A Hollow Mountain (The Brightest Shadow Book 2), page 64
Though she should have given command or comfort, Celivia instead choked on light. She could feel the Hero's presence, a burning wall of flame approaching the battlefield. Whether it was Melal or another human, she could not be sure, but it didn't matter.
The initial ambush broke apart the flank's discipline and they shattered as raiders began to run from the west. Strangely, not only did Celivia spot several different clans, she saw northern errants as well, all fighting together. That could only be the Hero's work.
With the flank broken, Celivia's band was part of the next line. They came together quickly enough, forming a shield wall with the other bands of their company. Though her heart pumped slow and heavy, preparing her for battle, Celivia instead mired in thickening air, behind her own lines. The soldiers and raiders clashing together looked slow to her, attempting to kill each other with agonizing leisure as she waited.
From the corner of her eye, Celivia spotted someone cutting through the morass. A Stormpeak man, blue across his face and dyeing his beard, leapt to the top of a tree, faster than she could move. When she looked at him deeper, Celivia saw his sein as a white hot campfire. He faced the forces below, gathered his strength, and opened his mouth in a shout...
From it emerged a bolt of lightning.
After everything else had gone so slowly, the lightning instantly burned into existence, forks of white-hot fire stabbing through all sides. Mansthein and raiders alike were charred by the blast and many more fell to the ground with the crack of thunder that followed.
"Stand firm!" Celivia shouted at her band, pulling Big Ragh back to his feet. "Someone else will intercept him!"
She realized that none of them could hear her, deafened by the thunder. Instead of yelling further, she merely helped them regain their formation, her eyes fixed on the Stormpeak warrior. Though he opened his mouth again, as she'd suspected, one of Kreue's top warriors leapt at him and the two spun away into personal combat, leaping from tree to tree above the others.
The lines to their left abruptly collapsed and raiders swarmed among them. Celivia finally allowed herself to draw her weapons, her whip severing the sword arm of one human while her knife held off another. They were weak compared to the raiders' strongest and she whirled death around her, cutting down those who came close until at last she had a moment to breathe.
No sooner had she earned it than she heard the now familiar cry of a Bersk seinrage. They struck out from the back of the army, briefly devastating the Hero's lines and even forcing back the Stormpeak raiders.
Then there was no more time to think, because the errants arrived as a wall of steel. Celivia's whip struck uselessly off the shield of one, but she swept his armored leg while the errant was off balance, sending him sliding down the side of the hill.
Behind her, a massive errant loomed over her band's shields, ignoring their futile stabbing attempts and reaching down to wrench away first one shield, then another. Celivia leapt at him, striking his chest with all her momentum.
He went down, but even as he fell, his war hammer struck her in the side. She barely managed to raise her arm in the way and it still sent her skidding across the rocks.
Though she leapt up, ready to do battle with the heavily armored errant, the battlefield had already changed. There were more errants, but also more mansthein reinforcements blocking them. Raiders appeared to be caught between the two, confused and dying against the mansthein line of spears. Yet there was something wrong...
All at once, Celivia realized what it was. The errants with the Hero had worn armor in unfamiliar styles that must be native to Espal and Portant, yet this new group of errants wore bulky Wahleenese armor. They were no allies to the raiders, either, which meant that another force had entered the battlefield.
"Rei!" Celivia screamed across the battlefield, trying to find her friend. Despite the tumult, Reina heard her, turning with both her cleavers covered in blood. She rushed closer in a whirlwind, dispatching two raiders that threatened her band in the process.
"What?" Even closer, Reina still needed to shout over the clamor. "I need to help the Bersk!"
"You need to call them back! They'll die if they go any deeper!" Celivia pointed forward where the Bersk first clashed with the new group of errants. Their rush of violence collapsed against the heavy Wahleenese armor, reinforced by enough sein that even the Bersk seinrage was not immediately lethal. Without that initial shock, they would soon be cut down.
"I..." Reina shook her head violently. "The commanders ordered that charge. They wanted the Bersk to spend themselves in this battle."
