Chapter XI:
Facing the Monster
The Charge of the Noras
The coming of Daryas into the battle was so fierce and strong that the army of Amlaman, which was at that hour in the southern part of Dusktown, was driven back behind Natham's force. On the other side, Kardian drove his men against the forces of Nerria, who had joined themselves with Natham. Lord Akellnarva himself, along with a thousand men, marched against Natham from the north. Thus for a while the invaders were surrounded, and heavy were their losses. Daryas, with the blade of Pelas in his hand, drove so hard against the men of Amlaman that they took to flight until they found some safety amid Natham's strong warriors. Kardian pushed his way through the Marin soldiers and came against Nerria herself with his spear in his hand. She blocked his blow with her shield and then rode away, saying, 'The men of Dadron are bold, but boldness alone cannot avail you against our army.'
'Boldness we have,' he replied, 'but not boldness alone!' With that he charged her again and thrust his spear through her shield. The spearhead came flying through the shield and stopped just as it grazed her cheek. She felt warm blood drip down her face and a sting of pain. Casting down her shield she drew her blade and came against Kardian with a cry. The two fought one another there, and many soldiers of Marin fell as they tried to come to her aid. But Kardian's skill surpassed hers and he stabbed her in the shoulder. She shrieked and pulled her horse away, riding away from the battle. Kardian rallied his men and followed hard after her.
Meanwhile, Lord Akellnarva rode his chariot into the army of Natham and sought to take on the monster himself. Like an avalanche he rode down the mercenaries of Olgrost, and the soldiers of Marin fled from him in terror. He slew there, Beemen and Ogalo, coming within a stone's throw of the monster himself. He turned about and came again to make an attempt on the dread monster's life. But as he rode against him, the monster struck his horse in the face with Admunth, knocking it to the ground in ruin. As the chariot tumbled and fell, Natham grabbed it and with a great groan he hurled it aside, sending the lord of the city rolling onto the stone floor.
'How many lords does this city have?' the monster quested, 'For Olver lies dead already, yet you come against me as a king?'
'I am lord of this city,' the Akellnarva said with labored breath. 'You will sink to hell in the end, you abomination of flesh!'
Natham roared and rushed at his enemy, but his guard had at that moment arrived. While ten of them held the monster at bay, six others lifted him from the ground and carried him to safety. Against his wishes he was brought back into the upper city and put under the care of a physician. 'I need a breath,' he said, not a healer! Let go of me, and let me return to the battle.'
His physician said only, 'My lord, ere the end there will be more time for war. Let me see to it that you are fit for it when it comes.'
The Monster Meets the Devil
Natham raged on against the men of Dadron, casting them aside as if they were made of cloth. His spear, made for slaying the giants of the deep, pierced their armor with ease, and his shield was as insurmountable as the very walls of Dadron. The guards of Akellnarva, who had bravely fought for their master's life, were scattered in ruin upon the battlefield, and the monster looked up at the second gate, which was yet open to allow the warriors to march out and the people of Dusktown to flee. He fixed his gaze upon the gate and summoned his men to his side, saying, 'I see the gate to the main city, and beyond it lies victory and revenge. The honor of Lyris will be restored to her this day perhaps, and those who have for so long opposed us will be ruined. So the end of their pride will come upon them.' With those words they marched ahead, turning aside every man of Dadron that opposed them. Kardian had gone far into the west of the city in pursuit of Nerria. He was now unable to return to the center of the city in time to stop their advance. Akellnarva's force was routed; the remnant of which fled to join either Kardian or Daryas. But Daryas saw the monster from atop his horse, as a great shadow amidst lesser shadows, beneath a bright afternoon sun. He rallied his men and charged into the west to confront the beast.
'Who is this, that slanders the sons of Galvahir?' Daryas said with a gleam of green light in his eyes.
'I am Natham, Golem-bane, as I am called among the Marin.'
'Hear then, Natham, the name of your slayer! I am Daryas Galvahirne, kinsman of Olver, whom you killed unjustly.'
