Thunder resounded.

They were just finishing the service when it began. At first they thought it was caused by further gases igniting. However, there were no flames, no firestorm erupting to the East. Just the torches drawing nearer and nearer. Meanwhile, the rumbling continued, getting louder and louder. Eventually they realised it was caused by the hammering of drums.

They each prepared in their own way.

Lera stretched, loosening her sore muscles. Yet, she winced as she hefted her shield. Her ribs remained tender.

Heric checked that all the straps of his armour were tight. Then he too stretched, ensuring he had a full range of movement, as he practised with his sword. Injuries plagued him too, but he tried to hide them. Now, of all times, he needed to be the unwavering captain the others could always depend upon.

Falduin stood atop the hill, at the very centre, with his eyes closed. He breathed deeply, slowly inhaling and exhaling, as he tried to recall all the spells he had concocted. Even the ones he never had a opportunity to test.

Tegalie saw what the others were doing. She mimicked them: standing for moment in quiet reflection; loosening her muscles; checking her weapon, then offering some practise swings. However, she soon grew bored. She moved over to remain close to Ganthe, crouching down beside him.

Ganthe snored quietly, his breathing only just audible over the beating drums.

Ifonsa didn’t need any further preparations. All she needed was targets.

The first signs the assault had begun came with Ifonsa firing repeated arrows into the darkness. She’d fire, notch another arrow, turn to a new direction, and fire again. All without leaving her rock. This happened five or six times, each shot ending with a baleful cry from the darkness.

Then arrows began to land amongst them. Along the sides of the hill at first, then gradually closer. Ifonsa too, continued to fire. Then one arrow struck the ground at Falduin’s feet. He and Heric stood on the eastern face of the hill, while Lera covered the north and Tegalie the south.

“Now!” Heric shouted to Falduin. The wizard nodded, and closed his eyes.

Lera hurried over to protect Falduin as he cast his spell. She peered out, her shield raised and ready.

Almost immediately, out of the darkness an arrow streaked straight toward Falduin. As Ifonsa’s own arrow launched towards the source, Lera thrust out her shield, intercepting the missile with a loud thunk. The arrow shivered, barely piercing the wood. Lera reached around and pulled away the arrow, casting it onto the ground.

Suddenly, a whoosh drowned out even the thundering drums, as fire erupted within the furrow Falduin had dug, It spread out until the flames completely encircled them.

Falduin faltered as he finished the spell. Heric and Lera caught him.

“Are you well?” Lera asked.

“Nothing a month’s sleep couldn’t fix,” the wizard answered, as he steadied himself and stood.

The inferno grew and grew. It did not remain curtailed by the trench, but spilled outwards until the circle of fire was nearly twenty paces wide on all sides.

Its radiance revealed the horde of goblins approaching from the east. They numbered at least a hundred, and perhaps many more.

Right at the front of the swarm, large goblins marched in a line banging loudly upon the metallic drums they had strapped to them. Behind them were rows and rows of warriors, armed with cruel swords, and wearing a mishmash of iron plated armour attached to dirty leather. Further back, a dark cloud rolled in behind, obscuring everything beyond. It had an evil feel about it, as though something fiendishly malevolent lurked within.

Ifonsa fired again and again, making a small but substantial dent in the goblin numbers. However, too soon she ran out of arrows. She dropped her bow to the ground, and drew her special knife. She leapt from her rock, crouching low, ready to strike.

The second phase of the assault began with waiting.

The goblins spread out before the flames until they completely surrounded the hill. The dark cloud, loomed behind them remaining on the eastern side. Meanwhile the fire gradually grew hotter and hotter, rising up until only Ifonsa, at the very top of the hill, could see beyond it, and only then when she stood upon her rock.

“Is it supposed to do that?” Lera asked. She was already sweating.

“It’s the same spell I used in the swamp, just with a few more guidelines,” Falduin said. “Do you want me to meddle with it?”

“No,” Heric said. “It’s all that’s keeping them from massacring us. Plus maybe they’ll see it from Frileah and investigate.”

“How long will it take them to reach us if they do?”

“At least an hour. Likely more,” Heric said. “Will your spell will last that long?”

“Yes. Unless something extinguishes it.”

“Is that likely.”

“You saw what happened to the faerie hill.”

“Good point.”

“What do you think they’ll do?”

“Do you feel lucky?”

“Right now? Not at all.”

“Me either.“

“What will they do?”

“If we’re lucky they’ll blindly shoot arrows at us.”

