The king rode up, face hard, with sword in hand. “I'd ask you to halt here and allow my men to pass.”
Kaylia opened her mouth to protest, but Selena held out her hand and bowed to signal her compliance. She and the others made their way to the cliff-face, so that the army could pass. Nearly half the Althetans had entered the passage when a low horn blast sounded in the distance. Not from the temple, but from the north, behind the human lines. Another blast rang out.
“What is that?” asked Selena.
Linis drew his weapon. “I believe we are flanked, high lady.”
Orders were shouted by commanders as the army slowly turned. Another horn echoed against the cliffs, followed by a low rumble. Kaylia, Linis, and the Valsharan guard stepped in front of Selena. The rumble grew to the roar of hundreds of frenzied voices. The king rode up, fury in his eyes.
“We were out-maneuvered,” yelled the king. “Linis. Inform Theopolou.”
Linis nodded and pushed his way through the soldiers into the narrow passage. Althetans were still trying to turn and exit. Linis had to knock several to the ground to get through. Once he cleared the lines, he ran full speed to the elves who were less than a quarter mile ahead. He grabbed the first elf he reached and ordered him to relate to Theopolou what had happened, then raced back to Selena and Kaylia. By the time he reached them he could hear that the battle had begun.
The king was shouting orders and waving his sword wildly. He tried to spur his horse forward, but a dozen men surrounded him, and wouldn't allow him to move. Selena was still against the cliff face clinging to Kaylia's sleeve.
“Are you all right?” asked Linis.
Selena nodded. “I'm-“
The hairs on the back of Linis' neck stood up. He spun around to see the sky was streaked with incoming arrows. The guards raised their small round shields and pushed back, hiding Selena and Kaylia. Kaylia squirmed and struggled, but Selena tightened her grip. Linis backed away. There was no room and he carried no shield. The air filled with high pitched whines, and dozens of loud thuds and cracks as the arrows sank into the ground and smashed into shields. Linis moved, barely in time to avoid being skewered. One guard fell screaming, the shaft of a black feathered arrow protruding from the top of his shoulder. Two guards reached down and pulled the man to the rock facing. Selena bent down and immediately began tending his wound, but a knight dragged her back to her feet.
“How dare you!” she shouted.
“We will see to him,” said the knight. “You stay behind us.” But as she looked down she realized it would be useless. The guard was slumped over, eyes closed, with a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. The arrow had pierced his lung. There was no hope.
Linis could see that the Althetans were being forced back, though he could still not see the enemy. A tall soldier ran up, his breast plate covered in blood.
“High lady,” said the soldier, trying to catch his breath. “The king commands that you retreat into the passage. We are out matched, and I fear our line may soon collapse.”
“How many are there?” asked Linis.
“Nearly a thousand,” he replied. “They came from nowhere. We were only just able to form ranks when they reached our lines. They fight like men possessed.”
“Hold fast,” said Linis. “I've sent word to Theopolou. Help is coming”
No sooner had the words left his mouth when dozens of elves came pouring out of the passage, weapons drawn.
“What is your name, soldier?” asked Linis.
“Mitchis,” he replied.
“Come with me,” he ordered, then turned to Selena. “As soon as the elves clear the passage, you and Kaylia go inside.” Without waiting for an answer, he and Mitchis ran to meet the elf warriors.
Bellisia’s was the first face Linis recognized. In each hand she wielded a thin, short-sword. When she saw Linis approach she rushed to meet him.
“What has happened?” she asked, urgently.
Linis nodded to Mitchis, who explained the attack.
“Our left flank is nearly gone. If it collapses, we are undone,” said Mitchis.
“Go and tell them help is on the way,” said Bellisia. She pointed the sword in her left hand to an elf bearing the symbol of her tribe on his leather armor, carrying a longbow. He nodded with understanding and shouted for the other archers to form a line. Bellisia reached in her belt, pulled out a small silver horn, and blew. The high-pitched sound pierced the air like the cry of an eagle.
“The humans need us to reinforce their left flank.” Her voice rose above the sound of the battle. “It is time to prove our worth.” She pulled three elves aside. “See that the king is unharmed. Get him to pull back to the wall if you can.” They bowed quickly and obeyed. Lousis was atop his horse urging his men forward, and his personal guard was still struggling to keep him from riding to the front line.
Bellisia and Linis raced to catch up with the others. As Mitchis had said, the left flank was nearly demolished. Warriors, in black mail with the symbol of broken scales in bright red across their chest, were starting to push through. The bodies of the dead and dying littered the ground. The elves cut a path through the advance, and quickly the enemy panicked and fell back. The Althetan soldiers began to pursue, but their commanders wisely called them back and reformed the lines.
Linis looked to his right. The elves had arrived just in time to prevent them from crushing the Althetan center. They met Angraalwith fury as the clang and clatter of steel sang its deadly song.
For nearly an hour the battle raged as more elf reinforcements arrived. On three separate occasions, it looked as if the Althetan center would break, but they managed to hold long enough for more elf support to arrive and push the Angraalsoldiers back. Linis had slain at least a dozen men, and Bellisia just as many. Linis was impressed with her fighting skill and smiled every time he caught sight of her.
By mid-morning the Angraalforces were routed and in full retreat, with the men of Althetas on their heels. Nearly half of the elf force had come out of the passage to aid in the battle. Hundreds had died. The king had injured his right leg when his horse reared, throwing him from the saddle, during the final surge forward. His personal guard had pulled him to the cliffs beside Selena and Kaylia.
Bellisia was cleaning her sword on the tunic of a dead enemy soldier when Linis approached.
“You fight well,” he remarked. “As well as any seeker.”
Bellisia smiled, looking prideful. “My father was a seeker. He trained me until I came of age and chose the life of a scholar and healer.” Her smile vanished and she cast her gaze on the battlefield. “A skill I believe we need at this moment.”
Theopolou appeared from the passage with half a dozen elves. Linis waved his arm in greeting and went to meet him. Bellisia walked beside him.
“What are your losses?” asked Theopolou.
“I cannot say,” replied Bellisia. “Substantial, I would think. The enemy was well-prepared.”
Theopolou led them to where the king was being tended. Lousis smiled as they approached and sat up straight.
“Are you badly injured?” asked Theopolou.
“No.” The king looked at his leg with disgust. “But my fighting is done for now. Were your elves assaulted in the passage?”
Theopolou shook his head. “No. I believe they counted on breaking through and assaulting our rear.”
“If you hadn't sent your elves, they would have,” said Lousis. “I mourn the loss of those who died in our defense.”
Theopolou bowed. “As I mourn the loss of your soldiers. They died bravely facing overwhelming numbers.”
“What will we do now?” asked Linis.
“We will do what we came here to do,” said Theopolou. Determination burned in his eyes. “Nehrutu and Mohanisi are with the archers and shield bearers, one-thousand yards from the gates. They await my return.” He turned to Linis and placed his hand on the elf's shoulder. “You should know that the bodies of three of your seekers hang from the walls.”