Vendetta's Rise (The Dragon Realms Saga: Book 1)

Chapter 63

Koda strode upon his gray riding wolf through the forest. The elves of Long Whisper had long used these giant wolves as a mode of transportation as opposed to the common horses used by most other countries. They were only slightly smaller than a horse and easily carried the light weight of the elves. Athar Moonfall and Cass Baneberry rode on either side of him, both matching his slow pace. His familiar, Wildeye, trotted just ahead of the three as they followed the long train of their armies on the old merchant road. The morning light failed to cut through the thick canopy, transforming an otherwise serene morning into a dim one.

"I heard your ARO did a piss poor job of clearing out this forest. I also heard that one of the scoundrels died in the quarrel. Are you sure it's safe to take this route, my king?" asked Athar as his head darted about suspiciously.

Cass answered back, "That scoundrel, as you put it, died so that our men could pass through this forsaken forest with little to no strife. Luckily for you, it was he who took that vile arrow and not you. It'd be a shame to fill your fine cloak with poisoned arrows. What a waste of good cloth." Every word he spoke was coated in disdain.

Athar sneered without making eye contact with the lord, "We are fools to trust ARO. They were trained by the king killer himself."

"That may be the case, but if King Koda trusts them, I would be willing to trust them myself," Cass said without hesitation.

"Once a Black Rabbit, always a Black Rabbit," Athar responded snidely.

"It takes a Rabbit to hunt a Rabbit, my Lord," finished Cass.

The three of them turned to see Avalon galloping up from the rear on her own wolf. She caught up to their pace before pulling her reins to slow the wolf's speed. She made an extra effort to learn to control her mount as she remembered her utter failings as a drake rider.

"The mountains rise in the distance. We are close to Stonewall. Has the scout returned to report his findings?" Avalon asked pointing to the tall mountains seen from a clearing in the trees.

"We've heard no word from our scout, nor the one we sent before him," Koda said. When the first scout did not return he felt a justified concern, but Athar convinced him that the forest was large and it would be easy for one to get lost.

The realization set in and Avalon became distressed, "My king, we are walking into a trap!"

"Nonsense, Silent One. Stonewall has no clue we are even coming," Athar retorted lightly.

"Surely you jest?" Avalon replied in disbelief, "Stonewall has known of our arrival since we reached the shores. Why do you think the ARO ran into Rabbits two days ago? If you do not halt our men, I will do it for you!" spat Avalon.

Athar's face grew sour, "Do you forget yourself, Silent One? I should have you in chains for such insolence!"

Avalon turned to Koda with desperation on her face, "My king, listen to reason. What waits beyond this forest is death. We need to send Elucard to investigate what Stonewall has in store for us."

Koda turned to Athar and then to Cass, as if looking for an answer to a question he did not know.

"My king," Athar complained, "if we send Elucard to investigate, who is to say he won't join his former Black Rabbit companions? If I remember correctly, Captain Newsun did mention that Elucard chased after and killed a potential prisoner during their mission. Elucard is no soldier of Long Whisper. He cannot and should never be trusted."

A large crash and the splintering of trees filled the air from up ahead, interrupting their conversation. Blood curdling screams rang out as wooden shrapnel lodged itself into the flesh of dozens of men. Several more loud sounds came crashing in from the distance, as if a giant were barreling through the trees, shaking the forest by the roots. Panic ran rampant throughout the caravan.

"Athar Moonfall, you've doomed us all," spat Avalon as a scowl grew on her face.

Athar hid a cruel smile, he knew what he had done. He had played Koda to look like an inexperienced fool, but his work was not complete yet.

Koda swallowed hard, his face was a ghostly white. A voice in his head told him to take a deep breath and remain calm. He did as the voice said. He collected himself so that he could lead his army.

"Cass, Athar, Avalon, on me!" he ordered as he kicked his heels into the wolf's side and rode past countless soldiers, making his way to the front lines.

The leading point of the army was a complete disaster. Fallen trees had collapsed on top of unlucky soldiers. Blood was splattered across the dirt. Limbs were scattered about as mangled men crawled for cover. Far in the distance, the city of Stonewall was nestled in a valley of the mountains. A vanguard of Estinian soldiers and siege weaponry were set up beyond the edge of the forest. Ballistas recoiled and fired gruesome, flaming steel-tipped bolts into the forest as they collided into the frantic men below. The trees exploded from the impact of the bolts, cracking their trunks into deadly wooden shrapnel. Catapults launched large flaming boulders into the canopy crashing down with sundering force, decimating soldiers below.

"Fall back! Fall back!" the commands of General Ashmer could be heard cutting through the chaos like an axe.

Koda took another look at the destructive enemy force outside Stonewall before running back deeper into the forest, leaving the apocalyptic scene of his inexperience and failure behind.