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Chapter 11: Storm
Mal was staring dead ahead into the distance. From her vantage point, she'd have a perfect view over what would soon turn into the decisive field of battle.
The scouts, that had been sent ahead by the Auradon army, had returned only about an hour ago with the news that Solomon and his undead army were hot on their heels. After quickly determining where they would attack, the Auradon troops had been mobilized. A number of forces had been called in from elsewhere in the defensive line, so this particular point was now guarded by the most troops and the most artillery.
Mal was stationed atop a building very close to the frontline. Adam, Merlin, Lancelot and about a dozen other Auradon officials stood with her. Adam and the other officials were there to command the troops from their overseeing position, and were equipped with maps, radios and binoculars. Mal, Merlin and Lancelot were the army's premier magical force, tasked with keeping their magical defenses intact.
Merlin and Yen Sid had conjured up a basic magical barrier, which would supposedly suffice as a means of protection from ranged magic attacks, but Mal suspected that Solomon would have a way to break through it. Still, she and her magical allies still had ample opportunity to aid their troops from their elevated position. Not only would they be able to spot enemy tactics, but Mal would also be able to choose the moment she would transform into a dragon and help from above.
Looking up, Mal blinked in the sunlight. It was slightly overcast, but every once in a while the sun would break through, making the whole experience feel all the more surreal. After all, a bright day like this hardly seemed appropriate for what would surely be a bloody battle.
The very front of the frontline was still the deep trench, decorated with spikes and other obstacles. Right behind these defenses stood the first line of Auradon soldiers. Their armor glistened in the occasional sunlight, and Mal could vaguely see them moving around, probably anxious for what was coming for them. They were armed with swords, spears, axes, war hammers and shields, and their main goal would be to pick out any stragglers that would manage to break through the first defenses. Jay and Lonnie had taken charge of these, but Mal was unable to distinguish them. She was however able to spot CJ, whose blonde hair made her instantly recognizable.
These soldiers were supported by a smaller group of archers, who would provide a semblance of ranged support. The battle of Belle's Harbor had proved that arrows were fairly ineffective against the undead, but Archer had theorized that fire arrows might do some damage. So, numerous firepits had been placed along the lines of archers, which would enable them to almost continuously rain down fire on their enemies. Evie stood amongst these archers, even more recognizable than CJ with her blue locks.
Behind these soldiers stood the artillery. First was a line of short-range catapults, which would toss large rocks over the front line and straight into the enemy. Behind these catapults stood the trebuchets, which were able to hurl even larger amounts of rock and debris over the front line and further back into enemy lines. Carlos was stationed here, but Mal had not yet been able to spot him.
If Mal would look to her far left or her far right, she would just be able to catch a glimpse of the cavalry stationed on either side. They were at far too great a distance to make out any specifics, but their armor still glistened in the sun and made their presence known. Ben was taking charge of the cavalry on Mal's right, while Archer led the force on her left. They would only move in once the undead army would be sufficiently pinned against the Auradon defenses in order to disperse the enemy force.
Ben and Mal had said a heartful goodbye to each other not long ago, where Ben had not stopped kissing her and reassuring her that everything would be alright. Though she was usually so very cautious under these circumstances, Mal had truthfully admitted that she believed in a good outcome for them. Archer and CJ had said their goodbyes at that same time, and Mal couldn't help but notice a subtle shift in their relationship. She didn't have the time to discuss this with Ben, and had no intention of discussing it with CJ herself, so this particular matter still wandered around in her head. She did however not fail to notice the blush that had crept up CJ's cheeks after Archer had kissed her goodbye.
Mal felt somewhat reassured that Ben would be out of harm's way for the first part of the battle. That was one less worry. Evie and Carlos would also not initially be caught in the fray, something she was also thankful for. When the fighting would start, Mal would thus be able to focus on Jay and Lonnie, and hope that they would be able to make it out alive and well.
At the moment, it was deadly quiet among the troops. The only sounds from nearby were the soft gusts wind and the occasional metal clanking from the artillery. Every eye in the army was focused on the same thing.
Beyond the frontline was a large and empty field, containing nothing but grass and the occasional hill. This would probably be where most of the fighting would take place. For now though, it looked like any old field. After stretching on for a little while, the field would make room for the edge of a large forest. It was this forest that everyone was intently looking at.
Even from this distance, the unmistakable sound of marching and grunting was somewhat audible. It could have been her imagination, but Mal could swear that she was able to see dark shapes moving in between the trees. It was probably not her imagination though. There was a small hill a little further back in the forest, which was the only place in a large area not covered by the trees. About an hour ago, the first enemy troops had been observed traversing this spot. Now, an hour later, there were still enemy troops traversing this spot.
This could mean one of two things. Solomon was trying to throw the Auradon forces off their game by making his army seem bigger than it was, or he really did have an army of a size and magnitude that no one in the Auradon army had accounted for.
