the knight, but he was already past any healing she could offer. The man’s chest had been torn open as if he hadn’t worn armor at all. Standing, Jala moved quickly down the tunnel desperate to find Valor. The shamans hadn’t been at the fight yet. She had no way of knowing if they were holding the souls of her fallen or not. If Valor was already dead, there was a very good chance that his soul had already been claimed by Death.

The sound of fighting ahead sped her steps and Jala broke into a run, fighting back the urge to call his name once more. Turning a corner she nearly tripped on a body of one of the knights and stumbled hard against the wall. Her breath catching in her throat, she pushed from the wall and barely ducked the sword blow that was aimed for her neck. Spinning back she pulled on her magic, forcing spikes of rock straight up from the earth beneath the mercenary. The man screamed and struggled to free himself from the stone before his strength failed him. Jala started to move past when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Spinning back she called on her magic once more and barely managed to contain the spell as she recognized Marrow and Emily. The two Bendazzi moved silently up beside her, barely sparing a glance for the dying man skewered before them.

Warning. Just a little warning before you go charging off into the middle of hell, Marrow snarled in her mind.