Up on the top of the church tower, Escarion had finished his breakfast and dabbed his lips with a napkin before rising for a better view of the storm. Earthmagic, concentrated and used to manipulate the weather for evil, twisting winds and inhibiting air flow to trap clouds in a vortex. This was skilful use of Earthmagic. An attempt to breach the walls with naturally generated bolts of power to allow Martine’s hoards in.
Not in the Rules though.
Escarion grasped the sapphire at his throat and quickly transferred his spirit into it. He didn’t know the identity of his opponent yet, nor his abilities or true power. This contest could be rather short but Escarion hoped it wouldn’t be. He was one of the best Mages of the Kin of S’Ria and the Kin numbered some mighty Mages amongst them. Spirit transfer accomplished, Escarion casually waved his hand at the sky in an attempt to let the world be normal. Nothing happened and the lightening bolts continued to approach the city walls, tearing more great holes into the ground. Escarion frowned and concentrated, gathering magic force from the Air, made easier by the energy of the storm itself. He felt himself storing the power of Airmagic and his blood sang with it as his senses became preternaturally sharp.
Enough. Escarion wove quickly, muttering to himself as he poured more power into his spell before finally flinging it at the sky. After a few moments a fierce wind arose, blowing rubbish and debris before it through the streets of Belvedere and hard on the heels of the gust, rain started. At first a few fat drops spattered the cobbled streets and slate roofs before torrential rain began to fall, pouring like a river out of the sky. The lightening diminished and over the next ten minutes it finally fizzled out as the storm spent itself as rain.
“One to our side,” he muttered. “Though their Mage is extremely powerful to be able to accomplish so much from a distance.”
Escarion closed his eyes and concentrated, contacting each of the Great Mages of the Kin of S’Ria in turn and explaining what had just transpired. The warning which came back was clear. The magical ability of the Q’Herindam from the Forbidden Land had always been an unknown quantity. Caution was advised and help would be available if needed. The Kin was behind him.
Escarion sighed at the thought of the coming conflict, this was not going to be as easy as he expected. Just as he relaxed and changed position, a green firebolt screamed down from the heavens and exploded through the clear cover above him, taking his right hand off at the wrist before plunging on through the floor. If the bolt had been another foot or two to the left, it would have killed him. Escarion gesticulated with his left hand and his right hand reformed as he mentally channelled the pain from the wrist stump. It was not the first time parts of this body had been torn away but it took energy to replace them. Escarion drew Airmagic from about himself again and thought hard before beginning work on a difficult spell. It took a lot of energy to complete but in a short space of time he stood under a pale violet, gently glowing force field, rippling with the pent up energy it continued to draw from the Air. It would be seen from afar but that couldn’t be helped.
Cristal had finished her breakfast and was standing at an upstairs window gazing north at the rapidly thinning clouds as Escarion’s voice intruded into her mind, requesting her to come to the church tower. She called Lareeta as she hurried to saddle her horse and within minutes, she and Lareeta were trotting off toward the City square.
Empress Martine’s army was drenched by the torrential downpour as the clouds and lightening dissipated. Her soldiers stood firm, steam rising from the massed ranks, waiting for the order to attack as water dripped from set shoulders and their stern bearded faces. The rain petered out and the sun finally broke through the rapidly thinning clouds allowing Jorgen and Duke Wilken to make out the army camp behind Martine’s waiting horde. The enemy had used the cover of the darkness to erect their tents and gather the wagons together. Smoke rose from cooking fires in the back lines and Jorgen knew this was not going to be a mere probing attack. Martine badly wanted Belvedere and it looked as though she intended to take it.
Indeed, at that moment, the Empress herself appeared before her troops mounted on a white horse. She paused at the centre of the front row and stood in her stirrups as she addressed her men. Even in her ornamental armour the observers on the walls could see she was all woman, her curves emphasised by the stark outline of the silver plate with its gold chasing, her long dark hair unbound and topped with a circlet of gold.
A Warrior Queen.