Mal liked to hope for the best, but also realized that Solomon waste any time or attention with such a petty move. No, what this meant was that Mal and her friends would have to fight harder than they had ever done before.
"Your majesty! Movement by the tree line!" One of the Auradon officials behind Mal announced with a sharp voice.
Adam immediately took out his binoculars and scanned the tree line in the distance. Lancelot and another Auradon general copied him.
"That's them alright." Adam grunted, moving his gaze from left to right.
"Can you see how many?" Mal asked, trying to hide the nervousness from her voice.
Adam didn't reply, instead simply handing his binoculars to Mal.
She took them and gazed at the tree line. Out in the open, but still somewhat covered by the shade cast by the trees, a whole number of shapes had taken their place. They were undead, that much was obvious, but they weren't doing anything noteworthy. What was noteworthy was the fact that the line of undead stretched for what had to be almost a mile. As Mal looked on, more and more undead appeared, filling in the gaps and creating a perimeter of their own by the tree line.
The Auradon forces grew more restless as more and more soldiers realized that the enemy force had shown up in numbers. Shouts were heard, as officials started giving orders. The front line of soldiers took out their weapons and got into formation, while the archers already knocked their first arrows. The catapults and trebuchets were being loaded up with rocks and boulders, and their clanking sounds drowned out most of the other noise.
"Tell every ranged unit to hold back until the enemy is in range. Even then, they should wait for a signal." Adam started speaking, walking back to the other officials to confide his battle strategy with them. "Let them come close first, and then let the archers and catapults fire at will. Once they've halted their advance, give the trebuchets the signal to fire at the tree line. And someone signal Ben and Archer to take their positions, but not to attack yet under any circumstances."
The officials started consulting their radios, shouting out Adam's orders to other officials down near the frontline. Mal felt her heartbeat quicken ever so slightly. She was far more used to being near the frontlines, using her sword or magic, than being stuck here and directing an all-out war.
Meanwhile, while the Auradon army has started its final preparations, the undead emerged from their shaded positions and stepped out onto the open field. They were like a wave of rotting flesh, slowly descending further and further into the sunlight, revealing more of their actual numbers. Mal saw that they were somewhat divided into different groups, as there were certain lines in between their ranks that were left open. This could only indicate that Solomon did at least have some tactics in mind, which was bad news. Speaking of Solomon, he was nowhere to be seen as of yet, and neither were any of the other villains. All Mal could see of the enemy force were undead, which wasn't a comforting thought at all.
"Any clue of their numbers?" Adam asked one of his officials.
"Calculations suggest over 50.000, but we're still revising, your majesty." One officials replied, not looking up from a detailed map of the battlefield.
Mal's stomach flipped. 50.000!? That was far more than the defending Auradon force! Adam saw Mal's look of surprise and terror, and reached out to pat her shoulder with his hand.
"Don't worry. Wars have been won against worse odds." He tried to reassure her.
Mal didn't dare discourage him, and only nodded a little timidly in reply.
The undead army was still slowly emerging from the forest, their numbers increasing and their ranks forming more clearly. Mal had taken out her binoculars again, and saw that the enemy army no longer consisted solely of rotting skeletons. No, their troops had apparently been supplemented with the deceased Auradonian casualties from the battle of Belle's Harbor. Mal saw numerous shiny metal breastplates in between the rows of undead. Though she wasn't truly able to distinguish them, she was sure that the Auradon crest adorned all of them. This was obviously meant be another blow to Auradon morale, and Mal knew that it would probably have its desired effect.
"Oh god. That's terrible…" Adam mumbled after he too had taken out his binoculars.
"What do we do, your majesty?" An army official asked.
Adam bit his lip, heavily contemplating the matter. "We fight as usual…" He eventually replied. "Whoever these people were in life, they are now nothing more than hollow creatures hellbent on destroying Auradon. Inform our commanders to tell the troops not to try to take any undead as prisoners. All the villains must preferably be captured, but we must not lose any additional Auradonian lives to accomplish this. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" The official saluted Adam before hastily contacting some others via radio.
People were moving all around Mal. The officials behind her were running back and forward, handing over messages and orders. Below her, the thousands of Auradon soldiers were running around like ants, their shouts and cries sounding shrill at this distance.
"There he is, sir! We've spotted him!" One official yelled out.
Mal's head whipped around, while Adam immediately ran at the official who had called out.
"It's Solomon, sir. And he appears to have the cauldron." The official elaborated, pointing at the enemy force.
Adam and Mal simultaneously raised their binoculars and gazed at the field. The enemy army was hard to miss, but Mal was searching in between the ranks and thousands of hollow faces to find the person she wanted to see so badly.
"There. Right in the middle." Adam muttered after a few seconds.
Mal peered more intently, and yes, there he was. Solomon had fashioned himself some sort of carriage out of scorched wood, which was pulled forward by two large, black horses. The man himself stood proudly atop the vessel, holding the reigns while looking ahead at the force opposing him. Mal felt her stomach turn when she spotted his scornful smile, and wanted nothing more than to just bash his face into the ground. She was so focused on that smug grin of his, that she almost failed to notice that cauldron that was loaded onto the carriage behind Solomon.
