Author’s Note: I had intended to finish “Against the Riders” with this post. However, my non-writing lift has increasingly been getting away from, a reason as well for posting “A Hint of Magick” from my backlog last week. As a result, I didn’t get as much done as I wanted but do think the below piece is long and complete enough to stand on its own. Suffice to say, the retrospective on this series is going to be an interesting one.

The crush of warriors had pushed the Landian back, rings going up over even the shouts of the embattled nomads as blows landed on Quartes’ armor.  Then the Last Landian shifted, redirecting a blow as it glanced off his armor.  The attacking warrior stumbled, fell into those to his side, the sudden tumble of warriors attempted to right themselves and then the Landian drove his sword forward in a flash.  The bodies made a bulwark, Quartes gaining just a little space as he pivoted and cut out.  Ras returned to his side then, the tapered blade thrusting through a nomad’s mask and deftly withdrawing, moving like the largest and deadliest of bloodsuckers.

For her part, Keto had quickly secured her lyre back to her pack and tossed the bundle back over her shoulders.  Her own narrow blade was in her hand, held at her side as Keid hovered between her and the bulk of the attacking nomads.  They had ignored her for now, the order of their chief and the mere presence of a Landian taking up their attention.  There were still plenty around them, a thought soon following that there were plenty who had not joined the battle but were instead watching.  Some had weapons hefted and as Quartes dispatched one group they stepped forward, creating a flow of enemies but not a smothering horde.  Others had not drawn weapons, whether that was because their clan’s turn was too far away or for lack of support for Sorna’s order the bard couldn’t be sure.

That was all good from the point that it would mean that she and Quartes would see the end of this day.  Except, as Cheriss struck out one way and Quartes the other, Ras covering the Landian’s flank, it would mean that many nomads would not survive.  Another violet bolt struck but somehow Quartes had expected it, dancing away from the fight for a beat to block it with his shard before pivoting back before his foes could take advantage.  Keto looked to the figure of Sorna but the tribe-chief’s mask gave little of the woman’s thoughts away.  Instead, she watched as another group hefted their weapons and left the periphery.  Quartes, with a flick of his wrist scattered the blood from his sword and moved to face them.

~ 𓏢 ~

Brokel had waited to see the effect of his words.  He neither waited long, and received the response he had expected vice the one he had hoped for.  One of his clansmen, spear lowered, rushed forward.  Strider noted the sound, the taikeet pivoting and jumping up with a frantic fluttering of short wings.  The bird’s strong legs though kicked out, crashing into the first of the attackers and sending him falling back into the rest of the clan.  The first man’s spear laid at the bird’s feet as two more charged but Brokel stepped forward, moving past Strider and with a spin of his spear deflecting both of the attacker’s weapons and sending them back with a swing of the butt of his own.  Extending his left hand, a carved stick clutched in it, he lit the the brand on the flame of a nearby torch.  The brand caught, its red flame separating from the orange of the torch as Brokel withdrew it.

Retreating a step, and Strider moving behind him, Brokel waited for the next attack.  The brand, smoke gathering and hovering around its crimson flame, had given his usurpers pause.  Lightning cracked again and Brokel spoke into the space both had created for him.  “The Landian will kill to the last one of us if the hunt continues, that’s how that battle is going now.  I will kill some of you to challenge the tribe-chief so that I may stop him from killing all.”

Brokel held his breath, waiting as his clan kin looked amongst themselves.  He saw the outcome though, hands tightening on weapons, the slight shift in their shoulders as their courage pooled together and they prepared to attack once again.

“No,” the word broke the silence, as stark as the preceding thunder, and in its wake Kartof stepped before his clan.  Elric followed in his wake, stooping to pick up the spear dropped in Strider’s attack.  For a moment, standing between his clan and his clan-chief, Kartof and Brokel’s masked visages looked at one another.  Then the man turned, spear coming up and pointing back at the usurpers of the clan.  “He does not have time to deal with you rabble, not with the rest of the tribe at stake.”  Elric raised his spear as well, Kartof pausing to look at the younger warrior before he continued, “So, we will teach you your lessons of strength and we may hope you will learn something out of this day.”

Looking at the back of his friend, Brokel regretted that the moment offered him no choice for his thanks to be given.  He knew though that now the best thing was to finish what he had started.  Mounting Strider, Brokel turned the taikeet about and headed for the center of the camp.

~ 𓏢 ~

For a moment the fight had stalled.  A score of nomads laid on the ground, some dragged away as they and their kin fought to stem the blood lost of wounds.  Keto worried that most of them would not make it, a thought she had to assume gave pause to the attackers gathered before the Landian.  His armored glinted in a few places, fresh metal of a hit that had been scored, but no attack had pierced is protection.  Quartes for his part had shifted his gaze to Sorna, a silent challenge that the tribe-chief returned with equal stoicism.  Keto thought the woman wasn’t even looking at the Landian but was instead now watching her.

“Now, don’t go getting any ideas,” the bard murmured to herself, flexing her fingers as she tried to keep squeezing the sword hilt in her hand.  Quartes had leaned to his right, his metal visage shifting close to Cheriss.  The one-sided conference finished, the Landian charged the hesitant nomads.  He passed beneath a spear, his own sword point leading now, as his flanks were once against covered by his bladed allies.  Cheriss and Ras opened up the space but then former spun past the nomads.  Quartes fought on, a blow glancing off his armor as it hit into his exposed flank.  At the same time, Cheriss settled and cut in towards Sorna.  The tribe-chief lashed out with her spear but struggled with the same lack of body any adversary of Quartes’ swords faced.  Sorna’s actions quickly shifted to defense, and even as Quartes stumbled back from another blow and the press of the nomads, Cheriss looked to finish the fight.

Sorna stumbled back before the dancing blade but even as Cheriss looked posed to cut forward with a finishing blow thunder echoed through the camp.  Another violet bolt struck, hitting the attacking sword and leaving its curved edge motionless in the dirt of the camp.  Keto felt her stomach drop and while a look to Quartes showed the Landian adjusting as he and Ras fought on their own it was hard to think anything beyond that the fight had shifted against them.

“Keid, you might need to,” Keto started when the thunder struck again.  The lighting strike arced towards her but the shield intervened.  The bard was hit by the suddenly backwards accelerating shield, the blow catching her in the chest and sending both her and the shield to the ground.  The result of the sudden turn paused Ras but even as the blade hovered Quartes had pressed forward.  His sword and knife lashed out in renewed ferocity, trading blows against his arm with the flesh of the nomads, his steps implacable pushing forward as he moved the whole scrum of his battle towards Sorna.

It wasn’t going to be fast enough though.  Even as Ras joined the Landian’s effort, Keto saw Sorna level the point of her spear.  Staring down that point, Keto reaching out grasp the leaden Keid and lift the shield up above her.  She had to admit that when the lightning struck she flinched, and it took Keto a moment to realize that the blow had not landed against her.