Sons of Ironstorm: Book 5 - Griffon's War

Chapter 14: The Mountains of Thunder

"As the Cadremoor Alliance shuddered in its death throes,

Ripped apart by civil war fomented by agents of the dead Crimson Empire,

The powerful families and clans fled the dying capital of Tal Morun,

Intent on finding safety where once only Evil dwelt.

And in doing so, gave birth to the kingdoms that would become:

Xanchalda, Caliphra, Septus, Mamra, Galental, Hernak and Kaph,

The Human Kingdoms of the Hammer Peninsula."

From the druidic histories of the Hammer, 'Fall of the Cadremoor'.

The sound of blood dripping was deafening. Blood dripping from fingers curled in numbness. Blood dripping from the edge of a highland claighmore buried deep in the skull of a dead monster. Blood pounding through a body that was both hot and cold.

So loud was the dripping, it almost overwhelmed the sound of men shouting. Until they were all around him.

"Sire!" Kieran's bloodied face was suddenly in front of him as several Tobald Airna ranged around them, their two-handed swords dark with the enemy's blood.

"Sire!"

Grimacing, he pushed awkwardly with his off hand at the Tobald Airna captain as the sound of dripping blood returned in full force. Then he was surrounded by druids, their gray robes blood-spattered and wet from the weather.

"Steady there, your Majesty," one said as he stepped under his off arm to brace his body. "You've taken a serious blow to the head. I need you to drop your armor so we can heal you!"

Drop his armor?? But the enemy was still about! The hills take him, where was his sword?

A tingling pulse of warmth without warning washed through his head and the world around him abruptly swam back into focus. And he immediately felt pain rush through him like an avalanche, centering in his sword arm's shoulder.

Pulling his qi armor gorget aside, he reached in with his off hand. And quickly found where the metal of his shoulder guard had deformed enough to not only tear open his skin but break his collarbone and dislocate his shoulder.

Grimacing, he pulled up the rune in his mind's eye to dismiss the magical armor. With a swirl of tingling light, the incredibly tough stuff vanished. As did a feeling of pressure that had pressed against his shoulder, masked by the pain of his injuries and instantly apparent after it was taken away.

The druids reappeared at that point, pressing bloodstained hands against his wounds. Healing light sent warmth through his upper body as the wound knit together. Then his head was abruptly spinning as his shoulder relocated into its socket with an audible 'pop'.

Kieran stepped back into view over a druid's shoulder.

"You were bloody lucky, Seamus," the Tobald Airna captain growled. "Three nahkiwin at the same time? They could've cut you to pieces!"

"Had no choice, Kieran," the red haired monarch growled. "They were about to roll up our flank!"

Even though he knew Seamus was right, Kieran grunted in disapproval. He then handed the Mamran king his claighmore hilt first, the blade roughly wiped clean of blood.

It didn't take more than a look around them to find three of the giant reptilian dark soldiers to which Seamus had referred, their powerful bodies in various attitudes of violent death on the trampled bloody snow. Each was only three paces away, telling just how close he had come to death.