Chapter Twelve
Blood and Storms

"Gerudos!" Rael was awake under the blazing sun. He leapt up onto his feet and unsheathed his sword, and turned to face the shouting. The Hylian soldier Thoril was galloping over the nearest sand dune on his tall grey horse, waving his sword in the air to catch the light and bellowing at the top of his voice. "They're pouring out of the mountains! Three score on foot!"

Link, who had been standing by the river, came racing over the rocky, sandy ground towards Thoril. Elane, Tabett and Daran, who had been sleeping close to Rael, were scrambling out of their sheets quickly, pulling on shoes and buckling their sword belts. "What's happening Rael?" said Tabett in a daze.

"They're coming…" muttered Rael, "this is it… light save us." He looked Tabett in the eye as his friend came to stand by his side, sword in hand. "The Gerudos are coming."

"Blood and rain," cursed Tabett. Daran and Elane hurried over to stand with them, Daran with his radiant yellow-white hair held his long silver sword by his side and Elane had bared her long dagger. "I am not ready for another attack…"

"We have Kantar though don't we?" said Elane. "He's the Marshal of Hyrule, he'll… we survived an attack once before, didn't we?"

Rael nodded slowly. A short distance away, Link and the four Hylian soldiers had already grouped together, and were already almost fully armoured; Barl was pulling his helmet over his head and Barark was adjusting his greaves. Soon they were making their way towards the four Taraners. The words of the Illivartan's prophecy ran through Rael's mind as he scanned the eight faces present. Ten ride forth, and five return. "Five of our company of ten, including Jolane, will die today."

Rael's three friends looked at him in horror. "What do you mean?" demanded Tabett.

"It's the Illivartan's prophecy!" said Rael loudly, "It is happening today!"

His friend's eyes widened. "Rael," said Elane, "what are you talking about?"

Rael pointed his sword at the three hills, miles away at the source of the three rivers that fed the Orre'Aemea river, then gestured towards the hills where the Gerudos were apparently coming from. "Twice and once the horn must sound, twice at dusk and once at dawn. Where the almighty three ferment their wine, the chosen must drink deep in the blood of salvation. Ten will ride forth, and five return, the father shall weep and the mother shall mourn!"

"Who is the Illivartan?" asked Elane.

"Rael! Daran, Tabett, Elane!" The four of them spun to face the five armoured men hurrying towards them. Link reached them first, and laid his gauntleted hands on Daran and Rael's shoulders. "There are sixty Gerudos running at speed in our direction, and they seem to be on a mission to seek and kill. They will not give us a chance to surrender."

"What happened to your diplomacy?" asked Elane, "you told King Ramades-"

"Ramades is a damned fool," growled Link, "that is if these are indeed his men and women."

"Women…" muttered Daran.

"Yes." Said Link, flatly. "Yes, Daran there are women soldiers. They are just as savage as the men, and you will fight and kill them if you must."

"Here they come!" shouted Nolin the soldier.

A line of ten Gerudos appeared at the summit of the small hill to the west, like black vultures rearing up against the backdrop of the clear hot sky. "Protect the young ones." Commanded Link. "Barark, Nolin, on my right. Thoril, Barl, on the left." The soldiers formed a triangle wedge around the front of the Taraners, with Link at their head. "I lead. Blades ready!" The soldiers moved as one, shifting into a ready form, right feet forwards and blades slanted diagonally across their chests.

The first line of ten Gerudos began to descend down the slope towards their position by the river. As they hurried down the slope, another line of ten appeared over the hill, sweeping swiftly onwards behind their comrades. Rael tensed, his heart pounding in his chest. "Assume the form, Rael," said Link. The first line of Gerudos was getting close, Rael could see their determined faces. Their leader looked familiar, a large man with flaming hair and war paint on his cheeks. "We are brothers," said Link.

Rael did as Link commanded. Letting go of his conscious mind was easier now than usual. He felt his sword arm relax, and his body fall loose. Then as his sight left him momentarily, his muscles fired, pumped him full of fire.

A barrage of foul Gerudo language hit them, and as Rael opened his eyes, they were upon them. Link broke the enemy line immediately, lunging at the Gerudo captain and cleaving his head from his body. Rael heard Tabett and Elane shout out in horror at the sight of this decapitation. Rael cared not though, advancing with the Hylian soldiers. The remaining waves of Gerudos had now cleared the hill and were rushing towards them. It was a wonder that they were not simply crushed by sheer numbers;

For a moment, Link was able to keep them back with threatening movements of his blade but very quickly the Marshal was unable to hold back the tide and he was consumed amongst the Gerudos, as they advanced and threw themselves upon Hylian plate-mail and blades. "No!" cried out Rael as Link disappeared in a sea of black and red bodies.

