by Jeff Inlo
Chapter 12
Holli's attention was divided. She stood on the platform of Burbon's western tower just as Lief advanced upon the Fuge River and Ryson sped off to the northern mountains. Enin and Sy waited at her side, but they said nothing to distract her. Instead, she watched her previous companions, her friends, begin their individual quests in grim silence. Her eyes followed their trails, but she also took several sweeping glances at the town behind her. Ryson and Lief's safety were of paramount importance, but this human town was now charged to her care. Three points of focus. She fought to keep her attention upon them all.
At this particular moment, though, Lief's progress called to her with the greatest sense of urgency. If Lief faced danger in his trip back to their camp, it was at this moment. She knew he could not sense river rogues. Once he reached the trees of Dark Spruce, he would be safe, but now, at the river's edge and moving through tall grass, he was vulnerable.
Damn stubborn elf.
He refused an escort, even just to the trees. He told her it wasn't necessary, that she should focus upon the preparations to defend the human town. He even rejected an escort of Sy's guards that were already prepared to scout the area on horseback. How foolish was that? Pride. Ignorant, stubborn pride.
As for Ryson, he was simply a blur of motion. The spectacle itself called for attention. No dust kicked up in his wake. Only the blurred outline of his body was visible, and it rushed along the ground as a bird soars across the open sky. As fast as he moved, as far as he traveled, he would remain in her sight for some time. Her eyes were strong, and the delver moved over the flatlands to the north. She commanded a strategic view from this platform and she could see well toward the horizon. The Colad Mountains stood proudly, clear in her sight. They waited like a great barrier, an impenetrable wall. They extended for untold distances. Surely, the cliff behemoths waited there, but how long would it take Ryson to find the one he needed, to find Dzeb?
As for the town, it waited for her in unmoving silence. At her request, the human volunteers had stopped their current training. That would become necessary soon enough, but they would also need to rethink their methods of fighting. It was of no use to train them as simple ground soldiers. To do so would invite disaster. If they were to fight off dwarves, they would have to focus upon evasion.
The townspeople of Burbon surprisingly did not question her. Rumors were spreading of course, rumors that an elf was going to teach them how to fight. Most did not protest, and they showed no sign of resentment. They did not know how to fight dwarves. Those civilians that thought they did were quickly rebuffed by soldiers that watched comrades die in the first dwarf attack. As these stories were recounted, any mumbling of dissatisfaction quickly died away. The people simply waited, waited for her direction, waited and hoped that this elf might hold their salvation.
Holli sensed all of this. First, however, it was necessary to review the full breadth of the town. The tower she now stood upon held that opportunity. She could inspect the structures and the lay of the land from this vantage point. It also allowed her to watch the departure of Lief and Ryson. As for the delver, he was relatively safe. She doubted there was anything that posed a threat to him in the open lands he now traveled. She doubted anything could catch him. Though his speed of movement held her fascination, it was Lief that held her concern.
Her own muscles drew tight as she watched with narrowed eyes. She tried to drink in the magic that filled the air as Lief moved upon the bridge. She knew she couldn't sense that far, but she made the attempt. She also requested the same of the human wizard that stood beside her.
"Enin. Do you sense anything? Any disturbances in the magic that surrounds you?"
Enin immediately understood her purpose. It was as if he could see her thoughts, her concern painted itself in the magical energies which flowed around her. "I can not discern anything out of place, either in the town or in the clearing. I sense you standing beside me, but I can not sense anything else, not even your comrade so far in the distance. I'm afraid that is beyond my range. You are worried about a river rogue?"
"He won't be safe until he reaches the trees," Holli admitted.
Sy grunted. "Then why didn't he accept an escort? He's as important to us now as anyone else."
Holli did not answer. Lief was on the bridge. He seemed to move in slow motion. "Why doesn't he move faster?"
Holli's hands gripped the railing of the tower. Her eyes scanned the river. She saw nothing. Unable to do anything else, she pulled the bow from her shoulder. She took a long, thin arrow from her quiver and placed it upon the string.
