The Ravens of Carrid Tower

by David c Black

  And most of it's destroyed. Worse than that, this disaster will rally the Droreans around the little bastard. We are in no position to take the fight further west for at least a moon, meaning, he'll be free to ride around the country drawing all the support and supplies he can get his hands on. It changes everything.

  Twenty-five thousand of his invasion force’s best soldiers were dead or out of action. Most of his heavy weaponry broken and the lancer wings were horseless.

  Useless.

  Dokra knew that when the Imperial messenger arrived he would be summoned back to the Palace immediately to explain himself in person.

  Delaying any action against the boy further.

  What unsettled him most was that his enemy could consider this a victory, which meant for the first time in the Dokra's career, he had been defeated in battle.

  Citalley Danor doesn't deserve the credit though. Caught me off guard, I'll give him that. But, it was damned Galtus' drakes that fucked us. Those warlocks. That's where blame for this mess should be placed. The same fate would have probably occurred the second we uncovered them at Riverweld.

  Citalley’s men had fared better than the Naru troops caught on the forest’s exposed road. Already dug into positions, Dror soldiers managed to duck away from the first few fireballs rolling up the gentle slopes towards them. Almost all had started running before the drakes had a chance to draw a second breath, the thick canopy obscuring them from the view of the creatures circling above.

  A detachment of his light deer archers however was set upon by two drakes. Seeming to sense the terrified animals the moment they had broken free from their cages, they made straight for them. The monsters descended into the herd, lifting one mount and its rider into the air with a single clawed foot, the deer's muscles and tendons ripping under the force, blood gushing out behind in red undulating waves keeping a rhythm with the drake’s beating wings. Judging perhaps that the weight of the additional human, somehow still connected to his saddle might be too much to handle, it cast them both away with an effortless flick of its clawed foot. Much easier prey lay broken and waiting on the floor below. Finally parted from his mount the rider disappeared into the thick smoke that hung over the ground.

  Thirty-six Naru lancers and over a hundred legionaries sat in cells. They were badly shaken from the days events, but had not been beaten or harmed by Citalley's men. The soldiers surrendered on first sight of the Droreans as retreating groups stumbled into one another in the disorientating smoke-filled forest. The young King had finally learned what had happened to his mother and the capital.

  Despite this, the army camped in Riverweld celebrated that night. All raising a glass to their new King whose first battle knocked the invaders out of the western theatre entirely. Citalley did not share their exuberance though, knowing all too well that it was not he who had routed Dokra's forces.

  Whatever it was in those cages took more lives than I could have hoped to in a season. And they're out there now.

  While the officers lounge and infantry messes were alive with spirited speculation of supposed 'dwarf dragons', a potential Naru withdrawal and other fantasies, Citalley was wrecked with worry about what it meant for the kingdom. For the briefest of moments though, he did allow himself an occasional thought that yes, his plan had been a success.

  At least until the most unforeseen had occurred.

  The Naru column was not ready for his attack and especially not the Citalley's use of flammables. Before the drakes unleashed their own azure chaos, he counted eighteen burning war wagons and the road block ambushes dropped in front of the careening lancers had taken a scores of horses, both prime target for his assault.

  Similar assault points had been set every four or five leagues along the road which Citalley believed would have slowly worn down the Naru numbers and limit opportunism for rest. Citalley knew he could never prevail in pitched warfare and was therefore determined that Dokra’s legions arrived weak and exhausted.

  Citalley had some time now and he pondered how best to use it. The enemy had been witnessed up close and he was under no illusions of what they faced. Galtus had sent better trained and equipped soldiers with more than twice his numbers.

  He holds the capital too and almost every supply line. Makes me wonder why he brought those things. A pointless risk.

  Citalley also noted that the legionaries, while unmistakable fearsome, disciplined and heavily armed, they looked...

  Damned heavy. Could barely move in that mud.

  The massive war horses rode by the lancers were considerably more vulnerable in the forest too, unable to squeeze through many of gaps between the trees he recalled, having been witness to at least thirty white horses all pushing to exit the road through a narrow gap. Sensing the irresistible, four drakes pulled their attention away from chasing Naru soldiers to pounce on the animal’s rear.

  I can use that. None of their stuff works in the forests and marshes, so we fight them there. We live there for as long as we need to, until Carrid comes to rescue us or Galtus gets tired of losing legion after legion, year after year in a far-away murky bog.

  And it was so. The day Citalley, King of Drorea decided to become a Partisan.

  "We need to get the deer back that escaped."

  "Some men are looking now, highness."

  "I want a proper search party. We get them all before dawn."

  "Yes, sire."

  "And, Tielli…"

  The officer looked at his King, who had a mischievous look on his face.

  "Round up as many Naru horses as you can too. There must be thousands of the poor things wandering around out there tonight."

  "Yes, your highness." He said returning the King's grin. As he was about to depart, the officer turned. "Sir, I had come up here to ask if would be joining us in the lounge for a drink? You're the toast of the camp. And if I may, highness... You may find the break welcome?"

