Final Battle I
I stood at the top of the tower overlooking the Temple. The archers were already in formation and prepared to strike the moment the Forsaken made their move. But they had not marched forward yet. They remained hidden beyond the darkness near the eastern hills, waiting for something we did not know about.
Still, we were ready.
For the first time since their attacks began, Thyr Vael was actually ready for them.
I walked into one of the chambers within the tower — the room where Doya was being kept.
He was still restrained by the chains Ascend Kaelric had summoned around his wrists. The screaming and trembling had stopped, but the whispering remained. Like he was speaking to someone only he could hear.
Ascend Kaelric and Kumbuye remained inside with him, still trying to find a way to stop whatever was happening in his mind.
"How is he?" I asked as I stepped into the room.
Doya sat on the floor with his back against the wall, his eyes shut. I could not tell if he was unconscious or simply too exhausted to keep them open anymore.
"We're trying to push Balshak out of his head," Kumbuye answered.
"And how exactly would you do that?"
I knew Kumbuye could hear thoughts, but forcing Balshak out of someone's mind was something entirely different. That was far beyond mind-hearing.
"He has the ability, Dana," Kaelric explained.
"I... don't understand. What ability?"
Kaelric sighed before speaking.
"Kumbuye possesses the gift of mind-hearing, but it goes beyond that." He paused briefly. "He also has the ability to mind-thrall."
My stomach dropped.
"What? But that's forbidden."
"Not every mind-thraller is corrupt," Kaelric replied immediately. "The ability was forbidden because people feared what it could become. Too many abused the power to control others."
"No," I muttered, shaking my head as I moved closer to them. "No, he can't do that. He would be controlling Doya."
"Well," Kumbuye shrugged, "I don't even know if I can do it... but Ascend Kaelric seems to think I can."
"You can," Kaelric said firmly. "I have sensed your power before. You are stronger than you realize. Push through the barrier in Doya's mind. Balshak is behind it. Push him out."
"And what if he pushes me out again?" Kumbuye asked. "He already did earlier. I can barely even get through the barrier."
"No. Stop." I looked at him in disbelief. "Are you both seriously considering this?"
"This is the only way, Dana," Kaelric shot back. "Balshak will never stop trying to take control of him. Another mind-thraller is the only thing capable of resisting him inside Doya's mind."
"But Kumbuye isn't a mind-thraller."
"Yes, he is," Kaelric replied. "Every mind-hearer carries the ability to mind-thrall. Most never discover it because they never push their abilities far enough."
Kumbuye looked disturbed hearing that himself.
"You are strong," Kaelric continued. "You only need to believe it and go deeper."
I hated every part of this. But if this truly was the only way to save Doya from whatever Balshak was trying to turn him into, then I had no right to stand in the way.
"How would this affect Doya?" I asked.
Kaelric took in a deep breath. "It will not be easy for him. Two minds fighting inside his own..." He exhaled slowly. "But it is necessary."
Just then another scream rose from outside the tower. The barrier rippled again. They were still trying to break through.
"Kumbuye," Kaelric said as he turned toward the door, "keep trying. Do not let Balshak succeed." Then he left the chamber.
I walked toward Doya and crouched in front of him. His skin looked pale beneath the torches and when I touched him, he felt so cold.
"Doya." I whispered bringing my hands to his face, "I love you so much. Please survive this. Please be stronger than him."
I had even forgotten Kumbuye was still in the room. A tear slipped down my face and I wiped it away quickly before anyone could notice.
Doya never opened his eyes. I kissed his cold lips softly before leaving the chamber and allowing Kumbuye to continue alone.
---
We waited for hours.
The Forsaken still had not moved from the eastern hills. They remained hidden within the darkness watching us while every person inside Thyr Vael stood waiting for the first strike.
I returned to Doya's chamber several times, but nothing improved.
Kumbuye still had not managed to break through the barrier inside his mind. Though he claimed he was getting close, blood stained the skin beneath his nose from pushing himself too hard through countless failed attempts, yet he refused to stop trying.
Whether he believed in himself or not, he had no choice now. He had to save Doya.
