The Song and the Serpent

Hammund led them north, up and over the ridge of the basin and into the trees. He followed a game trail that wound in and among the trunks of the darkening forest, confident in the direction he was going.

Adan’s mind wandered to Layla. He wanted to kick himself for not having the courage to tell her how he felt. They could have shared a moment like Hammund and Helena did before he left, but now he was marching to another fight with the enemy and it was too late.

But what would be the point? He thought. If I die in this fight, then I will have broken her heart in vain.

All the same, he knew that he wanted what Hammund had, and now it might be too late.

It’s only five-hundred warriors, he told himself. We far outnumber them, and we will have the advantage of surprise on two fronts.

But Adan remembered the skill of the Undelman warriors, and he thought back to the fighting men of New Esta: Farmers and tradesmen with clubs and tools instead of fully armored warriors with swords and spears. Adan suspected the most skilled warriors in New Esta were with him, walking through the woods to arrest the escape of the enemy.

The trail Hammund was following began to turn steadily toward the setting sun, leading them west.

By the time we take up our positions, Adan thought, it will likely be dark.

After more than half an hour of walking, Hammund came to a stop and looked left.

“I can’t know for certain if we have passed them,” he said. “But we should have by now, which means we should turn now and head south.”

Corthenu nodded. “We will have to take that chance. We will proceed with caution.”

They left the path and began walking due south. Thankfully there was little underbrush in this part of the forest and the trunks of the trees were spread apart enough to allow them to easily maneuver between them. They walked in single file, following Hammund in a long line. The dark forest around them was silent. No birds chirped. No squirrels chattered or stirred the leaves.

After a short distance, Corthenu stopped and stepped aside to allow the line of men to pass him by. He waited until the last man in line reached him and then said, “Here.” The man stopped where Corthrenu stood and Corthenu took his place at the rear. After they had walked another fifty paces and the first man was nearly out of sight behind them, Corthenu indicated for the next warrior to stop. He obeyed and they walked another fifty paces before Corthenu ordered a third man to stop.

In this manner, they continued south, spreading their men out far enough apart to cover a large swath of the forest, and close enough to be able to see and help each other as needed.

“They’ve been through here,” Hammund said after they had left six men behind. He pointed to the ground ahead of them.

Adan squinted in the dim light and could barely make out the signs of disturbance in the leaves that carpeted the forest floor. As they crossed the path that the villagers and Undelmans had followed, Adan saw where moss and leaf had been churned up by the marching of many feet.

After twenty men had been given their positions, they left the disturbed earth behind and continued through the silent forest.

The sudden sound of running to their right made Adan jump. Something large made a loud rustling in the leaves as it began to run away. The fading light made it impossible for Adan to see what it was.

The warriors tensed and some drew their weapons.

“A deer,” Hammund said from the front.

Adan breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, trying to calm his hammering heart. They continued, until the only men left walking were Hammund, Arfon, Kian, Adan and Corthenu.

“Here,” the village leader said to Adan.

Adan stopped in his place next to a pine tree trunk.

He watched as the others continue away from him for a short distance before Corthenu told Kian to stop.

Adan could barely see Kian’s form in the darkness, but he could see it.

Now, we wait.

After a moment of standing in the darkness, Adan heard someone walking back up the line. He heard Corthenu’s voice as the village leader whispered something to Kian, before walking back toward Adan.

“I’m going to walk up and down the line and give help as needed,” Corthenu said when he reached Adan. “We will wait at least an hour before walking toward the fortress. Hammund and I will make sure no one passes the city by.”

Adan nodded, and Corthenu moved on up the line, whispering the same message to Fin, who stood fifty paces away from Adan.

Adan put a hand on his sword hilt, feeling its leather handle. He looked around him and sniffed the air. The faint smell of the pine sap on the tree next to him was the only distinct scent he could detect.

After a short wait, a silver light began to filter down through the branches. Adan looked up to see the sliver of a pale moon hovering over the forest and sending its beams down to the forest floor, which was carpeted by large ferns.

Adan walked over to the pine tree and leaned against it, settling in for the long wait. The dim light allowed him to more clearly see Fin standing fifty paces to his left, and Kian the same distance to his right. They nodded in his direction as they saw him more clearly before facing east.

