by Toni Cox
“All right,” Jaik finally said, “I will discuss it with father and see what he thinks of this.”
“I want to go after him,” Maia said before Jaik could dismiss them. “Let me take some men. If he only left this morning, we should be able to catch up with him by tomorrow. We can question him and if I am wrong, then he may return to Braérn. But if I am right, we will bring him back to Shadow Hall to receive his justice.”
“Maia, you know father does not want you out of the city again.”
“Have I not proven to be as much a warrior as anyone else here?” she countered.
“You have,” Jaik conceded.
“And I will not be going alone. Midnight will accompany us. Riker and Rothea will be with me and as many men as you can arrange to accompany us. Please, Jaik, I am certain that I am right in my assumptions.”
“All right, I will speak to father and make the necessary arrangements. I will give you the best men I can spare. But it is too late for you to leave today. Prepare to leave at first light tomorrow.
He had lost count of the days that he had tracked the movements of the Vampyre army, but he could not afford to let them out of his sight. During this time, he had managed to make contact with a small settlement further down the slope of the mountain and although it had taken him a while to convince them that he meant them no harm, the people there had eventually allowed him to send a bird to Stoneloft to warn them of the advancing Vampyres.
He now believed that the reasons the Vampyres were targeting Stoneloft was for their resources. Stoneloft was the mining capital of, not only Grildor, but the surrounding nations as well. The Crystal Mountains were rich in minerals, metals, and gems and Blaid believed that this is what the Vampyres were after. With the main army having gone off to Greystone, Stoneloft made a soft target, especially for an army of eight hundred Vampyres. He desperately wanted to get back to Shadow Hall, but he could not abandon these people.
Every day he did what he could to sabotage the forward march of the Vampyres. Once they had discovered that their stronghold had been compromised and their comrades killed, they had begun their preparations and moved out. Blaid had followed them and in the process learned what he could. They preferred to travel at night, during the morning and late afternoon. During the bright, hot hours of mid-day, they usually rested, ate, and hid. They had hunters that moved through the mountains to shoot mountain goats, deer, and hares to feet the army. More than once these hunters met with unfortunate accidents along the way. He was Death.
They also had Scouts that went ahead of the army to find the easiest path through the mountains. These also met with an early death on the occasions that they crossed paths with Blaid. There was even one occasion where a group of ten Vampyres had been sent to raid a homestead. Throughout, the people of the homestead remained blissfully unaware of the danger they were in and the ten soldiers never returned to the main army. He was Death.
During the time he had made contact with the people at the settlement, he had managed to acquire some clothes, as well as some provisions and a sword. It was not his usual gear, but it would have to do. Most of the time he now tracked the Vampyres on foot and during the times that he had to change into the wolf, he bundled his things into a bag and bound it to his back. It was not the most comfortable solution, but even in summer, it was cold within the highlands of the mountain and he did not want to approach the next homestead or settlement naked again.
By the time the Vampyre army had reached the outlying areas around Stoneloft, their number had dwindled to seven hundred and twelve. They were by now aware that they were being targeted and had taken extra precautions. It was getting more and more difficult for Blaid to get close to them. But it did not matter any more; he now had a different job to do.
He scouted ahead and was pleased to find that Stoneloft had heeded his warning and all homesteads in the countryside around Stoneloft had been abandoned. Barns and homes had been boarded shut and all livestock removed. But he did not linger there and pushed on through to Stoneloft. The Vampyre army was now only a few days behind him and he wanted to get to Stoneloft in time to assist them with their preparations as best he could.
Lord Ender Gemsson, one of Stoneloft’s nobles, greeted him when he arrived, as Lord Brimstone had decided to march with his army. As there was no time to lose, they immediately sat down to discuss the defences the city had and the number of fighting men and women who had remained at Stoneloft.
Due to the mountainous area in which Stoneloft had been built, the city was well fortified. Most of the city was hidden within the tall peak around them and the roads that led to the city all wound their way through narrow passes, which could easily be barricaded. Blaid was pleased to learn that most had already been blocked off. They had enough food, water, and livestock within the city to last them over six Moons, but Blaid hoped it would not come to a siege. The Vampyres were after the stores, which were kept within the city vaults deep underground and he assumed their plan was a quick attack, overrun the remaining forces and then carry off their loot.
“We thank you for your assistance, My Lord,” Ender said, sounding more frightened, than thankful.
Blaid understood why the people viewed him with such fear, but he didn’t like it. Although he was Death, he was here to assist the people of Elveron and not to kill them. He helped those that were at the end of their lives, or those that were tired of living. He only killed in self defence or in defence of his people. He wished they would understand that. But there was no time now to explain this to Lord Gemsson.
“You are welcome,” he replied. “Let us begin then.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Ender spread open a map of the city on the table before them. Someone had already marked the roads that had been blocked off and various other places had been marked with numbers.
“This is our Elder Hall,” Ender said. “This is where the children and elderly will go. It is one of the safest structures within the city.”
