by Aaron Thomas
Chapter 24 - Crushing the Walls
The captain had woken up early as he always did. He had many things to prepare for his first report to Atmos. Every once in awhile the king would wake before him and today was one of those days. He was sure he would spend the first half the day proving he wasn’t lazy once again. Lorusk readied himself for whatever questions that would need to be answered. Pulling his notebook out of his pocket, he reviewed his notes on camp supplies and personnel.
Atmos sat atop his horse a few thousand paces beyond the trebuchets. The sun rising on the battlefield gave Atmos’ armor a gleam that made him look like a lighthouse on a shoreline. Normally, Lorusk would recommend the king remain in the main camp where it was safe, but with Leviathans inferior numbers trapped behind a wall, Lorusk didn’t mention it.
Putting his notes away, he nudged his horse forward to stand beside Atmos. For a moment they sat and surveyed the battlefield that was soon to be covered in blood. Smoke was starting to rise from inside the castle walls as he was sure breakfast was being cooked for the soldiers. As long as they continued to smoke each morning, Lorusk knew they would still have fight in them. It wouldn’t be long now until Atmos started unleashing his master plan to crush Leviathan.
The king’s father had done it with minimal casualties, and Lorusk found no faults in the same attack working a second time. The more damage they could do to the walls before the fighting started, the better.
“Good morning, Captain,” Atmos said cheerily.
The king was born for battle and strife and seemed happier when he had someone to attack. Unfortunately, that meant a pretty short life for any soldier that tried to make a career in his employ.
“Good morning, Majesty,” Lorusk said, handing Atmos a spy glass.
The king readily accepted the cylindrical metal tube and put it to his eye. With a sigh, he lowered it and handed it back.
“It should have crumbled by now,” Atmos said disappointingly.
“Yes, your father's notes were very clear about how long it took to take down the walls. When we have done everything the same as he did, I started wondering if we did something wrong, so I reread his notes. During the last couple days of attacks he began wondering if the walls were repairing themselves or if someone else was repairing them,” Lorusk said.
Atmos nodded his head, “I shall have to reread the notes as well. In the meantime, the more trebuchets we start launching rocks with, the better. Surely those machines can overwhelm the repairs of the wall.”
Lorusk nodded his head, “Catherine said she would have four more here by tomorrow. With a half a day to set up, we should be able to almost double the amount of current damage. I was also thinking instead of a constant bombardment, we could start launching the stones at the same time to maximize their damage.”
Atmos ground his teeth a little, “Yes, as soon as all nine are on the field and constructed we will start the coordinated attacks. The next morning we will launch our first assault. Are the battering ram teams organized and prepared?”
“Captain Vincent will be leading the ram teams,” Lorusk said. “He took it upon himself to gather the veterans for the push into the city.”
“What of the Champion? I haven't seen him for days,” Atmos said.
The mention of Chit always stirred the captain's blood, especially since some of the younger soldiers started hearing about how many imbuements he had taken in the battle with the Fire Realm. Most of the imbuements Lorusk was sure Chit had pulled off his dead companions.
“I assigned him to the front lines helping with the trebuchets. He was complaining that his sword training wasn’t giving him enough of a work out, so now he’s helping load the boulders.”
Atmos nodded his head, “A good use of his strength at least, and it would be pretty hard to mess that up. Plus, the farther from Catherine and her men I can keep him, the longer he will live.”
“Do you think she would actually attempt to kill him?” Lorusk asked.
“I do. Especially if she thinks I will back out of the deal I made with her. I won’t chance it, he needs to be kept as far from her men as possible,” Atmos said.
“I will make sure he does,” Lorusk said, clasping his fist to his chest. “I wanted to discuss a couple of things with you, Majesty.”
“Speak your mind, Captain,” Atmos said in a soft voice.
“Earlier this week there were reports of Gortus inside Leviathan. The Kapal is one of the best warriors we have seen from the their nation, and he has knowledge of almost every one of our wielders. How do you propose we deal with him?”
“You fear him getting close to our wielders and ripping them apart, but that is exactly what I want. Truth be told, I want him to come straight for me when the fight starts. You see Captain, there is no magical force behind an arrow for him to take away. One can still kill him like any other man,” Atmos said as if it were a minor problem.
“I will have a squad of men prepared to search the battlefield for him. The other thing I wanted to talk about is what you have Councilmen Mica secretly doing. I know if you wanted me to know you would have told me, but seeing how Catherine knows, perhaps I should as well,” Lorusk said as he stared at the translucent walls.
Atmos smiled at the corner of his mouth, “Mica has been buying off townships in the Water Realm. As long as they refuse to send soldiers to Leviathan’s aid, they will receive ten thousand gold from the Earth Realm’s coffers.”
“We have enough gold to pay them?” Lorusk asked.
Atmos gave a low chuckle, “No, but by the time they realize it the battle will be over and I will be their king again. They won’t have someone to rally behind to enforce the transaction.”
“The secret mission he is on is to buy off towns, that's it?” Lorusk asked.
