How Kingdoms Fall: Part 2 Chapter 1

Part II: Over the Border

Chapter I:

Loud explosions could be heard before they could be seen. Rain poured down making the slopes slippery and the group could only see a few feet in front of them. Kane and Ane trudged along near the front with only a few guards in front of them. In the back, Venefici, a captured sorcerer, was surrounded by guards as they forced him along. The sorcerer was shouting curses at every possible moment. Ane frowned and glanced back as a particularly loud curse sounded from behind.

“Are you sure we need him?”

“Yes, without him getting across the border without being caught in the crossfire will be nearly impossible.”

“When you say nearly…”

“Don’t. Even with him, it’s unlikely we’ll get across with everyone alive,” Kane replied frowning. He hadn’t been to the warfront before, but had heard enough to know that it was much worse than what he had been told. They had expected to run into more troops before seeing the large explosions of the war. Ane scowled at the ground and kicked a rock into one of the many puddles.

A bang echoed louder than the others and spitting red flame streaked toward the group. Kane dove out of the way, the fire passing him and landing less than a foot from one of the guards. The ground was scorched black around where the fire still burned.

“Venefici!” Kane spat.

Venefici scowled back as a blue light flashed from the metal bands around his wrists. He hissed slightly before raising his hands and muttering “contege nos.” A gray light rose from his hands and spread around the group in a hazy veil. The light and noise from the battlefield seemed to dull slightly.

The group began to move forward, the gray veil moving with them, and soon they began to pass soldiers lying in the mud and half working catapults, some destroyed beyond use from Raemith sorcerers. Ane frowned at the destruction around her. The sound of clashing metal made it through the barrier as arrows whizzed above. Ahead, they could see the actual fighting. Soldiers from Raemith had formed a wall of shields and were attacking anyone that attempted to break through while sorcerers fired off spells behind them, sending waves of fire and rock toward their enemies.

“Get us pass the shields,” Kane hissed, not wanting to break the magic that surrounded them.

“What do you expect me to do, walk through them?” Venefici spat followed by a string of curses.

“I don’t care what you have to do, Venefici, just get me through the battlefield alive.”

He scowled as the metal bands flashed again and the veil around them seemed to flicker slightly. Shakily, he brought his arms forward and muttered “terram scinde cuniculumque constitue.” A tunnel formed in the scarred earth at the same time as Venefici ripped his arms apart. Smiling, Kane began to lead the group through the tunnel underneath the wall of shields, Venefici hanging back as much as he was allowed.

Once Kane had made it most of the way through the tunnel and the rest of the group was still inside, Venefici stopped. “For Raemith!” he cried, bringing his fists crashing to the ground. At once, the veil disappeared and the tunnel began to collapse, rocks falling around them. Kane dove forward with Ane right on his heels. They just barely stumbled out before it fully collapsed, mud and scorched earth covering the guards and Venefici.

Kane grabbed her wrist and tugged at it, trying to get her to stand up. “But what about-”

“There’s no time. We need to go, now,” Kane interrupted, pulling her to her feet. They took off running just as the sorcerer’s noticed their appearance. Streaks of fire followed them, before all but one returned their focus to the soldiers trying to break through their forces. The sorcerer chased after the two, trying to trip them with twisted trees while simultaneously throwing spells at them.

As they stumbled backward from a large tree that sprouted in front of them, a loud, low thrum filled the air. The ground seemed to shake and rocks floated upward. Suddenly, everything was silent and the rocks remained floating midair, as if time had been frozen. Then all at once, time resumed. Rocks fell back to the ground, a cacophony of sound rushed outward, and a brilliant light exploded outward covering all of Ocelin’s side of the battlefield and blinding everyone.