The Song and the Serpent

Adan and Kian were the last Estan warriors to enter the burning woods in the retreat, and the Undelmans were hard on their heels.

They blundered through the smoke filled forest, giving little heed to the patches of fume and flame that still wreathed about the blackened trunks. The Estans ran blindly through the haze, scattered and panicked, in a desperate attempt to reach the city before the pursuing Undelmans.

“Push them back!” Hugo’s voice could be heard bellowing behind them. “Drive them to the fortress!”

Adan could hear the rushing sound of the oncoming Undelmans, as well as the faint gallop of hooves.

He ran faster, plunging from one burning patch of underbrush to another, singeing his clothes in many places and nearly being burnt himself.

“We were so close!” Kian shouted as they ran. “We were nearly at him!”

“I know,” Adan replied.

They ran through the forest. zig-zagging around areas where bright flames still licked the underbrush. In their attempts to avoid being burned in the pursuit, they fell even further behind the fleeing Estans, who surged ahead of them with little heed of the fire around. They seemed more terrified of Hugo than the fire that raged among the trees.

The two of them quickly reached the gradual rise that they knew would lead them to the top of the ridge that ringed New Esta.

They ran up the slope, Adans’ lungs heaving in the smoke filled air. Once they finally broke from the tree line, they had to stop and gather their surroundings.

Instead of the slope leading down to the west gate, they stood facing the southern section of wall, with the gate sitting down the hill to their left. In their haste, they had drifted south and come out of the forest at a different place.

Already, Adan could see the majority of the Estan warriors crowding around the gate, trying to get back inside. Any stragglers at the back were already running down the slope of the basin, making for the gate.

Adan and Kian joined them, turning left and running for the gate. Their path led them past the barricade where the Undelmans had tried to sneak their explosive barrels up against the wall. The torches that Adan had thrown from the wall had burned most of the underbrush away, leaving a charred pile of felled trees with short limbs sharpened to points, and deep pits beyond.

As they passed the smoldering pile of logs and brush, Adan heard the sound of hoofbeats from the tree line above. He turned just in time to see Commander Hugo crest the ridge, riding out of the smoke with both swords drawn. He had reached the city before his men.

Kian turned and saw the Undelman leader leave the tree line and order his horse to a halt.

Kian stopped running, as did Adan.

Hugo’s eyes were on the main gate as he sat just outside of the trees.

Adan and Kian looked around and saw that most of the Estan warriors had passed under the arch of the gate, into the temporary safety of New Esta.

“He’s waiting for the rest of his men,” Kian said, looking from the gate to the commander. ”Let’s see if we can buy our own men some time.”

He turned and faced the Undelman leader, raising his sword in the air and shouting: “Hugo!”

Then he ran back up the slope with Adan close behind.

This time, Hugo heard Kian’s call.

He turned to look at the two of them as they approached. His eyes narrowed as he recognized them and he turned his horse in their direction, riding down the hill at a trot.

Once the three of them were twenty paces away from each other, they all stopped.

Hugo sat mounted, glaring at the two of them.

“Face us, you black-hearted traitor,” Kian said, pointing his new blade at the commander.

Hugo paused, not taking his eye off of the two of them.

As they stood facing each other, Adan heard the sound of many feet approaching. He looked behind Hugo to see the first line of the Undelman army crest the hill and pass out from under the black skeleton that used to be trees. The army halted when they reached the ridge line.

“Son of Hathian,” Hugo said slowly, as he lifted one foot over the saddle and slid to the ground, “nothing would please me more than to face the desecrators who defiled the Temple of Sithril.”

”You…” Kian growled, and Adan heard the restrained anger in his voice. “You are not even worthy to speak my father’s name. He will be avenged today.”

“No,” Hugo said, stepping closer. “But you will see him soon.”

He took a few steps closer, leaving his horse behind.

“You have been marked by the Great One, both of you, ever since your escape,” he continued. “He has been watching you since that day, and I have been sent to carry out his will.”

Adan and Kian looked at each other.

Does that mean Sithril knew we were here this whole time?

“You lie,” Kian shot back.

Hugo laughed. “Then how else can you explain this? This whole army is here for you. I have never failed the One in all the years that I have served him, and I will not today.”

He began to circle the two of them, watching their every move.

“You were once a Vankull Warrior,” Kian said. “An Estan warrior.”

Hugo nodded. “Once.”

“You’re nothing but a traitor to your people now,” Kian continued. “Why? What did they do to you? Why do you serve Sithril against your own kin?”

“My kin?” Hugo snapped. “I may have been a Vankull Warrior once, but the Estans are no kin of mine. And if you had seen the things that I’ve seen, you would fall to your knees and allow me to strike off your heads in service of the One.”

Kian shook his head. “That is one thing we will never do. To Hell with Sithril, and with those who serve him, even you.”

Adan saw white, hot rage in flash Hugo’s eyes. Then the commander leapt forward, closing the distance between them and slashing downward.

Adan lifted his blade to block the slash meant for his head. The force of Hugo's blows made Adan and Kian stagger backwards.

