The Line of Illeniel

by Michael G. Manning

  “If they besiege Lancaster we’ll be forced to react, in a way that will put us at a serious disadvantage. The only thing we have going for us is that they don’t know exactly what or where our next trap is,” I said.

  “But you only have one more trap,” Penny reminded me, “the dam.”

  “I have two actually, but your point is still valid,” I replied.

  “How do you know they haven’t figured out where they are? They obviously know about the dam,” Penny responded.

  “No I don’t think they do. They left their wounded in the valley, to distract us. It might be a decoy but I don’t think they would waste that many people just to fool me.”

  Penny frowned, “So how does abandoning Lancaster and throwing the gates open help us?”

  I gave her a wicked grin, “Arundel.”

  “What?” she snapped. She had never been a big fan of mysterious explanations.

  “I blew Arundel up when they used it for a base camp. Who’s to say Lancaster isn’t a giant bomb as well?” I transported us again, still smiling.

  Penny gave me a strange look, “But there aren’t any of your magical traps at Lancaster... are there?”

  “Nope,” I replied smugly, “but they don’t know that.”

  It took us slightly over an hour to get everyone back to Washbrook, nearly four hundred women and children in total. Once we had them all safely back we returned to Lancaster. I left Marcus and Cyhan to manage the huge crowd of people and took Dorian and Penny with me. The three of us waited in the barn in Lancaster, watching the castle yard from the partly open door.

  It was an hour more before the first riders appeared, cautiously passing through the main gates. Their posture made it clear they expected to be attacked at any moment. I didn’t envy them their mission. The strange nature of Lancaster’s open gate and empty castle must have left them fearing a trap, which of course was my plan.

  “What do we do if they search the barn?” Dorian asked in a nervous whisper.

  “Then we teleport back before they see us,” I replied. I was hoping they wouldn’t search the castle extensively, if we were forced to teleport back I would have to destroy the circle in Washbrook. That might make things more difficult later.

  The riders made a slow circuit of the yard, one of them was sent back to report while the others dismounted and entered the now vacant main keep. Another went to check the gate house. Through it all we watched silently, hardly daring to breathe although they never came within fifty yards of the building we were in. Eventually they left.

  “What now?” Penny asked.

  “Next comes the hard part,” I said, “waiting to see if they come back.”

  “If we stay in here we’ll never know if they’re gone,” Dorian groused.

  His irritation amused me, which was a good thing, little else did lately. “Relax… I can sense them within five hundred yards or so. When they get beyond my range I’ll slip out and see if I can see them from the walls.”

  I kept a watch on the men beyond the walls for over an hour. They sent several patrols in various directions, circling the outer walls and exploring the road in both directions. I could imagine their leader’s anxiety. The last abandoned estate they had found had blown up in their faces, literally.

  Night fell and still they waited. Given the darkness I guessed they had decided to make camp. We would have to wait for morning to see if my gambit had worked. Eventually I sent Dorian back to report on the situation. I knew Marc and Cyhan would be biting their nails back in Washbrook wondering what was going on.

  Penny and I spent the night curled up companionably. By companionably I mean she used me for a pillow while I got the dubious comfort of a rolled up cloth sack to cushion my head. We had found it in a corner and it smelled of dust and oats. While we rested I stretched my mind out to its fullest, but I learned little else about the enemy.

  ***

  The night was black and draped the dead men along the valley road in a cloak of darkness. Most were dead but scattered among the corpses were a few survivors, men broken and maimed, unable to move. Even those, few as they were, would have died soon, but for the scavengers that came to claim them. Creatures that walked on two legs like men, but were empty inside.

  The shiggreth searched easily among the dead, the spark of life in those that still lived drew them like moths to a flame. Their numbers swelled as the night drew on, for though most of the soldiers were dead hundreds still clung to life. They were in no position to protect themselves from the things that came to feed upon them in the night.

  ***

  Morning sunlight filtered through cracks in the wooden walls when we awoke. I sat up with a start, dislodging Penelope and causing her head to hit the floor with an audible thump.

  “Ow!” she said, sitting up herself. “What time is it?”

  “It’s late,” I answered. “Judging by the sunlight coming in I’d say it might be after nine.”

  “Are they still there?” she asked.

  “Yes and no,” I replied. “There’s a small group, maybe twenty men, camped outside. I don’t sense any others. It should be safe to go outside; maybe we can see more from the wall.”

  “I can’t believe we slept so long,” she said as we quietly climbed the stairs leading up to the top of the curtain wall around Lancaster Castle.

  “I haven’t slept well in several days, although it’s ironic we would catch up on our sleep while hiding from an army,” I replied. “Oh look!” I added. We had reached the top and were carefully peeking between the merlons. In the distance we could see the slower parts of the remaining invaders, traveling back toward Cameron Castle.

  “They’re not all gone,” Penny reminded me. “I see those twenty you mentioned. They must want to make sure we don’t sneak back in.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Most likely they have orders to report as soon as they see anyone returning, they may worry we have another surprise of some sort in store for them.”

