Anwill, Nenvalur, the Master, and my brother were all extremely powerful, and yet not even they tried to do anything about it. I surmised that it was a similar case with the golems, since none of them simply used their mana to break them apart.
"You're right. Maybe that cave-in was meant to happen, regardless of whether the golems were defeated. I'm sorry I couldn't do more," I said quietly in realization, as Rosie turned her face away from me. "It's alright, Thoma. You still helped them defeat the golems, after all, and I apologize for what she said," he said with a nod. "It's fine, but she might want to learn to live up to her name the next time someone saves her life," I returned the nod, making her wince.
That might have been a bit harsh, I mentally kicked myself before turning to look around and see who was left.
I could see more than a few motionless limbs sticking out from the spaces between the fallen boulders, as blood filled the cracks between them. I gritted my teeth in frustration, knowing there really wasn't anything left to do except hope I would see them again in the afterlife. I turned to do a quick headcount and clenched my fist tightly when I realized over a fifth of us were gone.
"Damn it," I hissed as Meliss put a hand on my shoulder. "It could've been worse. If we'd stayed there any longer, we might have all been crushed," Bernar muttered as if he knew what I was thinking. It did little to stop my heart from sinking to a depth I didn't know I had in me, and for a few moments, I allowed it to do just that.
We all did.
Nenvalur, only having lost one of his own, sent a silent prayer to the gods to guide them safely into the afterlife. The Master surely felt remorse for the ones he had lost, but he knew, just as well as the rest of us, the cost of our sacrifices and how their losses would not be in vain.
"Only one way out now, and I'm sure the ones above us will soon notice the gaping hole in the city, if they haven't already. Let's go," the Master said after allowing us a few moments of silence for the fallen we were forced to leave behind. He cast a new ball of light that led us down the wide passage that would eventually bring us to the castle. Even as we walked, I could hear others sobbing from those who had lost their friends in their flight to escape the rubble, but there was no time to mourn the dead.
We're already on borrowed time as it is, I thought, holding Meliss a little more tightly.
A few minutes passed before we reached the final doorway that would open to the surface. We paused for a moment to ensure everyone had made it. Meliss looked at the others, and the feeling that something was wrong grew as she tugged on my jerkin twice.
"Where's Irun?" she asked quietly, prompting Batch and Ed to glance around briefly. "He was with us when we entered the passage, but he wasn't saying anything. I was too scared to even think about talking to anyone, lest I awake some sort of ancient daemon in here," Edryd replied. "Did he get crushed by the rubble?" I asked. "Can't say for sure. I didn't speak to anyone either, but if he's not with us, chances are he got crushed," Batch replied gloomily.
I never did grow very close to him, but he was still our roommate for more than half our lives. I don't want to believe he's dead, but the alternative isn't much better, either, I thought as my stomach turned.
Meliss must have noticed my expression since she put a hand on my shoulder consolingly. "I'm sorry about your friend," she said, gently rubbing my shoulder, but I could only nod. I had no way of confirming whether he was dead, but that also meant I couldn't confirm he was the traitor, either. Batch's eyes welled with tears as Ed consoled him, but both he and I knew the alternative answer would be much worse than if he'd been killed.
Needless to say, we were both too lost in thought to really feel much else in that moment.
Within the hour, we reached a point where the Master called a halt to lay out the rest of the plan. The door ahead of us reminded me of the one we'd come through to reach this passage after the fight, and I knew that this would be the last few moments of peace before the battle.
"Nenvalur, take your warriors to create distractions and draw the creatures away from the Palace. Kill as many as you can, but don't underestimate these creatures," the Master cautioned as he walked over to the tall elf.
"Oh, we'll be alright. Haven't had this good of a fight in what, about two hundred years?" he waved his hand dismissively. "I admire your confidence; I just hope it lasts the night," Anwill shook his head, but Nenvalur chuckled and clasped his shoulder firmly. "You're still young and have a lot to learn. We'll be fine," Nenvalur chuckled.
"Anwill's considered young to him?" I asked my brother, feeling my jaw drop. "Ugh, it's always something like that with elves," he shrugged. "I can't imagine what it must be like to be that old," I blinked, realizing there was still so much about the newcomers that I didn't know yet. However, the Master surprised me when I saw a slight grin stretch across his face when he overheard what we said.
"Is everyone ready?" he asked, but no one answered verbally, as we all held the same answer written on our faces. "Let's move," he said to the others, using mana to pull the large metallic door towards us while we drew our swords. I could see Nenvalur's excitement clearly written on his face when he exchanged a glance with Anwill, who scoffed and shook his head at something that wasn't said aloud.