The Gerudos were tall, dark skinned and most had bright red hair. Their iron studded leather jackets and short breeches covered sun-reddened torsos, with slashes of crimson and purple silk mixed into their attire. They were merciless and savage. The soldiers could not hold their ground for long against the Gerudo tide. Gerudo scimitars met Hylian longswords, crashed with an almighty ringing of iron and steel and the bloodied cries of anguish of the soldiers turned Rael's determination to fear.

A few Gerudos were slain by the soldiers, but too few to hold them back. As they tore apart the Hylian men, Rael turned to his friends and yelled, "Run!" He spun his blade in a quick motion beneath a Gerudo man's exposed ribcage, and then darted after his friends, his blade dripping with blood.

Elane, Tabett and Daran started running with Rael right behind them. "Head for that high ground!" Rael shouted. Up ahead the rocky ground sloped upwards sharply. He could hear Gerudo footsteps and angry cries closely behind him. Up, up the hill he ran, desperately trying to keep his footing, gulping in gasps of air. "Link!" he cried out desperately, not caring if the others heard.

Daran, Tabett and Elane turned up ahead, facing Rael with wide-eyed expressions of fear. "It's a cliff!" called Tabett helplessly.

Rael screwed his eyes and felt his emotions burn inside him, then focussed his mind to the sharpness of a razor's edge as Link had taught him. As he drew up close to his friends, he spun on the spot and slashed his sword until he was holding it at arms-length at his side, parallel to the ground.

At least twenty Gerudos were climbing up the slope towards him, shouting madly and waving their swords manically. They had been worked into a state of madness! Away down the slope he could see frenzied activity. He could still see Link amid a crowd of Gerudos, spinning so fast that he was just a blur to Rael. He was alive still! Rael knew he had to fight as well to defend his friends.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. As the emptiness of the nameless form Link had taught him filled his mind, the world slowed and his senses heightened. When he opened his eyes, his vision was alive with clarity such that he could see to the patterns in the irises of the oncoming foes. "I am Rael al'Resh," he whispered. Then he raised his voice and screamed, "I am Rael al'Resh!" He thrust an open hand towards the Gerudos and was aware of energy burning up through his body as a brilliant burst of light radiated forth from him. The ground cracked, and earth erupted in front of them; rocks and boulders and bodies soared into the sky and the earth hailed down from above.

Rael collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. He was hungry like he had never been hungry before, and so thirsty! His eyes were heavy with tiredness as he collapsed to the floor. Behind him, Elane screamed.

He coughed and sputtered, choking on the sand he inhaled. The pain he felt now was unlike any pain he had ever known in his life. But he would not give in, he knew he could not. Dragging up his sword in the sand, he used it like a staff to hoist himself to his feet. He stumbled, and would have fallen flat on his face if it were not for Daran catching him. "I have you Rael, I have you," was all he could hear his friend say.

"I… I… destroyed them," coughed Rael.

"What did you do?" said Elane, helping to pull him up..

"I don't know." He said, honestly. Slowly his senses started to come back to him, at least his muscles held enough strength to support him again. "Daran…" he said, looking around.

"Daran, with me!" yelled Tabett. Tabett rushed past, sword raised high. Daran checked Rael could stand then hurried after Tabett, blade in hand.

Tabett and Daran bore down upon Gerudos as they rose up from the rubble of the hill, tearing into them viscously. The Gerudos that had been hurt in the blast were bleeding and trembling, and Rael watched as his friends killed them. It pained Rael to watch his friends slaughtering so many people, but there was no other way…

Further down the hill, Rael watched as Link broke away from the Gerudos that surrounded him, and began running up the hill towards him. The bloodstained bodies of the four Hylian soldiers were trampled under Gerudo boots as Link fled from them. "We have to help them," said Rael, dragging himself down the slope.

Elane nodded, running ahead of him towards Tabett and Daran.

A terrible clash of arms ensued as the Gerudos caught up Link again, and the Taraners threw themselves into the fight. Link led, but he was tiring. His movements were slower and pained. The three Taraners stayed behind Link, catching occasional blows at the Gerudos. Rael heaved his tired body towards them, drawing up his blade.

A Gerudo woman saw him and rushed forwards, and he cut her down after a quick scuffle of blades.

Tabett, Daran and Elane fought back to back, clattering their swords against sharp Gerudo steel. Rael darted forwards and ran straight into the fray. His mind was clouded, the form far from his mind, but he could fight.