  "Not tonight, Tielli." He said with distraction staring at the map of his kingdom. Grabbing the closest wooden box on the table beside him, he tipped the small tin figurines out onto the polished surface. Picking one up, he blew dust off the small object, observing it more closely.

  War deer.

  "I have work to do." Citalley said placing the piece down on the map where he would relocate his forces in the morning. The soldier nodded leaving the young man in the flickering light with his thoughts.

  "Shall I ask them to send up a bottle of something, sir?"

  "Yes, Captain. Wine. That would be nice." The King replied softly, knowing he would need it to sleep that night. He hadn’t yet decided whether it was safer to call his sister back or not. He hadn’t even permitted himself to think, much less grieve for his murdered mother, for which he felt a numbness that had already begun to infiltrate the rest of his spirit.

  Citalley blamed himself for it all.

  And why shouldn't I? If I did what she said and killed him... Not been so... So bloody weak, all of this might have been prevented.

  But like most mortals, he was too few summers to see that history does not course a steady path in its weaving together of seemingly unconnected decisions and deeds. Of course, nothing proves more salient in time than that which does not take place. It echoes into eternity. Citalley would one day come to realise that had he and his sister been in the capital with the Queen the day Dokra invaded, the future of Lathania would indeed have been very different.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Ja Deist

  "Fuck me Rill, that was..."

  "Was something aye." The soldier said looking now to the other tower that the mages had been summoned too.

  Captain doesn't look too pleased though. Rill thought as he watched the Captain appear to scream at the two mages in the distance.

  "How long do you think we've got?"

  "Not sure. Not long probably."

  They watched the army across the plain, reasonably still now after recoiling from the blasts. The Shaa’s outriders had alm
ost reached the north side of the city and a tapered line of fanatics trailed their dust. Rill could see from here though that the main body concentrated in front of him and all of the warbands had retreated back to the host.

  "There's movement"

  "Where..." But saw for himself before he finished the question.

  "Damn."

  Thousands of men rushed forward out of the horde.

  "They don't have ladders?"

  "Maybe they will pick up the rams and just try for the gate"

  "That would be stupid."

  "And?"

  The figures stopped just after reaching the line of exploded earth, some disappearing in the craters, others starting to return back up the hill carrying objects over their shoulders.

  "They're picking stuff up."

  "Bodies. Parts of them anyway"

  Oh.

  "Food."

  "Aye."

  "Well I guess that means they will leave us alone for a few hours"

  "Probably the night, there's enough there to keep their stomachs full. Until the morning at least."

  "And they don't even need to cook it this time."

  Rill ignored his friends joke.

  "What's the plan, Captain?" The pike officer said to Kellick, while they watched the spectacle in the distance of men running around the plain like ants collecting the fallen.

  "We rest in shifts. Tell your men to break for some food, they will need to take the roof route back."

  "They know the way, sir."

  "Good. Get some rest yourself. Tomorrow's going to be..."

  "Tomorrow. We'll worry about that in the morn Captain."

  I wish I could.

  When the officer had departed Kellick called over the mages who were sat behind the outer wall's ledge looking at a map.

  "Yes, Captain." Locke said while both jumped to their feet.

  "You have more time now, what's left unfinished?"

  "A lot of it, but we... er."

  "Don’t have any explosives left, right?"

  "Got lots of grenades and stuff” He said with a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

  "Fine, then you are relieved until they come at us again."

  "Actually, we've been thinking."

  God help us.

  What is it?"

  "It's the east, it's not going to hold if they attack there."

  "I know that, but there's not much more we can do."

  "Locke thinks we can use fire to push them back south towards you, if they do try and assault there. Once over the wall, we can stop them from coming west or north."

  "Do you have enough?"

  "Not enough to keep it hot for long and there's little wood left either. But for a short time, we can block unfinished roads, get them moving in the right direction. If they capture the southern gate, which you're betting on anyway, they might withdraw from their eastern assault entirely."

  "Or the opposite. Push harder there and secure a second front. That's what I’d do with that many to spare."

  "Send more men there. We can give them a few bombs. Azon too. If we break them quickly in the east they might just leave it. Double efforts on this side."

  That leaves us even thinner here. More time needed to get the guards in the east back to the inner-city defences.

  "I want us to look weak in the south, not be weak. We're too thin now as it is."

  "We're thin everywhere."

  The Captain considered this for a moment. "Fine, make it as difficult for them as possible to get on the wall. I’ll give them some slack this side, so you need to smash them. If they do get a foothold, contain it."

  “How much slack you talking.”

  "If they try and pincer us we'll have to let them in."

  “Don’t open the gates too early Captain, let’s see how well we’re holding up. When the assaults our side have been dealt with we can come back and plug any gaps here."

  "If they reinforce and retry at least one of you needs to stay there, with enough men to give us time. Once they are in the streets here, it's on. They can't be pushed back, only slowed."

