Sister Lilli smiled slightly. “It is not as fortuitous as you think, Highness. Weeks ago, Chief Cleric Kal received a letter from Brother Jonas, warning him of the possibility that the demons may move against the Keep. We began to gather our strength. Our scouts reported back when the demons arrived. We mobilized as many soldiers as we could and prepared to march south, ready to attack the enemy as soon as we located them. Refugees came to Beragan and told us of your army’s pursuit of the demons’ forces. Since the demons are the enemies of all mankind, we came to assist you.”
“And now the battle is almost done,” Railan stated with a look at Helgrant, who nodded. “Our forces have linked up and are driving our remaining adversaries back. Some have retreated up the road towards the Keep while others have holed up behind the town’s walls.”
“We have destroyed many of the demons,” Trence said. “Working in coordination with the hundred clerics that Sister Lilli brought, we have been able to overwhelm the demons every time they attempted to gather.”
“We must address the enemy in the town, Highness,” Helgrant added. “Speaking with Railan, we agree that we must pursue the enemy up into the mountains and free the Keep, if possible. However, we cannot leave a sizeable enemy presence to our rear. With the losses we have sustained, we cannot leave the number of troops behind to keep the enemy bottled up in the town nor do we wish to risk more casualties fighting house to house to clear the town.”
“What do you suggest, Commander?” Marcus asked.
“I would like your permission to fire the town,” Helgrant said. Out of the corner of his vision, Marcus saw Railan nod slightly. “We know that the citizens had already fled before we arrived. We will use fire arrows and burn the town to the ground. Any enemy that tries to flee will be captured or killed. Once that is done, we can begin our movement towards the Keep.”
Marcus hated the idea of destroying everything in the town, thinking of those who lived there. If they survived this war, they would return to find nothing left. But he also knew that Helgrant was right. He sighed, and then straightened his shoulders as he looked at Helgrant. “You may fire the town, Commander.”
…
As night fell, Marcus and Nathen sat wearily on the slopes of the hillside, looking down at the town of Numaria. The command tent and the others were below them. Nathen, who had been healed when he was brought to the rear, lifted the wineskin he had somehow found. “To Daen, the stubborn farm boy. I will miss his presence more than I can say,” he said, voice breaking. He took a deep swallow and handed Marcus the wineskin. “To Daen, our friend,” Marcus said quietly and took a long drink.
In the distance, streaks of fire lit the sky as the archers began their destruction of Numaria.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Under the soft golden light of the glowing spheres of fire, Moshanna made his way through the hall of the Keep after checking on the doors, deep in thought. Since they had taken the courtyard, the demons had made sporadic attempts to breach the Keep’s doors, but had not sustained any attack. The only real damage they had done was tearing down several of the buildings near the gate walls and to burn and trample the garden to dust and ash.
During the attacks, his forces had destroyed at least one battering ram. In the lulls between assaults, he had seen the enemy soldiers working on several pieces of siege equipment, even trying to construct a catapult. What they thought it would do against the solid rock of the Keep, he did not know. Standing on the overhang, he had seen it come apart when they had tried to lob some of the stone from a destroyed building, killing several soldiers. Why have they not made a serious effort to take the Keep?
The other thing on his mind was Tomaris. After one of the attacks had been repelled, they had met in his dining room for a meal.
“We must discuss something that you will find unpleasant, my son,” he said gently to Moshanna as they sat at the table, a fire burning in the fireplace behind them. “As a soldier, you know that unexpected things happen in battle. Several times now, the demons have almost gotten the better of me. I am old and we must consider that I may die in one of these encounters.” He stopped Moshanna’s protest with a gesture. “We cannot discount that it may happen and it is simply prudent to plan for this eventuality. If I should fall, I have prepared letters with instructions on how the Keep will be overseen. You will find them in my office.”
“If you fall, I don’t believe that there will be a Keep left to oversee,” Moshanna told him. “We only have the two clerics and they will not suffice to stand against the demons.”
