Life

by Rosie Scott

  “So they will soon belong to you,” he replied. When I glanced over at him, he was smiling.

  “They will.”

  “You said you have never seen them...?” Azazel commented, after a moment. “You told me your travels to Whispermere took over a season, and that you traveled east.”

  I nodded. “Chairel is the largest country in the world. It takes nearly a full year just to cross it from east to west.”

  “Then it seems to me that a lot of the places you promised to take me to will be new to you as well.” Azazel leaned over to nudge me with an arm. “When we travel to the Firn Caps together, we'll remember this day. Over drinks and a game of cards, maybe.”

  I couldn't help but smile at his optimism. “Not cards, bud. I don't like playing with you. You win too often. Besides, I don't believe there are any settlements in those mountains. Looks ripe for expansion, doesn't it?”

  Azazel shrugged playfully. “We'll establish something there.” When I chuckled, he asked, “What?”

  “You just want to travel around the country throwing stakes in the ground and bringing in construction crews? Is that the plan?”

  “Why not?” Azazel lifted an eyebrow at me. “It'll be your country. You can do whatever you want with it. With your recent discoveries allowing people to grow immortal, Chairel's population will boom, don't you think? People will be living longer. They'll have more years to have children. Chairel will grow to reflect that.”

  I pondered his words. As usual, he was right. The events of this war would change so much that eventually Arrayis would be virtually unrecognizable from what it looked like just a handful of years ago. A simple quest for revenge had turned into so much more. It was so satisfying to have such a tremendous impact on history.

  “I think Azazel wants to found settlements just so he can name them,” Cerin mused on my other side.

  “Admit it, Cerin,” Azazel began, “I'd be damn good at it.”

  Cerin chuckled. “You would be, but I think I'd be decent at it as well.”

  Azazel motioned to Hallmar. “Pretend this is your city. What would you name it?”

  “Bob,” the necromancer replied, to which Azazel and I laughed.

  “Let's not and say we did,” Azazel teased.

  “It's a name you'd never forget,” Cerin argued.

  “Because it would be notoriously terrible,” I retorted.

  “It's so terrible you wouldn't forget it,” Cerin replied as if I'd only proved his point.

  Maggie walked a few feet ahead of us, pulling our attention to her. She held one hand over her eyes, before grabbing the binoculars from her belt and gazing through them to Hallmar.

  “Whatcha see?” Altan asked, coming to a stand beside her and crossing his muscular arms.

  “Lots a' cannons, love.” Maggie wrinkled her nose as she continued to survey the scene. “Well, I just can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.”

  “What's that?” I asked.

  “Like I said, they got cannons. But they ain't the fancy ones like we got here.” Maggie reached out with a foot, kicking one of the long-range cannons the dwarves had left behind from our defense of Olympia. The engineer had been able to replicate the shells she'd told me about long ago.

  “So they're the type to shoot cannonballs, not shells,” I said, for clarification.

  “Aye.”

  “It's both a good and a bad thing,” I informed her. “They didn't think we'd have an engineer who could learn how to turn these cannons against them, so they expect us to swarm their wall on foot. Their cavalry was pulled into the city, probably so they can charge out of both gates and tear through our infantry with a pincer attack. And that will only be after they plan to take out scores of men with the cannons during our march. As you once told me, Maggie, these shells are best against structures. They're using cannonballs because once they hit the ground, they'll keep rolling. Just one ball could take out dozens of men with enough momentum. Shells are more likely to tear up these buildings or bury themselves in the ground.”

  “They focused on anti-infantry with their defenses,” Cyrus summarized, as he looked through his own binoculars some feet away. “Which was smart, considering that's always been the majority of our army, even now. They also put gold on us attacking from the seas. There are both battleships and galleons farther north.”

  “Are they moving inland?” Uriel questioned beside him.

  “No,” Cyrus replied. “They're staying put. Perhaps they think we'll try distracting them with a charge to get them to pull their navy inland before moving our ships south to the harbor to attack.”

