Treachery : book 2 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 49

Chapter 49

There was total chaos and panic along the wall. The instant the golden flames rose was when the battle ceased both attackers and defenders stopped and cowered from the horror, they braced for burning agony that never came, the heat that came over them was little more than a warm summers breeze. Instant realisation went through both sides. The attackers on the wall were cut off and had no escape. Some of the warriors threw themselves into the golden inferno others made one last futile attack. The defenders came to the same conclusion and fought back with one last gasp effort, all they had to do was kill the troops on the wall and then Nid-gate would hold once more.

High king Dvalin clutched at his wound and stared in awe at the inferno, he listened in confusion as wearied cheers rose from his troops, the king looked at his second

"We won?"

A dark look crossed Rekkr's scarred face as he watched the flames die away

"We won this round, the gods performed a great magic but I don't know if it would reach the reserve army out there"

He waved a hand in the general direction of where Hell's reserve army still waited. Dvalin nodded thoughtfully

"What is our status?"

"We must retreat now my lord, while the enemy is stunned. This is our best chance to get back"

Dvalin grunted and asked

"What about the hospital?"

Odin forced his way through the ring of defenders and looked down at the wounded king

"All fine, we held for long enough, the wounded are all back at the fortress now we must go back as well. We must save all the survivors from your prime legion. The wall is breached, we don't have long"

Rekkr scowled at the one eyed god

"Can it be held?"

Odin shook his head. Not with the forces you have left. He thought that but didn't say it. Rekkr clearly knew what the god had just thought for the same thing was on his mind. He stood up and began barking out orders for a full retreat.

Odin remained standing on the wall and brooded as he watched the surviving dwarves pour off of the wall. They dragged and carried every wounded person they could find. The hole in the wall was a real nuisance. It gave them much less time to retreat. He didn't know if the giants had done it or if it was his magic that had breached the wall but it was irrelevant now. Freyja stepped up beside him and placed a hand on Odin's shoulder. She looked drained and exhausted, her voice was quiet

"We have a problem"

Odin grimaced and closed his eyes. He could already guess what the problem was, it was part of the risk. He looked to where Freyja pointed down at the base of the wall where Thor and Freyr were desperately trying to restrain a writhing Jason. They were also trying to fend off a furious Eva who was trying to free Jason.

"This is going to make her lose control as well" Said Freyja "then we will have lost both of them"

"We did what had to be done" snapped Odin "Come let's get back to the fortress and see what can be done to save them."

Lucifer opened the cheek pieces of her helmet, her face stricken as she surveyed the carnage before her. The stones of Nid-gate were blacker than night. In front of the wall was a wide strip of land that had been burnt right down to the bare earth, not one blade of grass or root remained. There were no ladders or bodies, nothing remained. It was passed that strip where the true horror began, the grass was black and smoking, burnt and twisted lumps that were once people and demons lay in heaps. The further back from the wall, the worse things got. Burnt and twisted things crawled and cried out pitifully. Armour had melted and moulded onto bodies while flesh had been ravaged and twisted. It was truly a sight straight from hell.