Sy wished to question her, to ask her if she saw anything, but he remained silent. He would not distract her, not even for a moment. Instead, he also took a precaution. He signaled to the scouts on horseback to prepare to advance. He held his hand for them to wait as he now watched Lief with equal diligence.
Lief was upon the bridge, moving to its far end. He stopped. A moment of caution as he surveyed the banks of the river below him. Nothing, no river rogue, no danger. He moved forward. With no obstacle before him, he moved undeterred to the trees. He took to their limbs.
Holli stood down from her state of readiness. She slowly released the tension on her bow string and returned the arrow to her quiver. She spoke with obvious relief. "Lief will give word to the elf guard. A contingent of archers to assist us should be here before nightfall."
Sy signaled all clear to the scouts and motioned for them to begin their standard patrol.
Holli took one last glimpse at the fading outline of Ryson to the north before she fixed her attention on the streets of Burbon.
Sy, however, would not immediately disregard Holli's previous intentions. "Could you have hit a target from this distance? It's a long way to that bridge. It would also be a dangerous shot. Your friend would have been in harm's way."
"I don't know," Holli replied stoically. "But it was all I could do."
Sy weighed the reply. If he was going to place his faith in this elf guard, he wanted to know more about her, including her consideration of risk. "That doesn't really answer the question. An arrow would have to travel a long way from here. The target could have moved. Lief could have moved, right into the path of your arrow. If a river rogue attacked, would you have taken the shot?"
"Yes," Holli said shortly.
Sy waited.
Holli noted the expectation of his silence. She offered her explanation. "If Lief was attacked by a river rogue, he would have had no chance of survival on his own. That is a plain and simple fact. His only chance would have been my arrow. If he was attacked and I hit the rogue, he would have had a chance to escape. If my arrow missed, it might have distracted the creature. Again, Lief would have had a chance to escape. If my arrow hit Lief, it would be no worse than a rogue's teeth or claws."
Sy pressed for more information. "Would you have given your friend there a chance to escape on his own? I mean, how long would you have waited before you took the shot?"
Holli answered quickly. Her mind was on the new task at hand, protecting the town, but she answered with all honesty. "Not long. If Lief was caught on the bridge, his fate would have been certain. If he made it to open ground, he might have been able to draw his sword and outmaneuver a rogue."
Sy rubbed his chin. "You wouldn't have waited for him to call for your help? You would have made the decision as to when to risk his life based on your own interpretations?"
"The bow was in my hands. It was no one else's decision to make."
"Is that how you will see to the defense of this town?"
Holli raised an eyebrow. "Do you object?"
Sy pointed to the cold facts. "At this point, my objections are pretty much irrelevant. I've accepted your expertise in this matter. You will guide us. That has already been decided. That doesn't mean I want to remain ignorant of your views. Your opinion of acceptable risk will certainly define your tactics. I would be negligent
if I didn't attempt to recognize just how far you would go, what you might consider appropriate in the face of danger."
"I see. It's an acceptable question. You are putting your life in my hands."
"I'm putting the life of everyone in this town in your hands," Sy reminded her firmly.
Holli looked over the streets, scanned the buildings, and settled her attention on those that watched and waited for her advice. "Yes, you are. Will it ease your worries if I tell you that I don't think there are any acceptable casualty counts? That I think the loss of one is one too many?"
Sy did not reply.
Holli did not wait for him. "I don't expect you to believe me, and I guess you will remain ill at ease as long as you depend on another's judgment. But you also know what we face. If the dwarves attack us, there will be injuries among your people, there will be death. I can not prevent that. But I still believe that one casualty is one too many. I will do everything within my power not to just limit the number of casualties, but to eliminate them. If the battle ever arises, and I truly pray it does not, my plans will be to save all, everyone. Even when that no longer becomes possible, even when I see the dead on the field, I will act so that those that are still alive fighting will remain alive."
