More ladders rose up only to be burnt to the ground in similar fashion. The orcs tried pouring buckets of water over the tops of the ladders before raising them up, but the burning oil still caught. No orc had yet reached the top of the wall, but Major Isak knew they were fast running out of burning oil, and the orcs still had plenty of ladders left. A huge crash, followed by a loud thunderous roar among the orc throng told Major Isak that the gates had been compromised. Orcs started streaming through the gates and toward the inner wall.
* * *
Chief Fa'rasha stood back and watched as dozens of orcs climbed the ladders. He grinned as they neared the top; this was going to be easy, he thought. Very soon, the top of the wall would be full of orcs. He watched as the orcs opened the trapdoor, and then suddenly the tops of all the ladders burst into flames. He felt the rage rise up inside him and let out a huge growl of frustration. The flames quickly spread down the length of each ladder, and in moments, the ladders began to collapse.
Meanwhile his force continued to be hounded by archers and catapults on the walls. Was there no way at all into this fort? Finally more ladders were raised, but the same thing happened to them. Ladders just weren't working. How else could they get in? Suddenly the gates crashed open and Chief Fa'rasha had his answer. One more set of gates and they would be behind the walls. The humans would have to retreat into the keep or be stranded on those walls. He watched as the orcs streamed through the gates. Some were being shot down with arrows, but the loss was minimal. The humans on the outer wall would now have to watch their backs.
But once again it seemed like the humans had all the answers. The ground beyond the wall all of a sudden became a massive fireball. Hundreds of orcs had entered the gate, and they were instantly burnt to a crisp, or thrown dozens of paces through the air. All the orcs and ogres near the intense flames also collapsed from the shear heat. Did they have a powerful wizard behind those walls? Any orc not killed from the massive fire started running away from the flames as quickly as they could. This retreating action was very contagious in the ranks of an orcish army; so once again the orcs were in full retreat. Chief Fa'rasha started running toward them and shouting for them to turn around and continue the assault. His words were lost on this fearful army though and none heeded his command. Not a single human had been killed in this assault, but hundreds of orcs had been lost. Chief Fa'rasha was so frustrated he drew his falchion which he had strapped to his back and cut down the first orc to reach him. Other fleeing orcs that noticed him took a wide berth but continued running.
* * *
General Krak'too looked down from the hilltop in absolute satisfac-tion. These humans were surely good fighters—a worthy challenge. First thing tomorrow morning the general would pay a visit to the Blood Council. He figured they might be a little more willing to listen to him now. One concern the general did have, however, was this magic user that stood up against Great Shaman O'tukka. To his knowledge, no one had ever faced the great shaman in spell battle one on one and lived to tell the story and yet this human had almost penetrated the great shaman's magical shield. He saw the disbelief in the powerful orc's black eyes as he related the story to him. If this magic user returned to the fort, it could well change the plan of attack.
* * *
"You did very well, Master Pilk," said Duke Angus.
"Thank you, my lord duke. I am also happy that we were able to evacuate all the women and children, along with some of the injured. May I ask if you would consider sending more reinforcements to Fort Lowmount now, my lord, since we now know their intent?"
"Orcs are still gathering in the mountains, Master Pilk. If I send too many to aid Fort Lowmount, I risk losing both the fort and Arthea. We have only fourteen hundred soldiers left in Arthea, and it is even harder to defend than Fort Lowmount. If nine hundred soldiers can't defend against ten thousand orcs at Fort Lowmount, how will fourteen hundred go defending against that number here?"
"I understand, my lord, but we have a chance to end the threat at the walls of Fort Lowmount. If we were to defeat them there, then they would be unlikely to attack Arthea," said Master Pilk rather excitedly.
"No!" replied the Duke firmly. "I know you mean well, Master Pilk, but my answer is no."
"Then at least let me and the rest of the wizards return to save all we can," pleaded Master Pilk.
The duke thought about this for a time until he eventually said, "Very well. But if things get too dangerous I want all the wizards to return at once. We may very well have need of them here all too soon."
"Understood, my lord. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, once we have all rested." Master Pilk stood up and left the room.
* * *
"So what is your answer?" asked the fierce one. Gerard had been summoned before him, alone this time, to give his final answer.
"I have one adjustment I would like to make to the offer," answered Gerard.
"What makes you think you have any power to make adjustments, human?" asked the orc leader.
"You seek knowledge of our world and culture; I can share some of that with you. That gives me the power to make adjustments." Gerard folded his arms.
"Speak then!" barked the fierce one. "What is this adjustment?"
"The first part of your offer was to release us at a time of your choosing. That could be thirty or forty years from now when we are close to death anyway. I'd like to make that a maximum of six months and the release of all humans you hold in captivity at that time."
"You ask a lot, human. How about within one year, you and all your kind will be released? That will give us more time to fully learn your language." The large orc leader stared hard at Gerard.
"Agreed," replied Gerard, not wanting to push it too far. It may well take that long to come up with an escape plan.
