The Young Mage Ch. 03

"Will you leave them to die, the way you left me? Will you find excuses for your failure?" she said tearfully, and Magnus wanted to cry himself from the horrible guilt and pain he was feeling. The buildup of sadness and pain in his chest was so huge that he felt he was going to burst... He opened his mouth, heaving, trying to call out... He felt his whole body burn from the strain to cry out, to shout his pain...

"NNNNNOOO, LINA!!!" Magnus cried out, sitting up and looking around himself wildly. He was breathing hard, his chest and face drenched with sweat.

"Gods! These dreams..." Magnus said, breathing out in relief. He knew it was his own subconscious torturing him. Everything depended on successfully repelling the attackers... If they failed... if HE failed, the villagers were lost, and even his own life was forfeit very likely. It would be a small price to pay for failing, but the thought that his failure and death would stop him from searching for Lina, that he would be failing her as well...

He got up and splashed his face with cold water. He had to keep it together; he had to focus. There was a battle to be won today. He walked through the village, sharing encouraging smiles. He grabbed some food and ate it quickly and then found Theia who was standing at the palisade, facing south.

"You think your plan will work?" Theia asked when he moved next to her.

"It has to."

"Maybe we should have placed the weak spot to the south, so they wouldn't miss it?" she said after a moment.

"It would be too obvious and probably suspicious... They will spot it, don't worry," he said, squeezing her hand.

They stood there, waiting, as everybody took their assigned spots, and after a while, they spotted shapes in the distance. The enemy was here.

There was palpable anticipation and tension in the air as they watched the Hatiti gather at about two hundred yards from the palisade. Unnar had guessed their numbers right, it seemed. A group of horsemen rode to the left and right, riding around the palisade, although, most of the enemy warriors were on foot. After what felt like forever, three warriors rode out slowly towards the palisade. A warrior with long braids and two axes at his belt rode at the front, the other two slightly behind. One of the two carried a large branch, a sign of truce.

"Who is in charge there?!" The braided warrior said in a raspy voice. He eyed the palisade with curiosity.

"I am!" Theia said in a clear voice. Her hand was squeezing her bow nervously.

"You? A woman?!" He said in a mocking voice. His companions laughed.

"Try to make him angry..." Magnus whispered.

"Yes, a woman. What, does that make you feel inadequate?" Theia said.

He forced a laugh.

"You will soon be begging for mercy, woman. I might let one as tasty as you try to persuade me to be merciful," he said, making a motion towards his cock.

"You think you could satisfy me? Why don't you show us your tiny dick so we can all share a good laugh?!"

"You bitch! My cock is too big for your loud mouth!"

Theia laughed.

"Show it then? Let's see how 'big' it is. I've known men like you all my life. Men who overcompensate the fact that they got tiny peckers with a loud mouth. And your mouth is REALLY loud!" Theia said.

Everyone at the palisade chuckled and even the two warriors behind the leader showed a quick grin. The leader's face became red with anger.

"Now listen you bitch! I-"

"NO! You listen to me! You will be the ones begging for mercy soon enough! And you know what? I might grant you that mercy because all the women of the Owl tribe feel sorry for the pathetic men like yourselves whose only sex organ is their finger! So take your tiny, shriveled dick back to your buddies and thank the Spirits for making you so useless to women, because that will be the only reason why you might survive this day!" Theia exclaimed, prompting a round of applause and mocking shouts.

The braided warrior was trembling with rage at being so openly mocked, and he turned his horse quickly and galloped back to his army, followed closely by his two companions.

"Nicely done," Magnus said. "That is some really sharp tongue. I must remember never to make you angry," he said, smiling.

"And you better remember that!" she said playfully, but her mirth was forced and lasted only a second. The battle, and the pain and death it would bring, was upon them.

"Take your spots, everyone!" Magnus shouted.

In a minute, Unnar was on his spot on the platform, his longbow in hand. Theia took her spot as well, along with several other women who were armed with shortbows.

"Ana, take your positions slightly behind the barricades. We will stay hidden until they get really close, and then we will spring in front of you, to fight at the barricades. Let's give them some extra motivation to attack this spot," Magnus said.

"What, you think they would be more scared of seeing you than of seeing me?" Ana said with a smirk. She slapped him on the butt. "Don't worry, I'll be here covering your ass."

