Read The Champions for Free Online Page B

walking inferno.
Before long, Rose and those at her command became a primary target for King
Sigrant’s mages, and though some fell beneath the onslaught of ice, lightning,
and fire, Rose foiled most incoming attacks. All of Valdadore’s mages retaliated
in kind each time an attack was thrown.
    Rose watched as lightning was unleashed towards the giant
flying beast in the air above them but saw that the beast blocked the blow with
one armored arm. What should have killed him did not so much as slow him. Better
than that, Rose located another target, but the flying beast was already upon
the mage who dared cast lightning at him.
    Werewolf, mage, knight, and flying beast all attacked the
mages of the invading force, and within an hour they had been destroyed, along
with several companies of infantry as well. Sigrant had taken another hard hit.
Afternoon was growing late and none knew if the invading king would press his
attack through the night, nor what else he might have in store for them.
    *****
    King Sigrant sat upon his stallion, near enough now to the
front lines to see for himself what played out upon the field. His mages
wreaked havoc upon the giant wolfmen; in moments half a dozen of the beasts
fell. Seconds later one of the foul flying beasts came tumbling out of the sky,
an inferno of blazing feathers. King Sigrant smiled. It was not that he was a
malicious man. He was simply driven. He needed Valdadore so that he could
continue expanding and he could afford to lose some men to acquire the
valuable nation. Thus far he had been throwing pebbles at Valdadore. Sadly the
small nation had been crumbling before the pebbles.
    As his progress began to slow, Sigrant began to toss some
small rocks at Valdadore and now those rocks were running amuck, devastating
the large beasts that many thought to be demons raised from some abyss. Even a
boulder will eventually relent to sand being thrown at it, and Sigrant had
brought both to the battle, sand and boulders. Thus far he did not imagine
needing the boulders, but just in case he preferred to give them time to catch
up with the rest of his army. They were lumbering things that could destroy
entire villages in a single breath, but by the gods they were slow.
    Signaling a messenger, Sigrant gave the order to continue
the fight from their current location, but to move no further. Just as the
messenger dashed off, a great blaze of fire erupted some distance off and began
moving towards the battle. The invading king did not have to wait long to see
what this mobile inferno was. He knew a brigade of mages when he saw one in
action. He gestured to one of his captains and arrows were loosed. Not a single
of Valdadore’s mages fell before the volley, though several of his own men near
to them did. The arrows meant for the mages burnt up completely before
penetrating the barrier of fire surrounding them.
    Within seconds Sigrant’s own mages began to hone in on the
cluster of flaming Valdadorians but to little effect. Each time one of his
mages cast a spell they were set upon from above by a flying beast or by one of
the giant wolfmen. If they were not immediately dispatched in such a way,
dozens of fireballs were hurled at them, burning them in magical fire.
Sigrant’s small stones were failing to be effective. He took mental notes of the
failure and began planning for the following day. He summoned another
messenger.
    “Have the men fall back a few hundred yards. See if
Valdadore’s champions have it in them to press the attack.”
    *****
    Borrik soared above both forces, his giant leathery wings
flapping furiously at times to keep him aloft. He watched below as the
battleground turned into a frozen wasteland designed to destroy his men. As the
first few fell to its designs, Borrik began to retaliate. Summoning fireballs
he began to destroy the spires of pointed ice and, as mages turned their eyes
skyward to face him, he either unleashed more fireballs or swept down from
above to cut