Serenity Valley (31 page)

Renald barked, “A and B Company, here
with me, Sergeant Odo, take C and D Company to the other end of the
field. KILL THEM ALL!”

The men all roared their battle cry.
Half the men moved off at a run, and the others fortified the tired
guards. The perimeter was expanded to one hundred feet, with just
Bells, Goodwin, and lots of dead inside the circle. Bells was back
on her feet with her katana in the ready position. Renald joined
Terric outside the perimeter, ready to thin down the numbers
reaching the main defenses. Terric looked at Renald and said, “What
took you so long?”

Renald replied, “Someone forgot to
tell us where the party was taking place! Now that I’m here, I wish
I had my long sword.”

“Here, use mine. I’m too tired to
swing it anymore.”

Renald swung it around over his head
and Screamer sang its horrible song. “That’s hateful! I like it!”
Renald said with a sinister smile. Right after that, they engaged a
group of attackers.

Ox yelled out from his tree, “You men
stay out of Gamel’s way. He got the blood fever bad. Ya get inta
'is way, he’ll cut ya down!”

After he finished
speaking, the kitchen ladies arrived armed with short swords and
daggers. Ox thought,
Now we gots to look
after women on ta battlefield. First insane horses an yelping
Gypsies, now women; God save us.

Ox yelled out, “You kitchen wenches
fight how I taught ya, or you be gettin' ya teats cut off. Get in
ya wolf packs ta hunts!”

The women quickly formed into groups
of four each and started hunting invaders. They soon were engaged
and men were dropping. The wolf packs moved on to find others. When
two or more men were found together, other packs joined in,
surrounding the men. They began slicing and stabbing from all
directions. Ox yelled down to Terric, “By God, da ya see ma fierce
kitchen wenches? They cun fight all day an' come home and cook
their own celebration feast, they can!”

Terric and the other men laughed as
they continued to fight off attackers. Ox could feel the pounding
vibrations through the great tree he perched in. The sound of war
cries and clashing of metal was next. Ox yelled out, “Incoming,
mounted cavalry a pushin' them ta you!”

Renald barked, “Company A fall out,
and form a line one hundred feet from the treeline! Runner Ira,
here!” Ira was in front of him before he stopped
speaking.

“Sir!”

“Get to the main house healer wing.
Get them moving this way. Organize some of the folk to carry our
wounded to the exhibition grounds for treatment. Set up the
hospital there. Set up a temporary morgue at the training grounds,
and bring water. Take two men from B Company to help
you!”

“Yes, sir! Nate, Masci, on
me.”

“Ira!”

“Sir!”

“Why are you—”

Before he could finish, Ira was at a
full run, with two other soldiers trying to catch up with
him.

Terric looked at Renald and said,
“That man has some speed!”

Renald stated, “We been working
together since we started soldiering. We been through at least
fifty battles before we found a home. He’s never let me down. God
help anyone who tries to take our home!” Terric was very impressed
with Renald and the men’s resolve.

Ox was observing how things were going
at the other end of the field. Company C and D had arrived. There
were no lines, no organization, just a battle melee, wholesale
butchering.

There is little sound now. What I hear
seems far away. I know Demon is here with me. I do hear his screams
sometimes. I think Fulk may be nearby somewhere. More soldiers have
come; they are taking too many. They need to leave them; these are
mine. No more fancy moves, no maneuvering, just run to them and
crush them under my blades. If they strike me, it's okay; I will
strike them harder. I will kill them all! A thing running to me
with a spear, the thing moves so slowly. I wish it would get here
sooner so I can end it, so slow it moves. It’s here finally. My
kukri sweeps the spear away so easily. I want to take its head. My
kukri is across the neck, my axe crossed to the other side, pull
the blades, the head is gone. I need to find another thing to end.
A thing with a sword is here. Good, I want to feel it. I sheath the
kukri, block the sword upwards, my fingers gouging through the
throat, pulling the throat out. Yes, that is the feel of a thing
ending. I need to find another thing. I will hunt more
things.