"Unnar, Theia, let us know what they are doing," Magnus said, hiding behind the tents along with Bron and a group of Owl tribe's strongest and biggest warriors.

"You got it!"

Magnus crouched behind a tent, sharing glances with other warriors. There was an air of anticipation about them, those moments of doubt, fear, and questioning, before the fighting started and battle madness took over.

"They are grouping to the east!" Unnar called out.

"Ana, be ready to move to the side to let us pass!" Magnus said.

Ana nodded. She was holding a long spear in her hand and she was squeezing it nervously. Along with other women in her group, she was staring at the mass of enemy warriors who were about to attack. Magnus couldn't help admiring their courage.

"They are on the move... They are charging!" Theia shouted.

"Come!" Magnus called out to his group and they ran to the barricades as Ana's group parted to let them through.

The Hatiti were almost upon them and Magnus could see their faces twist with battle madness. The first arrows started raining among the Hatiti, some missing, some glancing off their leather armor, but some striking flesh and signaling the start of what would soon become a true chaos of the battle. War cries echoed across the land as axes and swords finally met in a ferocious clash that rang in the ears of combatants.

"Yaaahh!" Magnus met the first axe aimed at his head, deflecting it expertly and using the momentum of his attacker to slide the blade between his ribs. The warrior's face twisted in surprise and pain, his eyes quickly losing focus. He collapsed to the ground. Magnus pulled his sword out, steeling himself for what was to come. This was just the first of the many lives he would need to take today.

"RAAAAHR!" Bron growled as his axe cut another enemy. He grinned like a madman, hurling insults at the Hatiti.

Magnus saw that the first clash went well for others in his group as well as barricades were very helpful in limiting how the enemy could approach them. But he had no time to look at others. A new wave of enemy warriors was upon them. A huge warrior swung his large axe at him and Magnus knew there was no parrying or deflecting that blow. He dodged to the side, the axe swirling past him and crashing into the barricade, splinters flying everywhere... Magnus swung his blade at the unbalanced giant and his sword slashed the giant's neck. Blood sprayed from the wound as the giant warrior bellowed a cry of pain and anger, clutching at his neck. Magnus thrust his sword into the warrior's exposed chest, meeting the madness in the giant's eyes.

"AAARRRGGH!!" the giant roared, gurgling blood and grabbing Magnus' sword at the blade and twisting it, even though it cut deep into the flesh of his hands. Magnus grunted with effort, barely managing to hold on to his sword. He jerked it out of the giant's hands with a strong pull and then thrust it again into the giant's neck. With a final gurgle, the giant's lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

The battle progressed with a mad tempo. Magnus lost count of the warriors he had faced, of the bodies he had pierced and slashed.

"How is Dinah doing? Did the enemy breach the palisade somewhere?!"

All these questions sprinted through his mind, but he didn't have the time to truly ponder them. He had to trust that others were holding their own. As minutes went by, bodies started piling up, creating a barrier before the barricades. The enemy had trouble finding footing to reach them now.

"COME ON, YOU SONS OF WHORES!!" Bron bellowed, stepping in front of the barricade in a challenging posture. "COME HERE AND DIE!"

"Bron! Get behind, you are too exposed!" Magnus called out, but the big warrior wasn't hearing it.

The Hatiti warriors let out a war cry and rushed at Bron who stood in challenge, swinging his axe.

"Damn it!" Magnus shouted, advancing to help Bron. He swung his sword in a wide arc, trying to keep the enemy at bay, but they had already started flanking them and Bron and Magnus found themselves hard-pressed. Several warriors from the barricades joined in the carnage, but it was clear they wouldn't be able to keep this position for long. Magnus himself was fighting against two warriors, one with an axe and the other with a spear. The spearman was thrusting at him, not letting him close the distance, while the axeman tried to come at him from the side. Finding himself with a relatively small maneuvering space, Magnus realized he would need to be creative if he intended to win this one.

"Die, you scum!" Magnus growled in an uncharacteristic way, swinging his sword towards the axeman who backed away quickly. Knowing that the spearman would use the opportunity to try to stab him, Magnus suddenly twisted to the side and dropping his sword, he managed to grab the thrusting spear with both hands.

