“My lord,” another messenger called out.
“What is it this time?” I asked from atop my horse.
“A large portion of the mages we posted up front were killed. Reports say they were somehow hit by an invisible object, causing their heads to explode.”
I ground my teeth in anger. Mages were rare, and we had already lost too many.
“That’s not all, my lord. Captain Tertius sent a cavalry unit after the golems, but several, including the captain of the cavalry unit, were killed. It seems the enemy had set up traps that the cavalry fell into.”
“This is unacceptable,” I spat.
“One more thing, my lord. The soldiers say there is a girl fighting among the golems. She led the last ambush, and was seen during the second attack.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Why hasn’t she been dealt with yet? Surely the imperial army can deal with one girl at least?”
“The soldiers say that she has somehow fused with a golem. She’s stronger and faster than she should be, and they have a hard time hurting her.”
“Have the golems you’ve destroyed been examined?”
“Yes sir. They are unlike any golems we've seen before. They appear to have been molded somehow, and have strange metal strings hanging inside their bodies. We aren’t sure how they are made, but they are deadlier and faster than normal golems.”
“Hmm…” I thought as I chewed on my lip. “How many of our men have we lost?”
“Between 900 and 1000, my lord.”
“Gods be damned. We’ve already lost 1/10th of the men we left with. Lord Viscount will not be pleased…”
“Summon Mors,” I said wearily. It took a few minutes, but the Deathwalker eventually made his way to me.
“What do you want?” he asked in his guttural voice. His lack of respect angered me, but I needed him. Swallowing my rage, I told him, “The golems are proving more troublesome than anticipated. Head up to the front and deal with it.”
“Why of course, my lord,” he said sarcastically. As I watched him ride off, I fantasized about dismembering him and tossing him into some remote lake…