IX

Vylder began to make his way towards home. He didn't so much walk, as stroll along the main path towards his cottage, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. He thought to himself that it was a good year. The last, before Erik went off to serve.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a streak of light moving upwards. He momentarily dismissed it as a shooting star, then immediately froze as it dawned on him – it was moving UP! He then saw it reach its zenith and begin its descent.

He snapped out of his momentary shock, and then started running home as he shouted "ALARM! TO ARMS, TO ARMS!" He continued shouting it even as he ran home.

Venna was just about to climb into bed, when she could hear Vylder's voice shouting as he was approaching outside. She then made out what he was shouting, she bolted over to the dresser, grabbed her trouse and a tunic, and quickly donned them. She then popped her trunk to retrieve her scale armour, longsword and round shield and ran to rouse the boys.

She burst into their room and shouted "Get up, we're under attack!" Erik and Orn shot up out of bed, unable to believe that they heard right, but impulsively moving to their mother regardless. Venna was already moving to the door as Vylder burst in and grabbed his war hammer that hung in its place on the hall wall.

"Where are they, Vylder? What did you see?"

"A flame arrow. I haven't seen them yet, but I'm as sure that was a signal as I am the sun is bright." said Vylder

"Alright, let's start getting the townsfolk moving to the village square so we can put up a defence as those who can't fight get into the forest."

Vylder interjected "You get Brenda and Selti and take them and the boys to the square, I'll start rounding everyone up."

With that, they all ran out of their house. Vylder took off in the direction of the outskirts, while Venna and the boys dashed over to the Sogard cottage. As the arrived, Brenda and Selti were coming out the front, worried expressions on their faces. Brenda queried "What's happening?"

Venna responded with "Vylder thinks we're under attack, and he is not one to jump at shadows, so I'm inclined to agree."

"Gods help us."

"What will we do?" Selti asked in her soft voice, as she started trembling.

"For now, let's head to the square and then we'll figure it out from there. Come on, follow me." Venna started to lead the way, shield forward, sword held low, relaxed but ready. She moved with a dancer's grace, but a fighter's balance and her eyes were scanning constantly.

Orn wrapped his arm around Selti and reassured her, as Erik maintained the rear, and kept his eye out for Vylder, and then they heard the battle cries as the enemy commenced their attack.

Selti started to sob in terror as her worst nightmares were made manifest. Brenda dropped back next to her to add to Orn's reassurances.

They could hear the clash of weapons and then heard a blood-chilling scream that cut off as suddenly as it had begun. Then Vylder came bounding towards them. He pulled Venna aside, and told her quietly between breaths, "Their trying to encircle us and move inwards. They're wearing Nevan Legion clothing and equipment, but they aren't as coordinated. Deserters maybe? I can't be certain, because, why would they come here, and then attack?"

"Focus, dear."

"Right, right. The way I just come from is clear. I took down three of them so if you hurry that way, you should be able to break through easily. I'll hang back and cover you."

"What about the people over there?"

Vylder's eyes looked downwards and back up into Venna's, as he shook his head. He then said "Get them to safety!" as he turned and headed back towards the square.

Venna hesitated for a second and made to argue, but then with a sorrowful and worried expression, instead said "I love you."

"I love you too, Venna. Now go!"

Venna signalled the others to follow and started off in the direction from which Vylder had come. Orn was looking back towards his father, and as though in slow motion saw, first one, and then two arrows appear in his father's left thigh, as though tufts of feathers on long stems had suddenly blossomed out of his leg. His father dropped to his left knee as four men in banded armour and round, piked helmets started to surround him.

The coals in the pit were still glowing, and Orn could feel the throb of his pulse in his temple, the rushing of blood. His thoughts turned to flames as he envisioned them engulfing the men attacking his father, and then "whoosh!"

