Dawn was breaking reluctantly. Walking on the rocky ground of the Barren hill, made Bryn glad they managed to cross them before the enemy. As they moved in the darkness, he could hear muffled curses in half a dozen languages, as the mercenaries from Sevar’s and other companies stumbled or slipped on rocks.

  After enduring a stream of growling protests, Bryn had convinced Argar that the armorer’s supply wagon needed a guard. And the humans guarding the baggage train would not be enough. So now the dog was probably circling around the wagon and Bryn and his fellow mercenaries did not worry that they could trip over the energetic pup.

  Bryn was a couple of men behind Sevar, when the captain lifted his hand to stop the column.

  “Archers to the front. Spears behind them.” - Sevar whispered.

  Bryn turned back and repeated the order, then unslung his shield and took his place in the front rank. The rest of the company formed up in ranks. And the archers moved to the front opening their arrow bags and preparing strings.

  Bryn looked around in the slivering twilight. They were standing halfway down the slope of the last of the Barren hills, so they had an advantage over the enemy. Two hundred paces from the bottom of the hill started a forest, where, judging by the flickers between the trees, the enemy camp was. Although he couldn’t see it from here Bryn knew that beyond the forest the plain stretched for two days to the river Intava. There were several villages belonging to the Duke of Namkar, but they were most probably already ransacked. Restoring them would take resources that the duke seemed to have.

  Bryn looked to the left towards the top of the hill. It was still too dark to see them clearly, but he could distinguish the pennants of the knights of the duke’s household. Below them were their spearmen and archers. Closer were were the other mercenary companies with the Bracken spearmen keeping safe the left side of Sevar’s company, while the Bronze were the last on their right. It seemed coins paid for the entire right flank of the duke’s army.

  Shouts from the distance made Bryn turn back his gaze to the front.

  At the bottom of the hill the army of the count of Vethren started to move out of the forest. Straining his eyes against the shadows of the trees, Bryn saw the archers stand at the front and the blocks of spearmen right behind them. The cavalry was gathering on the left flank of the enemy, right in front of Sevar’s company.

  “Lucky us.” Grumbled the Mirror beside Bryn and the armorer smiled wryly. His friend had just noticed the same thing.

  “We have dealt with larger forces. Remember Norkar?”

  “Yes, but we had time to prepare then.”

  “True,” Bryn recalled the three days of digging. “but these have been marching for more than a week.”

  For a second Bryn thought he saw a large shape move in the forest behind the enemy horsemen, but then nothing so he dismissed it.

  Silence fell on the battlefield broken only by the birds in the forest waking up for a new day.

  A day that would be the last for a lot of men - thought Bryn and hoped he was not among them.

  The horns sounded from below.

  “Archers, loose when you can hit and don’t wait to get trampled. “ Sevar shouted. All his men were veterans of three years or more.

  While the company’s archers strung their bows, Bryn watched as most of the enemy move forward. The cavalry in front of them stayed in place, and Bryn saw some of the horses move uneasily as if something worried them.

  Then the first arrow was loosed. Then a second, and a third. More for getting the range than damaging. The hiss of bowstrings filled the air as more and more arrows flew, and men started to fall among the enemy. Then their archers got close enough to respond in kind. Bryn heard the cries of the duke’s men as the arrows found their marks. Archers from all the free companies kept a steady hail of iron but the enemy ignored the mercenaries.

  “That’s odd.” said Bryn.

  “It is and I don’t like it. They are planning something.” replied the Mirror.

  The count’s infantry reached their own archers and moved through them, climbing up the hill. In response the duke’s archers moved back behind the ranks of spearmen. The stream of arrows from the mercenaries’ bowmen didn’t stop. But with the enemy shields turned towards them they couldn’t do much from this angle.

  Bryn looked at the enemy cavalry. The knights had moved, but to the side not the front. As if they wanted to be further away from the forest.

  “Something in the forest is spooking the horses.” Bryn pointed with his spear.

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  A horn sounded from the line of enemy spearmen and they charged the last twenty paces clashing with the Namkar spearmen. It was not the sound of thunderclap; more the grinding of wood and iron mixed with shouts and screams the wind brought the metallic smell of blood.

  “Archers, halt” yelled Sevar. The rest of the mercenary bowmen stopped following their captains’ orders.

  Bryn kept his eyes on the forest. He wished the wind would change direction so that he could smell what was hiding in there. He had just moved his gaze to the enemy cavalry when their leader yelled something, and they moved further away from the forest and the mercenaries. Now they were in the center right behind their own spearmen.

  Another horn sounded from below and a cloud of arrows rose from the count’s archers. This time it was coming for the mercenaries.

  “Shields” yelled almost in unison the captains.

  The spearmen locked shields and raised them to wither the iron storm. An arrow thudded against Bryn’s shield, and another hit his helmet and slid behind him. A scream amongst the Bracken marked a successful hit. The hiss of stings nearby told Bryn that their own archers responded in kind.