“Killed by flaming arrows,” Falduin exclaimed, “Great!”

“Do you think Orwic is somewhere hidden there?” Lera asked.

“You still want your battle axe back?” Falduin asked.

“Of course.”

“No,” Heric said. “Even if he survived the wound you gave him. Even if the goblins forced him along to chase after us. Orwic would find some way to leave them by now. He, and your battle axe, are both long gone.”

“I will need to hunt him down after this battle then,” Lera said.

Heric smiled and nodded.

“What happens if we’re unlucky?” Falduin asked.

“Obqlreyo,” Heric said.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a goblin word-“ Heric began.

“Challenge,” Lera answered, gazing out at the fire. “It means challenge”

“It also means Elixir of Life. The reason for being. No task is too big. No honour too small.”

Lera turned to Falduin, “That’s why there are a hundred or more out there waiting to murder and eat us,” she told him. “It’s the reason why they have chased us for nearly a week, through hills, forest, and swamp. Despite many of their number not surviving this far. Despite those destroyed by your detonation.”

“So?” Falduin asked.

“They’re not going to let this fire get in their way.”

Falduin didn’t grasp what Lera was trying to tell him.

Then the drums suddenly stopped. A battlecry blared out from beyond the flames.

A moment later Falduin saw something dark amid the raging fire.

The Challenge had begun. It marked the third and final phase of the battle.

Dark silhouettes shrouding a cascade of fire, black smoke, and withering heat. A cacophony of tortured screams and dreadful wailing. The grisly smell of charred flesh.

Falduin’s mind couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing. It completely perplexed him. Why would they ever do that? He wondered. While his mind reeled, his body did nothing. He just remained stationary, his mouth gaping open.

They came in waves. Yet most collapsed before they breached the flames. They fell, shadowy humps within the flaming barrier.

Several reached the base of the hill, only to scream and roll upon the ground. Their will to live overrode their murderous intentions. Of course none survived for long, the blackened bodies an obstacle for those followed behind.

However, enough of them made it up the hill their bodies a torrent of raging fire and boiling smoke, bolting straight at Heric’s company. They came at them from all sides.

Heric charged down the hill, swinging his sword. He cleaved the first goblin almost in two, then stepped around its smouldering body and thrust at the second. His blade pierced the chest, as the goblin impaled itself and fell to its knees. Flames and oily black smoke roared up towards the hilt as Heric twisted and tried to wrench his sword free. He almost dropped it in surprise, just managing to yank the blade out before he suffered burns. Heric readied himself to confront the next opponent.

Tears tumbled down Tegalie’s cheeks as she parried the jagged blade of a burning goblin. She snapped her sword around, slicing at the goblins throat, dispatching it, but not before another charged at her.

She stepped inside the arc of its blade, and caught it across the belly. It’s internals sizzled as they spilt out producing a acrid, vile smell. The goblin fell, while delivering a final desperate scream. It reached out to grab at Tegalie’s arm. She battered it away with her sword, and leapt to the side.

“Why don’t they stop?” Tegalie moaned, “Why don’t they stop!”

A third blazing goblin dropped its weapons and launched itself at the Princess. Tegalie saw it too late. She tried to dart away, but the goblin’s hand caught her thigh as it passed by to land heavily in the dirt.

Tegalie screamed out in pain, as she jerked away. She stumbled to the ground, her breeches smouldering. The shape of a massive hand charred and smoking upon the fabric. Tegalie swatted at her thigh trying to douse the heat.

Meanwhile the goblin tried to rise to recommence its attack. The fire had almost completely infused it. Even its eyes were like raging coals in the sockets. It lifted itself into a crouched, preparing to spring. Tegalie tried to bring her sword to bear, but she already knew it was too late.

However the goblin staggered, screamed out and fell forward. Ifonsa stood behind, her knife slick and glistening with black blood.

“Engoxth déollené ta thö mo tairfern,” Ifonsa hissed at Tegalie. Then she sprang away.

Despite her burnt thigh, Tegalie struggled to her feet, ready for the next onslaught.

Lera tried to raise her shield, the head of a hafted axe buried in its face weighing it down. The burning goblin pulled hard on the haft. Lera staggered forward, drawn toward it. The goblin wrenched the axe free raising it high ready to strike at the off-balance priestess, but at the last moment Lera thrust her sword at the goblin’s chest. The goblin shivered as the sword pierced just above its belly. It toppled backward, with Lera falling at its feet.

