by A. D. Wills
“Understood, sir.”
Chapter 24: Calaera
Soon after Calaera gave her speech, she raced to her Father's study to begin planning their defense. She unearthed books upon books, trying to remember what situation might work here for them—sifting through all the strategies she's read about before. Nothing came to mind though, but then again, she didn't exactly have all the time in the world to settle, and think. For all she knew, their army would be attacking any hour. She needed to get ready. She needed to get everyone ready.
“Excuse me, Milady,” Lorin softly spoke up to interrupt, having been standing there waiting for an opportunity to do so.
“What is it?” Calaera tried being polite, but sped Lorin's usually drawn out process up.
“You have some visitors I believe you might be interested in meeting,” Lorin expressed with a bit of a smile, the first of its kind since learning of Dreymond's passing.
Calaera stopped her search, and looked up to the doorway to see Wulfsige, Sahar, Baldomir, and Ackar. All of them poured into the room, stopping in front of Calaera's desk, and taking a bow.
“Your highness,” Wulfsige uttered first upon entering.
“We're here to offer our help,” Baldomir pounded his bare, ashen chest.
“All of you?” Calaera looked them down the line they stood in.
“Aye,” was all Ackar said, nodding Calaera's way.
“Thank you, you have no idea how much Lyndenwell appreciates your help. Thank you so much,” Calaera felt a bit of hope flickering deep inside seeing the four of them before her like this.
“Last I checked, we all belonged to the same country. I don't plan on letting anyone else take it,” Wulfsige affirmed.
Calaera accepted their help without any rejection. She knew the risk, but she knew it would only insult them if she asked them if they were sure. They knew well and good the risk they were taking staying behind here to defend a city they didn't even belong to.
“So, what're we workin' with?” Ackar asked, cutting through the initial awkward silence.
“Not very much. We have some weaponry, and ballistae but that's about all, ” Calaera conceded. “We have no proper army here. We've focused on putting little pockets of armed people throughout the country as peacekeepers. There's no time to call any of them back either.”
“Then we need to make the most of who we do have,” Sahar remained positive.
“With the four of you helping, we have a chance.”
“And what about the Etai?” Ackar asked.
On the way in, the four of them noticed Xokun in an enclosed ball of stone hovering above the ground while he meditated.
“Xokun has done everything he can, but he can't help us in our fight. Now it's up to us to use the information he's given me.”
As annoyed as Ackar looked, there wasn't any reason getting upset about it now.
“But that doesn't mean we won't be enough on our own. I'll need you four to lead everyone in the city, but especially you, Sahar. You fought the Dracus during the war, yes?”
“Indeed,” Sahar proudly remained standing perfectly straight.
The War of Regions was just one of many Calaera read up on, at least what few records there are of it, but especially how the Kuxori and Tepis armies coordinated themselves. She was endlessly immersed in opposing tactics, and she knew the Kuxori were a thorn in the Dracus' side. Despite being at a disadvantage, it took an entire month of constant battling and defense by Kuxori against the Dracus until they finally conceded. Later on, Ethril would eventually get the better of them, but not without Sahar giving them more than they can handle for a good while.
“Then you will lead a group of soldiers up top on the walls, crewing the ballistae with however many archers we can equip. You know them best, and I trust you can pass on what knowledge you have of them to the others.”
“Of course, I promise I will do my best. I still owe your Father everything for the life I have today, so I won't let your family down, my Lady. I swear it."
Calaera nodded in acceptance. She didn't have instructions for Sahar past that. Unfortunately, she knew the only strategy with the Dracus was to hold on from above as best you can. There wasn't any tricking or trapping them flying freely in the air atop their rocs.
“As for you three, I need you to take care of everyone else on the ground. Our walls will hold for a while, but the Ogres will break through eventually. But we'll let them do exactly that. Let them spend their time banging at our doors until they fall, because we will be waiting for them on the other side."
“Then what will you have us do?” Wulfsige inquired.
“First and foremost, confusion. We need to make them adapt to us—fight on our terms. We need to slow them down, and frustrate them any way that we can. They want chaos? We'll be more than happy to give more of it than they can handle. Let them come, and box as many of them in as we can right away to stop their advances from all sides at the entrance. They don't know that we know about their invasion. Even being somewhat prepared will be enough to throw them off, and throw the battle into early chaos.”
“I like this, smash them in the face right away.” Ackar smashed his fists together.
“And where will the citizens be?” Baldomir asked.
“We have tunnels down below the city for rare occasions like this. Thankfully we haven't had to use them until now, but Lorin and Reiner will be there with the others. We don't have time to evacuate, so that will have to do. But we won't let them emerge to a defeated city anyway.”
The four of them felt the fire in Calaera's eyes staring right back at them without any fear—full of conviction and pride.
“Baldomir, you will have a troop on the west side, Ackar the east side, and Wulfsige in the south while they approach through the gates leaving them nowhere but a pocket of us waiting for them.”
Calaera pointed down at the city map, placing makeshift pieces from her desk all over as markers.
