Sword of Kings 3: Tempered by Fate - 17. The Winged Guardians

Although his senior staff pressed Beraut for more details about Madumda’s sudden departure and the wizard's brief mention that someone else had used magic, Beraut remained tight-lipped. He wanted to be able to investigate this information in private first, rather than hastily speculating about what had taken place. In order to secure the time he needed to do this, he instructed those under his command to arrange work details to retrieve the wounded and place the dead in piles, just as soon as the troops had finished eating. Even though the officers were mildly disappointed that Beraut wasn't more forthcoming with additional information, they did as they were ordered.

Once everyone else had their assignments, the wizard took the opportunity to isolate himself, so he could investigate the status of those sneaking into Treblanc. He needed to assure himself that Kieren and his protectors were all right, since he now had some doubts about their safety. After feeling the strong surge of magical power, the wizard had become extremely anxious about discovering what caused Kieren to use the medallion.

Thinking about how he should carry out his investigation, so he could evaluate the situation more precisely, the wizard quickly reversed one of his earlier decisions. Although it had been the right move at the time, his previous reluctance to do a stronger scan had now evaporated, since Kieren’s use of the medallion had already alerted Madumda to his existence and potential. The only good thing to come out of this situation, at least as far as Beraut saw it, was that the Dark Lord did not have enough information to deduce more.

Beraut reasoned that even though Madumda knew someone had used powerful magic in or near Treblanc, he still had no idea about who might have performed such a feat or how it could have been accomplish. Of course, Madumda would most likely have concluded Beraut had played some part in it, which is precisely why the wizard chose to continue in this manner. He wanted the Dark Lord to focus on his actions and question how he could have passed along such knowledge, but at the same time he would take certain additional precautions to keep other relevant facts a secret.

For example, instead of contacting his ward by summoning him through the Golden Medallion, which only those of royal blood are able to utilize, the wizard chose to do an intense, yet fairly simple scan of the tunnels beneath Treblanc. That way, he'd still be able to get the information he wanted, while at the same time keeping Madumda in the dark about Kieren’s lineage.

After considerable effort, Beraut was able to conjure up images of the group, but the visions he was seeing weren’t as helpful as he’d hoped. Beraut was chagrined to discover that it was still difficult to perceive exactly what was taking place, but this time his problems weren’t magical in nature. Instead, his difficulty arose from the limited amount of light in those subterranean passageways.

Regrettably, the poor images didn’t allow him to ascertain very much. He could only tell that the little band still seemed to be together and traveling at quite a rapid pace, but even more importantly was his observation that Kieren appeared to be unharmed. Unfortunately, Beraut was unable to confirm if the companions were continuing their mission or simply fleeing from danger, which wasn’t reassuring.

This uncertainty caused the wizard a few moments of lingering consternation, because he still didn’t know WHY Kieren had used the medallion in the first place. Not only that, but he also couldn’t comprehend the small band’s current situation fully. Nothing he witnessed during his scan had helped to disclose these facts, but he was able to conclude that whatever threat had caused Kieren to resort to such an act must have been extreme. Not only that, but the use of the medallion must have also worked, at least partially, because Beraut could discern no immediate threat to their safety.

Doubting he could gain any more information from this contact and acknowledging it was nearly time for the battle to resume; Beraut reluctantly broke the supernatural link. His thoughts immediately shifted back to their current situation and he eyed the troopers who had been so heroically defending the kingdom.

Beraut had to admit this unscheduled break was a Godsend, since the morning’s fighting had been very hard on everyone. This little hiatus was not only a morale booster, but it also gave him a chance to reorganize his command and possibly an opportunity to plan another little surprise for when the battle resumed. With this in mind, Beraut summoned his senior officers to him, so they could discuss what kind of ploy they might be able to pull off next.

Since it took time to contact each of them, because they had been performing other duties, not everyone had yet been able to come together. Beraut was still waiting on the last of them to arrive when the far off cry of the battle horn was heard. This not only alerted them about a new threat, but it also confirmed that another of Beraut’s precautions had bore fruit. The wizard had been worried about getting caught unaware of the enemy’s return, so he made sure scouts had been sent forward to watch for them. Hearing the shriek from the horn one of his guards had used told him this was now happening, so Beraut and his military leaders conferred only briefly and then broke from their meeting. They then moved to another position where they could ascertain what the opposition was up to.

