Crown of Vengeance Read online

  This warrior had additional protective elements, distinguishing him from the rest of the riders. Unique among the group, he possessed a pair of splinted iron greaves that protected his lower legs, echoing similar vambraces encasing his lower arms.

  The horses were being spurred forward with a desperate urgency, driven at a full gallop as they pounded swiftly across the open ground.

  Lee ripped his gaze away from the remarkable sight, and glanced quickly over to the others with him. Wide looks of amazement were exchanged among his companions, before they turned their full attention back towards the oncoming cluster of riders.

  Loud cries, and a flurry of sounds resembling growls and barks, then filled the air, as the throng of horses was swiftly brought to a halt. The riders bore looks of utter surprise, as they looked up into the sky, right in the area over where Lee and the others were hiding.

  Lee’s heart thundered more furiously at the new chorus of sounds, which were directly over his position.

  The riders scattered in all directions, as a number of dark shadows sped across the ground towards them. Lee saw the deep, racing shadows from the first moment that they broke out along the surface of the grasses. He looked up into the sky, just as a horde of stunning forms burst into full view.

  Lee had never seen anything like the flying entities now soaring low over the grassy plains, conveyed forth by sweeping sets of dark, membranous wings. They were entirely unique to his experience, giant, four-legged creatures. Even more incredible, they were bearing armed riders.

  The winged creatures themselves had a slightly sloped frame, rising from their lower hips to the frontal portion of their bodies. They had large heads, with short muzzles that harbored broad, powerful jaws. Large, triangular ears rose up on each side of their heads, positioned near to the crown.

  Covering the backs and sides of the flying creatures was a shaggy mass of long, coarse, dark brown fur. Around their wide necks and chests, from the backs of their upright ears to the tops of their shoulders, they displayed a distinctive, light yellow mane.

  Four legs, lean and sinewy, were tucked underneath their bodies, the limbs ending in broad paws that were each equipped with a set of sharp claws. The short fur covering their legs held a distinct coloration pattern, with alternating light and dark rings running from their wide paws on up to their undersides.

  As Lee caught his first clear glimpses of the profiles of the riders upon on the winged steeds, time screeched to a standstill. They were undeniably inhuman.

  Lee’s mind scrambled to recover from his initial shock, as the fliers guided their winged steeds directly towards the scattering horsemen with exceptional skill, and a deadly grace. Nearly fifty of them had now swept into Lee’s view, racing towards the dispersing horsemen far beneath them. At first, they drove the horsemen farther away from the forest’s edge, forcing a few that had been charging directly towards the trees to veer away just a short distance from reaching the woods.

  Several of the fliers curved about, as if seeking to corral the dispersing horse riders closer together. In the process, they presented Lee with a full, frontal view of their forms.

  Lee’s mouth dropped agape.

  The considerable size of the winged steeds was wholly necessary to bear the imposing riders aloft, while still retaining agility, maneuverability, and speed. The warriors had thick, powerful chests and torsos, complimented by broad backs and shoulders, and long, brawny limbs.

  Their strong upper bodies were clothed in knee-length, earthen colored tunics, which were worn underneath protective hide jerkins. Leggings, or perhaps woolen trousers, completed their primary attire. Their hide shoes or boots were set firmly into bronze stirrups of a simple, stout design.

  The fronts of many of the outer jerkins were richly decorated, exhibiting a variety of designs that contrasted with the darker color of the hide. Many of the fliers were also wearing amulets around their broad, muscular necks.

  Thick, very long locks of dark hair flowed out copiously from underneath boiled leather caps, or simple iron half-helms, buffeted about vigorously within the winds.

  Their faces were fully exposed to Lee in the broad daylight, displaying the most striking features of all. Their non-human visages contained a protruding muzzle, one that had a thick-set appearance short in length, and broad in width. Opening their jaws wide to emit their deep, sonorous war cries, they showed off the extensive canines contained within their considerable maws.