  No one had slept well that night. The citizens of Ja Deist stood with the Carrid soldiers on the battlements, shivering slightly. Dawn had not yet come and the Quoroubi was still cold, intermittent winds catching the fine sandy earth, spinning it into a dance over the desert before them.

  The city’s defenders had rotated a number of times through the night and all at some point had looked down from the walls to see the madness of the Shaa's horde unfold. Thousands of camp fires, countless torches moving endlessly, chilling shrieks of laughter piercing the night. The horde had not slept. It gorged on flesh and intoxicated itself with blood wine, bottled at Pania’s Ridge and now fermented to a potent liquor. It drove the Shaa’s flock wild and its effects would last long into the next day. As the Shepherd had intended, of course. His army of fanatics would attack without the slightest care for themselves. They would not know themselves for that matter, only an overwhelming urge for violence. And a thirst for more blood.

  When the sun finally rose, Canno and Rill stood in almost exactly the same position as the day before. Rill knew that because he had been watching Canno bore out a hole with his foot in the mortar between two stones in the ancient wall.

  And he’s just restarted the work

  "Here we go again."

  “Aye.” Rill said, ignoring Canno’s act of vandalism, putting it down to a surplus of nervous energy. "This isn't good Canno, look they have split into three."

  "They might not."

  "They will. We should tell Kellick."

  "He has eyes, Rill."

  The pair looked for the Captain now who had disappeared from the tower. He suddenly appeared out of the building and ran to the inner ledge, shouting something at the men below waiting in the streets. Behind him from the tower a group of bewildered soldiers and messenger boys tumbled out of the door.

  He looked over then at Rill and Canno, saw them watching him.

  "You two, get over here!" Kellick shouted loudly pointing at the Ravens and motioning back towards him.

  "Shit."

  "Let's go."

  The two rangers pushed their way through the crowded battlement towards the Captain. The arrow tower was a hive of activity, messengers running in and out as Kellick and some other Pike and Sword officers adjusted their plans in the face of the Shaa’s new battle disposition.

  "They’re going to come at us on all sides."

  "Saw that too sir."

  "Get your men to the east and tell the five hundred or so already there to move further up to the north wall."

  "And then?"

  "Do what you can to hold there, Canno. I'm going to get Azon to stop that warband reaching the north wall." Kellick said, pointing to the huge army on the far left. "He'll push them back into you."

  "There will be two groups then on us, sir. I thought we wanted them concentrating south?"

  "This is the best we can do now, if they assault on the north walls, it’s over for us. I’m going to let the south gate fall early and release pressure on your side. If you are still fighting on the battlements, the fanatics who can’t get up, might circle back and join their men in the breach."

  I hope so sir, we can't withstand that many of them for long."

  "Just keep them pinned for as long as possible. Can’t ask for more than that.”

  "Yes, sir."

  "Go now and take your men. Good luck!"

  The pair saluted, walking back to round up their squads and march them quickly up the eastern wall.

  "And get one of the mages back here" Kellick called loudly.

  "Yes, sir"

  "Someone find me that damned monk too."

  "He's there." Someone pointed out.

  "Azon!"

  The monk opened his eyes and looked up to find the Captain shouting his name. He had been meditating on one of the few empty roof tops near the outer walls. He rose, brushed himself off and jum
ped over a ledge to a lower building, crossing the planks across the roofs before dropping to the floor near the walls inner staircase.

  "Ready yet, monk?"

  "I believe so. They’re coming on all sides, Captain."

  "I know that... How do you know that? Not even looked."

  The monk smiled, "what are my orders?"

  "Get some kit from the mages, jump to that tower and destroy it before they can move it closer."

  "Understood. What about the rams?"

  "Leave it. I want them to waste a few thousand trying to use it."

  "And then?"

  "Stop that damned war band from reaching the North wall."

  Azon looked at the army racing around the city, as the other two forces made their way directly for the south and east. "There's a lot of them. Too many"

  "Do what you can Azon."

  "Swing a sword. A hundred thousand times?"

  "Those madmen will give you something."

  "They already have." He said with the faintest expression of amusement in his normally taciturn face, as he moved the satchel to his front tapping the contents lightly.

  "Then get going!"

  The monk disappeared and Kellick walked back to the wall to watch. The tower on the right flank exploded into flames. Kellick never saw the monk land on the structure’s side and toss the grenade in between bone and timbers, smashing the vial inside.

  Kellick ran left to get a better view of the third column rounding the corner. The other two warbands would reach the walls first, but he wanted to know that they wouldn't be hit in the rear once the fighting started. Cheers erupted on the wall as the warband stopped dead in its track. A line cut through its centre in a flash of light. Then another, bodies flying in the air. The flashes skirted the edge now, striking any groups breaking away from the pack. Horse riders could be seen behind them racing from the main horde, to control the wavering detachment. Another flash and half the horses were down, the others broke away most rider-less.

  The light flashed again this time at the front of the pack cutting into those running faster towards the wall and away from the near invisible blades. They retreated running back into incoming men.