The Vampire & Her Witch

Outside the walls of Hanrahan town, Dame Sybyll brought her advancing army to a halt atop a small rise just five hundred paces from the west gate of Hanrahan town.

-HAAAAAAAARUUUUUUMMMMM-

A trumpet blast from Ipiktok's Tuscans not only signalled the army's stop, but echoed across the whole of Hanrahan Town and the valley in which it sat, signalling the drummers at the edge of the wilderness to pause their steady, rhythmic march while Dame Sybyll's forces rearranged themselves for the assault.

The advance across the snow covered valley had been slow and steady, even though it gave the defenders plenty of time to get their own forces in position. While Sybyll could have rushed across the valley to take the defenders by surprise, the result would have been tired soldiers arriving winded and out of breath while their opponents were relatively fresh. Instead, she took her time on a long stroll through the gently rolling hills of the valley of her long lost home while her army marched steadily behind her.

"Hauke, unfurl yer banner o' light," Dame Sybyll commanded as she stared at the walls of her home town and the dozens of archers standing atop them.

There were fires set on the walls behind the men to allow them to see into the night and find their targets, but even with the combination of moonlight and starlight reflecting off the snow and the torches carried by Dame Sybyll's forces, it was still difficult to make out details at a distance for anyone who lacked Dame Sybyll's superior vision.

Tonight's battle would be fierce and Sybyll wasn't willing to risk any mistakes. If a man wanted to surrender or a commoner was caught out where they shouldn't be, she didn't want confusion and darkness to be a reason for unnecessary bloodshed. So, even though it would place a burden on the young Frost Walker lord to maintain his sorcery throughout the night, Sybyll didn't hesitate to ask him to push back the curtain of darkness that lay over her home town.

Nearby, Hauke raised the Runic Blade of Eternal Ice, surrounding himself and the sword's long, wide blade in a pale blue-green aura as he prepared to 'unfurl a banner of light' in the sky above Hanrahan Town. Four different runes along the length of the blade pulsed with bright, purple light and for a moment, a chill wind blew over Dame Sybyll's army before it swirled high into the sky, carrying Hauke's sorcery with it.

Several heartbeats later, while Dame Sybyll's army organized themselves into neat ranks, hurling their torches onto makeshift sleds that carried piles of tinder to become bonfires in the night, Hauke's sorcery sliced through the sky above Hanrahan Town.

At first, it was nothing more than a shimmer in the sky, barely seen by anyone, but then, like a banner unwinding from around its staff, vast curtains of shimmering blue and green light began to ripple in the sky, covering the entire valley in a pale, blue-green radiance that was almost as bright as the morning sun on a cloudy day.

The powerful display of sorcery did far more than just illuminating the town that would soon transform into a battlefield. Placed high in the sky at a height that would align with clouds had there still been any in the night sky, the shifting ribbons of light could be seen for dozens of leagues in every direction, providing a signal to the dispersed raiding parties of Commander Tausau's Third Army, freeing them to begin their assault on every village in Hanrahan Barony.

Only Raek Village at the northern edge of the barony would be spared. Everyone else in the barony, however, would soon learn where the demons had gone after their first terrifying round of raids, only this time, they were coming for far more than a few wagon loads of crops.

At the Temple of the Holy Lord of Light, Head Priest Germot stared in horror as the demonic light blossomed across the night sky.

"This is unnatural," he muttered as he stared at the sky. Colors were dull and muted, washed out by the unholy light. It wasn't the soft, golden glow of a brightly burning fire or the dull, reddish warmth of a fire burning low, nor was it the pale, silvery light of the stars in the heavens or the pure, radiant light of the sun… this light was something that didn't exist in the natural world. Something twisted and evil that perverted the Holy Lord of Light's gift and he wouldn't stand for it.

Throughout the temple, the common people muttered in fear, pressing up against each other and cowering before the evil, demonic light. The temple had already started to fill with people seeking shelter from the storm, but once the warning bell rang and the unholy drumming began, every man, woman and child of great faith had rushed to the temple, filling the chapel, the courtyard and every available space of the temple grounds with people seeking shelter and safety.

"We're gonna' die!" a young mother shrieked, clutching her young son to her chest while the strong, powerful arms of her husband wrapped around both wife and child, as if he would use his own body to shield them from the evil light in the sky.

"It's witchcraft! Witchcraft coverin' tha' skies!" an older man shouted, pointing at the shifting ribbons of light in the sky with a gnarled, bony finger. "It's tha' end o' days!"

"Save us, o' Holy Lord. Have mercy on me!"

"I know I weren't a good man, but please, this once, donn'a let me die t'night…"

"Everyone! Everyone, listen to me!" Germot cried as the voices of the panicked faithful grew louder and louder. "Yes, the demons have come," he acknowledged as he clutched at the polished wooden staff topped by a golden sun emblem that carried a faint trace of the Holy Lord of Light's power after years of use in countless ceremonies.

"But just because the demons have come doesn't mean the Holy Lord of Light has forsaken us!" Germot said loudly. "Tonight, we will show the demons the power of our faith! We will show them that good will triumph over evil and that we will not shrink back from our struggle! Lend me your voices. Fill the air with the power of your faith. Open up your hearts to the Holy Lord of Light and sing his praises with me," he said.

He would never admit it, perhaps not even to himself, but seeing demon sorcery that could cover the entire sky with twisted, unholy light had shaken the Head Priest to his core. If the demons were this powerful than the weak prayers and wards his acolytes had set over the walls would do nothing to protect the town.

But that didn't mean that he was powerless to fight back! He might not be able to protect the whole of the town, but with enough of the faithful gathered, he should be able to bring about a minor miracle…