Riley stared up into the black eyes of the man who held his life at the tip of a spear. He'd somehow maintained his grip on his sword in his fall, but there was no possibility of raising it more quickly than the prince could pierce his throat with the spear. He resisted the urge to close his eyes with fear, and steadfastly held the older man's gaze.
"Your Majesty," Duncan called, without taking his eyes from Riley's, "this wayward youth has insulted you most keenly. Perhaps you would like to end his life by your own hands?"
"That dog-faced battle ax couldn't kill me if four of you held me down!" Riley spat up at him, finding his courage again. He noticed a corner of the crown prince's mouth twitch upward just slightly.
"That blabbering child shall not bear the honor of dying by my hand." Titania said smoothly. "You may kill him now."
"That's right you wart-covered fishwife! Let your lackey do what you can't! Show your people what a useless leader you are!" Riley continued calling at her, heedless of the sharp edge now gently pressing against his throat.
"You cannot bait me," Titania said darkly, earning a laugh from Riley.
"Because you know you're nothing!"
"Kill him now!" Titania roared at her son.
Duncan drew his spear back slightly, raising it to strike the final blow, when something changed. The man in front of him, who should bear the look of fear that immediately precedes death, instead looked up at him with confusion.
The change was surprising enough to stay the prince's hand for a moment.
"Your eyes!" Riley exclaimed, shock, and--excitement?--passing across his face.
Duncan blinked. Although he was trained never to look away from a subdued opponent, he chanced a look at the nearest Rhone solider, who was staring at him with wide blue eyes.
Startled, Duncan hastily drew the curved sword at his side. Though the light was dim, the torches illuminating the battlefield were enough for him to look in the reflection of his blade. Green eyes stared back at him.
He looked around at the rest of his troops, observing a variety of green, grey, brown, hazel, and blue gazes all looking around as if seeing each other for the first time. The Darkness was gone from their eyes.
"The curse!! It is broken!" He called out in triumph. A confused moment followed as the Rhone wondered what exactly they'd done to accomplish such a task. Still, a cheer rose from amongst them before it was drowned out by a screech of pure fury.
Titania stood exactly where she had been, her jet-black eyes burning with animosity as she stared at Duncan. He had no time to ponder the lack of change in their color.
"Klain are our brothers! We cease our attack and surrender!" He declared, throwing down his spear and sword, and leaning to help Riley stand.
"NO! ATTACK! KILL THEM ALL! RAZE THE CITY!" The pitch of Titania's voice rose, the volume inhuman and terrifying. Those nearest to her flinched away in fear.
"If you want that to happen, you'll have to do it yourself," Duncan replied evenly. Her unbridled rage turned on him, and she raced directly at him to strike.
Duncan dove into a roll, retrieving and raising his spear in her direction, and braced for impact from the powerful sorceress. It didn't come. He stared in shock as mid-run she stopped as if hitting a wall.
Her scream split the air, causing soldiers to drop their weapons and cover their ears. She threw herself over and over against an invisible barrier like a rabid animal, each impact ripping away her façade of humanity.
Cracks formed across her face and limbs, and the breaking pieces fell revealing nothing but darkness underneath. Black void seeped out from these crevices and leaked across the ground in a terrifying display.
"What... what IS that??" Riley scrambled backward.
Titania's human face fell away at last, revealing a form so tenebrous that it seemed to smother the light that came within reach.
"I am the Darkness," The voice was no longer the gentle, calculating cadence of Titania's manipulations. It shrieked and boomed, echoing through the night and bloodying the ears of those nearest to it. "I am the Void. Fear me and worship me. Bow to my rule or be destroyed by it."
Terror gripped the soldiers. Fighting a powerful human sorceress was bad enough, but this dark entity was something altogether different.
"GET INSIDE THE CITY!" Duncan ordered his men. "IT CANNOT CROSS THE WALL!"
Not needing to be told to flee more than once, the Rhone sprinted into the breach. The Klain soldiers reacted in confusion. Was this an attack? Was the surrender false? The General faced only a split second of indecision.
"Fall back!" He called, and the order was repeated by subordinates, echoing across the battlefield. The currents of war change quickly and without warning. With this unpredictable shift, he would have to take the chance of gaining new allies against this dark creature.
The Void lashed out at the Rhone daring to seek shelter in Klain. Like shadowy whips, aphotic strands of black stretched out and struck dead all those who ran for safety. The Darkness spread to span the width of the breach in the wall, an absolute barrier to anyone who tried to pass.
"All who serve me will be spared," The booming voice declared to the Rhone trapped outside. "Surround the city, and starve them out. There will be no survivors."
Some of the Rhone obeyed, at least temporarily, for fear of the retribution disobedience might earn. Some snuck off into the night, hoping to elude the fury of whatever otherworldly beast had been their ruler only moments before.
A echoing whistle sounded from the Void, and the distant howls of wolves promised doom to those who fled.
The Klain and Rhone within the city rallied, and began firing arrows and throwing stones into the blackness, to no effect. No one dared try to attack it directly for fear of being pulled outside the protective barrier.
There seemed to be no weapons at their disposal that could harm this enemy.
"General, what are your orders?" His aide asked with as steady a voice as he could manage.
"Care for the wounded, remove the dead. Take the Rhone to the jail and confine them until I can speak with their leader about the terms of their surrender." The General commanded.
Klain had been well-prepared to defend against siege warfare before the wall had been broken. Now that a magical wall kept out the greatest threat to their safety, they were more or less in a position they had anticipated.
He wished he knew how long the barrier would last. He needed to consult with anyone with knowledge of its properties, or information regarding what exactly they fought now. Sending someone to summon Mayra from her place at Dr. Sherman's home, he strode toward Riley and Prince Duncan, who stood, staring blankly at the curtain of Darkness.
"Corporal," He said, laying his hand on Riley's shoulder, "Well done. Dress your wounds and meet me at my home so that we may discuss some things outside the hearing of... that. You," He turned to Prince Duncan, "Please accompany me now. Your men will be held while we discuss things."
"Understood. Thank you for the asylum you are giving the men of mine inside the barrier. I am Prince Duncan, commander of Rhone's army." Though his voice was steady and focused on the moment, Duncan silently worried for the women and children of the Rhone who were currently camped a distance from the battle.
At least they were outside the Darkness. After Titania had breached the wall and gotten all the male captives killed, he had quietly ordered the remaining villagers freed. They were being fed and taken care of by the Rhone women until new homes could be found.
He had not intended that their husbands and fathers be used in such a heartless way.
Duncan followed The General into the city, passing the young warrior he had only barely defeated. Such skill in so young a man was praiseworthy.
The young man gave him a lopsided grin before turning away with a frown to survey the battlefield. He gasped and ran a short distance to a severely wounded man lying awkwardly across a broken piece of rubble.
"Captain! Captain Grayson, can you hear me??" He demanded, kneeling beside the man. Duncan cleared his throat, and the General looked back at him. Cutting his eyes toward Riley, The prince asked a silent question.
"Get a doctor to the Captain," The General told his aide before continuing forward, a broken prince following his footsteps. "I hope you can explain all of this to me in a satisfactory manner." he said over his shoulder.
"I wouldn't hope for that too hard if I were you," Prince Duncan replied with grim honesty.