Standing atop the tower and looking down at everyone prepared to die for this Temple placed another weight on my chest.
The guards.
The Bound.
The High Bound.
The Novitiates still too young for this war.
Even the healers waiting below.
Every one of them stood prepared to fight for what little remained theirs. I couldn't let them down because the truth was simple.
Against Balshak, none of them stood a chance.
I was their only hope of surviving him.
"Rider approaching!" one of the guards shouted.
"Archers ready!" the High Bound overseeing the wall called immediately.
In one movement, the archers reached into their quivers and raised their bows toward the darkness below.
A single rider emerged from the eastern road and stopped several feet away from the gates of Thyr Vael.
Even through the darkness, I could see something hanging from his hand.
A sack.
Blood dripped steadily from the bottom of it.
The rider lifted it like he wanted us to see it clearly.
Then he threw it toward the gates.
He stared up at us for another moment before turning his horse around and rode back into the darkness without saying a single word.
"Raise the gates!" Ascend Corvath ordered immediately.
Nobody moved at first. Every eye remained fixed on the blood-soaked sack lying outside the Temple gates.
"It could be cursed," one of the guards muttered nervously.
Corvath's expression hardened. "We still need to know what's inside."
A Bound stepped forward and said, "I'll retrieve it."
Corvath gave a single nod.
The gates groaned open enough for one man to slip through.
Every archer above the walls immediately adjusted their aim toward the darkness beyond him, prepared for an ambush that never came.
The Bound approached the sack carefully.
For a second, he hesitated.
Then he bent down and grabbed it tightly before turning back toward the gates. Blood dripped steadily from the bottom of the sack as he carried it.
Everyone's attention stayed fixed on it as the Bound slipped back through the gates and dropped the sack onto the stone floor inside the Temple.
I moved with the others as we made our way down from the watchtower toward the gates.
All eyes were on the sack, and yet no one seemed willing to be the first to open it.
"Kahl," Corvath called out to one of the guards.
He flinched at the sound of his name.
After a moment too long, he stepped forward and crouched beside it. His hands hesitated over the knot before slowly pulling it open.
"Gods..." he whispered.
"What is it?" Corvath asked.
Kahl didn't answer. He stood up, running to a corner and started throwing up.
I moved closer, trying to see into the sack, but the inside was too dark to make out clearly.
I lifted my hand and summoned a small flame, bringing it closer. Then I saw it — Severed heads, several of them. My stomach turned immediately.
They were the Bound from the second division, the ones sent to watch the forest paths south of the Temple.
But I didn't understand it.
Why send this back to us? Why bring their heads here?
The barrier above Thyr Vael shuddered again, but this time it was different. It shook the ground like it was about to split open.
Something was not right.
I ran back up to the top of the tower without waiting for anyone else, driven more by instinct than thought.
From there, the eastern hills were barely visible under the night. It looked like nothing had changed.
But then I noticed light. Small at first, scattered deep within the darkness.
My eyes narrowed as I tried to make sense of it, until my thoughts finally caught up.
It was fire. But not random fire. Fire-tipped arrows.
Then the first streak cut through the night.
It came out of the darkness like a line being drawn across the sky, fast and bright, cutting through the space between us in seconds. Before anyone could react, it struck one of the archers above the gate directly.
The barrier had been broken.
The first strike was followed immediately by another wave, heavier this time, spreading wider across the sky as fire-tipped arrows poured out of the darkness all at once.
"Get down!" someone finally shouted.
The High Bound leading them summoned a thin bubble of force that caught most of the incoming arrows and threw them back, but a few still broke through the gaps, and hit a few archers along the wall.
The reserved force behind the front line quickly moved into position.
"Nock!" the High Bound overseeing them ordered.
In perfect unison, they reached into their quivers and set arrows onto their bows.
"Draw!"
Every bow pulled back at once, the wood bending under tension as they aimed into the darkness beyond the gates.
"Loose!"
The arrows released in a single wave, cutting through the night and striking the advancing Forsaken. I saw them fall from their horses, while the others kept riding forward.
The order came again, from the High Bound.
"Nock!"
Hands moved instantly, as another set of arrows was set.