Scanning the distance, it didn’t take long to conclude that the dark-clad horde wasn’t eager about re-engaging them. It was painfully obvious that very few of their opponents seemed to be enthusiastic about coming back and only a small number were returning on their own accord. It appeared as if the Dark Lord’s sudden departure from the battlefield had totally disillusioned most of those under his command and made them question their duty. Clearly, this time the majority of the troops were having to be prodded into returning to combat. To speed things along and ensure every warrior did his duty, Madumda’s merciless cadre enthusiastically utilized an assortment of cat-o’-nine-tails, sword points and threats about what the Dark Lord would do to them later to help push their troops forward.

Some of the dark-clad warriors were even executed on the spot, if they balked about doing what they were told or worse yet if they attempted to flee. These brutal punishments were meant to serve as an example to the others and encourage them to do as they were bidden, but no one moved any faster after one of these isolated summary judgments were carried out. In reality, all it did was to leave the common soldiers with a choice – they could either be slaughtered by those in charge or return to reengage the enemy and take the chance they wouldn't be killed.

Prudently, the vast majority opted to accept the odds of surviving the battle, so they moved timidly forward, but only as quickly as they deemed necessary to avoid retribution. Their demeanor caused them to look more like a bunch of whipped puppies, rather than a trained fighting force, but the allies could not take the chance their hearts wouldn’t be into the task ahead. That’s why Beraut and his senior staff hustled to get their own units ready to fight.

The cavalry was immediately ordered to make rapid, but brief, assaults at the approaching front ranks. Those in charge believed this would dishearten their opponents further and slow them down even more. While the cavalry commander was leading his men on these quick forays and striking at various points along the front at random, the rest of the allied forces were busy aligning themselves according to the wishes of their leaders. Once the foot soldiers were in proper formation, a horn sounded to let the cavalry know they could disengage. Upon hearing this signal, the horse soldiers rapidly retreated and reformed behind their own lines, since they had already done their duty.

The Dark Lord’s army, which was still being driven forward by those in charge, had now closed to within striking distance. Beraut was intent upon making his opponents initiate this engagement, so he positioned his front ranks with their lances extended far beyond their shields. This was meant to extract a heavy toll upon those brave enough to charge them and possibly give those assigned this duty a reason to pause and challenge their orders.

As a way of providing them with another deterrent, Beraut also sent several lightning bolts into the front ranks of the advancing horde and killed quite a few of the advancing troops. The wizard hoped that doing this would give the enemy even more reason to pause before continuing, but he doubted it would stop them completely. However, it spectacularly reminded them that only the allies currently had magic working in their favor.

After several minutes of watching the enemy ranks approach, the bloodshed eventually resumed. Reluctantly, Madumda’s troops were ‘coaxed’ into making the first charge, but only after discovering they had a better chance of surviving a frontal assault than failing to obey orders. This was due to the fact that a handful of archers had been assigned to each officer and those in command were quick to direct these marksmen to put an arrow into the back of anyone who dragged his feet or refused to move. This ‘motivational technique’ was enough to propel the troops forward, even though their lack of enthusiasm was still quite evident.

The first wave of aggressors took the brunt of the casualties, but after the lances had impaled the initial attackers, swords were drawn and the face-to-face fighting began. Once more, the sounds of weapons clanging off of other weapons or shields soon filled the air, as each side fought fiercely to ensure they would live for at least one more day. This up-close and personal battle continued for the next couple of hours and the fighting was intense, but neither side was about to give any ground.

As both sets of leaders were jockeying to reposition their forces to gain even the slightest advantage, another unexpected disturbance arose along the eastern flank. Beraut immediately worried that the condors had returned to the battlefield or that possibly Madumda had reappeared and was now active at that location.

In an attempt to discern what was happening, the wizard used his keen eyesight to hurriedly scan the sky, but he discovered no evidence that either condor had returned. He then surveyed the ground but could find no sign of the Dark Lord’s presence either, before his infantry commander interrupted him.

“What new ploy is Madumda’s army up to now?” asked Andrieu, the military leader from Leander.

Beraut did not immediately answer his subordinate and merely went back to perusing the western flank, since he was intent upon rooting out the cause of this new uproar. Once he had thoroughly completed his visual inspection of the disputed area, he turned to inform Field Marshall Andrieu about what he had discovered.

“This is not of Madumda’s making, nor is the outburst caused by anyone or anything aligned with him. The commotion is the result of the Northern Army finally joining in the battle and attacking the Dark Lord’s forces in that area. I’m glad to finally discover they have only been delayed.”

Andrieu quickly agreed with the wizard, and then Beraut and he watched the action unfold. They were both straining to discover how the enemy was going to react to this new development, so they could make their decision about what they should do next.

After a few minutes of fierce fighting along that flank, the black-clad troops realized they had little hope of regaining control in this area. Since they didn’t want to sacrifice any more of their troops, those in charge allowed their warriors to struggle and extricate themselves from this new trap. As they watched what was happening to their warriors and the hectic unfolding of this impromptu retreat, Madumda’s officers contemplated how their opponents kept finding ways to get behind them.