Blaid nodded.
“We have about ninety archers, which will be posted here,” Ender pointed to the spots on the map, “and here and here. That leaves us with sixty-three able to wield a sword or other weapon. There are also six crossbows mounted on the city walls here,” again Ender pointed the locations out to Blaid, “each of which can shoot a volley of ten arrows at a time. They have not been used for many a year, but I have the Builders inspecting them as we speak to get them into working order.”
“It is not much, but it will have to be enough,” Blaid said. “Show me the weak points of the city. Where are the Vampyres most likely to attack?”
“The northern part of the city is almost inaccessible from the mountain. Steep cliffs and wall surround the houses there. The south has some access points, but I think we have managed to secure them well enough. Our main roads come in from the east and west and those have proven more difficult to secure.”
“The Vampyres are coming at us from the west. Let us hope they will not take the time to split their forces and send half of them around to the east. I think we should concentrate our forces to the west of the city. Have this crossbow here,” Blaid pointed to the most eastern wall, “manned by two, with a detachment of ten archers, as well as someone who can carry a message to us should they come under attack. All other crossbows are also to receive two men, but with only two additional archers. We will need all the men we can get to protect ourselves from the west. The archers are going to be instrumental. We need to decimate the Vampyre numbers before they get too close. The more we can shoot from the wall, the less we have to fight on the ground.”
Blaid and Ender, together with what forces remained of the Legion of Stoneloft, poured over the plans long into the night. Blaid was glad that this city had so many defences; truly a mountain stronghold. It was not the type of city he would have liked to live in; too much stone for his liking; but he nevertheless admired the beautiful craftsmanship of the people of Stoneloft. Every building wa
s supported by carved columns of marble, every street was plastered with a different type or colour of cobblestone and all the roofs were decked in black slate that shone in the sunlight. Every wall was decorated in carved murals, depicting scenes of life within Stoneloft or scenes of wars long forgotten. It was a stone city within a stone mountain and only the carefully maintained flowerbeds that edged every house brought some life to the city. Despite himself, Blaid had to admit that it was a sight to behold.
In the morning, he was given some proper armour and he was allowed to choose himself some weapons. He would have preferred his own, but those were put away carefully in some hole far away from here. He would recover them on his way back. He hoped that would be soon.
It was past noon when one of the Scouts arrived at the west gate. Breathlessly he gave his report.
“They are still marching strongly towards us. If they do not rest for the night, then they will be at our gates by morning. They are well armoured and carry swords, spears, and bows. There are no Werewolves in their company.” He took a shaky breath and then, with a small quiver of fear in his voice turned to address Blaid. “As My Lord has said, there are about seven hundred of them. And as My Lord has predicted, they have not divided their forces to attack the city on multiple fronts. It seems they will concentrate their full force on the west gate.”
“Thank you,” Ender said to the Scout. “You may go rest now.”
The Scout bowed and then retreated from the room.
“I want to thank My Lord for the warning. Without you, the Vampyres would have caught us by surprise and we would surely all have perished.”
“The fight has not been won yet,” Blaid warned. “We have underestimated the Vampyres before. They are strong and resourceful and I can guarantee that they will employ everything they have to get what they want. Let your forces know how much time they have before the army arrives, so that they may rest. They need to be fresh and alert when the time comes, otherwise we might yet know defeat.”
Fire pranced beneath her, sensing her impatience. Convincing her father of her mission had proven difficult and at one point she had even considered defying his orders and going after Kanarel without his permission. But then Jaik had said that he would lead the mission, taking five of his Guard, as well as twenty warriors from the regiment. Her father had not been happy about it, doubting Maia’s story about Kanarel being a spy, but after some good arguments from Jaik, her father had reluctantly relented.
Midnight was circling high overhead in a cloudless sky, watching the proceedings below. Fire snorted and Maia looked around at the others mounting their horses. It was still very early and they were right on schedule, yet she felt that every minute could make the difference between them catching Kanarel and him getting away. It was a perfect summer’s day for travelling and surely Kanarel was making good time. She hoped that he would not suspect that he was being followed and that they would be riding at a steady walk, stopping at all the usual camps and inns.
When Jaik finally gave the order to advance, Fire gave a mighty buck, kicking his hind legs high in the air and Maia laughed with relief. It was good to be out and to be doing something that could mean the difference between winning and losing the war.
Wolf had been given Kanarel’s scent, from the bedding he had used in the guest lodge, and was now running ahead of them, nose to the ground. Maia trusted that he would lead them true, but even if that was not so, Kanarel’s spoor was easy to follow. Her father had given him an escort of two men to see him home safely. Not expecting to be pursued, the trio was taking the trip at a leisurely walk. Cantering after Wolf, their group would catch up with them by the evening; or sooner, depending on when they broke camp this morning.
Early in the afternoon they reached the spot where Kanarel and his escort had made camp. From the signs, it was clear that they had made camp early the night before and only left after the sun had already risen high this morning. It infuriated Maia that Kanarel could be so relaxed and enjoy the company of his two Elf companions, all the while planning his betrayal.
