Half a league, half a league,
Half a league forward,
All in the Valley of Death,
Rode the six hundred,
"Forward, The Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!" he said.
Into the Valley of Death,
Rode the six hundred.
Calum remembered a poem his father read to him once. It was about six hundred Granoan soldiers who made a brave charge.
And here he was, in an army charging forth, roughly forty-thousand strong.
"Forward, The Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the Valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
His father told him that the commander had ordered his men to charge, even though the anticipated result was obvious-a slaughter. But the soldiers did what they were told. They didn't questions their orders or talk back.
The Prasidiei army flew forth at their king's orders. He knew they had absolute faith in their king.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
The poem had been written after the actions of that particular Granoan brigade, honouring their brave sacrifice, which became a pivoting point in an important war. Indeed, all of Granoa had marvelled at their actions. The Light Brigade was the most revered group of soldiers in the history of the Granoan empire. His father claimed he had grown up idolising the Light Brigade.
Whatever the outcome, they would be making an honourable endeavour. Calum clung onto that thought as they flew, his heart pounding in anticipation of what would happen next.
Qi'ra soared next to him, part of her invisible thanks to the Prasidius carrying her.
The army had turned invisible upon departure, using empathy links and a memorised route to prevent from crashing into one another. Despite having only a few hours to practice, they were doing great.
The smell of ozone was intoxicating, too. Every last Prasidius held the power of one lightning bolt in their whips. The outer formation didn't carry their whips for the sake of stealth.
"This is incredible, yeah?" Calum yelled over the wind.
"Yeah," Qi'ra replied. She looked a little queasy, probably because from their point of view, they were flying through the air for no apparent reason.
We are almost at the Sword of the Sky! Aetos said to him over the empathy link.
Calum took a deep breath. Everything that happened over the course of their journey was leading up to this very moment.
YOU ARE READING
Heavenly Mortals-Act One
FantasyA fantasy with hints of real world culture. A revelation, A journey, And a beginning. A little over 80000 words Calum has been through many abrupt changes as a child. From a child of nobility to being sent into hiding, he trains in hopes of saving h...