“I won't lie to any of you though, everyone who's going to fight—at least most of them, they have no idea what they're doing. These shock tactics from this alliance, they have the potential to rattle our forces, which is where you four are most important. I don't need to tell you that you're going to be the ones everyone looks to. So be their pillars. Our success depends on it. No one else is coming to help us now.”
“You said it yourself, we'll be enough,” Wulfsige reminded Calaera of her speech. “And if it ends, we're all ready for that, otherwise, we wouldn't be here.”
“Then let's get ready so we kill these shits who want to try blindsiding instead of a fair fight,” Ackar was wound up at the thought.
“I'll leave you to it then. That's about all that needs to be said, as thin as it might seem...” Calaera searched for something grand to say—something perhaps a military strategist might say. But that was all she had. “I can't thank all of you enough. I promise, whatever it is, I'll do my best to do what I can to return the favor. I won't forget this.”
“Then we'll see you after the fight when we win,” Wulfsige said with a proud gaze.
They all filed out of Calaera's office after the short meeting, and made their way down below to begin preparations with everyone else—relaying the plan while the citizens moved into the tunnels with Lorin directing them.
“Didn't want to brief me?” Shyn played coy, having been inside the room all along inside the ceiling.
“I knew you would be in one of your hiding holes. Especially being Father's...my office, I thought you might have a way in here without being seen.”
“They're not hiding holes,” Shyn grumbled, approaching the desk, looking at the map Calaera had been arranging pieces on.
“If I had more time, or an actual army, I could have come up with something better than this, and it's bothering me to no end.” Calaera shook her head staring down at the pieces, forever hard on herself. “But I also have four pieces I never thought I would get.”
“You nev
er told them, what are you going to do when it all happens?” Shyn asked a hard question.
“I want to go out there and fight alongside them more than anything,” Calaera began. “But I can't, not yet. I would only be a distraction if I don't know how to fight yet. Everyone would either be focused on protecting, or killing me. I have to be up here, and believe in everyone...as infuriating as that might be.”
Shyn breathed a sigh of relief. At least he knew there wouldn't need to be any kind of negotiation, the likes of which he never got the better of with Calaera.
“However, I fully intend on having you teach me after this,” Calaera smirked, knowing Shyn couldn't refuse now given her position.
“We'll figure that out after, let's just get through this,” Shyn tried deflecting.
“And what are you going to do? I don't have any orders for you,” Calaera asked.
“I'm staying by the keep until I'm needed. I'm not letting anyone come anywhere near you,” Shyn let slip out.
“Oh my, how gallant of you,” Calaera laughed behind her hand held in front of her mouth in dramatized fashion.
"I-I should probably get ready with the others." Shyn stumbled out of the study.
"Shyn, be careful," Calaera uttered before Shyn could leave. "I'm not going to accept you taking unnecessary risks because you feel as if you need to fix all of this yourself. Understand?"
Shyn gave the slightest of nods, and silently dashed away out of sight.
“Trying to act calm when you're the one who's boiling on the inside, I can feel it,” Calaera sighed, but she said her piece, and would hope for the best.
With night having fallen, Calaera took one last look at the map, and walked away. She didn't want to fret over any of it any longer. Overthinking anything, and confusing any orders she's already sent out, it would only sow discord among her own troops. Now, she waits, and watches where the pieces may fall. Now, they all wait for Lyndenwell to meet its ruin, or its survival.
Chapter 25: Caden
Hours before the raid, and Workal heading into the dungeon himself, the sunburst sunset lit up all of Qwayke to a warm rosy glow. A tense weight to the air blew over the city to an eerie calm, with neither side having any idea of what the other might be plotting.
Caden and the others waited all day to hear anything from Grumli, signaling to them when everyone would be gathered down in the shaft's entrance. At the same time, Snillrik and Sappo gathered some rubble, and junk from Chryssa's storage—anything at all they thought would be damaging enough to distract the guards.
“You think he got caught or something?” Caden asked, rocking back and forth on his chair as impatient as ever.
“Can you please not think about that?” Sappo sighed.
“I'm sure he's fine. Other than stubborn and grumpy, he's careful above all else,” Chryssa assured them.
Just then, a knock on the door surprised all of them.
Chryssa crept toward the door, and stopped behind it—waiting just in case it was a guard.
“Hurry up, and let me in will you?” Grumli nudged on.
Chryssa opened the door, pulling Grumli inside in a rush. Looking both ways down the street, luckily there weren't any straggling guards as they should all be by the quarry's edge by now.
“What, you think I'd be dumb enough to get followed?” Grumli scoffed at Chryssa's careful suspicions.
“So, you hold your end up?” Zasha asked.
Grumli looked over at a cold-eyed Zasha, leaning one of her arms against the hilt of her claymore. “Follow me and find out for yourselves.”
“Wait, we're leaving already? Just like that?” Sappo asked.
“You're not going anywhere,” Zasha reminded Sappo of his duty with Snillrik to stay up here, and distract the guards.
“Oh...yeah,” Sappo nervously laughed off. Still, so suddenly parting ways like this, and readying for the fight, he almost wished there were some extra steps of preparation to be taken, but he knew as well as everyone else they didn't have that luxury.