  Many of the beast-men were carrying extensive lances, fitted with broad, elongated spear blades unmistakably suited for slashing as much as thrusting. Others bore a formidable-looking, sword-like weapon, which had a quite lengthy, heavy blade. It had no cross guard above the short hilt, or pommel beneath. The weapon’s broad, protracted blade had a gently curving, saber-like profile to it, singled-edged, and ending in a wickedly sharp point.

  A few of the fliers bore a particularly fearsome-looking, long-hafted weapon. A two-handed weapon, its single-edged blade was both longer and heavier than that of the sword-like weapon, while being of a generally similar profile. It was not a spear, but rather a cutting weapon, able to be utilized like a great axe.

  Several fliers pursuing the horsemen held short javelins in overhand grips, while a handful of others were clustering in a hovering pattern, bearing great longbows fashioned of a single stave of wood. Arrows fletched with large, black feathers were being set to the bowstrings as the archers searched out targets below.

  Many of the airborne warriors bore rectangular shields, crafted of wooden planking faced with plain hide coverings. The shields were suspended by thick leather straps across their shoulders and backs, keeping their hands freed up. The warriors’ left hands held onto the reins of their sky steeds tightly, while they brandished their weapons in their right.

  As Lee looked out upon the developing melee, the first of the sky riders swooped downward at a high speed that was a challenge to follow with the eye.

  The iron-helmed flier at the lead of the attackers roared a furious battle cry, bringing its steed swiftly lower with a few others diving in its wake. Wielding one of the sword-like weapons, the lead warrior kept its arm forward of its steed’s wings, holding the blade angled back. The sky rider adroitly guided its steed to come up on the shield side of a horse rider that was racing just ahead.

  The winged steed stretched its wings out and glided through the short remaining distance, closing quickly as it allowed its rider to bring the blade back farther for a powerful attack. The sky warrior did not strike at the horse rider, but rather slashed viciously at his mount, blood spraying in the aftermath.

  Crumbling to the ground with a hideous scream and a mortal wound to its neck, the horse threw its rider off. The man flew forward, and cried out in pain as he slammed hard into the unyielding ground just a few strides ahead of his horse.

  The rider had not even regained his feet when a second flier swooped in, bearing one of the long-hafted weapons with the extensive, heavy blades. With a frenzied battle cry, the sky rider whipped the great weapon through the air with both of its heavily muscled arms. The blade cleaved right through the man’s head, the headless body wavering for a moment before slumping to the ground. The flier shook the bloodied weapon vigorously, uttering another loud war cry as the winged steed carried them onward.

  The horse riders were continuing to spray outward, into all directions, perhaps hoping to confuse the attackers that so greatly outnumbered them up above. If so, it soon became apparent that their efforts were in vain, as the fliers swarming the area were gradually singling out horse riders, honing in on them with lethal intent.

  The fliers who had long bows were now loosing arrows from their hovering mounts, the missiles streaking towards their intended targets. The ones with javelins were jettisoning their own missiles, by robust throws from steeds kept to a slow, steady glide.

  Outnumbered and confined to the ground, it soon became quite clear that the horse riders were at a great disadvantage
.

  Using their long lances, and in some cases resorting to javelins themselves, the horse riders did whatever they could to repel and frustrate the attacks, at least whenever their assailants came close enough.

  Lee saw one horseman come to the aid of another whose assailant was closing in fast. Racing his horse up alongside the gliding enemy warrior, the human sent a javelin hurtling to lodge in the body of the attacker, just as its long blade was about to arc down towards the other human rider.

  The victory was short lived, as the javelin-thrower did not see the thrust of the spear from another non-human warrior coming from behind him, impaling his own body scant moments after he had interceded for his comrade.

  A bloody, furious struggle evolved, though the horse riders were steadily whittled down in the relentless, overwhelming assault by the aerial attackers.

