After the incident with the Dullahan, Ms. Taurus and her people cleared the sewers and collapsed the entry points that the undead used to get in. Of course, the possibility those moles could burrow in somewhere else was still a real threat. It forced the city to expand its defensive network in order to catch another surprise before it hit us.
Varnir, Tsarra, and I said our goodbyes to my mother and Sylvia as we got some much-needed sustenance and a pitiful amount of rest. It was their turn to go up the wall, and I remained in the encampment for my turn. After a few hours passed and the day began to wind down, Tsarra and Varnir returned.
“How is the wall looking?” I asked Varnir.
Varnir plopped down, exhausted, and sighed deeply. “It’s okay. The outer defenses are all but destroyed, and the undead are starting to make a giant pile up toward us, but the mages are burning it down. I spent most of my time moving supplies and helping any of the wounded.”
“Are we taking many casualties?” I asked.
Varnir shook his head. “No, not really. The undead are starting to amass Skeleton archers. They seem to pop up out of nowhere and get a volley off before getting blasted to pieces by mages. Some people took some arrows and went down.”
“I see…and the Corpse Giants?” I questioned.
“Staying far off in the distance. Sometimes they’ll try to throw a boulder at us, but it’s too far even for them,” Varnir answered.
“But seriously, Kaladin, what do you think their next move will be? Are they just going to try and wait us out?”
I shrugged. “They will probably spend the next few days draining our supplies and morale since we thwarted both of their surprise attacks and initial assault. Or at least that’s what I would do.”
A haggard-looking Tsarra sat down slowly next to Varnir. Her red hair was matted down from sweat, dirt, and blood, and she looked even more pale than usual. It was clear she had used a lot of mana during her rotation.
“Are you okay, Tsarra?” I asked out of concern.
She smiled and nodded weakly. “Yes…just tired.”
“They had Tsarra use her water magic to sweep away the undead that was piling up,” Varnir mentioned in between bites.
I see…
Tsarra was about to spoon some of the gruel before she stopped and put a hand over her mouth as if she were about to vomit. Tears rolled out of her eyes as her brows furrowed in pain.
“D—does the smell ever go away? I feel like I’m still there on the wall…” she mumbled.
“You’ll get used to it…sadly,” I answered. “But you do need to eat to conserve your strength.”
Tsarra gave the wooden bowl a grim look before she started scooping the stuff into her mouth. It was a rather desperate attempt to beat the lingering smell, but she could hardly be put at fault. The lingering stench of death and decay over the city was particularly nauseating. And with the amount of rotting corpses…the chance for disease would rise rapidly.
“You are going back up there in an hour or so, right?” Varnir asked.
“Yes, my time to rest will be up shortly. I should start heading that way now,” I said, standing up.
“Good luck out there,” Varnir said with a firm nod.
“Y—yes…please be safe,” Tsarra mumbled.
“Thank you. And I will.”
—
The situation on the wall was as Varnir said. The undead were shambling forward in an endless sea that spanned the entire western side of the city. It appeared that we had barely made a dent in their numbers, and at the rate we were going, it would take weeks to clear them. But by then, we would be out of food and with dwindling numbers.
Regardless, I spent my shift doing what I could. I burned large piles of squirming bodies as they attempted to reach the top of the battlement with magic, moved supplies that needed moving, and just generally supported everyone that I could. The undead, as they were, weren’t an immediate threat as long as the growing piles were reduced to ash by a few mages. The Corpse Giants remained looming in the distance, unmoving. The Liches, or any other powerful undead for that matter, remained elusive.
My shift felt much longer than the first but passed by nonetheless. I wouldn’t be on call for the rest of the day unless something extreme and unexpected happened so I decided to go back to the castle for the evening. I returned via carriage and quickly showered the day’s filth off of me, but it appeared rest would elude me for a while longer.
Knock. Knock.
I made myself presentable and answered; Sir Blackwood was waiting for me at the door. “Sir Shadowheart, His Highness is requesting a meeting.”
“Understood, let’s go.”
