She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) Read Online Free

last night was nothing!  They cover the land as far as the eye can see and they are funnelling into the valley as we speak.  Make for the woods while you can!’  And then he was off after his fellows, struggling to stay on his legs.
    Samuel looked at his friends by his sides—Eric on his left, Goodfellow to his right—and they nodded that they were ready.  They each gathered their thick , black cloaks around them, for the wind was chill and bitter, and together they continued forward.  Eric Pot and Goodfellow had begun summoning their power, while Samuel slipped a hand into his pocket, feeling around to be sure his ring was still tucked tightly inside.
    The Garten host ahead was , indeed , enormous.  It filled the valley, shoulder to shoulder, side to side , and stretched back like a sea of shields and swords.  They came from the frigid north in their furs, bearing axes and swords.  They had none of the discipline and training of the Imperial army, yet they made up for that with their sheer strength, ferocity and overwhelming numbers.  Samuel briefly considered reasoning with them , to find some way to end the battle before more blood was spilled, but the thought was fleeting.  He could feel the bloodlust that saturated the air.  Nothing would keep these men from this battle.  The town of Rampeny was within sight and the Gartens were killing everyone and destroying everything they met on Imperial soil, such was their hatred for the Empire.  Samuel could hardly blame them.  For all the wrongdoings the Empire had done in the past, few except the Turians themselves had any reason to love it.
    ‘We’d better hurry,’ Goodfellow noted and the three sprang into a brisk run.  The sun was warming quickly and they tired before long, dropping their heavy Order cloaks to the mud.  From that point on , they padded along in just their black shirts and trousers, now ignorant of the bitter wind.
    After just a few minutes, they felt they had found a decent place to make their stand — halfway towards the impending host.  They stopped to gather their breath, waiting as the N orth-men bore down upon them. 
    The steps of the Gartens were a thunderous clatter and their shouts were deafening.  The men came towards them as a single , cacophonous carpet of jostling weapons that filled the valley’s breadth completely.  The sight and sound of such a force was far more intimidating than Samuel could have guessed.
    ‘I think you may have gotten us into some trouble, O wise Lord Samuel,’ Eric stated mischievously.
    ‘I’ve never seen so many people in one place,’ Goodfellow added.  ‘I think we should hurry back while we can.’
    ‘It’s too late now,’ Samuel finished.
    As the N orth-men neared, he could see the whites of their eyes and their leering teeth .   The foremost of the Garten army were only a hundred paces away and they began charging, screaming savagely.  Three lone magicians must have offered a tempting opportunity and every man seemed eager to make the first kill.
    ‘Well?’ Eric prompted.  ‘I think this is a good time for us to do something.’
    Out of the corner of his eye, Samuel could sense Goodfellow nod, and so he slipped his hand into his pocket and wiggled his finger into the magical ring at its bottom.  At once, the magic of the Argum Stone filled him, making his skin feel taut and his body tremble with energy.  Energy flooded his senses, bursting from the ether all around and entering him via the ring.  He could see the magic billowing out from within himself, whipping around him like ribbons in a storm as he struggled to contain it.  As always, he had to calm himself and force the power to slow to a trickle.  Such volumes of magic had the potential to overwhelm his senses or damage his mind and body.  That was the magicians’ Achilles’ Heel : they had access to magic and could accomplish the impossible, but the toll upon themselves could be equally devastating.
    Eric began