Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,134

Herger shouted.

Vajna nodded. What else needed saying? “Reform your wedges on line. We strike immediately before they have the opportunity to form ranks. Don’t stop until we are through. Then we form up and do it again. Questions?”

Of course there were none. These were seasoned professionals, veterans of two campaigns. Each knew what needed to be done. Wills resolved as the cavalry reformed their wedges, this time much tighter in order to make a greater impact on the enemy ranks. Vajna signaled his bugler with a nod and multiple horns blared out over the cavalry. Hundreds of horses lunged forward to the wild roars of their riders.

Fading sunlight caught the dull, silvered-spear tips as they lowered. Vajna welcomed the coming of night, knowing it would prevent him from seeing the full size of the force he was about to assault. Tantamount to suicide, it was his only play. The ground swept past. Meters disappeared as the lines converged. He braced, wincing once as his horse broke into the new Goblin army.

Bodies flew apart and were trampled under the weight of hundreds of horses. Spears were cast, impaling their targets even as the riders drew swords and began hacking down at the shorter Goblins. Heads and reaching hands were lopped off. Blood painted the horses already lathering coats. Unsure which way to turn to avoid being crushed, those unfortunate Goblins nearest to the cavalry were mowed down without mercy.

Vajna figured they were halfway through the army by the time Goblins started to react. Crossbows took out several riders and their mounts. Angered Goblins fell upon them, hacking them all to pieces as the charge thundered past. Insanity gripped the field. There was no elegance to this fight. No honor. Vajna and Herger led their riders through impossible odds while killing as many of the enemy as possible along the way. Bodies carpeted the ground. Many were trampled underfoot while others were crushed. Finally, when he didn’t think he’d be able to go any further, Vajna broke free of the last Goblin rank. Horses screamed approval as they thundered into open air.

Badron wasn’t sure what possessed him to disguise as a soldier and join the second wave of the attack. Nor was he certain what made him think he could sneak past the Goblin defense and get away unscathed, but that was what happened. His old legs carried him across the killing fields, into the trenches where he exacted a small measure of revenge for the humiliation suffered in Rogscroft, and into the outer rows of ruins. Only when he was squirreled away in the shadows did he feel comfortable enough to shed some of his protection and breathe easier.

Comfortable. “I must be out of my mind.”

If anything his position had worsened considerably. He’d gone from certain escape to almost certain capture. Even though the Goblins were distracted on two fronts he was most assuredly heading towards his ultimate demise. The promise haunted him as it had done since first agreeing to Amar Kit’han’s lies. He took new umbrage against his enemies and readied to delve deeper into Arlevon Gale.

He wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish. Truthfully he never expected to make it this far. All he knew, and that not for certain, was his enemy was located in the center of the ruins. The Dae’shan had only hinted at this moment, never bothering to speak clearly enough for Badron to understand the severity of it. Killing Amar or the others seemed unlikely given their supposed immortality. So why am I here? Vanity? Could the idea of trying to get revenge be more important than regaining my crown? He didn’t know. All he knew was that this ordeal was rapidly drawing to a close and his destiny was somewhere in these ruins.

He let his thoughts wander back to the devastating new weapons of the Dwarves. While none of the soldiers in his platoon had any idea what they were he instantly recognized the raw power of the weapons and decided he needed them for his vision of the new Delranan, whether the Dwarves chose to share their technology or not. Badron hoped Harnin hadn’t destroyed too much of the infrastructure in his mad quest for fame. He needed his old spy network in order to enact his new strategies.

Badron crept through the ruins. Any surprise he felt at not finding Goblins impeding his progress went unnoticed as he spied the haunting glow just ahead. His heart raced. He’d found the Dae’shan.