Chapter 2
The rain began to fall even as the immortals and their scanran allies charged forth at the defenders of the forest village. The young archers set their faces as they loosed their feeble arrows at the onrushing horde. A blood-curdling scream sent shivers down Kel's spine as one centaur fell, an arrow in his throat; and the leading Scanran was trampled by his comrades after his horse was killed.
As the horde drew near, the villagers cast aside the bows, and drew out their short blades. Kel brought out her long-sword, and whistled as she touched the raven on the bottom of the hilt. After the first two kills, it was 6-6 odds for the villagers as the battle commenced. Kel sliced the first Scanran cleanly through the neck as the second lashed out with a long, curved blade. Kel's perry knocked him off balance, and one of the villagers stabbed him as he fell from his horse with a blade taken from the centaur by the villager who killed it.
"Keep it up!" Kel shouted at the villager, even as she thought privately, "Owen would think that this was just a jolly fight. He'll just agonize about how I got to fight and he didn't."
Off to the right, two more villagers fought tooth and nail with a gigantic centaur. Its horse-parts were of a chestnut color, and it had a deep, dark upper body. It lashed out with its powerful forelegs, crushing into the first villager's waist, and sending him flying back. The second plunged his blade up to the hilt into the beast's side, twisting it even as the centaur smashed his head in with the butt of his axe with his dying breath.
Kel had not a moments respite from the fray. The last of the centaurs charged forth, wielding an axe in his right hand. Kel parried its first cut, and leaped back as the immortal kicked out with its forelegs. She wasn't about to repeat the mistake that had almost gotten her killed the last time she had fought a centaur. In one long, sweeping blow, Kel severed the creature's legs at mid-thigh. The beast howled as it fell upon the open wounds, but was silenced as his neck was cut as well.
An eerie quiet fell as the rain pattered to a stop. Kel turned and surveyed the damage. Of the two village boy's who had fought the centaur, the one who had been kicked was grievously injured, the other, dead from the head wound, still clutching the knife that was buried in the beast. The youth who had killed the first centaur in the close battle and taken its sword had a gash upon his arm and was leaning heavily on his sword and another villager, with what appeared to be a broken leg. Under the body of the third Scanran lay Tom, the defacto leader of the village youths, and Kel's unofficial second in command, his blade poking through the Scanran's chest, even as the Scanran's was sunk through his throat. "Mithros be praised, the rain put out the fire." Kel said as she faced her small band.
"Mithros be thanked that you're all right" Cried Neal as he rushed out of the village, "Oh, no. Your not."
"You didn't know, Neal." Said Kel, looking at her friend. "There was nothing you could have done."
"I could have been here!" He wailed. "If I had let the villagers get themselves to safety, I could have been here to fight."
"And you could have died, as well" Shouted Kel, "And then where would we be? We need you to heal the wounded Neal, so we can be ready for next time."
"Well, Well, Well," Sputtered Neal defiantly, "Well, when you put it that way...."
To be continued...
The rain began to fall even as the immortals and their scanran allies charged forth at the defenders of the forest village. The young archers set their faces as they loosed their feeble arrows at the onrushing horde. A blood-curdling scream sent shivers down Kel's spine as one centaur fell, an arrow in his throat; and the leading Scanran was trampled by his comrades after his horse was killed.
As the horde drew near, the villagers cast aside the bows, and drew out their short blades. Kel brought out her long-sword, and whistled as she touched the raven on the bottom of the hilt. After the first two kills, it was 6-6 odds for the villagers as the battle commenced. Kel sliced the first Scanran cleanly through the neck as the second lashed out with a long, curved blade. Kel's perry knocked him off balance, and one of the villagers stabbed him as he fell from his horse with a blade taken from the centaur by the villager who killed it.
"Keep it up!" Kel shouted at the villager, even as she thought privately, "Owen would think that this was just a jolly fight. He'll just agonize about how I got to fight and he didn't."
Off to the right, two more villagers fought tooth and nail with a gigantic centaur. Its horse-parts were of a chestnut color, and it had a deep, dark upper body. It lashed out with its powerful forelegs, crushing into the first villager's waist, and sending him flying back. The second plunged his blade up to the hilt into the beast's side, twisting it even as the centaur smashed his head in with the butt of his axe with his dying breath.
Kel had not a moments respite from the fray. The last of the centaurs charged forth, wielding an axe in his right hand. Kel parried its first cut, and leaped back as the immortal kicked out with its forelegs. She wasn't about to repeat the mistake that had almost gotten her killed the last time she had fought a centaur. In one long, sweeping blow, Kel severed the creature's legs at mid-thigh. The beast howled as it fell upon the open wounds, but was silenced as his neck was cut as well.
An eerie quiet fell as the rain pattered to a stop. Kel turned and surveyed the damage. Of the two village boy's who had fought the centaur, the one who had been kicked was grievously injured, the other, dead from the head wound, still clutching the knife that was buried in the beast. The youth who had killed the first centaur in the close battle and taken its sword had a gash upon his arm and was leaning heavily on his sword and another villager, with what appeared to be a broken leg. Under the body of the third Scanran lay Tom, the defacto leader of the village youths, and Kel's unofficial second in command, his blade poking through the Scanran's chest, even as the Scanran's was sunk through his throat. "Mithros be praised, the rain put out the fire." Kel said as she faced her small band.
"Mithros be thanked that you're all right" Cried Neal as he rushed out of the village, "Oh, no. Your not."
"You didn't know, Neal." Said Kel, looking at her friend. "There was nothing you could have done."
"I could have been here!" He wailed. "If I had let the villagers get themselves to safety, I could have been here to fight."
"And you could have died, as well" Shouted Kel, "And then where would we be? We need you to heal the wounded Neal, so we can be ready for next time."
"Well, Well, Well," Sputtered Neal defiantly, "Well, when you put it that way...."
To be continued...
