by Ben Hale
It was clear the man didn’t fully understand Braon’s words, but he tilted his head and followed Newhawk from the room. As soon as he was alone, Braon smiled to himself. Two generals in two days had been more than he could have hoped for. With the dwarves arriving from the north, and humans now flooding in from the south, he could begin fleshing out the battalions. Construction on the fortifications would increase and their timeline would move up. Granted the work would be more, trying to organize hundreds of thousands of people into their places, but it was necessary.
Turning on his heel he opened the door and addressed Thacker. “Wake up Kit and let her know that General Graden is coming. She knows what to do.”
Thacker nodded and smiled. “You have taught her well.”
Braon sidestepped the praise and added, “Then inform Onix to go to the eastern falls and introduce himself to Graden. Have him explain the details of the fortifications they are building so he can begin training his men accurately.”
As Thacker passed on the mental orders, Braon turned to Rokei and asked, “Can you send someone to inform the queen of our progress?”
Rokei nodded and disappeared down the hall to find a messenger. Turning back to Thacker, Braon saw that he’d already finished, so he said, “Tell Deiran to meet us. Since we are already down here we might as well see firsthand how his training regiment is working.”
Stepping back into the room to wait, Braon went to the window and surveyed the great hall. Elven light magic filled the enormous cavern enough that Braon was able to see the expressions of the humans entering the city below him. Many seemed scared, and spoke little as they were directed forward. He couldn’t blame them. He remembered acutely what he’d felt when he saw the annihilation of Terros. Being forced to evacuate had many similarities to being driven out by an army, and either way it meant you were abandoning your home.
Because the human kingdoms were the most populous of the races, their coming would be unequivocally necessary. Nearly half of the entire manpower he hoped to gain from the gathered nations would come from the race of man, and having a strong human prince become one of his generals would be political as much as strategic. It would help them believe—especially with Newhawk’s overall leadership.
Several minutes later, General Deiran and his Link, Daq, arrived. Greeting them, Braon asked for a brief tour of the training and a report of its progress. The general responded readily and led him down and back into the cavernous space of the First Great Hall. Braon smiled and nodded in response while half his mind absorbed the general’s words. The other half paid attention to Deiran himself.
The strong elf general appeared tired, but alert. In his shadow followed Daq stayed true to his training and remained silent. The youth also appeared worn, but his eyes sparkled with excitement and his eyes lit up every time his father looked at him. By his changes in expression, Braon saw that they were silently speaking to each other, and he was glad to see the results positive. Deiran also threw glances at the boy and Braon got the sense that the General had developed a soft spot for his Link. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned the bulk of his attention to Deiran’s report.
The elf general had been tasked with developing a training schedule for all the newcomers and he’d been challenged with getting the army into shape. To accomplish the difficult task, Deiran had taken each battalion east of Azertorn and brought them to the First Great Hall to train. Based on the rotation, each command would train every third day, giving them two days to work on the defenses of their area. The western commands did the same thing, and used the Second Great Hall positioned directly above them.
As Deiran concluded his description Braon smiled. “You have done excellent work General, especially to accommodate so many inexperienced men.”
“Almost all of our people and the dwarves do not need the training, as they have been working with their skills for many years. I recommend the dwarves be taken out of the rotation so they can focus on the construction of the walls.”
“Do it,” Braon agreed. “The only thing I would add is to make preparations to move each battalion’s training to their perspective field of conflict. Soon we will have too many to move and it will be easier if the practice is done with less waste of time. I can't explain why now, but place all training areas adjacent to the cliff.”
“Understood, Commander,” Deiran replied, giving a curt nod before departing.
Braon saw Daq’s small hand waving and he allowed a half smile that brightened the little boy’s face.
“Daq says it was good to see you again,” Thacker said after they had departed.
“Tell him it was good to see him, too, and tell him he deserves praise for holding to his training. I know it was hard for him not to speak.”
Thacker laughed."You have no idea how hard it is for him to not talk.”
“I know," Braon sighed. "But the generals have to get comfortable using their Link, so it is second nature during the battle. If the Links talk at all, it will slow our communication down.”
A hand clasped his shoulder, and he looked to find Thacker’s eyes. “My family will do our part to help you with your burden, and for what it’s worth, we believe in you.”
Braon swallowed the sudden knot of emotion and forced a smile of gratitude. The fisherman’s words had hit home. He did feel a weight that could not be shared—or shown. At every moment he had to be in control, commander in every way. A single crack and people would lose faith in him. It was a price he could not afford, even if the pressure caused physical pain.
Chapter 16: The Ocleon
Taryn frowned as he looked out from their hiding place onto the southern end of Ryazan. Crumbling in disrepair, the city was inhabited by orcs and gnomes, racial enemies of the dwarves. As short as a dwarf, orcs were quick to anger and slow of thought. Gray-skinned and thick of stature, they were a superstitious and suspicious lot that tended to fight at the slightest provocation. Gnomes tended to be more intelligent and less warlike. Spindly little beings, gnomes were easily identified by the yellowish hue to their skin—or their greed. At some point in the distant past the two races had formed an alliance that had endured for centuries, an alliance based on the gnomes becoming akin to a ruling class. For an inexplicable reason, the symbiotic relationship seemed to work for both races.