It was the first time Mal had seen the cauldron herself, though she had read plenty about it and had seen numerous images. It looked relatively plain, like any old cauldron once used to make chicken soup. Even from this distance, however, Mal felt a sense of unease. It was as if the cauldron had its own distinct scent or aura that she, as a magic user, could detect.
"You feel it, right?" Lancelot asked from beside her. "The cauldron's magical essence. You will be hard-pressed to find a more vile force in all of Auradon."
Mal didn't reply, and instead kept peering at Solomon. He had ridden out in front of his army, still with that cocky grin on his face, and was proudly posing as if he had already conquered the kingdom.
"Can we fire at him?" Adam asked, his voice an angry grunt.
"Sir?" One official responded.
"The trebuchets! Can they reach him at this distance?" Adam added.
Some of the officials made some quick calculations before coming back to him. "Yes. He is in range. But hitting a target that small is almost-"
"Do it then! Rain fire down on him!" Adam interrupted the official, basically barking the order.
The officials didn't dare protest however, and Mal herself also didn't really feel the need to complain. After all, the worst that could happen was that they would miss Solomon but still take out some of the undead army.
More orders were passed through radio, with multiple officials conveying Adam's commands to the soldiers below. From her position on top of the building, Mal heard more people yell, and she saw more rocks and boulders being hauled to the trebuchets to function as ammunition.
"Tell them to fire!" Adam shouted.
That last word was repeated by every official on that roof, and then again by the people further down.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!" It echoed throughout the frontline. Almost simultaneously, at least fifteen trebuchets fired at Solomon. Mal could basically feel the ground shake as tons of rocks and debris were fired high up in the air. She clutched her binoculars, following the hurtling bits and pieces as they all flew towards Solomon. It was like everything was happening in slow motion. The debris was supposed to crash and crush whatever it came into contact with, but instead, the all the rocks instantly halted their downfall in mid-air, stopping but a few feet from where Solomon stood.
Shocked murmurs erupted amongst the officials and the soldiers below, as the projectiles didn't make the desired crashing impact. Mal kept watching through the binoculars, seeing how Solomon had raised one arm and was muttering some words. She knew what he was doing.
And yes. Not a few seconds later, all the debris slowly raised back up into the air, picking up speed as it was hurled back right at the Auradon front line. There was an immediate panic amongst the soldiers, some of whom started ducking for cover.
Lancelot again appeared next to Mal. "Just stay calm." He mumbled, seemingly resolute.
Mal was calm, because she knew about the protective magical barrier she had helped conjure up around the Auradon forces. Indeed, the projectiles they themselves had fired at Solomon, but had been fired back, crashed into an apparently invisible wall and disintegrated into a million pieces of dust and gravel. Both the soldiers and the officials seemed somewhat reinvigorated after seeing the magical protection means in action, and a sense of calm appeared to return among the ranks.
"Dammit! Tell them to stop firing!" Adam barked at his officials, as if it had been them who had given the order.
"We accounted for this. It's not a big loss." Merlin weighed in, staring out into the distance. "Just wait for Solomon to move on. I doubt whether he'll repeat that trick when his own life isn't at stake."
"That's true. He doesn't care for the others." Mal added.
"Then we stick to the original plan. Tell the back line to get the catapults ready to fire, and someone signal the archers to light up their arrows." Adam commanded.
After a few acknowledging nods from the officials, they went back to communicating with the soldiers down below. Mal saw the thousands of miniscule people start running back and forth again, reloading their artillery and transporting more ammunition and weaponry. Further down, the line of archers had all lighted up their first arrow, and hundreds of dots of light were suddenly shining in between the ranks.
"Let them come to us then! Let them taste Auradon steel!" Adam growled.
He had barely finished saying those words, when the undead army suddenly made themselves heard. Solomon, after his little show of magic, had retreated back into the shadows of the forest, bringing the cauldron with him. Now, only the undead army remained, with Solomon having probably given some precise orders. The thousands of undead had started screeching. Mal remembered that sound all too well from the battle of Belle's Harbor. That sound, filled with hatred and despair, made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
The soldiers below must have felt the same, as she saw several of them cover their ears in horror. Calls of 'steady' and 'hold' echoed throughout the lines, as officers tried their best to preserve order in the army.
The undead had meanwhile started to swing their weapons around, and thousands of rusty swords, spears and shields reflected the bright sunlight.
"So it begins…" Adam mumbled, keeping one hand on the hilt of his own sword.
With those words, the very first line of the undead army broke away and started sprinting towards the Auradonian line of defense. They were fast and ruthless, swinging their skeletal arms and rusted weapons in a total fit of madness. They crushed the crisp Auradon soil underneath their bony feet as they rapidly advanced, undeterred and unfazed by the army in front of them.