“That’s it,” Atmos echoed. “Sometimes even the smallest amount of greed will overthrow a society. Their need for money is Kilen’s downfall. Even if he managed to win this battle, the Water Realm would struggle to find the resources it needs to sustain itself. I have kept them on the verge of collapse for a reason. A starving society doesn't have the strength to fight back.”
Lorusk looked at the gleaming castle walls and wondered just how much of Atmos’ statements were true. Leviathan was standing strong in defiance of their presence. The numbers of soldiers that were amassed inside had already grown to twice Atmos’ predictions. Mica’s reports said that Basham had managed to overcome the destruction and chaos they implanted in the city before the Earth Realm retreated back to its own land. The Water Realm was already standing in defiance of Atmos’ theory.
“Shall we see how well a coordinated attack fares with just five?” Atmos asked.
The captain knew it wasn’t an actual question, but an order to be carried out. He waved at a soldier who relayed the message for the day's first attack to be carried out at the same time. Depending on the outcome of the small bombardment, he would know how to go about fighting the battle. Searching his bags, he found a second spy glass and handed it to Atmos. They listened to the bird calls and the wind rustling the tall grass while the trebuchets crewmen were woken from their slumber.
Lorusk made a note in his book to have the men punished for taking so long to prepare. The front lines were to be ready at a moments notice for changes in orders. He was embarrassed by the length of time it took them to react. Finally, Lorusk saw the annoying Champion stomping through the camp. Moving a boulder usually took two men, but Chit and his imbuements handled it with ease. It was only the first of many stones the boy would move throughout the day.
A torch was raised and lowered to signal the release of the trebuchet counterweight, slinging the stones through the air. The hurled ammo was released within a fraction of a second of one another. He was happy that the soldiers at least did that part correct. The series of sounds reverberated woke many of the men in camp as the stones collided with the magical walls of Leviathan.
Horns blared out inside the city,
notifying the occupants the attack has commenced. It was late, Lorusk knew the horns should have been sounded when the soldiers had begun loading the weapons.
He raised his looking glass and watched as water poured out of a gaping hole on the side of the city walls. Two of the stones had struck close to one another causing a portion of the wall to be pushed inside the city. The captain watched as cracks from the multiple stones combined and splintered off again. He smiled, the coordinated attacks would work well against the translucent stones. Even now if they reloaded fast enough, they might get some stones to fall in the streets of the city using the gaps already made.
Once stones started falling inside the city, casualties would start to be taken. The more men he could prevent from manning the defenses of the city, the fewer men he would have to spend attacking it.
“Worked rather well, don’t you think?” Atmos said as he handed back the looking glass.
Lorusk agreed and tucked it away, “I would like permission to keep the attacks coordinated until we breach the walls.”
Atmos gave a nod of approval, “Triple the men we have in the field. I want ammunition secured for when the next set of weapons arrive. I want more earth wielders down there to speed up the rate at which we launch the stones as well.”
“It will be done, Majesty,” Lorusk said, clasping his fist to his chest.
“Run those machines every hour of day and night until we begin to chip away at those walls. Push the wielders repairing the walls to the very brink. I want them so weak they won't be able to lift a finger to beg for their own lives. Push the men Captain, in one week we shall dine in Leviathan,” Atmos said so that the men in the area could hear his confidence.
**********
The speed at which Kilen’s column of men traveled had slowed by more than half since the addition of men Lord Burnholt had lent him. Although Kilen wasn’t complaining, because Burnholt had surprised him in a bold political move to send two hundred men instead of the one hundred he had promised. The small number of men he was given had a great effect on the growth of his army.
They had traveled for about a week and a half from Ellipse, and at the first town, they had volunteers before they could even ask. Twenty-seven men joined their ranks, grabbing any piece of armor they could find. Brent was very excited about the prospects of finding more towns that were inspired by the growing number of men.
He knew that if the numbers continued to grow, he would take all of the mounted soldiers on a different path than the ones on foot. Kilen strategized and discussed many different options for recruiting more. He hoped that if Leviathan managed to keep from being invaded by the time they arrived, he could provide enough soldiers to turn the battle.
Amongst all of the men now excited to defend their country, was one man that kept to himself. Paul would wander off alone every chance the march stopped for a break. Every city they stopped in, he would buy rare items and find somewhere to get a drink. Today, Kilen found him trailing behind one of three carts Paul purchased to carry his things. The man was face down in a large book meant to be a ledger.
“Trying to disperse the rest of your funds?” Kilen asked jokingly as he reined in his warhorse.
Paul lifted his head from up from his book and looked about as if he hadn’t understood the words that were being spoken to him. He shushed himself and looked at Kilen.
“What are your writing?” Kilen asked.
Paul smiled and started whispering where Kilen could hear, “Now that I know the voices are real, I thought I would figure out just how many were inside of me. One at a time, the spirits tell me their name, where they are from, and their skills in life. I also write down anything interesting about them.”
“What’s the point of this?” KIlen asked.