Then with the same blinding speed he had used earlier, Hugo, brought both blades up and stabbed at the two of them. Adan barely managed to parry the strike. With a series of heavy blows, Hugo drove the two of them backwards down the hill.

Adan had never fought anyone like Hugo. His form was perfect, his strength and speed were jaw dropping, and his style was completely alien to Andrew.

It was all he could do to parry and deflect the oncoming blows. Adan tried to move around Hugo and outflank him, but the wiley commander leapt away from Adan, concentrating his fury on Kian and pivoting around him to keep Adan from attacking at the same time.

Kian was driven back into Adan and nearly tripped over him in an attempt to reach a safe distance.

Adan leapt around Kian and tried once again to attack Hugo from the side.

Hugo made a lunge for his midsection and Adan pocketed to avoid the blade. The move separated him from Kian, who was trying to regain a firm footing.

The two of them struck out at Hugo at the same instant, Adan at Hugo’s middle and Kian had his head.

The commander blocked both of their blades with ease.

He glanced at Adan.

“You were the bodyguard who thought I couldn’t take Esta, weren’t you?” he said.

Adan snarled and slashed at Hugo’s thigh just as Kian tried to stab the commander. Hugo flicked his sword down and forced the tip of Adan blade into the dirt. Then he parried Kian’s blade, throwing Kian off balance. As Kian stumbled forward, Hugo lifted his elbow and slammed it into Kian’s head, knocking him to the ground.

He turned and glared at Adan for a moment, holding his sword down.

“You haven’t taken Esta yet,” Adan growled as he strained to free his blade.

He yanked the sword free and Hugo stepped back, brandishing both of his swords.

“Esta is only the beginning,” he continued as Kian got back to his feet. “Alvaro and its kingdoms have already begun to bow the knee to Sithril.”

Adan and Kian struck again, but Hugo deflected their blows with ease. As they moved down the hill, closer and closer to the charred barricade.

“All will see the domination of the One,” Hugo chanted as he fought.

“We won’t let that happen,” Andrew growled as they exchanged blows. “By all the strength we have left, we will stop you!”

Hugo laughed and knocked both of their blades away. “Your strength? You think that will make any difference against Sithril? You’ve only seen a fraction of the strength of the One. This army is just a taste of the terror we can muster.”

Adan and Kian were driven back until they stood at the base of the hill, with their backs to the burned out barricade. Hugo continued his barrage of strikes and blows, never giving any hint of exhaustion. He pushed them further back, until they began to run out of room.

As he moved away from one of Hugo’s strikes, Adan saw a gap in the blackened logs less than five paces to his left; the opening in the barricade where the Undelmans had carried the explosive barrels to the wall, wide enough for six men to walk abreast.

Adan knew that beyond the opening, a series of pits with spikes at the bottom lay between the barricade and the crumbling wall. Adan knew about the pits, but did Hugo?

In a flash of desperate inspiration, Adan tried once again to flank Hugo and place the commander in between Kian and himself. Hugo pivoted again, with lightning speed, moving back and away to prevent Adan from achieving his goal, but in doing so, Hugo left an open path to the gap in the barricade.

“Kian!” Adan shouted as he dashed toward the opening.

Kian followed, most likely unaware of Adan’s plan, but seizing on any possible advantage they might gain.

They passed between the opening, running to the nearest pit, before wheeling about.

“What are you doing?” Kian whispered.

“Follow my lead,” Adan replied as they turned around and faced the opening they had just passed through.

Hugo stepped toward the gap in the logs and stopped, looking at the barricade around him, as if he sensed the trap Adan was trying to spring.

“Sithril died generations ago!” Adan taunted. “You and your kind are all barking mad, to think that he can help you.”

Adan saw anger flash in Hugo’s eyes again. “Silence, desecrator!”

“I wish I was back in Undelma,” Adan continued, “so that I could relieve myself in Sithril’s temple, to show how much respect I have for the One!”

Hugo’s eyes widened in rage. “You dog!”

“After you did that,” Kian added, catching on to Adan’s plan. “I could lead a dance through his temple, with loud music, and I would make sure everyone wore their boots.”

Hugo snarled and charged at them. Adan and Kian stood ready, with Hugo rushing toward them and a deadly fall behind.

The moment before the commander crashed into them, they leapt to the side, revealing the hole in the earth behind them.

But Hugo didn’t fall.

He pulled up short at the last second, as soon as Adan and Kian leapt aside. Then pivoted toward Kian, knocking Kian’s sword aside with one of his blades.

“What?” he said. “You thought I’d fall for that?”

Then he plunged his other sword into Kian’s chest. Kian’s eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent cry.

Adan felt all the breath in his lungs disappear.

“Kian…” he tried to shout but his voice failed him.

Adan heard the voices of many men shout in dismay from the parapets.

“Kian!”

Adan lunged for Hugo and slashed at him. Hugo parried the blow with his free sword, and kicked Adan in the chest. Adan stumbled backwards, flailing his arms to regain his balance. He missed a step, teetered for an instant, and then fell into the pit behind him.

Adan watched helplessly as Hugo ripped his blade from Kian’s chest before the wall of the pit hid them from view.

“Shoot him!” Adan heard the Estans on the walls shout.

Then everything went black.