With those words Daryas kicked his heels into Novai's side and charged at the monster with his full might. Novai lowered her head and whinnied. Natham went to strike at her, but she turned aside of her own will at the last moment, and kicking at the monster's great shield, she pushed herself away. Daryas pulled at the reins and kicked at her with his heels, to turn her again for another charge. But as he did, he heard a laugh rise from within himself. He shook his head murmured to himself 'Is this your doing, devil?'
The voice of Lutrosis rose within him and replied, 'What if it is? Is it not your will that we destroy this abomination? Why would you oppose me?'
'You would drive my brother's horse to her death, for your own bloodlust!'
'For your bloodlust, brother,' Lutrosis answered.
'Call me not brother!' Daryas shouted.
Lutrosis burst into cruel laughter. 'Indeed not, for I am closer to you than any brother!'
Nonetheless, Daryas exerted the last of his will against Lutrosis and cast himself from Novai's back. He patted Novai's hair and whispered in her ears, 'Go now to the green fields in the upper city, and await my return there.' Almost as if she understood, she turned and galloped away, leaping away from the chaos and danger of the battlefield.
His last efforts spent, Daryas diminished and the mastery of the sword passed to Lutrosis.
Never had a blade struck the monster's shield with such might. Natham's foot slid back almost a foot at the impact of Daryas' sword upon Admunth. Following this was a torrent of attacks, such as even the golems of Zoor had not unleashed against him. He groaned and swatted Daryas with his spear. Daryas tumbled aside, but rolled back onto his feet, seemingly undaunted by the blow. He charged against Natham even before the monster could draw back his spear.
Daryas thrust his blade between Natham's spear and shield, aiming for his heart. But the sword was turned aside by Skatos Ereg, which had remained hidden beneath his cloak until that instant. Sparks flew as the dark blade struck the brilliant blade of Pelas. It seemed like time froze for an instant, and the swords stood locked in a battle of their own, the light being unable to overthrow the dark. But another arm appeared at that moment and grabbed Daryas by the throat. The strength of that arm was such that Daryas could not escape. He lifted his feet from the ground and pushed against Natham's chest with all his might, flipping himself out of the monster's grip. He landed on the ground and rolled onto his back a few feet in front of the monster. Natham stepped forward and tried to pin him to the ground with his spear. But Daryas rolled aside, and, slipping his foot between Natham's legs, tripped his enemy, sending him, Admunth and all, onto the ground with a thunderous crash.
At that instant, however, a shadow fell upon Daryas' face, as a great eagle blocked the sun from his view. He looked up and saw a great bird circling above him. 'Maru?' he asked, wondering what meaning this had. Before he could think, Arakai and several other mercenaries were upon him, swinging their blades at him in defense of their master. But Daryas was quick to his feet and he turned aside their attacks one after another. They came against him in such strength and with such great numbers that he was forced to move away from the fallen monster.
'I will find you again, Natham,' he said with great frustration at being pushed away. He fled from that place, fighting every step of the way, until at last he once more met up with the men of Noras.
The fighting died away as the night fell upon the city. By now the invading army had secured for itself, a quarter of the lower city, and it was not going to be driven from thence by any effort on the part of the men of Dadron. In the c
enter of them was Natham and his army and those warriors and soldiers of Marin who remained in the city when Nerria fled from the field in pain. There were also many men of Amlaman among them, for Daryas had driven them from the eastern side of the city until they were forced to join their forces with those of Natham.
When Daryas returned at last to the upper gate, he was met by a weakened Akellnarva. 'Happy am I to see the son of Biron yet living!' he exclaimed. 'Alone among those who challenge the monster you have become. For I have not yet heard of one who faced the beast and yet lived. And look at you! Not a scratch upon you!'
'I am not alone, my lord,' Daryas said, 'You have faced the monster as well, and lived.'
