Return of the Ancients

Chapter 43 Come the Far Wolfen

Onwards they ran — females, males, young and old — all those strong enough to wield a weapon. Foam flecked at the corners of their mouths, and tongues hung from fatigue.

Some ran in full armour, some in a leather battledress that was little more than a vest and a belt with a scabbard. Small bands in their dozens joined up with others, to form groups in their hundreds. The hundreds then joined together, until a bristling, jostling horde poured down from the hills, down into the outskirts of Valkeryn.

A howl echoed through the night air — then another, and another. From one side of the hills to the other, thousands were answering the call.

Some miles ahead of them, past the forests at the very foot of the hills, the fields crawled with the slow surge of bodies pushing through the long grass. Thousands of almost silent creatures snaked their way forward, and at a designated point they fanned out.

Prisoners were brought forward; their mouths tied shut and hands bound behind their backs. Grimvaldr’s colours were raised, and stakes were quickly hammered into the ground.

The prisoners were readied and then the horde sank down and waited for the coming tide of warm Wolfen bodies.