Episode 45: Summerson's fall

It was not a pretty sight. One moment Johan Lord Summerson had been holding the line against the enemy, surrounded on three sides but undefeated, and the next moment he and his standard erupted in a storm of fire, lightning, and ice as the enemy's magi simultaneously dropped their disguises and attacked. Even after that hideous torture, the ripped and charred but still defiant standard flew for nearly half a minute. Orlaith sent several arrows winging towards the attackers, but the other heroes were too far away; there was nothing that they could do. At last the massed enemy overran Lord Summerson's position, and his emblem wavered and slowly fell.

The attacking crowd cheered. Not so the defenders.

Arthur's reaction could be seen from half the battlefield away: His opponents quickly gave him a wide berth, scared away by the the sheer force of his rage. "No!

"For the glory Avallonis! For Lord Summerson! For the land, the people, and my king!" His equipment seemed transformed. His sword, lifted to the sky, flickered with golden fire; his shield shone with the emblem of the Order. None dared approach; none needed to.

Arthur hardly needed make contact to inflict casualties on the enemy. He charged up the hill towards Johan's fallen standard; attacks were parried or simply bounced off of his armor, while his sword swept through the enemy as if through air. Isabelle and Max and his force cut their way north towards him, supported by arrows from behind. The battle's momentum reversed itself for the second time in as many minutes.