David Wells - Linkershim

A volley of arrows rained out of the trees, most bouncing harmlessly off the Lancers’ armor and shields, but a few finding flesh. The Lancers withdrew out of bow range and the bandits fell back into the forest.

Soon the entire camp was up and mounted; some squads lined up on the perimeter while others positioned themselves to respond to any incursion with a charge. Whatever else they were, the Lancers were well-trained heavy cavalry.

One squad unleashed their force lances into the tall grass bordering the tree line, blasting three men who were trying to sneak into the camp. So far, the enemy to the north was just probing. Tyr’s small army let out another battle cry. The jungle went very silent for a few moments, and then nine six-inch-diameter bubbles of liquid fire arched over the trees and splashed randomly into the camp, sowing seeds of panic and confusion.

When they were splashed with fire, several rhone raced off into the river, others fled into the trees. Tyr’s forces attacked into that moment of confusion, racing into camp through the few perimeter guards still standing their post. One of the reaction forces blasted two men so hard they landed forty feet away in a jumble of broken bones. Tyr’s men ignored the perimeter guards, slipping between them, turning the camp into a melee with most of the Lancers doing everything they could to remain mounted and stay in groups. When they could bring their lances to bear, the result was devastating, but that became harder and harder as Tyr’s pirates moved into their midst, cutting at their legs, then dashing away to strike at other targets.

A horn blew, calling for the Lancers to fall back and consolidate forces. Over their heads, Kagosi launched a spinning ball of force shards three feet across. It hit in the middle of Tyr’s advance force and exploded, sending magical blades in every direction, flaying flesh from everyone nearby and leaving a patch of blood and carnage where dozens of men had stood only moments before.

The bandits from the north attacked en masse, using the distraction of Tyr’s probe to gain a few steps toward the guards before loosing their arrows. Two Lancers fell. The rest charged, blasting the row of archers back into the dirt. A second row of archers sprang up from their hiding places inside the tree line and loosed several volleys of arrows in rapid succession at the exposed guards, bringing them all down and wounding their rhone.

Men poured over the ridgeline, charging into the meadow through the gap they’d opened in the Lancers’ line. The van met a force-lance charge that washed them away like smoke on a breeze, but the second wave was on the Lancers before their force lances could fire again, dragging them off their rhone and stabbing them to death.

The Lord Protector faced their front and began casting another spell, lobbing grapefruit-sized orbs of red force, one after the other, into the tree line. Each orb exploded on impact, sending the attacking bandits flying with each hit. It wasn’t long before they withdrew, but not before they’d killed over a dozen Lancers.

“We’re losing men,” the Lord Protector said. “Tell me where the Stone is and I will send a platoon of Lancers to retrieve it.”

“No, I have to go myself,” Alexander said. “It’s the only way.”

“You’ll get us all killed.”

Alexander shrugged indifferently.

Kagosi worked through his emotions, his colors roiling.

“Udane, make ready to move into the forest,” Kagosi snapped.

“Surely, you’re not serious,” Udane said.

“Follow my orders, Commander, or I’ll find someone who will.”

Udane shot Alexander a quick glare before throwing himself into command, shouting orders for the nearest Lancers to make ready to ride.

Tyr’s forces had withdrawn into the trees, shouting taunts at the Lancers while consolidating their forces along the trail leading west. The Lancers fell back to a smaller defensive perimeter around the command tent and held their ground.

Alexander smiled to himself when he saw Nero appear on the south side of the meadow. When a Lancer shouted a warning of his presence, the wraithkin vanished, appearing twenty feet closer, disappearing again almost before he’d even materialized, then again, past the protective cordon of Lancers … blink … Alexander drew his sword … blink … Nero was standing among Alexander’s escort atop the little hill, but still a good ten feet away from him.

“Aren’t you early?” Alexander asked. “I thought you’d wait until after I retrieved the Stone.”

“You’re surrounded, Pretender,” Nero said. “The ruse is over. Surrender your weapon.”

“Come and get it.”

“Lord Protector!” Udane shouted, pointing to the northern wood line and the hundreds of brigands charging toward the Lancer perimeter.

Not to be outdone, Tyr’s forces gave a battle cry and charged into the meadow a few moments later. Alexander lunged toward Nero, but the wraithkin vanished, quickly extracting himself from the battlefield and vanishing into the forest to the south.

“Countercharge!” Udane shouted.

Two squads broke off from the defensive perimeter, charging to meet each attack. The strategy was a success against the first line, but the Lancers were vulnerable to arrows once they turned to regroup with the main force, several rhone returning without their riders.

A few moments of relative calm settled on the meadow while both forces closed the distance to the Lancers’ final protective line. Alexander surveyed the battlefield and decided that everyone was fair game. Nightshade’s brigands were thieves come to abduct him for ransom, Tyr was a thug, the Acuna was a crime syndicate, Nero was touched by darkness, and the Lancers served to prop up a government that had turned corruption into an art form.

Literally everyone on the battlefield was his enemy-and a few of them were definitely worth killing.

“Shield!” the Lord Protector shouted. The two chief overseers, quiet, yet ever-present, positioned themselves around the command tent to form a triangle with the Lord Protector. Several seconds of chanting by the three of them created a bubble of force over the entire Lancer contingent.

“Mount up,” the Lord Protector snapped. “Form a column facing east.”

Arrows began to pelt against the shield, causing ripples in the reddish-tinged magical shell.

“Don’t you mean west?” Alexander said.

“This expedition is over,” Kagosi snapped. “We’ll be lucky to survive the day. We have to flee … now!”

Alexander shook his head in disgust, spitting at Kagosi’s feet. “Coward.”

Anger flared in Kagosi’s colors. He stepped in close to Alexander. “Nero was right about one thing, the ruse is over, Pretender. Seize him!”

There was a second of hesitation, a moment while the nearest two Lancers struggled to make sense of the order. Standing face-to-face with the Lord Protector, Alexander brought his blade up along Kagosi’s body, under his arm, slicing his armpit to the bone. The Lord Protector fell back in shock. The shield faltered, flickering for a moment before failing entirely. A barrage of arrows and stones suddenly began pelting them from two sides.

A dismounted Lancer attacked Alexander with his longsword, but the heavily armored man was slow and clumsy, bringing the blade down in a massive stroke. Alexander sidestepped, letting the blade hit the ground before kicking the man over and turning back to the Lord Protector, whose arm was nearly severed at the shoulder and bleeding profusely.

“Please don’t kill me,” he said weakly, struggling to remain on one knee.

“Too late,” Alexander said, finishing him with a quick stab through the left eye socket, then spinning in response to a sense of moments to come, blocking the Royal Assassin’s dagger an instant before it would have plunged into his back. He counterthrust, but his blade turned aside, a flicker of color registering on impact with Yasim’s magical defenses. The Royal Assassin backed away, commanding two nearby Lancers to attack from behind. Alexander took in Yasim’s dagger, dark and dangerous, powerfully enchanted. He took in the two soldiers moving to flank him. And he took in the crush of enemy about to engulf the Lancers from two sides … and he waited.