Shadows

Beredith Erenflair watched with solemn eyes has the good men of Eden marched to meet death. Archers moved to the front with their bows. Harnessers moved between their lines. She stood along with other Harnessers at one of the few raised platform in between thousands of men in ranks.

Across the field, black shapes started marching out of the woods. "They are coming," Elderman Sagie said. "Don't hold back," Elderman Sagie said out loud, "Hit them with everything you've got from the beginning."

He met Beredith eyes, "As soon as the battle intensifies, you bring that young man up here." There was no need to mention which young man. He has to be enough.

******

Alkoni saw Zkel among the archers moving forward. A stocky man in green tabard was calling out orders.

"Hold! Hold!"

The black shapes started running. Sands but those things were fast. They can't be men. Those drawings were real!

They were awfully close now. He could make them out clearly. Lizard head with sleek reptilian bodies armed with blades. Some ran on all fours. Then they were others, taller than a man could be. Their skin looked rough from this distance. With horns on where their noses were supposed to be. Those carried long axes.

Sweat ran down the temples of the young man next to him. Must be a new recruit. Alkoni prayed he didn't wet himself.

"Aim!" the captain in green shouted, "Loose!" The volley arched in the sky and rained on the black mass of out world monstrosity. They screamed as they died but it was not enough. "Fire at will!" A second volley. A third. There was no time for a fourth.

"Pull back!" The archers went back into the lines still firing. The foot at the front slanted their pikes and halberds at the charging beasts.

Alkoni felt multiple Presences. The Harnessers. Fire engulfed the black mass. The air was quickly filled with the scent of burning flesh. Fire rained from the raised platforms.

Men cheered. Lightnings joined the rains of fire. The enemies ranks was in a mess. They were holes in their ranks.

The Commanding officer —waving the golden tree banner of Eden —rode past the frontlines. "Charge!" A deafening cacophony echoed behind his every step. Men charged yelling, chanting into the enemies.

Pikes impaled the lizard heads. But not without consequence. Those things were fast. They fought back with the same vigor. Slashing, cutting, biting.

Axes splinted their heads and arms. Hammers smashed them to paste. The ones with rough skin and horned nose were tougher to kill. You stabbed multiple times before they fell.

It was time to show let his battle instinct take over. The song of battle played in his heart. He ducked a sleek blade and cleaved the leg of the beast. He didn't stop running. He slashed and stabbed. Shortsword and battle-axe. He moved like the wind. Soon he started attracting more to himself. He smiled grimly. Come. Come meet your ends.

He kept moving. Evading and attacking. The things didn't use shields, so his every strike met flesh.

Men started taking advantage of his drawing attention and striking from behind. A war hammer smashed the skull of big one. He looked at the wielder. Bullon. Bullon nodded to him and moved forward.

He kept running, killing. Monsters fell where he struck.

********

Beredith was the fire. She rained fire on them. She poured her anger on her intent. Her flames were hotter. Her lightnings left an afterimage to the eyes. She —

A large fireball scorched a nearby platform. Where did that come from?

Another came from within the enemy ranks. The enemy had Harnessers. Betrayers. The worst kind of monsters.

"They have Harnessers!" She shouted. She harnessed the winds and slammed them against the fireballs. Lightning began falling among the men. The earth exploded under them. She hissed. She got a hold of Elder Sagie. "Our Harnessers down there are at a disadvantage. Do something."

Elder Sagie gave her a flat look, "Then it's time to bring him here. This would get messy soon. I never expected Harnessers to be in their ranks and so many." He said, anger tinged his voice.

"Elder," she raised her voice enough for him to hear her, "how do you intend to find him in that mess?" She pointed at the clusters of green and black. "He could be anywhere," she added.

Elderman Sagie lips tightened. "We should have thought about that," he turned to peer down the platform. "We search for him anyway and hope he has sense enough to come here himself." With that he went down to meet scouts and messenger boys.

She released more of the Presence almost close to what she could harness. She would rain deaths on them. For her loss, they will receive a hundredfold. She searched patiently for an enemy Harnesser and saw fire arching into the sky. There.

She reacted immediately and dropped lightning on that spot. Then succeeded it with another, then another. She waited again for another Harnesser and attacked with lightning immediately, giving them no chance to defend themselves. The enemy tried to that with them but some Harnessers held their attacks back.

********

Alkoni slammed his foot on the chest of a lizard. He rolled and thrust his blade through the throat of another. Then swung his battle-axe into the neck of another lizard. Suddenly a fireball dropped a few paces from him. He lost his feet quickly. Those other Harnessers didn't care if they hit these monsters.

He found his feet just as quickly then lost it again to a lightning blast close to his side. He lost his battle-axe, searching around him. No monster was coming for him. I have to move quickly. Those blasts keep coming. Maybe I should head back to those platforms.