Ox yelled to the men forming a line
one hundred feet from the treeline, “Here they come, prepare!
Kitchen wenches stay next ta yer packmates, always fight as pack,
never fight alone!” The kitchen ladies had filled the gaps in the
defensive perimeter when the men fell out to form the line. Today,
the women weren’t just cooks. They were covered with blood and
gore, just like the men they stood next to. The attackers started
to form up at the treeline while mounted soldiers prodded them
forward with lance and charger. They would make a last desperate
attempt to reach Bells and Goodwin. When the attackers were formed,
one of them blew a horn, and they started running toward the
defensive line. Within moments, great pounding vibrations were felt
through the ground. Demon and Mildred were responding to the horn
as if summoned to battle. They came side by side, carving a wide
path through the intruder line. Riding Mildred, Ivan was
alternating hand holds with his four-foot curved blade, chopping on
one side, then the other. The horses were killing many men. Mildred
picked up a man, shook him violently, and tossed him over her head.
She ran right over another man, crushing him under her massive
hooves. Demon was carrying a corpse in his mouth and using it to
beat men as he ran past. He stopped to let a group of men surround
him. He started kicking with his hind legs while pivoting on his
front legs. Men were flying twenty feet through the air like leaves
on the wind. All De Ferrier soldiers were screaming battle
cries.

Renald barked, “Company A, attack!”
The front line of soldiers was running to engage before he said
attack. The soldiers attacked in a manner similar to that of Demon
and Mildred. A thunderous clash of metal was heard as the angry
soldiers plowed into the invaders.

More things are coming out of the
trees; good, I like ending the things. They are different tones of
pink, and they don’t belong. I will hunt now. My axe feels funny.
The grip is all wrong, slippery. Ah, junk on the grip, dark red
stuff, light pink, like brain. I will clean the grip.

Fulk was engaged, using his short
sword in his right hand and his katara in his left. He used the
heavy side braces on the fist dagger to block sword swings,
striking blows with his short sword. He stayed close to Gamel, but
stayed well out of his way. His best friend had gone insane with
battle fever. Even his eyes were bright red, except for the pupils.
He watched Gamel twirl the great axe one revolution and stick its
spike in the ground. He reached down and tore the shirt off a dead
man and began wiping the gore off the axe handle. An attacker ran
at him with a sword. With an easy movement, Gamel stepped to the
right, causing the man to miss and be off balance. With a stiff
left forearm to the neck, the man was on his back in front of him.
Gamel stepped on the man’s neck with his left foot. The unarmed man
squirmed under the pressure, trying to escape. Gamel went back to
cleaning the axe handle while the man thrashed about. When Gamel
finished cleaning the grip, he wiped off his hands on the gory rag,
pulled the axe out of the ground, twirled one revolution to secure
the wrist strap, and started to walk away, almost forgetting about
the man under his foot. As an afterthought, he stomped the man’s
throat and walked towards another group of attackers.

Ah, a big group of things now; good.
Now they will end me. I want it to end, end the pain. I am hollow
now. The nothingness eats away at me. I will end more things before
I go away. Running now, to the things. They are always so slow. I
cannot wait; the nothingness will eat me before they get here. I
will jump on top of them. They can cut at me then, and I will end
some of them. Things are falling under me. They fall slowly. I can
end them while they get up slowly. I feel cutting in my side. It
doesn’t hurt, only feels like a pressure. The thing that stuck the
blade in me has no arm now. I will pull the blade out. The things
smell like fear, like fear and piss. I will kill all of the
stinking things now.

A soldier fighting next to Fulk
yelled, “What’s he doing? He can’t attack that group and
live.”

“He doesn’t mean to live, but he will
take a lot of them with him when he goes!” Fulk yelled back as he
saw Gamel running full speed, screeching the stallion battle
cry.

The invaders looked at Gamel with fear
in their eyes. They saw a big man with devil eyes. He twirled a
demonic weapon in his right hand and a butcher’s cleaver in the
other hand. The creature running at them screeched as a horse does
in battle—this was not a human. The invaders wanted to run back in
the woods, but men on great horses were waiting to spike them if
they did. They would have to fight the creature. The creature is on
them. They fight, they stab, but the creature cannot be killed. It
is chopping and screeching.