As the enemy withdrew, some of the Northern Army chased after them and sent the Dark Lord’s forces into total disarray. It looked as if the Tarolian forces might be able to end this war once and for all, when something else happened. There in the distance glided one of those damn birds again, obviously sent back to do its master’s bidding. It was rapidly approaching the allied lines and being energetically encouraged on by the shouts of the dark-clad fighters who had already managed to get out of harm’s way.

Immediately, both sides tried to put an even greater distance between them and their opponents, but not for the same reason. Madumda’s troops didn’t want to be mistakenly victimized by the giant bird again, since the condor didn’t seem to be able to, or possibly just not inclined to, differentiate between the two armies when they were in close combat. The allies, on the other hand, were desperately trying to figure out a way to defend themselves against the ferocious attack they knew was about to befall them.

Beraut was greatly annoyed by the reemergence of the winged devil again and quickly decided it was time to deal with it and end the threat. Utilizing the information he’d collected during their previous engagements, the wizard extended his arm in front of his body, pointed the cap of his staff at the feathery foe and released an energy bolt in its direction. To his amazement, the blast struck the avian behemoth quite unaware. This made Beraut conclude this must be a different bird than the ones he had battled previously. Obviously, Madumda had recalled the injured condors and then replaced them with a fresh duplicate. Whatever the reason for the wizard’s good fortune and success, the behemoth screeched in pain as it was struck and feathers flew in every direction.

Deep burns now covered the condor’s freshly exposed flesh and the bird struggled to stay aloft. It had received a sizable wound from being hit by the blast, which made it difficult for the bird to continue to fly, as it fought to block out the intense, throbbing pain. Those who had previously been cheering the condor on suddenly fell silent, while in contrast the allies, who had been disheartened by the beast’s reappearance, now began shouting enthusiastically about its current plight.

Once the condor had managed to deal with its pain, it spied an opportunity to turn its fury toward the one it suspected had hurt it in the first place. It now seemed intent upon attacking and destroying the wizard instead. With hatred dancing in its eyes, the monster dove directly at Beraut, with its talons extended out in front of its body. The beast was prepared to rend the wizard’s flesh and then drag him aloft, but Beraut stood his ground.

Staunchly, Beraut continued to hold his arm with the staff in front of his body and unleashed another thunderbolt at the plunging devil. This time, however, the bird saw the blast heading in its direction and veered off quickly, as it dodged to its right. The condor’s quick reaction caused the bolt to sail harmlessly by.

The release of this blast, however, made the monster reconsider its plan of revenge and since it didn’t want to make this a suicide mission, the condor prudently winged its way skyward again, as it waited for the opportunity to make another attack. Once the condor reached a safe level, it chose merely to glide and circle the battlefield, while looking for its next chance to strike.

When the face-off between Beraut and their winged champion began, Madumda’s officers hoped their master’s pet would be the deciding factor in bringing them a swift victory. With that in mind, they had focused intently upon the battle between the pair and were sorely disappointed when Beraut drew first blood. Shortly thereafter, they cringed when their champion pulled away to nurse its wounds, so now Madumda’s senior officers felt they had to provide it with the time it needed to recover.

In order to distract the wizard until the condor was ready to rejoin the fight, Madumda’s military leaders planned to return to a more conventional form of warfare. Almost immediately, the black-clad army was urged to march forward again, but they hadn’t gone very far before a second bird appeared and caused them to backtrack yet again.

This condor seemed oblivious to Beraut and dove at some of the troops closest to it. Just as it was about to scoop up a couple of unlucky foot soldiers, Beraut released a tremendous blast in its direction. As luck would have it, the bird swooped down more quickly than the wizard had calculated, so the bolt merely struck its wing. However, it appeared to be enough to neutralize its threat.

From the moment the beam made contact, it was apparent the wing that had been hit was badly damaged. In fact, it was possible that one or more of the bones in the wing had been fractured. Although it wasn’t enough to bring the titan down completely, it made it difficult for the creature to maneuver and stay aloft. The bird worked hard to adjust for the injury and tried its best to carry on the fight, but it seemed that it wasn’t meant to be. It was quite obvious that the condor was in a great deal of pain, yet it still didn’t seem that it wanted to give up.

As the condor struggled to bravely continue, it quickly became apparent that it couldn’t go on like this forever. In the end, the pain either became too great for it to bear or the bird realized it could not be effective and was endangering its own welfare by remaining. When that time eventually came, the outcome was still the same. Reluctantly, the bird limped erratically away from the battlefield and made its way toward the safety of the Devil’s Horseshoe.