"They'll be wasted. Isn't there anything you can do?"
"This might be a mistake, but... thank you, Celivia." Her friend gave her one last smile, then threw herself back across the battle. As she went, she let out a scream and sped up, slicing through the enemy lines to intercept the other Bersk.
Though Celivia had little time to watch, needing to support her band against a particularly resilient raider, she caught glimpses. Reina no longer clapped to bring the Bersk back to themselves, she screamed directly in their faces. Yet her cry seemed to overwhelm theirs, and they began to sweep away into the Hero's forces instead of fighting the errants.
The battle had fractured into multiple fronts, everyone driven mad by the blinding light despite the heavy clouds overhead. Celivia struggled to breathe, to break the chaos around her down into pieces that she could understand. Mansthein, Stormpeaks, Wahleenese errants, the Hero's forces...
And now a new body of raiders emerging over the rise. Nearly all of them wore skulls over their faces: animal, human, and mansthein. As they let out a cry and fell upon the battle, Celivia understood.
After so long holding back, the Skullcrusher clan had joined the war.
~ ~ ~
Mohuno cursed as his sword struggled to leave the body of another mansthein. In single combat he could strike cleanly, but in the chaos of battle their corpses kept trapping his weapon. He might have been taken from the side by another attacking warrior, but Slaten intercepted with that lethal thrust of his.
Just when he thought the battle could not grow any more chaotic, he saw the Skullcrusher clan arrive with a bloodthirsty shout.
They had a fearsome reputation, and their men certainly sprinted toward the battle at a fast pace. His plans to quietly withdraw the Steelbones from the battle to let the Bloodskins take the brunt of it looked increasingly naive. He had known that war would be more intense than raiding, but it had exceeded his expectations.
Some of the mansthein split off to face the Skullcrushers, but others still advanced on them. Mohuno knew that he should not allow himself to be so distracted, yet he struggled to take in the entire battle. Only Tani throwing and retrieving her knives kept his attackers at bay. Together the three of them were a formidable team, but not against what they faced.
It seemed that the Skullcrusher clan would primarily strike the mansthein army, splitting their forces yet again. If they did, that would be good for them, and Mohuno began to consider possible routes for a controlled retreat.
Then he realized that a single man stood between the Skullcrushers and the mansthein lines. This man demanded to be called Deathspawn, his body chiseled from stone with no blood at all, yet his presence knocked Mohuno back a step. It could only be Zeitai Kreue.
As his enemy approached, the Zeitai lifted a pike and a long maul, wielding each with a single hand. When the first of the Skullcrushers reached him, he simply swung the maul and several of them flew backward. He began to advance directly into the charge, swinging both weapons in wide arcs that barely even slowed when they struck bodies. So many Skullcrushers hurtled back into their companions that the Zeitai seemed to cast a wave of violence from him that stopped the charge single-handedly.
Even Tani and Slaten watched now. Though he could hear fighting in the distance, Mohuno realized that most of those nearby could not help but stare. The power on display was so monstrous...
And yet not all were afraid. Another bolt of lightning crackled over the battlefield, targeting the Zeitai and only incidentally slaying raiders. The blue-bearded Stormpeak man began to advance, bloodied but grinning. Across from him, the Zeitai emerged unharmed, swinging his weapons back into position as if preparing for a real fight.
Just when Mohuno thought he could not be any more astonished, he realized that someone was standing in the sky above.
No, not standing. A slender armored figure seemed to hang in the clouds only because the man had leapt so impossibly high. The errant had simply jumped over the entire battlefield as if to face the Zeitai, and Mohuno realized that he was not the only one who noticed. With another grin, the Stormpeak warrior spat lightning skyward to intercept the soaring errant.
Yet the armored figure dropped from the sky, not as the lightning struck, but an instant before. He slammed to the ground amid the Skullcrushers, the impact alone scattering more bodies.
