by Ryan Evans
After our exchange, Droka accepted my position of leadership among the houses. No doubt that once we were out of our current situation, we’d have to re-evaluate our relations with each other. After Karsam’s support, I would also need to revisit my views of Silvanti House.
After the meeting with heads of the houses, I had one more meeting to handle before my day was free. That was a meeting with all the nobles sworn to Fero House. Instead of breaking for lunch, a soldier brought me a loaf of bread and some dried meat. My senior sergeants along with eight nobles entered the room. Although all the nobles were around the same age, their ranks varied from major to lieutenant. No one wore the rank of colonel, as that was the second in command of the house, and no one seemed a good fit for the role yet.
Rank had been a sticky topic. All the nobles in Fero House were new to working together. Instead of ranks based on political power or wealth, I gave them based on weight of authority and skill. The sergeants had been much easier as they’d met over the last couple of days and come to their own understanding about where they stood in relation to one another. Unsurprisingly, Sergeant Iglias was still at the top of the pecking order.
Stephan, with his newfound humility and willingness to listen to the sergeants, showed great potential for growth within the house. I awarded him the rank of major because of that potential and the fact that he’d been the first to join me. The other two who’d earned the rank of major were Leah Inanis and Alexander Celeri.
Leah was a jaguar-kind who had risen in her old house by her skill at stealth. She was striking, but not classically beautiful. Her most noticeable feature was the premature grey streaks that started at her temples and ran through her dark hair. She had a pragmatic approach to things that would make her an excellent administrator.
Alexander, my coyote-kind leader, was a different story all together. He was younger than me by a year, but he was as smart as they came. He was an idealist through and through and extremely passionate about his beliefs. I could see it being a constant challenge to rein him in, but his charisma and conviction would make him a great leader to rally others.
Not only were these two the ring leaders of those jaguar-kind and coyote-kind who agreed to overthrow their old leadership, they did the deed with their own hands. I’d be counting on them to help integrate our forces into one cohesive army. I handed the rest of the ranks out based on their recommendations and the maturity of the other nobles.
Together, I thought my senior officers balanced each other out well, and offered unique perspectives to tackle issues as they arose. I asked everyone, including the sergeants, to introduce themselves to the room before I spoke about my vision for our future, and what hurdles we’d be facing to achieve that vision. The meeting went by quickly, and at the end, there was a clear position and purpose within our new house. Despite the potential for disaster, I was optimistic of Fero House’s chances to prevail and grow stronger.
Chapter 22
After the surprise of the saurians appearing, the princess locking the inner gates, and my consolidation of power among the houses within the fort, nothing much happened. The damnable drums never stopped, but the saurians didn’t make a move on the fort either. Things settled into a tense routine as we prepared for whatever would come.
For six days, we worked on organizing the house armies within the fort in preparation for an attack. Several contingencies were in place depending on where and how the attack came. Our plans included house deployment orders and assignments along with pre-arranged fallback points. We even had staging areas should the enemy secure and fortify a position within the walls.
A large part of those plans centered on the civilians trapped in the fort. With the enemy already here, evacuation was impossible. Their appearance in such numbers caused fear in the citizens. When the princess shut the inner walls with half her army inside, it increased to outright panic.
There were riots in the shopping areas. Vendors hoarded food or charged ridiculous prices. The people were terrified, and none of the senior imperial officers would emerge or give orders from the central keep. Without clear orders from the top, the soldiers on our side of the inner wall focused on securing the food stores and maintaining their assigned posts. The lack of information just made the sense of dread gripping the civilians worse.
It took a coordinated effort from all the houses to stamp down the riots and crime that resulted from the widespread panic. We instituted a patrol schedule that ensured a constant military presence in the civilian housing and shopping areas. We also enacted a price limit on certain goods. It was wildly unpopular, and irritating in the extreme to enforce, but after two days of our enacted policies, the merchants and camp followers settled back into their routine.
Even in our attempt to bring law and order back to the outer region of the fort, the imperial troops on the outer wall proved a hindrance rather than a help. A stuffy imperial colonel named Uriel, despite my best efforts, refused to coordinate with the noble houses. He was of the mind we should all simply wait for direction from the princess’s senior staff. He was impossible.
When the noble patrols started, he had his staff threaten to imprison our forces for overstepping our authority. It had taken the reminder that he lacked the authority, numbers or space to deliver on his threat. After that, Uriel stopped all communication with us. If the saurians attacked, we’d unfortunately have to work in parallel with the imperials instead of together.
While all of this was going on, Fero House also stepped up its training regimen. Karsam agreed to let our newest members share the Silvanti barracks with his remaining people so that all of our troops could be together. The move infuriated Aaryn and the Vineas, but they knew better than to cause problems after what had occurred. Once the newest members of the house moved in, we went about breaking apart and reforming the army’s structure. Whenever a soldier wasn’t on a detail or sleeping, they were training.
