by Randi Darren
“Frit!”
Waiting below in the mustering lane were a number of his captains. A Bearman lifted a shaggy head. This was his mixed units captain. A Wolfman and Ratfolk stood beside him.
“Get yourself in position as reserves for Kitch. They’re going to end up surrounded. We might need you to harass the flanks so they can get out or at least evacuate wounded if they have them. I don’t imagine you’ll need to completely engage, but use your discretion.”
Frit saluted and barked his orders to his lieutenants. All three were off at a jog. A company’s worth of soldiers in Dwarven armor and weapons lumbered out the gate and fanned out in reserve for Kitch.
Ratfolk rode their compatriots like mounts in specially built slots for them. They could scamper up or down with each and without impeding their comrades.
Armed with tough, long spears made specifically for them, they looked unimpressive.
Vince knew better. He’d seen what Frit had been practicing. They were his mischief makers.
Ratfolk could flank a unit from below and escape before they were caught.
The humans gave their reply to Kitch’s demand.
They charged.
Chapter 27
Kitch bellowed an order and her people reorganized themselves. They made a quick circle of twenty with ten in the center. Those in the outer ring handed their spears to the center, and then joined their shields together with those at their sides. Then they unlimbered their swords, sliding them into the spaces between the shields.
Those on the interior stacked their shields in the middle and then got ready with their spears, positioning them so they could work in concert with the outer ring.
Vince nodded in approval. Kitch had certainly been studying. He was no commander himself, but he could appreciate her orders.
Moving to the entrance, he looked out to the wall.
“Sivir!” he called to the siege ballistae atop the gates.
They were large crossbows that fired huge bolts. An enclosed and armored seat and loading bay had been added to each one. They’d been built on simple gears, levers, and bearings with Gnome ingenuity.
Loading had been taken up by Hobgoblins. They could set in a new bolt and cock it as if it were nothing more than a kid’s toy. These ballistae had an insane rate of fire because of that.
A crazy-haired gnome popped out from around the side of one of them.
“Hold your fire unless you see a real target of opportunity. I’d rather not give away your range quite yet if we don’t have to.”
Sivir saluted and disappeared around the side of a ballista. Shouted commands traveled up and down the length of the wall.
Fes stepped up beside him and peered out the viewing port ahead of them.
A soft scuttling on the stones told him that Petra was clinging to the outside of the tower.
Taking a quick peek down, he found his three Elves waiting at the base of the tower where it met the wall. They were facing the human wave of trash.
“Kitch has this. Why deploy Frit?” Fes asked. She pressed her arm into his. She’d gotten subtle with her desires.
Grinning, he gave her a quick hug and then indicated Frit.
“I trust Kitch. I won’t risk her life with that trust, though. He’s just there in case.”
“This one agrees with Master after hearing his reasoning, Fes,” Petra said, her voice coming from outside the tower.
Fes considered that and nodded her head. “As do I, Second.”
Since he’d put everyone in their place, they’d actually become rather friendly with each other.
Nothing like knowing the chain of command.
The humans reached the range of spears and began dying. Then the swords began flashing out.
Finally, that fleshy wave hit the shields… and stopped dead. They flowed around his heavy metal group as if they were an ocean.
Then the dying truly started in earnest.
The Ogres and Trolls kept to their formation, remained in their solid shield wall, and simply killed.
It was their first true battle as a unit. Vince hadn’t been sure how it’d turn out or if they’d be able to maintain discipline.
He’d worried for nothing.
As if realizing the same thing, he saw what nerves his heavy group had vanish. They became machine-like. Stabilize, stab, retract, stabilize, stab, retract.
Bodies started to pile up at the foot of the shields.
A bugle call came from somewhere he couldn’t see, and the wave of humanity started to retreat. Retreating at a run.
Who made that call?
Vince’s mind flipped over on that thought. It meant that this was planned. He needed to inflict more losses.
“Elysia,” Vince called, moving to the ladder.
The High Elf looked up to his summons. “My liege.”
“Signal Frit to harass and return as able. Once they’re clear to do so, signal Kitch to head in.”
The High Elf nodded and then moved off to one side.
A crack split the air. Elysia had said it was the sound of her depleting a space of air and letting it fill in rapidly.
Apparently some of the books his parents owned had given her the idea.
Her magic gave her control of the elements, which included the air. This mastery gave her an impressive ability to conduct sound. Much akin to a bugler.
She followed the original boom with three rapid-fire cracks, and then a low humming note, then another single crack.
They’d developed a few means of communicating in the field, this being one of them.
Frit knew his designation, the low humming note. As one, they set off in a loping stride.
They could cover distance like cavalry without being winded. Before the humans had even gotten out of the kill circle of Kitch and her troop, Frit and his soldiers fell upon the retreating humans.
“Can’t let them leave as they please. They didn’t come with any gifts or anything. Terrible neighbors. The least they can do is water our grass for us,” Vince murmured.
Fes gave him a wide, toothy smile. “My brutal husband.”
“When needs must. An enemy I leave alive today is another one I must face tomorrow. None of these fools will become allies.”
