Borne of Fire

Chapter 49

The Ulrogg marched forwards quickly and confidently. As discordant as their battle cry had been moments before, there was complete harmony in their lines as they marched. Each of them was terrifying in their guise and their uniformity, showing discipline, experience and power in every stride.

The army of Boreham did their best to mirror this with Ja'aris leading the Vanguard forward briskly. The sharp blast from a horn being their signal to march, with men and boys drawing swords and holding them tightly as they did. Ja'aris rode swiftly up and down the line on his charger, reins held in one hand and Braxter's sword held aloft in the other, ensuring nobody broke rank and that they all meet battle as one in order to have the greatest impact. However he may have been perceived before the battle had begun - mysterious, questionable or suspicious - he was a figurehead now and he knew exactly how to play that part.

"People of Boreham!" He bellowed as his army marched and the gap between them and the Ulrogg closed. "It's time we made these vermin pay! Who's with me?" An enormous cheer rang out as he charged one final time along the line before standing up in his stirrups and giving a penultimate command. "On my mark - we kill!" And he gave a smile full of blood lust savagery, looking fierce, brutal and almost as feral as the Ulrogg. He jumped lightly from his mount, a stable hand appearing and taking it by the reins away from the front line, as he fell into line with the rest of the Vanguard, two men moving aside to make room for him wordlessly. His black eyes met theirs and where once they may have shunned him, now he was accepted as one of their own.

"Watcher."

"Watcher."

The word was repeated and rippled through the ranks like a mantra, the men of his unit being heartened by his presence, fierce grins appearing on faces, teeth bared and ground together as they were emboldened.

And still the space between the two armies closed.

The half mile between them had become half that distance and then half that distance again, feet tramping down the green turf underneath as the sun shone down from a sky blue and full of Winter chill. As the Ulrogg came closer, the sheer horrific sight of them in numbers began to put doubt in the minds of some members of the unit however, undoing the work Ja'aris' words had just done.

"Hold the line! Hold!" Yelled Ja'aris to his left as men began to break their formation, nerves getting the better of their discipline causing them to lose concentration and on the verge of running one way or another in their desperation to do something. Those men fell back into line quickly as his words reached them, not needing to be told twice.

"What's your name lad?" He asked the man beside him.

"Wilks, sire." The man croaked nervously. He was a man but only just and Ja'aris could tell that he, like others was close to turning and running now that the Ulrogg had been seen at such close range.

"Stay close to me Wilks. Fight hard today and live the rest of your days and forever-more as a hero." It was the best advice he could give and it seemed to do the trick - Wilks clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes in determination.

Ja'aris looked to his right - the front row of the Vanguard beginning to fracture there as it had on the left only a moment ago.

"Steady lads! Steady!" he barked, knowing that if the line broke too soon they would be almost useless in effect. Thankfully, those men fell back into line just as the others had done. "Just a few more seconds." He said to himself.

And then the marching was done.

Ja'aris looked at the sky above him and offered a final prayer - "El rememberous a - la Petta" - before roaring at the top of his lungs: "NOW - KILL! KILL! KILL!"