Lera immediately shied away. The heat from the goblin’s body scorching her face. She smelt burnt hair.

She staggered to her feet, breathing heavily. She barely had the strength left to lift her sword, let alone her shield. She peered around.

The company was spread out over the hill top. Maybe as many as fifty smouldering bodies cluttered the lower slopes. Heric was down there, defending the east, hewing his way through the attackers, but Lera could see he was already fatigued. His movement slowing.

Despite her severe limp Tegalie still held the south. Five goblin bodies lay smoking and spitting around her.

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Ifonsa danced, ruthlessly carving up the goblins that attacked from the west. Her knife cut through their armour as though it wasn’t there.

Falduin...for a moment Lera thought that Falduin was just standing there peering out Eastward. Then she saw his arms were raised, his fingers twitching every now again. He was casting a spell, she realised. It took every grain of his effort.

Lera was about to hurry over to him, but a a cry drew her attention. A goblin charged at her. It was massive, almost as large as the one that had injured her in the forest. While it smouldered and smoked, it lacked the constant burning that the others she had fought. No flames danced upon its skin.

She only just raised her shield in time to block the creatures cruel sword. The blow staggered her, but she reacted automatically, forcing the goblin’s blade away and striking with her own sword. Her blow bounced harmlessly off its armour.

The goblin attacked again. Lera leapt away rather than met the blow with her shield. Again and again she ceded ground until she was near the top of the hill. The goblin raged and pressed its attack. Lera raised her shield and the blow slammed into the wood. She cried out as her injured side erupted in pain. There was a howl of triumph as the goblin sensed victory.

Lera felt a presence, two in fact, one on either side. The goblin howled as it realised it now faced three opponents instead of one. It twisted, as Tegalie flanked it, but that only gave the opening that Ifonsa needed.

The Warden’s knife made easy work of the goblin. But even before it had topped to the ground, Ifonsa had slipped away to defend the west again. Tegalie offered Lera a tired smile, as she too hobbled away to the south.

Exhausted, Lera could barely stand. She gazed toward the north, and saw why the large goblin had barely shown any signs of burning. A line of bodies breached the flames, offering a path through the fiery circle. Another goblin reached the base of the hill. There couldn’t be too many more, Lera realised. They flood had fallen to a trickle. Yet only one would be enough to end her.

The goblin spied her and charged.

Falduin threw all his remaining strength against the power trying to douse the flames. If only he had the mastery to try the trick he had conceived in the mines. He had seen a way to counteract the dark forces. Yet he had nothing left. He was spent. Little by little he was losing. Unless he found some other way to neutralise the encroaching darkness, his fires would be snuffed out, the way clear for the goblins to overwhelm them.

The battle had not gone as he expected. Firstly the sight of the goblins racing through the fire had so stupefied him that he stood in stunned amazement. He’d been unable to move or even think. Perhaps if he had kept his wits, events might have turned for the better.

While excessively weary, he had planned to use his spells to assist the others. So that they wouldn’t become overwhelmed by the battle. However, those initial moments robbed him of any initiative, and by the time he had regained his sensibilities he had ascertained a new threat required his immediate attention.

He sensed that the impenetrable cloud of darkness had entered the ring of fire. Gradually it disgorged, snuffing out the flames that came in contact with it.

Hastily he reached out to the Essence in an attempt to curtail the intrusion. Yet he lacked the focus and power to keep it under his control. It whispered to him, offering wild suggestions and means he could easily defeat the menace. All he needed to do was listen and submit to it.

His wizard sight revealed that the darkness was more than half-way across the fiery gap. He was desperate. The Essence called out to him. Yet it was the cry of another that summoned his attention as a shadowy wave burst out from the darkness.

Lera collapsed. The pain in her belly too intense. She peered down expecting a wound, but there was none. She peered about and found the goblin closing in to attack. It slammed its curved sword at her head. She screamed, as pain lance through her entire body, but she raised her shield to protect herself. The blow sent another wave of agony through her.

The goblin stood over her, raising its sword.

“Falduin!” she cried out.

The sword reached its zenith. All she could do was watch.

Then the goblin staggered, as though struck by a blow. It cried out. Its feet crystallised and turned to ice. The wave of cold rushed upwards. The goblin’s cry of fear solidified in its throat as the ice completely consumed it.

Lera peered up at the goblin-shaped sculpture. Every part of the creature, from its boots and armour, its torso to the sword raised over its head had been transformed into flawless ice. It was almost...beautiful.