The camp revealed that they were now about six hours behind them, which meant that they would not be able to catch them during daylight hours. Jaik assumed they would probably catch them by the time they reached Peak View Lodge, which would be as good a place as any to capture Kanarel.
But later that afternoon the spoor turned away from the Trade Route and they followed it south for about an hour. Shortly afterwards Midnight let Maia know what he had found and they spurred their horses on to a gallop. Within another mile, they finally reached the place where Midnight had landed. By his feet lay Kanarel’s two companion, both with their throats cut. Kanarel and the horses were long gone.
Jaik instructed one of the warriors to stay by the fallen Elves so that they would not be eaten by wolves and ravens; they would collect them to take home on their way back.
It was fully dark by now and they relied on Wolf’s nose and Midnight guiding them from overhead. Without his two escorts, Kanarel was wasting no time and he was driving his horses hard. Even with them galloping as fast as they could over the uneven ground, they were not catching up with him. Eventually they had to stop and rest. Their horses were breathing heavily and they needed to drink. It was another three hours until morning when they resumed the chase. Kanarel would have had to rest his horses at some point too and Maia hoped that they would catch up with him by morning.
But as the sun rose to their left they discovered two of Kanarel’s horses by the way side. Both stood with their heads hanging low, sweating profusely and clearly at the end of their strength. Wolf milled for a while, trying to pick up the scent again, but he eventually sat down and howled. Jaik and Archer got off their horses and scanned the ground. The earth was hard here, but even so, their own horses were leaving prints in the dirt, but they were unable to pick up Kanarel’s tracks. Even Midnight was unable to detect anything.
Frustrated they kept heading in a southerly direction. A few miles ahead was higher ground, a low ridge that spanned for miles in either direction. They hoped that from that vantage point they would be able to discover something.
But as they approached the ridge, Maia sensed danger from Midnight. Quickly she let her brother know and they halted, watching the ridge with trepidation. Rising higher, Midnight approached the ridge to see what lay beyond. All of Maia’s senses screamed at her once Midnight caught sight of it and Fire whinnied in fear.
Like a ghost the huge Ice Dragon rose from behind the rocks, his white skin glittering like diamonds in the morning sun. He hovered there for a moment and then screamed his challenge to Midnight.
“Kill, Shard.” Kanarel screamed the command as he also crested the ridge.
The tension in the air was thick as they watched the army march into sight. This path that led to the city was part of the main Trade Route and wide enough for them to walk six abreast. The column stretched far back and then disappeared around a bend in the road.
Blaid scanned the surrounding mountain; he did not believe for one moment that the entire army would simply walk to the front gate of the city and ask to be admitted. Soon he spotted archers on some of the higher ridges above the city; far away, but probably just within reach of their arrows. Blaid had noticed that they had changed their crude bows that they had used during the war for ones of elven make. They were long, elegant weapons that could shoot accurately over a distance of at least two hundred paces; more if the archer was good.
Soon the main army spread out on the more open terrain leading up to the city. Blaid thought that the situation would have made for a good ambush had he more men at his disposal; the army had the city to their front and a narrow mountain pass to their rear, with nowhere to go to their left and right. It would have been a simple matter of attacking their rear, driving them towards the city and then letting the archers do the rest from the battlements.
But he did not have extra warriors and it was too late now to change any plans. He let
Ender know the positions of the Vampyre archers and then went from station to station to make sure everything was ready.
“My Lord,” an archer called him as he walked past. “They have brought a ram.”
Blaid looked down off the wall of the city just as a group of twenty or so Vampyres rolled forward the battering ram. They must have built it on the march, for they did not have it when he had left them to go to Stoneloft. Cursing under his breath he finished his round and then took up his own position next to Ender.
“I am glad we fortified the gate. Hopefully it will be strong enough to withstand the ram,” Ender said.
“We can hope,” Blaid replied, “but we should concentrate on reducing their numbers while they are still outside. When they eventually break through I would prefer to do battle with as few of them as possible.”
A horn sounded then; a sound so alien it made Blaid’s hair stand on edge; and the first arrow was fired. Soon it was raining arrows all around them as the archers in the mountains targeted the battlement to dispatch their own archers. Ducking behind their shields, the archers retaliated, but were unable to aim at the Vampyre archers hiding within the cracks and ridges of the mountain.
Blaid shouted for them to concentrate on the ones below; they could ill afford to waste their arrows.
Boom!
The battering ram crashed into the gate for the first time. Blaid felt the repercussion through the stone of the wall.
Boom!
The Vampyres had covered the battering ram with a thick layer of leather to protect the ones operating it. His arrows would be useless there, but he could just make out the feet of the ones closest to him and he now took careful aim. His arrow flew straight and he watched a Vampyre falter and then duck out of the cover of the battering ram to remove the arrow from his foot. Blaid did not give him the chance; one more, well placed arrow saw the Vampyre dead on the ground.
