Blood And Stone

Chapter 48: Beast-Blood

Lush trees stood like wooden soldiers in the distance. The line stood tall and unyielding, surrounded by the magical glow of lantern flies as if innocence and peace could never be shaken. The waters of the nearby river filled the night with the lullaby of sweet existence. As if to accompany the sweet song with the sweetest visual imaginable, the snow began to fall once again. Thick flakes quickly covered the grass in a blanket of pure white. Peace's hand settled over the city of Sitharu, her love for every soul filling each snow crystal, causing them to fall that much faster.

Sharp teeth snapped in disgust, adding a fear-inducing clack to the thunder of footsteps that completed the song of death that hung in the air. Celik'r flesh paled and bodies shivered in the cold. They marched on. Their toes curled in pain as the snow bit at their skin. "Death to you, Lord Torvir. To bring the desert people to their deaths of cold!" Kol's serpentine voice rang out against the sickeningly sweet sounds of the woods.

Torvir's eyes rolled as they pressed through the outer trees of the Sithaurian woods. "Quiet your insufferable whining, woman, before I relieve you of your head."

Kol's upper lip curled in unspoken anger. A vow to end this pitiful man before the end of this war ran through her skull, the promise rising to the stars. They trudged on. The Celik'r people shook slightly as their thin wrappings and clothing made of bones chilled in the winter air. Kol bit at her lip. The only thing that kept her moving forward was the knowledge that warm blood would soon run down her body. The thought alone quickened her pace, bringing her up beside the sorcerer.

Torvir looked into the trees, looking for the hiding bodies of Sithaurian archers but finding nothing. Simply empty branches. The smile that spread across his lips was instantly replaced by a yelp as a needle zipped through the air and embedded itself in his hip. His fingers curled around the needle and pulled it free, a single drop of blood soaking into his dirty robes.

The trees came alive with the sound of beating wings. Small birds rose from their places on the opposite side of the tree trunks. "Wraiths!" Torvir bellowed into the falling snow. The little birds flew in a group so thick that it looked like a dark cloud creeping through the forest. Needles cut through the air, hitting their targets in the most sensitive of places. Those with eyes found themselves blind, and those with missing noses discovered their useless brains being jabbed with the long thin weapons. Small groans of discomfort filled the air. Hands rose to swipe at the birds. The lucky ones, Kol included, managed to snatch a little beast from the sky and buried their sharpened teeth into its body.

The taste of the beast-blood was far less satisfying than that of man but it served its purpose as it ran down their chins. Celik'r grew frenzied, pressing forward into the woods. One bird let out an ear-splitting shriek. The small creatures rose as one. They crested the tops of the trees and then dove. Their tails pointed down toward the bodies below. Celik'r blood splashed onto the white snow. The needled tails of the birds dug into the necks of the cannibals, creating a collar of dead birds of twenty.

Kol felt the anger bubble into her throat as the rough command in her people's language burst into existence. "Feed!" Those closest to the bodies sank their teeth in and ripped the flesh clean from her bone. The clean skeletons disappeared in the snow, shattering beneath the feet of the kin that darted forward.

Urtica wings hummed in the distance. The sound grew to a pulsating thrum as Torvir pushed through the thick snow. His irritation grew with each hindered step. Of course, the Sithaurians would use beasts first. They treasured life far more than it was worth. Their pride in themselves twisted his gut and he had to swallow to avoid purging his stomach.

As though the hum of the flies was a warning, a second wave of Needle-Tailed Wraiths flew low to the ground. The mass of bodies spun, the movement confusing even Torvir for a moment. Needles slammed into ankles and thighs. Celik'r fell to their knees with small yelps of pain. Bones crunched beneath their weight. A mist of Urtica Flies descended. They threw their small bodies into the open mouths of the injured, moving to the throat to sting. The swelling was instant. Other flies tunneled into the open sinus cavities. Celik'r fell, gasping and choking on swollen tissue. The ripping of flesh soon followed.

