by Ian Gregoire
As the words flowed from her tongue, Kayden hoped she would sound as credible to the people listening as she did to her own ears.
“To Baranzev Kazdaranian, I hereby inform you that you have a quarter-hour to signal your unconditional surrender. If a white flag is raised as demanded, you have my word that you will not be harmed, though you will be detained until such time as you can stand trial for your crimes.”
Surrender was the preferred outcome, but Kayden had no expectation of seeing a white flag raised.
“Finally, to the people of Sevdanor, if the demands for surrender are not met, you should expect an assault from the north of the town to commence at once. Those of you currently in the area are advised to evacuate immediately for your own safety, and if you are someone who has previously contemplated resistance in the past, prepare to seize hold of the opportunity in the event hostilities begin.”
It would be advantageous to her militia if the bandits they would soon be facing also had pockets of resistance within the provincial capital to contend with.
“While we engage the bulk of Kazdaranian’s loyalists in the northern districts of town, any actions you can take against those elsewhere will aid us significantly in reducing the time needed to liberate Sevdanor.”
Kayden paused for a moment, wondering what else there was to say. Then it came to her.
“This is the voice of the resistance. One way or another… this will all be over very soon.”
Feeling the cessation of the Sister’s Zarantar, Kayden took a calming breath and let it out again, hoping that her words had been effective. If the town could be freed without bloodshed and loss of life, that was certainly her preference.
“You spoke well, Kayden,” said Valeria. “Let us hope for a positive response to your ultimatum.”
In the distance, the activity taking place at the edge of town dashed any hopes Kayden might have harboured for such an outcome. “That doesn’t appear likely, Sister,” she replied. “I don’t think we’ll need to wait quarter of an hour to find out that Kazdaranian has no intention of giving up without a fight. I can see men mounting horses as we speak, probably preparing to ride out to engage us.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “It’s time for you to dismount and rejoin the other Sisters. I’ll begin the charge, and clear a path for our people.”
Without argument, Valeria carefully dismounted Onyx with a helping hand from Kayden. “Good luck, and be careful,” she said, setting off on foot to re-enter the bank of fog and rejoin the ragtag militia concealed from view on the other side.
“Don’t forget!” Kayden called out after her. “It’s on you and the other Sisters to protect our fighters from arrows and other projectiles. If there are Sanatsai among the bandits, I’ll take care of them.” She didn’t give voice to her concerns about the possibility of too many enemy Sanatsai for her to handle alone, and she wasn’t about to mention it now. It was a bridge she would cross if she encountered it.
Turning her attention back to the provincial capital directly ahead, Kayden took a moment to compose herself for what was to come. The air she breathed in and out was fresh, and the gentle breeze caressing her skin had a calming effect. Her tension gone, she kicked both heels into the flanks of her mount, urging Onyx into a gallop. In a matter of seconds, the black gelding had devoured half the distance between Kayden and the armed men amassed at the northern edge of town, the thunderous pounding of hooves across the turf pulsing through her body like a second heartbeat. She was well within range of archers now, if there were any among the defenders, so the sight of dozens of mounted bandits charging towards her on horseback wasn’t her primary concern.
Right on cue, a volley of arrows was let loose, over the heads of the oncoming riders. Invoking Yuksaydan, Kayden diverted the flight of the lethal projectiles, sending them left and right with the ‘unseen hand’. Each quarrel landed harmlessly in the turf on either side of the straight path traversed by Onyx. A second volley didn’t materialise; the risk of hitting their own men no doubt staying the hands of the archers.
The distance separating Kayden from the charging horsemen receded to under fifty yards, and she couldn’t help but smirk at seeing the men draw their swords. Whether they realised it or not, they had no chance of cutting her down.
She waited.
Thirty yards separated her from the mounted bandits.
Twenty yards.
