The Raven Lord | Book I

XXIX. The End Pt. II

The world moved in slow motion. 

Mouths opened wide as hands stretched toward the sky, swords glinting in the hazy dawn, as they cried out in victory we had not yet earned. The Whispers were a flash of flesh and teeth as beast met beast on the battlefield. My heart raced as adrenaline pumped through me, and my voice soon joined the others, Venatrix raised above my head. 

"Hold!" Lex shouted, his voice carrying through the numbers. Moments later, he cried out, "Shields!",  and a melodic clicking echoed across the field as shields locked into place on the front lines. 

Silas let out an amused chuckle to my left. "Get ready, Kaira dear." I looked up and found him grinning fiendishly. "All hell is about to break loose."

As the words left his lips, Lex could be seen at the front lines astride a black mare, his sword raised above his head. Saskia rode close behind. "For Aurus!"  he cried. "For our people!"

The troops matched his call as the first drops of rain fell from the sky; a steady drum beat to our battle cry. 

"Attack!"

The command rippled through the ranks, and before it had finished spreading, we were running, riding, flying toward the beasts that shrieked and taunted and cried: it was a rally to shake the earth.

The moment the front lines collided with the army of the Isles, screams and snaps and yells rang out. It was a familiar sound, one that I knew too well. But when one of our troops went down, a Whisper was there, paving the way clear. We worked like this: push forward while the Whispers paved the way. 

I had almost forgotten about the beasts in the sky. Almost. 

I shouted in surprise as a winged creature swooped down and grasped a Whisper by its pinchers, flying the beast up, up, up, all the while it shrieked and clawed at the creature holding it captive. High above, the creature dropped the Whisper. It fell from the sky, screaming a brutal, ancient cry, before it shattered upon the ground.

The troops stilled.

"Look to the sky!" I shouted. "Shoot them down! Shoot them down!" 

Silas turned to the archers of the left flank and repeated my order, all drawing their bows and knocking flaming arrows. 

Another Whisper was picked up and dropped to its death. Then another to my right. 

"Fire! Fire now!" Silas shouted.

Fire rained through the sky, finding its mark in the winged beasts, some barreling towards the ground in burning panic. 

A creature of spindly legs and a long, hound-like snout barreled through the numbers, its maw dripping scarlet. Venatrix was raised and poised before me as the creature's eyes marked me as its target. 

Stepping aside, I arched my sword down, hardly nicking the thick hide of the beast. In a flash of steel, Silas shot his blade into the rotting thing's neck, a flow of black blood staining his silver breastplate. 

"Agh..." he said disgustedly, wiping blood from his cheek as the beast fell to the ground. "That...might not come out."

I rolled my eyes and turned to the battle raging ahead. More Whispers were being cornered and torn to shreds, their cries fading into the victory shouts of the army of beasts. 

Our ranks were being divided, and quickly. Several Stygian rose to the skies on wings of smoke and shadow, charging into the ranks that swarmed above, trying desperately  to help our newfound allies who dropped like rain from the sky.