What she said to her army could not be heard from the walls but when she had finished, a rousing cheer went through the ranks of her men and swords were clanged against shields rhythmically as she rode back to the rear where her white pavilion could easily be distinguished from the other tents. Horns sounded, repeating certain notes and as the strident calls waned, the front line of her army parted and bowmen ran forward until they were within range of the walls, knelt and fired then ran back, to be replaced by new bowmen who repeated the exercise. Arrows were whizzing over Belvedere’s walls, occasionally hitting something or someone.
“Return fire!”
Duke Wilken bellowed the command and Belvedere bowmen began to fire back but had difficulty hitting a target, as the only time the enemy bowmen were not moving and within range, was at the moment of firing their arrows. Some of the youngest soldiers were detailed to collect the arrows coming at them over the walls and these were returned from the bows of the defenders.
After a few more rounds of arrows, trumpets were again heard blaring in the enemy camp and their ranks split again, only this time it was lines of soldiers bearing scaling ladders who ran through to the fore. Some of the ladder details didn’t reach Belvedere’s walls, the defending bowmen halting them with well aimed arrows but a large number did. The enemies trumpet sounded again and rank after rank of Martine’s forces charged forward and started scaling the many ladders now raised against Belvedere’s northern wall.
Those on the walls dropped rocks and boiling water onto the foes below and even used long pieces of wood with hooks to try pushing the ladders back. All of the methods of defence worked well but there were such numbers attacking that inevitably, some enemy soldiers reached the top of the wall.
Jorgen cursed and drew his sword. He had not expected the assault to succeed so soon but the enemy horde was numerous and it seemed they had prepared many ladders. This was his first major battle and he was in Command. He had seriously underestimated the calibre of his opposition. Blocking a thrust from a sword he slashed at his opponent who went down, only to be replaced by another.
Jorgen was one of the finest swordsmen in the whole of Southland and relished a chance to use his blade but all along the wall Martine’s forces were gaining footholds which then allowed more of her soldiers onto the battlements.
“Excuse me Commander, permission to join in.”
There was a brief lull in the onslaught and Jorgen turned to look up at a very large man bearing a quarterstaff of immense proportions, shod with metal at each end. He wore chainmail and a pair of mail gauntlets covered his hands to well above the wrists. This must be the man who had helped to train the City Guard.
“By all means. You can see the situation is dire.”
Another of his own men died in front of him as the enemy rapidly advanced again.
“I’m named Kuiran,” the big man said as he stepped past Jorgen twirling his staff. There were six of the enemy before him. Four died and two were smashed over the wall with the force of his blows, to fall amongst their fellows on the ground. Kuiran fought his way to a ladder and pushed it off the wall with his quarterstaff. The ladder toppled backwards, men falling from it to the ground below. A Captain came running.
“Sir, Sir, they are attacking the eastern wall also.”
“Call up the reinforcements Captain and deal with it. We’re rather busy here.”
The Captain looked abashed and sped off. Soon a horn could be heard and the refrain was taken up by another then another.
/> Reinforcements went running to the eastern wall of the city.
Kuiran’s quarterstaff never stopped its hypnotic motion and as he advanced along the eastern end of the front wall, the enemy were dispatched and their ladders thrown smashing down. The initial charge was eventually repulsed and the untried defending soldiers, now more aware of what war was, drew on their inner strength and stood tall. It wasn’t long before Kuiran and Jorgen were running toward the western side of the front wall.
“Sir, it might be an idea to try to keep the enemy below pinned down with your archers now the eastern side of the wall is cleared of Martine’s men.” Kuiran suggested.
Jorgen was chagrined, why hadn’t he thought of that?
“Good point.”
He turned and bellowed to the nearest Captain.
“Deploy the archers; keep the enemy as far back from the walls as you can.”
Then he ran to catch up with Kuiran again.
The western wall was inundated with enemy troops who had gained a foothold at the front corner of the wall. Kuiran was having difficulty with the numbers and some threatened him with spears. He swung mightily but still could not repulse all of the attackers, there were just too many. He was forced to fall back as more enemy troops climbed up the assault ladders to gain the top of the wall.