Again, Kayden invoked Yuksaydan. One by one each of the horsemen was lifted out of the saddle, and tossed to the ground—some enduring the further misfortune of being trampled beneath galloping hooves. Maintaining the gallop of her own horse, Kayden steered around fallen riders and riderless horses. Behind her, a loud roar sounded, prompting her to spare a quick glance over the shoulder. The bank of fog concealing her thousand-strong fighting force had dissipated, and the ragtag militia was now openly charging towards Sevdanor. Some of the bandits she had dismounted were back on their feet, and they began to scatter in multiple directions, in fear of their lives.
Assessing the situation ahead, Kayden figured it was only a matter of time before the Kazdaranian loyalists watching events unfold from their position at the edge of town realised how significant a numerical advantage they had. If that realisation came too soon, they would surely pour out of Sevdanor to engage the onrushing militiamen on open ground, where it would be easier to press home their advantage. Kayden knew it was vital that she forced the bandit hordes to remain within the confines of the town, forcing them to fight in streets and alleyways, from house to house and building to building.
The well defended northern outskirts of town was close enough now that Kayden could see the faces of the armed men preparing to engage the approaching militia. In spite of her reluctance to do so, she decided to invoke Balatlaydan to unleash a barrage of incendiary orbs at enemy positions. She could justify causing structural damage to the buildings and infrastructure at the edge of the northern districts of Sevdanor in order to push back Kazdaranian’s men, but she felt uneasy about possibly killing innocent civilians in the vicinity. Stiffening her resolve, she quickly identified her targets and commenced her Zarantar strike. Multiple incendiary orbs materialised in the air ahead of her, hurtling with precision towards their targets. Moments later the sights and sounds of numerous detonations assailed her senses, followed by several shouts to fall back and take cover.
Through the dwindling flames and smoke, Kayden could see armed bandits retreating further into town. Continuing her approach, she gently pulled on the reins to slow Onyx’s gallop to a canter. Soon she was bypassing the first of the damaged structures that marked the beginning of town, and a short while later she pulled hard on the reins to come to an abrupt halt. Around her she saw scores of armed men in the middle of the thoroughfare, some lurking in doorways, some around corners, others taking cover behind carts and barrels, while hundreds more were amassed in the distance. Immediately, she invoked Inkansaylar, forming a barrier sphere around herself and Onyx. The sound of a crossbow bolt shattering against the impenetrable, translucent bubble drew Kayden’s attention upwards to her left. On top of the nearby barrel maker’s shop there were two gruff bandits looking down on her, one reloading his crossbow, while the other was taking aim with a short bow. He let fly, but his quarrel struck the barrier sphere harmlessly too.
Suddenly several more arrows and bolts rained down on Kayden’s position, bringing to her attention the presence of multiple armed men on the roofs of most of the buildings in the vicinity. She even spotted a few people in upper floor windows. As the projectiles continued to shatter harmlessly against her Zarantar-induced defence, she couldn’t help but smirk, wondering why the bandits were wasting their time. But then she realised what was happening. She was being pinned down. It seemed her attackers knew that as long as she was inside her barrier sphere she couldn’t do anything to harm them, because her Zarantar wouldn’t extend beyond the confines of the translucent bubble. Pursing her lips, she chafed at the reminder of one more t
hing she was not able to do with her Zarantar that Fay would be able to do if she was in the same situation.
She looked back over her shoulder at the approaching militia who were counting on her for the success of the expedition she had persuaded them to undertake. Sartis was leading the small band of horsemen that was several yards ahead of the main body of townsfolk charging on foot. Among the riders were the Jaymidari volunteers, six of them dressed in the cream and beige garb of their calling. The possibility that the seven Sisters might not spot all the bowmen positioned on rooftops before it was too late alarmed Kayden. It was the responsibility of the Sisters to protect the militiamen, and minimise casualties, but if they themselves were struck down the moment they rode into town the assault was guaranteed to end in failure. Victory simply couldn’t be achieved without them.