  “When in reality, our warships are all the way in fuckin' Olympia,” Altan mused happily. “It'll take a while for them to pull their navy from the seas, but they'll eventually wisen up. Maybe they'll even attack their own harbor with the ships if we've taken it.”

  “Have you ever seen Hallmar's harbor?” I asked.

  “Gods, not in centuries,” Altan admitted. “We rarely come this far. We've always attacked the eastern coast.”

  “I'd guarantee the harbor is full of defenses,” I told him. “Take out their ships once we breach the city the same way I did in Olympia. With their own cannons.”

  Altan grinned. “Well, doesn't that just make me giddy with excitement. That's a fine plan, Kai.”

  “I'll volunteer,” Maggie offered. “I know how to work cannons.” She motioned a large hand over to her crew, who all wheeled the long-range siege weapons forward over the grasses. “So do they.”

  “For now, you're needed right here,” Altan told her. “Let's destroy that beautiful wall of theirs.”

  “It's the least we could do,” Marcus spoke up, his nearing voice so deep it nearly rattled the air as much as his heavy footsteps trembled the ground. “I'm still not over how they destroyed ours.”

  “It gave you a reason to make it prettier,” I teased the giant. After the dwarves destroyed Olympia's upgraded wall, the giants had been tasked with rebuilding it once more. They'd made it wider, taller, and added layers of iron plates to keep it from crumbling so quickly.

  “Prettiest wall I ever did see,” Marcus agreed, smiling at me from far above. He pointed one giant finger to the wall. “How far will those cannons fire, short stuff?”

  “Not as far as these babies,” Maggie replied, motioning to our cannons.

  “So we don't have to worry about them,” Marcus surmised.

  “Nah, love, we'll need to worry about them,” Maggie argued lightly. “We don't have a limitless supply of shells. I only started makin' 'em in Griswald. We don't have enough to take the whole wall down. Just enough to have some fun and make us an entryway the dwarves won't approve of.”

  “Well, they weren't gonna invite us in for dinner, anyway,” Marcus mused, to which Altan chuckled.

  “Let's get this party started, then,” Zephyr said, catching just the last bits of our conversation as she walked up. Jerking a thumb to the south, she added, “I've left the griffons in our supply camp. If we need them, I'll get them ready. But we don't have nearly enough to make a difference here.”

  Not only had the dragon of the second battle of Olympia killed most of our griffons, but we'd also left some of the beasts in every city as we ventured through Hammerton. They were by far the quickest method of moving messages across the land, and communication was vital during such a campaign. I hoped the Vhiri would have better luck breeding the mounts outside of Eteri than Chairel had ever had.

  By the time we prepared to attack Hallmar, the sun had risen far enough above the Quakes in the distance to the east that the city shimmered with its glare. Our cannons were set up at various intervals over the grasses, and Maggie's team was instructed to bombard the wall at its center until it collapsed, before using the rest of the ammo to clear as much of the visible forces as they could. This mostly included Hallmar's upper wall, which was full to the brim with dwarves and siege weapons. The cannons had been devastating when used agains
t us in Griswald, so we looked to lower their effectiveness here. The farms and homes that filled the space between us and the city had pastures large enough for our armies to walk through, but they were also areas ripe for cannon fire.

  Maggie's team stayed with the cannons as the rest of us moved back to leave them space. Far ahead, the dwarves braced themselves on the wall. Our army was deathly quiet as we waited for the engineer to start the battle.

  BOOM! A tremor rippled through the earth as the first cannon was fired. The crackling of the shell in the skies only lasted a second or two before the battlement of Hallmar's southeastern wall was hit, shrapnel of stone and limbs flying out from the initial explosion. As soon as the dust settled, the extent of the damage was made known. Though the shell had only hit the upper wall, the structural damage was more severe. The stone must have cracked and weakened, for bits and pieces tumbled down a pile of rubble.

  BOOM! The next shell missed the wall completely, arcing high and disappearing into the city. There was no evidence of it landing via visual or audible clues, but Maggie's team continued to fire.