Mohuno took a deep, shuddering breath as he realized that the Skullcrusher clan had essentially been wiped out in heartbeats. Only because they stood between those three warriors who towered so high above all others. He had never felt so small as in that moment.
Then a cloak swept in front of him and suddenly Slaten was furiously fighting a mansthein in front of them. Clawing his way back to relevance, Mohuno raised his sword, but he was too late. Tani struck the warrior attacking Slaten and sent her knives sweeping out at several others, earning them a brief space to think.
"Stay with us, Mohuno." She shot him a grim glance, and somehow that did more to bring him back to himself than everything else. He nodded and forced himself to grip his sword properly.
"We need to pull back. The only winners of this battle will be those who do not fight."
Though Tani nodded in agreement, Slaten gestured past their main lines, where the group Melal had sent in the first charge had been surrounded. Mohuno started to step toward it but immediately knew that it was hopeless. In the chaos, the Bloodskins ignored enemy errants, unable to tell the difference, and were cut down. Some even fell into a frenzy and attacked other raiders.
At the heart of the brawl Hogowo lashed out with his fists, but he was covered in blood. Even as Mohuno watched, he heard a scream and saw a rabid charge of smaller Deathspawn swarm over the group, hacking them to pieces.
"He's right," Tani said. "We need to save everyone we can and retreat."
Just as they began to do so, Mohuno saw a bright sword shine over the battlefield. When the Hero called for a charge, he heard it in his soul.
~ ~ ~
Though Tani might have called the charge courageous, as she watched the warriors stream after Melal, she realized that was wrong. Courage was forged despite fear, while the light in their eyes denied that fear existed.
It was madness. The masters on the battlefield fought as only the Four Winds might, threatening everyone near them by their presence alone. Bolts of lightning deflected into the crowds and boulders were dislodged like mere pebbles as they fought. Melal might not be leading the charge directly against the Zeitai, but taking anyone near the heart of the violence was suicidal.
She should have remained with Slaten and Mohuno, supported by their strength. Yet as Melal gathered the others around him, she saw an old man she recognized. Cantyan's helmet had been knocked from his head and his white hair was stained by blood, yet the light in his eyes...
Her only hope was to stop him before it began. Melal gathered his forces atop another hill, so she just might be able to reach him in time. Yet as she started to run, Mohuno and Slaten immediately kept pace with her.
"What are you doing?" Mohuno reached out to grab her arm and only just held back.
"Everyone who joins him will die!" Tani thrust a hand out to the glowing warriors of light. "Cantyan... he doesn't deserve this..."
Mohuno stared in disbelief. "You're going to risk your life for one old man who wants to throw his life away?"
"I have to try!"
Even Slaten appeared skeptical, but he remained beside her. Mohuno's frustration dissolved as he stared at the heroic light before them, then he stumbled to a halt. She saw him begin to turn back, clenching his fists as he tried not to be drawn in...
Thunder shattered her world and Tani regained awareness crashing into a hill. The strike must not have reached her, because she was untouched, but she saw warriors scattered all around her. Ears ringing, she pulled herself to her feet looking for her allies, only to find no one.
Except for Cantyan, beginning to join the Hero as they rushed into battle. Tani ran and tackled him before the charge began. To her surprise, he struggled against her as if she were an enemy, throwing her back as he staggered to his feet. She hooked the back of his leg and brought him back down.
"What are you doing, girl?" His eyes were filled not with light, but pain. "This is why I'm here! This is all the purpose I have left!"
"That isn't true." Yet though Tani said the words, she wasn't sure if she believed them. As the Hero began to charge, the old man wept.
~ ~ ~
As soon as masters had begun stepping onto the battlefield, Celivia had ordered all mansthein near her to retreat. Many were not even part of her band, yet they obeyed her. Judging from the fear in their eyes, they might have fled without any command at all.
Yet in searching for stragglers, she had become separated from the mansthein lines. A raider rushed her from one side, and though her knife to his chest barely slowed him, she used it to hurl him into another enemy. The next moment an errant struck at her from behind and she barely ducked out of the way.