"Now we fire." Adam hissed. "Catapults and archers! Now!"
Again there was yelling below. Cries of 'fire' and 'loose' were repeated again and again, and the soldiers abided.
The catapults all launched individual giant boulders at the opposing force. They couldn't reach as far as the trebuchets, but they didn't have to. The boulders all crashed around the very front of the undead army's force, and Mal could see how dozens of the sickly undead were crushed under the heavy weight of the giant rocks. Aside from that, the boulders formed a nice premier obstacle for the undead to get around. Then it was the archers' turn. At once, hundreds of them released their burning arrows, which soared through the sky until hitting about the same place the boulders had just landed. Mal looked on closely through her binoculars to study the effect of the fire arrows. She could see how most hit their target, and the now burning undead were halted in their tracks for a second. A sense of relief flowed through Mal, but that only lasted a moment. See, the undead hit by these arrows were slowed down, but did then simply resume their stampede.
"Damn! The arrows did nothing!" Adam grunted, also peering through his binoculars. "If anything, we made them more dangerous! They're on fire now!"
"We stick with the catapults then, and introduce the trebuchets again as well. Look, sire, the undead army is still spilling out of the forest." Merlin advised.
That was true. There was still no end in sight of the hideous undead army. How many more could there be?
"Tell the front to get into formation. I'm willing to bet the villains have some sort of plan to cross our trench." Adam muttered, pacing back and forth as he continued to examine the field of battle.
A horn was blown, and Mal saw the very front of the front line take a few steps forward and raise their shields. Jay and Lonnie were still nowhere to be seen, and CJ had also disappeared from view.
The first line of the undead were rapidly closing in, with some of them indeed having caught on fire as they continued to run and screech.
"Sir! There!" Lancelot suddenly snapped, pointing towards the right side of the battlefield.
Mal grabbed her binoculars and looked over to where he was pointing. She saw multiple of the undead carrying long planks or logs. They were running along with the rest of the undead, but weren't screeching or flailing their arms about. They looked more focused, and therefore more dangerous.
"They want to use those to create a pathway… Make a bridge of sorts…" Adam mumbled. "Signal the trebuchets and the catapults to focus their attacks on the right, and specifically the undead carrying supplies."
These orders were immediately passed down to the officials below, and Mal could see how all the artillery started pointing to the right. Not a minute later, they all fired again. The trebuchets again launched hundreds of smaller projectiles further down the lines of undead, and the effect they had was extremely evident this time. From her vantage point, Mal saw the debris rain down on the undead, obliterating an entire line of their army. The boulders from the catapults were also effective, though their impact seemed lesser when compared to the trebuchets.
"Sir, they've reached the frontline." One official spoke up from behind Mal.
She looked down, and indeed saw how the first undead had reached the deep trench. Still, they didn't seem to know what to do about it. Some tried to jump the gap, only to fall and impale themselves on a spike. Others were crowding around the edge, where the incoming horde from behind caused some to slip and tumble down. The Auradon soldiers on the other side, led by Jay and Lonnie, did not have much to do yet.
Things seemed to be going their way, or that was what Mal thought at least. The trench did its work, keeping the first of the undead at bay, the artillery was continuously crushing dozens of the undead further down the field of battle, and their magical barrier appeared to be holding on.
"Look!" One official yelled.
Mal didn't need to ask what he was referring to. A giant ball of fire had emerged from the forest and was hurtling in their direction, leaving a trail of smoke and embers as it flew through the air.
"Solomon's work." Mal acknowledged.
"Our barrier should be strong enough to withhold it." Lancelot muttered, though his eyes were wide.
The ball of fire rapidly neared their position, but Mal did not even think about backing down. This was the precise reason she was here after all. The fireball made contact with the barrier, and a dull thumping sound was heard. Instead of disintegrating into little pieces though, the fireball continued its way downwards to the ground.
Mal, Lancelot and Merlin immediately jumped into action, trying to halt the fireball's progress, but they were too late.
There was a lot of screaming as the fireball crashed down into the earth, crushing one of the trebuchets underneath and sending sparks and flaming pieces of debris everywhere. Mal's eyes widened as she saw numerous Auradon soldiers run away from the crash site, their clothes and armor scorched and smoldering. Medical personnel hurried towards the wounded, with some even carrying fire extinguishers.
"My god… It went straight through our barrier…" Merlin said with a trembling voice. "That was dark magic… Very dark…"
"That's no surprise." Mal snapped, as she watched how the fire below was quickly put out. "What do we do? How do we stop those fireballs?"
"We can target them individually." Lancelot suggested. "Use magical force to disintegrate them one at a time. It will be a strenuous endeavor, but I see no suitable alternative at the moment."
"Here comes another one!" Adam shouted.
Mal, Lancelot and Merlin immediately got into action. Both wizards raised their staffs, while Mal just raised her hands. Another fireball was flying in their direction, but was seemingly targeting a point far closer to the frontline and the trench. Mal tried to focus her magic, but the stress of the situation got to her. She was unable to properly target the fireball, which came closer and closer. Before it even hit their barrier, the fireball already exploded into a thousand pieces. Mal looked to her side, and saw Merlin lower his staff with a satisfied grin.
