Leprechauns!

Dropping both his helmet and sound cone, Nurlan swatted at the leprechaun on his shoulder. Knocked to the ground, the small creature was dazed for a moment before disappearing from view.

The General gripped his bloody ear. The bite marks were clearly visible.

"Oh!" Mairwen produced a cloth and hurried to dab at the blood. "Are you alright?"

"Blasted little devils!" Nurlan spat as he grimaced. He took the cloth from the princess and held it to stop the bleeding.

"Are leprechaun's bites poisonous?" the princess asked with an anxious expression.

The thought had not occurred to him. After a flash of panic, the color returned to his face and he shook his head. "It does not seem so, but it sure is a blasted nuisance. They are worse than fleas!"

Mairwen looked out at the army and her face fell. "It seems they are far more dangerous, too."

————

Timur was the first unlucky man to be attacked by the leprechauns. He felt the sting on his neck and, like Nurlan, reacted by slapping at the obnoxious creature while trying to figure out what had happened.

Unfortunately, Timur's human opponent seized the opportunity to stab at the Dunesman. Timur doubled over in pain. Before the dark blue soldier could finish his job, an arrow landed squarely in his chest, piercing his heart.

"Timur!" Orhan fought his way to his son's side. Other Dunesmen were already defending him. "Get him out of here!" he told one of the men.

Metehan rushed to help and placed Timur's other arm across his shoulder. Together the two men ushered him away to join the growing numbers of wounded.

A red creature appeared on the Cheiftain's forearm and tried to bite his skin. The thick fabric, meant to lesson the sword strikes, prevented the leprechaun from breaking the skin.

"Cover your exposed skin!" He yelled to those around him. "It hurts less and will keep them from making you bleed!"

Those who heard listened and wrapped their hands, neck, and lower parts of their faces in any available cloth even while they engaged the New Emperor's troops with their swords. Even with this solution, the distracted Imperial army began to be pushed back from the forward motion.

Sensing victory would soon be in his grasp, Commander Kag rode his horse up and down the line yelling, "We have got those cowards on the run! It is time to finish them off!" The dark blue soldiers rallied at his words, and intensified their attack. Slowly, but surely Aurora's troops were losing ground.

————

Mairwen had tried shooting a few of her final arrows at the leprechauns, but they were too hard to pin down. She had managed to save Timur, and that was at least a positive side effect.

The leprechaun's were very much like mosquitoes: first biting and then fleeing. But those little annoyances added up to big distractions and even bigger casualties. The Imperial army was taking heavy damage. The wounded were being rushed to the few healers until the plain was covered with those in need of care.

"We have to stop the leprechauns! Do they have any weaknesses?" Mairwen tried to rack her brain for any bit of information on the little red creatures. "I remember they like money."

"They like money and they do not like being caught. Past that, those little imps are mysteries to me." Nurlan's face was bleak. He lifted the cone and yelled through it "You! Archers! Shore up the infantry to the west. I do not like that line at all." The general watched as the company of archers obeyed. It helped to settle the front line by slowing the enemy, but it was only a temporary help.

"If leprechauns do not like being caught, does that mean they can be?" the princess asked.

Nulan's mind started to get an idea. "I am not sure, but it is worth a try. Would you get me a large wooden box or chest from the tent and a coin, Your Highness?"

Happy to have a task, the girl saluted, "Right away, General!" She returned eagerly with the requested items along with some large bags and twine. Eira helped her to haul the chest.

"Do you have one of those blunted dummy arrows?" Nurlan asked the princess. She pulled one from an auxiliary pouch at her side.

Nodding, the General took the wooden chest and set it a short way off. He placed not one, but two coins inside and left the back of the lid open toward Mairwen. He backed away from the box just far enough that he could still see inside.

"On my mark, shoot the dummy at the lid to snap it shut," Nurlan told the princess.

They did not have to wait long. Like a moth to a flame, a little creature dressed in green popped into the box to claim the prize.

"Now!" The General dropped his raised arm to punctuate his command.

With a smooth lotion, Mairwen pulled back her bow and released the blunted shaft at the lid. It bumped the wooden top, snapping the chest shut. Nurlan ran at the chest and shut the latch while holding it shut.

"Did it work?" Mairwen asked. The banging and harsh words from inside the box caused Nurlan to give a tentative smile.

The princess went to retrieve another coin, but dropped it at her feet. Another of the leprechauns appeared. She was smaller than most of the others, but no less greedy. Unable to get a sack open in time, Mairwen dropped everything and picked up Nurlan's discarded helmet. She pushed it on top of the small creature and pressed until the helmet was almost completely buried in the sandy ground. Trapped in a pocket of air inside the helmet, the red creature hit against the metal cage.

The princess cheered and tried again with a coin in one of the cloth sacks. As expected, a leprechaun appeared and she snapped shut the bag and tied it off with twine. Even in the bag, the red creature could not find a way to free itself.