'But I was rescued from his fatal hands by the lives of other men; for you it was the beast that thereby eluded you. Honor you have by birth, son of Galvahir, and still more honor you have earned this day by your own hand.'
When the night had fully come upon Dadron, Lord Akellnarva summoned his captains to a council. Lord Kardian sat at his right side and Rahdmus was at his left. Daryas was there as well, sitting beside Faradern, the captain of the palace guards, and personal guardian of Lord Akellnarva.
'When is the last hour,' Akellnarva asked his captains, 'that we can shut the upper gate? For as much as I would love to drive these devils from our city, their numbers are such that we could never hope to do so, not without some miracle.'
'Dadron, my lord,' Kardian said, 'is the city of miracles. Let us fight yet one more day, and when we see that the lower city cannot be saved we will fly to the upper and begin again our imprisonment. But I would not have us forsake the city yet. There are many sickly and many elderly people within Dusktown who are trying with all their might to reach the gate, and every hour hundreds of the poor and destitute pass through the gate into the city, only stopping when the army marches in or out.'
'What is the state of the city, and where do our armies stand?' he asked.
Kardian replied. The western city is ours, though it is very far from these gates. For now those people are safe, for I drove Nerria of Marin out of the city bleeding and weeping. Daryas did much the same to Amlaman in the east.'
'The men of Noras and the warriors of Dadron together did this, my lord,' Daryas said humbly.
'That leaves them in the middle of the city,' Akellnarva said, 'and they have control of the gates.'
'I do not doubt that they have already destroyed them utterly,' Rahdmus said, 'Dadron will never again shut those gates.'
When he had spoken those fateful sounding words every ear was given over to him. But he laughed, saying, 'I'm sorry. It is true that those gates will never shut again, but I did not say that Dadron was lost. Quite the contrary, this is precisely the situation I had hoped would come about.'
'You wished for this war?' Kardian said, rising from his seat with great anger.
'You are very weary, captain,' Rahdmus said calmly, regaining his composure. 'It is true that this war and all its bloodletting and death has been decreed from the beginning; it has been fated one might say, and none of us can change it.'
'Then what do we fight for, if all is lost and there is no hope?' Daryas said with despair in his voice.
'We fight, or I should say, you fight, that less blood may be spilled than would be otherwise. To that end I say this, and I say it with eyes that have looked beyond death, tomorrow will be a day of great advantage for us. We must use it to contain the armies of Marin, but we must not use it to exterminate them, nor should we seek to drive them from the city, though that will seem to be within our grasp.'
'What shall we do, then?' Faradern scoffed, 'invite yet more men into the city?'
'No, you shall invite more women into the city,' Rahdmus said with a hint of a grin. 'If a man of Amlaman sets foot within these walls, drive him out or cut him down by all means. But the hirelings of Olgrost and the soldiers of Marin you shall not kill if it is not necessary.'
'What madness is this?' Akellnarva thundered, 'Has the Queen of that warrior-band lined your pockets with gold and your tongue with silver? What chance have we, if we take your council?'
'Who would have imagined,' Rahdmus said, 'that Dadron would survive the assault of Xanthur? What happens is often the most improbable thing, and such, I say, will be the case in the next few days, IF the men of Dadron remember mercy when they march out to war. Fight not harder than you must.'
'How then can we hope to live?' Kardian asked.
'How? By realizing that it is a miracle every time you draw breath, and that your own power cannot guarantee the next. What, but folly, could possibly have convinced you that you have more power over your enemies than you do your own next breath?'
Lord Akellnarva sighed, 'What are we to make of your words, Lord Daruvis? You have betrayed this city before, by your own confession. For that alone we ought rather to put you in chains than set your words before our ears in council. What sign can you give us, that we might believe your words?'
Are my scars not a sufficient sign?'
'I do not know,' Akellnarva said with a sigh, 'but that your scars themselves might be a ruse, or that perhaps you were saved by some cunning physician.'
'A cunning physician? So cunning that the severed heart and broken neck can be restored as new?'
