Gallimaufry

Walls and Towers

A/N:   This is a submission to Wattpad Fantasy's Walls and Towers contest. 

The wind rushed past Vaya's ears as the horse beneath her lengthened its stride and began to leave their pursuers behind in the dust. In that one moment, the world stretched out in front of her beckoning like a beacon of freedom as the Knights behind her began to slow. She just had to make it through the space between the two towers ahead of her and she could lose them in the forest paths she knew so well.

Seconds later, there was a wall in her way and her beautiful mount reared, sending her tumbling to the ground in a plume of dust. Vaya groaned and rolled over onto her back, finding herself looking up along the blade of a sword at one of the Knights, even while the other three reacted to the wall that had appeared.

"That was a nifty trick." Vaya murmured, glancing to where her horse stood grazing along the obsidian wall that now stretched between the towers, all the way to the top.

"Lupine! We have other concerns now." Another voice called, drawing the attention of the one who was holding her at sword point.

Vaya sat up when the warrior turned to look at the land around them, cursing in surprise. For as long as memory held this valley was a circle of thirteen towers surrounded by forest. The ground within the perimeter was clay and sand and only supported scrub grass.

Now, connecting every single doorless tower was an obsidian wall that created a ring around them. Worse yet, the doors of the towers were opening to expose what Vaya could only describe as a demon. These thirteen beasts stepped through the doorways as one and all turned to look at the group of four Knights and Vaya, who quickly scrambled to her feet.

Any hope at discourse quickly fled when the monsters drew their weapons, the furthest ones beginning to advance while the two closest creatures moved around in front of the group of humans to form the beginning of a line of attack. The horses began to scream and rear until they fled around the outside of the wall, scattering away from the demons who only seemed concerned with Vaya's group.

Pulling out her short swords, Vaya sighed and took a step up beside the Knight who had previously tried to arrest her. "I think we're meant to fight this lot."

"You don't even have armour." It was a woman's voice that echoed from within the suit of plate mail.

Vaya nodded toward the demons who had now gathered and had begun to advance as one. "I guess this means I should just not let them hit me, right?"

Any response was cut off by the charge of the mysterious tower denizens and the ensuing battle.