Sir Blackwood led me to a conference room, where I was one of the first to arrive. The room quickly began to fill with many of the top players here in the city. And once everyone had arrived, the three royal siblings came in as well.
“I’ve called everyone here to discuss our next moves. But first, allow me to thank all of you for your hard work today,” Prince Xander said earnestly and with a short bow.
“We are just doing what needs to be done, Your Highness,” Professor Garrison said.
“Even so, with all the unknown, everyone handled things beyond expectations. Good job,” Prince Xander said as he turned to Sir Blackwood.
“Sir Blackwood, please recount today’s casualties for everyone present.”
Sir Blackwood brought out a sheet of paper and read, “We have about four hundred combatants dead or missing, along with many uncounted-for civilians. Our wounded reached well over three thousand, but grievous wounds were only at a thousand. The numbers have remained low thanks to our healers and Miss Sylvia.”
“Good, and what of our total amount of rations?” Prince Xander asked.
“As things are now, we should be able to hold out for just a month. But we will eventually have to start rationing the civilians in the coming days,” he answered.
Prince Xander rubbed his chin. “And according to your estimations, when will rationing for the civilians start?”
“Within a week, Your Highness. Non-combatants are already at a limit of two meals per day.”
“I understand. Then, by the weekend, start rationing the civilians,” Prince Xander ordered.
Things are going okay for the time being. We have enough supplies to continue the defense for a month, but…do we really have that kind of time with no support coming our way?
“As all of you have heard, our food limit is set at a hard limit for a month. Beyond that, we may start incurring issues,” Prince Xander said.
Ren raised her voice and said, “Today, we want to put a plan of action in place for a vote. We are at an impasse and can not easily decide amongst ourselves. As our most trusted allies and vassals, we want to hear your opinions.”
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“And what would that be, Your Highness Arene?” Marshal Cloudsun asked.
“Right now, we see two options before us. One is to remain as we are, reacting to the undead attacks until a clear opening presents itself. But…” she trailed off.
“If we continue this, we may be stuck in the city until we are completely run dry and forced to take drastic actions on their terms,” Bowen mused.
“It’s exactly as Master Bowen said. We, as the defenders, are on a timer. We cannot defend the city indefinitely. We thwarted two surprise attacks, but the undead are seemingly switching to a long, drawn-out attack in which we will not win,” Ren said.
She continued, “I say in the coming days, we put together a strike force to attack the undead at their hearts. If we start to dwindle the number of commanding undead even slightly, it will lessen the burden and slow their attacks. We may even find ourselves in a position to end the siege before we incur heavy losses.”
“Clearly, there is a problem with such an approach. The commanding undead have remained all but hidden from our scouts. And flying undead still remain in the sky, countering our Gryphons and denying us information. Outside of recklessly launching ourselves into the fray, how do you plan on finding the key enemy leaders?” Marshal Cloudsun pointed out.
“That is our most pressing issue with the plan at the moment. We have no way of finding the Liches or Dullahans so—”
“Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, but I can find them. I’m sure of it,” I said.
Everyone turned to me with questioning glances, so I continued. “If I get close enough, perhaps on a Gryphon, I can spot the Liches for us.”
“I don’t doubt your eyesight, Kaladin Shadowheart…but can you truly identify a single person-sized monster hiding amongst the millions?” Marshal Cloudsun asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely. I can do it if given the chance,” I answered firmly.
“I have to cast some doubt on this. Is there a way you can prove it outside of simply assuring us?” he requested.
“Yes, I can prove it now. Your Highness, may I?” I said.
Ren nodded her head and then nodded to Sir Blackwood. “Sir Blackwood and Marshal Cloudsun, would you be so kind as to serve as an example?” I asked.
“What will you have us do?” Sir Blackwood asked.
“The two of you need to go two rooms down. Face our direction, and only one of you will raise your right hand while concentrating your mana on that hand. I’ll be able to pick out which one of you raised your hand without directly seeing you. Feel free to shuffle around, and if you wish for more numbers not to make it a fifty-fifty chance, then that’s fine with me,” I said.
