Lore of Eternal Shadow: The Fugitive King

Chapter Ten

Zicone and Lauren held their ground against the Valcon. Lauren loosed arrows and Zicone cast spells as they covered the other Zey^Rey, who concentrated on battlefield healing spells. Without the help of the Zey^Rey and the handful of mages in the field, the ten-thousand-strong army would not have lasted this long at all, let alone competently. Gashes and trauma were sealed and patched, stretching out the vitality of the soldiers. While it would've been more convenient to spread the Zey^Rey out, Zicone knew they would be more vulnerable that way. He'd rather have the healers centrally located.

Suddenly a Valcon warrior appeared out of nowhere swinging wildly at Zicone. Zicone's counter used too much power, accidently knocking his adversary into a crack in space and time. The barbarian was knocked to another part of the field, in front of Alyssa as she approached with the Pyrolith siblings. She quickly brought her spear around her and stabbed the Valcon, ending the barbarian's life.

Zicone nodded at his friends when they arrived at his side. It had fallen into afternoon by now. The battle seemed to wind down quickly, the last of the Valcon were being easily isolated and dispatched by the Sussurri and Cuivra. Salgan ran up to Zicone as he and the other Zey^Rey began to relax. Salgan was still in mostly good condition but was drenched in sweat and blood (though mostly not his)—they all were to varying extents by now. Salgan took a deep breath and said, "There's more."

Zicone's expression grew grave, "They seem to be a tad late." Zicone felt a sour presence at the corner of his mind just then. He looked to his fellow Zey^Rey, who all were showing signs of detecting what Zicone was detecting. The feeling was that of the presence of kindred Zey^Rey, though it was twisted and painful. Zicone had felt this feeling before, the day his master died.

Salgan nodded, "Our scouts say there's more demons coming and—"

"Dark Zey^Rey," interrupted Zicone.

"They outnumber the Sussurri two to one."

"This is beyond believing," said Lauren, "hundreds of Zey^Rey follow Caligo?!"

"How far are they?" Zicone asked.

"Less than a mile, if they aren't here already," said Salgan.

"This isn't good at all," Zicone responded, "we can't even mount a strategy."

"Do we stand a chance?" asked Jannick.

"You saw what a hundred Sussurri did to ten thousand demons," said Zicone, "Now imagine twice that against us."

"What can we do?" Runa asked.

Zicone called all the Zey^Rey over to him. "We have more demons and dark members of our race coming," he explained, "We need to devise a way to counter them."

"There isn't," spoke Salgan, "If we face as many as I'm detecting, we're hopelessly outnumbered."

"Not as hopelessly as you'd suppose," a professor from the Zey^Rey Academy said, "Aside from some outright darker elements, the majority of the foe we face seem to be garden variety Zey^Rey." She glanced at Jannick and the other humans, "One of these Sussurri against one of their number would be like you versus a middle-aged baker." Jannick's brow furrowed. He wasn't sure whether this woman Zey^Rey thought he would do such a thing to a harmless baker, but the analogy was a sound one.

"Then we should exploit that advantage," said Zicone. He looked at Salgan, "Spread the word to the Sussurri. Depart immediately and infiltrate the enemy lines, taking out as many Zey^Rey as possible."

Salgan disappeared into a blur like before, already beginning his task. "Lauren," continued Zicone, "and the rest of us Zey^Rey, try to concentrate on the Dark Zey^Rey. Leave the demons to the rest of the army. It's no offense to you guys," he looked at Alyssa and the Pyrolith siblings, "but you are humans. Even the weakest Zey^Rey is going to be a chore to fight. That said, the strength of a Zey^Rey can vary a lot. Assess their capabilities before engaging. Only take them on if you're sure you can."