size of human heads, punching holes in their infantry formation. The stones crushed several men at a time but the reserve line moved in to fill the gaps. The formation was holding but it was obvious they wouldn’t hold much longer.
“Baylin, stay here with half an akron. Keep Graggis with you. Dagrinal, you and I will sound the horn for the advance. If you see their cavalry, sound the horn and we will retreat to a defensive position while you ride in with your five hundred and re-flank them.”
“Yes, Father. May Ulren be with you,” the prince replied.
“And you, my son,” replied the king. “Dagrinal, give the signal.”
The king hefted his long lance and dropped his visor down over his face.
***
Fil’s arm was starting to tire. The orcs kept coming, ignoring the bodies of their brethren as they plodded through ground sodden with their blood. The Finarthian infantry stepped over their own dead bodies as they slowly pushed their formation forward.
A young man to Fil’s left suddenly disappeared as a huge rock blasted him from the line. A screaming orc with a black sword jumped at Fil, trying to barrel his way through the shield wall.
Fil had learned from Tanus that orcs purposely keep their blades dirty, that they sheath them still covered in blood, in hopes that they will turn black and become infested with grime that caused infections. A cut from an orc’s blade, even one that was minor, could be life threatening.
So he kept a wary eye on the orc’s sword as he jumped in front of the beast, lifting his shield to block its forward attack. But he couldn’t concentrate on that foe as another orc came at his sword arm. Long ago Fil had dropped his spear for his close formation sword, and he used it well. He slashed his sword across the attacking orc’s forearm as the other orc grabbed the edge of his shield, trying to yank it from his grasp.
The orc was strong, but so was Fil. He gritted his teeth and dug deep for the strength to keep the shield up. The orc’s face was close and he could smell its vile breath over the edge of the shield. The orc kept pulling on the shield and Fil’s tired arm was starting to weaken.
Fil pictured his younger brother being ripped apart by boargs and his vision blurred momentarily as raw anger flowed through his body. He gritted his teeth as he came eye to eye with the gruesome monster. The beast’s yellow eyes with their dark pupils pulsed with hatred. Its thick greenish skin resembled dried mud baking in the summer sun.
The orc growled, showing its long rotting canines. Its deformed head was bald, devoid of all hair except for a few patches that grew in random places.
The orc that Fil had cut on the arm dropped its sword and roared in pain, its forearm flayed open like a gutted fish.
“Time to die,” Fil whispered to the orc in front of him. He couldn’t hold the shield any longer, so he simply let the orc pull it. As the orc yanked the shield back, Fil used that momentum to lunge forward with his forehead, ramming the boney part of his skull into to the face of the orc, shattering its pig-like nose and several teeth. The impact was jarring but Fil maintained his balance, skewering the dazed orc right through the throat.
Suddenly he heard the cavalry horn. He quickly looked up and to the sides to see the knights storm down the hillside. The thundering horses shook the earth as the knight’s long glittering lances sparkled in the sun.
The men around him cheered with newfound energy as the charging knights sent hope into the tired infantry. Fil’s battle lust returned and he, too, cheered as new strength coursed through his body. His sword felt lighter as he lifted it to defend his land.
The knights’ lances tore into the orcs, killing hundreds of them instantly. Many lances were lost on the initial charge, either breaking on shields or piercing enemy warriors and falling to the ground with their victims. It wasn’t long before the knights were using their close formation weapon, the long cavalry sword.
The Finarthian Knights were known for their horsemanship and their skills were quickly displayed with deadly precision. They maintained their formation as they cut through the orcs, swinging their cavalry swords left and right, destroying the screaming monsters. Each horse was perfectly positioned to give them room to