The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 21 - The Last Stand (Part 1)

Amadeus and his six friends formed a semi-circle around the entrance of the large building. The smell of various substances and herbs still lingered in the air, as the building was a processing facility which made potions for the Nobles. Now, it held the lives of all the women and children of the commoner camp. Every door and window had been reinforced and sealed.

All around him, commoners of all walks of life held different tools in their hands to be used as weapons. There were kitchen knives, daggers, hammers, and even sticks. Some of the commoners had buckets over their heads in absence of proper steel helmets. They took positions all around the building underneath the wooden spikes they had driven into the ground earlier.

A gust of wind beat against his head, causing him to look up above at the impressively large and ferocious looking Eadren with Old Jarbus mounted on it. Old Jarbus soared around the battlefield in a large circle, preparing to give commands and defend the skies. As powerful as his Eadren looked, Amadeus wondered how Old Jarbus had planned to fight back hordes of Nobles by himself.

Old Jarbus had left Amadeus and his team in charge of defending the building which held the commoner women and children. He had full command over his team of six while Old Jarbus would try to keep the rest of the commoners in defensive positions outside the building alive. Looking to the left and to the right, Amadeus saw the familiar faces of those who had pledged to fight by his side – Rei, Izumi, and Bastian on one side; Bianca, the Onyx Assassin and One on the other. He smiled to himself silently; there were no others whom he would rather have at his side for the coming battle.

The moon was high in the sky, and the tension in the air was palpable. His heart beat fast and hard under his chest, and he took deep breaths to keep himself calm. His mind was racing, calculating every possibility for the battle ahead. Stay one step ahead of them at all times, he reminded himself. It was an old habit, one that had kept him away from trouble many times.

There were many lives in his hands. Despite him being the least experienced of them, the group of Exiles had placed their trust in him and allowed him to take command. Old Jarbus trusted him with the lives of the women and children in the building. He started to break out in cold sweat as the pressure mounted in his mind. There was too much at stake to let them down. He would need to be certain of his decisions, and couldn't afford to second guess himself. Confident and focused, he reminded himself as he cleared his throat.

"Bastian, Bianca. Old Jarbus won't last long in the sky by himself. You two mount up and do what you do best. Show me why they call you the 'Riders of the Sky'."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," replied Bastian with a confident smirk. His strong features were highlighted in the moonlight and he was even better-looking that Amadeus had remembered him to be. Sheesh, some people get all the good looks, thought Amadeus with a tinge of jealousy. I wonder if Izumi thinks— no, no; not now, I need to focus! Amadeus shook his head, jolting himself back to reality.

Bastian and Bianca both put on their helmets simultaneously. It was amazing how coordinated they were, both in and out of battle. The helmets covered the center of their faces and the top and sides of their heads, leaving only their eyes and cheeks exposed. Bastian whistled as he lifted up the large circular silver shield from his back. It was well-polished and shone brightly in the dark as though it was glowing. There was a symbol in the middle of the shield which looked like an Eadren. Bianca did the same.

As Bob and Deb landed next to them, Bastian and Bianca drew their spears which hung loosely on their backs. Twirling his spear between his hand and arm, Bastian leapt onto Bob. Bianca used her spear to vault effortlessly onto Deb. The two Eadrens looked imposing in the silver armor which covered their wings, sides, claws and head. The armor on their wings had sharp tips and Amadeus shuddered to think about the poor souls which would find themselves on the wrong end of those pointed ends. Bastian and Bianca made a clicking sound with their mouths and both Eadren took off into the night sky, accompanying Old Jarbus.