Behind him, the army of Majis spread into the courtyard, keeping their backs to the castle wall. Most of the actual combat appeared to be taking place between the loyal castle guard and the equally loyal Chendas soldiers.
The undecided Iseldan guardsmen were only participating half-heartedly, unable to fully engage their own in battle.
From Ian’s limited view of the battle, it appeared that this indecision was costing Gareth greatly. By removing themselves from the battle, the indecisive soldiers had left a more balanced number of opponents for Ian and his mismatched army.
Ian stepped forward to meet his next attacker. The Chendas soldier stepped backward, ceding space to Ian.
The tide was turning.
Heartened, Ian gripped his sword and pressed forward. He would retake every step of ground until this castle was his again.
A desperate cry sounded up ahead, near the castle steps.
Ian looked up at the stairs to the great hall.
The doors to the hall—the main entrance into the castle—had been shut. The retreating Chendas soldiers standing on the steps pounded against the doors.
Ian looked up at the balcony overhead.
Gareth had disappeared.
Ian continued to press forward.
His family was still inside that castle.
The soldier in front of Ian turned and fled.
Though Ian had an easy shot at him—as there was nowhere for the man to flee, except into the dense group of his fellow soldiers—he let the man run.
This battle had been won.
Another desperate scream sounded, this time from behind Ian at the open gate of the castle itself.
He turned, movement in the air above his head catching his eye.
Purple chaos orbs soared through the sky toward the Majis who lined the wall.
Gareth’s remaining soldiers had turned to their final recourse.
“The Majis are attacking!” This cry also came from someone at the gate. Ian looked toward the gate, noticing for the first time that several of the townspeople had come into the entrance of the courtyard to watch the battle.
“The magic is coming from Gareth’s soldiers!” someone else shouted.
One of the magic orbs hit the masonry above the gate. It made a thunderous crashing sound, sending small pieces of stone flying off in every direction.
Another scream sounded.
Even the Iseldis guard stopped attacking, lifting their arms to cover their heads as they cowered amidst the chaos magic and its destruction.
But the Majis were prepared. As they lifted their hands in front of them, Ian saw their mouths begin to move. It was too loud to hear the hum of their song, but he could see a shimmering light spread out in the air around them to cover the Iseldan guardsmen and the villagers at the gate.
The chaos orbs that struck this shield fractured. Lightning crackled from the orbs as they dissipated, arcing across the surface of the shield in brilliant veins of red and purple before fading to nothing.
“The Majis are protecting us!” another shout sounded from below the gate.
Ian felt a wave of relief wash over him as the cry continued around the courtyard. “The Majis are saving us!”
Realizing that the Majis could protect them, the Iseldis guard continued to press forward, trapping their remaining opponents against the locked doors of the great hall.