While Mairwen was catching the third leprechaun, Nurlan was already yelling through his sound cone to the troops. "If you catch the leprechauns, they cannot escape. Use a box, a helmet, or any bag! Just contain those little devils!"

Mairwen gathered as many sacks, coins and twine as she could and flagged down Lieutenant Mund. She handed him half of her supplies.

"Pass these out. The leprechauns are attracted by money so drop a coin in the bag and tie it off when the little creature appears," the princess told him quickly.

Mund nodded and took off as fast as he could. However, Mairwen and Eira did not watch him leave. Already they had bags in their hands, setting the next traps.

—————-

The bags did wonders for the infestation. Mund handed them off to a petit but fast Guardian who was able to run along and scoop up the small creatures without even needing the coins. She would tie off each bag and then attach it to her belt until she had three. Then she would pass them off quickly to a comrade who would pile them neatly off to one side. Before long, they had quite a collection of little wriggling sacks. Realizing that their friends were being captured and trying to avoid the same fate, the rest of the leprechauns vanished into thin air

"They're gone!" Nurlan confirmed across the plain. "Let's finish this before they come back."

Vahan heard the general's words and looked toward Meaghan. Her lovely face was lit in a purple glow below her hood. "I was hoping someone else would deal the final blow," he said sadly.

Meaghan have a weak smile. "I am sorry."

"The Maker forgive me for what I must do," he said drawing a Fate's symbol with his hand.

"Be careful!" The redhead cautioned him with a furrowed brow.

Vahan gave a ghost of a smile. "I am not the one you should be worried for..."

------------------

On the other side of the battle, Commander Kag cursed as he saw the little red and green beings be captured and eventually disappear. They were a great distraction and helped his less capable soldiers gain the upper hand. However, it was no concern to him. The sheer number of his soldiers guaranteed his victory. With his expert command, they could not lose.

"Make them bleed!" he screamed over the noise. "No mercy!"

Kag was extremely confident as he rode down the line on his stallion. The archers had finally stopped after running our of arrows, and now he was basically untouchable. He banged his sword against his shield and then raised it in challenge.

"Come on, Imperial Army! Is that all you have?" the commander mocked.

A shadowy figure in a black cloak appeared behind his horse. The war-hardened horse was spooked and reared to one side so that Kag could see the Guardian clearly.

Vahan threw back his hood and the lightning in his silver eyes flickered brightly. "You want more?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"You're just a man," Kag responded with a snort, though there was clearly uncertainty in his eyes. "I am not afraid of you. Your little sword is no match for mine. I will kill you myself. No mercy!" he repeated his mantra.

Vahan calmly placed his sword into the void of his cloak before reaching both hands into the folds to bring out something new. As he drew out his fists, long chains were wrapped firmly around his wrist and palms. The further he pulled his arms away from his body, the longer the chains came out from his cloak until at last he jerked the ends free with a mighty tug. At the end of the chains, two large spiked balls larger than a man's head sailed through the air and bit into the dirt.

Kag struggled to keep his horse steady as he raised his shield. He ran his stallion straight at Vahan and aimed his sword at the cloaked man's head.

The Guardian's face darkened. "As you said: no mercy." Vahan stepped aside and swung his body in a circle. The chains went taut and both balls flung around in a precise spin. They missed the horse but did not spare Kag a brutal hit. The commander went sailing to the ground with a mighty clang. His body was still as it lay awkwardly in its armor for the last time.

Like nothing had happened, Vahan stored the chains, lifted his hood and retrieved his short sword from his cloak. He returned to Meaghan as calm as a whisper.

Without the Commander's orders, the New Emperor's army began to lose their lines and formations. Others tried to take control, but without much success. Additionally, those who had seen the mighty act of the Guardian were terrified and quickly lost their will to fight. They began to flee northward into the waiting forest, one which they had not noticed before.

More and more began to decide the dark green trees were better than the royal blue, and they hurried to take shelter in the foliage. At last, like a dam breaking loose, a retreat order was given for the New Emperor's troops, and they fought as they moved back to the shelter of the treeline.

"Should we tell them?" Mairwen asked Nurlan.

The general shrugged. "If they aren't curious how a bunch of trees popped up out of nowhere, then they deserve to find out the hard way." Even as he spoke, the wood nymphs began to ensnare the troops and disarm them. Those who resisted, did not like the switching they received on their hides. "Secure as many as you can!" Nurlan yelled. "There is work yet to do!"

The petit Guardian who had captured many of the leprechauns skipped over to the general and princess. "May I use my wishes now?" she asked.

"What?" the other two asked in confusion.

"When you catch a leprechaun, you get a wish. I caught a whole bunch," she smiled brightly.

"Can you wish that they would go home and never return to the land of humans?" Mairwen asked.

The Guardian nodded with pursed lips. "That is probably safer. Leprechauns are tricky about their wishes anyway. If I wish for all the wealth under the sea, they would likely try to take me there to get it. And I am small enough, they might just succeed!"

Nurlan picked up a bag and handed it to Mairwen. "Then we should all make our wish to send them home quickly. These little critters make my skin crawl!"