Celivia spun, lashing out with her whip. It curled around the errant's leg, but she realized the next moment that she had made a mistake. The blades of her whip could not penetrate the armor, and the errant could well be stronger than her. She should have released her whip, but the errant moved their leg so swiftly that Celivia found herself stumbling toward them.
Ghalia swept from the side, her axe connecting with the errant's breastplate. Even her great strength could not cut through the metal, but the impact knocked them from their feet. Ghalia swung overhead and this time blunted her sein, the blow crumpling the errant's breastplate. Man or woman, they were dead.
"We need to get back." Ghalia grabbed her and started to pull her away. "Kreue is no Xetsu, but he's still a Zeitai. The best we can do is step out of his way."
Though Ghalia spoke sense, Celivia found herself staring at the battlefield despite all logic. She had seen a Stormpeak warrior earlier, yet now there was no sign of him. Instead the Steelmaster faced Kreue alone, neither warrior apparently touched by the battle that had torn apart the ground between them. When Ghalia pulled her to a ridge, they dropped behind it for safety.
"Why is Wahleen interfering with our battle?" Kreue slammed the butts of both his weapons down against the ground. "This has naught to do with you."
"You wage war along our border, send raiders spilling into the desert, and undo the balance." The errant spoke with a woman's voice, surprisingly deep for the slender frame. "The council has determined that you are a Steelmaster going into battle against those ranks below you. It is only right that you be balanced by your equal."
"Your laws are nothing to me!" Though Kreue shouted, he didn't strike down his opponent as he would have anyone else. "Do you want us to wage war on Wahleen next?"
"If you withdraw, we will retreat as well. Not only myself, but all of our soldiers."
"Fools! Why are you defending the Sage?"
"It is the council's decision." The errant raised both fists and struck them together, beginning to step forward. "I only execute their will."
"Then they have sent you to die!"
The two clashed, nearly as swift as the battle between Xetsu and the Master of the Red Sun. This time, it ended abruptly with the human ejected from the flurry. She plowed through the earth, but her armor had not buckled and she rose to her feet even before she stopped sliding.
And somehow a man stood behind Kreue with a war scythe at his throat.
It had been years since Celivia had been so baffled. She was accustomed to seeing warriors move at incredible speeds. Arts that hid a warrior from sight were rare, but far from impossible. There had been no rush of wind as with voidwalking. The man simply existed where there had been no one before.
"And who are you?" Though Kreue sneered, he also stood very still, keeping his neck away from the scythe's blade.
"I am the Benighted Fool of Espal. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The thin man looked nothing like an errant, wearing a purple cloak with many tails instead of armor. He was thin and clean-shaven where most northern men were muscular and bearded. Something about his smile...
"This is not your fight!" The Wahleenese errant took a step forward, gauntlets balling into fists. "The scales are balanced, one Steelmaster to another!"
"Balance is overrated. You errants have always needed someone to remind you of that."
"Enough!" Kreue swung the back end of his maul at the man behind him in a blow that would have taken many. The Benighted Fool's body contorted impossibly so that he flowed around it like water, dancing to the side as Kreue moved and keeping his scythe at the Zeitai's neck.
After the fierce movement, nothing had changed. Kreue grimaced and lowered his weapons again. "You want us to withdraw and allow our lessers to fight this battle? Is that your demand?"
"If you do," the slim errant said, "the council of Wahleen will agree to new negotiations."
The Fool raised his eyebrows. "My, my, that is quite a tale to bring back home..."
"Silence!"
"Yes," Kreue agreed, "you talk too much. Try to cut my throat or stop posturing."
"If you insist." The Fool withdrew with a laugh, spinning his war scythe over his head and then behind his back. "But there is another weapon at your throat: it is said that the Sage is defended by a man named Aganomu, the greatest warrior the Sotunn raiders have ever produced. Even the greatest in Espal acknowledge him as a Steelmaster. How confident are you, Zeitai?"