Another crack split the air, followed by two low notes, then a rumbling, grinding noise.
Kitch and her people reorganized themselves into a marching column, collected their gear, and quit the field in proper order.
Frit and his forces ran down the humans as they fled. Clawing them, biting, stabbing. The Ratfolk slipped free to finish off wounded or maimed combatants rather than keep riding. They wouldn’t be much good running down fleeing humans.
Frit was on the edge where Vince was starting to get nervous when they started to wheel around.
Vince nodded and then left the tower. Kitch could use encouragement for a job well done.
The Elves fell in behind him as he passed, all three looking more the part of bodyguards today, their heads on a swivel and inspecting everyone and everything around him.
He reached the gate as Kitch came back in.
“Kitch!”
The Troll turned her head and found him. She pulled off her helmet and gestured for her troops to continue.
“Well done, Kitch. I’m extremely proud of you and your soldiers. Give them my regards, and please come by later. Each will need to collect a token from me for that exemplary demonstration. Well done indeed.”
Kitch looked confused, then gave him a slow smile. She gave him a partial salute, as her arms were full, and followed her troops.
“Master, she has never received praise.”
“Lord, she has probably been shunned her whole life.”
“My liege is kind.”
Vince snorted and turned back and looked out to the fields. “She did exceptionally well in training her folks. They performed perfectly. Look, you can see a circle of grass where they stood, and all around them the bodies of their foes.
”
A warm and soft body pressed into his back. Quick fingers played along his sides. “Two hundred fewer heartbeats, darling.”
“Fantastic. Thank you for checking,” Vince said, catching Karya’s right hand and kissing her wrist.
“Alright, they’ve got their nose bloodied. Hopefully that’ll keep them from deciding for further stupidity. They’ll probably wait for that second group.”
“Second group?” Karya asked.
“The Ratfolk said there was another force beyond this one still en route. The Fairies are out scouting and hopefully getting me a count.
“All we can do for now is wait.”
Vince spent most of each day on the wall, or nearby.
The Fairies had returned the same day he’d sent them out. They’d confirmed there was indeed a second force still coming. And that force had roughly six hundred men, except they were apparently “soldiers” this time.
They even had a baggage train with camp followers.
Someone was funding this throwdown to actually purchase an entire merc company contract. With an actual war being fought in the north, there’d be more merc companies available, too.
His Fairies had reported that the two groups had merged together last night. On top of that, at least two hundred of those civilians had started to move south around the wall as well.
The situation was starting to deteriorate.
He’d had his Beavermen work on reinforcing the stake wall to the east. They’d completed it previously, but were now making it much denser.
It wouldn’t hold out a determined enemy forever, but it’d provide enough cover that they couldn’t simply swarm into the budding city.
His siege crews had been told to fire as fast as the Hobgoblin loading crews could swing it during the next engagement.
Assigned along the wall were his magic users as well, spread out to help hold the wall in whatever fashion they could. Each section they inhabited had been reinforced with a raised lip they could fall back behind.
The last of the defenses were archers with short swords. Anyone who couldn’t fight in the front line had been trained with a bow and taught how to fire over the wall in volleys.
Then to do their best if there was a breach of the wall or gate.
It wasn’t pretty, but it’d take numbers out of the enemy.
“Master, the humans in the south have found where the wall is incomplete,” reported a Fairy, floating above his head.
Vince sighed and rubbed at his eyes with his hands. “Of course.”
“The Ratfolk are still out causing mischief, but they succeeded. All of the food stores are… ruined.” The Fairy sounded sickened with her own statement.
“Good. I hope they like eating and drinking Ratfolk shit. Anything else?”
“No.”
“Stay here on the west gate. I’ll head out to the east. Spread that info along.”
Vince turned to his Elves, who were never far from him.
“Eva, remain here. Thera, Elysia, stick on me. We’ve got a party to host on the eastern flank.”
Vince turned to where Fes, Petra, Meliae, Daphne, and Karya stood. They’d been talking quietly right up until he’d started giving orders.
“Fes, Petra, Meliae, Karya, you’re in charge here. Daphne, with me.”
Moving towards his captains, Vince picked up his pace.
“Kitch, you’re on gate duty. Let none pass.” The Troll looked to him and nodded.
“Frit, with me, get your unit together. We’re on the east side.
“Henry,” Vince said to the Dwarf in charge of the Orc, Hobgoblin, Dwarven unit. “You too. Consider yourselves co-captains.”
Vince set off at a jog for the east. Behind him, he could hear the lieutenants getting people put together.
Elysia, Thera, and Daphne fell in with him.
“Dearest, are we not leaving too many here?” Daphne asked.
Vince glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. “Meliae and Karya aren’t front line soldiers. I’d leave Elysia here if I could as well, but I need her. Sorry, Elysia.”
“I live to serve you, my liege. I’m grateful to be needed.”
As they left the small city in its massive walled enclosure, Vince had to wonder what was about to happen. Things weren’t adding up right. He was missing something. Something that would cost lives, he was sure.
Vince pulled up on the inside of the wooden stake wall.
