Pandemonium had spread throughout the village by the time Galfin returned to the platform. The villagers who could fight were running towards the lower layers while those who were unable were running up to the Great Hall to seek sanctuary. He saw his wards in the corner of his eye, standing by a small pavilion in the middle of a platform, trying to stay out of everyone’s way. Someone else would have to guide them to a shelter.

  He peered over the side of the platform to assess the situation, and his blood froze when he saw dozens of gorilla like creatures climbing up the trunk of the sacred tree by driving their taloned fingers into the trunk. Their mouths were lined with huge fangs, and their hides were charred black and smoked under the light of the sun. Arrows began to pelt them as archers arrived at the lower levels, but most clattered off their blackened hides. Then, one succumbed, either to the burns or the arrows, or a combination thereof and fell, plummeting to the ground below. The others scarcely seemed to notice and continued to climb.

  Galfin saw that they would soon reach the first layer and ground his teeth. Close combat was his forte, and he had little hope of getting there in time, but he was determined to try. As he ran for the next bridge, a hand grabbed him tightly by the wrist. He whirled around and was surprised to come face to face with Aeldra. Standing next to her was the Chieftain.

  “A moment, please, Galfin,” the ancient elf said.

  “Chieftain, there isn’t time!” he cried. “The Enemy is here!”

  Yildea looked over the side and nodded. “Indeed they are, and I fear this is but the first wave.”

  Galfin’s eyes widened in shock. “Then all the more reason I should go quickly! My people are living close to the first layer!”

  The lumberjack struggled to pull himself free from Aeldra’s grasp, but his partner clung on stubbornly and glanced at the ancient elf, telling Galfin that he wasn’t finished talking.

  “First the light, activated before it was ready, surrendering the element of surprise,” Yildea began. The ancient elf mumbled, as though he was talking to himself. “Now, a brazen attack under the full light of the sun… another trump card revealed.”

  Yildea paused and looked pointedly at their guests. “To what end?”

  “What does it matter?” Galfin snapped. “They are here, now, and need to be fought off.”

  “And they will be,” there was determination in Yildea’s voice now. “Trust in your fellows, they will deal with the Enemy. However, I am now absolutely certain of two things.”

  “What is it?” Galfin gasped, still struggling to wrench himself free from her grasp.

  Yildea turned and set his piercing blue eyes on Galfin, who felt calm wash over him almost at once. It was as though a spell had been cast on him. When the lumberjack ceased his struggles, the elf explained.

  “The Enemy is desperate to get their hands on our friends, and we cannot allow that to happen.”

  “Well, they won’t,” Galfin declared. “We will stop them cold at the first layer, but you must permit Aeldra and I to get down there before it is too late!”

  Yildea shook his head. “No… I’m afraid our guests can remain here no longer. You must guide them out of our woods at once… Use the Southern trails. It should take you far enough away from the spire’s shadow…”

  “Why me?” Galfin gasped. “My place is here.”

  “It’s just not you,” Galfin felt the hand around his wrist tighten. He looked at Aeldra and saw the pain in her eyes.”

  “It’s not just you,” she repeated. “I have been ordered away as well.”

  “The Archmage asked for you, both of you,” Yildea explained.

  “But…” Galfin began.

  “Look at them!” Yildea cried.

  Galfin looked down the tree, and the sight of hundreds more of the creatures climbing over the bodies of their fallen to scale the tree chilled him to his core. “Helurid will not survive continued assaults like this. The Enemy wants our guests badly. That is reason enough for me to keep them out of their hands. Move quickly, we are evacuating the village.”

  Galfin hesitated. He owed the Helurid Elves everything and was now being ordered away before he had a chance to repay his debt.

  “There isn’t time for you to hesitate!” Yildea roared, taking Galfin aback. Even in the darkest weeks following the Night of Fire, when news of great kingdoms falling with tremendous loss of life, the chieftain had been the picture of calm. “We are evacuating the village. Their quest is our last hope for survival. Go!”

  “He’s right, we need to go quickly,” Aeldra pleaded. “Believe me, this is more difficult for me than it is for you.”

  Galfin ground his teeth before bowing his head. “I will do as you ask, Chieftain, and when their host lands, I will ensure that Helurid will be their first destination, so keep your people safe until then.”

