Part 1

Thrak threatened to overcome them. Kyburn was in the middle of the fray, fighting like a beast.

Erik leapt backward, dodging a swipe of the claws as Thrak rushed him. Two men from each side pushed forward, shields raised and slammed into them, stunning the aliens momentarily, giving Erik time to regain his footing. One Thrak jumped over the men and slashed at him with its sharp claws then tried biting his sword arm.

Sidestepping, Erik brought his sword upward, cutting through its neck and out its shoulder nearly cutting the head off. It screeched in a bloody mess as it fell to the ground. Immediately, Erik rushed forward and aided the shield men. They were stabbing at the Thrak over their shields, mostly keeping them at bay rather than wounding them significantly.

Grabbing a spear from the ground, Erik chucked it straight into the mouth of a Thrak lunging over the shield of men. A moment later, a strong feeling of urgency wafted over him, blurring his mind and vision.

Erik immediately recognized it to be Felkuru but hadn’t the slightest clue why. Something was happening to Fel from a distance, though it felt as if he were close. Stumbling backward, Kyburn rushed over to him, noticing his drunken state. His strong arms caught him before he fell to the ground. Falling to one knee, Kyburn supported him, followed by dragging him away from the front line and to relative safety.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing the symptoms of his precious bouts of Fel’s conscience. “Is it the Vog again? What do you see?”

“I-I don’t,” Erik mumbled over the roar of fighting. “He’s close though. I can feel him.”

“Here? In Xer?” Kyburn frowned, looking over at two men being flung from the wall, spikes protruding out of their chests.

“No.” Erik groaned as his headache intensified. “There.” he pointed over the wall toward the Thrak.”

“You’re not making any sense,” Kyburn shouted over the noise. “That’s the Thrak, not the Vog. Felkuru is in Vulkira. Don’t worry about it, okay? Just rest here, for now, keep your head down where it’s safe.”

“A-alright.” Erik winched in pain. “Be careful.”

Kyburn nodded then headed back to the front line. The wall was being overrun and the city below was virtually undefended as Thrak slipped through. A moment later, Erik watched in horror as the female Emarine, in the distance, was shot off the wall along with four other soldiers. She disappeared from sight as she fell.

Groaning, Erik lifted himself to get a look. For several moments he couldn’t find her or the soldiers that had fallen. A flash of movement caught his eyes as she leaped through the air and onto the lower steps.

She looked totally unfazed as she sprinted up the stairs but by that point, the Thrak were pouring over the wall now that she wasn’t there to defend it. The soldiers fought bravely, trying to stem the flow but in vain as dozens of good men died at the hands of the aliens.

An explosion erupted near the point in which Lamir defended, making them all flinch in fear. Whatever happened, the point in which they defended didn’t relent, however.

“He’s here.” he thought. “Kaladin.”

Felkuru’s mind was clear for a moment and Erik saw glimpses into what he was seeing. An Emarine was cutting the female Thrak to pieces. And there was an army of Vog.

Head throbbing, Erik quickly crawled further back from the fighting, his head still dizzy.

Through Fel’s vision, arrows sprayed over the Vog and Thrak, hitting both sides and panic gripped him.

“Stop!” Erik yelled at the towers above. “The Vog are on our side! Stop shooting them!”

Kyburn noticed his yelling then signaled them to focus fire on the Thrak. Relief washed over him.

To his surprise, Lamir had also heard him. How the Emarine had heard him yell from this far away was a mystery to him but Lamir signaled, along with Kyburn, to focus their arrows anywhere but the Vog and Emarine.

Another eruption of flame and force blasted skyward, causing them all to fall. Erik saw then as the Emarine below was shot by the females and flung into the wall as the Thrak pile fell atop him, burying him. He had just collapsed the pyramid where they were defending.

“Help him!” Kyburn bellowed.

Erik scrambled to his feet and looked over the edge.

Archers focused their fire, trying to support the mystery Emarine and Erik guessed he was the one Yvlana was so desperate to find. He was completely enveloped in a mass of Thrak bodies. An instant later Yvlana leapt over the side, digging her hand into the stone, slowing her descent. A moment later, Lamir followed suit but at a slower pace. Not only did he free fall, but he also hacked at any remaining Thrak on his way down.

Yvlana let go of the wall and landed into the pile of bodies. Immediately, she went into a frenzy. Cutting and slashing everything in her path to Kaladin.

It seemed the fall had no impact on them as their suits slammed into the ground below. Lamir joined Yvlana a few seconds later.

