Inra cursed and lamented his lost spear. One Dorzar, the only one left on the creature, leaped from the lizard's back and landed atop one of the wall's protrusions. A long spear found a crucial spot in the lizard's throat, and the creature toppled over the wall with a gurgling hiss, smashing a few Dorzar beneath it with a crunching sound when it landed. The Dorzar that now found itself alone on the wall jumped straight for the empty spot the lizard had left in front of the clump of guardsmen. A move made more out of desperation than battle fever. Two Imbutharan spears stifled the growl in its throat, moments after it landed. But more were coming.
Many houses behind the wall had caught fire at this point, the blazing heat stinging his back. Blood, gore and heat filled the night that started out with such peace and quiet. The children and Ila have to be outside by now. Inside the walls, people were running about like scared rabbits. The garrison was gathering in front of the gate, ready to face any and all attacks coming through that gate. It wouldn't resist the steady drum of whatever was pounding it much longer. If only I hadn't yelled at her. It was a strange moment to think of how sad he was that the last words he had said to Ila were angry words. Getting into a fight about whether or not she should stop working at old Amara's house because she was preg- nant. It seemed so... unimportant now. A strange moment to think that he hadn't told his daughters that he loved them enough. That he hadn't told his son he was proud of him often enough. Never enough.
A big lizard-like paw scratched the rocks in front of him with a high- pitched, jarring sound. His knuckles went white under the tighter grip he took on his sword. The sword given to him by Wion'dair. The sword he meant to give to his son. His most prized possession. He slashed at the paw, which split open like thick chain mail. He wondered if an or- dinary sword would have been able to even scratch the scales. He managed to make two deep gashes in the limb before the big snakelike head of the creature emerged in front of him. Two big black slits at the center of its giant yellow eyes, burning with malice, sent his own reflection back at him, spelling out his death in vivid image. A paralyzing, frightening experience. A large forked tongue tasted the air. Rows of sharp teeth shimmered underneath bony scales. From the corners of his eyes he saw at least two more lizards scaling other parts of the wall.
Two Dorzar leaped from the lizard's back before it slipped, the paw no longer able to hold it. The black slit narrowed when the creature started to fall. It screamed as it slid out of sight, its paw powerlessly scratching the stones. An almost human sound, ending in a hiss. A satisfying loud thump rang in his ears. Not what you expected, right lizard? Then the Dorzar with their strange crooked blades were upon him, and he was hard-pressed to stand his ground. Had he not increased his abilities, he would not have stood a chance. They wielded shields with six corners, all of those corners covered in sharpened iron. Those would be almost as deadly as their blades.
The Dorzar were strong and fast. It was all he could do to keep their blades from impaling him. Help came from the soldiers beside him. But there were fewer of them than there should have been. They jumped in at the moment he thought he could hold out no longer. Blades flashed back and forth. Those poor, undertrained fellows didn't stand a chance. Twenty years of experience kicked in. Make them come for you. As soon as they leave an opening... One of the Dorzar lurched out, its face a sickening snarl. Sidestepping the blade Inra slashed its leg from underneath it. Another thrust slashed its throat to shreds as the Dorzar began to topple. The creature thrashed once, then it lay still on the stones. All around him battle bloomed with reeking blossoms.
He stood alone, facing the last Dorzar that had come up with the lizard. The vicissitudes of battle had opened up a stretch of wall for them that spanned several meters. Two steps to the side, and he was clear of any bodies that could hinder him. The Dorzar was big. Its hairy front paws with the large claws seemed a little too long for its hind legs. It was as broad in the shoulders as any grown man, but with a hunched back and hips that seemed too small in comparison. A large hairy tail flicked back and forth behind it. His nostrils caught the foul stench of dirty dog, and Inra wrinkled his nose in disgust. Suddenly the Dorzar barked out a terrible howling laugh. Inra felt shivers running down his spine at that laugh. The laugh of a creature that has nothing to lose.
"You cannot stop us human, nothing can" the Dorzar said with a mad gleam in its terrible eyes. Astonishment took a grip of Inra at being addressed in his own language. The words were spoken in a harsh, dark, growling way, but they were undoubtedly human. Indignation welt up inside of him. How dare this filthy creature defile his language with its foul tongue? With an effort of will he answered.
