The sun was setting, and the woods were getting dark. Julianos could feel the anxiousness among the rangers as they waited. This was to be their last stand.
Once the sun had set entirely the magisters would remove the protective enchantments that protected the Eversong Woods and allow the Scourge to attack.
It was the new Ranger General's plan that the undead would be walking into an ambush and that their forces would be decimated by the Farstriders hiding in the woods.
It was a sound plan, but the Farstriders were heavily outnumbered.
"You know…" Erreniel started, but she went quiet again. There was nothing to say, and words seemed out of place. The silence seemed fitting; the silence of the grave.
And then the sun disappeared. A hum of magic that made Julianos' ears tingle swept through the forest and then a beastial roar was heard. The ground trembled as the armies of the undead started moving across the river and into the Eversong Woods.
Silently the rangers prepared their bows and readied to open fire. Outside the tree-line the enemy became visible: hulking zombies and abominations moving forward, the very soil rotting beneath their feet. Wagons made of rotten wood, rusted metal and bones dragged themselves through the woods, cutting down the ancient trees as they hit them.
Finally the enemy was in range.
Julianos heard the whistling sound of arrows flying as he along with every other ranger fired upon the enemy. As the undead fell in surprise Julianos cogged a new arrow and fired again. And again. From over the trees he heard the soldiers yelling orders as the glaive throwers in Fairbreeze fired their payload on the enemy's position. Huge glaives descended from the sky, cutting zombies in halves and destroying the awful meatwagons of the Scourge. Yet the enemy still advanced. New forces climbed on top of the fallen and continued moving onwards. They seemed to be ignoring the rangers in the woods, focusing on advancing towards Fairbreeze.
Another round of glaives was fired from Fairbreeze, and another wave of undead replaced the fallen ones. There was no end to them.
Suddenly roars were heard from within the woods, and Julianos turned around. From the sky bat-like creatures were sweeping down and picking off rangers. And from the ground, giant insects were massacring any ranger they could reach. The Farstriders had to turn their attention from the advancing zombie forces to deal with this new, unexpected threat.
xxxx
Lor'themar could hear his captains yelling orders. The Scourge had reached the village and the Spellbreakers were doing their best to push them back. It was a slaughter. From the woods, the roars of the rangers could be heard as they were pushed back towards the village.
They were forced into a corner, undead advancing from all sides.
From his perch on the top floor of the inn, by his makeshift war room, he could see the amazing size of the Scourge army. Their forces stretched as far as he could see.
The rangers retreating from the woods took up position and fired upon the tree-line. A ranger came up to him.
"Sir, we were ambushed in the forest! Gargoyles and massive insects were picking us off. We had to retreat." he said.
"Get your men into position and make sure the enemy doesn't press any further towards the village. Keep them in the woods." Lor'themar responded and the ranger ran back to his men.
Lor'themar beckoned Halduron over. "Halduron, prepare the troops to retreat to Silvermoon at my order."
Halduron seemed perplexed by this. "But if we retreat…"
"I will not have my men be slaughtered at this village. We can do more good once we join up with the remaining armies of Silvermoon."
xxxx
Julianos fought with all the vigour he had in him, firing arrow after arrow on the advancing enemy. Erreniel was at his side doing the same. They were retreating to Fairbreeze, trying to delay the enemy while making their way to the village.
Other rangers were doing the same, but many more had been lost to the enemy's surprise attack in the woods.
Dor'ranian and Lor'therien were nowhere to be seen.
A screech pierced the air above them, as a gargoyle dived to grab them, but Erreniel was quick and managed to shoot an arrow through it.
As the gargoyle fell to the ground, the giant insects advanced upon them, digging their way up from beneath the earth. Their arrows were no good against the insects' hardened carapaces.
"Run!" Julianos said, and they started sprinting towards the now visible tree-line. Gargoyles descended on them, but Julianos quickly dodged their sharp claws. At the same time an insect burrowed its way up beneath them, piercing Erreniel's leg with its sharp pincers. Quickly she drew her blade and dislodged the pincer, but she fell to the ground.
From Fairbreeze yells could be heard: "Shindu fallah na!" The village was being overrun. They were retreating.
Julianos drew his blade and pierced the insect's head. As it fell down the tunnel it had been emerging from, Julianos quickly swooped up Erreniel and started running towards the village. She seemed to have passed out.
They made it through the tree-line and into the village, where the soldiers were in full retreat. The undead legions were behind them, burning the village, slaughtering anyone who weren't fast enough to get away.
Julianos wasn't fast enough, he realized. He was tired from his burden. He stumbled, and Erreniel awoke from the fall. She was in agony, screaming from the pain in her leg.
"Come on, we must hurry."
"I can't," Erreniel gasped. "It's not just my leg… poison… I can't move my body."
Julianos was horrified. They had to get moving, there was no time to linger, but he couldn't carry her any longer.
"What…" he twisted his mind, trying to find a solution. "What can I do?" He was panicking.
"Leave me!" she cried "the poison will kill me anyways… I… please, just leave me."
Julianos realized the truth in her words. He had no choice, but… he hoped.
"Shorel'aran, Julianos. May the sun guide you…"
"I will not leave you to die by their hands. Forgive me." Julianos said, as he plunged his dagger into her chest. "Shorel'aran, Erreniel."