"AAARGH!" Magnus roared, pulling the spear with all his strength, and along with it, the surprised warrior who was holding it. Magnus' fist connected with the warrior's face, whose nose crunched under the power of the punch. The warrior cried out, falling to the ground and holding his bloody face. Magnus turned quickly towards the axeman, barely managing to dodge the swing of the axe, yet unable to evade the warrior's knee hitting him in the ribs. He gasped in pain, rolling to the ground and picking up his sword. The axeman was on him once again, but this time Magnus deflected the blow with his sword and then swung downward, slashing the warrior's thigh. The axeman stumbled forward, crying out in pain and clutching his leg, but a second later his cries turned into a choke as Magnus' sword found his neck.

"I hope nothing is broken..." Magnus thought, touching his ribs and then hissing in pain. With some luck, it would be just a bad bruise... He moved towards Bron, swinging wildly around himself.

"We have to go back!" Magnus shouted, pulling Bron towards the barricades.

"We can take those cowardly dogs here!"

"Don't be a fool! You want some of them to break through to the women and children?!"

"GAH!" Bron said, finally relenting, but not before he swung his axe into the enemy warrior's side.

Magnus slashed left and right, taking retreating steps. He heard a war cry from his right, but he turned too late to meet the attack of an enemy spearman.

"AGGGH!" The enemy warrior twisted in pain as Ana's spear pierced his thigh from the side. The warrior turned towards her, but she pierced his chest with her next thrust.

"Told you I was watching your ass!" She called out with a grin, the enemy warrior collapsing before her.

"Well done!" Magnus said, falling back to the barricades.

Their respite was brief.

"Attack! Break those defenses!" a voice from somewhere among Hatiti warriors came, and the enemy surged once again, in what seemed like an all-out attack.

"They are fools for throwing themselves like that. The bodies lying on the ground alone will break their momentum..." Magnus said to himself, and then he shouted to his group: "Stay among the barricades! We have a great position here!"

Magnus held his sword at the ready as a new wave of warriors hit them, but this time it was obvious they had trouble with footing. They attacked aggressively nevertheless, and the clash of steel and the sound of wood splintering, augmented by war cries and the shouts of challenge and insult, resonated at the barricades once again. Magnus slashed and thrust at the enemy warriors who stumbled over the bodies strewn across the ground. Arrows flew into enemy warriors, many not having the power to punch through the leather, but still adding more chaos to the fighting.

"Let's charge now! They are wavering!" Bron bellowed, but Magnus held his arm.

"If we charge out now, we will be the ones who will stumble over bodies! Keep this position..." Magnus said, looking at the big warrior. "...but feel free to use the spears!"

"Hah!" Bron grinned and took a spear from one of the women behind him. He took aim and threw the spear with a mighty swing. Magnus saw it fly straight and hit an enemy warrior in the gut, punching through the leather easily.

"More!" Bron bellowed, and in a second, another spear was in his hand, once again finding its target.

"MORE!"

But it was enough. The enemy spirit finally broke, and they retreated hastily, leaving countless bodies of their fellow warriors on the ground. In their retreat, they picked up and dragged away many of those who were wounded, but still alive.

"Let them drag their friends," Magnus said. "A wounded warrior is a huge burden for any army. It will make them more sensible."

"Unnar!" Bron shouted. "How many did you kill today?!"

"I'll tell you once I count my remaining arrows!" Unnar shouted back with a grin.

"What happened with Dinah's team?" Magnus asked.

"They did well. Only once did a small group of Hatiti warriors manage to go over the palisade, but they were dispatched quickly."

"Good. It is time to see to our wounded. I don't think the Hatiti will be attacking again. At least half of their force is either dead or wounded!" Magnus said, and soon the cheers of victory echoed throughout the village.

"I'll take a couple of warriors and go scouting," Unnar said.

"Good idea. I'll see to organizing things here," Theia said.

***

Half an hour later, Magnus, Dinah, Ana, Bron, and Theia were discussing the aftermath of the battle.

"...so, we have five casualties and about a dozen wounded," Theia concluded.

They all nodded.

"Even though we can't really afford any losses, this was a great victory," Ana said.

"It was a fight worthy of our ancestors," Bron rumbled. "You fight well, Magnus... and you make good plans! Next time though, make one where we get to charge them instead!" he said, clapping Magnus on the shoulder. Magnus smiled. He was starting to like the big brute.