Adan’s mind wandered as he watched the moonlit forest. The day had brought a great deal to think about. He pondered the conversations with the village governors and leaders and the following conversation with Hurst about the Song of the Creator. He thought back to his conversation with Layla in the field afterwards. He cherished the opportunity to spend so much time with her, while berating himself for wasting that time by not telling her of his feelings. He reminded himself of why he had not expressed his love to her, but his reason felt weak against his surging emotions.

He wondered about Kian, and how everyone in New Esta seemed to want him to become lord of the city, despite his reluctance. Adan knew Kian’s reluctance was a manifestation of his grief and guilt. He was meant to be Lord of Farel, to take his father’s place, and govern the people he had known since he was a boy. But Farel was gone, and Kian’s parents with it. The people who would have counseled and aided Kian were dead, and he was left with only Adan.

But he was born to lead, Adan thought. And these people need a leader. Many of them would have been under his jurisdiction as Lord of Farel.

Adan knew that Kian ought to take command of New Esta.

But what then? What should he do once he commands the people? Should he lead them to Threcalax? Should they attack Hugo, or stay hidden in the forest?

The thought of remaining hidden in New Esta while Hugo’s armies destroyed his nation was nearly as distasteful to Adan as it was to Kian. There was only one reason why Adan would prefer to stay hidden in New Esta for as long as possible: Layla.

A shout rang out in the night, snapping Adan out of his thoughts. He could see no movement between the tree trunks to the east, but the shout had definitely come from that direction.

He glanced at Fin and Kian to see them standing erect, watching the east with squinted eyes. Fin held a wood ax tightly in both hands.

Another shout and the sound of a breaking limb came to Adan’s ears. His heart began to pound and he drew his sword, scanning the forest.

Finally, an orange glow appeared in the distance.

A torch?

The glow drew nearer, taking the form of numerous points of firelight bobbing in the woods.

Several torches.

The unmistakable sound of many warriors approaching could now be heard. Adan counted at least six torches, flickering in the forest like dying stars.

But how many warriors are there? They may not all be carrying torches.

The fleeing warriors seemed to be moving toward a place in between Adan and where Fin stood.

We’ll have to converge on them, Adan thought. There’s too many for just Fin and myself to kill.

Adan glanced over to Kian, who was already moving in his direction with quiet care. Adan looked back at Fin’s position and saw a handful of tree trunks that were large enough for them to hide behind.

He tip-toed through the ferns until he reached a tree that stood in the path of the retreating Undelmans. Kian and Fin similarly chose trees on either side of him, and they all three stood still, listening with swords drawn.

Adan began to hear the sound of heavy feet stirring the leaves.

There are more than six of them, he thought, trying to pick out how many sets of boots were crashing through the ferns.

Adan peeked around his trunk and saw the forms of a dozen warriors in brightly colored robes running toward him at breakneck speed. The torchlight glinted off their spiked helmets and armor as they tried to pass in between Adan and Fin’s trees.

Maker help us! Adan’s body was as tense as a bow string, ready for the coming fight.

Protect Kian!

The warriors were nearly upon them.

Adan waited until the glow of their torches illuminated the ferns in between Fin and himself. He and Fin made eye contact for the briefest second.

Then they both sprang.

Adan and Fin leapt in front of the Undelmans, catching two of them completely off guard. A quick blow from Adan’s sword and a wild swing from Fin's ax and the two Undelman’s fell dead before they could raise a hand against them.

The remaining warriors shouted in panic, the whites of their eyes showing above their masks. The Undelmans at the fore raised their scimitars in defense while the warriors behind them panicked and tried to escape around them.

Fin tried to intercept the warriors on the left while Kian moved to cut off the warriors on the right, leaving Adan with three Unelmans attacking him at once.

Two warriors slashed at Adan at the same time with overhead blows. Adan deflected one of the strikes while sidestepping the other, trying to place one of the warriors in between himself and the other attacking Undelmans.

With a quick counter strike, he slashed the nearest warrior in the gut before the man could strike again.

The Undelman howled and dropped to the ground, putting a hand to his stomach.

Adan was forced to block another blow from the the next warrior, and returned with a stab of his own. The second warrior parried his thrust, and the third warrior rushed around them both and sprinted away, trying to escape the fight while Adan was occupied.

“No!” Adan said through gritted teeth, but he could do nothing to stop the third man.

He exchanged three blows with the second warrior, who seemed more skilled than his fellows.