  One cannon at a time was unleashed before it was quickly prepared for another round. Some of the shells missed, but enough hit that it made the inconvenience of wheeling the cannons along with us worthwhile. A few new entry points to the city had been made where we could lead our armies through passages of lowered rubble. Multiple sections of the upper wall were destroyed, leaving siege weapons in piles of wood and metal. Many bodies dotted over the grasses just outside the city, waiting to rise and join our army. From over the lowest points of the battered border, I could see my initial theory was correct. The remaining Hammerton Army had an abundance of cavalry, and even without having the benefit of a surprise attack they would do massive damage to our infantry.

  Maggie's team ran out of ammo, so we moved the cannons to the side and prepared to march. Calder and his beastmen transformed in advance, leaving their clothes and belongings with our supplies. I ordered Holter to transform as well since this battlefield was more open than any we'd fought in yet, and I figured the scout would be most useful in the skies. The Sentinels each led a dedicated army. Because the cannons were most populated on the southeastern side of the wall and the giants were the largest targets, Marcus and his men were farthest to the left. The army directly to their right was mine, consisting of the Seran Renegades, my own recruits, and the assassins from the underground.

  On the far eastern end of our massive army, Dax blew through his war horn, signaling his army was ready. One by one, each Sentinel's horn followed until I was the only one left. I lifted the horn to my lips, took a deep breath, and gave the final signal for battle.

  HUUURRRNNNNN!

  The land trembled as our massive army marched north through the ghost town of farms and pastures. A cool breeze indicative of mid-Red Moon blew from the ocean just on the other side of Hallmar, bringing with it the last remnants of dwarven shouts.

  This was Hammerton's last stand. Though rumors had reached us that the dwarves were already focused on rebuilding in the lower Border Mounts just north of the beastlands, this was their final chance to repel us from the country that was already established. As much as I often thought about changing history with my part in this war, undoubtedly many of my foes felt the same about being present for such an event. The Sentinels were revved up for this battle because Eteri had been after this land for centuries, and they were finally here. I was determined to take this city so I could re-focus on the final goal of Chairel, hopefully with allies that were spread across the entire globe. Finally, Hammerton was desperate to retain its last significant settlement for long enough that its ally could come to its aid. Hammerton had been a challenge, but its army had never been as large as Eteri's. On the contrary, Chairel's armies dwarfed those of the rest of the world. I had no doubt we could take Hallmar, but if support came from the west, our chances would be severely lowered.

  Our armies separated as we came upon the buildings that stood out like breaks in the land. Marcus and the giants marched so far to the left they were in Chairel's territory, avoiding the obstructions altogether. I decided to lead my own army close behind, moving to the west of the structures just far enough that a new flood of determination washed over me, for I knew that the grass beneath my boots belonged to Chairel.

  Screams and shouts in anticipation of battle floated over the breezes once more as our armies moved close enough to the wall that the cannons were prepared to fire. The speed of my heart increased until I felt hot within my armor. It had been terrifying facing the onslaught of cannons in Olympia. The air was full of fear as our soldiers remembered that day and prepared to experience it all over again.

  From two armies to the east, I heard Kirek scream, “Hold steady! Nothing breaks our march! Earth mages to the frontlines!”

  Kirek's plan was solid, for I knew she thought back to the strategies I used in my fight with Tyrus. Our only method of defense against the cannons were earth mages who could block the hits with rising stone. I repeated the order to my own army, and a few dozen earth mages came to the frontlines. I didn't have as many as the Sentinels, for most of my soldiers were Alderi and predisposed to water and death. Nonetheless, I prayed it would make a difference.

  The crack of cannon fire echoed from multiple defense points of the Hallmar wall. Cannonballs were streaks of gray in the skies as they whistled in their downward trajectory. I heard many screams from the east as soldiers panicked, and more shouts from the Sentinels as they tried to calm their men.

