With a sound like thunder, thousands of Demonkin roared furiously. They mindlessly threw themselves against the sturdy tower. Demonkin began to pile up on top of each other, trampling their comrades in a frantic effort to get to the soldiers taking refuge inside.
Fire and lighting rained down from the tower, turning dozens of Demonkin into smoldering corpses. The creatures did not even look at their fallen comrades as they continued to try and swarm the tower. More and more Demonkin piled up on each other, but the tower was just too tall. Even with the top part broken, the tower stretched high into the sky. Though there were thousands of Demonkin, it was not enough for their scrambling heap of bodies to reach the top. Howling in fury was all they could do.
My dad watched everything that happened with a sigh of relief. “It looks like the Demonkin cannot get inside. General Arthur should be safe for now. What is that tower made of?”
“A fang,” I replied with a shrug.
“Fangs?” Charly blanched, “The tower is made out of teeth?”
“A fang, singular.” I replied, “The tower is made out of a single Demonkin fang carved into the shape of a tower. The material is harder than any steel, so it should be difficult for the horde to get inside anytime soon.”
“What kind of creature leaves a tooth like that? How big was the actual Demonkin? How was it killed?” Charly asked in awe.
“It was a giant sea serpent. Even the largest ships were just toothpicks for that monstrosity. Aurielle’s teacher killed it. He then used its bones to create the walls around her capital city and carved four towers from its fangs.”
“That’s Amazing! Just how powerful is Aurielle’s teacher?”
I froze, remembering the one time I met him. The terror I felt knowing that if he wanted, he could snuff me out in an instant.
Orias let out a huff, interrupting my thoughts. “Old legends are great fun, but none of that helps us now. So, unless you know another way into that tower, we need to figure out what to do here and now.”
My dad nodded. “I have never seen so many Demonkin in one place before. Under normal circumstances, any army would be completely shredded within minutes.
“Actually…” I said, but was interrupted by Orias before I could finish.
“I am assuming you will have to get involved. Knowing your personality, you will not leave until you know the general is safe.”
“I know…” I tried to say before dad cut me off.
“That right. We are General Arthur’s Silver Blades. What kind of knights would we be if we turned our backs now?”
“Dad…”
Orias pounded his fist against his chest. “Alright, count me in. If we create a small fire with some of the materials on our wagons, we can should be able to send a signal to the general without drawing the Demonkin’s attention.”
Rubbing his chin in thought, my dad spoke, “If we use the trees as cover, we might be able to draw a small number of Demonkin away from the full group, picking off any stragglers, and thinning their numbers. It would be risky, but it could give the general an opportunity if the enemy has to keep an eye on to their backs.”
I sighed, walking up to my dad with my hands on my hips. With one swift motion, I stomped on his foot.
He yelped in surprise, hoping in pain. “Ow! Wren, what was that for?”
“If you are done ignoring me… We can just use the catacombs under the tower. There are nearly a dozen entrances scattered nearby. We can get into the tower, meet with the general in person, and get his army out, all while the Demonkin spend the next week trying to force their way inside the tower.”
“There are catacombs under Nebula Tower?” Orias asked, looking at me with suspicion.
I nodded, ignoring his puzzled stare. “I know the way, follow me.”
The soldiers, and my family, followed me as I led them into the tree line south of the tower. Everything looked different than it was in Aurielle’s memory due to the corruption of the plants, but she had been here so many times before I could probably find all the entrances blindfolded.
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After a couple minutes of walking, we arrived at a small stone shrine that looked like a grave. It was a simple structure, without any carved decorations and covered in moss. Only three words were carved on the stone slab at the front of the shrine.
“Victory through sacrifice,” I said, quietly reading the words. I then looked towards the top of the shrine. The small crystal that should have been there was gone. Probably stolen by grave robbers at some point long ago. Without it, we would have to get in the hard way. Looking at Orias, I pointed at the stone slab. “Break it open.”
“I am not really comfortable disturbing a grave… are you sure this is the entrance?”
I nodded, and Orias frowned. His muscles started to swell as he activated his innate talent. clasping both his hands together, he brought them down on the small stone slab. The stone cracked under the force of his blow, revealing a staircase going down.
Orias stared at me for a long moment as he deactivated his innate talent. “How did you know this was here?”