  A man walked out of the forest. He moved fast, but more like gliding over the grass, not walking on it. The only thing Bryn can tell from this distance was that he wasn’t in any metal armour.

  “Captain.” The armorer yelled.

  “What?” Sevar yelled back. “Who by Sarder is this?”

  The man had already crossed the two hundred paces from from the forest to the base of the hill. A horn sounded from the enemy knights and the rain of arrows stopped.

  “Archers” yelled Sevar. “Take him out”

  The bowstrings sang and scores of arrows descended on the man. And fell on the ground just before him.

  “A mage! The count has hired a mage!” growled Bryn and for the first time that day felt worried. He was sure of their victory while holding higher ground, but the mage changed the odds in the enemy’s favor.

  “Archers to the back” ordered Sevar.

  “We are not paid enough for this!” Someone in the back ranks.

  “Mage or not we were paid to fight for the duke.” growled Bryn. “So, we will stay and fight until Sevar orders otherwise”.

  The mage had stopped seventy paces from him and started making a series of gestures and speaking. He was a man in his forties, with black hair and close-cropped beard, dressed in a tunic of red and green and brown knee-high boots. From this distance Bryn couldn’t tell what he was saying, but even if he could he doubted he would make any sense of it.

  As the mage kept casting his spell time seemed to slow down. The noise of the battle fell away, and the only thing Bryn could hear was his own breath.

  The air in front of them shimmered and trees started to take shape in it. Trees from the forest below the hill. Something large moved between them. A giant yellow green bearlike creature with lashing tentacles protruding from its shoulders like additional paws.

  Bryn inhaled sharply. A gorgepaw. He hadn’t dreamed it. The beast roared and charged through the portal.

  The mercenaries around Bryn let out cries of terror.

  “Hold!” yelled Sevar, trying to steady his men. Some of them ignored him and fled.

  “Spears.” Bryn shouted. “Make it rise.”

  Easier said than done. Like an avalanche the gorgepaw hit them, spears splintering from its armored hide. It plowed through their ranks, trampling the men to the right of the Mirror and got into the archers, who ran away screaming. The beast caught one of them and with a single bite smashed his head with an awful crunching sound. Blood and bones flew in all directions. The body dropped to the ground and the beast ran after another archer. The mercenaries around Bryn were panicking. The Bracken broke and ran to the right, away from the battle.

  The armorer ran after the beast, grabbing a fallen spear along the way.

  “How can we kill it?” the Mirror caught up with him.

  “Weak belly. We must make it rise. Like a bear, but we need more spears” Bryn answered as they neared the monster which was dismembering another archer. Khidron, the name flashed through Bryn’s mind. “But we need to draw it’s attention”

  Without another word the Mirror threw the broken shaft of his spear at the beast hitting it right at the base of the short tail.

  The beast roared and turned around lightning fast. Bryn stood in front of the Mirror spear in hand not even ten paces from the gorgepaw. A shield clanked onto his, as Sevar reached them and stood to the left of the armorer. Three more mercenaries joined them and made a tiny shield wall which stepped towards the beast. It looked at the little humans and roared. The humans made another step with spears pointing towards it. The tentacles lashed in the air, but the men were still out of reach. Another step further. The confused beast roared and swiped with its paw. Sevar took the blow with with his shield and managed to stand, only because the Mirror supported him.

  Bryn stabbed with his spear towards the maw of the beast. It jerked back and a tentacle lashed at the spear. The gaersar pulled the weapon back, but another mercenary jabbed after him. The beast tried to grab the new attacker, but it was Sevar’s turn. The six mercenaries spread around and tried to encircle the beast which couldn’t attack them all or fend off all their attacks. It roared again and rose to its hind legs. Nearly as tall as two men it was terrifying monster. Bryn rushed in and stabbed his spear it its belly, then further in as gray black blood streamed on his hand. The beast tried to drop down, and Bryn stuck the butt of his spear in the ground. Two more spears followed and the beast was trapped. Roaring from pain it rose back up swiping at the weapons jutting from its belly. As soon as it did the rest of the mercenaries struck with their spears and the gorgepaw lost its footing and toppled to the ground.

  Bryn didn’t lose a moment; he plunged his sword onto the roof of the open maw. The beasts roar turned to gurgle.

  Breathing hard Bryn pulled his sword free. He started to turn around when something heavy slammed into him. He toppled over the beast and rolled over its corpse. Something thudded on the ground beside him. Bryn stood up and to his horror saw that it was Sevar. The captain lay on his face. His chainmail torn, broken ribs were sticking out, and blood was gushing from the horrible wound.

  Over the dead beast Bryn saw another gorgepaw attacking the remains of Sevar’s company. Two of the other three mercenaries that stood with them were already dead. As Bryn looked, the third was grabbed by a tentacle and thrown to the side. The monster advanced towards the Mirror, who laid on his back struggling to get up. His left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle; his face was a mask of pain. The beast reached him and its jaws opened.

  Something inside Bryn tore, rage filled his mind and as he charged the beast, he howled a wild challenge.