Rushing into the fray, Yvlana yanked and heaved the Thrak off Kaladin and protected him. The Vog were finishing off the females but another two or three hundred Thrak still approached and one more pyramid of Thrak still threatened the wall. A small hope crept inside him, as he realized the females were all but dead, only a few remained which only left the much smaller and easier enemies to kill.

Lamir lobbed a small silver object into the mass of bodies. Another massive explosion identical to the other two shot skyward. Immediately, Lamir tossed another powder bag, signaling to the archers to use the Emarine weapons on the approaching Thrak. Blasts of blue energy shot over the heads of the Vog and cut through the remaining Thrak, collapsing the approaching charge and causing them to stumble over themselves, and the line halted in its tracks.

Pouncing on the opportunity of mayhem, the Vog rushed forward, easily decimating the remaining Thrak, though many Vog died.

An eerie silence fell upon the city of Unari.

It seemed the battle was over. Cheers and howls of victory erupted, breaking the silence. Vog and human alike.

Erik lifted his bruised arms and shoved a fist into the air along with a victory cry.

The few Thrak remaining fled in terror as the Vog hunted them down.

To his left, Erik noticed a shimmer on the wall next to him, his eyes betraying him, he brushed it off as part of his headache and the excitement of winning. An instant later, however, proved him wrong.

“Look out!” a soldier shouted, leaping in front of him as a grey Thrak pounced.

Three camouflaged aliens appeared from nowhere, trying to quietly kill him while no one was looking. The man in front of him immediately was killed, too slow to raise his shield in time.

Erik whipped Frostmoon from his scabbard and yelled a warning to the surrounding men. The creature lunged for him without hesitation, determined to spill his blood. Their determination was shocking as if they were targeting him personally.

Erik leapt forward and cut one in two, lopping its head in half. It thrashed around but would die soon. The other two lunged at once, giving Erik no room to retreat, or dodge.

Doing the only thing possible, Erik jumped straight up, bringing Frostmoon down on the back of one and pushing his arm out to block the second. Its razor-sharp jaw latched onto his left arm, shredding his flesh like a saw.

Screaming in pain, Erik stomped his foot into the head of the first, giving him leverage to pull his sword free, and stabbed the one attached to his arm. Plunging the sword through its ribs and out the other side, didn’t loosen its grip, only making it tighter.

Still alive, the Thrak clawed at Erik’s body, slashing him across the chest several times. Unable to break free, Erik heaved himself up in another stab, cutting through its neck. It still writhed and refused to die.

Before it could do more damage, several soldiers hacked at the alien like madmen, desperately trying to save Erik. The weight of the Thrak slumped and made him stumble backward.

Still in shock, Erik felt something tear and he looked down at his left arm. Only a bloody stump remained. His left arm, still in the jaws of the dead Thrak two paces away.

His eyes went wide in horror and he started screaming in agony as the shock wore off. The soldiers could only stand around him, helpless to do anything.

Blood gushed from his stump and he grasped his shoulder, staring at his missing arm and falling to the ground to one knee. It felt as if his arm was still there but the sight of it missing sent shivers down his spine and he screamed again.

A loud growl of pain reverberated over the walls. He could hear Fel screaming too, feeling his pain and worry for him.

Strong hands shoved him to the ground and held him there. It was Kyburn. As his vision blurred and his consciousness slipped, he tried desperately to stay awake. Pools of blood soaked the ground around him. Kyburn nearly slipped in it but he began wrapping his arm in bandages.

Erik’s vision went completely black.

Part 2

“ERIK!” Rayman bellowed, as she ran past Xerath and nearly shoved Kyburn aside.

“Doctor!” Rayman screamed at the top of his lungs. “Get a physician!”

Xerath stepped up beside them and felt utterly helpless. A moment later he walked over to the dead aliens and dislodged Erik’s left limb from its jaws. Two soldiers helped him pry it from its mouth.

There were rumors of doctors being able to reattach limbs but Xerath doubted it was possible now. Erik was losing blood fast and he had just fallen unconscious.

The king held Erik’s shredded limb with a blank stare. The flesh was torn in minced patterns and he winced.

“Xerath.” Kyburn turned from Erik, only now noticing his king. “You came.”

“Not now. How is he?” Xerath looked at Erik’s half-conscious body.

Rayman quickly took Kyburn’s place and started treating Erik as best he could. “Someone get a physician!” he screamed again.

