Shane Porteous - The Battle of Ebulon - A Shared Anthology

Nova shakes her head. There isn’t time. The humans are readying for battle, facing annihilation and possible extinction. She has to be bold. “We’ll offer you half of the King’s gold.”

Nova figures this is a gamble, one that the king of Ebulon may likely turn a cold, angry eye, but if she can get the dragon to complete a few passes over the Orc alliance while breathing its fire, the human race will gain a slight advantage, giving them hope.

To Attor, this is a negotiation to his liking. Half a king’s gold was one thing, but knowing that Ebulon was in the heart of the mountains and their mines were probably filled with gold. He liked the prospects. Half would mean the humans would stay busy mining for the dragon, thus leaving him alone. He wouldn’t have to sleep with one eye open every night. And, it would be proof to the rest of the dragon nation that Attor was a powerful, fierce conqueror and enslaver of the human race. He might be chosen to be the next head of the dragon lords where he could decide the fates of many dragons.

Attor begrudgingly nods his head. “When do you need me?” His head lowers to better observe the leopard’s response, looking for any defiance, lies, or suspicious words.

“Now.”

Jerking his head in surprise, he moves back and takes a seat on the pile of gold. “How will you stop the humans from killing me when I arrive?”

Nova smiles as her crystals glow a brilliant violet. “I’ll make you so attractive that they’ll be in such awe when you fly overhead that raising a weapon toward you will be a near impossibility.”

Attor liked her words and the feelings that came with them. And it wasn’t just the feeling of power—this wise little snow leopard gave him a feeling of peace, something even better than power. It was something he’d always yearned for, but never experienced.

Attor nods. “Shall I meet you at the base of the mountains?”

“No, you shall carry me on your back.”

The view above the rest of the world was amazing, a scene Nova knew only dragons, harpies, and birds had seen. Yes, being on top of a mountain, taking in the grand view of everything below was something that many non-flying beings had seen, but soaring through moist wisps of cloud and feeling the streaming currents of wind against her fur was more wonderful than anything she’d experienced in a very, very long time.

Gazing at the ground, Nova watches the Orcs marching on the wide, snowy plane below, trailed by a huge swath of mud churned up by thousands of hooves, claws and feet. With her keen vision, she can see ice particles forming on hair and fur from heavy breaths. It is cold, even for her.

Suddenly, several Orcs stop and point up at them flying overhead. Some of them duck, as if afraid a dragon is going to swoop down and snag them for an evening snack. The Orcs fear dragons a lot more than they fear humans. To them, a dragon is like a god, something to avoid no matter what.

Nova takes her eyes off the massive army and shifts her attention to the oncoming stone structures of the great and last remaining human stronghold, Ebulon. Her heart feels for it as she extends her aura out to it, showing her true self to all of the city’s inhabitants.

To the dragon, nothing has changed other than a nice feeling of peace that had engulfed him. But, to the oncoming city, they could see something else. They were all staring at the sky with their hands off their swords, their bows dropped to the ground, and some were even walking away from the catapults. King Yadi is the most impressed, giving an audible ‘ahhhh’ as he watches from the window of a large tower and scrapes his beard with his fingers.

They all see a Being of violet light pulsing energy like a beating heart. It looks like an illuminated orb outwardly shooting rays, raining a calm radiant energy over the city. As it draws closer, some of the combatants regain their wits about them and start pointing and discussing the marvel that is occurring. Is it a message from a god coming to protect the last living humans? The Elves, though, know. They can see Nova through the light. It is a good sign, they think, but not a god.

“Attor!” yells Nova. Her voice echoes across the planes, bouncing off the mountains and ringing in the ears of the city inhabitants. “Today he is our ally—no weapon shall be lifted against him unless he strikes first!”

Nova figures that Attor isn’t dumb enough to attack a fortified city readied for attack. He’d be dead before he hit the ground.

Landing on top of the parapet wall, Attor exhales loudly as smoke trickles out of his nose. He looks around suspiciously, feeling a little uneasy about the situation. But, seeing his friend Aldoren softens his gaze. He dips his head, bearing a slight smile. “My friend.”

Aldoren dips his head in return, “Attor.”

The enemy army had massed on the plane surrounding Ebolon during the night, but it is just before dawn when Nova hears it. A large explosion from a hefty rock encased in fire hits a large outcropping on the ground, just missing the wall. It is the first attack.

“It’s begun,” whispers Palin, who stands next to Nova. She can feel his body tense, filling with fear.

All of the troops that line the walkway ready their stance and aim their arrows. Nova looks down upon the city courtyard, seeing the mass of fur covered armor moving into position, readying themselves for the coming storm.

Palin picks up his brother’s bow, which was leaning against the wall of the walkway. “Mark. Your bow.”

Mark hastily grabs it. “Thank you, brother.”

Attor, perched on a wall, looks down at Nova. “When shall I attack?”

Standing next to his friend, Aldoren reaches out and touches his scaly reptilian skin. “When we see a clear line of them, that’s when you shall strafe.”

Nova looks at Aldoren, seeing the love he holds for his friend, and gently smiles. There is hope.

Aldoren turns to her and says, “My friend and I have shared a number of battles.” His eyes become sad. “All of which could have been avoided.”

Another explosion bursts chunks of stone into the courtyard. Several troops are blown backward. Some are a burnt mess, some have fire flaming from their flailing arms, while others were dead before they hit the ground.

Nova surveys the landscape below the mountain, looking beyond the massive army to see more Orcs streaming toward the main body, coming from many different directions. She scans the mountainside roads, observing bands of Orcs moving cautiously and using the shadows to hide. Aldoren sees them as well. Pointing, he yells, “Be ready! They’re coming!” Nova pads over to him. “I sense many scouts climbing up the mountain, just over the lip of the cliff in front of us. It’s how I came to this wall. I’ll divert them.”

Aldoren dips his head, and then places his hand on her cheek. “You’re in service to others and I thank you for that.”

Nova gives a nod, then jumps the wall, landing with a soft thud. She walks to the edge of the precipice and peers over it. Just as she had sensed, she sees several small Orcs, nimble and agile, climbing at a rapid pace. She is about to hop down to an outcropping, but suddenly stops. The sun peeks over the horizon, showing the first light of day. Attor can find a line of sight now.

Just as she thought he would, Aldoren has sent the dragon swooping high into the air. Attor is gliding toward one of the roads winding up the middle of the mountain, to the gate closest to Nova.

Minutes later, Nova hears a dragon’s roar and sees a fountain of flames shooting from the dragon’s mouth, engulfing the road and sending the Orcs running back down the mountainside. Many of them are on fire. Orc screams fill the air, sending a pang of sadness through Nova.