"All right, we will start talking first thing tomorrow." The orc leader signalled the guards and they came to escort Gerard back to his cell where his friends were waiting.
* * *
"What brings you back here, General Krak'too," asked Chief Fa'rasha. The general had returned alone to the little orcs' encampment at first light, and had been quickly admitted into the Blood Council's tent. That was a promising sign.
"I thought I would dine with you behind your human wall, and yet, I now see that you remain on this side of the wall," replied General Krak'too sarcastically.
"The humans have been more resilient than we thought, but we have made progress. We smashed open their gates in the last attack. It's only a matter of time."
"Yes, I noticed the gates being smashed open. I also noticed the many burning orcs, screaming in agony and the rapid retreat without the death of even one human. I would not call that progress, chief; I would call that slaughter. What tricks will the humans have next time you attack, and what new tricks do you possess?" asked the general gruffly.
"We will attack again as before; there is no other way. As for the hu-mans, they also must run out of tricks before they tire and die at our hand." Chief Fa'rasha paced the width of the tent as he spoke.
"And what if I said I could get a hundred or more orcs on top of that wall in an instant, chief? Would you be interested in our help then?" General Krak'too noticed the chief's eyes light up briefly before he regained control of his composure.
"And just how do you propose to do that general?" asked Chief Fa'rasha finally.
"I will tell you only if you allow us to join and help us take as many prisoners as possible. That's all I ask, Chief Fa'rasha, no gold or treasures, just human prisoners. You have very little to lose, and I assure you, lots to gain."
"Hmmm. Leave us for a moment while we discuss this," Chief Fa'rasha asked the general. General Krak'too turned and left the tent immediately, with a knowing smile on his face once he was out of their sight. They made him wait for quite a while before calling him back inside. General Krak'too knew that to be only a ploy to make him think it a hard and careful decision.
"Do you guarantee t
hat the humans you take captive will not return to this land, general?" asked Chief Fa'rasha.
"Nothing in life can be guaranteed, chief, but I give you my word they will be taken back to our world and kept captive until the fierce one uses them for his purposes, which will no doubt result in their deaths."
"Fierce one?" asked Chief Narva, who was sitting next to Chief Fa'rasha.
"The title for the leader of our tribe, the Black Skull." The orc chiefs nodded in understanding.
"Very well," started out Chief Fa'rasha. "If you agree to take the pris-oners to your home world and do all in your power to prevent their return, we shall let you join in our attack of the humans. Now would you care to tell us how you will manage to get over one hundred orcs on top of that wall instantly?"
Chapter 8
Final Stand
Once again the orcs had lined up in ranks before the walls, and once again Major Isak and his men spread out over the walls in defence. The orcs had built more ladders and yet another ram, after abandoning their second one in the last retreat. Major Isak was more concerned about this attack, though, as they had now used most of the burning oil. They had enough to ignite quite a few more ladders, but had used up so much in the big blast that killed so many of the orcs and a good few ogres as well. It had been worth it as it had been the cause of the retreat and had killed so many of them. But thousands still remained and he was getting low on ideas to try. He hoped the duke sent everything he had to attack the orcs from behind, but seriously doubted that would happen. Their only chance of survival was if Master Pilk returned to help them escape. Major Isak knew if that were to happen, he would be the last man through that magical gate.
The orcs began their charge and it happened as it had before. The archers shot down as many orcs as they could, concentrating on those carrying the ladders. The catapults continued to launch large rocks. Hundreds were killed before reaching the walls. But inevitably they did and began to raise their ladders. As the first few ladders were raised, a magical gate began to form not too far from the major. Master Pilk has finally arrived, thought Major Isak. Then another gate formed further along the wall, and soon after, another on the opposite end.
"Oh, this is not good," muttered Major Isak to himself. "Get ready to attack anything coming through those gates," he shouted at his men. But even he hesitated for a brief moment when he saw what came through.
That instant nearly got him killed as the beast and its rider charged directly at him. He dived off to the side at the last second, but still found himself with a nasty cut down the length of his back from the rider's sword. He was a veteran of many battles though and quickly regained his feet and was even able to take a slice at the creature's rump as it continued on by him. The beast howled in pain; a howl crossed between that of a giant wolf and a boar. It destabilised the rider just enough for one of Major Isak's soldiers to take advantage of. The rider fell to the ground, dead from a massive wound to the stomach, but the beast still lived and obviously wanted to take out its anger on the man who wounded it. The beast snapped its huge jaws at him, but the major was too quick. He turned full circle, dodging the attack and bringing himself around beside the creature's neck. During his spin, he pulled a dagger out of his belt and imbedded it up to the hilt in the creature's exposed neck. The beast bucked wildly and threw him backwards and to the ground, hard. Jumping up again in a flash he saw that the job was done. The creature lay on the ground still thrashing wildly, but obviously dying.
As he looked around he noticed that his men weren't faring quite as well. Two dozen of these riders had come through the magical gates and were now wreaking havoc along the length of the wall. Archers were trying to aim their shots at them but were just as often missing, endangering the lives of their own men. Soldiers were being torn apart by the aggressive creatures, while the rider continued to chop down others. Meanwhile orcs continued to stream through these three gates, some large, but most small. Major Isak now realised the new breed of orc had entered the battle.