Lera looked to Falduin in order to thank him. Instead she found him collapsed on the ground.

She cast off her shield, freeing herself of its weight. She tried to rise. However, her legs shivered and buckled underneath her. She crumpled back to the ground.

She peered around, seeking help from the others. Someone needed to reach Falduin and save him.

Her gaze found Heric. He still fought, although his movements were agonisingly slow. His exhaustion obvious. He was being forced back up the hill by two goblins.

“Heric!” she cried desperately. He didn’t react.

She was about to call again when she saw a section of the flames to the east flutter and snuff out. The looming black cloud uncoiled to pierce the ring of fire.

Out of the cloud strode three tall figures, clad in purple silken robes and hoods.

Crack!

“Heric!” Lera cried. This time her heard her. She pointed at the three figures.

“Lera!”

It was Tegalie, her face filled with pain and despair. She crawled across the ground towards Lera leaving behind a trail of black blood.

Crack!

Out of the corner of her eye. Lera spotted movement. A goblin emerged, charging along the northern path through the fire. An archer. It lifted its bow. It drew its bead upon Lera.

Lera turned to face her doom.

But the archer did not fire. Instead it twisted taking a new target. It fired.

Lera only just managed to glimpse the arrow in flight as it streaked towards the western part of the hill to catch Ifonsa in the chest.

Crack!

The goblin sculpture exploded.

Ganthe woke to a loud cracking sound, as thought his body and soul had been severed. He opened his eyes to find himself deep within the Underworld. Fire and black smoke surrounded him. An acrid smell filled the air. It was just as his mother’s sister had taught him.

He accepted his fate. He had tried to be noble and good like the heroes in tales, but it is hard to show virtue and honour when your belly is empty and nobody truly cares whether you live or die. He had done many bad things in his life, and he understood that he had to pay for those crimes.

He heard the cries of the other punished souls. The screams of pain. The shrieks of panic. One of them sounded like Ifonsa. Or was it Fahesha? Surely she hadn’t ended up down here too.

“No, no, no,” the voice howled.

Ganthe was surprised that he still had his knives firmly clasped in his hands. He didn’t realise they were allowed in the Underworld.

Despite the pain searing through his back, Ganthe pushed himself up onto his haunches. There were bodies everywhere. Some still burning. Yes, there could be no doubt he was indeed trapped in one of the foulest pits. Even if it seemed to be on a hill.

Then he spotted a goblin. It carried a bow in one hand and a vicious knife in the other.

“No!” The voice was definitely Ifonsa’s, shrill and desperate.

Ganthe found her curled up on the ground, an arrow piercing her chest. The goblin raced towards her to collect its kill.

Ganthe rose and hurled his favourite knife at the goblin. It sunk deep into the creatures side. The goblin staggered, but didn’t fall. But Ganthe was already racing towards it. He covered the distance in a flash, then leapt. The goblin twisted to face him, trying to bring its own knife to bear.

Ganthe reached out and grabbed hold of the goblin’s neck. The momentum swung him around, his left hand lancing out. His knife punched right through the goblin’s armour and buried itself in the creature’s chest. The goblin shivered and collapsed, with Ganthe leaping away at the last moment. He landed on his feet, seeking more foes. There were none.

Instead he moved over to Ifonsa, cradling her.

“Don’t let me die like my sister,” Ifonsa whispered.

“I won’t,” he said.

He still had one knife.

Heric stepped over the two bodies. It had taken him two long to kill the goblins. He slowly moved to confront the figures emerging from the dark cloud. He could barely lift his sword. If he had the energy he would have cried for help. Not that he expected any to arrive. As far as he could tell, the rest of his company were all down, incapacitated or dead (he didn’t truly know). He was the last defence.

Two of the figures turned to regard him. The centre one was the hooded snake creature that Lera had cast into the pit: The Snake Priest. It had changed but was clearly the same creature. Yet it resembled more snake than goblin now. Its neck had flattered forming a crude hood, and its irises were slits.

The other one was taller and broader. There was little remaining aspect of goblin within its face now. It had the head of a snake, with a full flared hood like the highly venomous haêláés snake. However its body resembled a goblin. Or a hobgoblin, Heric realised.

While the middle and far figures were unarmed, the closer one carried an oddly familiar weapon: a hafted axe. It raised its weapon and hissed at him.

