Deathless

Deathless Chapter Forty-Two: Fallen

Chapter Forty-Two: Fallen

Iepenel lay facedown in the dirt. He could feel the blood pool underneath his armour, the gaping wound in his torso screaming like the plight of a thousand souls in the depths of hell.

He heard shouting erupt around him, clashes of steel. He shifted his neck to see what was happening, and even that was a laborious task. General Ancelian had his sword drawn, and was bearing down on Captain Kalun. Iepenel heard shouts as well in the background, which meant that their Arlenian escort was clashing with the Luartians.

"You goddamned traitor!" Ancelian yelled as he laid blow after blow on Kalun, whose defences were growing weaker as Ancelian's rage strengthened.

Kalun remained silent, and instead parried Ancelian's furious blows, the swings coming fast and well-placed. He could feel his arm grow weaker under the brunt of Ancelian's broadsword. He took a few steps back, and scanned the battlefield.

The skirmish was going worse than he'd hoped. After he stabbed Iepenel, he'd expected his men to take down the other Arlenian escorts as quickly and easily as he had done. Two had managed to succeed, at the least, with the two Arlenians lying spread-eagled on the ground, their throats slit open by Luartian blades.

But the rest had failed, and now the three remaining Arlenians were bearing down on four Luartians, their strikes as impassioned as Ancelian's.

"Come back here, you son of a bitch!" Ancelian had yelled as Kalun retreated. "Come back here so I have your head off!"

"Let's dance, then!" Kalun shouted as he and Ancelian clashed with a newfound vigor. He heard a scream behind him as one of the combatants took a sword to the chest, but he hadn't been able to see to whom the blade belonged.

Ancelian opened with an overhead swing, which Kalun swept aside. Kalun tried for a swipe at Ancelian's exposed chest, but the general simply sidestepped the blow and brought his blade down once more on Kalun.

Kalun parried the blade, and stepped inside the strike for a stab at Ancelian's torso, but the general was too fast, and his thrust was swept aside in a graceful flourish of Ancelian's broadsword. Kalun tried for another swing at Ancelian's neck, this time from the left, but the blow was just as easily deflected.

Kalun was not trained for battles in this manner, fighting toe-to-toe against an opponent better armed and armoured than he, with a blade with much longer reach than his. He was used to fighting from horseback, dominating the battlefield with quick, well-placed cavalry charges, with a hundred of his comrades similarly armed behind him, riding down the enemies that sought to stifle their advance.

But just like that, his training made no matter. Kalun saw the arrogance and satisfaction in Ancelian's face as the general raised the blade above his head, taking advantage of Kalun's weakened defences.

And then Ancelian's smile turned red. Blood splattered from his throat, slit open by a silver knife wielded by a wrinkled hand.

Ancelian tried to gasp, but with his throat sliced open, he could barely make a sound, choking on his own blood. The giant of a man toppled to the ground, blood spewing from the wound.

Caswil stepped over the body, blood glistening on his silver dagger.

In the end, the four Luartians managed to overpower the three Arlenians with sheer numbers, with all three of the Arlenians lying slain on the slopes of Arlenn's Point, with the Luartians having only took two casualties total in return.

"It's done," Caswil said, scanning the rest of the battlefield. "Iepenel the Merciless has fallen."

Four metres away, the emperor made a groan.