With a quick flip of the wrist, the Undelman pinned Adan’s scimitar to the tree he had been standing beside and tried to punch Adan in the face. Adan barely avoided the warrior’s fist, jerking his head back and out of the way. He lost his balance and stumbled backwards, landing among the ferns that covered the ground. The warrior made a downward slash at Adan’s middle, which Adan barely deflected in time.

But the warrior’s blade didn’t stop. The Undelma’s sword arm pivoted and sliced at Adan’s thigh. Adan felt the coldness of the steel as it bit into his leg before he felt the pain.

He growled and shoved forward, driving the pommel of his sword into the warrior’s chest and shoving him away. The man recoiled and prepared to strike again.

But before Adan could roll away and gain his footing, a large battle ax flashed through the air and beheaded the warrior standing over him.

Adan looked right and saw Arfon, the old warrior who had introduced himself standing beside the beheaded Undelman. The older man switched the battle ax to his left hand and pulled a small, throwing ax from his belt. He looked after the man who had gotten past Adan, his eyes squinting as if guessing the distance between him and the fleeing warrior.

Then he hurled the small ax at the Undelman.

Adan rolled over and looked just in time to see the ax strike the man in the center of his back as he was escaping.

The man gasped and fell to his knees.

Arfon was upon him in seconds, moving with a speed that Adan had never seen before. With a two-handed strike, Arfon’s ax fell upon the man and cleaved him from shoulder to hip.

The warrior’s bloody corpse fell to the ground with a thud.

Adan heard the clang of metal and looked to see Kian fighting with a lone warrior. Three more lay at his feet.

Kian!

Adan tried to stand, but pain shot up his leg and he fell on one knee.

He heard the crunch of leaves coming from the east and turned just in time to see four more Undelmans rushing toward them in the darkness. They carried no torches, but Adan saw the moonlight reflected in their long scimitars.

Two of them rushed toward Kian while the others made for Adan. Arfon’s throwing ax took the first one. The second warrior tried to pass Adan on his left while slashing at his neck, but Adan lunged toward the man, nearly screaming at the pain in his leg.

He crashed into the Undelman, grabbing the man’s sword arm to stop his swing, and stabbing the man in the chest. The warrior gave a choking cry as Adan’s blade pierced him. Then he punched Adan in the face.

Pain exploded in Adan’s nose and right eye. Adan fell away from the man, leaving his sword in the Undelman’s gut.

He put a hand to his face and felt blood begin to flow from his nose.

Through the pain, Adan heard Kian shout with frustration behind him.

Adan rolled and looked through one tear filled eye. He could barely make out the figure of Kian fighting three men at once and being forced backwards.

By the sound of Arfon’s feet, he had run to help Fin and was too far to aid Kian.

Protect Kian!

Adan gritted his teeth and let out a roar as he hurled himself toward his friend.

He jumped on the back of the nearest Undelman, wrapping his arms around the man’s throat and dragging him to the ground. The warrior elbowed Adan in the ribs as they fell to the earth, but Adan ignored the pain.

Relying on feel rather than sight, he braced with his good leg as they hit the ground and used his momentum to roll on top of the warrior, pinning the man’s scimitar under him. Then he twisted the warrior’s head, breaking his neck.

Before he could move, he was kicked in the shoulder and sent sprawling in the ferns once more.

Adan rolled onto his back and sat up just in time to see the warrior who had kicked him descending upon him with a downward slash.

But Arfon’s battle ax intercepted the blow.

The old man caught the scimitar with the flat of his ax and then brought the handle up and smashed it into the Undelman’s face. The man grunted as he stumbled to the side. Arfon swung his ax again, so quickly that Adan couldn’t see it move.

The warrior’s head hit the ground before his body followed.

Adan heard a strangled cry and turned to see Kian pulling his scimitar out of the last Undelman’s chest and shoving him to the ground.

For many moments, the three of them stood breathing heavily in the dark woods, listening for any sound of disturbance. When they heard nothing, Adan closed his eyes and fell backwards into the ferns and sighed with relief.

“Adan!” Kian shouted as he rushed to his friend’s side. Adan heard panic in his voice.

”I’m all right,” Adan croaked as Kian knelt beside him. “Just a slice in the leg and a fist in my face. Nothing I can’t recover from.”

Kian sighed and they grasped hands. “You’re determined to get yourself killed protecting me, aren’t you?”

”Well, you’re so pathetic and protecting yourself, I simply have to.”