'It is hard to believe, I confess, but it is at least easier to believe than your claim that this hidden God, long forgotten by mortal and immortal alike, should suddenly take thought of man.'
'As I said, sometimes the most improbable thing is the truth. For were it not so, we would call the improbable impossible. Be that as it may, there are many things men deem impossible that are mere trifles to greater powers.'
'What is the cost, Master of Confusion? What will become of us if we obey not your words?' Lord Faradern demanded.
'Many lives hang upon a thread, and what you choose here this day will determine the fates of many.'
'Now you contradict yourself, master elf,' Faradern laughed with hatred in his eyes, 'For a moment ago it seemed as though we had no power whatsoever to win or to lose. But now the fates of so many souls rest upon us.'
'To one who is accustomed to looking at appearances only, so it shall always seem,' Rahdmus said. 'When you shoot an arrow, master Faradern, are you at liberty to recall it at any moment?'
'Certainly not,' he replied.
'But are you not at liberty to shoot or to abstain?'
'Indeed,' was his answer.
'Then would it not be so, that the flight of the arrow, though unchangeable, is determined entirely by your own will? And why should it not be so with your whole life? Perhaps it is true that each moment is determined, but why cannot the whole life be free? What I have said is a paradox only to those who do not understand their true nature. But if you give the matter some deeper reflection-'
Faradern pounded the table. Lord Akkelnarva rose from his seat and lifted his hands to calm his captains. 'We have not come here to listen to the philosophies of the south. This is a war council. Faradern, control yourself! Lord Rahdmus, we have not the time nor the patience for speculation!
Lord Rahdmus sighed. 'If you will not hear my reasoning, then I cannot make you. But at the very least hear my conclusion - which is also the testimony of heaven. Know this as you march to war: That the blood you spill in battle is your own blood, and the men you trample beneath hoofed feet are your own brothers, connected to you in time in the same manner in which your own limbs are connected to you in space. Mankind is one; and if you take it upon yourself to judge them, and execute them as well, know that you execute your own soul, and condemn your own soul.'
Faradern broke into laughter and Lord Kardian shook his head. Lord Akkelnarva sighed, looking at the table with great distress. 'Is this the doctrine of the south?'
'It is the doctrine of all those who have looked within themselves honestly,' Rahdmus replied.
'I suppose you will have us all lay down our swords, even as you have,' Faradern scoffed.
'N
ay,' Rahdmus said, 'There is a time for the sword; and this creature - mankind, of which we are all but a small portion, at times may have need of the surgeon's keen blade. But do not doubt it, Faradern, that the men you slay on the morrow are as much a part of yourself as the hand that wields your blade.'
The whole room grew silent, and there were none who knew what to say.
Finally, Rahdmus sighed and lowered his head, 'This is my council,' he said at last, 'save what life you may, be it of Marin, of Dadron or even of Amlaman. I do not pretend that this is wise council for a warrior, who must, at all costs, carry the day. And I cannot blame you if you turn from my council. It is my doom, I perceive, to lie and be believed; and to speak the truth to incredulous ears.'
Faradern sat silent with a look of great frustration and confusion on his face. Lord Akellnarva sat up straight in his seat and sighed. 'Lord Daruvis, I have already ordered that no further sacrifice be made to Dadron's ancient protector, even that Lord Pelas who we have so long trusted. What more would you have of me regarding the religion of those southern mountain men, those Nihlion? Would we sacrifice all our young men and all our women for it?
'Were that the will of God, that your enemies triumph over Dadron, then it would be folly to fight at all, for we could not hope to win. What I am telling you is this: The war in which you are embroiled was not begun by Marin to destroy Dadron, though the Queen of the East certainly believes it to be so, nor was it to gain the hidden power of the elves that led the King of Amlaman to fix his greed upon this city, though that was ever on my mind. This war has been in the making since the old world perished, and it is not against the people of Dadron that it is being waged. It is to bring about the judgment of the gods of Weldera that these battles are raging. The people of Dadron are caught in the web of that grand story, and the result of their long service to Pelas is not yet passed, but it was never to destroy them that these things have come to be. Therefore, heed my words and save what life you may, whether of Marin or of Dadron. The end of this strife has been fixed from the beginning, but the means are many and while the fight lasts there are ways in which the end may be made less sorrowful.'
