The enemy marches to the drum,
The fiery beasts bearing painted steel.
The deadly banners hanging limp from lack of breeze,
Black with soot and red from blood.
Their captain with villain's blackest eyes
Stare over the chalky field they burned.
Burned bright and high for the world to see their might,
When the greatest fool could see that the fire burned in their eyes.
The captain's gauntlet arms clenched with power as his
Eyes looked beyond the blood red sun.
Lands to be burned, decimated, destroyed,
People to murder, waiting for their deaths.
The soldier’s skin was sooty and crackled,
Not even human any longer they rejoiced in their disguise.
The fire in their eyes burned brighter and higher
As they sensed the destruction yet to come.
Yet the fire quelled as they looked to the eyes of their captain,
Their captain, leader, slaver, for no hells fire raged in his eyes.
Only a desire for death’s dark holes could he reflect and
His destruction was a cold fire for icy death.
They made a ring but none dared to stray too close much less
If they be caught in the frozen grip of death's dark messenger.
Their black beasts were tired, but eager for blood began their march.
A withdrawn trot became an eager frenzy as the horse’s hoofs sank
Into the soot of peasant’s houses, occasionally crunching bone.
None now could conceal the bloodlust in their eyes
As green fields and houses came within their sight.
They rushed upon the village outskirts,
Burning, burning, burning all before them.
Green pastures were turned and the black earth bared.
The animals set free while the people were butchered.
The fiery soot seemed to rush before them, staining the earth they bore.
A blacken cloud showing on the horizon turned to the worst of nightmares.
From the captains eyes raced fear into the hearts of men
Who had but seen the enemy’s shadowy forms before their deaths.
The white ice of fear had raced ahead across the land,
Surging everything, stopping it. Stopping everything,
From the captain’s, death’s messenger, cold black eyes.