by Garry Spoor
Holding the blade above his head, he counted to ten. That better have been the signal, he thought before bringing the sword down. It cuts clean through the rope. He braced himself for the earth shattering sound of the kastelya crashing down. Unfortunately, there was only silence.
“No! No! No!” he shouted, picking up the rope, which now lay limp against the wall. “You have got to be kidding me,” he said through clenched teeth, tugging on the end, but still, there was only silence.
“This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening,” he shouted, kicking the wall. “I’ve been worrying about this thing over my head for the last twenty years, and now I need it to fall, it’s stuck!”
Vesper jumped from Jax’s shoulder and before the Captain could stop him, he climbed up the rope and disappeared through the small hole.
“Wait. Where are you going? What are you doing?” Jax shouted, but it was no use, Vesper was gone.
“Great, now she’s going to kill me, I just lost her rat,” Jax said, retrieving his sword.
There was nothing more he could down here. Grabbing the torch, he made his way back up the narrow stairs. When he reached the room at the top, he heard what he thought was the distant sound of thunder rolling down from the mountains, but as it got louder, the room began to shake. He lost his footing, falling over the reptilian wolf, among discarded boots. Covering his ears, he watched the walls crumbling around him.
They just started down the mainway, with the Minotaur right behind them, when Kile received another vision from Vesper.
“Wait,” she shouted to Grim.
-Finally come to your senses-
“Turn back, it’s stuck.”
-What do you mean it’s stuck?-
“It’s not going to fall. We can’t lead the Minotaur through.”
-Wonderful, give a vir a simple job of dropping an outpost and they screw it up.-
Grim shouted. He cut left, turning into the path of the charging Minotaur.
-I assume you have something in mind.-
“Head for the valrik,” Kile told him.
-Say what now?-
“Just go.”
Heading straight for the Minotaur, Grim quickly cut right. The Minotaur stumbled, going down on one knee. Kile was able to score another hit, before he could get back on and continue the chase.
-I hope you know what you’re doing.-
“Trust me,” she said, lowering herself on Grim’s back.
They charged the ranks of the Uhyre, who were now flooding through the breach in the gatehouse. The valrik ran before them, not so much in fear of the pony and his rider, but because they had no control over the Minotaur. It plowed through the lines, scattering the enemy left and right, at least those who were fortunate enough not to get trampled beneath its hoofs.
“Vesper, no!” Kile shouted.
-What’s that rat doing now?-
“He’s going to try to release the stone.”
-Always playing the hero.-
Grim mumbled, sliding to a stop and changing directions. He was heading back through the valrik lines.
“What are you doing?” Kile asked.
This was definitely not part of her plan. Actually, nothing now was part of her plan.
-If that little fur ball is willing to risk his life to bring down the outpost, you shouldn’t waste it.-
Grim was right, but then, he usually was, although, she would never tell him that. If Vesper was willing to do this for them, she couldn’t let him do it in vain.
The second charge through the valrik lines was just as eventful as the first. Grim passed close to the Minotaur, who was now preoccupied with seeing how many of the Uhyre it could throw over the walls. As she drew nearer, Kile scored a viscous hit just under the beast’s rib cage. The howling was deafening, both in her ears as well as in her head. It turned and hurled one of the valrik at them when they passed. The creature didn’t stand a chance. It flew over Kile’s head and struck the wall with a sickening thud.
Grim was now moving faster than Kile had ever known him to move before. He was making for the mainway with the Minotaur, and the first wave of the valrik, close behind. The dogs were on the opposite side when it happened. The first sound was a loud crack which echoed through the tunnel, followed by small stones falling around them like a gentle rain. A loud earth shattering rumble seemed to pursue them through the tunnel and was quickly gaining on them. Kile didn’t dare look back as the dust overtook them.
It wasn’t until Grim cleared the tunnel, that she turned to look. Moran was gone. Where once stood a great outpost, was now a rock pile. What took hundreds of vir years to build, was destroyed in a matter of minutes by a single yarrow. The kastelya filled the mainway.
-I’ll be damned, the little fur ball actually did it.-
“We’re not out of this yet. We may have closed off the mainway, but we still have to defend the ramps.”
-Then what are we waiting for?-
***~~~***
16
With the mainway closed off, there was now only one way for the valrik to get through Moran, and that was to use the Cliff Road. It was a secondary path, which ran along the outer edge of the kastelya, just under the face of the mountain. Starting at the west gatehouse, it winds its way through narrow paths, and ends at the east gatehouse. It was nowhere near as wide as the mainway, but wide enough for two supply wagons to pass and still have enough room for a horse and two ponies. It was here, just over three hundred outpost guards, fewer than two hundred dogs, six members of Perha Squad and one Hunter on a mean-spirited mountain pony, met the enemy.
Kile knew it wasn’t going as smoothly as she hoped. While riding up the east ramp, she passed the wounded on their way down. They were already taking heavy casualties and the fighting had only just begun.