“That’s a secret,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at him. Without waiting for the others, I stepped into the tomb and down the staircase.
The moment I entered the tomb, small green crystals lining the ceiling began to light up. The crystals illuminated a short corridor that led to a massive chamber. The chamber stretched for as far at the eye could see, and other than a few pillars to support the ceiling, it was completely empty.
“What is this place?” Donte asked, looking at the massive chamber in amazement, “Why is it so big, and why is it empty?”
“Aurielle’s innate talent made people… uncomfortable. So, she kept her reanimated armies in catacombs like these until she needed them.”
“That’s incredible. How many undead were here?”
I shrugged. “A couple million probably.”
Donte paused, “Where… Where did she get so many bodies?” he asked, as he looked at around the huge, empty chamber.
I looked down at the floor silently, not wanting to answer his question. Aurielle had been blamed for many unjust actions she was not directly responsible for, but this was not one of them. I knew why she did it, but just because we shared a body did not mean I had to like it.
Since I had gone silent, it was Orias who answered instead. “My sister used to tell me stories. It was one of the Undead Queen’s most hated laws. When someone died, regardless of who they were, their body had to be donated to the empire. The only way around this law was by donating the body of a large game predator, usually a bear. Everyone knew what the bodies were for… Seeing your loved one as a soulless puppet of the queen was not something anyone wanted.”
My mom placed a hand on my shoulder as she spoke, “Not everyone was against it. I heard that some people saw it as an honor to continue to serve even after their death.”
“Would you like it?” Orias said with a sigh, “What if it was your child turned into a mindless tool for someone else to control?”
My mom fell silent, unable to answer the question truthfully. I patted her arm, showing her it was ok with a weak smile. Aurielle was far from perfect. She fought for the realm, but she was no saint. Victory only came through sacrifice.
We moved silently through the empty corridors. Being in such a big underground place was creepy, but the only other things down here besides us were insects and rodents. There was not a single corpse left. Only after walking for over half an hour in one direction, did we finally come to a wall with a staircase leading up.
A huge stone slab covered our exit out. Once again, I had Orias break through it for us. This slab was much thicker than the one before, and it took him a dozen hits before he made any progress. Only after nearly half an hour of work did the stone crumble, revealing a room with slick black walls, and nearly one hundred soldiers all pointing their weapons towards us.
“We’re friendly!” my father shouted, as an arrow whizzed past his head.
A man in a bright red coat with a long, thin face stepped in front of the soldiers. He had large ears that stuck out from under his messy brown hair, and a small delicate mouth that almost gave him an effeminate appearance. “Renald! By the realms, what are ye doin’ here? Ye nearly gave me a heart attack comin’ out of the floor like that!”
“It is good to see you too general,” my dad replied with a hearty laugh.
“Good my arse, I thought those creatures started diggin’ tunnels. How did ye get here?”
My dad stepped aside, revealing the staircase behind him. “There are catacombs running under the tower. Your army can use them to retreat.”
“Retreat? Ye kiddin’ me? I haven’t had this much fun in years!” General Arthur said patting my dad’s shoulder, “Bein a duke is not all it’s cracked up to be. Boring as watchin’ ducks quack!”
I heard my mom laugh as she stepped out of the stairway and stood next to my dad. “I assume that means you already had a plan to deal with the Demonkin?”
“Ha! Plan? My plan will depend on their plan. I got sturdy walls and enough glyphs to bombard them for days. It’s like shootin’ helpless little fishes. That harpy has to be the worst commander I have ever seen. She may be more intelligent than the beasts, but that doesn’t make her smart. A good commander would starve us out of here without loosin’ a single soldier, force us to come out an fight on their terms. This harpy just keeps throwin’, her troops against the wall like a madman.”
“Really!” my dad remarked in surprise, with a glance towards me.
I just shrugged. From Aurielle’s memories I knew a demon was intelligent, but that did not mean it was born with the knowledge of war. It only had the memories of whoever they were before they were corrupted. By the sounds of it, this one had not been a soldier before they fell. Of course, they could learn if given enough time…
“Alright lads, back to the walls! Show em how scary real soldiers are!” General Arthur shouted, “Renald, Tia, ye two come with me. These catacombs gave me an idea.”