Light of Elliana: Book One—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Thirty-Two: Ambushed

T

en days later, the sun hung low in the bright pink evening sky. Donovan and Morgan led a patrol down the rutted Thunder River Road, South-West of Kandalare. No clouds were visible, which meant there would be another star-filled night. Sunlight reflected brightly from the waters of the Thunder River below, revealing the n***d beauty of the river basin. Here and there, the fading rays reflected from the scales of darters and feathers of birds, showing their forms in bright displays of color.

The crickets were already out in force, chirping a steady chorus, foretelling of the night to come. The day’s travel had been long and uneventful with little reprieve from the sun’s heat. It would be a welcome relief to stop for the night and relax around a campfire. “A warm meal also sounded good,” Donovan thought.

Morgan had quickly recovered from her ordeal in Etria, much to Prince Donovan’s relief. She had received no word from her father, which was no surprise. It was now generally believed the stranger controlled King Aramus. No doubt, he was not even aware Princess Morgan was missing. Perhaps, the king had been cut-off from receiving vital information. If this was the situation they faced, there was no telling what else was brewing in the Kingdom of Caralon.

As if the situation facing them was not vexing enough, Changa had not returned. It had now been thirty-one days since he had left. His current absence was the longest stretch of days both had ever been apart. Donovan found himself beginning to worry if all was well with his brother. The prince inhaled deeply, forcing these troubling thoughts to the back of his mind.

Donovan had always liked the heavily-forested rolling mountains in this part of Etmindor. The road they were traveling would soon cross the new massive Gurgin Bridge, which was built to replace an aging structure that had seen its better days. Prince Donovan was eager to view it for the first time. On the opposite side of a large bend in the river lay the booming logging town of Flaysen’s Bend. It was fast becoming an epicenter of growth and prosperity. Simple log homes stood upon gentle hills, which filled the air with the smells of bread baking or food cooking.

Topping the last hill before the bridge, Donovan heard a scream from somewhere up ahead. In the distance, buildings, homes, and the saw-mill were now burning out of control. Upon the hills surrounding Flaysen’s Bend, numerous log homes burned brightly, veiled by clouds of smoke and embers. In shock and disbelief, Donovan spurred Thunder forward and charged towards the bridge.

“Kill every one of this filth, you can,” Donovan bellowed. Drawing his sword, he led the patrol onto the Gurgin Bridge in a thunder of hoofbeats. The prince saw the bridge was the only structure spared.

The forest on the opposite side of the bridge was a dense stand of pine and fir. Prince Donovan couldn’t tell where the screams were coming from; drifting acrid smoke was burning his eyes and was getting worse by the minute. Upon crossing the massive timber and plank structure, several arrows felled two men. One of the Centaurs attempting to respond was brought down by a couple of arrow-shafts to the chest. Another shaft hissed by Donovan’s head, making him jerk back in response.

The enemy was attacking them from cover, and they were out in the open, exposed to an unexpected barrage of enemy arrows. From out of the forest before them, charged a horde of Nyen and Kang fighters wielding various arms. “It’s an ambush,” Donovan realized. It had all the makings of becoming a m******e. The prince had to save his men from being slaughtered, no matter what the cost.

“Retreat, it’s a trap!” Donovan shouted. Swiftly, he drew his sword and raced back to the bridge.

The prince fought desperately, holding the enemy back to buy the others time to escape. He deflected a vicious spear thrust and rammed his blade into the Nyen’s tattooed chest. Another s***h brought down a Kang who had underestimated his shining longsword’s reach. From Donovan’s right, a screaming Kang charged up and attempted to pull him bodily from his horse. Prince Donovan hammered his attacker in the face with his sword’s pommel, smashing its nose.

Doggedly, Donovan’s broad-shouldered attacker continued its efforts, refusing to withdraw despite the prince’s hammering blows. Suddenly, the beast provided an opening and received a gaping s***h to its throat for its efforts. It staggered off and collapsed on its side on the wide wooden planks of the bridge.

More feathered missiles hissed by, from somewhere behind Donovan, and were finding their mark among the enemy. Two Kang staggered and fell, clutching at the shafts which had pierced them. A Nyen seemingly spun around on his toes, having sprouted four clumps of feathers before he too collapsed.

“Prince Donovan, get out of there. There are way too many of these beasts for us to hold back,” Sir Alfred bellowed from a short distance away, as the mounted knight chopped at the enemy with a dripping hand ax. Two heavy blows felled two more Kang who came within the broad-shouldered knight’s reach.

“Donovan, we’ve got to get off this blasted bridge, or we’re going to die here. Everybody else is clear, time to leave,” Girard yelled to him. With a nod, Donovan attempted to guide Thunder out of the fray.