Following the sounds of battle, she passed through two more defensible positions. They were set up ahead of time, so the soldiers would have a place to fall back should the battle not go as planned. They were simple walls, created out of whatever the men could find laying scattered about. Everything from barrels, crates and boxes to carriages, cabinets and other pieces of furniture. They even pulled the doors off the outhouses, which were prominently displayed on the very last defendable position. It was a fitting final statement. All the walls could be doused in oil, in preparation for a parting shot.
“Glad to see you made it,” Jax called out from the back of the wagon he was using to survey the battle.
“How goes it?” she asked, but she really didn’t need him to tell her, she could see for herself. The battle would never go their way, she knew that. There were just too many of them. The best they could hope for was to hold out until tomorrow. At least it would bring the refugees that much closer to Forthbar.
The soldiers of Moran knew what they were doing. This was not the first battle some of these men had seen. They restricted the pass with anything they could find, funneling the valrik’s main force through a narrow opening in the wall, where their superior number was no longer a factor. Archers stood upon raised platforms above the fighting, choosing their targets with care, since arrows were becoming a scarce commodity. The tired, wounded, and, unfortunately, the dead, were quickly pulled from the battle and replaced with a well-rested soldier. The tired were brought back, behind the line, where they could rest and recover, only to go back as soon as another man fell. The wounded were taken down the east ramp, where Sumsor set up an infirmary in an old warehouse, which was still standing, seeing as the halls of healing where now lying in a crumpled heap blocking the mainway. As for the dead, they were laid to one side with as much respect as they could be afforded.
Kile could only sit and watch as the battle raged before her.
The night came too quickly. The sun was setting and darkness was closing in. The advantage was shifting. Breaks in the wall started to form and the line was beginning to falter. For every hole they managed to close, another two would open. The night belonged to the enemy.
“Set the walls and fall back,” Jax reluctantly shouted.
The line collapsed. Men started to fall back, leaving the wall to the valrik, who were already starting to pour through. Archers, with flaming arrows, set the wooden barrier alight, keeping the main force behind a curtain of fire. Those valrik unfortunate enough to be caught on the wrong side of that curtain, faced the wrath of the Wild Hunter upon her black pony and the two hundred dogs who followed her.
The collapsing line fortified the next defensible position. Again, the soldiers prepared the barrier, reinforcing it with anything they could find. With only two more available places to fall back to, each one had to last as long as possible. The archers arrived next, taking their place on the raised platforms, which were prepared for them earlier. It was several minutes before the first dog arrived. Only after the mountain pony and his rider crossed the barrier, did the men close it off.
“I was beginning to worry,” Jax said from his perch on the carriage. “You took your time getting back.”
“I would have thought you’d be glad to get rid of me,” Kile replied, dismounting. Stumbling, she braced herself against the wagon wheel. She was sporting a nice laceration on the side of her leg. One valrik too close, she thought.
“You should get down to the infirmary and have that looked at,” Jax warned her.
The thought of visiting Sumsor again was not very appealing. He was a decent enough healer, but she could do without his grave-side manner.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“I can’t afford to lose you,” Jax replied. “Who would I get to lead the hounds?”
“Your compassion is underwhelming.”
Grabbing an old cloak from the back of the wagon, she tore off a strip and proceeded to bind the wound. It was not a very sanitary thing to do, and she knew she would get an earful from Daniel if he ever heard about it.
“Look, Kile about… Vesper,” Jax started.
“The fire should hold them for a little while longer.” She said, ignoring him and tying off the bandage.
“Kile?”
“They didn’t look too eager to break through, and they weren’t making any attempts to put it out. It may have bought us an hour or so.”
“Yeah… Okay, let’s hope so,” Jax replied.
Turning east, he looked to the horizon, since it was the only direction help would come.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be here,” Kile said, trying to reassure him. If only she believed it.
It was nearly three hours before the light of the fire began to fade and the first sounds of the valrik, on the Cliff Road, could be heard. Men were quickly preparing themselves for the next round. Kile held the pack in reserve. It would be their job to secure the retreat again, if it came to that, and she knew it would. The soldiers waited with pikes and shields, while a black wall of smoke, from the extinguished barricade, began to roll in. The first valrik to emerge, was quickly put down by a well-placed arrow, but it did little to slow the rest. Filling the Cliff Road, from one side to the other, they charged the second barricade, but once again the strategically placed obstacles forced them into a narrow funnel where they clashed with the vir. The shields when up, and the pikes came down, and the first wave of valrik fell to the men of Moran. Normally, this would have been followed by another assault and another one after that. Vadokk threw his forces against the vir with little regard for any true planning, or for his own people. However, this time there was no second wave.