“Why do we have to do this again?” Trin whispered in exasperation.
“I told you,” Siarra replied in irritation. “At most this will delay our journey a day, but if we manage to convince the gnomes and orcs to join the gathering, then they could bring over two hundred thousand to the battle.”
Trin growled under his breath. “I still don’t like it. This city is enormous, and there is no order to the layout. It looks like buildings were added at random and many are certain to be structurally unsound.”
“Sounds like fun,” Jack said, excitement coloring his tone.
“Perhaps to you Jack," Mae said, "but this will not be easy.”
Siarra nodded and said, “I know it will be hard, but we have to try. I can feel that their joining our cause is vital to our success.”
Jack snorted. “You’re going to play the Oracle card, again? You need to come up with another argument.”
Siarra's expression darkened but Liri cut her off before a dispute could start again. “You have been at each other's throats for the entire two weeks since we left the dwarves. Jack, why don't you help us figure out what to do.”
Jack frown deepened, but he threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine, there is a secret entrance in the southwest side that will bring us to within a mile of the palace.”
All of them looked at him in astonishment and growled in irritation. “What?”
“How do you know that?” Trin asked with a shake of his head.
“I put it there,” Jack replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Taryn stifled a laugh and glanced over the top of the hill at the city. “We’d better move,” he said. “There i
s a patrol of guards coming and it’s getting dark. If we are lucky we can be in and out by dawn.”
As they began leapfrogging through patches of trees to get around the city, Taryn heard Siarra mutter under her breath. He caught the words "stupid thief," and he bit his lip to prevent a smile. Moving forward he knelt beside Jack as he looked at the next stretch of bare ground, scanning for any sign of movement.
“Do you annoy her on purpose?” Taryn asked.
Jack flashed him a grin. “Of course. Someone has to keep her humble. Besides, I think she likes me.” He waggled his eyebrows and smirked, but Taryn got the impression that there was a serious note to his words.
“You favor her, don’t you,” Taryn whispered.
Jack flashed an annoyed look at him. “Finally see that, do you? Took you long enough—but then again you seem to be lacking the sight that notices when someone is interested. Liri is a perfect example.”
Taryn, taken aback by his comment, didn’t get a chance to reply as Jack bolted for the next stand of trees. Taryn sprinted across the open ground and followed the thief into protective darkness.
As soon as they were hidden once again, Taryn asked, “What do you mean, Liri? We’re just good friends.”
Jack laughed, quiet and mocking. “Just pay attention to the way she looks at you, will you?”
Taryn’s mind buzzed and he cast a look back at his longtime friend, who caught his glance and smiled. He jerked his head forward so as to not give away his thoughts. Despite his efforts to quell it, the idea that she might favor him back sent tremors of heat through his body. He tried to remember conversations where she might have alluded to it. Several comments she’d said over the past few months seemed particularly noticeable now that he considered it—but he’d just thought they were close.
Could it be true?
Jack patted him on the shoulder, his expression sympathetic. “Don’t worry, Taryn, you will figure it out. Right now we have to get into Ryazan.” Pointing towards a section of the tall wooden palisade that formed the outer wall he said, “The entrance is right there.”
With an effort, Taryn set his thoughts aside, resolving to think about Liri later. “How does the entrance work?”
“The wall is fifty feet or so, right?” Jack asked and Taryn nodded.
“Looks to be that way."
“Halfway up is a piece that swings inward and leads onto a roof inside. Do you see that section of the wall that still has the bark on it right above the roving patrol? Below it you will see that one of the logs has a little branch sticking out of it. That’s the trigger. If it is lifted straight up and then moved right, it will swing open.”
“Have you stolen from every city?”
“Not every city, but all the big ones. You have to move around or they might start to know who you are.”
“What did you take from here?” Taryn asked.
“Which time?”
“Whichever time you want to tell,” Taryn grinned.
“Last time, ,” Jack said and leaned in, “I took the Ocleon.”
Siarra materialized at their side and asked, “What did you say?”
Jack’s eyes flicked back and forth between Taryn and Siarra until he said, “The Ocleon.”
Siarra threw her hands into the air and hissed, “Why didn’t you share this before?”
Jack put up his hands in a vain attempt to placate her and said, “I didn’t think it mattered.”
She growled, but Taryn interrupted their exchange. “What’s the Ocleon?”
Siarra whirled on him. “It's the most precious thing to the entire orc and gnome nation. It's a large sapphire that supposedly their grand shaman uses to communicate with their god. The dwarf king told me about it when I said we would be coming this way—and told me that ever since that stone has been taken the entire nation has been on the warpath.”
“So how does that impact us?” Taryn said, confused, “besides making it more difficult to get in.”
Siarra’s eyes flashed in a mixture of anger and excitement. “We can use it to get the king to join the gathering.”