"Why are you doing this wolf man? What could you possibly hope to find in this city?" The Dorzar barked another terrible laugh, filled with malice. "You don't understand, human" the Dorzar spit out the word. "They are coming. The earth trembles and burns before them. The sky blackens at their ap- proach, and from it rains death. They come to destroy, to conquer. And nothing can stand in their way." The Dorzar cackled madly. Irritation and fear battled inside of Inra.
"You are making no sense. Who is coming? When are they coming? And why?"
His only answer was the madness gleaming in the Dorzar's eyes. Inra prepared himself as he saw his opponent take a tighter grip of its sword and slightly adjust the grip on its shield. The creature sniffed the air and started stalking around him. A hate for humans that was nurtured over generations flashed in its eyes. Inra felt his own hate rise to meet it. "Come then, you cur!" The only warning he got was a small flash of the eyes.
The Dorzar made a feint to the left, and immediately spun back to the right. Blade met blade, hate met hate. He tried to sever the throat of the Dorzar, but the Dorzar managed to sidestep his lunge, and cut his leg. Inra immediately felt a sting of pain, and warm liquid running down his leg. His sword arm dropped for a moment as he clutched his leg. The creature seized the moment and jumped for his throat, teeth bared.
The flicker of victory in its eyes turned to surprise before it faded altogether. With an immense effort of will, Inra had managed to raise his sword into the path of the Dorzar. It had underestimated his speed. The sickening sound his blade made sliding home was like dragging a boot out of the mud. With cold steel in his eyes Inra held the fading gaze of the Dorzar. He didn't flinch under the hot stinking breath and the blood the creature coughed on him. Slowly, the Dorzar fell to its knees. Its nails carved bloody furrows in Inra's back as it went down. It managed one final choking whisper before it dropped to the side. "They come."
Inra stood panting for a moment, his back ached and throbbed. Next to him lay the young man, his brown hair a bloody mess. So young.... A lock of brown hair was in front of his eyes, he wiped it behind his ears. "Sleep now my boy, all is well. You have fought bravely. All that awaits you now is the final embrace, the homecoming. May La watch over you in her hall." A faint screech of nail sliding over rock rang out in front of him. The lull in the battle was over. "Oh Ila, my Ila. Be strong.". He tested if his leg was still able to support him, and to his relief he felt that it didn't buckle. A few feet awat, the next lizard crawled over the wall. There were too few soldiers left to stop it. Six Dorzar jumped from its back in quick succession. He impaled one of them even before it landed, then found himself fighting off three of them at once.
He bellowed and snarled at them like an animal. Dodging, cutting, stabbing, he gave and received injury. More and more small cuts started to emerge on his body. They started to slow him down. His vision flick- ered red and black. No matter what he had done to his body, three Dorzar was just too much. He couldn't run, there was nowhere left to maneuver to. With an immense trust he knocked the blade of one Dorzar away and split its skull. Then another blade slid home in his stomach.
He gasped. The cold, the pain. More pain than he had ever felt before. Feebly, he put his hand around the edge of the blade, but the Dorzar pushed it even deeper into his body. "I always wondered how that would feel."
It was strange to hear his own voice be so numb, to see the colors fading. He could feel the life starting to ebb out of him, the pull of the abyss. It felt cold, empty. The Dorzar stood snarling at his face when he went down. Spittle and drool dripped from its muzzle. Its eyes burned with hate and malice. Inra didn't grant the creature another look. Gazing around as he fell to his knees with eyes slowly glazing over, he saw more and more Dorzar and lizards coming over the wall, killing with paw and blade alike. The agility of the lizards was remarkable. Unbeatable.
No quarter was given. People were dying and the city was eaten by flames. There was no more fight left in him besides not granting them another look. As he fell on his back his last thoughts were of his family. He would never be there to marry his beautiful girls off. His unborn child would never even know its father. How could Ila ever take care of four children? She didn't even have a house left. Please La, lend your strength to her feet and harden her heart to hardship. And let her run. A tear slid down his face, "I'm so sorry Ila." He looked up at the unperturbed and uncaring twinkling of the stars. One last stab of pain when the Dorzar pulled its blade free with a barking laugh. Then blackness came, and the pain was no more. The breeze carried on into the night, now tainted with a message of a city burning, the agony of a whirlwind of screams. And far away, some listened.
Here ends the prequel to the Nephilim trilogy.
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