A Vow of Glory

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Erec charged through the gates of Savaria, Alistair clinging to him on the back of Warkfin, the Duke, Brandt and several knights charging by his side. They had not stopped riding since encountering those monsters on the battlefield, and as Erec glanced back over his shoulder he saw they were still in pursuit, even on foot nearly as fast as their horses.

“SOUND THE HORNS!” the Duke screamed. “SHUT THE GATES!”

As soon as they passed through, the iron spikes slammed down behind them, hitting the earth with a great reverberating thud.

As they entered the city a panic ensued, as one horn after another sounded and citizens ran through the streets, hurrying to their homes, barring the doors and shutters. Troops poured out of everywhere, taking up positions along the walls, up on parapets, behind the main city gates. The Duke barked orders at all of them.

Erec rode with Alistair across the plaza to the Duke’s castle, stopping only long enough to help her dismount. He looked down at her earnestly, holding her hand.

“You saved my life,” he said. “Now I will save yours. I implore you: stay within these castle doors until this conflict is over. If we do not win, the Duke’s attendants will show you a secret tunnel for your escape. Please, heed me. These creatures are savage.”

With that Erec turned and kicked his horse and galloped back across the plaza, joining his friend Brandt as they went to help the Duke’s forces before the city gate.

They all sat on their horses, in a row, dozens of soldiers, waiting, facing the iron spikes, and behind these, the ancient closed oak doors. Erec looked up and saw hundreds of soldiers taking positions on parapets all about the city. But hundreds of those creatures were charging for the city even now, and he knew it would be a tough defense.

“How long do you think the gates will hold?” Brandt asked.

Erec shrugged, studying the ancient wood. If it were a normal human adversary, he could easily say. Both with these creatures, one never knew.

“Those gates have stood the test of time,” the Duke said proudly.

Before he could finish the words, they were all shocked to hear a rumble, like elephants charging, then a splitting crack: Erec could not believe it as he watched, before his eyes, the huge oak gates, five feet thick, thirty feet high, get torn off of their hinges, leaving between them and the creatures only the spiked iron gate.

The creatures lifted the wooden doors as if they were playthings and hurled them down to the ground. Then they set their sights on the iron bars.

Hundreds of them converged on the metal, pushing their snarling, hideous faces against it, poking through the bars, which were already starting to bend.

“You were saying?” Brandt asked the Duke, red-faced, mouth open in shock.

“ARCHERS!” screamed the Duke.

Erec did not wait for a command. He had already fired off three arrows by the time the Duke called out, and had shot three of the creatures square in the head as they grabbed the gates. They all fell.

All around Erec, dozens of the Duke’s men fired. The front row of creatures went down, but there quickly appeared dozens more behind them. There seemed to be an army of these things let loose from the other side of the Canyon, just waiting all these years to wreak havoc on the Ring, as soon as the Shield was down.

The metal of the gates began to bend further, and Erec realized that their arrows wouldn’t hold them back for long.

“TAR!” screamed the Duke.

High above, on the parapets, dozens of soldiers slowly turned over steaming cauldrons of tar.

As they poured down all around the city walls, the screams of the creatures arose, doused in the burning liquid. It killed dozens on the spot. Bodies of the creatures piled up before the gate.

Yet Erec saw behind them hundreds more, still charging. He knew it would only be a matter of time until those gates gave way, until they ran out of arrows and tar to hold them back. He knew they needed a strategy, and quickly, before the gates came crashing down.

“Is there a back way out of the city?” Erec asked.

The Duke looked at him, puzzled.

“If I can sneak up behind them, I can flank them,” Erec said. “Create another front and draw their attention from the gates. It’s the only way. We need to split their army. If they attack those gates as one force, they will soon tear it down.”

The Duke nodded, understanding.

“You are a brave soul,” he said. “Cross the plaza and take the third gate on the right. You’ll find, just past it, a small arched door with no handle, hidden by stone. That is the one. May the gods be with you.”

Erec turned and galloped across the city, following the directions. He heard a horse galloping behind him and turned and to see Brandt, smiling as he charged up beside him.

“Think I’d let you have all the fun?” Brandt asked.

Erec had been prepared to take on the army alone, but was happy to see his old friend by his side.

They ducked under a stone arch, then followed the Duke’s directions until they found the hidden door. Concealed with a stone facade, the door was hard to find; as they dismounted, Erec leaned back and kicked it several times, until it finally gave way. He re-mounted and ducked as he rode through it, Brandt following, and slamming the door securely behind them.

After passing through a long tunnel, the two of them exited out the back of the city walls; they waited until they were a safe distance, then rode around the perimeter of the city in a broad circle, to ambush the creatures from behind.

They finally circled all the way around and rode towards the rear of the creatures. They charged, coming upon them as they were converging at the gate. The iron was buckling, and they arrived just in time.

Erec raised his sword and let out a fierce battle cry, wanting to draw their attention from the gate, and Brandt joined in.

It worked. Half of the army of creatures turned and charged for them. The Covenies were hideous beings, so tall they were almost at face-level with them, even on horseback; their bodies were rippling with muscles, their skin a glowing yellow, fingers tapering in long, yellow claws, each with two heads and arms eight feet long. They did not carry weapons: they did not need to.

They shrieked, and their battle cries were even louder than Erec’s.

But Erec was unafraid. He had trained all his life for days like this; he knew his cause was true and noble, and he felt more alive than ever.

Erec raised his sword high, and as the first beast leapt into the air, raising his claws to gouge out Erec’s eyes, Erec ducked, swung hard, and cut his torso in half.

Erec continued to charge, stabbing another creature through the heart. With his other hand he raised a long, spiked flail, spun it high overhead, and took off three of their heads at once.

But Erec felt a searing pain in his side as a creature leapt into the air and tackled him from the side, knocking him off his horse and to the ground. The creature raised his hands high, preparing to bring down his claws for Erec’s face—but Warkfin neighed, leaned back, and kicked the creature hard in his chest, crushing his ribs and sending him flying backwards, dead.

Erec rolled out of the way as another creature brought his fist down for his head, just missing; he jumped and regained his feet, grabbed his sword and slashed, killing it.

But these creatures were too fast, and there were too many of them. Erec felt himself kicked hard from behind, and went flying face first to the ground.

Erec spun to see the creature extend his claws and prepare to bring them down and slash his throat. He could not react in time. He braced himself, preparing to die.

As he braced himself, a lance pierced the creature’s chest. Brandt appeared, stabbing the creature in mid-air before he could harm Erec.

Erec regained his feet, as always grateful for his friend; he spotted a creature leaping for Brandt, and Erec grabbed his flail, swung it, and brought the spiked ball down on the creature’s head, right before he tackled Brandt.

Another creature dove and knocked Brandt from his horse, falling to the ground close to Erec. Erec spun and stabbed the creature in the throat.

Now Brandt and Erec stood back to back, swords drawn, parrying and defending the great blows of these beasts, who circled them. The group of beasts was growing thicker by the moment, and the two of them were badly outnumbered. Erec’s arms were growing tired, and a creature pounced from behind and snatched his flail from his hands.

Before Erec could turn, another creature kicked him in the back of the shoulder blade, knocking his sword from his hands. A third creature kicked him hard behind his knee, sending him down.

Erec lay on the ground and looked up to see his friend Brandt get kicked in the chest and go down, too, beside him, unconscious.

He looked up and saw he was surrounded. Lying there, alone, defenseless, there was nothing left for him to do but to watch helplessly, as they all, as one, prepared to finish him off.

Finally, Erec knew, his time of death had come.