"Well, to be fair, they employed some really poor tactics in this battle..." Magnus said.

"How should have they attacked?" Dinah asked.

"They sent only small groups to try to attack the palisade from other directions and they kept throwing wave after wave on our 'weak spot', hoping to overwhelm us, but all they achieved was to let us make a choke point, where the numbers didn't really count. They should have attacked from every direction at once, and it would have been hard, maybe even impossible to defend everywhere with our numbers... All it took was for one of their groups to break inside and attack a certain position from behind, and all our defenses would have crumbled. We did very well, but we were lucky as well," Magnus said.

"What matters is that we won, thank the Spirits. Let's drink to that!" Theia said, pouring mead for everybody.

"Hell, yeah!"

***

In the afternoon, the villagers had gathered to bury their dead, and Magnus watched the ceremony with interest. He always found it fascinating the way people held onto their religious beliefs with devotion and unquestioning faith. The Owl tribe believed that the dead, if found worthy, would go on to join the Spirits of their ancestors in the lands where gods dwelled. They believed that those same Spirits were their link to the divine, so they always prayed to the Spirits and not directly to the gods. It was all very much unlike any other religion or tradition he had encountered so far.

As the ceremony was reaching its end, exclaims of "Praise the Spirits!" were being spoken from every mouth present. Magnus was about to go back to the village when he saw Unnar and two other warriors coming back from scouting.

"Magnus!" Unnar called out, slowing his horse down.

"Unnar! What happened?!" Magnus asked, seeing the unsettling look of worry on the face of the otherwise calm warrior.

"Dire news! I need to notify others as well, so hurry to the chieftain's tent!"

Magnus nodded solemnly. He walked to the village in a hurry, resisting the urge to run. There were so many villagers going back to the village and it was better not to create any panic. Several minutes later, he found himself in Theia's tent, together with Unnar, Bron, Ana, and Dinah. Theia was pacing back and forth, wringing her hands. Fear and concern were written all over their faces.

"So you are saying that the force we defeated was only a part of the Hatiti army? Like a vanguard?" Magnus asked.

"Yes. We followed the Hatiti after their defeat, and they were headed south for a long while. We were about to turn around, thinking they were running back to their own lands until we saw another, bigger force coming from the south..."

"How many?" Magnus asked impatiently.

"After they merged, I would estimate that they outnumber us three or four to one..." Unnar said gravely.

"Gods! We can't seem to get a break!" Magnus said, his frustration blowing up.

"What do we do now?" Ana asked.

Nobody replied.

"When will they be here?" Magnus asked finally.

"Around noon tomorrow... or maybe in the early afternoon. They are mostly on foot."

"Let's sleep on this," Magnus said, getting up suddenly. "I have... things I need to do." He left the tent before anyone had the opportunity to reply.

"It was too good to be true, after all. There is no way we can repel the next attack... Gods damn my magic! I need it back!" Magnus thought as he walked back to his tent, his steps betraying the tension and frustration he felt. He had to try something...

A minute later, he was sitting in his tent, his mind deep in the meditation. Maybe if he meditated deeply, if he reached a state of absolute focus, maybe he would feel something, some trickle of magic, some small hint of what he needed to do to get his magic back. He stayed like that for a while, balancing his mind and body, trying to find the answer...

When that didn't work, Magnus tried casting, even though he was blind to any flow of energies. He moved his hands the way he always did to make certain spells; he tried to visualize the invisible energies, to make them obey his will...

"Damnation!!" Magnus growled, gritting his teeth.

"Ehm..." a familiar voice behind him said.

Magnus turned to see Theia standing at the entrance to his tent. It was almost fully dark outside.

"Theia, hi... I was just... meditating," Magnus said, taking a deep breath.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," Magnus said, scrambling to his feet. Theia entered the tent with awkwardness in her posture.

"What brings you to my humble tent," Magnus said, trying to relax the tension with a joke.

"I... Well, tomorrow we will be fighting for our lives probably and..." Theia said, taking a moment to gather her courage.

"We could die tomorrow, and I don't want any regrets... I have fought against it because I felt that as a chieftain I had to restrain myself... but now... I... Spirits! I don't even know if you-"