The action brought Heric up short as he realised the terrible truth. The creature wore its robe open in the front to reveal it’s mottled chest all the way down to its belly. The marks were there, the patterns ridiculing the wounds he had made. The pierced stomach. The slit throat. The decapitation. The creature before him was the Goblin King, altered and born again.

It hollered as it rushed at Heric, slamming its axe down straight at his head.

There was something she needed to do. Something she needed to remember. Yet, try as she might she just could grasp the images that swam before her.

Then they coalesced into a face. A man with dark eyes.

“Just use the Essence,” he told her.

Why? she asked.

“I’ve been doing this for years. Trust me,” he said. Then added, “Words matter. Grammar too, I suppose. Sometimes the Essence doesn’t fully grasp what you want.”

And?

But the dark eyed man was silent, slumped on the ground surrounded by fire and burning bodies.

She tried to close her eyes, but discovered they were already closed. Unbidden the three formed in her mind. One reddish-orange, one white and one black.

She reached out to them. They spoke to her, telling her what to do.

“Lera!” Tegalie cried.

Lera was crumpled face-first, her body twisted as she half-lay-half-sat on the ground. It was a position that nobody could maintain for long without moving. Lera was clearly senseless. She had taken the full blast of the ice explosion, her surcoat stained with her own blood.

Despite the pain in her own belly, Tegalie crawled through the shattered ice fragments towards the Priestess. She was almost within a pace of her when Lera shivered and sat bolt upright.

“Lera?”

Abruptly, Lera rose, dropping her sword into the dirt. She turned, facing east.

“I walk within the light.” Tegalie heard Lera’s voice, but her mouth didn’t move.

Lera took a step, as she recited her prayer, “Sustain me so I might.”

Heric retreated under the fierce series of attacks. He had no choice. Already he had received two sharp blows, saved only by his breastplate and his helmet respectively.

Out of the corner of his eye he spied the Snake Priest striding up the hill to where Tegalie lay. He needed to stop it. But before he could disengage, the Reborn Goblin King pressed in, preventing him from escaping.

Darkness to light

Bring day to night

Falduin had just enough consciousness left to realise that he was moving. He opened his eyes to find a nasty snake creature lifting him up. It seemed vaguely familiar, he just couldn’t recall why. The creature held him there for a moment, then hurled him backwards.

That jolted him awake. At least for the few moments he flew through the air. His arms waved as he tried to steady himself, but all he managed was to jar his right arm as he landed heavily. His head struck hard against the ground. As darkness closed in he thought he saw a figure bathed in light descending the hill towards him

The light shines

The light burns

The ring of fire suddenly quivered and died, leaving only the burning corpses to light the hill.

Ganthe shivered and collapsed backwards onto the ground. The knife fell from his hand.

“Ganthe!” Ifonsa cried.

Ifonsa scrabbled to twist around to help her fallen comrade.

“Ganthe!” she called again, but he didn’t stir.

Ifonsa heard a sound. To the north she saw many goblins gathered around a robed figure. For a moment she feared that they were coming for her, but instead they were gazing to the south.

Then she noticed the light radiating from the other side of the hill.

The light binds

The light turns

Heric stumbled. Slipping on the carcass of a fallen goblin. He fell backwards, his sword tumbling from his hands. He peered up at the Goblin King expecting to see it raging in triumph. Instead it shielded its eyes against the intense light coming from further up the hill.

Remove all shadow

Remove all shade

The words rang out in their heads, even those barely conscious. The radiance grew and grew as it became brighter and brighter.

Heric raised his hand to shield his eyes, but that was not enough. He was forced to turn away, rolling over to cover his sword.

Even Ifonsa on the other side of the hill had to turn away, leaning over Ganthe protectively. The light was so powerful and pure that she could still see it with her eyes closed.

Make all aglow

Only Tegalie was able to watch up until the last. She had seen the transformation from the very beginning. Lera descending sedately down the hill, as an inner light flared up around her.

Tegalie would later write...

> And then... she seemed to grow until she was twenty, thirty, perhaps fifty paces tall and instead of her own, she bore the head of an eagle. And she was clad in plate armour made from the stars and carried a mighty sword formed from the sun.

>

> And so intense was her radiance, that the mottled skin of the snake creatures began to sizzle and smoke. They tried to flee, but that did not save them, for Lera reached out with her sword and smite each of them and they lit up like a bonfire on harvest night until nothing was left of them.

...but even Tegalie had to look away eventually...

Return to The Fayed

...and for a time, they knew nothing more.