"That's how it's done. You need to stay calm and focused, Mal." Lancelot advised her. "I don't think we're out of the woods yet."
"Can you continue to hold those fireballs back?" Adam asked.
"Yes, but that does mean that we will not be able to aid the troops on the ground." Merlin answered.
"The soldiers can handle themselves, just do whatever you can!" Adam replied.
"We'll focus on those fireballs and whatever else gets thrown at us through the air, but you must then be able to hold back the undead." Lancelot retorted.
"Trust the soldiers. We can hold them!" Adam snapped.
"Sir, the undead are still advancing! And more are carrying supplies!" An official spoke up from the back.
Mal looked at the battlefield. The undead were packed against the edge of the trench along the entirety of the front line, and more were still pouring from the forest. Even from this distance, she could still spot a significant number of them carrying planks and logs, both on the left and right sides of the field.
"It was a diversion." Merlin spoke up. "Look, on the left!"
"Damn!" Adam grunted. "Tell the catapults to target the entirety of the field of battle again! And the archers have to cover everything in fire, got it!? Just tell everyone to fire at everything!"
Several officers nodded somewhat shakingly, but did obey Adam's orders. Mal once again saw everyone below her run around like a horde of ants, shouting orders and warnings to each other. The trebuchets and catapults resumed their launching of projectiles, and the archers also started firing salvo after salvo of flaming arrows into the midst of the undead ranks.
The same undead had for some time now been dragging planks and logs to the trench, which they had thrown down. In some instances, these supplies were actually long enough to bridge the entirety of the trench, and a few of the most daring undead quickly ran to the other side, where they were quickly met by Auradon swords and spears.
It was total chaos. The sound of the screeching undead and the shouting Auradon soldiers filled the air, along with the constant clanking of the artillery, the crashing of rocks and debris, and the clashing of metal. Smoke started rising from where the archers had lit up the field of battle with their flaming arrows, somewhat clouding Mal's view. And the end of the undead army was still not in sight.
"Here comes another!" Lancelot yelled, raising his staff again.
Another fireball was hurled in their direction, this one aimed specifically at Mal's elevated position.
"I can handle this one." Mal confidently stated.
Lancelot and Merlin quickly exchanged a look, but neither tried to dissuade Mal.
Taking a few deep breaths, Mal steadied her feet and raised both her hands as she put more effort into focusing her magic. The fireball was raging towards her, leaving yet another trail of smoke and embers. Mal's eyes glowed a bright green, and she exhaled heavily. The fireball exploded mid-air, and a thousand harmless smoldering pieces rained down onto the troops below.
"Very good." Lancelot complimented her, his eyebrows raised.
"More are coming! Keep your focus!" Merlin warned, raising his staff.
That was true of course. More and more fireballs were being hurled in their direction. Some were bigger than others, and they all targeted different areas of the defensive line. Mal had to keep repeating the same ritual, mumbling to herself as she focused her magic and kept targeting the flaming projectiles one by one. Merlin and Lancelot did the same, their hands gripping their staffs almost feverishly. It was exhausting work, and Mal's arms soon started to tremble.
"How can he keep doing this?" Mal asked, panting from exertion after disabling what had to be her twentieth fireball. "Surely Solomon can't keep this up, right?"
"He draws power from the cauldron. We have no such luxury." Merlin replied. He too was panting slightly, and sweat dripped from his brow into his long, grey beard.
"We have no choice but to hold tight. Otherwise the troops will get crushed." Lancelot added.
Speaking of the troops, they had meanwhile been locked in combat with the seemingly unending undead army. The deep trench had now been filled with debris on some parts, allowing undead to cross more easily. At these points, the Auradon troops had established defensive formations with spears and shields. Mal could see how the undead crossed the trench and tried to leap over these soldiers, only to get flung back. Still, the undead did not know fear or pain, and kept throwing themselves at the Auradon soldiers, who eventually had to give way.
"The ground troops are in trouble, sire." One official told Adam.
Adam stepped up next to Mal again, peering through his binoculars. "Hmm, damn… I'd hoped those defenses would have held out longer…"
"Our traditional Auradon defenses are not suited for attacks from undead enemies, your grace." Merlin advised. "Perhaps they should be called back to prevent further casualties?"
"No, that would expose our artillery." Adam pondered. "Hmm, maybe… The enemy appears to be sufficiently pinned down against our defenses. Call in Ben and Archer from the flanks! Have their cavalry create an opening for our ground troops to push back."
"Sir, that would also expose them to the enemy and take away their element of surprise." One official argued.
"Why have cavalry at the ready and not use them!?" Adam snapped. "Now is as good a time as ever. Signal Ben and Archer, now!"
The official bowed, and hastily retreated to one of the radios to delay this newest order.
