Heen (Realm)/Heenite Highlights/July '07/Jadine's Battle

Jadine's Battle

The night was deep already, and the sounds of the undead horde pillaging in Heen could be heard from a long way off in stark contrast to the silence from any other living thing for miles. There was a rank smell to the air which also confirmed their mass numbers nearby, and that they probably used the same unguarded route into Heen.
The plumes of smoke were clear to see and it was not a heartening sight for the allied forces slowly advancing on their capital city, but onwards they marched, and the sound of bagpipes could be heard from somewhere along the lines. It was another musical performance from the Celts or so Jadine had understood from a discussion she had with Thrydwulf earlier.
She set up camp with the other Heenites just on the outskirts of Heen City, close enough to make a swift attack at first light, but far enough to prepare for any surprise attack from the undead at the night, when they would have much more advantages. She settled down for an unsettled sleep, which was dominated by morbid thoughts of the day to come, and what could be happening to her friend Beatrice and the new noble Lucilla.

Early in the morning, with the sun still rising, the signal was given for the all out attack. From her position in the rearguard with her cavalry, Jadine could see the monsters in the front line, and the infantry just behind. In the midst of the battle lines, Jadine could see the Celts with their distinctive red hair, and their fearsome battle dress. The blue dye streaked across their faces was a formidable sight, although Jadine knew that intimidation would not work against the undead. The mindless creatures simply followed their leaders orders and would not stop unless they were forced to.
The monsters began their move forward, and the cavalry moved forward in unison, gaining on the monsters and the infantry rapidly.
All of a sudden, Fror moved forwards, much to the surprise of Jadine and Thrydwulf, and he was out of formation. It was too late to change that however, as the monsters and the undead clashed with ferocity and the carnage had begun. The mortal enemies, monsters and undead, fought with tooth and claw, and the leader of one of the undead forces fell to the monsters, wounded in his shoulder, and weakened.
The infantry joined the battle just as the monsters were gaining the upper hand, and the Celts’ war cry could be heard all across the battlefield, even above the roars of the monsters, and the wails of the undead.
Then, to the sound of the horn, the cavalry charged fully into the line of the undead causing massive casualties to the undead hordes. But the undead were not beaten, not by a long shot. Their superior numbers were already beginning to tell, and they were starting to gain the upper hand. Jadine could see to her left the undead leader Hannibal still fighting off infantry with one arm, and was about to shout to her captain Gunter to turn the troop to the left, when she saw Thrydwulf was closer and also had his eye on the snarling creature, and was advancing on him already. She whispered her good luck to him, and then turned her concentration back to the butchery in front of her.
Hours later, her unit had been wiped out to the last man and she was forced to retreat the field, but on her way, she saw a cape she recognised. It was the insignia of Thrydwulf, High Marshall of Heen, and she rode over swiftly and lifted his unconscious corpse onto her saddle. He would need the urgent attention of the healers, but he did not look to have been infected yet. She knew that this left her in charge of Heen’s military, but could not think about anything except getting her friend to safety. She would be back this evening to battle, to attempt to finish the job and get herself the head of an undead leader.