We emphasized group movement with our soldiers. While it was always good to be the best fighter possible, being able to stand together might be the difference between life and death. I’d seen too many saurian attacks on this campaign. The one thing they all had in common was trying to break the soldiers down into individual fighters before overwhelming them. Whenever our forces stood together, we’d given the savages a run for their money.
We even included group exercises in shifted forms. That brought an entirely new dynamic to our army, as the variation in species allowed us to play to each group’s strengths. Having the size of the large felines and bears mixed with the small and medium species made everyone more deadly. The prospect of utilizing such strength excited me for our future.
When I watched the soldiers work, it was impossible to distinguish between the militia and academy trained forces. The sergeants did an excellent job of blending everyone together so they all performed like they were seasoned veterans. When the time came, I knew that Fero House would show why it should be feared and respected.
We also instituted special training for those with a knack for stealth and alternative tactics. The jaguar-kind possessed a natural talent with stealth, and the coyote-kind had a knack for thinking outside the box. The squads trained in this manner could break apart to work as independent agents or stand together on the field of battle. Flexibility was key when we finally met the enemy.
It was the seventh day of the siege when it happened. Shortly after lunch, a sharp crack echoed from the western gatehouse. The sound was so loud that it rang throughout the entire fort. I was in our central courtyard and felt a sense of dread rise up within me. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look towards the walls. Following the noise, the drums stopped beating, and all sound ceased at that moment. It was eerily quiet. The lack of sound was deafening after the days of constant noise.
Suddenly, we could hear the small sounds of stone beginning to break. Nobody moved or seemed to even breathe. Then, all hell broke loose. It started with some debris falling from the parapets
, but shortly after, cracks formed in our indestructible defenses. For a moment, the soldiers on the top of the wall froze in the hope that the danger had passed. My troops and I watched in horror as the western gate and surrounding walls began to crumble and collapse.
The ground shook throughout the fort, and it seemed that all the world would be ripped apart. The stone barrier fell inward like a wave crashing onto the shore. People were thrown off of their feet in the upheaval and several buildings collapsed. With the breaking of stone and screaming of dying soldiers and civilians, the sound became a horrific symphony of death and destruction. Chaos ensued.
We’d spent the last seven days preparing for an attack, but no one was prepared for what had just happened. Though none of our plans fit this scenario, everyone sprang into action. “All right everyone. Our priority remains the civilians’ safety. The enemy is coming, and we need to be ready for them. Major Inanis’ and Major Celeri’s people head out. Focus on stopping the invaders from advancing as much as you can. If you can help civilians without hindering your mission, do so, but don’t forget that holding back the saurians is the priority. Link up with the other houses and create a unified front. If you can’t hold an area, try to get the civilians out and fall back. Major Umbra’s people, you’re with me and the bodyguard detail, we’re headed to the stables to get our horses,” I yelled out as the sergeants moved into battle mode.
I ran towards the stables as my bodyguard and Stephan’s soldiers formed up around me. I’d only gotten to spend a little time with Bashita since my arrival at the fort because of the demands on my time. No doubt she had plenty of pent up energy that needed to be worked out, and there was no better way to do so than killing saurians. I just hoped that the stables remained intact after the destruction that ran through the fort.
Three stables now contained horses belonging to Fero House. As my bodyguard and I made our way towards one stable, most of Stephan’s people broke off in other directions. I caught Stephan’s eye as he headed off with one of his groups. He nodded at me with a determined look on his face. I pitied any saurian that stood before him.
It didn’t take long to reach the stables holding Bashita and thirty other horses belonging to our house. It appeared that the building was free of damage. As I’d expected, the tension in the air energized my mount. It was a challenge to get her barding and saddle on as even I couldn’t calm her. She knew battle was near. She was ready to fight.
I noticed Tristan saddling a horse nearby. While he’d spent time working with horses after being assigned as my bodyguard, it was probably his least favorite aspect of the job. “Just don’t forget to unclench your muscles from time to time,” I said to him as he hopped into his saddle. His expression made it clear he didn’t appreciate my comment.
A half hour later found us riding towards the western gate. It was utter chaos. The remains of buildings littered the roadway and made riding at speed treacherous. The collapse of buildings was random and unpredictable. Some buildings that looked newer didn’t survive while some buildings that looked dilapidated stood tall.
Severely wounded civilians and soldiers were everywhere. The bodies of the dead littered the ground around the wreckage. Fero House had been fortunate in that none of our buildings had collapsed, but many were not so lucky. Groans and screams filled the air as masses of civilians ran towards the inner walls, ignoring the fallen around them.
Goods and debris were scattered everywhere as merchant carts were knocked over in the wreckage and panic. People had simply dropped their belongings in the mad dash to the center of the fort. No one knew exactly what was happening, but they knew their best chance of survival lay away from the outer walls.