Holli nodded over to the bridge. Lief was now out of sight, his trail covered by the limbs of the trees.
"You asked me if I would take the shot from this tower, would I risk Lief's life to save it. Yes, I would, but you have to understand why. I would not risk Lief's life for my own glory, but I would if I felt it was his only chance. That is how I will deal with your people as well. Does that ease your mind?"
Sy smiled. He liked Holli, appreciated her honesty. "My mind is never at ease, but it does answer my question. I believe I have put my faith in the right person. Excuse me, the right elf!"
"Let me now ask you a question." Holli nodded to the throng of onlookers below. "How much can I count on the humans you are trying to train? Do not rate them as soldiers, that is not what I need to know. Rate them for what we face. I need to know if they will be determined to carry out the orders given to them. Do not be concerned with whether you think they are able to defend themselves or able to perform with competence, just their willingness to do so. Will they hold their position to save the town, or will they run to save their own lives?"
Sy considered the question. He thought of all the different people, all the different characteristics of those that now seemed willing to help defend. It felt difficult to judge them with one sweeping statement, but he kept his answer short and pointed. "Some will run. Most will do what they can to do what's expected of them."
"Do you think you can weed out those which might run?"
"No."
Holli frowned, but only for a moment. "That is unfortunate. When one runs, others that might have held often join in flight."
"I'm sorry, but there's just no way I can tell for sure. I can make some guesses, but that's all."
"I will ask you to do that. Those that you feel are prone to run in the face of battle must be given other tasks."
Holli turned from Sy. She inspected the town again, this time she took long, discriminating studies of many of the buildings. Her eyes followed the length of the wall. Only for a brief moment did she inspect the clearing between the hills and the barrier. She revealed little as she quickly focused back on the heart of the town. She looked at the crossing patterns of the roads and alleys, the differing heights of the many structures. It would not be like fighting the dwarves in the forest, but it held many advantages. She quickly played out several scenarios in her mind.
Sy and Enin left her to her study. They watched her carefully, but said nothing.
Holli repaid their consideration by speaking her thoughts aloud. "If we do this right, if we're lucky, this may just be the perfect place to hold out against the dwarves. A good deal will depend on how many they send at us. I'm sure it will be a large complement of warriors, but we can make that work to our advantage. Dwarves are stubbornly proud and easily taunted into breaking ranks. It will help us if they send several hundred soldiers as opposed to small strike teams. The commanders will have trouble keeping their warriors in formation. It is in confusion which we can overcome their strength."
The warrior elf turned to the ladder which led down from the platform. "I've seen all I need to from this point. I need to see things from ground level now."
Sy and Enin shrugged at each other. They simply followed her.
Holli stepped lively through the streets. At times she would stop in the middle of intersections. She gauged the distance between opposing rooftops, judged the height of several buildings. Many times she crouched as she walked, assuming the height of a dwarf. She took a perspective of seeking cover. She sought out narrow alleys and covered porches. In each tight place, she knelt and looked to the heights surrounding her. She nodded or frowned, but she said nothing.
As she passed many of the humans that watched her, she did not ignore them. She watched how they moved, how they stood. She looked for signs of impatience. She looked into their eyes, watched for focus and concentration. She seemed neither pleased nor disappointed with what she saw.
Finally, she made a request of Sy.
"I would like to see your supply of arms."
Sy guided her to the main armory, another brick building located next to the command post. He waved to the guards as he led her inside. Well organized rows of crates lined most of the available space. Some were open and revealed their contents, mostly swords and spears.
Holli ignored these. She turned her attention to the slings, crossbows, and long bows. She picked up a crossbow first, then a sling.
"Excellent," she murmured.
Both Enin and Sy watched her carefully. Sy was curious about her attention to certain weapons. The spears were effective against the dwarves in their first battle, but she was as indifferent to these as she was to the short swords.