Nenvalur and his group peered out of the small crack the Master had made into the twilight before them. The city was on fire, emitting a bright glow that slowly filled the passage we were in. The smell of smoke began to fill the air, as the sound of the invading creatures reached our ears.
No moon, yet. As unfortunate as it is, at least the fires from within the city will give us just enough light to see, I thought, staring at the orange glow in the sky through the crack.
"Seems to be clear, but we should all have our eyes peeled as best we can in the dark," Nenvalur said cautiously. "Once in position, remember to make a lot of noise to create distractions," the Master said. "Don't worry. We've got that covered," he said with a wink, beginning to pull the door open on his own.
They flowed out of the doorway, and I could hear my heart beating louder than my steps. My palms began sweating, and my breathing grew heavy as the anxiety kicked in. The smell of smoke was thick in the air, and I knew that this battle must have taken more lives than we initially imagined.
Shit, was anyone able to make it out? I wondered, looking out over the flaming city, then shifting my gaze to Leona's tear-filled eyes.
"Go right," Thorsen whispered once we were all out in the open, separating into groups of twenty, with each group finding cover behind the nearest building. The Master, followed by Bernar, Thorsen, Leona, Meliss, and I, alongside a few others from Nenvalur's group, allowed only one of his glowing eyes to show from around the corner of the house we hid behind.
"When I give the signal to Nenvalur, we're going straight to the palace. Thorsen, you know this city like the back of your hand, so I'll leave it to you to lead us there as quickly as possible. Leona, Meliss: you two stick close to me, understood?" he asked hushedly, getting nods of understanding from the rest of us in the dull glow of the burning city.
The Master raised his hand and swung it downward like a blacksmith's hammer onto hot steel. Nenvalur and the groups that followed him moved quickly in the darkness to their positions just to the right of us. Thorsen led the way and moved as quietly as his armor would allow, while we trailed closely behind, moving down the alleyways and streets that would lead us through the most direct path to the palace.
We went from cover to cover, house to house, avoiding being seen and ruining our element of surprise. Garett's distraction had clearly worked its magic, since many of the foul creatures seemed to be gathering near the Palace gate in preparation for his eventual arrival. However, the smell of burning buildings, flesh, and death present throughout the city was still more than palpable to all of us.
Suddenly, an uproar came from our left, and we all turned to see what it was. "Horses," the Master whispered, his eyes glowing slightly more than usual. "That must be Garett initiating phase two. We've got to hurry," Thorsen concluded, prompting us to press on as quickly as stealth would allow. When we arrived at the last available cover between us and the Palace entrance, the Master sent a bright ball of light into the sky away from us, signaling Nenvalur to begin his assault.
The creatures surrounding the entrance stared at it curiously, but were soon overwhelmed by Nenvalur's group, along with Batch and Edryd, who charged them with swords drawn. The creatures took a moment to react as if they were confused by what was happening, but knowing they were never very intelligent gave his group an advantage.
Nenvalur's sword sliced into the scales of the first glick, spraying the green, death-smelling blood into the air. "Mae eich enaid yn fy!" he shouted as his sword went deep into the enemy's body, then a few more as if performing a dance worthy of the god of death itself.
The others shouted their war cries, making as much noise as they could. The Master observed the battle for a few moments, ensuring that the creatures around us heard the commotion, and headed towards it. Nenvalur and his group began to sprint down the streets at high speeds, forcing the glicks to give chase and leave the rest of us alone.
Once the Master was sure their plan had worked, he signaled to the rest of us that it was time to move forward into the next stage of the plan. I held Meliss' hand as we went, her palm was feeling just as sweaty as mine, though her breathing was much louder. "We'll make it," I whispered, but she said nothing, not for lack of trying, but simply because she was out of breath.
We quickly reached the palace entrance, where the Master signaled another halt. "We're close, so listen carefully. Thorsen will guard the entrance, while Bernar, Thoma, Meliss, Leona, and I will enter. Ladies, you must stay close to Bernar and Thoma at a safe distance away from me, since I will have to face the Masked One alone," he whispered, catching me by surprise.
"We can help you, Master. You don't have to do it alone," I gestured to my brother, but he gave me a pained smile. "I know you can, but I have to do this alone. Please, just keep these two safe. I'll explain everything when this is all over," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder as he nodded toward Leona and Meliss.
I could only nod silently, knowing there was no way for me to change his mind. He stood up and motioned for us to move in behind him into the palace.
Where our fates had been woven into a tapestry that none but the Master fully understood at the time.