I’d insisted on being towards the front when divvying up the necessary tasks in case the saurians broke through our defenses. Everyone had protested adamantly at the beginning, but I’d worn them down. Now, as my bodyguard detail of thirty soldiers and I rode towards the sound of battle, I knew I’d made the right decision. I would never be able to stay safely in the rear while people risked their lives in my name. It wasn’t in my blood.
Sooner than expected, we found the enemy. Several brutes and chirpers moved through an alleyway that would allow them to get behind the soldiers fighting on the main street ahead of us. This choke point was behind several others, and it surprised me the saurians had already made it this far.
Upon seeing us, the saurians rushed to attack. I quickly dismounted at the entrance to the alleyway and led seven of my soldiers toward the enemy. The rest were left holding the reigns to our mounts. Only one horse would have fit into the cramped space, so it only made sense to fight on foot.
Just as the tight space of the alleyway restricted our movements, it hampered the saurians’ efforts to reach us. Only two could attack at the same time, and the brutes kept getting in each other’s way during the skirmish. They were all equipped with clubs, spears, stone knives or crude stone swords, but they didn’t effectively use their weapons. They attacked as individuals instead of as a group.
We made short work of the group with only a minor spear wound on a soldier’s arm. Taking a moment to catch our breath, we looked out of the other side of the alleyway. What we saw made me sick to my stomach.
From our vantage point, we could barely see what had once been the cleared area behind the gate. Debris and rubble covered everything, and the closest buildings to the wall had been washed away in the wreckage. The bodies of those close to the fallen structure were mixed in with the debris. They represented the majority of our fighting force outside the keep.
A depression under what had once been the gate stood out. Based on the way it all looked, the only plausible explanation was that they’d tunneled under the wall until it collapsed. The drums and camped forces had been a distraction. I begrudgingly admitted the genius of the tactic.
Regardless of what had caused the breach, it didn’t change the thick swarm of saurians that continued to pour over the stone debris. It had to be a treacherous climb to get over the remnants of our defenses, but that didn’t stop the wave of scaly bodies. My blood boiled at the sight.
They’d destroyed too much of the wall, and the enemy swarmed through the streets in impossible numbers. We couldn’t contain them. I rushed back to Bashita and jumped into the saddle. I spurred her forward to the choke point being defended by a mix of different house soldiers.
“The breach is too large to contain. You and your soldiers are already at risk of being overrun. Fall back to the inner wall.” I yelled to the back of the group. The sergeant in charge turned to say something. I saw the anger she’d been about to unleash on me. Upon seeing who addressed her, she caught herself. She quickly saluted and turned back to her soldiers, giving orders to pull back as they fought off the saurians pressing their lines.
The inner wall was supposed to be our last defensive line if the enemy pushed into the fort. With a secure position at our back, all the house forces would defend a makeshift fortification around the civilians. From there we would hold for as long as we had bodies to throw at the enemy. We’d planned on fighting for days before they drove us back that far. Thinking of our new reality made me sick to my stomach.
“Send our best riders to relay that we can’t contain the enemy. Soldiers are to protect and escort any retreating civilians they can, but make their way to our last defense as quickly as possible,” I told Tristan as we rode back towards the interior of Fort Granas as fast as we dared. He nodded at my command before detailing five of our riders to get the job done.
It took less time than I would have liked to get to our last line of defense. The area was a beehive of activity with soldiers and civilians moving in every direction. The most important task was ensuring our makeshift fortifications were secure before the enemy arrived.
Just like the outer defenses, there was a large space between the inner wall and the surrounding buildings. Soldiers used that space to shoot any invaders trying to gain access. Here was where we s
et up our last line of defense centered on a gate leading to the central keep. The space offered enough room to make a dome shaped fortification that could accommodate all the surviving civilians and soldiers. Ideally, we would have used the keep for that purpose, but the princess ruined that plan when she closed the gates.
We hoped that the soldiers manning the inner defenses might let the civilians and our remaining soldiers enter when they saw our desperation. I never expected to need their help so quickly. Despite our need, I didn’t hold out much hope for the princess’s sympathy.
We’d created our two story fortification out of vendor stalls and wagons. Spears and metal spikes had been added to the base for extra protection. To secure the structure, we used anything and everything available. We tied portions of our defenses together with metal wire, string, leather cord and even twine. We also built scaffolding along the inside for our people to stand atop it. The project had been a huge drain on manpower, but it had clearly been the right decision.
Say what you will about Fort Granas, its architects built it with defense in mind. It had thick gates and walls. The buildings were made of stone. Zones around the defenses were clear of buildings for one hundred yards. Even the ground sloped up as you moved towards the inner keep, making invaders pay for every step they took.
Despite the fort’s impressive design, it had still fallen to some of the most primitive of the empire’s enemies. The only thing I could come up with when I thought about the situation was that we’d become cocky. Based on my reading, there was a time when Fort Granas housed even more soldiers than the thirty thousand for which it was built. To hear Karsam talk, it had been long before his time. No one remembered a time when thinning the saurians wasn’t viewed as a hunt rather than a campaign. The empire was learning its lesson now.
