Chapter Thirty-Two: The Battle

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Silent screams split the dark day, cold blood spills from still warm bodies. If ever there was a pain inhuman enough to be felt, it was reached then by the mother of her child. Worst of all, the pain and death of someone you love.

The sound of rain was like calm words, words spoken without meaning and without purpose. The words got louder but still made no difference to the ears listening. The words turned to screams and shouts, pleading and wailing. Slamming onto the walls and windows that muffled their meaning. The rain was shut out, left for whatever it was worth, to drain into the earth, and to not be seen again. To wash the mess of others, to rid the world of dirt and filth. But not even the strongest storm could wash away the Kingdom of Anex.

Ignis sat on the dark throne of his dreams. On his left stood ten tall men, his to order, his to take, his to command. On his left lay seven women, he knew them by name. Panthera, Dazmell, Extasis, Cyllea, Eliza, and Rain. He knew their names because he gave it to them.

A dark shadow covered the new king's face, it was as though his being had rotten and was being used as a puppet by his unrestful spirit. Now that he had attained what he had so long wanted, it was the end to his lust and greed. And Ignis had no ambition of what to do. None of the want or, dare he think it, hope?

What was hope to him, but a tool to sharpen against his enemies? To hand them a weapon that would break when he wished it to. And yet as he sat there on his throne, slowly spinning a dagger in his hand, the most powerful man in the world felt as weak as a child. His ambitions were at an end, he had what he wanted his whole life, and yet as the power lay in his hands to decide the world's fate, he had no wish of it anymore. It seemed mundane, perhaps even useless now.

As if the heavens themselves laughed at his failure they began to open and let through rays of mocking sunlight to his bloody kingdom.

"Lord Ignis." Rain's voice floated into his head like a cloud. Of his women, she was the most vocal in her conversations with him. Now she walked to his throne with a purr in her voice, "You've been so silent my Lord. Are you fearful of the rebellion in Elise?" Ignis was silent as he listened to her, the familiar feelings of rage began to stir within his mind.

"BE QUIET!" Ignis spat, he threw the blade at Rain and she slumped over dead. The women took a collective breath of fear and there was a suffocating silence.

His voice tore and he instantly spat blood. Half a second later his head of his guard walked in, "My Lord, we have located the sanctuary of the Branches of Elise." The Captain was disheveled and looked tired, but his fist slammed his chest with passion, "Do you wish to attack at once?"

Ignis' eyes glowed like embers of a once dead fire, "Yes." He heard himself hiss, "saddle my horse. I will ride with you." The Captain looked up surprised but said nothing and left to do as he was bidden.

The army was made of one thousand mounted carriages, two thousand men on horses, and three thousand men on foot. Weapons varied from swords of three feet in length, to spears nearly twelve feet long, from clubs and axes to instruments of terrible torture. Ignis sat upon his dark steed and looked forward to the path he had chosen. "Are you proud of me father?" He whispered to the wind. Dark clouds filled up the skies and threatened to pour down their words of pain again. Ignis let his heart harden and let the pain of anger burn. He gripped his reins and kicked his horse forward. He did not look up, he refused to look back. His black kingdom was left in the rain as he stormed with his troops to what was the last spot of light.

Meanwhile, far into the forest, past the lands of Anex and over the lands of the Shire and the Lions, Unibella had felt the oncoming slaughter, from the whispered voices in the wind. She gathered together the men and women in charge of the villages, among them were Azlan and Nalah. Unibella stood in the house of wood, her pale skin glowing red in the light of the fire behind her. Her hair glittered pink and her tattoos of flowers and vines seemed to glow with a purpose of their own.

"Friends. I have called you here today for the moment we all knew would happen. The Anex has found our location and will attack within the next few days." The wails from the crowd arose like a single voice. It was long and full of sorrow, "What will be of the children?" Cried, men and women. The purity of the question went unanswered for many long minutes.

Unibella looked at her people with love and sadness, "The children will run from here. Alone. But every man or woman aged older than sixteen must stay and fight. I myself will stay and fight till my last breath, and in the case that we manage to win, we will bring back our children. But for now, we must rely on their will to live. We send them tonight."

