Joryn - 23

## Vain Regret

So much life has been squandered. The docks have been lost, the city gates have been compromised, our forces have been divided and stretched thin, and we have yet to take the Kaliin palace from the clan nobility.

It's as I feared and warned. Despite the assistance of the Eternal Night, this open warfare is depleting the precious lives of the few friends and allies that we have; Aaron and several other Great Ones being among them.

I had warned Aaron about the Lyth less than a minute before he died. "There's a Lyth up on that wall and he may be invisible." Not knowing Aaron's capabilities, I intended to keep him sufficiently informed to allow him to prepare for the worst.

"Invisible?" Aaron questioned. "I see no magic."

Somewhat perturbed by his single-minded fixation and naiveté, my thoughts wandered to a previous exchange between us just before we fought the child Lyth several months ago.

"That's the deer-wolf." I had warned.

"I see no magic." Aaron responded. "Are you sure?"

Aaron did nothing to prepare for our invisible foe. I regret not pressing the matter. I deferred to his judgment and now my friend is dead.

## Overconfidence

I didn't initially realize the severity of the conflict. I knew that the opposing armies far outnumbered our own and were likely to be supported by the Lyth, but I somehow convinced myself that were ready for them; that the city guard, Vanguard, Great Ones, and Eternal Night together would easily be enough.

When we approached the outer wall, the gate was already open and waiting for us, thanks to the agents of the Eternal Night. Only moments before our undead might have reached it, however, our assassin allies were suddenly tossed from atop the wall and the gate collapsed shut. Most of us couldn't see the cause, but Lagreth stated that he could see the aura of a Lyth at play.

Still blinded by false faith in our strength, I jumped down from the back of Rhyzal's horse and took a deep breath. "This is it." I thought to myself. I knew that there were only a few people equipped to fight a Lyth. I was determined to play my part and hoped that I could trust everyone else to do likewise.

After a brief consultation, a few Great Ones compensated for the setback by magically lifting the gate and raising an earthen ramp that would allow us to take the wall. Several waves of undead were sent through the gate and another up the ramp; our group of hand-picked Vanguard and Great Ones close behind the latter.

## Three Soldiers

The undead that charged up the ramp were tossed aside like little children by an unknown force; normal children not like Lagreth, that is. Lagreth again informed us that he could see the aura of a Lyth but not the creature itself. Most seemed to think that it was because the Lyth was just difficult to see due to the wall and our angle; I had a hunch that said otherwise.

Beginning to doubt our strength, I resisted the urge to falter and moved up the ramp with my accomplices, my heart racing. Our front line moved passed the crenellations and met their resistance; no sign of the Lyth yet.

"The Lyth is on top of the tower!" Lagreth shouted from only a few paces behind me.

I looked up at the tower. Nothing. Either the Lyth had already moved or he was, in fact, invisible. I quickly scanned the rest of the wall to try and spot anyone moving or fighting like a Lyth. Still nothing.

I did see, however, that my allies were already wavering under the weight of several armor-clad soldiers pressing hard on their wings. Choosing the side with the tower, I dashed forward, leapt over the line, twisting my body as I flew through the air, and landed behind one of our opponents, ready to strike.

Even with Kaelib and me on either side of him, our surrounded foe put up a stubborn resistance. In the meantime, another soldier from inside the tower came to his aid and managed to strike my weapon arm. Not quite disabled and finding their armor weak at the neck, I was eventually able to dispatch both of them.

"Archers! Fire!" I saw a barrage of arrows spray into the midst of my friends from behind me. Kaelib lurched forward with his shield as if trying to protect me from the onslaught. Despite his noble attempt, I felt an arrow strike me from behind. Already injured, I was now reeling in pain.

I heaved my body through the entrance of the tower to find only one enemy soldier inside, his back to me as he aimed his bow out the narrow window. Caught completely off guard, I brought my blade across him and knocked him to the ground, nearly joining him due to my momentum and unsteady balance.

Three soldiers. I was only good for three soldiers; and two of them weren't even facing me when I fought them.

## Shortcomings

A sudden cry of pain erupted from outside the tower and then abruptly stopped. Feeling a surge of panic in my chest, I scrambled back to the doorway and found Rhyzal facedown near the ramp a short distance away. My comrades, in an effort to take cover from the archers, began to pour into the tower. Undeterred, I forced my way through them and rushed to her aid. She was unconscious but still breathing.

Trying to stay low so as to avoid getting struck by incoming arrows, I lifted Rhyzal and pulled her back into the tower. Once inside, I slumped back against the wall—a brief jolt of pain reminding me of the arrow—and moved her into a position where I could examine her injuries; she had taken a severe blow to the neck.

My mind began to play tricks on me. I remembered there still being an enemy soldier or two on the walls when I had moved into the tower; one of them had just felled a Vanguard ally and then turned to face Rhyzal. Perhaps if I had attacked him instead of the soldier in the tower, I might have been able to spare her from this misfortune.

My panic progressed into dread. I felt guilty. I felt concerned. A flood of confusion consumed my thoughts and left me unable to focus. Then, adding insult to injury, someone nearby announced that Aaron had been killed by the Lyth back on the ramp.