  Lee could not help but be impressed at the incredible skill of the non-human warriors. Even their winged steeds were living weapons, working in close harmony with their riders.

  In a couple of instances, Lee saw the sky steeds utilize their powerful claws effectively, lowering their legs and viciously raking humans right off the backs of their galloping horses.

  The sky riders continued to work in close concert with each other. Several endeavored to herd the beleaguered horse riders back in, while others rushed in immediately to finish off the dazed and injured riders that had been knocked from their mounts.

  On occasion, such as when a horseman whirled to present lance and shield to the flying attacker, there was a firm attempt to continue the attack. Yet more often than not in such instances, the assailants from above merely banked their steeds away from their approach before the horseman could have any chance to inflict damage.

  Lee did witness one horseman who was able to get in a lethal thrust against one of the attackers. The horseman’s spear rushed up from a strong, overhand grip to meet the forward momentum of the incoming sky rider, the force of both movements converging to spike the attacker. The horseman immediately had to let go of his deeply lodged weapon, as the beast-man’s body was blasted right from its low saddle.

  The triumph was temporary, as another sky-borne warrior dove in to avenge its fallen comrade. Before the horseman could unsheathe his own sword and bring it up to fend off the assault, he was beheaded by the heavy blade of the attacker’s sword-like weapon.

  Cries of agony were filling the air, coming from horses, humans, and a few of the inhuman assailants and their unusual, flying steeds. The end of the battle was approaching from what Lee could tell, and the result looked inevitable.

  Several of the skyward warriors began to land their steeds upon the ground. The massive riders leaped off of their mounts with astonishing dexterity, especially given their considerable size. Readying their weapons and shields, they charged with a raging fury at the surviving human warriors that had been unhorsed. Their sharp, long teeth were bared in a feral mask of maddened frenzy as they brandished their weapons.

  The dismounted human warriors responded with a fiery resolve of their own, several drawing swords out to meet the onslaught from their fearsome attackers. They showed no outward signs of fear, and now that the fighting field had been more leveled, proceeded to acquit themselves better.

  They shouted out their own raucous battle cries, the words seeming to charge them with impetus and tenacity.

  The sounds of clashing steel were added to the chorus of the fray, along with the thuds and cracks of heavy blows upon the thick wooden planking of both round and rectangular shields.

  The awesome strength of the inhuman attackers was made very apparent, as round shields held by the defenders were broken asunder. Chunks of wood exploded out in showers of shards and splinters, fracturing under the heavy blades of the beast-men’s sword-like weapons, and the even more unique, long-hafted ones.

  There was no give on either side. The attackers roared with a deep, wrathful vigor, and the men shouted angrily back in response, each side matching the other’s mettle.

  Lee’s heart grew heavy as he watched the combat, knowing that the fates of the human defenders were almost certainly sealed. Gradually, a small remnant of the surviving horsemen was herded together by a encroaching circle of the bestial warriors. With no route of escape left, the humans were forced into a last stand against their relentless oppressors.

  Weapons clashed fiercely, flesh and muscle was pierced and slashed, and bones were crushed. Casualties were incurred upon both sides during the last, frenzied moments of the fighting.

  The last of the men to fall was the apparent leader of the horsemen, the one wearing the vambraces and greaves that Lee had witnessed riding close to the standard-bearer at the onset of the fight.

  Lee was a little surprised that the beast-men took any risks with the lone remaining human, trapped as he was without hope of escape. The archers among the sky warriors could have taken him down with little difficulty, but those that still held their bows had lowered them, and held no arrows in their free hands.

  The valiant human fighter undoubtedly understood his dire situation, but if he felt any fear, it did not show. His blade flashed in the sun as he wielded it adroitly, bringing down one of the beast-men after deftly avoiding the cleaving blow of a long-hafted weapon.