Now most of the adults were upset and angered with this decree, as they would be sending off their children, some aged five and under off into the wilderness to a vague hope of survival, and a horrific death if they failed to make it. And where to? Where would these children run to when they escaped, to the ends of the world? To begin anew in a strange land? But their worries were only magnified when the scouts returned from tracking the progress of the Anex army.

"They will be here by dawn." Reported the winged scouts. "They have brought every soldier in Anex and have brought fire and instruments of torture!" The scout reporting was pale and shaking, his words came nothing near to the horror he had seen. "The anger in the king's eyes. He wants not just to kill us, but to obliterate our souls from the heavens they were made in."

Then did the parents question why could they not run too. Why not flee all, to outrun the Anex together."Because they will catch us one day. Let us fight today, together as the last battle for our honor and our children. We will not flee, we will fight till our last earthly breath and our last heavenly will!" Unibella replied strongly, her eyes were ablaze.

The moment that the last sunray disappeared beneath the horizon the children were sent off. With horses and provisions. With hopes and dreams, and with their parent's blessings.

Asarya looked once more to the horizon and then opposite to where dozens of children mounted donkeys and horses and camels. The surrealness of all the events of the past week seemed to crash down upon the boy and he felt his body quiver. "Will I ever see you again mom, dad?" He whispered holding tight to his parent's arms. Azlan looked at Nalah and they shared a strong moment of grief. "No son. And that's alright. You will not see us, but we will be right with you, we will watch over you every day and night." Azlan said and embraced his son.

"You will have to survive my son, you will grow to be the strongest of all who survive," Nalah whispered and embraced her family as well.

"Children. It is time to leave, may every kind spirit and soul watch over you and protect you in all ways, your paths will be lit by promise, hope, and the purity of your souls. Go and may you live!" Unibella's voice ended and the pounding of hooves sounded like the rumble of the earth's breaking. Then as though the steel bars of the earth began to feel the swing of an old gate closing, the wailing began, the parents all sobbed unto one another and into their beds. That night was the loudest night in the Elise.

It was still dark, most of the children broke up into their groups of friends and strayed into the night in many ways. Asarya, Richard, and Shirley were alone. "Asarya?" Shirley's voice broke the boy's thoughts as his horse trotted at a slow pace. Shirley and Richard were riding alongside him on the back of a camel. Their faces stained with worry, fear, and pain. "Yeah?" he choked.

"You know we'll all be alright... right?" Her voice was soft, unlike her usual, and it carried no convictions of the words she uttered.

"Of course," Asarya muttered. "I just wish our parents were coming with us."

Those were the last words spoken that night, as the rest of the darkness was enough to fill their feelings of loneliness. It was at the break of dawn that the children stopped to take a rest. Asarya gazed upon their trail that seemed to follow the rise of the sun, it was as though valleys of gold stretched as far as the end of the world, no trees and no shelter from the hot sun. "We need to refill our waterskins," Richard said dryly, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

"I saw a river while we rode."Shirley offered quietly, taking the waterskins from their camel. "Let me get it." Asarya offered, he had rather be moving than standing still at the moment. His request was met with no question and he soon found the river that Shirley had mentioned.

He drew his waterskin into the river's cleaner and more shallow water. Strangely, he spotted dirt mixing in with his clean water. He spilled out what he gathered and walked a little further upstream. This time as he filled the waterskin, the water was murky and looked as though the dirt were red clay.

"Oh come on," Asarya muttered angrily, pouring out yet again the water. He walked up a little more and then a horrid, wretched stench hit his lungs like fire. The worst smell that he had ever come by. The water was now red, but unlike the murkier color before it was bright, bright and fresh.

"Its blood," Asarya concluded in horror, coming away fast from the riverbank he tripped over the source of the stench. A body lay in five parts in a tangled and grotesque position. Arms were bent backward at the elbows, and the head was clean off, the feet were separated and so was the heart of the man. His chest was ripped open as though by savage knives or teeth, and his face was caught in a depiction of utmost horror and grief.