"Also signal the catapults to stop firing, and have the trebuchets target the field further back. We must try to keep the undead army from receiving reinforcements while the cavalry charges in. Just make sure that we don't crush our cavalry with our own artillery!" Adam barked, walking back and forth almost feverishly as he continued to examine the battlefield.
Mal heard all of this, and felt a twinge of panic. Ben would soon be caught in the fray, and she couldn't really do anything to help him at the moment. Fireballs were still being hurled in their direction, and it took more and more of her will and power to hold them off.
All the orders were passed down, and Mal saw how the catapults stopped firing. The trebuchets, opposed to that, started flinging their projectiles further back, targeting parts of the field of battle where the cavalry would not be. The ground troops near the trench appeared to be in more and more trouble though. There were several clear paths in the trench now, and hordes of the undead clambered across them, clawing at each other for the chance to get to the Auradon soldiers first.
All of the sudden, above the sounds of all the crashing and screaming, a horn was heard. As if it was scripted, the entire battle suddenly fell silent. Even the undead, who could not possibly know the significance of such a sound, momentarily halted their approach and looked around in apparent confusion. Another horn was heard, this time from the opposite direction, and again the undead looked around with some level of interest.
Mal had already spotted whoever was responsible for the horns being sounded, and she felt a certain sense of satisfaction at the thought of how even Solomon was probably a little brought off by this turn of events.
From both sides of the battle, the sound of galloping horses and war cries were heard, as two companies of Auradon cavalry emerged from the distance. They were storming towards the battle, clad in shining armor and with swords and spears raised. Their cries were deafening, and they almost appeared as two massive waves that were about to crash into and then utterly swamp the undead army.
Speaking of the undead army, they had now noticed the cavalry and were taking action. The mob in the very middle attempted to spread out somewhat, and Mal saw how a few of the undead near the sides were taking up defensive positions using spikes and spears. This also meant that their assault on the Auradon frontline lessened somewhat, and Mal saw how the ground troops were taking advantage by establishing a new, and stronger perimeter.
The cavalry was still rapidly advancing on both sides of the undead army, the horses trampling the earth beneath their hooves and the soldiers shouting encouragingly at each other. To her left, even from this distance, Mal was able to distinguish the almost ethereal glow from Excalibur as Archer rode out in front of his force. Ben was leading the charge to her right, but Mal had no way of spotting him between the hundreds of riders.
"Come on, son… Come on…" Adam muttered from beside Mal, his trembling hands clamped around his binoculars as he looked over the newly invigorated field of battle.
A few seconds later, both cavalry companies smashed into the lines of undead soldiers. Mal had expected the cavalry to cut through the undead army like a hot knife through butter, but it didn't appear to be that easy. While many undead were undoubtedly trampled underneath the horde of pounding hooves, their lack of a flight instinct meant that many simply remained standing where they were. There were sickening crashing sounds as bodies fell and were battered to the ground. Cries of pain were heard from both men and horses alike, and Mal didn't dare imagine how many of her allies had lost their lives in this charge alone.
The battle was on again. The cavalry's main strength was their initial charge, which had caused a substantial blow to the undead ranks. Now the horses moved in between the remaining undead, with the soldiers hacking and slashing at their opponents with their swords from on top. Their movement was relatively slow, but they pushed inward and headed for the Auradon frontline.
At that same frontline, the tactics paid off. The previously unending waves of undead soldiers had lessened, seeing as how most were busy fighting off soldiers on horseback. The ground troops had taken even more advantage, using their newly fortified lines to push the undead back all the way to the trench.
"Mal! Look out!" Someone yelled.
Mal immediately looked up and saw two relatively small fireballs head straight in her direction. She had been so focused on battle going on below, that she had momentarily forsaken her magical duties. In a panic, she raised her hands and tried to regain her focus. Her eyes glowed a bright green again, and small sparks erupted from her palms. The first fireball exploded mid-air, but the second one still raged on.
"Cover!" Both Merlin and Lancelot yelled before ducking.
Mal felt someone crash into her and take her down to the ground. She grunted from the sudden blunt force, and closed her eyes. She felt a tremendous heat pass right over her as the fireball flew past, missing the command center by only a few dozen feet. There was a loud crash as the fireball plowed through the building right behind them in a sea of flames and smoke.
Mal raised her head, only to find out that it was Adam who had pulled her down.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes wide with shock as he stood up and helped her to her feet as well.
"Yeah… I'm so sorry… I-I got distracted." Mal mumbled in reply. She was shaking a little, as she hadn't truly realized how much destructive force those fireballs truly carried.
"No time for that. More are coming!" Lancelot snapped as he moved towards the edge of the building and raised his staff again.
"Can you handle it?" Adam asked Mal, genuinely concerned.
"I can! I won't get caught like that again!" Mal confidently replied, and Adam only nodded in reply before watching Mal take her place next to Lancelot again.