  “Our people,” Yildea said, clapping Galfin on the shoulder. “I have always considered the humans of Helurid part of our tribe. Ever since you entered our woods asking for sanctuary. Go now and stay safe!”

  Galfin blinked away tears and ran over to Ondra, who had lost none of her usual confidence.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “Is the Enemy here?”

  “They are,” Galfin said. “We have new orders. We have been tasked to accompany you on your quest, and we need to leave at once.”

  “Right now?” Findren asked, sounding deeply distressed. “Is it that bad?”

  “Look around you, dwarf!” Aeldra snapped as the smell of smoke wafted up from the lower levels. “We need to leave, at once!”

  “Lead the way,” Ondra said.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “We’ll take the bridge over to Hilvea,” she said.

  Galfin nodded. “Understood.”

  By now the bridges leading to the lower levels were empty. Helurid’s fighters were few in number, and most had joined the fray far below by now. Aeldra led the way, running well ahead of Galfin. While Chelhem was able to keep pace with him, Ondra and Findel quickly fell behind.

  “Wait!” the lumberjack called.

  “I’ll scout ahead,” Aeldra called back curtly. “You can lead them the rest of the way.”

  Galfin frowned. He knew his partner was anxious but now was not the time for them to separate. “We should stay together!”

  Aeldra seemed not to hear and quickened her pace. Galfin ground his teeth and turned around to see Findel struggling across a particularly long bridge. Then, Galfin saw them. Creatures that resembled children scurrying across the deserted platform behind them on all fours. He blinked. What could they be? Then, he saw the smoke drifting off their skins. Agents of the Enemy!

  He unslung his axe and strode to the foot of the bridge. One spotted Findel and attempted to chase after him, but part of the bridge was directly exposed to sunlight, and it burst into flames as soon as it crossed. The creature shrieked before toppling over the side. The sound caused Findel to whirl around. In doing so, the dwarf caused the bridge to sway, knocking him off balance. He began to teeter but was saved when Ondra tackled him to the ground.

  Galfin, who was about to rush onto the bridge, stopped and placed one foot on the bridge with his other anchored on the platform but could do little to dampen the swaying. He watched as a half dozen creatures gathered in the shade on the opposite side of the bridge. They snapped and snarled at one another, as though arguing over who should cross first. Then, an arrow lodged itself in one’s throat. The others scattered. One ran into a patch of sun and caught fire while the others disappeared into the shadows. Galfin whirled around to find Aeldra by his side.

  “There are more of those on the next platform,” she breathed. “I need your help to clear them.”

  Galfin cast a concerned look at the pair on the bridge and reluctantly turned away when he saw them slowly pick themselves up.

  “Come on,” he said gently to Chelhem. “You will be safer with us.”

  “Go with them!” Ondra cried as she helped Findel across the bridge. “We’ll catch up!”

  Reluctantly, the boy followed Galfin and Aeldra as they made their way across the platform and to the next bridge heading down.

  “Is that the Hilvean bridge?” the boy asked, pointing at a long bridge on the opposite side of the next platform.

  “It is,” Galfin replied without looking. His attention was on the platform itself and the small child like creatures that were swarming across it. The creatures spotted them and began to swarm towards the bridge.

  “It looks like the Enemy anticipated this move,” Aeldra breathed before adding worriedly. “What if they’re blocking off the bridges leading to the other trees as well?”

  “Remember what the Chieftain said,” Galfin breathed. “Trust in the Rangers. They will see the people safely out of the village. We have enough to worry about here.”

  Aeldra swallowed and nodded. “I know you need solid ground underfoot to fight at your full potential. I will deal with those on the bridge. You focus on getting across.”

  Galfin hefted his axe and nodded. “Understood.”

  Boy, do not leave my side if you want to live,” she warned before turning to Galfin. “Go!”

  Galfin studied the next platform as he ran across the bridge. It was in the full shade of the leaves overhead and he could see more of the strange creatures moving amongst the shadows. How had they entered the village? These creatures couldn’t survive under the full light of the sun. Even in the shaded areas, their skin smoked and one or two were already slumped over, having succumbed to the sun’s rays.