“Then we'll meet back up when we're all done with what we have to do,” Caden said, looking right at Sappo and Snillrik. “And when we're done, we'll have a giant party together.”
Sappo and Snillrik loosened their tensing shoulders seeing Caden's brimming confidence as bright and sturdy as ever. No matter how naive they might know him to be, they somehow felt he wasn't lying, or trying to make them feel better. He believed every word he said.
“That sounds lovely to me,” Snillrik agreed.
“I'll make your favorite wonder wraps too...” Sappo smiled.
“Come on, enough delaying. If you're so confident, there's no need to say goodbye.” Zasha grabbed Caden by his collar to drag him off.
“Good luck then, see you after!” Caden shouted, dragged off by Zasha who followed Chryssa and Grumli to the tavern.
“Then I suppose we should prepare ourselves, and wait for the opportune time,” Snillrik suggested.
Sappo gulped, but nodded with as much vigor as he could muster despite being a nervous ball of anxiety.
Night had all but fallen, leaving only a glimmer of light on the steamy streets that Grumli, Caden, Zasha and Chryssa raced along toward the Inn. If they were going to do this, it had to be quick. They didn't have time to dawdle even a little just in case the guards noticed anything odd going on.
Busting through the doors of the Inn, no one was in the lobby for once. It looked like the whole place shut down for the night, but all the lights were on so as to give the illusion people were still there, just in case any guards walked by.
Grumli led them through to the back of the Inn, and stood by a large wooden hatch, propped open against the wall.
“Come on, down you go.” Grumli directed toward the rickety ladder going down.
Chryssa, Zasha, and Caden climbed down into the dark hole until they breached into the open shaft lit by a few torches around a heavy lever that would switch the vent's direction.
In front of them, just over a hundred villagers strong. Packed inside the cramped, humid rocky tunnel, they held whatever weapons they could come up with. Pickaxes, shovels, crudely made spears, knives and shoddy daggers—anything at all that might do some damage with the limited resources at hand. After all, they had no army, and no one qualified either. But they didn't need an army. This was more than enough.
“So many of them showed up...” Chryssa stared in awe at everyone looking back, some nervous, some scared, but all of them were furious and fiery.
“Didn't expect the turn out eh?” Grumli mentioned, climbing down the ladder after shutting the door above. “I wasn't either, I'm not gonna lie. But after taking the fall for that child the other day, it was pretty easy convincing everyone to give this a try.”
“We can definitely win now,” Caden said with a focused grin full of glee. “Now we just need to wait for Snill and Sappo to give us the signal, and we're good to go.”
“Aren't you going to say anything before that?” Chryssa asked.
“Nope, I'll leave that to the heroes,” Caden snickered with a wide grin Chryssa's way.
“Maybe a few words of encouragement wouldn't kill you...” Grumli suggested.
“It's not up to me to tell them to fight for their home. They know what they've gotta do, and what's about to happen. And besides, they're already here right? I don't think it matters what someone like me says. It's time to actually act now.” Caden smashed his fist into an open palm with his beaming eyes, and straightened determined complexion.
Chryssa and Grumli conceded, but upon looking out at the crowd, Caden was right. They didn't clamor for, or need a speech. They knew what was at stake. At this point, just like Chryssa and Grumli, they would rather die than live their lives like this much longer. This is it, their one shot at freedom, be it through the release of death, or by finally ridding Workal of this place for good.
“Should we check above earlier just in case we miss the signal?” Caden asked, excited to get
underway.
“No, you'll stay put, they'll be fine. You're not going to ruin this plan.” Zasha stared daggers at Caden.
“Alright alright, I was just asking...” Caden rolled his eyes. “So Zasha, I've been wondering, who do you think gets to Workal first, you or me?”
“I'll be the one to take his head, no one's getting in the way of that."
“Who knows, I just might beat you to him,” Caden countered, hands resting confidently behind his head.
“I'd like to see you try, especially after you needed me to handle that guard for you."
“Hey, I told you I could've taken care of him!”
Zasha remained silent, relishing in getting under Caden's skin.
Chryssa stared, baffled at the two of them, wondering how they could both be so lighthearted and carefree. Everyone else, including her, clutched their weapons tight, calming their breathing as best they could, and waited with pent up nerves for the signal.
Back up top, Snillrik scanned out into streets with their looking glass, and noticed all the guards around the edge of the quarry, finally settled into place just as they hoped. There was no further movement, or changing of shifts anymore. Everyone was set now. The villagers took their spots in the alleys all spread out in small groups with some rope, and crude weapons like the others below. It was now or never.
“Sappo, I believe it's time. Once they're closed in and focused on us, we send Caden and the others their signal to advance." Snillrik took on a serious demeanor, and pushed their nerves down as they would go.
Sappo nodded, and held up the heavy metal tube while Snillrik attached the sides to complete the launcher he had been working so diligently on with Sappo. Once in place, Sappo grabbed a hunk of heavy rubble off to the side, and shoved it down the tube to load it up.
“Ready to go, Snillrik,” Sappo uttered with a shaky voice. With just one shot fired, the peaceful yet tense calm will quickly change to a surely chaotic confrontation, one that still seemed all too surreal for Sappo.
