149 Fervor (1/2)

”Rise!” another serf cried.

”Rise!” a dozen more similar shouts echoed.

”Rise!” now there were hundreds. And the hundreds turned into thousands.

Helios felt uneasy on his seat. The shouts brought trepidation. He felt like an prey facing a multitude of predators with a single mind. The hair on his arms rose. A chill struck his spine. He shifted a little towards Ivan.

”Make them stop!” He shouted to Ivan but his own shout was lost among loud cries of the serfs.

The nobles were also scared. They were restless. The mercenary captains on the other hand acted calm. They were the first to move. They ordered their soldiers to present a perimeter around the serfs.

But it was too late. Too late indeed.

Helios did not see how it started. After a single blink of an eye he saw that the serfs were already fighting the mercenaries in a fierce melee. Many of the serfs were unarmed. Some had crude weapons. But they still slammed against the mercenaries.

Chaos. It was chaos. Fighting erupted from all sides. Blood flowed- both belonging to serfs and mercenaries. They clashed. They fought. They died.

Men fell in the hundreds. Most of them were serfs. Unarmed fighters were no matched to the mercenaries.

But the mercenaries were outnumbered heavily. There were only a few hundred of them present at the moment. Most of the mercenaries were either sleeping, on sentry duty or on patrol. The line of the mercenaries would soon fall.

Helios knew that there was no calming the crowd now. The serfs exhibited fury. Only death would calm them. He grabbed Ivan's arm.

”Let's go! We need to live. You need to live. We still need you”

Ivan looked blankly at Helios and with a nod he followed. The nobles were also scramming. It was every man for himself. Helios stepped down from the platform while tugging Ivan behind. They started running towards their camp. Only the bulk force of mercenaries could save them now. Five thousand mercenaries should be enough to slaughter the serfs. It was a shame losing the serfs but they had no choice.

Three serfs ran towards them. Helios' hands erupted in flames. He grabbed a serf by the neck and the man started burning. The other two were taken back by what happened. They hesitated. That was their mistake. Helios grabbed another serf by the tunic. The cloth burned and the serf screamed. He was done for. A fiery death for a lowly serf.

The remaining serf looked at him in disbelief. The serf stepped back and started running away. Helios wanted to burn that one too. He wanted his flame to engulf the lowly serf. But they don't have much time. Even his flames cannot stop them from getting overwhelmed.

He gestured for Ivan to continue running towards the camp. It didn't take them long to reach the safe haven.

The camp was already awake when they arrived. The mercenaries must have heard the commotion. Soldiers clad in armor were starting to form lines of defense around the camp. The officers were chanting orders to organize the defense. Upon seeing Helios and Ivan the mercenaries divided and let them inside. Nobles and mercenaries that survived the onslaught of the serfs were also permitted inside the safety of the camp.

Helios was panting and so was Ivan. They had just survived a fatal encounter. But now that they had organized a defense, the rebellious serfs would soon all die. Those serfs would burn.

”Enemies!” A cry rang from a mercenary not far from them. The mercenary pointed to the north.

Helios looked to the direction. Men with tattered and muddy clothes emerged from the darkness. Some of them were bloody. They were the serfs. Their numbers alone could make a brave man lose his courage.

”To the east sire! To the east I see something!” another mercenary shouted.

Helios turned his head to the east. The city of Anthapis rests like a giant. But when he looked at the gates he frowned heavily. The defenders had sallied forth. Several thousand were marching towards their direction. On their hands were spears and swords and shields. Some carried crossbows. The man at the very front was waving the flag of Earl Vernice. Painted on the cloth was the image of two stalks of wheat with a scythe in the middle.

But before Helios could let out a curse another shout of despair rang.

”The west! I see the lion! Oh God it's the lion!”

Several horsemen emerged from the trees in the west. From their postures and movements it was apparent that these group of newcomers were veterans. Their discipline emanated, giving fear to the mercenaries. But the most terrifying part of the newcomers was the flag they fly. Two crossed swords above a white lion. It was the flag of the King.

The ground started to shake. Enemies from three sides began their assault. Helios knew that the mercenaries wouldn't stand a chance.