He found a familiar face falling face-first to the ground. Pendrick crawled. One of the horned beasts was coming for him. Alkoni forced himself to his feet. He stumbled back and crawled before finding his feet again.

No. No. Where's everybody?

The horned monster raised it's long Axe. Sands but I won't make it on time. Not this again, he though angrily. Images flashed in his head. A man soaking in his blood. That awful memory. Dying children.

Why am I still hesitating?

He stretched forth his hand and released his Presence. That energetic feeling. Fire burned the horned beast to crisp. Pendrick chided his face from the flames. Alkoni had harnessed more than he intended to.

He was angry, very angry. The shadows were creeping on him. He let them wash over him. Replaying those painful memories. People he failed. Children he failed, they haunted him in the shadows.

"Alkoni?" Pendrick coughed. He harnessed the air and wrapped Pendrick with it, lifting him above the fighting to where he could be healed.

He turned his gaze to the monsters. What could drive something to hate men so much? As if they had a personal grudge against them. He gritted and … ran.

The shadows moved after him. They rose, they became solid, he gave them life and they brought death. He sought out the out-world Presence and the shadows became blades, vines of blades, wheels of death. They burst through the black shapes. Impaled and stabbed from beneath them.

Alkoni kept running forward, he was deep in the enemy lines. Their Harnessers came for him. They struck with fire and rocks. The shadows deflected them like pebbles. The shadows danced among the Harnessers. Cleaving hands from body, heads from neck. The shadows brought death, they moved rapidly slashing and grinding bones. A pool of black blood slowly trailed around him. He was death. Ahead he saw a dome. Majority of the Harnessers were held up there. Protecting them from external attacks couldn't go through them. He started for them. Time to end this.

*******

Beredith stared at the black death bringer down the fields. Death bringer. There was no other word for it. The grotesque brutality made some of the Harnessers throw up. This Presence was familiar.

She gasped, "Alkoni?"

"It appears he has joined the battle at last. Though charging into their lines like that is foolhardy. He'll be overwhelmed in no time," Elderman Sagie said behind her. When did he get back?

"We need to assist him. He's heading for that dome. If we focus there we could turn the tide completely. This battle would be ours," she said, not minding the intensity of her voice.

The Elderman watched her expressionless for a time then nodded.

"Focus everything on that dome. The enchantment would hold against multiple attacks on it. We are giving that black killer cover." The Harnessers nodded. None asked any questions. Though there would surely be later. Some Harnessers had withdrawn. They had tired out. Beredith still had the fight in her. Alkoni, I hope you know what you are doing.

********

Lightning rained around Alkoni. They were covering him. The other Harnessers had stopped attacking him and were busy defending themselves. The ground was muddy, he harnessed it, made it sink. The enemies lost their feet quickly and were struggling with the mud and lightning attacks. He dashed for the dome. The shadows still followed him. A massive fireball was propelled straight at him. He harnessed the shadows into a solid wall in front of him. He pushed forward against the still propelling fire. He yelled and forced the fire back. He hit the dome with a lightning bar several times thicker than a man's head. The dome rippled and the people inside glanced at it. Eyes widening. He harnessed all the shadows at it. They hit like a mountain crashing into the ocean tides. The dome exploded. The shadows slashed and struck. An Harnesser was resisting the shadows. I could capture this one.

He harnessed his Presence around the Harnesser. Attempting to suppress his Presence. At this distance it should work. He was stronger than the Harnesser.

His Presence clapped around the Harnesser and knocked him unconscious. The lightning still rained around him. He was vaguely aware of them. He moved towards the captured Harnesser.

To his surprise, it was a woman. He wrapped her with harnessed air. Most of her companions were either dead or had fled.

Their armies were retreating as well.

Harnessers were riding to meet him. Well he could use a ride back. He was getting tired. The shadows reluctantly left him. He exhaled briefly as they did. He dropped on one knee.

They stopped in front of him. "Nhoni," he said and surprised at how he sounded.

"Not so seductive now, are we?" She managed to smile at him. A tired smile. "You don't look too good."

He chuckled, "You don't say. I have a gift for you," he pointed at the unconscious Harnesser. The other Harnessers with her wore surprised looks.

"You… caught one?"

"It wasn't easy if that's what you're thinking." He forced himself up. He didn't like them looking down on him. She nodded at an empty horse — Starfeet— and gratefully climbed on it. He rubbed it's mane and the stallion snorted.

The others tied the unconscious Harnesser and Alkoni willingly hid his Presence again. What a drain?

He looked at the Fort, "What now? I'm sure some soldiers saw me back there."

Nhoni tossed a cloak to him, "Doesn't matter. Put that on."

Alkoni had a lot questions for the Elders. And they are not going to like them.