I had no idea that our mages had been attacked, let alone threatened. Todd was there. He managed to save Lagreth from the same fate. But me? I was wasting my energy by helping Kaelib and a few Vanguard whose names I don't even know.

My failure was two-fold; I didn't protect my friends nor did I play my part. Perhaps I possess more of my father's blood than I had thought, having done little different from he who abandoned his family to fight for mere acquaintances and strangers.

Struggling to take control of myself, I returned my attention to Rhyzal and attempted to stop the bleeding. I made minimal progress. The wound was too deep and my mind too clouded.

Vera also attempted to help but to no avail. Finally, Todd stepped in and compensated for our failures. Once again, it was Todd who managed to help my friend; not me.

## Friends

Having taken the outer wall, our remaining enemies soon retreated to the inner citadel where they prepared to make another stand. Those of us with severe injuries were magically healed that we might again lend our aid in the coming battle. As far as I know, none of us were fully healed, but it was sufficient to renew my vigor. I believe Lagreth wise to conserve his energy and am grateful for what he spared.

Rhyzal's neck already looks as if it has been healing for several days. She's once again full of energy and appears intrepid despite her near-fatal wound; just disappointed in her performance. She's now determined to redeem herself from what she considers to be her failure.

I didn't observe Rhyzal closely while we were storming the wall, but I suspect that her bold nature may be a hindrance in the battles to come. I now understand why her father asked her to stay behind. She's inexperienced and perhaps a little thoughtless concerning her well-being.

Life is so fragile. Why do I allow myself to become attached to anyone? My decisions would be so much simpler otherwise. I would live for myself and only myself. I could live in peaceful solitude as Sarai does and avoid this desperate war. But then, I suppose that Sarai is attached to the universe, isn't she?

I doubt that the Pretender is attached to anyone. This alliance is a means to an end. His assassins; tools. His armies; bodies. Precious; a toy. No, I suppose that such a selfish life isn't for me. I treasure my friends, few as they may be.

## Invisible Lyth

We next encountered the invisible Lyth when we were just starting our attack on the inner wall surrounding the palace. We had been discussing how the Great Ones might help us to identify and neutralize the Lyth, when he, just as surprisingly as the first time, made his presence known by killing one of the Great Ones. Caught entirely unprepared, yet another was immediately to follow with a similar fate.

Lagreth and Timothy managed to evade sudden death by sustaining themselves as bodies of air. The rest of us were left desperately defending ourselves and wildly swinging our weapons as the Lyth hastily moved about us, rapidly landing his attacks with almost no contest.

Our surviving mages tried to help, but they couldn't seem to produce any spells that might end the massacre. Realizing the hopelessness of our situation, I contemplated fleeing. But then, what of my friends? Hopeless as it was, I couldn't abandon them.

Desperate and out of practical options, I mentally reached out to Vargath and pleaded for his assistance. I didn't know if he was listening; I'm not entirely sure how his mental link works. But I knew that, short of some opportune help from a nearby Great One, we were doomed. It was the only method I could think of that might call one to our rescue.

Just as quickly as the struggle started, it came to an end. Vargath did not respond to my plea, but Timothy managed to reveal the Lyth by enveloping him with an illusion of an ordinary man. Once exposed, the Lyth immediately fled. I tried to pursue and stop him with two desperate blows to the neck. The Lyth roared in pain, but it wasn't enough. He continued to flee and I couldn't keep up.

## Vindication

Following the Lyth's retreat, Lagreth exhausted the remainder of his energy by sending a violent windstorm through the enemy lines that blocked our pursuit. Back and forth it went, knocking their men down and scooping up their weapons into a whirling tornado of blades. It had a devastating effect on their formations and allowed our undead allies to easily seize the advantage and route their forces.

Unfortunately, most of the undead have been taken to the docks to fight off the invading armies. We had only been left with 1000 to take the citadel and, already, most of those have been expended. Those still remaining are largely preoccupied with sweeping the perimeter of the palace.

I want to kill that Lyth.

There's a high probability that I'd die in the attempt. Lagreth and Timothy, the only Great Ones still with us, have both depleted their energy. Vargath has sent Elric to aid us, but he'll probably be killed, too. We've already been outmaneuvered twice; why not a third time? Additionally, there's only a handful of us that have rings that allow us to harm the creatures. Invisible or not, that Lyth has very few opponents that can even begin to threaten him.

Strangely, the idea of that Lyth getting away bothers me more than the prospect of facing him. I want to kill him. I want this to end today. And yet, I suspect that, so long as the illusion remains in effect, he'll seek to avoid an encounter and find a way to slip away.

I hate war; particularly this war. Why do the Lyth seek our destruction? Why won't they leave us alone? Could centuries of plotting not have been turned to a more peaceful resolution?

Amaron, I resent you, as well. Why do you permit us to fight the Lyth in ignorance? Why do you leave us to our follies? Surely, you must know things that might help us. Could you have not better prepared us for an invisible Lyth?