Vartan growled. 'This is not the time to be smart, Keturah!'
The vampires responded by throwing every weapon they could muster into the night sky, in the vain hope of injuring them. A silver dagger shot past their heads and barely missed Leon’s face by a hair’s breadth.
“Damn, that was close!” he exclaimed.
Quiet down back there! snapped Nymira. You will give away our position.
Vartan pursed his lips at his father, and Leon nodded knowingly in response and held on tightly.
Nymira, we have to avenge Tusdar’s death. I don't think he should have died for nothing, pleaded Vartan.
Nymira slowly levelled out her body and turned back to circle high above the confused vampires below. They waited on the ground like rats, sniffing at the air and hungry for blood.
As you well know, our magical powers take time to build. If I were to cast a spell of the highest order, it would completely drain me and I would be all but useless in the battle ahead of us. However, I can wipe out the vampire army below us. It is entirely up to you. I would have just enough strength left to fly us to Kassina’s front door. I will do whatever you think is best, said Nymira.
Vartan turned to Leon for an answer and was about to speak when his father’s voice filled his mind.
Son, if we don’t stop them here, we will have to face them in the Elven Woods. You have seen how fast they can run.
Vartan’s pale face said it all as Leon muffled a laugh.
Don’t forget that within my fragile human shell beats the heart of a dragon, said Leon with a grin.
Nymira, said Vartan, do what you can. We will deal with them here before we join Andrielle in the fight against Kassina. These are all the dark sorceress’s creations and must be destroyed to save them flanking us later.
As you wish, Vartan. Cover your eyes as best as you can. The dark sky will be bright tonight, said Nymira.
She circled high above the vampire army and focused on casting her spell.
“ Elemento incendii de stellis animus phoenicis evocat, ” chanted Nymira.
Out of the corner of his eye, Leon noticed that some stars began to pulsate in the dark sky and then started to change colours.
Vartan, look at that! he said with amazement as he pointed at the night sky.
Vartan glanced up and watched the beams of light shoot down from the stars and ignite into pillars of blazing fire as they entered the Marithian atmosphere. Nymira lifted her head towards the heavens as she opened her mouth wide to accept the spell’s power.
Duck down and hold on! Now! ordered Nymira.
The men followed her order as the beams of fire were sucked into Nymira’s mouth, and her eyes lit up in flame. The force of the spell rocked her body hard, and the men almost lost their grip on her armour with the impact.
Don’t be afraid of what will happen next-the flames will not hurt either of you, said Nymira. So much power, I can barely hold it in. Even to their minds, her voice sounded strained.
Nymira’s scales changed back to her true form, and her wings suddenly burst into flames. The vampires screamed, shrieked and pointed at her fiery form. They appeared excited for the renewed chance of spilling blood.
Nymira took a deep breath before sending a steady stream of fire into the sky, as if her mouth was an erupting volcano. The scales and flesh around her maw shuddered violently as she tried to control the inferno spewing from it. Vartan and Leon watched in bewilderment as phoenixes rose out of the flames and lit up the sky around them. Upon their birth of fire they shrieked as life filled their bodies. The men shielded their eyes as countless firebirds continued to spawn from the flames. Soon there were firebirds high in the sky wherever the eye could see, the flames lighting up the ground beneath them as if it were daytime.
Now, my little ones, destroy all who follow the path of darkness below us, commanded Nymira. Leave none behind.
An Armageddon-like rain fell from the sky, the summoned fiery army descending and each selecting their own targets. The vampires fled toward the forest canopy, but it was far too late for them to escape now.
An assassin bolted toward the farmhouse and a phoenix landed hard on his back and pounded him into the moist ground. It extended its fiery wings and shrieking before sacrificing itself onto his melting body. The dark creature’s screams were heard by Nymira overhead as he thrashed on the ground in an attempt to put out the flames. Like eagles on mice, the phoenix army slowly picked off the vampires, setting them alight as they ran for safety. Some of the summoned phoenixes landed on the ground without targets, their forms setting fire to the hay and grass around them.
The firebirds’ communicated through cries which were reminiscent of a bushfire in the wind as they coordinated their attacks. The vampires that chose to fight slashed at the flames wildly with their weapons in an attempt to defend against their attacks. Balls of fire from the birds turned the vampires into ash as they hit the ground. The injured screamed in pain and frustration as they pulled back before running at full force into their attackers.
The screams of countless vampires burning were enough to satisfy Vartan’s desire for revenge. His heart pumped adrenaline-fuelled blood through his veins.
Vartan shouted, “Nymira, that was amazing! This battle is won!”
The flames on Nymira’s body had extinguished with the release of the phoenix army and she weakly flapped her wings. Leon noticed that the great dragon was slowly gliding towards the earth.
Leon leaned forward and his voice strained. “Nymira, are you okay?” he asked.
Nymira's voice wavered as she answered. “This spell has taken more out of me than I had expected. I had not anticipated such a weakening, but how was I to know? It has been thousands of years since any of us has cast an elder spell of such power.'
She groaned as she forced her wings to beat hard, and began to climb again. “I am not going to give up just yet. We still have a war to win.”
“Great dragon, are you sure you are able to take us to the battle in the Elven Woods in one piece?” Vartan asked.
They now flew at great speed, and left the many flames of the vampire massacre behind them.
“That is my concern now, young knight,” she responded. “I have my responsibilities and I will not fail them. You just worry about what we face ahead of us. Hang on tight and I will get us there as quickly as I can.”
Nymira strained as she climbed as high into the sky as she could and then suddenly dove headlong into the air below them.
Chapter 19: The Battle of the Elven Woods
“How do you defeat an army that regenerates?
For every demon you kill, one of your fallen gives birth to a replacement. Almost instantaneously, shadow demons rise from the corpses to reinforce the Dark Army.
Still we fight on-and fight we must, or all is for nothing.”
From the speckled stars above, the gods watched closely as weapons met flesh that met claws and blood was spilled, staining the ground beneath them a deep red. As their view of the war closed in, they focused on one woman amid the chaos of war.
Helenia found herself surrounded by skeleton warriors fiercely engaged in battle. She swung her bloodied sword hard through bone to decapitate one who was about to plunge its sword into a downed elven warrior.
“Thank you, Princess,” the downed elf growled as Helenia gripped her reins and reached down to help him regain his footing. She nodded and they both charged forward into the enemy lines.