Enin focused on her ability to deal with this enclosed place. He remembered how uncomfortable Lief appeared within the walls of Sy's office. She appeared calmer with her surroundings than her male counterpart. If these brick walls invoked a sense of discomfort, she hid it well.
Holli noticed their attention, but she disregarded it. Her concentration remained squarely upon the stock of weapons. "These boxes? They contain more of these bows? And these? More slings?"
"Yes," Sy answered simply.
"You are well supplied."
Sy revealed more truth. "It's not like we really had a choice. After the first goblin attack, we made sure we were capable of defending ourselves. This isn't even all we have, either. I wouldn't keep all my eggs in one basket. I have more stored at command HQ. Those are ready for immediate use, no unpacking is necessary. I also have stores hidden in certain buildings throughout the town."
"You have more?" Holli questioned with a note of appreciation.
"Buying this stuff cost the town plenty, but it was a cost we were all willing to pay."
"It was wise. It may save your life."
"You seem most interested with the bows. I have to tell you, the spears worked well for us last time."
Holli did not reply immediately. She weighed what she wanted to say and how she would say it. She respected this man, and she would not callously disregard his opinions or his input. His actions, as told to her, in the previous battle with the dwarves saved many lives. She would not offend him. Still, this was his only encounter with the dwarves, and it was only a small attack force. He had no experience fighting a full-fledged dwarf army. No human did. There was no knowledge for him to draw on. It was her responsibility to give him that knowledge, for her to draw on elflore and her own training to impress upon him what they face, but she would do so with absolute respect for him as a soldier and as a leader.
"Do not take lightly what I will tell you, for I will never take lightly what you have to say to me. You have already accomplished m
uch more than any other living human commander can claim. You have faced a dwarf attack and forced their retreat. There is no question in my mind as to your ability to lead, but there is a need for you to instill what I can teach beyond your own experience.
"You must forget what you think you know about war. I can say this because over the many cycles of the seasons, I have watched how humans have fought against each other. I have learned a good deal about how your commanders think in battle, and I have seen what guides their decisions. While these maneuvers would work well against almost any other race in our land, they will not work against the dwarves.
"There are no battle lines, no points of defense. There is no safe haven, there is no place which is more secure than another, and there is never a clear border between you and the enemy. The entire area is the battlefield. No matter what is going on in another section of this town, there is always the threat that a hundred or even a thousand dwarves may surface right in front of you in an instant. You can never be sure where their army is, or how large they are. Just when you think you have found the main body of their army, a larger force will break through the ground behind you. I say this because you show some confidence in the use of spears. I tell you in all honesty, if our lives become dependent on spears, we are lost."
Sy grasped for the knowledge she offered, grasped for hope. "Can we depend on those? Can we depend on bows and slings?"
"We have to depend on how well we can use them," Holli replied. "Remember our goal will not to be to defeat the dwarves, but for us to survive. It is not the same thing."
"I know. It's the difference between attack and defense."
"Very true, and we will defend this town with but one goal in mind, to allow everyone the greatest chance to live to see tomorrow."
She did not press the issue at this point. Instead, she began inspecting more of the crates. "My advice at this point is for you to begin handing out these bows and slings. Have your people train with these."
She turned from the crates and moved back outside. Again, she looked to the rooftops. As Sy followed her out the door, she made her final requests for preparation. "You will need ropes and ladders. Have them in place as soon as possible. Hang the ropes from the rooftops to the ground. Place the ladders against the sturdiest of your structures. As an elf I know this, the way to escape a dwarf is to climb out of his reach. We would climb the trees of our forest, you will have to climb these structures you have built. It does not guarantee survival. A band of angry dwarves could collapse these houses, just as they can fell a tree in a single swing, but it is a needed escape route. You will also need bells in the towers, an alarm."
"We use signal fires," Sy advised.
"That is even better, but we will also need a general alarm that can be heard. Dwarves normally attack right after sunset when most of your citizens will be in their homes."