For a long time, Asarya just stared, then he began to shake and cry, then he fell to his knees in pure fear, feeling his legs sink into the blood-soaked earth. Then as though by a miracle, Richard appeared and swept him up, dragging him by the arms away from the horrific scene.

"Asarya! Asarya snap out of it! We have to go!" Richard's face was paling by the second, Asarya managed to get hold of his senses, as though he had fallen a thousand feet he felt dizzy and weak. His horse came galloping with Shirley on the camel leading it. "We got to move now! I think I saw something on the opposite horizon!" Her voice cracked.

"Ok. I'm coming." Asarya mumbled and tripped over his feet walking to the camel. Shirley rolled her eyes impatiently and grabbed his arms and pulled him up alongside her. "Hold tight. Richard get on the horse!"

Her brother obeyed, having filled the waterskin to the best of his abilities. The three of them then began to race down the riverbank. They kept a fast pace for as long as the animals could before falling into a steady and slower speed.

"I think we lost them," Richard spoke after a long while. Asarya nodded, still holding onto Shirley's waist. He leaned into her strong shoulders and closed his eyes, falling into an uneasy sleep on the camel's back.

The moment that the children had left there was havoc in the Tribe of Elise. All persons were to arm themselves and to prepare for the worst deaths imaginable.

Azlan tied his waistband tighter in silence. His wife was dressing in weapons as well. He looked at her, having a moment's worth of reminiscence. He recalled the fear in her eyes when he first met her, and her transformation into the most confident and strong woman he's known. Her strong arms lifted as she tied back her hair, hardly aware of her husband's watchful gaze. "Nalah, love, I want you to promise me something," Azlan spoke as she turned towards him finally.

"Yes, my love?" Her voice said it was strong, he felt weak in comparison. He walked towards her and placed his arms around her form, hoping, wishing he could protect her from their inevitable death, "When they capture us -"

"They won't" Nalah hushed him with a finger to his lips. Azlan regretfully pulled her hand away, "They very well might, but when it happens, they will want to cause us the most pain in the world, I want you to know that no matter how much they physically hurt me, they will never hurt me enough to compare to the love I feel for you. My love for you will take me beyond this life Nalah, I want you to know that even when I scream, I do it thinking of your face waiting for me. Death will be a blessing so long as I'm with you." Azlan choked, feeling hot unabashed tears wash down his face. He embraced his wife, who held strongly to him, her arms seizing at his flesh as though to never let go. "Azlan? Please, why do we have to face this? I don't want to see you in pain! You know they won't kill you until they have hurt you so much to wish for death!"

"Have they not already?" Azlan whispered sadly, brushing away her hair. "My dear if I were a coward I would take my own life, and I'm sure you would too. But we are not cowards, we are Lions. And we will fight until our last earthly breath and heavenly will. And I will be right here with you, every step of the way."

A trumpet sounded, followed by what sounded like seventy horns blown, and the earth shaking with colossal force.

The war had begun.

Thunder boomed from the skies and the fight began with war cries of terror and anger. Azlan took his spear and threw to his wife. They shared a look of determination and hope before kissing passionately and running out of their hut.

Immediately the scene unfolded before them, black horses, some mounted and some bare, trampled through the camp and tore at the ground and earth. The Anex men, taller and stronger by far than most of the people in Elise held knives and axes already coated in blood.

One Anex soldier grabbed a winged Elise soldier and began to fight with him in horrendous desire to inflict pain. The eyes of the winged man were wide with pain and terror but illuminated with the will to fight. The Anex man was stabbed by the soldier and kicked by the flying man to the floor. His throat burst as the spear of the winged man tore into his neck flesh.

Not a breath after, the winged soldier was torn down from the air by another Anex man and his wings were separated from his body. The man unleashed such a scream that haunted the battlegrounds. The two silver wings were torn, feathers flying in the air, blood spurting from the bones that jutted out from the now dead soldier's back.

Azlan ducked under a fast sword before stabbing forward his spear into the Anex soldier's chest. Azlan kicked the body off his spear and jabbed strongly behind him upon barely seeing another soldier come up from behind. His quick jab stunned the soldier for a moment before Azlan swiftly wheeled around and finished him with a dagger to the throat.