* * *
The little orcs, as General Krak'too now referred to them as, had sent one hundred warriors back with him to the hilltop where his army was camped. He had spoken with the Blood Council at length over the tactics of this battle. He told them to make it appear as though you were attacking exactly as they had been. Meanwhile he would send them a nasty surprise on top of the wall. He didn't tell them precisely how he was going to do it, but told them that as soon as the ladders started to rise, he would cause chaos on top of that wall to allow their army free access up the ladders. The council insisted on taking one hundred of their own to put up on the wall; for the soldiers morale was their reasoning. The general knew better. He knew it was so they could spy. But General Krak'too was quite happy to use the little orcs as fodder. Not many, if any, would make it back alive to report what they had seen.
When he arrived on top of the hill, General Krak'too told the plan to Great Shaman O'tukka. He merely nodded at the plan as it was one they had used many times before. Next he told the squad leader of the worg riders, Gundruna, to divide into three groups and be ready to go through the gates. Then he sat back and watched the action unfold below him.
He saw the orcs line up in their usual formation. He saw them charge and watched as they got cut down by the hundreds from rocks and arrows. These little orcs had one tactic and stuck to it. It was a messy way to attack a fort like this one, but he enjoyed the show. He cared not for their losses. Then the time came for their part. The little orcs began to raise their ladders against the wall, and the ram neared the gate.
The orc general gave a nod to Great Shaman O'tukka and he began to chant a spell right away; pointing into the distance, then to a spot a couple of paces in front of him, the great shaman created a gate. Stepping a few paces to one side, he began to create another and then repeated his movements to create a third. He placed the exits of the three gates equidistance along the wall. The moment he stood aside, the worg riders charged through, followed by a mixture of little orcs and the general's large warriors. He sent them through to make sure the little orcs didn't get carried away and kill all the humans. Once the power of the gates had been used up and they winked out of existence, the general stood next to Great Shaman O'tukka and watched the chaos they had just created.
* * *
Captain Riyad was positioned halfway between the centre magical gate and the one which appeared to the north. Like Major Isak, he knew the appearance of these three gates was a bad thing. They were strategically placed along the length of the wall to maximise the damage. Not being close up to one of the doglike creatures, though, he didn't hesitate at all when they came through. He rallied as many men as he could around him and charged toward the centre of the wall. As much as he disagreed with Major Isak's decision to be front and centre in a conflict they couldn't win, he actually liked and respected the man, and certainly didn't want to see him fall to a bunch of ugly orcs. He left some archers behind him and ordered them to shoot at any clear target they got, and to the soldiers beside them to keep burning as many ladders as they could. They had to stop the rest of the army from getting on the wall and joining this fray, or the wall would be lost in short order.
He noticed the first rider charge directly at the major and cringed as he saw the split second hesitation from the man he secretly admired, but was stunned by his next moves as he quickly dispatched this fearsome creature like he would an orc. However, that was only one down; many more were tearing apart the fort defence. It wasn't long before he found himself facing one of these riders. He had observed them from afar for long enough to know their basic attack manoeuvrers. The rider would often strike down a soldier endeavouring to get out of the way of the aggressive creature. Captain Riyad was not about to give the rider a chance. He pulled a dagger from his belt and threw it at the large orc. It stuck in the orcs throat and instantly he fell from the creatures back. Now he just had to deal with the rider's fierce pet.
For all th
eir aggression, Captain Riyad noticed they were very restrict-ed in their attack. Their short necks, along with the restriction the reins put on them, limited them to a forward attack only. Yes, they would try to use their claws to attack things off to one side, but that only seemed to unbalance the creature. So when the inevitable attack came, Captain Riyad was ready for it. The soldiers that had come along with him were battling the smaller orcs, who seemed to keep a respectable distance from these beasts, and so it gave him the room he needed to copy the major's move. The only difference was, instead of a dagger in the neck, Captain Riyad sliced the creature with his sword, opening it up from its stomach to its massive front thigh. Even in their death throws, these wolf-like creatures were still dangerous; long sharp claws and huge fangs going every which way. Luckily, this one didn't thrash for too long; dying very quickly, in fact, and freeing the captain up to attack the next in line.
What confronted him were more worg riders and a stack of orcs. Not one to shy away from a battle, Captain Riyad ploughed on, meeting up with two smaller orcs. He pulled out his dirk to complement his long sword and took them on confidently. He saw that his confidence alone unnerved them, even though they were surrounded by their fellows. Captain Riyad's men were certainly keeping them at bay, though, and he realised the major and his men were pressing them from behind. A few of Major Isak's men had gathered around the gate, cutting down orcs before they could get their bearings. But so many had already come through, they would have their hands full, not to mention some were now making it up the ladders. This wall would be lost in this assault, he knew.
The Gate - A New Breed of Orc (The Gate Series Book 1) Page 15