Cristal had arrived at the church tower in response to Escarion’s summons and saw, from the ground, the shining dome capping the tower. She left Lareeta at the bottom and raced up the stair to meet Escarion at the top.
“I cannot leave here Madam, as the Evil Mage I’m opposing is crafty and competent. Please explain to the population as soon as possible that I had to erect this force field for my own protection and ask them to ignore it. Meanwhile, look to the northwest corner of the walls.”
A small part of the force field changed shape to form a lens and she could see the indicated area close up, magnified. Kuiran, with a few soldiers behind him was trying to hold off a mass of enemy soldiers. He was being forced back.
“Escarion. Can you contact Raleen the same way you contacted me?”
“Yes, not a problem. What do you want me to say?”
“Get her to meet me, as soon as possible, on the northern wall as far west as she can get.”
Cristal spun around and raced down the church tower steps at a speed belying her age, shouting to Lareeta to follow as she jumped onto her waiting horse before galloping as fast as possible through the crowded streets to the front gates of Belvedere.
She leapt from her horse before it had come to a halt, hoping she was in time and ran up the steps of the left gatehouse, her heart pounding with the effort. At the top she sped along the battlements toward the western corner where a large group of the enemy were fighting off all attempts to kill or capture them. She came to a halt, heart pounding and drew breath for a second or two before calling to Kuiran over the din.
“Kuiran, its Cristal, fall back behind me now.”
During a brief lull in the battle, Kuiran bellowed at the Belvedere soldiers around him and hearing him, they quickly fell back, the Dominion horde chasing them. Cristal raised her right hand and pointed. Gouts of searing green flame shot from her fingertips and enveloped a dozen enemy soldiers who fell to the ground, screaming, their clothes on fire and any exposed skin burned brown and crisp. The remaining enemy soldiers exchanged frightened looks amongst themselves but regrouping, charged again. Once more Cristal drew on her magic and another ten or so fell, burned and on fire. She sagged with the effort and almost collapsed. Lareeta, coming up behind, steadied her.
“I’ve nothing left Lareeta and there’s still a couple of dozen to deal with.”
The enemy Captain on the top of the wall had seen Cristal wilt and partially collapse after the second burst of flames seared those at the front. He raged at his men who formed up once again, this time to protect the two or three ladders still in use, feeding more of the enemy to the top of the walls. Kuiran was just about to dash forward once again when Raleen’s voice cut through the din.
“Kuiran, wait, I want to try something.”
Cristal nodded encouragingly at her granddaughter.
“Go ahead child. Use your powers.”
Then she swooned, unconscious. Raleen was terrified, excited and thoroughly annoyed at her Grandmother’s collapse. She raised both her hands toward the enemy warriors on the battlements and concentrated hard. Without any warning, all of the enemy soldiers were picked up and hurled far over the high wall to fall on and among their companions below. She concentrated again and the ladders they had used were thrown backwards, the men on them falling to the ground or on top of other waiting soldiers.
It was carnage.
As Belvedere’s own soldiers took charge of the wall again, Kuiran stepped over bodies just in time to catch Raleen as she fell in a dead faint. He lifted her up and handing Lareeta his staff, motioned her out of the way as he raised Cristal from the ground and carried both women toward the stairs. These two unconscious women had probably saved Belvedere from being overrun by Martine’s forces during the first wild assault.
As the Belvedere bowmen streamed up the stairs, manning the top of the walls to rain death down on the regrouping enemy, Kuiran descended, comfortable with his burden. He took the two women home, supporting one in each arm as a normal person would carry two babies. One step behind came Lareeta, struggling to carry his staff.
The first to carry it, ever, besides Kuiran himself.
Within a few hours everything had settled down. Reports came to Jorgen de Fries from each of his Captains detailing losses and the number of enemy killed.
Three of them for each dead Belvedere defender.