“Even with my power, we may not be able to hold the demons back,” Tomaris said. “You cannot concern yourself with my safety, my son. I will do as I must, as you will. Remember that your primary task is to protect the people of the Keep. Physical things can be replaced, but every one of them is precious. We have chosen to act as their protectors and we must honor that commitment.”
“I understand, Tomaris, but you must try to remember that you are the heart of the Keep,” Moshanna replied. “We need you as well.”
“You make my heart glad, Moshanna,” Tomaris said fondly. “I am honored to be held in such high regard.”
Since then, he had been locked away in his study. When Moshanna had knocked, seeking to speak with him, Tomaris had gently sent him away. The behavior was unusual for him and it concerned Moshanna.
Shaking his head, he ran up the main stairs to distract himself and went out to the overhang. The night was cool and the clouds blocked any moonlight as he stepped out onto the stone. Small fires burned in iron braziers, providing some warmth and light. He walked around, speaking with his troops and inspecting their readiness. He checked on the barrels of pitch, heated by fires and positioned near the metal sluices. Satisfied, he went to the edge to observe the demons’ forces.
He could see their large fires burning near the gate walls. With that light behind them, he could make out their positions and a general sense of their numbers. That is a mistake. As he watched them, he saw a horseman race through the broken gates and head towards one of the buildings. The man leapt from his horse before it was stopped. Bad news, perhaps, Moshanna thought hopefully.
He watched that building, curious to see what reaction occurred. In a few minutes, he saw men running out of the building and towards the various groups of soldiers scattered along the wall. He stiffened when he heard horns begin to blow. The enemy began to gather in hurried formations and he saw the demons massing.
“Sound alert,” he ordered a nearby soldier. The man ran inside and began to bang on a large drum near the entrance of the overhang. The deep bass echoed through the Keep.
Moshanna turned back towards the enemy as his soldiers took up positions on the overhang and other balconies along the face of the Keep. Archers prepared their bows while the spearmen gathered the small spears that they threw with great accuracy. Soldiers with shields ran out onto the overhang, taking up positions near the archers. The enemy had showered the overhang with arrows on occasion, so he had improvised a defense.
“I am here, Moshanna,” Halana said as the cleric came onto the overhang.
“Where’s Taric?” he asked.
She pointed along the Keep’s face at a higher balcony a hundred yards away. Good, Moshanna thought. I cannot have the magic users bunched together.
More horns sounded and the enemy formations began to march towards the Keep. Moshanna saw several battering rams rolling forward, surrounded by men carrying heavy metal shields. Apparently, this was when they were going to try to breach the gates. Why now?
“Prepare to release the pitch on my command,” he told the soldiers near the barrels. “Order the archers and spearmen to loose when the enemy is in range.” A solider nodded and blew two quick blasts of a horn.
The enemy drew nearer, working their way between the buildings. High above him, some of his archers began to fire, sending their arrows out on a high arc, gaining reach due to their elevation. Moshanna watched as the
demons separated from the soldiers and gathered around their leader, the large gray demon. They came forward as a single group, numbering at least fifty, heading towards the center of the Keep.
His archers and spearmen on the various balconies started to launch their weapons at the demons, whose armor resisted most of the attacks. Moshanna saw a few fall, but the others began to strike out at the balconies, their dark fire slamming into men and sending them tumbling down, engulfed in shadowy flames.
A streak of golden fire responded to these attacks. Moshanna saw Taric, glowing in power, begin to confront the demons. Behind him, Halana rushed forward and added her power to Taric’s. The demons resisted their efforts, turning aside their magic and responding with powerful bursts of dark magic.
Moshanna threw himself at Halana, knocking her out of the way as the black fire roared past. “Do not seek to challenge the demons’ might by yourself,” he said tightly to her. “Attack and move. Do not give them a stationary target.” She frowned at him, but nodded. He helped her back up and ran forward to check on the rams.
Glancing over the side, he saw the rams were nearly to the overhang. “When they get under the overhang, release the pitch,” he told the soldiers.