Jack jumped in with a shake of his head, “Hey, I stole it fair . . .”
Siarra’s look at him could have struck down a giant, but only made the thief wilt a little. “Where is it?” she demanded and a slight current of energy blossomed up her arms.
Jack threw up his hands and grumbled, “It’s in the city. I had to stash it when they were about to capture me. They tried to execute me, you know, and it wasn’t easy to escape.”
Siarra’s expression turned calculating and she said, “OK, let's go. Jack and Taryn will retrieve the Ocleon and meet Liri and me at the palace. Trin and Mae can stay out here in case something goes awry and we need a rescue.”
Taryn tapped Jack on the shoulder as Siarra fell back to explain to Trin and Mae. “Don’t worry about it, Jack,” he said, his voice full of sympathy. “We all know she is impossible to say no to.”
Jack sighed, his gaze lingering on her back. “She’s like a tornado, impossible not to be fascinated with . . . but deadly if she comes after you.”
Taryn turned his laugh into a cough as he saw his sister returning and said, “Besides, you can always steal it again after this is over.”
Jack smothered a laugh and brightened considerably, so when Siarra arrived and motioned for them to move, he didn’t argue.
During their conversation the patrol had moved on, so Jack sprinted down the slope in the fading light of day. Reaching the wall, he scaled it to the point he’d indicated and lifted the branch. A small portal swung inward and the thief disappeared from view. Taryn checked the perimeter once more before following and moments later he was inside the city.
As one by one the rest of their party slipped in behind them, Taryn took the opportunity to look around. Peering out from an overhang created by the walkway on top of the wall, Taryn saw the city lit by countless torches. Ramshackle buildings, scattered in every direction, seemed even more unstable this close. Although some of the structures appeared to be made of wood or rough stone, most seemed to be constructed with a sort of fragile brick. The lack of order was almost overwhelming, but it wasn’t the worst part.
The smells and sounds of the city’s occupants leaked up from every direction. Wrinkling his nose against the motley collection of odors, he felt the urge to cover his ears with his hands. Drunken yells and quick bursts of scrambled fighting pierced the night as raucous laughter sounded to his left.
“It takes some getting used to,” Jack said from beside him, and he turned to see Jack's grin in the darkness. “Before I took the Ocleon, they used to allow outsiders into the city.”
“So it’s always like this?” Liri asked, closing the hidden door behind her with a soft click.
Jack chuckled dryly, “Except when they go to war. Then it's worse.”
“Which one is the palace?” Siarra asked.
Jack squinted in the darkness and pointed north. “I can’t see it from here but you can’t miss it. It sits on the outer wall a mile north of here and is the sole structure in the city that you would consider tall.”
“How long will it take you to get the Ocleon and meet us there?”
Jack smirked. “We’ll probably beat you there.”
Ignoring Jack’s expression, Siarra asked, “Should we follow rooftops or streets then?”
“Rooftops where possible, streets if necessary. Try to avoid taverns, too,” Jack replied, one eyebrow rising as he looked at her critically. “Perhaps you should try to avoid anything. We’ll meet you there in about thirty minutes unless we run into trouble.” Without another word he slipped from the shadows and dropped onto a lower roof. Taryn met Liri's reassuring gaze as he dropped from sight, glad the darkness hid his flush.
Is it possible?
As Taryn leapt from building to building and shadow to shadow, he began to realize what made Jack such a good thief. For a human, he moved much more like an elf. Or a panther, he thought wi
th a smile. Following him through Ryazan required much more speed and agility than Taryn would have thought, and it felt like trying to catch the wind itself.
Taryn jumped from a roof to an adjacent building, but dodged behind a twisted chimney when he heard a bark of warning from below. Holding his breath, he waited until he heard an answering growl and then an ensuing scuffle. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he slipped out of the patch of shadow. Easing to the edge, he dropped to the ground where Jack had disappeared. Landing in a crouch in the darkened alley he moved to the side where he saw the dim outline of Jack’s body.
“How close are we?” Taryn whispered.
“It’s here,” Jack replied in the same tone. “I think it is anyway. Some of the buildings are different, so I can't be sure.”
“Great,” Taryn hissed, already wondering what to do if they couldn’t find it, but he felt a nudge from Jack’s elbow.
“Relax, we’ll find it,” Jack said and moved down the alley to the street.
Taryn frowned, but followed him to the end where it opened onto a large square with a building in the middle. Stopping just shy of the light, he looked out of the alley to see four groups of orcs in view, huddled together as they gambled. A pair of gnomes also stood at the front of the structure, with their short spears leaning against the wooden doors as they talked.
“That building is one of their places where they worship their god. When I took the stone, the whole city flew into a frenzy and everyone flooded towards their temple next to the palace. I ran by here and ducked inside when a patrol passed. It should be strapped to a rafter inside.”
“So what do we do about them?” Taryn tilted his head towards the score of orcs.
Jack thought for a minute and then shrugged, “I say we pull a sneaky fox.”