The soldier fighting next to Fulk
finished his opponent with a dagger in the chest. Fulk yelled, “You
know, I never wanted to live forever. Here, take this one.” Fulk
hit his opponent on the head with the flat of his short sword,
leaving him dazed. He was running to Gamel as fast as his legs
could pump. He saw Gamel launch himself onto the group, taking
eight men to the ground. Gamel was on his feet chopping before they
could get up. He had a dagger stuck in his side. He pulled it out
and buried it in a man’s eye socket, but he didn't slow down. He
chopped like a butcher chopping racks of long ribs. Fulk could feel
the thunder of hoofbeats, heavy hoofbeats. Mildred and Ivan arrived
crushing, throwing, chopping. Ivan yelped like a wild dog. Demon
arrived next, crushing, stomping, throwing, screeching, and
kicking. The De Ferrier mounted soldiers started coming out of the
trees now, some with bloody lances. Some chopped at the invaders
with long swords. The chargers were crushing, stomping, kicking,
and screeching. Fulk screamed the stallion battle cry and launched
himself into a large group of attackers. His dagger and short sword
were finding their mark. Men were falling and not getting
up.

I was wrong; these slow, stinking
things are not very good. I am running out of things to end, and
they haven’t ended me. I will find more things. I think Fulk is
here now. I heard his scream. Demon and Mildred are here; they are
ending the things also. The stinking things are foul, and they do
not belong. My things are used up, and I need more. There, I see
many things, more things than I can use up. They can end me before
I am eaten and hollow. I am almost gone. Running now, I am a
stallion now; my stallion scream is good, almost there. No, no, no!
Demon is passing me.

He will get there first.
No, I want the things for me. Go away, Demon! Go play and leave the
things for me. No, no, there are other horses now. Some are Siren’s
foals; they are using up all of my things. Two things running away.
They run to me. They are slow, but they come. Almost here, good,
good. I will end them both. I block this one’s sword, I go low and
spin. My kukri cuts off his leg. Let this one end slowly. This
other thing stinks of piss, a foul creature. I block his sword with
my kukri. I spin and bury my axe in his belly. He goes down. I will
make two things from one. I put my kukri away. Two chops. I will
take the top half to give to the other things. There, a group of
them there. Come with me, top of thing. Running now, twirling my
axe, twirling the top of the thing; it feels balanced to twirl
both. Ah, things see me now. Things are stopping. These things
smell of piss and fear.
Fight me!
I stallion scream to them. I hope they bury me
with Basilea; I would like that, lying next to her forever. No, no
the things are ending themselves. No, end me, you things! Stop
ending yourselves. Fight me! I am sad now; all the things are gone.
I am alone. I will give top thing back to them. Here, I don’t want
it anymore. I will hunt now. There must be more things.

Ox surveyed the field once
more to be sure things were wrapping up. No invaders reached the
defensive perimeter. What was left after Demon and Mildred passed
through was eliminated by A Company. Still a lot of fighting at the
other end, but the mounted soldiers were on the field with C and D
Companies. Mildred with her Gypsy friend and Demon were thinning
them out quick enough. Gamel, on the other hand, was determined to
get himself killed. He just hadn’t found anyone up to the task yet.
Ox could see a mass of hold folk running toward the festival
grounds; some toted stretchers, and others water jugs. It looked
like the entire hold had come running. Ox dropped his rope, slung
his empty quiver and bow over his shoulder, and slid down. He hit
the ground running for the other end of the battlefield. By the
time he got there, it was just about over. Some small holdout
clusters were being eliminated. He got there in time to see Gamel’s
spectacle with the upper half of a corpse. Ox thought,
There mightn't be no comin' back from where’s
he’s gone, God helps 'im
. Ox found Fulk
resting on one knee, and with a broad grin, he said, “Oye, lad, ya
be livin', does ya? Ya cut?”