Chapter 47

When Hammer heard that long, drawn-out clarion call that was the horn, that brassy, yet pure, note signalling the attack of the enemy, he dropped the buckets he was carrying and ran back to the barracks to retrieve his sword and shield.

Fuelled by excitement, yet worried about the danger, he snatched up his gear as Rajin came bounding into the room. Some kind of bond meant she seemed to know where he was. They seldom talked, but it felt like they didn't need to. In practice, they had become a team working together as one. If Hammer could see through Rajin's eyes, he would have known that was how she thought of the situation. Two bodies working as one. Filling the gaps in each other's defences,striking together or one defending while the other attacked – sword or claw lashing out while shield blocked or rapid movement distracted. Three or four opponents could not defeat them, unless they were of the old guard, but that was to be expected. Still, a single one of those experienced, battle-forged warriors would still have trouble mock-stabbing them in their combat training.

They were assembling out the front of the barracks and being split into four groups. One would fight for eight hours, two more would relieve them over the twenty four hours of the day. The final group would act as a backup, either running messages, working as reinforcements or supplying those fighting. This was the most difficult job because it was constant hard work and sleep had to be caught in snatches. On the other hand, it was less dangerous as they were farther removed from the fighting. Thus is was made up of the worst warriors. They knew it and resented it. For some reason, the worst were also those who most wanted to be recognised.

Hammer and Rajin were not in that quarter. They were in the first set to fight. Their task, to defend the pushers was important. If they could hold the enemy back now, there was a possibility of closing the gate before it had fully opened. At least, that was how Hammer saw it.

The quarter was made up of primarily of close-combat fighters, but there was a smattering of those who had strange abilities that he considered somewhat magical and fantastic. Some could shoot rays of fire, burning the air to a crisp and striking enemies. Other black shadows could throw what were apparently balls of darkness impressive distances, seeming to negate anything they touched – like an incredibly strong acid that left no residue. These artillery troops were to be at the back, defended by the front lines, while also providing cover for them and watching for any similar things that the enemy would bring against them.

The final type of troop were called skirmishers by the original watchers. They rushed in and out, killing one or two enemies, then retreating to regroup and do the whole thing again. The idea was that they would lose very few soldiers in this group, but they had to be agile.

Hammer was in the section with the heaviest armour; the close-combat fighters. They were geared up with heavy armour. Even Rajin had been fitted with wooden slats that would provide some protection while still allowing her to move freely – it was good to be protected but it was even better to not get hit at all.

They charged down the valley, not well trained enough to march, but as the quarter was split into groups, they managed to maintain their loose formation well enough for each segment to stay together.

They approached the invading enemy, slowing as they lost their breath. Each was identical, and they worked together as if part of a giant body, some insect-like hive mind coordinating them. Each had six legs for movement and two arms, with a body that sat flat above the ground and curled upwards to a tapered head, atop which sat a single eye. A large too-wide mouth sat like a wrinkle at a point that seemed too low on what Hammer assumed was the torso. Thick, stiff hairs hung from all over its body, providing some sort of insulation, or possibly armour.

Hammer attacked.

***

Rajin saw Hammer draw his sword, glowing with the energy of life. He sliced through through the first of the creatures which emitted chaotic, poisonous energies – she would have to do her best to avoid those; they may corrupt her – and the sword glowed brighter, dispelling those chains of argent as simply as waving away silver smoke. The next one swung a powerful limb at Hammer, knocking him to the ground. Rajin jumped at that one, swinging her claws like like daggers, slicing through the thing's hairs like a knife through hot butter. She continued slashing as it reeled, unable to defend against her speed. Then she had cut all the way through it. The entire creature was made of those translucent tubes. Its chaotic energy had stained her hands. She could feel it eating into her. She shoved her hands into the ground, allowing it to seep away.

An inverted black pyramid slammed down into one of the creatures just to her right. She followed the pyramid up and saw it was the tip of an enormous leg of a towering insect. Insect-like thing anyway. It continued forwards, crushing others it encountered, some sort of reaper's blade affixed to the end of arms sprouting from its top scything through invaders.

She saw that silver energy sticking to the thing. Dissolving it slowly. It continued on, even though its legs were quickly shortening. It must have been summoned by one of the hazeshapers, instructed to continue to fight. Her feathers bristled. She would not have fought against her will!

Looking around, she saw there were others of these things, in all different sizes and each having a slightly different configuration of limbs, eyes and body shapes, hundreds of them swarming down upon the aliens. There was no way that these creatures could actually survive or have evolved in this form. They were constructed. Were they doing so badly that the hazeshapers needed to create things to fight?

Looking around, she saw that there was nothing nearby to fight – those enemies nearest had been taken care of already. Hammer was standing now, which was good. They had not been as prepared as she had thought if he could get knocked over so easily.

She pulled her head around to gaze at the gigantic sheet that was the face of the would which faced her. A golden cord was wrapped around it, biting into it sharply, but growing at the same time. She stood transfixed, unable to look away. So much energy!

***

She was preoccupied, wrapping that cord around the intrusion, squeezing it back out. She was powerful, yes, but she couldn't be trusted. She killed him once and she would again.

The cord had thickened into rope, the edges touching. The other hazeshapers had stopped their tasks and were looking in amazement, eyes full of wonder. Torion saw that Rain was fully occupied with the pushing. This was his chance to be rid of her.

The breach had been transmuted to a pillar of gold, infinitely high, but steadily shrinking in width. Where it fell back, the ground was deadened, crackling with a white, reflective light. As it shrunk to a single vertical line, Torion fashioned something of his own. Quickly, he snared Rain and, as the intrusion was pushed out, he pushed on her, sending her through with it.

Light of all colours raced from her body, tearing holes in her skin as it raced towards the wound and into it. He thought he heard her begin to scream but she died in the time it took the signal to travel from brain to mouth.

Horrified, the others turned to him.

He jumped, or tried to. They had already caught him.

Traitor!

Why hadn't he thought this through properly?

Blades of haze lashed at him. He tried to fight them off, but there were too many, and they came from all directions, burning through his shields. He couldn't tunnel out, they help him there. They were killing him.

This time, he knew, he wouldn't make it out of the Lethe.

***

Hammer saw the column wink out, an arc of light flying from the watch tower over to and into the last glimmer of gold. Then there was the sound of a man screaming on the tower. The insect creatures had disappeared with the intrusion, no longer needed, he assumed, and the intruding army now stood motionless, as if all will and motivation had been drained from them.

Sharing smiles with their comrades, he and Rajin turned together and began the ascent back to the village for celebration.

The journey back to the barracks made took them near the monastery, which was oddly quiet.

We should go there. Rajin told him. Rain is gone. I can't feel her.

Chilled, he turned away from the rest of his quarter, walked toward the tower. Above it hung a palpable air of gloom, muffling his footfalls as he approached quiet the crowd. They gave way as he made his sojourn to the stairs. At the top was assembled those he recognised as the core cohort of the pushers. The most powerful of the haze shaping portion of the army.

They huddled around two bodies, one flayed from the outside in - it wasn't anyone Hammer recognised. The other looked as if something inside had tried to escape, or as if a thousand tine explosions had occurred within it. This one was too mangled and bloodied to be recognisable, but he saw the clothes.

“Rain,” he whispered, his limbs going suddenly cold and face flushing. He felt a green sensation in his jaw, a tingling in the muscles at that hinge which held the lower and upper parts together. He turned away and leant over the side of the platform. He puked.

Rajin nuzzled his side, fluffy snout softly bumping his ribs, offering what comfort she could. He had forgotten she was there. She had changed a lot since her arrival.

They all had.