  It seemed as if all of the cannonballs hit at once, for the outskirts of Hallmar were suddenly overwhelmed with explosions of grit, dirt, and blood. One of the balls flew straight into the chest of one of Uriel's soldiers, leaving him dead and mangled on the ground before it continued hurtling through the pasture, removing multiple legs before its momentum slowed. Another missed Altan's army but hit a nearby stone building, and the resulting shrapnel of stone left many soldiers knocked unconscious and crushed.

  The dwarven cannons were reloaded and fired again. Cannonballs left streaks of gore across the fields, and one earth mage in Kirek's army successfully defended against one, the ammo ricocheting off stone with a cling. Some healers were left behind in the fields as they tended to the injured who could be saved.

  Very few cannons were shot at my army. Not only were we out of the range of most of them, but the cannons that were fired were aimed at the giants. The majority of them missed, for the giants were too far and at an odd angle to the wall. Those who were hit were barely fazed. Their magnificent heavy armor was dented, but the men and women beneath it were immensely strong. Even the dented armor did not break their sturdy bones, and the momentum of the hits only caused the huge soldiers to stumble back a bit before continuing onward.

  Marcus himself was at the front of the army, carrying his massive metal club. Out of all of our units, his men were the least perturbed. Some of the giants even seemed to be having great fun dodging the ammo. When a cannonball arced through the skies straight for Marcus, he stopped his army with a lifted hand before grabbing his club with both and preparing to swing.

  Shink!

  The cannonball ricocheted off of the giant's club, hurtling back through the skies toward Hallmar. Marcus laughed with glee as the dwarves were left scrambling out of the ball's way as it prepared to crash into the southwestern wall.

  “What the hell did you do that for?” One of the giants asked, just as the general moved them forward again.

  “Just to see if I could,” Marcus replied happily. As the cannonball hurtled through the battlement of the wall and proceeded to collapse the corner of an inner city building with an explosion of stone and metal, Marcus turned toward my army. “Well, that was a blast.”

  “Should I laugh or groan at that?” Nyx asked.

  “Maybe both, little lady,” Marcus replied, to which Nyx raised an eyebrow, impressed and amused. I hoped to the gods she wasn't getting any naughty ideas.<
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  Marcus's retaliation encouraged the dwarves to focus their cannon fire on the eastern armies as we finally approached the wall. We had no siege ladders, so we planned to pool our troops through the multiple breaks in the wall and use our earth mages to deconstruct any remaining obstacles. The Sentinels started to move their armies in line with the gaps. Now that my allies were all within the shadow of the wall, the dwarves unleashed their remaining siege weapons.

  Balls of offensive alchemical mixtures exploded into clouds of mist and dust. The few life and water dual casters we had access to hurried to clear the air with the spell I'd taught them, keeping the mixtures from spreading. Even still, the magic could not prevent the alchemy's effects on the soldiers it'd already hit. Gaps appeared in our ranks where handfuls of soldiers fell to caustic liquids, and sizzling could be heard throughout the field from boiling flesh.

  Pssh!

  A clay ball exploded in the midst of the assassins just behind us. The liquid that spilled out on the ground was maroonish-red and distantly familiar. As it was exposed to the air, it rose up in tiny droplets like a mist.

  My heart thudded against my chest as I realized that somehow, the dwarves had gotten ahold of Mirrikh's creations in Olympia before their retreat. They'd stolen his poisons. Tested them. Recreated them. Now, they were being used against us.

  “Scatter and do not breathe it in!” I shouted as I built the spell to combat it. The red mist had already reached many of their noses. As Azazel and I hurried back from its widening diameter, Nyx, Cerin, and Maggie all stayed behind, already victims of the mixture's effects.

  Teal rains fell from the skies, binding the mind-altering poison and removing it from the air. The area was now free of it, but everyone hit was already affected. Nyx, Cerin, Maggie, and a handful of assassins all turned against us. Maggie swiped her war hammer through the ranks behind her, and multiple assassins flew back, their bodies broken and shattered. Nyx flung a throwing star at my shield, then another. Cerin held his scythe in one hand, building enervat with the other.