  “The women and children can’t come back then,” said Penny.

  “Not yet, if we kill those men it may alert the enemy. I don’t know if they have some sort of scheduled message arrangement but I would expect them to. Let’s go back to Washbrook. We’ll need to prepare.”

  Soon enough we were there, in the midst of chaos. Washbrook and Cameron Castle were crowded, and people filled the castle yard in every direction the eye could see. I couldn’t imagine what their night must have been like; many of them had probably slept on the ground. We made our way carefully through the crowd, hoping to find news within the castle itself. Genevieve found us first.

  “Mordecai!” she shouted to get my attention through the crowded press. People automatically made room for her as she approached me. “This won’t do. There are too many here. Last night was a horror.”

  “I’m sorry your grace,” I replied as politely as I could. “I hope we can send everyone back soon, but you’ll have to bear with it for a bit longer. How is James doing?”

  Her husband had developed a slight limp after the arrow wound he received in the capital. Apparently even Marc’s goddess didn’t always heal things perfectly. Genevieve frowned at me. “He’s fine, as you should know. He went out with Cyhan on that last patrol,” she told me.

  Actually I was surprised. I had been so busy with other matters I hadn’t noticed his presence. Nor did I realize he was taking turns on the patrols. Knowing the man I should have guessed though. James was never one to sit idle. “The enemy is returning here. When they arrive and start their siege I will have these people returned to Lancaster. I want you to take James with you when you go back,” I informed her.

  “That stubborn man won’t leave a battle,” she laughed. “There’s no way you’ll get him to return.”

  “There is a small guard left, watching Lancaster. Someone will have to remove them before the people can safely return. I’ll make sure to send him for the job,” I replied smiling.

  “Just make
sure it’s soon nephew. These people can’t live like this for long before they start to sicken,” she told me.

  I thought for a moment. “Tonight I hope. I don’t want to send anyone to Lancaster until I’m sure that Vendraccus has committed himself against us here.”

  Chapter 37

  By late afternoon the last of our patrols were forced to retreat to Cameron Castle. The enemy had reached us and begun digging in for what might be a long siege. I considered sending men out to harass them as they prepared their camps but Cyhan convinced me it was an ill-advised plan. They had at least five thousand able men and a large portion of them were holding ready to repel us should we attempt to sally.

  Their numbers were enough for concern, since they outnumbered us almost ten to one, but what truly had me worried were the siege engines. I could see a variety of devices at the rear of their lines; machines I had seen in books but never imagined would someday be arrayed against me. There were small onagers and ballista, mounted on wheels and drawn by teams of horses. The onagers were simple affairs, with a throwing arm and a small bucket that could be loaded with various types of ammunition, such as rocks or firebrands. The ballistae were essentially giant crossbows and appeared to be loaded with large spear type bolts.

  More frightening was the taller construction near the back. Unless I missed my guess it would be a large trebuchet when completed. The trebuchet had a much longer throwing arm with a sling like cup at one end to hold a projectile. The short end near the axle would have a heavy counterweight when it was finished. It was too large to be moved easily so they had brought the parts and were assembling it as we watched. Given its large size it would probably be able to throw rocks weighing several hundred pounds over a distance of hundreds of yards. The walls would never be able to withstand the assault once they had their range.

  Dorian and Marc stood with me on the wall watching their progress. “I’m starting to feel under-dressed for this party,” Marc commented.

  Dorian laughed, “It’s looking more and more like we are going to be on the receiving end of a lot of nasty siege weaponry. Can’t you do something about those things Mort?”

  “Not while they’re that far out. How far do you think they can shoot?” I asked.

  Dorian thought for a moment. “The ballista and the trebuchet will be able to fire from five hundred yards or so, perhaps further if they don’t mind missing more often. The onagers will need to get within three hundred yards at least.”

  I didn’t like his assessment. Since Penny and I had formed the bond my best range for destructive magic was close to five hundred yards. The onagers probably wouldn’t be a problem for me but I doubted I would be able to do anything to disable the trebuchet at that distance. I would have to adjust my plans. “How long before they attack?” I asked.

  Dorian’s answer was immediate, “Tomorrow.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “They won’t advance until their position has firmed up and the siege weapons are ready. They also have to worry that the king may be sending a relief force so they won’t waste time. If I was their commander I would start as soon as possible, and that would be tomorrow at dawn.” There was little doubt in my friend’s voice.

  “Marc... tonight I want you to take the women and children back to Lancaster. You remember how to use the circles right?” I asked him.

  He sighed, “You’ve asked me that about a dozen times. Yes I can remember, and even if I couldn’t my Lady would provide the necessary knowledge. It’s her power I am using after all. But why me?”

  “It will take a lot of trips back and forth,” I told him. “I don’t want to exhaust myself the night before the assault begins. By the way, I’m sending your father with a small force to eliminate the small group they left behind to watch your home. Your mother requests that you not bring him back with you.”

  “I can see I’m about to become more popular with him,” he laughed. “You certainly picked an unpleasant task for me.”

