The Best Man: The Good Man Series Book Three (Wattpad Preview)

Chapter 18: Help From Above

Under the darkness of a moonless night, the thousands of men marched through the forests of the Middle Region. By sunrise the next morning, the crested a hill that flattened out to the clearing outside of the glorious capital of The Empire. Outside of the city stood three legions of the Imperial army, each one the size of Morek's armies. The gray clouds that hung over the fields began to darken, signifying the rain that would begin soon. Already, small drops began to fall on them.

Two Elves were sent to scout out the Imperial army while the others remained hidden under the crest of the hill. They returned just as the rain began to fall constantly. They approached Morek who was dressed in his leather armor and cloak, with his sword sheathed and his bow attached to his side. They reported that they overheard that the Imperials had been ready for the attack for days now. They also reported that the inquisitors had fallen back into the city proper to protect the emperor. The rain began to fall in sheets as Morek mounted Nethel and summited the hill with his armies behind him. With his bow in hand, he turned to his men.

"You can fight!" he exclaimed. "You can win!"

They cheered. Horns blew as Morek took the dark skies. His armies rushed forward, war drums playing. The Imperial horns blew as they took defensive positions. Morek fired down arrows at them, saying spells that made them explode on impact. With that, the forward defense of the Imperials was broken and the armies collided. Morek watched from above as the Dwarfs rammed the Imperial defense. With two blasts of the horn, Feelias's cavalry unit split and attacked the left and right flanks of the Imperial army. The Guardians fired bolts of magic over their army and into the Imperials. All was going well, it seemed that even though the other army outnumbered Morek's, his men were winning.

Suddenly, a large arrow came flying from the walls of the city. It came crashing down on the Dwarfs at the forward of the attacking force. Two more hit the pikemen. With an opening, the Imperial troops let their swordsmen through into the vulnerable Guardians. Morek pulled his horn from Nethel's side and blew it three times, calling for the Dwarfs to fall back and allow the Guardians to move forward. At the sound of the horns, the shields and pikes left the front lines, and Morek's Guardians took on the Imperial forces in a bloody fight of magic and swords. Morek fired down on them from above. The large arrows continued to fly across the fields, shot by catapult objects on the wall. The Elven archers began their attack, firing over the Guardians. The retreating Dwarfs came to the aid of the now struggling assault upon the left flank. The right flank was gone. Three short blasts came from the Imperial horns. The forces fell back, leaving the defensive front in position.

Morek had a hard time believing they had routed the large Imperial army quite yet. Then, a small light flashed before it grew into a large fire that covered the battlefield. The Guardians at the very front, some of the Dwarfs, and the defensive line of the Imperial army were burned immediately. A retreat horn blew from Morek's army. Instead of retreating, the band of Elven riders and the pursuing Dwarfs made their way around the blaze. Morek followed them, blowing his horn in one long blast to call for the rest of his army.

From out of nowhere, a large arrow barreled towards Morek. He was caught off guard, focused on the battle below. Morek pulled Nethel up, attempting to evade the giant arrow. At the sudden upwards motion, Morek lost his grip, falling to the ground below. Nethel was pierced through the stomach. A sudden sharp pain filled Morek before he hit the ground. Moments before, he shielded himself. The Guardian hit the ground hard, losing consciousness for a few minutes.

When he awoke, the remaining cavalry was making a retreat. He pulled himself up on an elbow and looked across the smoke-covered field. Through the dark clouds, the black clad army of the emperor walked triumphantly to claim their victory. Their red and black banners waved in the roaring storm. A Dwarf pulled Morek to his feet.

"Run!" the Dwarf yelled.

"No," Morek said. "We must fight. The battle is not lost yet."

The Dwarf shook his head and followed the retreating troops.

Then, the ground shook. A black hole spilt open in the sky as the battlefield came to a halt. Morek knew immediately what was happening. A large flying craft of metal descended into the sky. Morek pointed his sword to the sky and fired a bolt of magic.

"Light prevails!" came a voice from the ship.

It fired down onto the Imperial army. Bodies began dropping to the ground. Bolts of light were fired into the massive group of men. Morek of course knew who they were. The Beings, the creatures he met after ascending into the air after saving his father, had come to save him. Morek blew his horn, ordering an attack. A few minutes later, his army was at his side. Morek, Casaris, and Selma stood, weapons bared.

"We are not defeated!" shouted Morek. "Now, we conquer!"

He sprinted forward into the fray. Swords collided. Magic and the blasts from the Beings' weapons fired against the emperor's dying forces. The tide turned completely against The Empire when the Imperial troops turned against their leaders, repeating the same rebellion as in Umard Woods. Slowly, Dwarfs, Elves, and humans were turning against those who forced them into the fight. Morek smiled as his sword slashed through Borious's wall of faithless men.

Then, it stopped. Together stood Guardians, Orcs, Dwarfs, Elves, humans, and Beings. Light broke through the clouds as the rain began to cease, almost as if the sky was praising the triumphant army. Horns blew as the flags of the Alden Republic, Elf Empire, Dwarfs Empire, and Orc Militia rose high into the air.

Morek stood talking to Casaris when a Being approached him. The Guardian recognized him immediately as the friend of Nesur he never got to get acquainted with.

"Brethom," Morek said. "Thank you."

The Being nodded.

"We placed your world at the center of our platform," Brethom explained. "We set up a device to allow us to watch what was happening. We have been watching your campaign and cheering you on. When we saw that your battle here was going wrong, we decided to help, for all you did for us."

Morek thanked him again. "We could not have won without your assistance," said the humbled Guardian. "I wish The Light good fortune its future."

"And to you," replied the Being.

They bid each other farewell as the ship climbed back through the black hole in the sky. It closed as the sun rose to its noon position.

"It is time to finish this," Morek said to his brother. "Let us avenge our father."