The fortification of the frontline had been going very well, almost too well in fact. King Bradevere and King Gullrock returned home as had Prince Nathan. It had been seven days since Evander's Naming Ceremony. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAh5qxt4g14s
They had been adding spiked barricades around all weak points as well as digging out a moat. With the combined effort of every able-bodied man and the King's army, the most was nearly finished and the construction on a drawbridge had begun.56Please respect copyright.PENANASj7TdrF055
All that was necessary for the moat to be complete was one good rainstorm, but with winter now officially here, chances of rain were slim. If it did not rain, at least it would help prevent ladders from being used to scale the castle walls.56Please respect copyright.PENANAtd5M7iIx5D
"When do you think we will be ready?" Alrid asked his father with a grunt as he placed a sharpened log on a barricade. 56Please respect copyright.PENANActhGzLkJnT
"Hopefully soon," his father answered. "This past week has been long days and even colder nights."56Please respect copyright.PENANAci8mzJE9GO
"I just can't wait to sit down for longer than a few moments. My legs are killing me," Alrid groaned as he bent over to stretch his legs. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAOYFzZk1UlD
"I couldn't agree more," Evander responded with his own set of stretches and groans. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAdRNolu3Tus
As snow lightly fell, a man on horseback broke from the horizon to the east. He was running the horse quite hard and showed no signs of slowing.56Please respect copyright.PENANAjTb1UdsrWu
As the man approached with haste, his voice was now audible. What he was yelling could not be discerned. But it was not necessary when from above the castle, way erns broke through the clouds. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAgT03X8dUzP
Their acidic spit fired from their shrieking maws at frightening speed. At first it seemed they were attacking without direction. Their acid hit the ground in an unrelenting barrage from at least fifty or more corrupted wyverns. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAlDGNfGDeh8
Civilians panicked and ran for their homes as armored knights ran for their bows. The acid was snot without casualties. Homes began to melt in the spots that had been hit. People had been hit in the legs as they tried desperately to escape. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAItStTFIH0U
Their legs were quickly eaten away and the shrill cries of their pain was sickening. Almost as much as the sound of the acidic liquid itself as it ate away their skin and bone, leaving nothing behind but half eaten corpses and the smell of burnt flesh and hair.56Please respect copyright.PENANAjdDQLYITEA
The knights had claimed their bows and began firing volleys frantically and without any cohesion. Arrows whipped passed wyverns by mere inches as the knights struggled to regain their composure. 56Please respect copyright.PENANA6gMkPAPqfA
The assault was swift and even though at first it seemed to be an uncalculated one, the wyverns began to target the fortifications over the past seven days.56Please respect copyright.PENANAitRAm2bYYm
As Evander pulled Alrid to cover he spoke through a surprised breath, "This is too coincidental to be by chance. Varamont knows what we're doing." He looked over the wall that acted as their cover and looked right at Alrid, "Someone is feeding him information and we need to find out who and I think I know who can help us.56Please respect copyright.PENANAcTZ2ED5LyT
"But first we need to take care of these beats before they kill everyone," Evander took off running towards the keep with Alrid close behind. He had left his equipment inside as he was not expecting an assault of this scale. Let alone an assault at all.56Please respect copyright.PENANA3bdp0s5U4N
They signed left and right, narrowly avoiding acidic projectiles as they sprinted to the keep. Just as they were about to reach the steps, a dead wyvern plummeted from the sky and into a small home to their right.56Please respect copyright.PENANAVgK6A2QhCz
It's body barrels through the roof and out of the stone wall closest to them. Stone blocks went flying out at deadly speed. Alrid was able to dive to the ground just in time as a stone block went flying over his now-prone body.56Please respect copyright.PENANASb4X1OeN04
Evander, however, was not as fortunate. A smaller yet substantially sized stone block collided with his skull, sending him violently to the ground and out cold in an instant.56Please respect copyright.PENANAN13ktosk6R
The last image his eyes portrayed was a terrified Alrid as he rushed to his father's side. "Father! Father!" Alrid cried, "Don't worry...get you..." The world went black as Alrid began dragging Evander's limp body to safety.
Evander's eyes opened some time later. How much later was impossible to tell but it could not have been very long considering that his back had been leaned against a pillar beside the entrance to the keep.56Please respect copyright.PENANAXmpVloemd1
Alrid came into view for a few brief moments. He was yelling what sounded like gibberish to Evander's clouded mind. He sent arrow after arrow into the sky as fast as he was able. Evander's mind again closed around him.
