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‘There!’ Dorlan lay surrounded by the dead slain by his own hand. Toryn stumbled across the bodies and crushed armor to the great warrior’s side. His chest moved. He called back. ‘He’s alive.’

Elodi hurried over. She kneeled, removed his gauntlet, and took his trembling hand. ‘Dorlan. Can you hear me?’ She turned to one of the few knights of Calerdorn who could still walk. ‘Please, get help. We must get him to the healers.’

Dorlan cried out. ‘I am sorry, Elodi. I am sorry for everything—’ His back arched in agony.

She stroked his hand. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for, Dorlan. You were wronged. You have suffered long, and the enemy exploited your weakness. But today you have righted that wrong. You helped us achieve a great victory. Without you, the realms could have been lost forever.’

Dorlan’s hand went to his face as the tears flowed. ‘I slew many of your knights… I fought against my own. If only—’ He coughed and groaned.

Toryn stared in awe at the giant warrior and legend of Harlyn. He kneeled and placed his hand on his broad shoulder. ‘We saw your charge, Dorlan. You routed the enemy’s center. Lady Harlyn is right. Without you’ — he glanced to Elodi — ‘the day would surely have been lost.’

Dorlan raised his arm and pointed. ‘I… I killed her. I slew Uleva.’ A shredded black cloak lay close by on a patch of scorched earth. There was no sign of Uleva. But Toryn knew she had gone for good, banished from the realm by Dorlan’s sword.

Elodi retrieved Dorlan’s blade and wrapped his fingers around the grip. ‘She was a formidable foe. I thank you for purging this land of her evil.’ Dorlan clenched his sword. Bright eyes stared out from his bloodied face. They moved but seemed not to notice Elodi or Toryn. His gaze went to the sky, perhaps seeing events from his long and painful life. He moved to speak, but his breath was weak. The light in his eyes dwindled. Lines appeared on his graying face as the years, long since held at bay, finally caught up with him. Elodi held back her tears. ‘You will be forever remembered for your victories with Draegelan and today’s momentous triumph. Go in peace, Dorlan. Take your rest, long denied you.’ His eyes closed. His tortured spirit, unchained from its mortal vessel, departed for the realms beyond the sky. Elodi’s shoulders slumped. She rested her head on Dorlan’s chest and wept.

Toryn fought back the grief to comfort her. ‘He is free now. His torment is over. And you rode with the noblest of knights as his equal. You won, Elodi. You have defeated the worst our enemy could throw at us.’

Elodi sat. She stared across the bloody aftermath of the battle. Many still cried out in pain. And many died alone without the words of a friend to ease them on their way. She looked to Toryn. ‘Does each victory come with such agony and suffering? Why do we do it, Toryn? What drives us to slaughter and maim?’ Her arm rose and fell. ‘Are we not better than this? We must have lost close to half our strength today. Good souls trampled into the mud, never to see their loved ones again.’

Toryn clasped her cold hands. ‘Alas, we have no other way to resist such evil. And if you had not made your stand here, many more would have died in the months to come.’

‘Ma’am?’ Four horseless knights arrived bearing a stretcher.

Elodi lowered her head. ‘Alas, Dorlan has departed this realm. But please, bear his body to the tents. It is not fitting he lies bloodied and disheveled among our enemy. Ensure he is cleaned and made ready for burial.’ The knights duly lifted Dorlan and placed him upon the stretcher. As they moved across the plain, many kneeled and bowed their heads.

A flash of lightning lit the last of the retreating dark clouds. Despite his exhaustion, Toryn turned and let the farsight take him north. He spoke to Elodi. ‘The Amayans have found Vordrak. The fight to avenge Amyra begins.’ He gasped. ‘Another joins the struggle. Two warlocks confront the Amayans.’

Elodi closed her eyes. ‘We cannot afford to lose them. How do they fare?’

‘My vision is blurred. I can’t see who prevails. But I sense it will be a challenge, even for six Amayans.’

‘Ma’am?’ Gundrul limped towards them.

Elodi groaned. ‘Captain. You should not be on your feet. That is a nasty wound you carry on your neck.’ She looked down and winced. ‘But that doesn’t begin to compare with that open gash on your leg. You’re losing too much blood. How can you walk?’

Gundrul clasped Elodi’s forearm and winked. ‘I’m an Archonian, ma’am. Never a step back, eh. But less about me. I come to congratulate you on a great victory. When I stood with you the morning following the first attack on Calerdorn, we knew it was only a temporary reprieve. But this, ma’am. This was a rout. It will take many years for them to recover from the hurt you’ve inflicted today.’

Elodi sighed. ‘Thank you, Gundrul. But the same could also be said of us. And I have yet to retake Calerdorn.’