For a brief moment, Kayden contemplated bringing down the barrier sphere, and relying upon her invocation of Yuksaydan to divert the flight of the arrows and crossbow bolts raining down on her. But the unease she felt from Onyx beneath her gave her pause for thought. In spite of the supreme confidence she had in her mastery of Zarantar, it was still possible for a loosed arrow to elude her, and the prospect of Onyx being injured or killed made her feel nauseous. She had grown so attached to her four-legged travelling companion since purchasing him in Ladurona that she was now unwilling to do anything to risk his well-being.
A new idea came to mind. Pulling the hood of her siphon cloak over her head, she invoked Raytandushay, making herself and Onyx invisible. As anticipated, surprise at her sudden disappearance brought an immediate end to the barrage of arrows. It was likely only a temporary reprieve—the enemy would soon realise she was still inside the barrier sphere—but more than enough time for Kayden to take advantage. She ceased her invocation of Inkansaylar, bringing down the barrier sphere. Now she was ready to eliminate the threat of the bandit bowmen before her thousand-strong militia entered the town.
With ruthless efficiency and precision, she invoked Yuksaydan to reach out in multiple directions with the ‘unseen hand’. In a matter of moments dozens of men were thrown from rooftops, and out of windows, onto the ground below, heralding the agonised moans and groans of broken men reverberating across the thoroughfare.
Kayden ended her invocation of Raytandushay. She was visible once more when the first of the mounted militia rode into Sevdanor to join her. Sartis and the other riders slowed to a halt around her, taking in the sights and sounds of the first round of hostilities.
“There are hundreds of men amassed at the end of the thoroughfare and beyond,” said Kayden, pointing in the direction of the threat. “When we march forward to meet them, I expect there will be many more positioned on rooftops, in addition to other armed men lurking inside occupied buildings, waiting to ambush us.” Addressing Sartis, she said, “We will have to advance slowly and methodically, going house to house, building to building. It’s important that we clear every habitation as we press forward, to ensure that Kazdaranian’s men are not able to get behind us and box us in.”
The sounds coming from the multiple bandits sprawled on the ground, nursing broken bones, was suddenly drowned out by the raucous arrival on foot of the townsfolk and villagers who comprised the rest of the militia. Clutching staffs and other makeshift weapons, several of the men cheered at the sight of the injured bandits lying incapacitated on the ground, before rushing forward to attack them where they laid.
“Hey!” yelled Kayden. “What are you doing? Stop that! Stop!”
From his saddle Sartis reached across and took hold of Kayden’s forearm as she prepared to dismount Onyx. “You’re wasting your time, Commander,” he said. “These men have been subjugated and humiliated for months; you’ll never convince them not to exact a bloody revenge.”
Yanking her arm from his grasp, Kayden’s protestation died on the end of her tongue when she saw Valeria’s face. The Sister didn’t have to utter a word—it was easy enough to interpret the message being communicated: This was not the time for Kayden to turn on the people she was leading into battle if she wanted to avoid jeopardising the success of the task at hand. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she looked on impotently as the injured bandits were mercilessly bludgeoned and hacked to death. How naive had she been to even think that Sevdanor could be liberated without bloodshed? But there was no time to dwell upon the disgust she felt at sitting by and doing nothing. She sensed an imminent Zarantar strike that drew her attention to the opposite end of the thoroughfare, where Kazdaranian’s men waited.
“Incoming!” Valeria called out.
A heavy barrage of incendiary orbs hurtled towards the militia. Eyes wide, Kayden instinctively thrust out a hand to invoke Yuksaydan, though she was certain there were too many orbs—more than she could neutralise or divert in time. Several of the flaming projectiles blinked out of existence, followed by several more in quick succession. It wasn’t enough. At least a third of the incendiary orbs were going to survive the desperate attempt to neutralise them all. The resistance was about to be bombarded. In her panic, Kayden invoked Inkansaylar, creating a barrier shield in the air, across the path of the incoming orbs.