Evander woke briefly again to find Alrid fighting on the ground, sword in hand with a towering wyvern. He was quick in his movements. Block, parry, slice, block, jab.56Please respect copyright.PENANARPotKpL5Ju
The wyvern was slow which made Alrid seem even faster than he was. The wyvern struck forward towards him and caught a piece of Alrid's cloak as he quickly stepped to the side. He brought down his sword hard and cut into the wyvern's neck hallway down. He lifted his sword again and brought it down with enough force to finish the job. The wyvern stumbled and fell backwards as Evander went under again.
The setting hand changed. Evander stood in a grassy field and the sun was pleasantly shining. He hears a soft feminine voice from behind him, "It is nice to see you again, my love."56Please respect copyright.PENANAJRF6y5ddTD
Evander turned to see Endira. His wife. Alrid's mother. His best friend. She has been mercilessly taken from him and he missed her dearly. Evander came to realize this was a memory. One of his favorites.56Please respect copyright.PENANAAEG6iVKF5v
He found it hard to form words as his throat felt as dry as the desert air. He cleared his throat harshly and his voice returned to him, "Endira my love, you're here." He raised his arms to embrace her.56Please respect copyright.PENANA0EWJrjZ9wQ
"Well of course I am here. I have always been here," Endira said as she accepted her husband's embrace. Her voice sounded sweet and gentle, the way he remembered it. But in some way it felt off. It felt wrong. Like this version of his wife was not the real Endira. It worried him.56Please respect copyright.PENANAAN4VUfD65p
Endira released her tight grip and leaned back with her hands still holding Evander's waist, "What's wrong, my love. You look as if you've seen a ghost." Her loving smile shifted eerily into a smile of malice. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAgy4VrHz6QB
Evander looked into her beautiful blue eyes and quickly became engulfed into a pitch black. He gasped and released his grip, backing up quickly. Endira began to bleed from every orifice and she screamed terribly as Evander tried to run.
Evander shot upright in the bed he lay in. Alrid nearly jumped out of his skin as he stood from his chair, nearly stumbling backwards over it.56Please respect copyright.PENANA7cYWxf2Bwa
Alrid yelled in surprise and when he was able to regain composure he breathed out, "You scared me half to death."56Please respect copyright.PENANAbYxTcryS1z
Evander sat still as if not even knowing Alrid was there at all. Alrid bent over and lifted his chair to sit up again. He remained silent while his father took his time to come back to reality. This was a common occurrence for Alrid, sadly too common. 56Please respect copyright.PENANACycNZzhGam
Evander's night terrors of Endira's death plagued his dreams and haunted his waking thoughts. Evander carries the burden of her death since he blamed himself for letting her die.56Please respect copyright.PENANAQRTkUSR43D
After a very long silence, Evander finally found his voice, it started hushed and tense, "It was the dream again." He looked at his son who nodded slowly that he understood. Alrid did in fact understand, more than anyone. He was there for a good number of his father's waking moments after a nightmare. "Only this time, it was a memory."56Please respect copyright.PENANARg1GFSnAiS
Not long after, Evander began to realize that he was alive and his head was aching fiercely. "I take it that we won?" he said hopefully.56Please respect copyright.PENANAPt8sqbBJQB
Alrid exhaled sharply, "I would not call today a victory." Alrid sighed with an air of defeat, "We lost a great many men today. It is as we feared. Varamont wants to enslave us all."56Please respect copyright.PENANAlTemP0GUKP
"Tell me what happened, my son," Evander said, suddenly no longer lingering on his dream. He had come back to reality to what really mattered. 56Please respect copyright.PENANAzkbbQi9Z1A
Alrid started explaining, "After you blacked out, we fought hard. We fought for a long time and we lost many. All of the barriers we had built were destroyed. The most survived thankfully but the bridge is in ruins. After they caused as much damage as they wanted, the wyverns that remained just left. They flew off and the ones that had been fighting in the ground just stopped and retreated as if they were being called away."56Please respect copyright.PENANAY4ObMaiyg7
"Two guesses who," Evander said with a hint of humor.56Please respect copyright.PENANAe2ktmxyblM
"Good, you're awake," a familiar voice entered the room. King John sauntered over to Evander and spoke again, "We need to talk."56Please respect copyright.PENANAKOUOqdDBxK