During this confrontation, the first feathery titan scrutinized all of the action as it unfolded. From its lofty vantage point, high above the plains, it witnessed the second condor get injured and then watched as it limped away from the battlefield. It also noted that Beraut was the one causing all of the damage, but it also sensed the wizard was no longer paying it any heed. Since it assessed the situation to be in its favor, it made an impetuous decision and made a sudden dive toward the ground. It was rapidly bearing down on Beraut’s position, while the wizard was looking the other way.

As the condor carried out this maneuver, it decided to emit an ear-piercing shriek. This shrill and terrifying cry was meant to instill fear and unnerve the one being attacked, but in reality, it merely alerted the wizard to this renewed threat and provided him with the time he needed to respond. It also proved to be a substantial blunder on the condor’s part, because the wizard immediately whirled about and lifted his arm in the direction of the aggressor, as he released another blinding flash from the crest of his staff.

The giant bird was not expecting such a swift recovery from its nemesis, so it was unable to make the necessary adjustments as it sped toward him. It immediately began to struggle to dodge the lightning bolt and swerved as quickly as it could to its right, but it wasn’t quite fast enough. Although it had managed to avoid a direct hit, it still suffered another substantial blow, which knocked out a few more of its feathers and left another fresh gash in its side. Since it had been singed for a second time, the beast was now livid and was determined to hurt the one who kept causing it harm. Putting aside its intense discomfort, the winged beast wheeled about and made another sudden lunge at its tormentor.

The wizard had been wise enough not to let his success go to his head and was cautious enough not to let his gaze drop from the bird completely. That is why he saw the condor’s next foolish move. Unfazed by his opponent’s sudden audacity, Beraut released another thunderbolt at the plunging behemoth, but this time the creature was prepared for it to happen. As soon as the beam was loosed, the condor quickly changed direction and once again swerved to its right. This caused the beam to sail harmlessly by, but it was not the end of the confrontation.

Even though this attempt had failed, the wizard had continued to make mental notes about his opponent’s maneuvers and put those observations to use. Having observed the same response previously, Beraut had anticipated the move the condor just made. Barely after he had discharged the first bolt, he had released a second beam, which he directed off to his left, or the bird’s right.

This second blast had been totally unobserved by the feathery fiend and, therefore, it ended up dodging right in its path. The second blast caught the condor squarely in the head, just as soon as it finished making its turn. There was a loud cracking sound, as the bolt and bird collided, which resembled a loud, threatening clap of thunder. The intensity of this collision drew everyone’s attention skyward, as each of them attempted to discern exactly what had happened.

When General Daveel heard the deafening crack of the collision, he focused intently upon the beast and was able to observe its skull had been cracked completely open by the wizard’s latest blast. The elf watched in sheer delight as the condor plummeted from the sky. He knew this small victory would make a dramatic impact upon the outcome of the battle, as the horrible creature plunged lifelessly toward the ground. Everyone who happened to be in the area below the bird scurried to get out of harm’s way, but some unfortunate warriors were unable to do so and ended up getting squashed by the bird’s massive carcass.

Once the enormity of what had happened sank in, the dual victories over the Dark Lord’s guardians greatly elevated the morale of the Tarolian fighters. The allied officers also assumed this would totally demoralize the opposition and cause the enemy to flee, which is precisely what happened next.

Those in charge of Madumda’s forces had been stunned by the events they had just witnessed and hastily commanded their troops to pull back completely – orders which those under them were eager to comply with. At this point, the enemy seemed to rediscover the enthusiasm they had been lacking earlier and retreated very rapidly. Before long, the dark-clad forces had completely disappeared from sight.

The Tarolian Army took a few minutes to pat itself on the back for sending their opponents fleeing, without giving the wizard his full due for turning the tide of battle. However, that was unimportant to Beraut. He was just glad he had been able to successfully fend off those freaks of nature.

Once the fighting had ended, Beraut sent a messenger to invite the northern army’s commander to join him, since he was eager to learn what had caused their tardy arrival. As the rest of his army was taking care of their basic needs, the wizard waited for Nasrollah, the Mitikuan general, to join him.

Once the pair exchanged pleasantries, Nasrollah began to fill the wizard in about what had happened to them. However, he hadn’t been able to relay very much of the story before a messenger came running up to inform them about a new development. Unexpectedly, Madumda’s army was returning!

As the pair began to focus upon the area of the battlefield where the dark-clad warriors had just recently fled, they were surprised to see them heading back in their direction again, but that wasn’t all. There was another, unexpected modification to their ranks and they were now joined by an odd assortment of new combatants.