The fighting was on again, both on the actual battlefield and the sky above it. Solomon might have been growing impatient, because he started sending fireballs at their heads at an alarmingly increasing rate.
Below, the trebuchets were still firing their own projectiles, but did appear to slowly cause less and less damage. The cavalry were still riding in between the undead lines, getting picked off one by one now that their charge effect had lessened. The Auradon troops behind the trench kept their positions, as the undead focused their efforts on killing the soldiers on horseback. Fireballs were also still flying through the air, illuminating the entire field of battle before one of the Auradonian magic users would disintegrate it.
Mal had to keep her wits about her. Solomon had some sort of tactic, and it was getting increasingly harder to keep up with him. One second, he sent a ginormous fireball straight at Mal, and the next, he would send half a dozen smaller ones towards the Auradon frontline or the middle of the battlefield.
There was no way for Mal to keep up with everything that was happening. She heard Adam and the other officials discuss things behind her. She occasionally glanced down, only to see a mob of soldiers, both living and dead, without being able to properly distinguish anything. Her arms had been trembling for a while now, and the strain on her muscles was almost unbearable, but she wouldn't quit. If keeping this up would mean that she, Ben or her friends would make it out alive, then she would keep it up for all eternity if that's what it would take.
The cracks in the Auradon defenses were starting to show. The cavalry had played their part, but were now stuck within the ranks of undead soldiers. Adam and his officials had sent desperate pleas to the troops below to get them out, but so far no actions were being undertaken.
Solomon's fireballs kept flying towards them, but the exhaustion of Auradon's magical defenders meant that these were an increasingly powerful threat. It took a few minutes, but eventually another one got through, crashing into a large army tent below on Mal's left. Lancelot urged her to focus her attention on the larger and more dangerous projectiles, meaning that he was basically asking her to possibly sacrifice troops. A few minutes later another fireball broke through their defenses, landing right in between the ground troops at the very front and undoubtedly killing a few. They couldn't keep this up much longer…
The undead army also still hadn't finished pouring out of the woods, meaning that there was still no way of properly assessing their numbers. With their ranks filled again, the undead started attacking the trench and the Auradon front line again. The sounds of clashing metal and screams of pain once again erupted from the fray, which did not lessen Mal's panic in the slightest.
"Sir, there he is! He's come out again!" One voice spoke up from behind Mal.
Adam immediately emerged next to Mal, still clutching his binoculars, and stared into the distance. Mal had no way of following his gaze, since she was still busy disintegrating balls of fire.
"It's Solomon… He's showing his face again…" Adam muttered.
This got Mal's attention. For a few seconds, she tore her eyes away from the sky in order to examine the battlefield. Beyond the sea of fighting soldiers, Solomon had rode up again on his scorched carriage, still with the cauldron behind him. Now that he was this close, she could see him form the fireballs in the palms of his hands before flinging them towards the Auradon force.
"He's causing too much damage! We need to take him out!" Merlin grunted, sweeping his own staff around as he took out multiple fireballs at once.
"How!? He's too far from the frontline! No one can get to him! And we're needed here!" Lancelot replied, panting heavily.
"I can go… Let me do it!" Mal confidently spoke up.
"Mal, no…" Adam protested, but Mal spoke right through him.
"Let me transform! I can fly over to him and roast him like a chicken!" Mal snapped. "I want to do this!"
"It's too dangerous!" Adam objected. "Ben would not want you to-"
"Ben is down there!" Mal practically shrieked, pointing at the mob of soldiers. "And I can help him! I should help him! If anything, I can distract Solomon long enough for the troops to regroup! Let me do this!"
Adam was visibly shaken by Mal's outburst. He stared at her with a fix of fear, pride and doubt. "Please come back…" He eventually said in a soft voice.
Mal nodded, feeling the fear and adrenaline coarse through her veins. "C-can you handle things here?" She then asked Lancelot.
"Not for too long, so you better know what you're doing…" Lancelot replied, his voice still shaking.
"I do…" Mal mumbled in reply, staring daggers over at where Solomon was still riding his carriage.
"We'll help however we can." Adam told her, patting her on the shoulder. "A-and if things do go wrong…" He added, pausing for a second. "We'll get you out. I promise."
That's all Mal needed to hear. She walked over to the edge of the building, the wind blowing through her hair. Behind her, she heard numerous Auradon officials announce through their radios that she would be offering air support. She took one more deep breath, spread her arms and jumped over the edge. She dropped down, but wasn't even slightly alarmed. Her eyes glowed a bright green again, only this time they kept glowing. A cloud of purple smoke emerged around her, masking her entire body from view. She felt a vaguely familiar sense of strength and power flow through her entire body, as he limbs stretched and two enormous wings grew from her shoulders. Before she hit the ground, Mal emerged from the cloud of smoke as a fully-formed dragon.
She shrieked, and the sound was deafening. Everywhere below her, she saw wide eyes look up at her as she flew by. Her wings were spread out on either side of her, flapping up and down as she sored through the air. She cast a large shadow over the fighting parties down below, and Mal had to resist the urge to plunge down and simply stomp all the undead into the ground. No, she had her eyes on a far larger prize.