Several men had already left in search of one, but it seemed Rayman was too focused on Erik to know that. Xerath felt sorry for the man. And seeing his brother-in-law lying there sent a shiver of terror through him.

Henry ran to the edge and bellowed over the side to where the Emarine were.

“Lamir! Help!” Henry’s voice croaked from the strain.

Kyburn grabbed Henry’s shoulder, turning him around. “Erik will be alright,” he said unconvincingly.

Xerath hoped his friend was right. He wanted to have that sense of surety.

Loud thudding noises on the wall pulled their attention from Henry. A moment later, Lamir leapt up from the side and landed next to them. He had climbed the wall by hand, no doubt digging his fingers directly into the stone.

“It’s Erik. He’s hurt, it's bad. Can you carry him down?” Henry pointed to his friend. “Please Lamir, you’re strong enough to take him down to a doctor quicker than we could.”

Walking past the boy, Lamir patted his shoulder, “Of course Henry. I’ll do what I can.”

Rayman apparently didn’t hear their conversation as he was cradling Erik’s limp form in his arms and crying.

“Keep him away for now,” Lamir ordered.

Rayman resisted at first but quickly relented as he came to his senses. “Save him.” he whimpered in defeat. “Please. Do something.”

Still holding Erik’s severed arm, two guards ran over to him with a clean white sheet and wrapped it tightly. Blood instantly soaked through and it started dripping but Xerath kept holding it.

“You think they can reattach it?” Kyburn asked him.

“I hope so.” Xerath frowned.

“But I doubt it.” he thought.

Part 3

Dozens of men surrounded them but parted quickly, they were all there to aid the Vulkirian king. Refusing any help, Lamir lifted Erik effortlessly and followed two men claiming they knew where the physicians were.

Rushing as fast as he could, Lamir descended the stairs swiftly.

After a few minutes of frantic rushing, they reached the bottom where a makeshift medical center had been erected earlier.

Laying Erik down, Lamir, with caution, was ushered away to a distance as the surgeons began working on stopping the bleeding. Erik was pale and looked dead already.

Kyburn grimaced as they cut bits of hanging flesh from the torn limb.

A woman, unfamiliar to Kyburn, rushed in from outside the tent. “Where is he?” she asked frantically.

“Amira,” Xerath whispered. “Can you help him?” he nodded toward Erik.

To his surprise, Xerath was still beside him, holding the severed limb in a blood-soaked cloth. Kyburn could only guess how he was feeling as his brother-in-law fought for his life.

“I don’t know,” Amira said quickly, passing him.

She looked back at the bloody bundle in Xerath’s arms and her eyes went wide, realizing what it was.

“Our focus will be saving his life.” she ushered aside the man working on Eric's arm and swiftly took over.

“I’m sorry, sire.” one of the male physicians said. “It’s too late for that. If we had gotten to him sooner, perhaps, but not now.”

Xerath looked to Amira for confirmation and she nodded without looking at him.

“No!” Rayman wailed, his face showing his devastation. Knowing full well the impact it would have on Erik’s life at losing a limb. “Please! Try!” he pleaded.

Xerath laid the bundle onto a table and turned to the grieving man.

“Rayman.” Xerath shook him by the shoulders. “Get a hold of yourself. There is nothing they can do to save the arm but he will live.”

Inwardly, Kyburn couldn’t help but imagine Henry on that table and he wondered if he would’ve had the same reaction as Rayman. If it were Henry on that table dying... He shuttered at the thought and silently thanked Hashem for keeping Henry safe.

Rayman stared into Xerath’s eyes, looking for hints of doubt but found none. Xerath truly believed Erik would not die and that gave him hope.

It also gave Kyburn hope. Henry too looked more at ease from Xerath’s declaration.

“I’ll save him,” Amira said with a determined face. “I promise.”

“We should give them space,” Xerath ordered. “Come, Henry. I need your help with something. It’ll get your mind off of things.”

Rayman didn’t have to say what he was doing, there wasn’t a chance anyone could pull him away from Erik’s side.

“Kyburn.” Xerath clasped his shoulder. “I’m glad you made it. I know this mission has been... tough. But we’ll talk later about that. For now, get some rest... if you can.”

“I can’t leave him either,” Kyburn stated. “We didn’t get along well but…” he trailed off.

“Very well. I understand.” Xerath said softly. “Keep me updated on his condition. I’ll keep Henry occupied.”

“I will,” Kyburn replied.

With that, Rayman and Kyburn were left alone. Watching Erik struggle for his life.