'What of Amlaman?' Kardian asked, 'shall we save the servants of Agon too? Since we are, after all, discarding all the old religions and laying down our swords at our enemies' feet.'
'The only one of us that will lay down the sword is myself, for I am not permitted to touch them. You will have nothing to fear from the men of Amlaman, however. It has come into your hands, men of Dadron, to save the lives of many or to let them fall, heedless, into the great wheel of destruction that was set in motion in the ancient world, but which is only coming around at last in our age.
'If it is the will of that southern god,' Faradern replied, 'that Pelas be removed and overthrown, why does this god not do it in a puff of wind, as the stories say the gods made the world? Does he not have the power?'
'Who can say what the reasons are for the choices of God? It is only he who sees all ends that can judge. Man sees only a few, if he is diligent in searching, and if he is granted the grace. We cannot sit in judgment against that which we can scarcely imagine.'
'The hour has grown late,' Akellnarva said with a sigh, 'and I have grown weary of this talk of religion. My thoughts are turned against your counsel, Lord Daruvis, for my heart sinks at the thought of neglecting the defenses of this city. If the fates will have it, we will drive our enemies from Dusktown on the morrow. If not, then we will close the gates and set ourselves behind the walls yet again.'
'I say to you,' Rahdmus said with great disappointment, 'that whatever your choice, the siege will not last more than another week. Have hope, and prepare your hearts for an age of peace.'
The Second Battle
The fields of Agalan and the outer city of Dadron were now teeming with the hosts of Amlaman and Marin. The men were set in lines, preparing to enter the city. But as the morning dawned, the army of Natham found that it was surrounded on every side. At that hour Lord Akellnarva gave the command, 'Go, and retake the city if the gods smile upon us. Drive the devil from our land, and show no mercy upon them, for they are all our foes.' From that hour, he refused to meet any more with Rahdmus, and spoke no more with him until the war had ended.
The battle began when the armies of Captain Kardian and of Daryas struck the army of Natham from the northwest and northeast respectively. Their onset was sudden, and their fury was full. Natham's men faltered and they began to remove themselves from the center of the city. Faradern, in the Lord of the city's stead, led a great host of cavalry from the north, so that the army of Natham was surrounded and forced to draw back. From dawn until the late afternoon the battle raged, the people of Amlaman and Marin pouring in through the gate, and the people of Dadron trying to force them back out. When the sun was high in the sky, Daryas once again came upon the monster Natham. At the sight of him, Arakai charged and slew the men that stood around him. Daryas, in anger, turned to him and raised his sword. 'Who are you, that you dare come against the son of Biron?' he demanded, with a glimmer of green fire burning within him.
'I am Arakai, and even as I have made an end of your men I will make an end of you.'
'So much confidence! And so much hatred do I hear in your voice,' Daryas replied. 'For what? Is it not you who have assaulted this peaceful city? Is it not Marin that has slain so many innocents?'
'Dadron is never innocent,' Arakai replied. 'Her history is naught but a bloody rage against mankind.'
'Rage?' Daryas laughed, 'Do the stones rage against mankind? Do the dead?'
'It is not for her past sins alone that this city must be undone, but for her present injuries.'
'What has Dadron done to Marin?' Daryas asked with a laugh.
