Chapter 64

War III Tala heard every word the two men spoke. There was no denying it; this moment brought an end to her past and determined her future.

Tala watched Karn kick Mustaffa’s leg, which buckled and caused the warlord to stagger back a few steps.

No, I can end this. Tala lifted her pike. I can be the master of my own fate. She prepared to throw it, but a high-pitched whistle startled her. As Tala turned, she spotted an arrow in flight. She jerked the pike in her hands which deflected the speeding projectile right into her thigh.

Tala swore in her native tongue as the pain ripped through her leg.

“Archers!” one of Hart’s squad screamed.

“Get Tala off the battlefield now!” Lieutenant Hart ordered two of his men.

As one soldier lifted Tala from the ground, an arrow drilled through his neck. Blood splattered onto Tala’s face as the dying man spilled her to the grass. When the second soldier turned to help, she saw dozens and dozens of arrows that cluttered the sky.

“Run!” the soldier screamed before he abandoned her.

Pinned under the dead soldier, Tala did not have time to escape. Instead, she wrenched the shield from the dead man’s hand and slid her legs free, positioning the shield over her curled-up body. Lieutenant Hart knelt beside her just before the arrows struck, his shield added to hers.

Tala looked into Lieutenant Hart’s eyes as the arrows rained onto them. The drum of steel arrowheads against the iron of Kel Tora’s shields was overwhelmingly loud, but Tala saw no evidence of fear on his face.

Tala peeked out from under the shields when the deluge stopped. Karn and Mustaffa fought on, each man trading blows; neither gave an inch.

“The mages created you after I rebelled.” Mustaffa’s voice grated. “I was a warlord before and after the transformation! You cannot best me, fisherman!”

Karn swung his sword again. “Die!”

Even with one arm, Mustaffa was able to parry the attack and follow it with a kick to Karn’s belly that forced Karn to fall forward past him.

“They called you Rook, after the game piece, but you were nothing more than a pawn.”

Tala sneered at Mustaffa’s mockery.

“You’re more of a monster than the mages are,” Karn grunted as he stood. “I’ll kill you all.”

Tala heard Lieutenant Hart order his and Morwik’s men to move on Mustaffa. He’s smart. He knows the enemy archers will not fire on us if were too close to their leader. Sadly, this will not save us from the hundreds of footmen who now approach.

Tala grasped the shaft of the arrow that stuck out of her leg. With a quick twist of her wrist, she broke it in half. She gnashed her teeth as she inhaled deep through her nose and in one quick motion, she pulled the shaft through.

She howled in pain. Blood stained her leather pants down to her boot; her leg felt numb. This is a bad wound. I must stop the bleeding, but there’s no time. She looked to the enemy soldiers, then to Karn and Mustaffa.

“Morwik’s men will hold off the enemy, but not long. We must choose now,” Lieutenant Hart said. “Go now… or stay and fight.”

“We can overtake Mustaffa!” a veteran shouted, energized and ready to fight.

Tala knew that Hart and his soldiers could tip the scales in Karn’s advantage. But the outcome of this battle needed to be decided between the two men: the most fit will be deemed worthy to survive.

“No…” Tala said. “It’s almost over. Let Karn finish it.”

She almost regretted her words, as Karn’s attacks had become slow and sloppy, but Mustaffa’s parries were weak and less effective as well. The two men chopped at each other until neither could raise their weapon.

The warlord cradled his dead arm with his good one while Karn hunched over at the waist as he gasped for air.

“Here they come. Ready yourselves!” Hart shouted.

Tala refused to look back. If the enemy was to overcome Kel Tora’s men and reach her, she would rather not know. She would rather keep her eyes forward on the future than back on the past.

“Fight, Karn! You can win this.”

Both men seemed to prepare for one final clash. Karn wiped the blood and sweat-drenched hair from his face, while Mustaffa slid a hand over his head. Each man straightened their stance a moment before they charged, swords poised to strike. Mud churned around them as their feet dug deep in the chewed-up ground. Karn let out a war cry that joined Mustaffa’s bottomless yell.

She swore the ground shook as the two warriors collided. Sword struck shield, fist hit armor, and shoulder braced shoulder. The two men were a blur and seemingly blended together.

Tala watched closely, and even her elven vision, which normally allowed her to slow down movements too fast for human senses to comprehend, was put to the test.

Karn lunged into Mustaffa sideways and with such speed that the older man could not defend himself. Tala gasped. Karn’s sword plunged deep into the stomach of the warlord. Once there, Karn yanked his blade to his foe’s throat and freed it from the man’s body at his neck. Blood sprayed out in every direction as Mustaffa fell face forward to the ground.

A rush of air filled Tala’s lungs. She felt herself stagger back and almost collapse.

He did it. He’s put an end to my past. Her whole body began to shake.

Karn’s name was cheered all around her. Tala smiled but did not celebrate. She knew the day was far from finished.

“Lieutenant Hart, we cannot hold this. Get your men to safety. We all need to withdraw now!” Morwik ordered as he rode to them on his horse.

“Understood.”

Tala limped past the bodies of the dead giants to Karn’s side. She took his hand in hers, looked into his eyes, and kissed his cheek. He did not say a word. He just ran his hand through her hair to the back of her neck and smiled.

“We need to leave. Are you able to run?” Tala asked, her voice full of concern.

“I’ll be right behind you.”