Escape through the Sacred Forest: Lich Lord Wars Book 2

Chapter 4

"They have entered the forest."

"Then they are out of our reach for now."

"The children weren't out of my reach in the forest.

"Think of the losses you suffered in the most tame and tranquil part of the forest. They have entered Mundial's most holy land. During the War of Destruction, an entire fleet of Sky Chariots were sent to the heart of the sacred forest; none returned. The same will happen to any one and anything that enters without permission."

Almas, looking back, could now see forms approaching from amongst the vegetation. The form of Almas' father suddenly appeared right next to him partially blocking his view. A glance up revealed his father looking down at him and the High Lord said in a serious tone, "Keep your head down."

Almas nodded and then peeked around his father and watched as the first of the revenants approached the boundary of the vegetation and the barren ground.

Before any could step over the boundary Ulec called out, "That is far enough. You are commanded to proceed no further."

Amazingly the revenants stopped. After a moment of the undead army gathering behind the first line of still revenants, Almas noticed one moving through the crowd that was different.

Even from this distance Almas could see this one didn't have the same vacant look in its eyes that the rest had. This one had intelligence in them.

The Lich Lord moved its way through the army of revenants and knights but stopped a few rows back from the front line, keeping several of its revenants between itself and the refugees in the tree.

"Who are you to command us?" The Lich bellowed out, eyeing the small elvish boy standing above it in the tree.

"I am the Guardian of the holy forest of Mundial. These people have been given sanctuary and you have been forbidden to enter," Ulec declared with surprising authority.

The Lich Lord smiled and answered, "Mundial is dead...and it will take more than you and a few animals to stop us."

"If you approach any further you will be destroyed," Ulec stated flatly and continued, "This is your last warning."

The Lich Lord said nothing. The only response was the army resumed its march into the clearing.

Almas' father leaned a little more in front of Almas and Ulec just bowed his head and shook it sadly with his eyes closed.

Almas knew that once the undead reached the trunk of the tree they would be able to march right up the huge mound that made up the base of the tree right to the huge branches they and the other refugees were perched on. He was about to ask if it was wise to just be standing there when Lemuem spoke.

"That's it for them."

"What do you mean?" Almas asked.

Lemuem gave an evil grin and answered, "Just watch."

Turning his eyes back to the approaching army and saw the front lines stopping just at the edge of archery range and some were stringing their bows while the rear of the column was just crossing onto the clearing.

Suddenly, the Lich Lord got an alarmed look on his face and turned to look towards the back of the column. Almas looked just in time to see the back row of revenants suddenly crumble into dust. He also heard a muffled cry as one of the knights disappeared from view.

The army moved forward away from whatever was taking out the back rows as the second and most of the third row vanished.

"What's going on," Almas asked with some sense of alarm. The throng of undead and humans blocking his view of the back of the army.

Lemuem answered, "Look at the ground around the base of the tree and around the edge of the clearing."

Almas did, and saw a dark shadow spreading outwards from the base of the tree and another one spreading inward from the outside edge of the clearing. As the shadow coming from the edge of the clearing reached a revenant or knight they would in moments collapse in pain or crumple to dust.

"What is that?" Almas asked.

"Those," Lemuem said, "are ants."

"Ants?" Almas asked incredulously.

"Firewater Ants," Ulec confirmed as he looked down sadly at the doomed army below, "They will strip just about any animal to the bones in seconds and eventully the bones themselves in about a minute."

"I think we've seen enough", Lord Aguarius said as he started to turn Almas away.

Almas knew that by "we" his father was speaking for his son, that he had seen enough; and in this case he agreed. He started to let his father turn him away when he saw something, or more accurately he saw someone below he recognized.

"Deleta!"

He was near the lich lord gathering his knights away from from the advancing shadows. Meanwhile the revenants were trying to use the flats of their weapons to try to sweep a path through the ants back to the edge of the clearing, but the ant's march was too swift. Dents made in the advancing insects' line almost instantly filled in and more often then not they overtook the revenant destroying it within seconds.

"Ulec!" Almas started.

Ulec just shook his head, "There is nothing I can do. Once the ants sense something on the ground above them they come out in a frenzy. I can't control them."

Suddenly all the revenants crumbled all at the same time and Almas realized that the lich lord, having his attention on the ants approaching from the edge of the clearing had failed to notice the ones coming from the base of the tree which overtook him. With only time for a quick shout of surprise he was gone. Now only Deleta and a few of his knights remained.

Some tried to make it across the mass of ants by making making long leaping steps out of the clearing but the insects were too fast and even the few moments contact with the ground was enough for the ants to attack their feet and cause them to trip in pain to be swallowed up instantly by the shadow.

Deleta watched and with only seconds left yelled something to his remaining knights that Almas couldn't make out. Then with what running start he could get in the little room he had left he leapt over the mass of ants. As he started to come down from his leap he pulled his feet up under him and slipped his shield under his feet. He landed on the shield and slid a few moments before making another great leap off the shield and landing with a roll just outside the clearing onto safe ground.

One of his knights didn't leap far enough and another lost his balance on the shield but three others made it to safety. Deleta checked on the other three survivors before looking up at Almas' group with a look of pure hatred. After a few moments wolves could be heard howling nearby and at the insistence of his men he turned and fled with them towards the boundary of the forest.

"I'll give him this," Lemuem said, "the young man is smart. Few people have ever wandered under a firewater tree and lived to tell about it."

"How do you know about them," Almas asked.

"I've seen a few," Lemuem said with a shrug.

"The Ranger's Guild built their capital city in the trees of a firewater tree forest," Ulec stated as he rejoined the group on the main branch.

Lemuem glared. "No one outside the Ranger's Guild is supposed to know that."

Ulec shrugged and said ignoring Lemuem, "We should catch up with the rest of the group. I shouldn't be too far from them."