Glancing around frantically he saw Nalah weaving between the Anex soldiers, her lithe form fast and smooth as she jabbed a sharp knife into major arteries and lethal spots. An Anex soldier she did not see grabbed her from behind and slammed her body down. But Azlan was already there and speared the man through.

"Behind!" Nalah yelled, Azlan twisted and stabbed blindly at whatever was "behind" him and felt strong muscle rip under his sharp blade.

Nalah was standing up again and covering his back, and he, her's. Together they fought, stabbing and spearing and doing everything and anything to stay alive, it was not so much the skills of the Anex that were threatening, more of their sheer numbers that threatened to swallow their opponents. The mobs of dark horses and sharp swords came ever closer and choked the fighting Elise tribe. Those strong enough to stand were hardly able to walk a foot in any direction without being swarmed by iron-clad warriors.

"There's too many of them!" Nalah cried as she flung off another man from an attack. Azlan was sweating so much his vision was obscured, he could barely hear his wife over the roar of his own blood. So many were coming and so fast that he had not a moment to catch his own breath before more men were upon them. Azlan swung blindly, his spear hitting whatever was in front of him, his eyes shut as blood and sweat dripped into his eyes.

"AAAUGH!" Nalah's scream woke him from his strange trance. He wheeled around to see her fall backward clutching her side and growing pale in her pain. "Nalah!" Azlan was blind suddenly with his rage and fear, he dropped his spear and swept Nalah into his arms. Her side was bleeding heavily from a spear injury and she held his neck tightly, her face was a mask of pain. Azlan ran.

His legs felt like lead, he felt each thump as his foot hit the ground strong and sudden. He saw color fly by but was unaware of the shapes they made, he ran outside to the camp and into the darkening forest. The fight had been going on for the entire day and now as night was looming just over the sunset, the screams have died down.

Not due to success, rather, so many were dead. And the dead do not scream.

Azlan fell over suddenly, his wife was thrown in front of him as he crashed to the ground of the forest in pain. She gave a welp and was quiet. "Nalah?" Azlan muttered through his pain. She did not move or utter a word. Panic gripped his stomach and he got up running to her.

Her body was full of scratches, blood, and dirt. But her face somehow seemed untouched to him. Her eyes were still shut as he leaned over her still, battered form. "Nalah, my love please say something? Anything!"

"I love you Azlan." Nalah's voice came out strained and painful. Her eyes were still shut as her lips opened. "Wait, Nalah, what do you mean! You can't go now! You can't! Stay with me Nahla PLEASE!" Azlan felt drawn into a panic, his heart beat fast and he felt drawn into an oblivion of pain as he held his wife in his arms. He knew their promise, and he never felt so sure that he was a coward until then. He took the head of his spear and aimed it to his own chest.

Then, as if her ghost had seen him he felt himself stop, "I will keep fighting Nalah, and I will see you soon." He laid a kiss on her forehead and lay her beneath a tree where she appeared to be sleeping.

Then he rose up in fury and went into battle like seventy Lions together. He fought with the anger and hurt that he felt at the Anex.

For taking his father.

For taking his mother.

For taking his eldest brother.

For taking his closest brother.

For taking his sister.

And now for taking his wife.

Heeeeey stop... I know what you is thinking... that Nalah is dead and all is lost and like wth this chapter was a mess! 

*sighs* I know. But I hoped if I just got it out of the way instead of trying to rewrite constantly then maybe I can continue with the plot XD

ANYHOOTLES!

Do you have qvestions? it doesn't have to be 'bout the book, maybe just about the ... plot or maybe about me or me life. 

*nudges peers* I'm open to any conversation you can throw on me.

Did you know that the liquid metal mercury, if taken as it is, can like make you crazy crazy?? 

oooooh, I bet ya didn't know that an elephant is pregnant for more than a year, like 22 months... 2 months less than 2 years!!!!

Imagine having nausea and a big belly for not 9 months but nearly 2 years?!!!

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