Gerudo screaming split the sky, and the mighty Orre'Aemea raged on, roaring like lions. Battle was wrong, battle was evil, but his heart burned inside with a cold fury and he could not give in. The fight was too intense, too hot.

As the Gerudo numbers dwindled, Rael could feel his legs giving way beneath him, shaking loosely. His grip on the hilt of his long sword was failing. His eyes were bleary, his hearing failing, his nostrils clogged with the stench of death. A huge Gerudo man was pacing towards him, soaked in blood and staring at him with livid eyes. "I… can't…go on."

Rael stood up as straight as he could, and held his blade extended. He could feel his doom approaching with the thunder of the savage's boots, in time with the beating of his tired heart. "I will not give in."

He took a pace towards the man, and in all the world there was nothing but him and his enemy. The Gerudo increased his pace, pulling back his blade in a wide arc and shouting something Rael could not hear. There was silence as Rael's surroundings slowed to a dead stop. Then, as though far away he heard running boots from his right.

Rael expected to die. He could not defend himself. He embraced the end. "Rael!" There was an almighty crash to his side. He was vaguely aware of being knocked off his feet, soaring through the air and crashed into the dirt, two arms clutching him tightly. Tabett was on top of him. Tabett had saved him! But now… the horror in Tabett's eyes made Rael wish he had been killed. Tabett's beautiful dark eyes were wide, his neck was twisted and convulsing. Rael shuffled out from underneath him, and laid him down on his back. There was a mighty gash along his side, splitting his skin open. Blood was spilling out of the wound.

"Tab…" he whispered, laying a hand on his dying friend's face.

"Rael… move!" he choked.

Instinctively, Rael rolled over on his side and avoided another deadly strike from the Gerudo man. "Help!" he yelled, frantically feeling in the sand for his sword. The Gerudo towered over him, black against the bright blue sky. There was no escape.

"Ramades will sit upon the Amethyst Throne," said the Gerudo, raising his blade to the sky for a final blow.

"Never." Said a solid voice. A blade suddenly pierced the Gerudo's chest, bursting through his heart dripping with blood. As the great man crashed to the ground he revealed Elane, with the light of the sun around her, with the fury of winter in her eyes.

A dusty wind blew over the killing fields, whipping up sand and grit and howling away over the hill. Rael surveyed the scene. Link stood amongst the dead Gerudos, silent and unmoving, like a vulture over carcasses. Daran was wandering in a daze, stepping across bodies and talking quietly to himself.

Elane took two steps forwards and collapsed beside Tabett. Rael summoned the strength to drag himself over to where they lay. Elane was bent over the body of her fallen love, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. "My heart… my soul…"

Tabett's eyes flickered lazily, and his arms fell loose. "Elane…" he whispered, "I love you…"

Elane cupped his face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his. "Don't go, don't leave me! I need you! Oh, my love… Tabett."

Tabett's eyes wandered to fix Rael with a look that said he was on his final breath. "I die… that you might live… my lord…"

His eyes rolled back in his head, and he stopped moving entirely. Tabett was dead.

Elane let out a wail, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, why! Why… why him! Why us! Why me! The death has to end!" She buried her head in her dead lover's chest and wept.

Rael turned away and climbed to his feet, finding his sword and returning it to his scabbard.. Link and Daran were approaching slowly, kicking at the dirt and sheathing their swords. There was heaviness in Daran's eyes that spoke of lost innocence and self-loathing, no longer his boyhood friend, just a lost man. Link appeared as Rael remembered first seeing him in Hylia; cold, hard as steel and only half-alive. When they saw Tabett they dropped their heads and both of them seemed to mutter small nothings into the air.

"Ten ride forth, and five return," said Jolane, at Rael's side, as though having materialised from the earth. She had no cloak, only a tight leather tunic and short leggings. A red Gerudo headscarf tied back her hair.

Faster than Rael had ever moved before Rael's blade was in his hand and racing for her throat. A single raised finger stopped Rael's blade, as Jolane stepped aside and blocked his attack with only a movement of her arm. "You! You!"

"Steady, Rael!" shouted Link. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"She's the reason he's dead!" yelled Rael. "She's a witch!"

"More are coming Rael," said Jolane softly. "We must run."

"No!" bellowed Rael. "Who is she!"

"Nothing compared to you, Rael, just dust and shadows, now run!"

A whistle through the air was the only warning they had. An arrow bolted down from the top of a hill, sent by an unseen archer. Like a sharp zephyr of wind it raced towards them, and struck Daran in the neck. He looked at Rael over the shaft of wood protruding from his throat. "Run," he said.

Seconds later, Daran had crumbled to the ground, dead.

"No!" cried Rael.

"Blood and storms…" cursed Link. "To the horses, now!"