In the light from the clash of the demons and clerics, he saw a group of bowmen behind a row of infantry, working their way towards the overhang. He went to his archers and pointed them out. His men raised their bows and loosed. Their arrows sailed over the heads of the infantry and raked the bowmen. The enemy troops stopped and the bowmen ran up to take cover behind the infantry, who linked their shields into a solid defense. The soldiers suddenly opened their shields and the bowmen released their arrows.
“Shields!” he called out. His soldiers swung their shields around, but were not fast enough. While most of the arrows crashed against the shields, some slipped through. As some of his men fell back, crying out and clutching at wounds, Moshanna felt a burning pain in his left thigh. He looked down and saw an arrow shaft sticking out. His leg unexpectedly gave out and he fell.
In a blast that stunned the air, Halana was struck by the demons’ power. The explosion sent her flying back, her robes smoking, and staggered the rest of the soldiers. Disoriented, they could not respond as more arrows and demon fire swept over the edge of the overhang. Men fell screaming.
Beneath him, Moshanna felt the first blow of the ram against the Keep’s doors, which shook the overhang. A hollow boom echoed inside the Keep from the ram’s blow.
With his men down, Moshanna crawled towards the barrels of pitch. He was able to tip the first barrel, the pitch raining down on the men below. He heard their cries and shouts as he moved to the next barrel.
While the ram continued to pound, more arrows flew over the edge as he tipped the barrel. Pain erupted as an arrow pierced his left arm. Gritting his teeth, he slid over the last barrel of pitch, trying to avoid the additional arrows that raked the overhang. Grimacing, he was able to finally tip the barrel. Reaching into the fire, ignoring the pain, he pulled out a burning piece of wood and went to the edge of the overhang.
Even as he hurled the lit brand off the ledge and the pitch exploded in flame, sending men fleeing from the rams, he saw a demon point at him and an inky bolt of demon fire leapt from its hands. He could not move in time, but simply braced for the pain that would release him. Sharin.
Just before the demon’s power reached him, a brilliant streak of golden-white fire intercepted it. The shock wave from the conflagration of the power sent Moshanna tumbling back, snapping the arrow shafts and sending agony into his wounds. He stopped his tumbling with a low groan of pain.
Through the billows of black smoke, he saw Tomaris on the balcony of his study, his power brightly glowing in his hands. Tomaris unleashed another blinding blast of power at the demons. As Moshanna tried to pull himself up, he heard the thunder of the magic colliding with the demons.
A tidal wave of black fire flew up and enveloped Tomaris and his balcony. With a deafening roar and blinding light, the powers exploded, shaking the Keep itself. Moshanna held his breath as he searched for Tomaris. At first, there was nothing, but then he saw movement. Tomaris stood unsteadily, his robe tattered and smoking. Moshanna saw blood on his face as his power reawakened, twin globes of light surrounding his hands. In that light, Moshanna saw Tomaris look directly at him and nod.
With surprising strength, Tomaris ran towards the ruined railing of his balcony and threw himself off. Moshanna heard the demons laugh and cry out with pleasure.
“TOMARIS!” Moshanna screamed. The pain from his injuries temporarily forgotten, he crawled to the ledge and watched him fall.
As the old man descended, his hands stretched before him, the power surrounding his hands grew brighter and brighter until it was incandescent. The demons, their laughter dying, launched their dark power against him. Moshanna saw him buffeted by that assault, but his power turned most of it.
Moshanna lifted his head and saw the demons desperately trying to stop Tomaris and begin to move apart. Before the demons could react further, Tomaris plunged into their midst like a falling star. With a concussion that took Moshanna’s breath away and flung him back, a huge explosion of golden-white fire erupted, sweeping over the demons. In that conflagration, demons exploded into ash, sending pieces of their armor flying as shrapnel, tearing into other demons and their soldiers. Winds whipped the burning pitch, flinging globs of fire in all directions, coating the closest enemy soldiers and demons. Screams and cries roses as the enemy suddenly broke and ran.