“Alright, let’s get out of here!” Donovan yelled back. Another enemy arrow hissed by, adding to his desperation. “It was too close,” the prince thought, he had felt it glance off his barbute helm. The road to the bridge was teeming with the enemy, eager to stop his desperate bid to escape the c*****e.

From behind him, Donovan heard more screams. The enemy was finding targets of their own among his men. “My God—I’ve got to get out of here,” he thought.

Again, Donovan’s sword swung downward in a gleaming arc. This time, his sword blow impacted the side of the neck of a Nyen, which snarled at him with a mouthful of rotting teeth. The savage collapsed where it stood.

Desperately, Donovan fought like a wild man to break free from the enemy who was now attempting to surround him. Suddenly, heightened awareness enveloped Prince Donovan. Everything he saw was vivid in detail and sounded greatly amplified. All glowed with a strange golden hue. From out of nowhere, a calm voice filled his mind, quieting all the noise around him. “Your bid for safety is within your grasp, Prince Donovan. You must break free now!”

“Donovan, get out of there,” Morgan shouted from behind him.

Before the prince, a Nyen was struck in the face by an arrow, and it dropped with a scream. Another Kang spun to the side with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Two more attackers fell, with multiple shafts sticking out of them.

The attackers paused as an onslaught of arrows quickly thinned their ranks. It was enough to provide Donovan with precious moments to escape. The time to make his move was now or never. The prince spurred Thunder forward in a rush to race back across the wooden planks of the bridge.

An enormous shadow charged from a thick clump of trees to his left, when Donovan was making good on his escape. It was a heavily armored Giant that was rapidly closing the distance between them. The sounds of its massive boots impacting the dirt, sounded as loud booming thuds to the prince’s ears. The enemy parted to allow the behemoth access to the fleeing prince.

“Kill Prince Donovan!” the Giant roared. From this distance, the massive war club the hulk wielded looked more like a tree. The beast’s breathing was loud and filled him with terror, even as its foul breath made him want to gag. Everything now seemed to happen in a quiet rush of images flowing by. Prince Donovan felt Thunder temporarily lose his footing on the blood-slickened timbers of the bridge.

Without warning, an unexpected lurch to the side threatened to throw Donovan from his saddle. Fighting to remain seated, the prince grabbed for Thunder’s mane and saddle alike. The Giant’s war-club grazed both his head and his left shoulder before smashing into the bridge with a deafening crash. The prince’s head exploded with excruciating pain, as debilitating nausea wracked his body. The blow knocked Prince Donovan from his horse; Even as a cloud of shattered wood and debris caused by the weapon’s impact enveloped his body.

The pain Donovan felt in his head threatened to make him pass out. Nothing he saw made any sense; it was all blurry. His left shoulder felt numb; there was no sensation at all. For a moment, he thought he would be able to grab one of the bridge’s timbers passing by in front of him. In an instant, his chance passed him by, as he flew past the wood beams. Silently, Prince Donovan plunged headlong towards the black depths of the Thunder River far below. For what seemed like an eternity, he hurtled downward before striking the river feet first with an enormous jolt.

The cold water of the river cleared his head with an icy rush, wrenching him awake. Fumbling around in the dark water, the prince fought his way to the surface while gasping and choking. Donovan’s left arm was not functioning; he could barely move it. Agonizing pain wracked his left shoulder. Weaker still, Donovan slipped beneath the surface once more. Somehow, he fought his way back up. The prince’s right arm bumped into something hard floating before him.

It was a large log trapped among floating debris in the darkness. Instinctively, Prince Donovan weakly searched for anything useful to hold onto, while fighting to keep his head above water. With the last of his energy, Donovan grabbed ahold of the stub of a branch. With a gasp of pain, he managed to pull himself up on the log’s rough bark. The pounding in his head was threatening to overwhelm him at any second. Fearing he might fall off, the prince gave one more tug, wedging himself securely upon his makeshift raft.

Donovan turned his head to stare up at the bridge far above him. Distantly, he heard faint shouts, but it was too dark to tell what was there. The prince attempted to cry out for help but couldn’t form the words. The pain in his head was reaching the point where he was on the verge of passing out. Prince Donovan dug his fingernails into the bark of the log he lay upon, afraid he would roll off and not be able to fight his way to the surface.

The prince lay there, cold, afraid, and exhausted. The pain seemed to be lessening now, but, in its wake, all he wanted to do was sleep. The sensation of movement forced Donovan to grasp he was now moving downriver. His makeshift raft jerked as it impacted something in the shallow water before floating free, once more. Prince Donovan weakly raised his head to call for help. It proved to be far too much effort. For the swirling darkness which had hovered around him, closed in with a rush.