"Draw!"
The archers held steady, aiming into the darkness toward the charging Forsaken below.
"Loose!"
Another wave of arrows tore through the sky, dropping more of the Forsaken before they could reach the walls.
But enough of them survived.
The riders split apart near the gates, some breaking away while others pushed straight forward — they were forming around something. Through the chaos, I noticed a larger group forcing something heavy between them.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to see through the dark. It was a log. One thick enough that it took several men and two horses to drag it forward.
"Battering ram!" one of the guards shouted.
The Forsaken carrying the log charged the gates screaming in unison before slamming it hard against the heavy iron entrance of the Temple. The impact shook the walls beneath us.
Another strike followed immediately after.
The gates groaned loudly under the pressure.
The archers above quickly redirected their arrows toward the Forsaken carrying the ram, but large shields had already been raised above them, blocking most of the shots before they could land.
Below us, the Bound stationed behind the gates moved into formation at once. Shields locked tightly together, forming a solid line in front of the entrance while spears pushed through the gaps between them.
Behind the shield line, the remaining Bound drew their swords and waited silently in case of a breach.
Outside, the battering ram did not stop. It kept slamming into the iron gate again and again, each impact weakening its ability to hold.
As this continued, another group of Forsaken broke away from the main force. I saw them carrying something between them before they began throwing it up toward the walls.
"Climbers on the west wall!" a guard shouted.
Almost immediately, iron hooks shot up into the night, biting into the stone and iron edges of the wall. Thick ropes were tied to them as the Forsaken began pulling themselves upward.
The Bound reacted quickly. They summoned fireballs in their palms and sent them down, striking the climbers mid-way. Some fell immediately, burning or dropping into the darkness below, while others kept coming despite it.
Eventually one of them reached the top and pulled himself over the edge of the wall.
He drew his sword immediately and charged at the Bound nearby, who was still throwing fire down at the Forsaken climbing up the ropes.
The Forsaken raised his blade to strike, aiming for a clean cut that would have taken the Bound down before he could even turn.
But I reacted fast from where I stood at the tower.
I sent a force out toward the blade, striking the weapon away from the Forsaken's hand.
He turned sharply toward me from the distance.
The Bound who the Forsaken had targeted earlier didn't hesitate. He pivoted at once, and with a surge of his own power, pushed the Forsaken back off the wall.
I didn't know if the Forsaken saw me or even knew it was me through the darkness. The Ascend had warned me not to get involved in this battle unless Balshak showed himself.
"Dana..." one of the guards in the tower called to me.
I turned to look at him.
"It's Doya."
I rushed into the chamber where they were.
Doya was sitting upright with his eyes still closed. Kumbuye was on his knees right in front of him, blood pouring from his nostrils as his body trembled violently.
"Kumbuye," I called, moving closer to them. "Are you okay?"
His gaze met mine and he gave a faint smile. "I... I drove him out," he choked.
Tears blurred my vision as I reached out and touched Doya's face. "You did it?" His skin was warmer now, life slowly returning to him.
Kumbuye nodded, cleaning the blood from the skin beneath his nose.
"Doya, can you hear me?"
Doya blinked slowly, staring at his hands before looking up at me. "Dana...?"
Relief flooded through me at the sound of his voice, but before I could pull him into an embrace, Kumbuye broke down beside us.
"Kumbuye, what's wrong?" I asked, panic rising all over again.
"I can't leave..." he whispered as another drop of blood fell from his nose.
"What? I don't understand. You pushed Balshak out, break the connection."
"I can't..." he rasped. "Balshak... he'll slip back in if I leave his mind." His breathing grew heavier. "I've used too much energy... I can't hold it for long."
"No," I shook my head. "No, there has to be another way. This is killing you. You're not strong enough to keep holding it."
"Dana, listen to me," Kumbuye gasped, tightening his grip on me. Doya's eyes widened in fear, finally understanding what was happening.
Kumbuye looked directly at me.
"I'm holding the door shut," he said. "But I can't move. I can't help you out there." He let out a ragged breath. "You have to end this. You have to kill Balshak... or we both die in here."