Chapter 176 King Aurelio
An insignificant hill on the battlefield
Aurelio and his six guards arrived at the encampment on exhausted horses. The captain of the soldiers knelt with great reverence.
The Captain: King Aurelio.
Aurelio dismounted from his horse: Rise! Your men must form ranks to protect me. There are Unicorns in the field behind our army. Send a messenger to the mounted companies. I want five hundred soldiers here immediately.
The captain shouted orders to his one hundred and twenty men. They formed a square formation, with rows of fifteen men on each side and an equal number behind. They held their shields and spears ready to defend themselves in all directions. They were less experienced soldiers. Their mission was to attack the city once the gates opened.
Aurelio positioned himself at the highest point of the camp. He looked south, toward the walls, and saw a disaster. To the west, the situation looked grim. Finally, he observed the cavalry lines forming to launch an attack in the exact opposite direction from where he needed them.
The King: How is this possible? There must be traitors in my army. Pasqual...he will kill my enemies. He is always so loyal.
In the air, above the encampment.
Danilo lowered his gaze toward the armor of the enemy of his lover. He had never wanted to kill another person. But now he knew that the death of this man would be better for the people of the kingdom. The priest drew his dagger and held it in a position from which he could let it fall without striking the massive body of his Pegasus.
The Priest: My Beautiful Shadow Dancer. Slowly and steadily, pass over this man with care.
He was not one of the riders. His eyes were not like those of the soldiers. His heart pounded in his chest. But he had to try. He let go of the dagger and prayed.
One of the guards watched the enormous Pegasus flying overhead. He raised his crossbow and took aim along the arrow.
Guard: It is so far...shit...If it were a bit closer...KING! Danger Above!
The man, who already considered himself the king, looked up and moved with great speed. The dagger plunged deep into the earth, very close to the spot where he had been standing.
Aurelio: Bastard! Shoot an arrow at her. These damn Pegasi. We are going to kill every last one of them.
The guard released the arrow without any hope of hitting the target. He watched as the arrow flew high into the air, lost momentum, and began to fall far away from them.
In his mind, the priest formed an image as vivid as he possibly could. It was an image of himself and the Pegasus landing like a missile directly upon the man, to kill him.
Shadow Dancer: No. The All-Mother believes that you are important to our family. I am here with you to protect you.
Danilo: Please, I will give my life to stop this terrible man...I am no one...
Shadow Dancer: A life is not measured solely by its actions, but also by its impact on others. See what I was shown.
The mind of the priest was filled with faces, faces he recognized, but older. She sensed his desire to launch himself from her back toward the man below. The Pegasus flew towards the nest despite his pleading.
To the north of the insignificant hill.
Cobalt Storm was exhausted, just like the other Unicorns. But they had trained for war from the very day they could walk. Their bodies came from the lineage of the strongest Unicorns, those with the greatest endurance. He was of the blood of Broken Horn. They would fulfill their duty, even if they died from the effort.
Ninety soldiers ran toward a position and formed lines three men deep, with long spears pointing at the charging beasts. Their shields formed a wall. As the knights drew near, the spearpoints pierced the chests of the unicorns, while the thrown spears struck the soldiers in the chest or the head. Swords, maces, and axes were drawn, and blood covered the ground.
The thirteen Unicorns arrived while the battle was being waged. They crested a ridge and spotted soldiers standing guard around a group of knights. They galloped forward, mustering their last reserves of strength. Sapphire Shield ran slightly faster; the blades of her rider blocked incoming attacks and severed heads. Then, a spear struck him in the head and knocked him to the ground. His mount killed this soldier immediately. But Pedro remained motionless, still clutching his swords.
Indigo Strike leaped over a line of soldiers. Tatiana jumped off the Unicorn and landed on two soldiers; her axe smashed into the shoulder of one of them. As the animal landed, Aurelio stabbed it in the knee, and it crashed to the ground along with its rider. The impact was extremely violent, and the beast lay motionless.
Esteban rose slowly to his feet, holding his sword before his face. The man who would be king approached, brandishing a sword nearly as elegant and sturdy. He observed his enemy and anticipated the first strike easily. Aurelio deflected the sword of King Gutierre to the side with his shield and plunged his blade into the chest of the count. The well made chainmail saved his life but the sound of ribs breaking was clearly audible.
Esteban fell to his knees, defenseless against the next blow. Aurelio raised his sword to strike the neck of his enemy and kill him.
The war axe struck his elbow. The forearm and the sword fell at the feet of Aurelio. He turned his head and looked as blood began to gush from his body.
Behind his arm stood the warrior Tatiana of the North. She swung her axe two-handed and the steel helm took such a brutal blow that the neck of Aurelio snapped, and he fell.
The man Aurelio and the idea of a king who bore his name, died at the feet of a woman of the wild people whom he had attempted to destroy.