I had never realized how truly important they were to us, not just for the comfort and support, but because without them we wouldn’t have been able to join our powers. We just didn’t have the time or mental strength to handle it yet – possibly in a few months, but by then it would be too late. The guides were truly a gift.
As the last of the crowd parted we ran out of the tented zones and onto the field. I scanned the area, taking in as much as I could. Although, I forced myself to just skim over the large crater because now was not the time to lose my shit and bawl like a baby.
Instead I focused on the living members of our army. To my left, sitting high amongst some black and deadened trees were the tree sprites. They had weapons. Most of them looked to be archers, but some also clutched spears. One pulled his arm back and heaved the wooden weapon out into the crowd of fire-lizards they fought.
Whoa.
Despite his slender appearance that spear had completely sliced through one creature, and then into another. The spear returned to the sprite’s hand. Wicked.
“Do you think you can give them a few more trees for cover, Ria?” I pointed across to the ragged bunch of dead limbs which were housing the brown-skinned fey.
“On it,” she said.
I felt the swell of energy then as she pulled from our collective. Her green-tinged power flickered across my vision, before fading away. Sass took off, sliding with ease and speed through the crowd. No surprise that those she passed looked less than impressed to see a massive-ass snake at their feet. It was slightly amusing the way the First Worlders shrieked and tried to climb the closest person as a means of escaping her. Yep, it was funny, but none of us laughed. We were too tense.
Ria’s power left via her extended arms, and Sass helped by dragging energy along the very ground he traveled. Greenery shot up everywhere, fast-moving and ancient in appearance. There were massive trees with trunks the size of small houses, vines, smaller undergrowth. It was a jungle. Okay, Ria had decided to not just help the tree sprites with some cover. She was giving our entire army a fortress to hide within. Clever Queen.
There was a surge then in our front line. They climbed into the trees, hiding behind trunks and bringing forth a lot of weapons I’d never seen in my life. The Walkers were still the strongest and best defense against these unnaturally durable creatures of the Seventine, but the other races could not be discounted. They were certainly no weaklings.
“Great work, Ria!” Delane gave her a nod of ‘job well done’.
Those two were fast becoming the best of friends.
“You gave the perfect cover without blocking our line-of-sight. Fighting blind doesn’t work, but this greenery is an asset.”
Delane was right. Ria’s greenery had simply woven itself around the troops, and went where it was needed. No obstruction of view.
The seven of us had paused on the edge of the battle. Standing between us and the crater left by the explosion was the Seventines’ army.
Despite my best efforts, my eyes were continually drawn to that blackened chasm. Held within it were the remnants of a bloodbath, a mess of limbs and bodies. Lives cruelly stolen away.
Horror resonated along the bond. I wasn’t the only one who felt the immense loss of life there. We had to stop this from happening again. We had to defeat the Seventine or this would not be the largest loss of life we faced on this dark mountain.
First we fight the army; then we fight the Seventine.
“Okay, Eva, do your thing,” I said.
First in line: hundreds of the crazy tree creatures. At the moment they were engaged against Walkers, pixies, faeries and First Worlders. I’d fought them before on Crais and knew that these trees were fast and mega strong. They used their branches and root system to strangle any that weren’t quick enough to get out of the way.
Walkers were great at regeneration, but the other races had lost limbs. I noticed a pixie and First World soldier go down. Three healer Walkers raced out of the crowd and, using some sort of levitation energy, scooted the pair off to the healing zone. Their missing limbs floated after them. No doubt many of the soldiers had been saved due to the sheer speed the Walkers got them to the healing area.
Beyond the tree creatures were the zombies, but we didn’t focus on them. One problem at a time.
Eva raised her hands slightly and wiggled her fingers, as if sensing the very air around the evil trunked beings.
“They’re susceptible to fire,” she said, “but only if the flame is sustained for longer than seventy seconds. Also, they’re really top heavy, so if you cut them off from their lower limbs, they’ll topple over.”
Eva was like an army godsend. To know an enemy’s weakness. That saved so much time and energy in battle. You could just go straight for the jugular.