The dying fire pit suddenly roared into life as a giant flame erupted and surrounded the nearest two soldiers, like a phoenix wrapping them in wings of fire. The two men were covered in angry flames and started screaming in agony as every nerve in their bodies was seared as was their flesh. Then Orn felt a thud, heard a strange high-pitched whining sound. The world started tipping to its side and then everything faded to black.

As Venna glanced back she saw the towering inferno rising out of the fire pit in the square and saw the silhouette of Orn, his palms outstretched as he screamed in rage towards the square. She had no other option, so she ran up behind him and struck him behind his ear with the pommel of her sword, knocking him out cold. "ERIK! Pick up your brother and carry him, we have to leave, now!" cried Venna.

"But father…."

"If we don't leave, what he is doing will mean NOTHING, now grab him, and let's GO!" Her tone brooked no further argument so he scooped Orn up and heaved him over his shoulder into a fireman's carry.

Venna returned to the front of their column and started to lead them out of there. As they were nearing the trees, she saw a short, muscular bald man holding aloft with his left hand a lantern he had just uncovered, and a short sword in the other. In the light, she could see a wicked scar on the left side of his face. He was leering at her as he said in his gravelly voice in the Nevan language, "There you are, my sweet, sweet girl!"

Venna had no clue what he said, but she felt disgust, as by his expression she could tell his intentions. She saw that he was flanked by a man on each side. She thought to herself 'Three half men…not bad odds.' She took her fighter's stance, shield forward with her sword held in a reverse grip, the blade along the length of her arm.

The men looked to Vannur, slightly uneasy, but Vannur paid them no mind. His prize was within reach. He opened his arms in a brawlers crouch as he inched toward her, cutting the occasional figure eight pattern with his sword in front of him, and said "She's mine, try not to cut her too much."

Venna was worried, she needed to take them down quick and get moving, or more would come, and then they would be finished. She figured out a quick plan and then moved forward, coiled like a spring waiting for the right moment to release.

Vannur was watching her approach, slowly moving forward himself and then, she was suddenly in his face. Before he could react, all he could see below his nose was her shield, as the edge was buried into his mouth. The next moment he was staring up at the sky. He rolled over, trying to shake off the cobwebs, and spat out blood and the broken remnants of what used to be his front teeth. He managed to mumble, "That bitch!" He looked up to see the back of his other man dashing over to attack her from behind.

Venna had knocked the centre man on his back, and then shot towards the man to her right, not wanting to sacrifice her momentum. She had switched to a standard sword grip as she deflected off her middle assailant. As she approached the second man, she caught a feeble attempted strike on her shield.

That blow, she deflected to her left, opening him up for her sword, which she stabbed upwards through his throat. Her sword point pierced clean through his trachea and into his spinal column, severing it. He was dead before he even started to fall.

She then swept her left leg back a little, and glanced over her shoulder, seeing the third assailant running towards her with his sword raised for an overhead swing. She paused briefly, allowing him to just reach his striking distance, and then pushed off from her front foot as she pulled her elbow sharply back, jamming the back edge of her shield into his face. This motion allowed her to rotate in the air as she chopped down with her sword catching him with the full length diagonally across his torso. His armour prevented him from being cut, but the air left his body with a whooshing sound, and he felt something crack in his back as he hit the ground.

Venna landed on her feet at the same time as he on his back. With no time to think about it, Venna stepped off and swung a backhanded stroke across his throat as he tried to sit up, severing both carotid arteries. She then jogged back towards the centre man just as he was getting back to his feet, a red misty fountain gushing straight upwards behind her. 

Vannur was shocked. He was dazed by the impact. He couldn't recall a time in his life that he had ever been hit that hard, and he had been kicked by horses a time or two. He was equally shocked by what he had witnessed - a woman, tearing through two veteran fighting men like they were made of thin cloth.

He had just regained his feet and was about to make ready to face her again, when he felt rather than heard a sick crunching sound, and then all he could see was sky again. He would have heard her retreating footfalls as she sprinted off into the night, were it not for that persistent high-pitched whining noise in his ears.