  One of the creatures charged across the bridge and fell quickly with an arrow in its throat. The others snarled but stayed back. Galfin exhaled. He would have his work cut out for him. The creatures seemed fragile enough, but there were a lot of them. He felt unnerved when he saw their eyes tracking him across the bridge. Those close to it backed away, as though inviting him to the platform so that they could swarm him from all directions. Galfin slowed his pace as he approached the end of the bridge. He felt the slightest tremor in the bridge and knew that Aeldra had followed him onto it. The creatures snapped their jaws and snarled at him, as though goading him to, but the lumberjack forced himself to focus on his breathing.

  Inhale. Step. Exhale. Step. Calm. He would need to be calm. The battle would be ferocious. He couldn't afford any mistakes, and he needed to conserve his strength. Another step. A creature could take the closeness of the kill no more and bounded onto the bridge before leaping for his throat. Galfin saw it and swung his axe, catching it with the broad side of it so as to not dull the edge. The impact sent the creature sailing off the side of the bridge. It flailed its limbs and screeched as it fell.

  Inhale. Step. Exhale. Step. Another creature was about to charge, but one of them snarled. The creatures whimpered before shrinking back. The creature that had delivered the rebuke was larger than the others. The alpha, perhaps. Galfin looked it dead in the eye as he advanced, hoping he could goad it and it alone into attacking him on the bridge. He didn't want to fight on the unstable platform if he could avoid it, but he felt it was a risk worth taking if he could deal with this larger creature one on one.

  The creature didn't rise to the bait, and Galfin could see it plotting as it watched him. The man soon arrived on the platform and readied for their attack. It didn't come. He took a measured step deeper onto the platform. Still the creatures waited but the man walked no further. He planted his feet and readied his axe.

  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Do not be distracted by the stench of burning flesh coming off these creatures. Inhale. Exhale.

  He was now as ready as he would ever be and looked the alpha in the eye. “Come on then, are we doing this, or not?”

  The alpha snarled, and the creatures surged past it with their fangs bared, hurtling towards the solitary human who was foolish enough to challenge them.

  His axe cut through the air with fluid grace, cutting the first down in mid-air. As he drew it back for another swing, he saw in the periphery of his vision that a creature had circled around to lunge at him from the side only to fall over. Though he couldn't see what happened to it, he knew it must have been Aeldra's doing and her message was clear. Focus on those straight ahead and leave the rest to her.

  As he smashed another creature down, the alpha barked an order. He saw the creatures move away from his sides, using Galfin’s body to shield them from the elf's arrows. That suited the man. When they were lined up like this, they could only attack two or three at a time. That made it a straightforward fight to see which would run out first. Their numbers, or his strength.

  Three creatures surged forward. Galfin struck the first down easily and backed off a hair to make his distance with the remaining two more favourable. The second was stunned with a pommel strike to the head while the third's head was split in half by a quick strike. Galfin then crushed the second's skull under his boot before stepping forward and unleashing a wide and mighty swing with his axe, cutting two in half mid lunge and reassuming his earlier position.

  Six creatures now lay dead at his feet but there appeared to be no end to these creatures. The alpha snarled again, and more creatures lunged into the attack. Galfin focused on swinging his axe. He could no longer afford to spare any thoughts as to where the alpha was or how many creatures were left. All he could think about was his axe and how to connect it with the closest creature to him.

  As time went on, his breathing grew ragged, and his axe grew heavier. His swings began to slow. He cried out in pain when a creature clamped its jaws around his arm. He held his arm out while swinging his axe one handed. The creature jerked when an arrow struck it but its jaws remained stubbornly clamped around his wrist. He used the haft of his axe to smash it off, but the act created an opening.

  A huge weight barrelled into Galfin, knocking him onto his back. It was the alpha and it had him pinned. Its jaws snapped as it attempted to maul him, and Galfin felt the creature’s hot breath on his face, but he had managed to raise his axe at the last moment and kept it at bay by jamming the handle into the creature’s throat. In the periphery of his vision, he saw creatures fall around him. Now that he was lying flat on his back, Aeldra had a clear shot at the creatures. However, he knew that she could only fire her bow so quickly and that she was only carrying so many arrows.