Enin spoke up, unable to curb his own desire to offer his unique service. "What is there that I can do to help offer warning? Is there any thing you can think of that I can try? I know the dwarves are resistant to magic, but there must be something I can do. Elves know a good deal of magic, don't they? Is there a spell which might locate the tunnels as they are being dug?"
Holli cast a doubtful glance at the wizard. "I doubt at this time elves know anymore than you in the way of casting spells."
Enin could not contain his surprise. "Really? I thought elves were very prone to using magic."
"As a race in whole, elves are more inclined to magic than humans, but that is not the case when it comes to comparing individuals. Throughout the legends, throughout elflore, the most powerful of the wizards and sorcerers have been of human descent. Do not underestimate your power."
"You think I have great power?"
Holli did not want to answer that question. She narrowed her words to his original question. "I am uncertain of the extent of your power. I also do not know any spells which may help us. Magic is a powerful tool, but at this time, too much knowledge has been lost for it to serve us with any reliability."
Enin felt the need to defend his new found craft. "I don't know about that. I've already been able to come up with a small web spell. I know that won't help with dwarves that can tunnel underneath it, but there may be an offshoot of that spell. It may be just a case of finding a variant, something that would sense the movement underground." Enin's eyes lit brighter as he carried the proposal even farther. "Maybe I can do even better. Maybe there's a way I can stop them from digging under us all together. I can try to find a way to collapse the tunnels, like an earthquake, small in scale of course."
Holli replied coarsely. "I would strongly advise against experimenting with such spells. If you don't know what you're doing, you could cause great damage."
"I would be careful," Enin protested.
"I'm sure you would, but it is still too risky to attempt. Dwarves are very resistant to magic. Anything you try may have dangerous consequences to us, and may do nothing to stop the dwarves. I will also suggest that during battle you refrain from attacking the dwarves directly with any spells you have not previously cast with certainty."
Enin looked at Holli with bewilderment. "What would you have me do? Should I just sit on my hands?"
"I would simply ask that you remain careful. Experimenting with spells may be more dangerous than the dwarves themselves."
Enin would not hold back his growing insecurity. "You know, the other elf didn't trust me, either. I sensed that. Now I sense the same thing in you. I want to know why."
Holli became somewhat rigid. "I can not speak for Lief. I can only speak for myself. It is not you I don't trust, it is the magic."
"Nonsense!"
Holli's expression remained blank. She would hide her emotions as a trained elf guard. No one would be able to read the slightest sentiment from her face.
Enin, however, looked beyond her expression. He looked deep into her being; he saw her thoughts, felt her emotions. He became angry. "You don't trust me! You’re hiding the reasons. You deem them an important secret. Why!"
Holli looked to Sy. "I thought I was here to assist you. Am I now on trial here?"
Sy rubbed his hands uncomfortably. "Of course not. Your assistance here is greatly appreciated. I think ..."
Enin did not take his eyes off of Holli, even as he cut Sy off. "Don't involve him. This is between you and me. You are telling me not to help protect my own home. You are making this decision based on mistrust. I want to know why!"
Holli gave him the truth. "I fear what you can do, whether willingly or unwillingly. There is nothing about you which gives me this fear other than the potential of your power. I sense nothing but good within your intentions, but I feel the range of what you are capable of. That in itself is enough to create my doubts about you. The magic is again new to the land. There is no knowledge to guide you, no elder sorcerer to train you. If you had an inkling of just how powerful you could be, you would understand my doubts. You might even share my fears."
"Why should I be afraid?" Enin demanded.
Holli responded with a question of her own. "How much do you truly understand of this magic you use? Do you understand the significance of the circles which enclose your wrists at the time of your casting? Do you understand what it means to cast white magic?"
"Yes," Enin replied stoically.
"Do you really?"
Sy listened to the conversation with mystification. He did not understand the significance and expressed as much. "What are you talking about? What's the deal with the white magic and the circles?"