“Daphne,” Vince said without turning his head. “Fill the field with brambles and thorns. Elysia, dry the stake wall out. I want it so bereft of moisture that it’d catch fire from someone thinking warm thoughts at it.”
Both women said nothing, but he felt the magic being poured out of both. Daphne’s was like a torrent of rushing wild energy, where Elysia had a tight control over everything she did.
“All done, dearest.”
“I as well, my liege.”
Vince turned and found Frit and Henry waiting behind him. Both saluted him, waiting for orders.
“Take up defensive postures behind the stake wall. Arrange yourselves in whatever way you see fit. It’ll be set aflame once the enemy commits and cannot backtrack. Turn this into a fiery bottleneck of death,” Vince explained, jerking a thumb to the twenty-foot gap left in the stake wall for his people to come and go.
Frit and Henry nodded and then turned to each other to work out their interpretation of his orders.
Looking to Daphne and Elysia, he gave them a small smile. “Forgive me for turning your work into nothing more than a bonfire, but it’ll help greatly. When the time comes, can you get everything going at the same time?”
It was a tall order. The stake wall went all the way down to the actual stone wall in the south.
“Yes, dearest.”
“I believe so, my liege.” Elysia sounded winded to him. Thera had slipped an arm around her waist, holding her close to her side. It looked like a friendly gesture, but he was sure that the Dark Elf was holding her sister up to a degree.
Elysia had used a good deal of magic to dry out such a large stretch. He didn’t doubt that she could do what would come next; what he doubted was her ability to do anything after that.
“Alright. Daphne, can I give any of this energy to Elysia? I’m not… I can’t use magic. Never been taught, but I know I’m full of energy.”
Daphne tilted her head to one side and then nodded at him. The tall Dryad grabbed his hand and then put it on Elysia’s chest, right above her heart.
“Push into her from where the trees are. They will understand,” Daphne said, holding his hand in place on the High Elf’s chest. “Do it gently or I will hurt you later, dearest.”
Of his Dryads, Daphne was the one most likely to put up a good fight. Added to the fact that he’d dumped hundreds of collars’ worth of power into her tree, she was the one person who might actually be able to give him a fight.
“Of course,” Vince agreed easily.
Focusing on his trees, he tried to will energy from him into Elysia.
Nothing happened at first, of course. His trees were confused and not quite sure to make of his request. Then at once, all three began to rush energy forward into the High Elf.
Vince looked up into Elysia’s face as her eyes started to widen. He pulled back with all the internal mental power he could, trying to slow it down. Overwhelming the poor thing wouldn’t do him any good.
It’d piss off Daphne as well.
After a tsunami-like initial wave, his trees picked up on the context and throttled it all the way down to a manageable level.
Standing there with his hand on the beautiful High Elf’s chest, he felt a touch self-conscious. Minutes had rolled by and it seemed as if there was no end in sight to how much he could put into Elysia.
Daphne was the image of confidence and merely smiled at both of them, looking back and forth between them.
“Daphne.” Vince frowned, looking to the Dryad.
“Yes, deare
st?”
“Will this hurt our trees?”
“No, no. If anything, this is good for them. They normally push out large amounts of power when you make waste. There’s only so much that they can process or use.”
“Elysia, is this hurting you? How much can you or Thera hold, exactly?” Vince asked gently. The High Elf had said nothing and done nothing. Merely stared at him, her pink lips parted.
The High Elf blinked once and focused on him. “My liege, an Elf’s capacity is endless. It is part of our life essence. Thera uses her pool to strengthen blows and heal wounds. Eva to guide shots and cling to the shadows, as well as for her woodsmanship. I use it for my magic.”
“Oh. I suppose that’s why you’re all so long-lived, then. Wait, does using magic age you?”
“We build up reserves and use that rather than what we need to survive,” Elysia said dreamily.
“Okay. Is that enough to do what we need to?”
“My liege, you’ve given me more than even the strongest of our kind hold after years of meditation. I have enough to work endlessly for years, never meditating again. And still live a millennium.”
Thera had been watching from the side. She’d had a concerned look originally, though now she looked only jealous.
Vince smirked at that and then lifted his hand from Elysia’s chest. “We’ll leave it at that, then. I mark that at about… five minutes. We’ll have to charge Eva at the same level later. Should get to work on Thera next, since she uses it for combat.”
Elysia gave him a strange smile and nodded her head.
“You sure that did no harm to the trees, Daphne?”
Vince looked to everyone around him. Frit and Henry had placed their units accordingly and were ready.
“If anything, dearest, they’re healthier at this moment than they’ve been in a long time. Be sure to charge Eva today if you can. It’ll give the trees more room to grow.
“In fact, charge them regularly. Perhaps daily, if you can manage it.”
Then Daphne gave him a feral grin and came in closer to him. Of the three Dryads, her attention was subtle, flirting, suggestive. She wasn’t as blatant as Karya or as needy as Meliae.
“To really get the most out of it, you should claim them and put all of that energy into your seed,” Daphne said clearly. She tapped a finger to his sternum. “It’d empower them greatly. As if you’d charged them for hours.”