  He did not hesitate as his mortally-stricken opponent stumbled and pitched over to lie still, already lunging towards another tall enemy warrior. Delivering a gash to the thigh of the enemy fighter, the man held his ground as his bleeding attacker gave way and backed up a step.

  The man then straightened up and got into a balanced stance, as one particular sky rider shouldered past its comrades to confront the fierce human warrior. A terrible scowl was on the face of the new challenger, and the other sky warriors, including the one that had just been wounded, stepped back a couple of paces to give the two combatants a wider berth.

  It was the sky rider that had led the attackers out over the plains, the first one of them to descend. Lee deemed that the warrior was the human’s counterpart among the airborne force.

  The sky rider was a very mighty specimen amongst the inhuman warriors. Seen close to its comrades, it was quite evident that the warrior far surpassed the exceptional stature and mass inherent in its kind.

  The human fighter staggered as the clang of the first blow echoed loudly across the grassland, having barely blocked the first strike of his towering opponent. With a loud cry, the human used his shield to barrel directly forward, driving his much larger opponent back a step as their shields collided.

  Shuffling back quickly to create some space, the human fighter set himself again, taking up a balanced position and coldly eyeing the beast-man. With a roar, the sky rider stomped forward and raised its sword-like weapon up to strike again.

  The human warrior acquitted himself well in the ensuing fight, but was finally hewn down after a rabid exchange of blows with the brawny, iron-helmed warrior.

  Wielding the huge, sword-like weapon with amazing speed, the sky warrior finally found an opening in the human’s defenses after a few previous attempts had been capably blocked by the horseman’s own blade and shield. The sky warrior’s blade raced into a slim gap of space as the human’s sword was caught on the other’s large shield.

  Lee felt a pang of sadness as the brave human warrior dropped to his knees in the wake of the devastating slash, before toppling over to the ground, dead at the feet of his slayer.

  Curiously, after the human leader had been felled, and the field of battle had fallen eerily silent, the savage posture of the inhuman warriors dissipated rapidly. The fighting over, it was as if the bloodlust that they had exhibited suddenly released its grip upon them.

  The huge sky warrior knelt down upon one knee at the side of the horsemen’s slain leader. With a massive hand, the sky rider picked up the fallen warrior’s sword, from where it had fallen from his grasp, and carefully returned it to the dead man’s grip. The sky warrior, who had only recently been a tempest of marti
al ardor, looked uncannily gentle in its movements.

  There was a respectful aspect to the purposeful gesture, and Lee could not help but think that the hulking warrior was honoring the skill and fortitude of its fallen opponent.

  No more than seven or eight of the attacking war band had been killed in the fighting, with a few more wounded, in comparison with every last one of the horse riders being slain.

  A few horses had died as well, though a great majority had made it through the battle without serious injury. Several of the riderless horses were wandering aimlessly nearby, or cantering farther off in continued fright, with nobody left to guide them.

  The victorious attackers proceeded to systematically check the corpses littering the area, and to Lee’s eyes they appeared to be making sure that the humans were indeed dead. No human survivors were discovered, but there were a few critically injured horses in the vicinity that still had breath in them. Without hesitation, and without any sign of pleasure, the inhuman warriors quickly put the beasts out of their misery with focused, singular blows.

  The bestial faces of the warriors, and their absolute ferocity in battle, were quite unsettling, in a primeval way. Yet Lee observed that these warriors were not simply animalistic barbarians. Their complex nature was acutely reflected in the way in which they went around the fallen humans, and attended to the mortally wounded steeds.

  A couple of sideways glances revealed that Lee’s companions were similarly spellbound by the sights and frozen in place, with nary a breath to disturb the air and invite discovery.

  As Lee continued to observe them, the creatures spoke to each other from time to time in a guttural language. Though rough in manner, it was very clear that the warriors were highly disciplined and well-organized. Watching their exchanges, Lee was left with no doubts that the huge one that had felled the human leader did indeed hold the primary authority over the entire group.