Silver Cathedral Saga: Observer Chronicles, Book 1

The Cold Touch

"We are nearly there," said Ematay upon the War Swan, shouting to the other two swans. One which held Eleanor and Christian, and another holding the two Edeolon Warriors, seeing the darkness of the Shadows trying to get near the city.

They all looked a little flustered, and the exhaustion sent them into a more surreal time in which everything couldn't be taken in or even felt real anymore.

The sight of fire and ice, and also the sound of raging yells signalled their reality. It was a time when this surreal period wore off, and it woke them all up quickly, and in a state in which they were more prepared than they thought. The adrenalin had pumped through the veins for about a minute flying over all the Shadows, and they landed near the back of their battalion lines.

The front line was so busy fighting. Rangers hurled elemental magick, killing the Shadows with one strike; but even all this done very little with how few they were.

Ematay landed the swan and noticed all the other Swan Knights staying there with their birds.

He then suddenly heard the king yell, "to the city. We cannot hold them here. Swan knights you know what to do." They all nodded, as if the king could see them, but he couldn't.

The ninety-eight swans took off; as the prince and King's stayed near the front lines still continuing to fight. Almare moved to the third line behind him and noticed there was only one guard now, instead of three. The king saw one dye as he moved back, and killed the Shadow who done so.

The king, queen and prince were all fighting with some of the stronger and talented Battle-casters on foot who had survived. Including the king, queen and Prince themselves, there must have been just over a hundred left. Some of the Spell-casters had headed for the doors of Swansie, and asked to open it, as it moved.

The noise sounded heavy as the doors opened, the thick wood creaking as it swung.

Almare took a close observation of his son and could see he could handle his own with a sword and his mind magick. But when he noticed the queen, she seemed to be on a whole other level than any other. Snowbridge seemed to move much faster than anybody else her husband had seen in combat in all his days. She seemed to be able to anticipate the Shadows next moves, and even when the king was about to save his wife, the queen blocked a sword thrust at her from behind by bending her back, then twisting her torso slightly; as if she knew something no other person could have.

"Time to go now," said the king. The rangers from inside the city were throwing elemental magick still, but from atop the walls. Water that blasted Shadows, froze them, like statuesque ornaments carved to give an effect of a being in motion. Fire sent others to the form of black dust. The king's swan spread its wings whilst the others fled, and it cut through them, time after time, so they wouldn't be able to catch up with them all as they ran. As the enemy seemed to be as fast as any humanoid, maybe more so in some situations.

Prince Etch pulled his mother onto the swan and one other Battle-caster, as that was all the War Swans could fit upon it. He then flew to the safety of the walls of Swansie. Though how long this safety would last is not known or has never been tested for quite a few lifetimes now.

The Husband and father then flew away as he saw some Battle-casters plummet into the Shadows as a sacrifice to make sure he would get away safely. He shouldn't have paused to think about it, but this circumstance made him do so. His heartfelt heavier than he could ever remember it, beating hard. He flew to the safety of the walls, like the remaining Astorians, and his family.

He got off the swan and held and pushed the door from the inside, trying to stop the enemy from coming through. The crowned man then turned to notice a familiar face.