With that they came against one another and fought. Arakai swung his axe down at Daryas, but the sword of Pelas severed the handle and sent the axe-head flying past his head. He swung at Arakai, but he stepped back just in time to escape the slash. Arakai, still stepping away, drew his blade from his side. They fell to fighting again, and for some time it seemed as though neither of them would have the victory. But as they fought Daryas noticed a place in the man's armor that was in disrepair. There was a place near his shoulder where his chain armor was rent and his flesh exposed. When Arakai swung again, Daryas stepped aside and stabbed his blade into his opponent's shoulder, drawing red blood from the wound. Arakai fell to his knees, but still he meant to fight on. At that instant, Daryas hesitated, remembering the words of Rahdmus. But Lutrosis overcame him, and in a fit of laughter he severed his enemy's arm from his body. Arakai fell down to the earth in agony. The deep, cruel laughter of Lutrosis rose up within Daryas and he left the man in his agony.
When word of this reached the ears of Natham, he fell into a great rage. He tore through the men of Noras and came against Daryas, saying, 'It was not enough for you to dishonor the daughters of Marin, you must add to this the torment of her noblest sons?'
'Torment?' Daryas laughed. 'All war is torment, and you are a master of it!'
The spear of Natham was thrust at him with great speed, but he managed to step aside. Then they fell once again to single combat, those around them not daring to interfere. Daryas took a swing at Natham, but Admunth was ever a wall against his blows. Wherever Natham swung and however he attempted to take his enemy into his grasp, Daryas eluded him. 'It is not but by luck that you evade me,' Natham roared with frustration.
But in the end, Daryas wearied, and Natham's spear caught his cloak and pinned him to the ground. But even as the monster came upon him there was heard the sound of a horse's gallop. With a great whinny, Novai appeared and kicked against Admunth with his hooves. No other horse would have had the strength to move him, but Novai knocked him back nearly six feet. A man dropped down from atop the horse and cut Daryas' cloak, freeing him from the monster's spear. 'Come!' he shouted, and he helped the winded son of Biron climb onto the horse's back. They rode away in a flash and nothing co
uld stand in the way of that mighty horse.
'Revere!?' Daryas said with great surprise. 'I thought you were not fit for battles.'
'I said I was not fit for fighting in battles, but I am not altogether without use.'
'I am glad that you came when you did.'
'I was sent by Rahdmus,' Revere said, 'he seemed to have some ill feeling about today.
'In that he was right,' Daryas said, 'And I shouldn't wonder that he had such a feeling, since all we have done has been in opposition to his counsel. What a price I nearly paid for it. I am sure that the monster will not rest until I am dead.'
'It is said,' Revere told him as they rode back toward the upper gates, 'that he sought the blood of Olver on account of a woman.'
'A woman?' Daryas said with great surprise. 'What do you mean? Wait,' Daryas interrupted himself, 'First tell me how on earth you might know such a thing.'
'Looking to make myself useful somehow, I went to help order those who fled from Dusktown. Among them I discovered no small number of refugees, some of them even from Fahsro, which was the last of Daevaron's strongholds to fall into Marin's hands. The monster rages, they say, because he seeks the love of a woman, and because that woman was taken captive into Dadron.'
'Is this true?' Daryas asked with great amazement.
'Who can tell,' Revere said. 'But the monster sought Olver Galvahirne by name, and it is impossible that Olver can be guilty of such a thing. First, because he was in no position to do so, ever since the fall of your father's house. Secondly, he was a man of honor, and would not dare commit such a heinous crime; he is certainly wise enough not to steal a woman from the land of Marin!'
'Indeed,' Daryas agreed, 'But what does all of this mean?'
'It means that the monster has been deceived, and that he fights for a lie.'
At that moment the words of Lutrosis returned to Daryas' mind, "When you draw your blade in battle, when you spill the innocent blood of your foes, you will be fighting for my sake." Then his imagination brought before his mind all those he had slain with his sword, and the warrior Arakai, who he had maimed and left for dead in the lower city. His heart sunk; he knew that it was Lutrosis that now ruled over his every move, yet he could not excuse himself for all that had been done. 'Tomorrow, at least,' he thought to himself, 'I will not fight for the devil's pleasure, but only for the sake of those who might be saved from this slaughter.'