They stopped about twenty yards out, just on the edge of the smoky wall, and waited. The last time Kile saw this tactic was back in the Mystic Tower, when she took the entry examination. But since that little battle never really took place, she couldn’t say for sure what they were planning, or if they were planning anything. Back then, the valrik yielded the battle to the brunrik, and she strained her ears for any sound of the larger Uhyre, but could hear nothing.
“You don’t suppose they gave up, do you?” she asked, coming alongside the Captain. Jax was standing on the carriage, trying to get a better look. He was as puzzled by this new development as she was.
“I shouldn’t think so,” Jax replied. “I’ve never known valrik to give up so easily.”
-They are waiting for something.-
Grim added.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Kile said, pulling herself up onto the pony’s back. “Maybe they want to talk.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Jax replied. “The valrik were never known for being very good conversationalists.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“You can’t be serious. You can’t just go out there and talk to them.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s not the way it’s done,” Jax explained. “If they want to talk, you let them make the first move. If they have something to say, they will send someone forward. They have the upper hand at the moment and they know it. All we can do is wait and see what they do with it.”
Kile urged Grim forward, but the pony refused to move.
-Listen to him, child, he’s the first vir who actually makes sense.-
“What, you think I’m crazy, you really think I was just going to go out there and start up a conversation.”
-It wouldn’t be the first time you did something… well… stupid.-
“Thanks for your undying support,” Kile replied. “I was actually going to talk to them,” she said, pointing to the ravens gathering on the wall.
It was not unusual to see ravens on the battlefield, although they usually came after the fighting was over. She had not seen any since the battle started, but then, she wasn’t really looking for them. Somehow, the concept of staying alive drove out any thoughts of birds. They were perched upon the rubble of Moran, and appeared to minding their own business. They didn’t seem to be very interested in the fighting or the fallen, and instead, were watching her.
When she approached, they made no attempt to fly. There were about two dozen, but she felt there may be more nearby. The last time she saw a flock of ravens was back in the wastelands, under the control of the infamous Ravenshadow. Were these his birds? Were they here to witness the fall of Moran? How far did his control actually extend?
“Should I… welcome you?” she asked them.
The birds looked among themselves as if searching for an answer before one came forward. He was older than the others, or at least that’s the way he felt to her. It was difficult to tell how old a bird was, they don’t exactly go gray with age.
He spread his wings and flew down to her, landed on the corner of a large crate just off to her right.
“Who are you?” she asked him.
-Bakara-
The raven replied in his sharp raspy voice.
“Why are you here, Bakara?”
-We bring… sight.-
“Who sent you?”
-Lindear.-
“Lindear? I don’t know any…”
-Lindear.-
The raven repeated, and this time the name carried meaning. It was not the one she expected, but it was not the one she feared.
“You serve… Lindear?” she asked.
-No.-
The raven replied. In his answer, she saw the wastelands stretched out before her. In the distance there was an old stronghold, which she knew all too well and preferred never to have seen again.
“You serve Ravenshadow,” she said.
-No more.-
The raven replied.
“Then who do you serve?” she asked.
-We serve… Kile.-
Now that was something she didn’t expect. Since when did ravens show allegiance to anyone?
“I think you’ve made a mistake somewhere,” she replied.
-We serve Kile-
-Kile-
-Kile-
-Kile-
Suddenly all the ravens began screeching out her name. She saw herself through their eyes while they flocked about her. It was
a strange, if not nauseating sensation, seeing herself, from many different angles simultaneously.
“Okay, enough… please.” She shouted, trying to drive them out of her head. “Look, I don’t know why you came to serve me, or why Lindear sent you, but I can use your help. You said you had something to show me.”
-Sight.-
Bakara screeched and with the word, Kile was flying again.
She was higher than the battlefield, higher than even the outpost which now lay destroyed beneath her. Although she yearned to go west, as she always did when she flew, it was to the east Bakara’s vision took her. She saw what the raven wanted her to see. The realization of what was happening snapped her back to her senses.
“Damn,” she cursed.
-What did the birdies have to say?-
Grim asked.
“Only that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better,” she replied.
Returning to the wagon, which was now being used as a command post, she found Jax in conversation with Raf and Tullner. Tullner was the first to look up when Grim approached.
“You are aware you have a bird on your head?” he remarked.
“His name is Bakara and I’m afraid he brings bad news,” Kile replied.
“I have often heard ravens and crows bring ill omens,” Raf added. “But up until now, I never took it literally.”
“Ill omens, or not, we need to get the wounded up here now,” she said.
“Are you serious? Why would we want to do that?” Raf asked. “They’ll only get in the way, and we’ll never be able to move them in time if the valrik break through the line.”
“It's not those valrik I’m worried about. It’s the ones who are coming in from the east.”
“What do mean?” Jax asked, quickly getting to his feet.
“The ravens have come to warn us. The valrik forces have gathered in Callor and are now marching here. My guess is, they are going to try to box us in, hit us from both sides at once.”