  I grimaced. “I’m afraid there are no pleasant tasks,” I said sourly.

  ***

  That night things went as smoothly as could be hoped. Marc took his father and a group of about fifty men back to Lancaster. I didn’t go with them but apparently they were able to eliminate the enemy scouts without too much trouble. Five of the men were injured but Marc’s goddess healed them almost before the battle was done.

  After that they sealed the gates and Marc began transporting the women and children back as quickly as he could manage. Despite the fact that his goddess provided all the energy it still exhausted him. He explained to me later that although his Lady’s energy was limitless (according to him) his body limited what she could do. The more he channeled her power the more it cost him in terms of fatigue and exhaustion. I filed the information away as being of possible future use. After all I had already faced two channelers working for Mal’goroth and there might be more.

  Penny and I retired early. Neither of us was tired but I figured the more time we gave ourselves to ‘attempt’ to sleep the better our chances were of succeeding. As it was we slept fitfully but we did manage to get five or six hours of good rest. I was sure we would need it come morning.

  ***

  By the time dawn arrived we had already been up for several hours. I watched the sun lighting the horizon to the east with Penny. We were standing on top of the curtain wall trying to make out the enemy’s arrangements as they became steadily more visible. Most of our warriors were positioned behind the wooden palisade which stood a full hundred yards beyond the outer curtain wall. We planned to hold the enemy there as long as we could before retreating within the more defensible stone walls. At least that is what I had told them. I hadn’t shared my true plan with anyone yet.

  Penny’s eyes grew wide as the dawn sun brought greater clarity to the field laid out before us. Her eyes darted back and forth, from our earthworks to the enemy lines and their siege weapons beyond that. A gasp escaped her lips almost inaudibly. I turned to look at her face but she put her back to me to hide her expression.

  “It’s today isn’t it?” I said calmly. Some inner intuition had told me what caused her to react like this.

  She didn’t answer immediately. She kept her back to me and hugged herself. I didn’t press, waiting instead for her to find the words. After several long minutes she looked back at me. “Yes,” she answered simply. Her eyes were wet.

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve had a feeling of deja vu since we walked out here this morning, but I wasn’t sure until I saw that,” she gestured toward the enemy encampment. “It looks almost exactly like what I saw in my vision. It can’t be more than... more than... a few hours...,” her voice broke as she spoke forcing her to leave the sentence unfinished. I gently drew her to me and she shook as I held her, crying softly into my shoulder.

  I felt strangely calm as she wept. The events of the past few weeks had been a wild jumble of emotions but now I felt numb. There was nothing left for me but to finish what I had started. When she finished I held her at arm’s length gazing solemnly into her eyes. “If it is today, then I have several things to tell you. Things you will have to finish for me,” I said slowly.

  Her eyes narrowed for a moment, “You’ve been keeping secrets again.”

  “Just a few... Nothing dire, but you will have to play my part if I die before the time is right,” I told her.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Not yet, we have something else to take care of first,” I said meaningfully.

  “We don’t have to do that yet,” she protested. “There are at least several hours still.”

  “Yes we do. I don’t know what will happen from here on out. There may not be a chance once things get chaotic. We do it now, and then I’ll tell you what you need to know,” I said firmly.

  “You kept those secrets just to have a bargaining chip didn’t you?” she said sharply.

  In fact I had, there had been no reason
to hide my final plans, other than to make sure she would cooperate near the end. “Not intentionally,” I lied, “but now that the time is here I’m glad I did.”

  “You really are a bastard sometimes,” she replied sweetly. “Fine, how do we do this exactly?”

  That was the one part of the bond I had paid close attention to back when Cyhan had been instructing her. “First you take out your sword and we hold it between us, then you simply ask, formally and in all seriousness for me to release you. You have to mean it. I will respond formally as well and then we have to let go of one another... in here,” I pointed to my chest. Her eyes started watering again when I gestured to my heart.

  “Alright,” she replied, letting her head droop downward. She drew out her sword and held it across her palms facing me. When I had placed my hands over hers she spoke, “I, Penelope Illeniel, would break my oath and I ask you to release me from this bond we share.” Her hair had fallen, blocking my view of her face, but I could see wet spots appearing on the stone between her feet.

  I took a deep breath and answered her, “I, Mordecai Ardeth’Illeniel, do release you from your bond.” I invested the words with power and inwardly I felt our spirits separating. A part of myself that I hadn’t realized had been her, slipped away from me. For a moment I was left with a feeling of incredible emptiness as for the first time in months I was just myself, alone. The sword we held glowed brighter for a moment and then shattered, as if it had been made of glass.

  We stood quietly for a minute, neither of us daring to speak. We both knew the distance between us had become much greater than the scant inches separating us physically. Finally I broke the silence. “How do you feel?” I asked.

  “Much weaker,” she said ruefully. “I had forgotten what it was like to be normal. How about you?”

  “I feel empty. Like a man living alone in a house that has become much too large for him,” I replied honestly.