The situation at the moment was under control so Jorgen could leave the walls under the command of Duke Wilken for a while. As he made his way to Cristal nasi Tsalkini’s mansion, Jorgen tried to make sense of what he had just seen. It defied reason. It was magic. How on earth did these two women come to possess such powers? He noticed a glowing light on the top of the church tower and mentally filed it away for further attention.
On reaching the mansion, he was challenged at the gate until he was recognised by Billit who passed him through. Challenged at a mansion gate? What was the world coming to? On reflection, he realised Cristal was a very sharp woman who he would do well to listen to but right now he needed to know about the magic they had used.
Jorgen was admitted to the library where two very tired women were sipping a tea of restorative herbs sweetened with honey. Kuiran entered, carrying his ever present staff, with not a scratch on him but Jorgen was sure he had seen the large man take two spear thrusts. Did he have magic too? What was the world coming to when ordinary people could summon magic? He felt a little afraid as he bowed to Cristal.
“I came to see how you are. I’m glad to find you recovering.”
“You came to ask about what you saw on the wall.”
Cristal’s reply was direct; she was too tired to be polite. Jorgen nodded. No point in prevaricating.
“All I have to say on the matter is that some odd abilities run in our family line and have done for hundreds of years. We never know whether it will manifest or not and if it does, what particular form it will take. Raleen here found she was able to see through glamour and helped apprehend a couple of invisible spies while you were away. Today she used another ability in defence of the City. Jorgen, it’s something we inherited and if the situation was not so dire today, you would never have known about it. Please be discreet.”
Jorgen nodded then indicated Kuiran.
“I’ll try but a lot of the men saw what happened on the wall and they’ll talk. What about him? I saw him take two spear thrusts and there’s not a mark on him as far as I can see.”
For the first time since knowing Kuiran, Raleen saw a look of irritation flicker across his face as he drew himself up to his full height and glared down at the Commander.
“I’m Kuiran, not ‘him’. My full name is Kuir
an’dal and I’m the adopted son of the M’Herindar Queen. She gave me a magical artefact to use to promote healing and if you take me to your hospital, I should be able to mend all in it. You may be the Commander in Chief of Belvedere but I’m a Prince of the M’Herindar. Respect cuts both ways.”
Jorgen de Frie bowed to Kuiran.
“Forgive me, I’m sorry. This is my first major battle and I owe you all a large debt. My apologies.”
Kuiran nodded. “The hospital? Sir?”
“Oh, right, yes. Thank you again Cristal, I’ll try to dissuade gossip if I can. Good afternoon to you all.”
Jorgen turned to follow Kuiran out of the door but before he got more than a pace, Cristal’s voice halted him.
“If you happen to see the bright light on top of the church tower, ignore it. We have a powerful Mage helping to protect us. Empress Martine has recruited an evil ally in her quest for Dominion. Ours guards us against her Evil Mage. Keep well Commander.”
She chuckled as the door closed.
“Well done Raleen. Without you up there today, Belvedere would have fallen. I’m exceedingly glad you decided to leave Trugor and visit your old Grandmother.”
Raleen nodded before she fell suddenly asleep, dropping her cup as she listed sideways in her chair.
There were a few half-hearted attacks during the night, easily repulsed with little loss of life. News spread of miracle healing as comrades thought to be almost dead turned up with small scars under bloodied, rent clothing and word of the big man’s ability spread.
Citizens who had little or nothing to do with magic and only thought it an old wives tale had to rethink their reality. The bright light on top of the church tower did not escape notice either and Jorgen had to post a public proclamation regarding Escarion’s part in averting disaster.
The commoner folk took to making the hand signs to avert magic and felt somehow reassured by this strange, unknowable protection. The few soldiers involved in the fight on the western side of the front battlements, when Cristal and Raleen had used their magic to defend Belvedere, were sworn to secrecy but truth will out and over the next few days more and more of Belvedere’s population came to know what had actually occurred up on the battlements.
The Fall of Belvedere Page 13