Holli answered the question but kept her attention upon Enin, gauging his reaction to her response. "The color of the magic at spell casting signifies the wizard's true power. The color represents a control over one of the dominions. All wizards can learn to cast spells over each dominion, but their power is normally enhanced over the dominion of their true spirit. A wizard that casts green magic has great power ov
er nature, yellow magic is power over light. Each color represents a discipline of the forces of this land. Others include fire, water, land, air, and storms. There are, however, two very rare and unique representations of color. White and black. Black is the power over forces beyond this land, power over shadows. White is power over all the forces of the land, not just one. A wizard casting white magic could cast spells with equal power over fire or over water, or any other force of the land. The wizard has no weakness in any of the dominions." Holli spoke coldly now, spoke to the wizard. "Lief saw you cast a spell. He saw the white light. In all of elflore there is no true record of such a wizard, there has only been rumor."
Enin did not blink, even as Holli compounded the references to his strength. The elf pointed to her wrists. "The shapes at spell casting are also a sign of strength. The closer the shape comes to a perfect circle, the stronger the spell. Angles or points invite breaks in the power. Circles represent strength throughout. In the time of legends, spell casters practiced for many cycles of the season, lifetimes, before they could perfect a single circle. You have two and the magic has been here in the land for less than a full cycle of the seasons."
Sy looked at Enin with greater appreciation. He stammered at the possibilities. "Is all that bad? After all, he's on our side."
Holli did not bend even slightly from her position. "He has the power, but no one has the knowledge he needs to control that power." Again, she directed her last sentiments directly to the wizard. "We face a very grave situation here. If the dwarves attack in force, we will need every advantage just to survive. Your power might give us that advantage, then again, it might disrupt our own forces. You might unwillingly become the spark that leads to the complete destruction of this place. That is the risk of your power, that is what creates my doubts. Without the magic, I honestly believe this town has a chance. It will be difficult, but the hope is there. That is the hope we all have to hold. If instead, we put our faith in the chance you may find a way to use your power properly, we will be grasping at chance. Do you understand this?"
Enin turned away from her, not out of anger but out of need. She doubted him, for whatever reason, she mistrusted him. He could not accept these same doubts. They would ruin him if he acknowledged them. Better for him to ignore her. Otherwise, he would stagnate. He could not have that. In his mind, she was right about only two things, and that's what he would focus upon. There was great power within him, and he had nothing but good intentions. If she did not want his help now, he would not offer it, but he would not be cast aside either. He would remain in Burbon, wait for the attack he somehow knew was coming. He would hope they would prevail without him, but if not, he would be there. He walked away from the elf and his commander without another word.
Sy watched him leave. The guard captain wondered about what just happened. "I don't think that was necessary. He's helped this town survive over the last season."
"I had no choice," Holli admitted. "He read my emotions. He knew of my mistrust. I could not hide it from him, even though I wanted to. He is very powerful."
"Powerful enough to possibly save us."
"Or destroy us," Holli noted. "Didn't you hear what I said?"
"Yes, I did, but I know him. He's here to help us. That's all."
Holli replied bluntly. "And that's all I am here for. I'm not requiring you to accept all of my decisions. As you once said, the safety of this town is ultimately your responsibility. If you think I have made a misjudgment, by all means call the wizard back. I will continue to advise you in whatever decision you make. If you want the wizard to attempt spells, I will do what I can to work it into my plans. Remember, I'm not here to take control. I am here to help. It is simply my judgment that, when dealing with dwarves, a novice wizard is more of a danger than an advantage, especially a wizard that is capable of what he is capable of. Do you disagree?"
"How can I disagree? I don't know a damn thing about dwarves."
"Then what is it you want of me?"
Sy simmered in his own frustrations. "I just want your help."
"Then let me give it to you. Forget what has happened for now. I believe the wizard understands what I have said to him. He is not leaving this town. He is only leaving me to my duties. We have much work to do. We have to train your people, we have to construct obstacles for the dwarves. Let us begin that now and let us worry about the wizard another time."
