Forgotten Darkness

Chapter One

As the sun began to droop down toward the horizon, it cast a long shadow on a battle that was about to unfold in a valley full of soldiers.

Castor looked from his position down on the battlefield. He stood on a rock overhang, looking down on the valley where a battle was soon to take place. Around him was a collection of his closest advisors, his general, and his captains. Three groups of archers also stood on the rock that jutted over the valley. A light breeze blew through the land as the sun beat down, heating their armor to an unpleasant temperature. Down below them a line of catapults was visible. Around the machines was a small army of drakons. Several hundred feet away a second army, this of humans, stood ready. The smell of cut grass and oiled catapult cables wafted up from the valley to their position, along with the distant noise of the anxious soldiers' nervous shifting.

Castor turned to his general, Merric. Merric was in his early thirties and had dedicated his life to defending Archain, the kingdom ruled by Castor. He had joined the army when his town, Egnore, was raided and his family killed. He had worked his way through the ranks all the way to general and had become battle hardened and learned the skill needed to command an army. He was a good, dedicated soldier and was extremely loyal to his king and country.

"Sound the call," Castor ordered.

Merric nodded and blew a large trumpet. The sound blared over the valley and echoed back several times.

The army of humans began to run forward upon hearing the warison. As the men got closer seven or eight drakons flashed their stones and became dragons. Castor heard clanking armor as the front soldiers braced their shields. The dragons leaped into the air and crashed down in the center of their lines. He heard screams of fear and the roars of challenge as the dragons' claws tore through their armor. Several of the knights bravely ran forward with their swords raised. The duels only lasted a few minutes and ended with the necks of serpents lying on the grassy ground. More flashes of stones signaled more drakons turning into dragons. Five dragons jumped into the air and with several thunderous beats of their wings they were high in the sky. Horace, the captain of Castor's troops, alerted him of the danger. Horace was from Archain, the capital. His father had been a knight and Horace had followed in his footsteps.

"Sire, the dragons are approaching!" He shouted as he drew his sword.

"Tell the archers to fire on them!"

"Yes sir!" He turned and ran over to the first of the three units of archers, gave them the orders and ran back. Seconds later a volley of arrows flew at the serpents. The iron tips flashed in the afternoon sun as the soaring shafts arched down before burrowing themselves deep into the dragons' skin, striking them out of the sky. Castor couldn't help but smile at the tiny victory. Unfortunately, it was short lived. Boulders flew from the catapults with thunderous cracks from the wooden launching arms and landed in the army of men that were standing ready in the valley. The sickening crunches of metal and bones made Castor flinch.

"Get down!" Castor shouted as another boulder smashed into the rocky overhang. The men shouted in fear as the rock trembled. "Get off the cliff! Get off the cliff!" The men scrambled to get away. More boulders smashed down.

"We need to retreat, sire," Merric advised.

"Merric, sound the signal." Three more blasts were sent over the valley. The men looked up instantaneously before the knights moved to the front with lifted shields. Then a few drakons flashed their stones and transformed into even more dragons. Several knights fell to their claws while the soldiers behind ran. Once the others had gotten a hundred feet or so away, the knights turned and ran with the dragons right behind them. Castor turned to the archers. "Open fire on them!" Two more volleys struck the lines of drakons. A few hours later the human army had retreated and reached Archain.