"Are your people so frail as to be eliminated by insects?!" Torvir's eyes blazed with anger and disappointment.

"Are you so fearful of insects to not defend? The innocence within you sickens!" Kol responded with a bloody ear darling from her pointed teeth. Her blackened fingers curled around a bird. With ease, she threw it into the midst of the fly cloud, spearing several on each needle. The bird's bird's body shattered against a tree trunk.

She continued using the birds as weapons as she led her forces forward. Her irritation rose as she felt the way Torvir watched her. The doubt within him lit his eyes. She had no time for his self-righteousness. Raising her fist, her troops stopped, waiting for instructions. "Hounds!"

As swiftly as fire, disfigured beasts darted forward. Hands and feet slapped against the snow. Chains rattled dangerously as the hounds and their handlers moved forward. The hounds were a sickening sight to any who had never seen a Celik'r before. Their bodies bulged with muscle. Their arms and legs rippled with anger and preparation. Each hound stood on feet and hands, their faces covered with dark cloths. The handlers pulled the cloth away. Skin stretched from nose to chin, leaving no room for a mouth. Their ears perched atop their hairless heads. The eyes that sat on the sides of their heads darted around to survey the scene and their strangely extended noses flared. Claws dug into the dirt from their second knuckles and their toes. They were a hideous group.

"Release!" Kol's command was answered before the final syllable left her lips. The chains dropped and the abominations left forward, soaring over the heads of those blocking their paths. Claws speared the birds with ease. The long tails that stretched behind them were dotted with small pointed bones, poking through the skin in a painful display. The hounds whipped their tails at the flies, sending them scattering about as they attempted to find mouths to dive into.

Torvir felt his eyebrow raise in slight surprise. The Celik'r still could surprise him as much as they did to disappoint him. He found it rather annoying. His decrepit fingers rose, the magic swirling from them. Shards of ice rose from the ground beneath their feet, flying away from him to slice through the insects with ease. He made a game of it but soon found himself bored. He wanted Sithaurian blood.

The army pressed forward, the hounds cutting an unobstructed path as they moved. Torvir followed closely, cutting down the remnants of the insects and birds. Shards of ice buried themselves in the trunks of trees, wood splintering with the impact. The rumbling of their movements would alert the Sithaurians to their position but Torvir paid no attention. Whether they heard them or not, they were coming.

The woods fell silent for a moment. There were no signs of birds or insects. Kol paused, raising her fist into the air again to pull her troops to a halt. She tilted her head, raising her ear to the sky. Torvir ignored the silence, choosing to move forward despite the tension filling the air. Without warning, a solid mass of birds and insects pushed through the trees.

Kol threw herself to the ground. The Celik'r followed suit. The mass swung hard, needles and flies zipping past to cut flesh as swiftly and easily as a blade. A few heads fell to the snow, appendages falling free from their hosts. The scent of Celik'r blood filled the air and drew an irritated groan from Torvir.

"I tire of this foolishness." His hands rose in front of his face. His fingers curled to cup the air before him. The solid mass of birds and flies stopped their movements. Within seconds, cries of fear and pain rippled through the trees. Torvir's hands shook as he pressed them together, squeezing the air as though it were as solid as stone.

The mass shimmered and shook as panic ran through the little beasts. The eyes of the birds widened and bulged. Hundreds of voices melted into one piercing scream, accompanied by the deafening hum of insect wings. With a gut-churning crunch, the mass flattened. Feathers and insect wings fluttered to the ground. The waterfall of blood slapped against the wet ground and melted the snow with its heat.  The Celik'r howled with triumph, the scent of the beast-blood sending them into yet another frenzy.

The roar of their snarling teeth echoed through the city, shaking the buildings as well as the confidence of those poised to defend. Torvir led them on, dashing through the trees like blood through veins. Hunger glittered in every string of saliva that dripped from the enemy. The end of the Sithaurians drew closer with every thundering step.