‘That may be so, ma’am, but we still have the reserves. We can reclaim the lands lost in Harlyn, and I believe we shall recover the quicker. And don’t you fret. I will happily lead a force to take back your city. And after today, they will cower at the sight of Lady Harlyn leading an army their way.’

‘Again, thank you for your kind words. But I will rest easier if you allow someone to attend to your wounds. You’ll be leading nothing until you’re fit.’

Gundrul grinned. ‘You know me, ma’am. I’ll be swinging my sword in no time.’ He turned. ‘Aha! Look who approaches.’

Elodi strode to meet him. ‘Ruan!’ She hugged him. Toryn laughed as the spearman flinched. Elodi stepped back and held his hands. ‘Gundrul said you would make it. I don’t know how we can thank you.’

He bowed his head. ‘You’re most welcome, ma’am. But it is I who should thank you. If you had not sent your fearless rider to Tunduska, we would have been trapped and slaughtered.’

Elodi glanced over Ruan’s shoulder. ‘Is Lena here with you?’

He nodded. ‘That she is. She rode ahead to see our way was clear. I believe she’s now tending to the injured horses at the rear. Lena’s quite a rider, ma’am.’

‘That she is. I will make sure she’s rewarded for her bravery.’

Gundrul slapped Ruan’s broad back. ‘Better late than never, you old dog.’

The spearman managed to smile. ‘It needed someone to squash those spiders.’ He looked about him. ‘But I must admit, Gunny, you and the good lady have done the greater damage. This day will be remembered for centuries.’

Gundrul grimaced. ‘And I shall be bearing the scars with pride. And don’t you worry about the finer details of the battle. You’ll be hearing of my exploits at every opportunity from now until the day I die. And if you—’ He stumbled.

Elodi steadied him. ‘No more bravado from you, Captain. Time to get you to the healers. Ruan, would you be so kind to assist Gundrul? I fear Toryn and I lack the strength and would most likely drop him.’

‘It would be a pleasure, ma’am.’ Ruan hooked his arm around the captain. ‘Come on, old boy. Time to stop pretending it doesn’t hurt.’ The spearman took Gundrul’s weight. ‘Go on then, Gunny. Tell me about your day. I know you can’t wait…’

Elodi watched them leave. ‘I doubt we would have come this far without those two. I would gift them land and wish them a long and peaceful retirement, but I doubt they would accept.’ She turned to Toryn. ‘Now. We must seek Nyomae and see how she fares. And I still need to find Aldorman. The last I saw of him he was pursuing the Norgog.’ She turned to the north. ‘And we will await the Amayans’ return. Many have perished today. Every single one is a tragedy. But let us hope the Amayans can avenge Amyra without another falling.’

The two made their way through the mud in the fading light. The Archonian reserves lit torches to aid the retrieval of the wounded, but they also served to illuminate the pain frozen on the faces of the dead. Elodi stopped. Harlyn’s banner lay discarded in the mud. She lifted it and wiped the filth from the torn cloth bearing Dorlan’s shield.

She turned to Toryn. ‘I will have this cleaned, but not mended. When I retake Calerdorn, this will hang in our Great Hall to honor all who have fallen today. All who made—’ Her hand went to her mouth. She dropped to her knees. Beside the banner, the torchlight reflected on the armor of a knight lying face down in the grime. Toryn helped her to roll him over, but Elodi knew him before she saw his face. She had no tears left to shed, but her heart broke as the glassy eyes of Aldorman, the leader of the Knights of Calerdorn, stared vacantly at the sky. Elodi cleaned the mud from his face and cradled him in her arms. She rocked him gently, whispering words only for Aldorman. Her faithful captain had been at her side throughout the turbulent months, only to fall in the dying light as the battle was won.

Toryn quietly summoned the knights still able to stand. ‘Please, take your captain to the tent where Dorlan lies. He has earned the honor to be at the side of Harlyn’s legend.’

Elodi allowed the knights to take Aldorman. She looked up. ‘Thank you, Toryn. He should be laid to rest alongside the man whose name he cried riding into the battle.’ She declined Toryn’s help and stood. She straightened, took a breath, and steadied herself. When she spoke, she sounded once more like Lady Harlyn, commander of the Five Realms’ forces. ‘Those whose tradition demand they be buried at their place of birth, shall be returned. Dorlan, Aldorman, and the Archonians shall be laid to rest where they fell. We will build a fitting monument to their memory in honor of their sacrifice. The enemy will be burned in a pyre, which I believe is their way.’ She surveyed the field. ‘Then we shall follow the way of the Nym.’ Elodi waved her arm across the plain. ‘Trees will be planted. From Roth’s Doom to the hills in the east. Twice this land has endured a terrible battle. A forest will ensure it will not suffer again.’