Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

swarming creatures and pulping them under his flailing hooves. In the space of a few moments a dozen guardsmen had been snatched from the trail, but even as Rupert howled his anger the trail before him erupted as a blood-spattered guard fought his way back out of the burrows. More guards followed him, and another man dropped down from the branches overhead, looking eagerly around for something else to kill.
    Dark twisted shapes came running and leaping out of the darkness, falling on the guards with fang and claw and glaring hungry eyes. The guards formed a defensive ring round the few surviving horses and the unicorn, and slowly fought the creatures back. Swords and axes gleamed brightly in the lamplight as they rose and fell. Blood flew through the air and ran thickly on the ground. Rupert swung his sword double-handed, grunting and growling with the effort of his blows. For every creature that fell before him another rose to take its place, and Rupert grinned savagely as he cut them down. The darkness had finally given him an enemy he could fight, an enemy that could be faced and defeated. Rupert and the Champion and the guards strove against an enemy that outnumbered them ten to one, and still they wouldn't give in to the dark. They stood their ground and fought side by side, and suddenly the creatures of the dark gave way before them, and faded back into the concealing shadows from which they'd come.
    Rupert slowly lowered his sword and looked warily about him. No arms reached up from under the earth, no strands hung down from the trees, and the surrounding dark was still and silent. Scores of the little scurrying creatures lay crushed and broken on the ground, but all the horses were dead, including the Champion's warhorse. Its armour hadn't been much protection after all. The Champion knelt beside his fallen steed and patted its shoulder gently, as though apologising. Rupert looked quickly round for the unicom, who moved slowly over to join him. Angry scratches bloodied the animal's flanks, but otherwise he seemed largely unhurt. Rupert sighed wearily, and leaned against the unicorn's side a moment before turning round to inspect his guards. Of the forty-six men who'd followed him into the Darkwood, only thirty remained. He'd lost seven men while cutting trail, and nine more during the battle. Rupert swore quietly and glared disgustedly at the bloodied sword in his hand. Another Rainbow might have saved his men, but the rainbow sword was just a sword, while the Darkwood was still dark.
    The Champion came and stood beside him, leaning casually on his war axe. 'It seems I was wrong, Rupert, demons do hunt in packs after all.'
    Rupert smiled tiredly. 'Nine men, sir Champion. We've lost nine more men.'
    'We were lucky not to have lost a damned sight more. What are our chances of making a break for it?'
    'Pretty low. We can't be far from the boundary, but the demons would be on us before we could cut another foot of trail.'
    'We could retreat back down the trail . . .'
    The Champion's voice fell away as demons moved forward out of the dark to crouch at the edge of the lamplight. Hundreds of the twisted creatures surrounded the company, and hundreds more moved unseen in the darkness beyond the narrow pool of light. The faint scurrying and slithering sounds carried clearly on the still air as the demon horde gathered.
    'They've been waiting for us,' said Rupert bitterly. 'They must have spotted us the moment we entered the Darkwood. We never had a chance of reaching the far boundary. We came all this way for nothing.'
    'You've faced the demons before, and beaten them,' said the Champion.
    'I had a magic sword then,' said Rupert. 'I don't have it any more.'
    'Then we'll just have to do it the hard way.' The Champion laughed quietly, and hefted his war axe.
    'Stand ready, guardsmen, this is where we earn our pay.'
    'If we win, I want a raise,' said one of the guards, and the others chuckled briefly. Rupert wanted to laugh with them, but couldn't. They were his men, and he'd failed them. He'd promised them a chance to save the Forest Land, and instead he'd led them to their deaths. He looked around at his guards, waiting patiently for their orders, and felt a fierce surge of pride for them. They'd taken the worst the Darkwood could send against them and thrown it back, and now they stood ready to do it again, even though they were hopelessly outnumbered.
    Rupert grinned suddenly, proud tears stinging his eyes. Whatever