Paul placed the bookmark in the book and closed it, “Each spirit inside me has a desire to stretch their legs. I have only let one use the elemental that I summon, and some of the spirits are becoming jealous. If I have this book, I can eventually start a sort of rotation so all the spirits get their time out of the prison that is my head. I thought it was the least I could do for all the gold they have made me by sharing their crafts.”
Kilen bobbed his head as Paul spoke and finally replied, “I think it’s a great idea. I won’t need to start my own list for some time, hopefully. I only have five spirits right now, and one of them won’t even speak to me.”
Paul smiled, “I have found that even if their presence in my mind is solitary, they all eventually try to communicate.”
Kilen nodded, hoping that the Crying Man would speak to him someday. The thought of the reclusive spirit caused it to curl into a ball of determinant denial. The more he tried to interact with the spirit, the further it pulled away.
“I hope that’s true, Paul. Listen, now that you know the truth of your powers. I think maybe it’s time you carried out your portion of our deal,” Kilen said.
Paul looked stricken, “You want me to leave you?”
“If the Dark Army manages to overcome the Elder Wizards we may need more than just you and me to overwhelm them. If you’re able to find anymore like us, we’ll stand a chance,” Kilen said.
“If the Dark Army has come, then the Brights will as well. Perhaps we should start searching for them and leave the task of convincing these spirit wizards they are sane, to a less dangerous time?” Paul pleaded.
“The Brights,” Kilen scoffed. “They were supposed to show up in times of great need. What do the Brights consider a great need? Does the loss of the Elders constitute a great need? Perhaps the deaths of the world’s only spirit wizards will make them come out of their celestial hiding places. I don't want to wait to find out if my death is the reason for them to come or not. I would rather do my best to stop the Dark Army without them.”
Paul cleared his throat and tucked his book into a bag on his horse. Looking at Kilen, he spoke somberly, “If that is what you truly believe, then you need me more than you know. Kilen, I could possibly be one of the most important people you will ever meet in your lifetime. Inside my head, I have hundreds of spirits collected and with them, their memories, skills, and knowledge. The information that my brain contains is possibly far more than any wizards library.”
Kilen’s spirits were still young in comparison to Paul, and the spirits that Paul collected could be far older than him if they were wizards. The man was certainly right. The vast amount of knowledge and history that his brain contained could be of far greater power than any amount of elementals they could summon. All Kilen had to do was focus on trying to find the right questions to ask.
Kilen caught himself staring at the back of his horse’s head in deep contemplation of finding the most efficient answers, and it was only slowing him down.
“Okay, let’s start exploring the memories your spirits hold,” Kilen said quietly.
Paul reached his hand up to his head and squinted his eyes. It was a motion he made just before screaming at the personalities in his head. Kilen was sure the voices were all trying to talk at once, thinking their information most important.
Kilen laid a hand on the man’s shoulder, “Perhaps I should direct the conversation? Anyone in your mind that may have knowledge about the Brights, particularly about where they were first discovered?”
The struggling conduit of spirits closed his eyes as he listened to information given from the voices. A couple times he nodded his head but still said nothing. It took a moment, but he finally retrieved the book from his bag and opened it again to the bookmarked page. A name was scribbled in as his horse jostled him. Kilen tried to read as Paul’s hand scribbled.
The page was a list of employment that stated one of the spirits had worked for an elementalist as a records keeper. A second name written down was that of a fire wizard born some three hundred years after the Dark Army had been defeated. The third was a man who spent most of his life as a storyteller. He handed the book to Kilen after pulling the quill away from the paper.
“I would like to know anything she can tell me that she would consider noteworthy,” Kilen said as he glanced around to see if anyone was trying to listen in on their conversation.
Paul bobbed his head a few times as if he was listening to a conversation. He held up a finger before speaking to Kilen.
“Tara says there wasn’t much that we probably already haven’t heard. Elementalists believe the Brights to be beings that can wield all four elements at once. As far as she knows, they were flesh and blood as the records stated injuries that the Brights took. The elementalists believe them to be able to create life as long as they are not in this world. The records said that while in this world, they were limited to their power and unable to heal themselves or create life,” Paul said slowly, as if he was repeating someone else.
Kilen thought for a moment, “So they can’t heal themselves. At least we might know how they died.”
Paul nodded his head then slowly stopped, “The fire wizard, Ajuit, says that they both apparently died of old age. The wizard library in the Fire Realm said the Brights did not age as wizards do.”
Kilen looked confused, but Paul spoke again, “Tara says that Elementalists believe for the Brights to be able to wield all four magics, they have to give up their immortality. The loss of their immortality is the reason they only come to us in the time of great need.”
“Learning about them is fine, but we need to know how to find them or a sign of their arrival in this world,” Kilen said.
Paul sat for a moment, started to open his mouth but closed it twice before finally speaking, “Errent, our storyteller, traveled all over the realms during his life. He collected many fables about the Brights. Although they brought him a great fortune in towns that were lacking hope. He says in each one, the Brights appeared on the battlefield as teenagers. Their smooth, unscarred skin glowed like the sun as they decimated the Dark Army.”