Tomaris. Moshanna crawled and looked over the edge to see only a dozen of the demons had survived that explosion, some showing injuries as they fled. The rest were consumed, including their leader. All of their siege equipment was burning. Moshanna tried to push himself up when his strength failed and darkness closed in on him.
…
With a start, Moshanna woke to find himself in his bed, his clothes gone and his wounds cleaned and bandaged. Sunlight was streaming through the windows. Grimacing from the aches of his wounds, he pushed up into a sitting position. He thought of what happened and felt his heart heavy with grief. Tomaris is gone.
“You need your rest, husband,” Sharin’s voice said from the corner. He saw her rise from her chair and come over to the bed. She sat down next to him and rested a hand on his arm. “Both of the clerics survived, but they were also badly injured, so we cleaned and dressed your wounds as best we could. When the clerics recover, they will come and heal you.”
“That can wait. I need to check on my men and evaluate the enemy’s position, my love,” he said, shifting to the edge of the bed. He saw her frown as he slowly stood, favoring his injured leg. “Please, Sharin, I need to be seen, so the people know that someone is still in charge after Tomaris’ death.”
“I will accompany you then,” she said as she rose. She looked at him with a firm expression on her beautiful face. “If I feel you are pushing yourself too much, you will agree to return until the clerics can see you.”
“It will be as you say, my love,” he told her. “Can you help me dress?”
After Sharin had assisted him into his armor, he belted on his sword and limped towards the door. She lightly rested a hand on his arm, ready to help him if he stumbled. They slowly made their way down to the main hall, where he saw his soldiers resting, caring for equipment, and gathering weapons. He made his way down the stairs to them. When some saw him, a cheer went up, “Captain Deepwood and the Lady Sharin!” More soldiers picked up the cheer as he slowly went amongst them, checking on their health and morale.
He spent an hour rallying his soldiers and then, with the assistance of Sharin and Hansa, he made his way back to the overhang. There was a burnt oil smell to everything as they exited the Keep onto that stone slab. The sun, shining brightly in a nearly cloudless sky, warmed his skin, despite the cool air. His soldiers had cleared the overhang of the debris from the night before. He greeted the troops on duty and went to the edge to l
ook towards the enemy.
He saw them assembled beyond bowshot, the soldiers milling about in several clusters while the surviving demons were gathered together, separated from the soldiers. They seemed to be arguing over something.
As they watched, riders appeared through the gates, followed by foot soldiers. Moshanna saw several demons come in as well, joining their fellows. More and more enemy gathered inside the walls, adding at least several thousand troops to the enemy forces.
Moshanna shook his head in disbelief. Even if the demons were neutralized, he did not have the forces to break the siege. The enemy outnumbered his men at least two to one. Unless the enemy retreated, they would have to rely on a slow war of attrition.
His wounds throbbing, he was about to turn back inside when he noticed something unusual. He saw the enemy soldiers begin to gather in two separate groups, with the newcomers making up most of the larger group. He heard some faint shouts echoing off the walls.
Suddenly, the two groups began to form ranks, facing each other. As he watched, spears came down and the two forces began to close with each other. The demons, gathered behind the smaller group, surged forward. He saw demon fire streak across the gap, burning into the ranks of the larger group. Sheets of arrows flew in response, hitting the demons and the front ranks of the smaller group.
“Call the men to order, Commander,” Moshanna told Hansa. “Get my horse and prepare to open the Keep’s doors.”
“What are we doing?” Hansa asked.
“We are going to take advantage of this,” he said. “The enemy is fighting amongst themselves for some reason. While they are divided and occupied with each other, we will attack and try to break them.”
“As you say, Captain,” Hansa said with a salute and ran back inside.
“Are you sure, Moshanna?” Sharin asked, concerned. “Shouldn’t we just let them fight each other?”
“I want to take the advantage and maybe lift this siege,” he stated. “I may be wrong, but I sense that this may be the only opportunity we will have to do so.”
The Eternal Darkness (The Jake Thomas Trilogy - Book 3) Page 25