Her hope that the imminent multiple detonations against the translucent barrier would prevent injuries among her fighters proved redundant when she felt the nearby use of Zarantar. Instantly, the dozens of remaining incendiary orbs halted abruptly in the air, inches from Kayden’s floating barrier, and one by one they zoomed high into the sky, detonating harmlessly. With quick glances to her left and right, Kayden confirmed that it was her mounted Jaymidari counterparts who had worked in unison to avert the bombardment of their position.
A battle cry went up from the bandits at the opposite end of the thoroughfare. Kayden’s eyes were drawn back in that direction to observe as the armed men slowly began to advance, with swords drawn.
“Form up!” The instruction came from Sartis.
“Kayden,” Valeria called out. “I sensed the invocations of over thirty Sanatsai during the attack just now. If my Sisters and I are to protect our people from further Zarantar strikes, the most effective way to do that is to set a dampening ward. With the seven of us we should be able to create and maintain one with a half-mile radius. Any offensive application of Zarantar will be neutralised within that area.”
“All right. Make it happen.”
“Very well,” replied Valeria. “As long as you understand that you, too, will be affected once the ward is set. You won’t be able to employ your Zarantar offensively while within the boundary of the dampening ward.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Kayden retorted. “How much time do you need?”
“A couple of minutes.”
Returning her gaze to the oncoming line of armed Kazdaranian loyalists, Kayden saw that her militiamen were seconds away from meeting them head on. The fight was about to commence.
“Fine,” she said to Valeria. “You and the Sisters fall back and take cover. We’ll keep the enemy at bay while you do what needs to be done.” She didn’t wait around to watch the Sisters withdraw towards the rear of the group. Instead, she steered Onyx towards the front, where the opposing battle lines were now engaging. She urged him forward through the ranks of the Anzarmenian townsfolk, eager to join their struggle to capture Sevdanor, and liberate the beleaguered province from the tyranny of Baranzev Kazdaranian.
For a quarter of an hour the resistance made slow progress fighting through the streets of the northern districts of Sevdanor. While the dampening ward set by the Sisters had neutered the attacking threat posed by the Sanatsai among their bandit adversaries, the numerical advantage enjoyed by Kazdaranian’s men made it difficult to gain the upper hand in pushing them back. But it was Kayden’s insistence on entering every building they passed, in order to clear potential threats, that really hampered the momentum of the militia’s assault on the town.
The one saving grace, providing continued hope for victory, was confirmation that Kayden�
�s Zarantar was unaffected by the ward when she increased the strength of her invocations, which caused consternation among the Sisters—especially Sister Zarina. At no point since the commencement of hostilities had Kayden drawn her sword. From her position in the saddle, she focussed on exploiting her advantage, nonchalantly invoking Yuksaydan to knock bandits off their feet, to be set upon by her fighters, while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye for lurking bowmen whom she rendered unconscious with precision guided concussion orbs courtesy of her invocation of Turmiraydan.
By Kayden’s estimation, she and the resistance had dispatched or incapacitated at least two hundred bandits so far. If the intelligence provided by Sister Zarina was accurate, and Kazdaranian really did have four thousand men mounting a defence of the town, then the resistance would need to inflict a greater number of casualties before the objective of forcing a surrender became a possibility. But they weren’t unscathed either. From what Kayden had witnessed, over a dozen of her fighters had fallen beneath the expertly wielded swords of the enemy, while twice that number had been struck by arrows or crossbow bolts loosed by hidden attackers before she or the seven Sisters could react.
She spotted an archer on a distant rooftop preparing to let loose a quarrel down at the resistance. Thrusting out a hand, she invoked Turmiraydan, unleashing a concussion orb that zipped rapidly through the air, striking the archer before he could let fly. Instantly, he keeled over unconscious and disappeared from view.