Through her dragon eyes, everything was tinted in a green hue and seemed somewhat distorted. Still, Mal knew where she was going. She could now basically smell the essence of the cauldron, as well as Solomon himself. Speaking of Solomon, he was still standing on his carriage, looking up at Mal with both his dark eyes wide open.
Mal audibly breathed out through her nose, and wisps of smoke emerged from her nostrils. She flew up a little more, taking a deep breath, and then dove down. She shrieked again, fully opening her enormous maw and baring her razor sharp teeth. She felt the fire emerge deep in her stomach, prepared to burn both Solomon and everything around him to a crisp.
Right when she was about to let loose her fire, she felt a blinding, stinging pain in her chest. The pain was so sudden and so immense that she immediately forgot all about her plan of burning Solomon and simply crawled into a ball mid-air. She helplessly tumbled down, everything spinning around her as she fell.
With a loud and painful crash, she hit the ground and was immediately sprawled out on the grass. She shrieked again, though this time from the pain, as she was unable to form any words. She desperately moved her front and hind legs, swept her tail front and back, and tried to get her wings to work again.
What had happened? She still didn't know. All she did know was that her chest was hurting a ton and that she found herself right in the middle of the ranks of undead soldiers. Speaking of those soldiers, they were hurling themselves at Mal, hitting her with rusted swords and spears. Of course, these felt like little more than pinpricks to Mal, who was thankfully still in her dragon form, but did signal how desperate her situation really was.
She crawled back on all fours, shaking her head and trying to reassess her situation. The undead were still buzzing around her like annoying flies, with some even clambering up her side and stabbing at her back and neck. Mal roared in anger and shook them off, sweeping her tail for good measure and sending a few of the undead flying. She then spread her wings and started flying back up, eager to make Solomon eat dirt.
She had only made it a few dozen feet into the air, when she again felt that stinging pain in her chest. She was just about able to keep flying, but did again shriek in anguish. She looked back, and saw Solomon standing on his carriage with his hand raised and his usually already dark eyes completely black. There was some sort of smoke or vapor emerging from his hand, which was flying straight at Mal. She didn't know what it was, but it hurt like she was being pierced by hundreds of flaming hot daggers at once.
The pain didn't lessen or subside even slightly, and it was as if whatever spell Solomon was using was causing Mal to only grow more and more disorientated. This was a type of magic that she had never encountered.
With a tremendous effort, Mal started flying further up, still intent on hurting Solomon. He followed her with his outstretched hand, still sending that foul smoke after her. Mal suddenly noticed how much more effort it took to keep flying, and how every breath caused her tremendous pain. The burning in her chest, which had nothing to do with any fire, was basically eating her up from inside. She shrieked more and more, and belted out streams of fire. Every time she tried to fly towards Solomon, he amped up the pressure and hurt her more. Soon, Mal's entire body had become stiff and painful, and it was only through shear willpower that she was just about able to keep flying.
This wasn't going to work, which was a realization that Mal might have taken a little too long to come to. Solomon had obviously known that Mal would come after him in her dragon form, and had prepared a perfect spell to counter her. This was a highly dangerous situation, and Mal needed to get out immediately!
With some tremendous effort, Mal tore herself away from Solomon's dark spell and started flying back towards the Auradon frontline. Her wings and legs were all stiff and twisted, but she just about managed to make it work. She was far closer to the ground than she would have liked, but couldn't really risk doing anything other than fly straight ahead.
She looked back one more time, panting heavily from the pain and exhaustion, and saw how Solomon's spell was still somewhat attached to her. The pain in her chest did not for a moment let up, and Mal truly did not know if she could survive this much longer.
Right when she wanted to tear her gaze away from Solomon, she saw how he conjured up one enormous ball of smoke and fired it at her. Mal's eyes widened in fear, and she desperately tried to fly faster, away from this new threat. She was in so much pain, and she didn't know what to do!
The new spell hit her from behind, and this was a pain unlike anything Mal had ever felt before. It felt as though every vein, every cell inside her body was on fire. Her wings and legs cramped up feverishly as she hurled through the air completely unguided and unprotected. She spasmed and shrieked, her eyes rolling around in her sockets as she continued to fall to her doom.
There was no way of knowing what precisely went on around her. She couldn't hear anything over the sound of her own shrieking, couldn't see anything as she tumbled through the air like an out of control projectile. Purple smoke again emerged around her as she transformed back into her human form mid-air, something she couldn't control. Her shrieking turned into screaming as she grew human lungs again, and her wings retreated back into her shoulders.
Before she could properly realize what was happening, and before the searing pain had even slightly subsided, she crashed into something large and solid. She had just one moment to feel a whole new sense of physical pain, a moment where all the previously drowned out sounds of battle suddenly reemerged, before everything went dark.
Way too dark…