Marshal Cloudsun nodded in agreement and ordered his two guards to accompany him. The four men left the room, closed the door, and walked down the hallway. I gave them a few moments, poured mana into my eye, and activated Soulsight. With some additional concentration, I could see the outlines of their mana. After a few seconds, someone raised a hand, and I watched as mana traveled away from its core and filled the hand.
Haha..of course, it was him.
I nodded to myself and gave the four men some time to come back and seat themselves. Everyone looked at me expectantly, so I answered, “The blonde-haired guard raised his hand. His left, to be exact.”
Marshal Cloudsun’s eyes widened as Prince Xander asked, “Is this true, Marshal?”
“Yes…Sir Shadowheart is correct. My guard purposely raised his left hand and focused mana into it as instructed…I have no more doubts,” Marshal Cloudsun answered, clearly surprised.
“Then…why is it that you can’t find the Liches from the city?” Prince Xander asked me.
“They are too far away. My eye can only see so far, and distinguishing them all the way from the walls is impossible for me right now. I’ll need to get closer to them,” I told him.
Ren smiled at me and said, “Then our most pressing issue for finding the Liches and Dullahans has been answered.”
Guildmaster Elora was the next to speak as she chimed in. “So our two options are to either wade into the endless undead to maybe slay a single Lich out of position or continue as we are? If we go out there…we are going to take a lot of casualties. And there won’t be any way for us to bring anyone back to safety.”
“This is why we have gathered you all for a vote. Our options are to attempt an attack on our terms or continue to deal with any unknown threats while thinning their numbers, battling against time and dwindling resources,” Ren answered firmly.
“I believe both sides have said their peace. Raise your hand if you think we should stay as we are,” Prince Xander said, raising his hand.
There were some hushed mumbles, but eventually, people started to raise their hands. Prince Xander, Duke Godwin, Guildmaster Elora, Ms. Taurus, and Marshall Cloudsun were amongst those who wished to remain as we were. Ren, Professor Garrison, Squeaks, Bowen, and Lord Vasquez were among those who wanted to go on the offensive. Overall, the vote was a tie.
“I believe we should remain on the defensive. So far, we have remained strong in the face of all the undead’s attacks and tricks. Perhaps they are as desperate as we are, seeing they attempted to rush us with surprise attacks and a full frontal assault on the first day. Who’s to say they won’t eventually make a mistake in their next plan? A mistake we can capitalize on and gain an overwhelming win. Our backs aren’t against the wall just yet for us to throw away the little advantage we have,” Ms. Taurus said.
“I disagree. Also, food is important but so are our supplies. We will run out of metal in a few days. Ballista bolts and arrows will be spent, and there is no way to replenish them. Even Kaladin’s alchemical firebombs are making an impact, but they will run out in no time if the attacks continue at the same frequency. Even starting as soon as a day or two, I won’t even be able to repair weapons properly,” Squeaks countered.
Prince Xander tapped at his desk before looking at me. “Kaladin. You were the only person not to vote. What do you think?”
Damn. Frankly, I didn’t want to vote. I could see both sides of the argument. It’s true the assault wouldn’t end until the commanding undead were killed. We were stuck here in Curia until then with no reinforcements or incoming supplies. However, we were still at an advantage, even if just slightly. There was a chance, as Ms. Taurus had said, that the undead could make a mistake, leaving an opening for us.
But what if the undead never attacked us again like they did today? What if they just ground us down as they should have from the start? What if, in two or three weeks' time, we finally tried an assault only to fail? Could we muster enough to do it again? We may never get another attempt if we take heavy losses after slowly losing people in the defense. Perhaps striking while the odds are in our favor would be the wisest.
“Currently, I’ll stay neutral. I’ll support either decision with my utmost as I have done—”
“There’s no need for him to vote. May I break the tie, Your Highness?” a voice called out.
Is he finally going to reveal himself?
One of the two Sentinel guards removed his helmet, revealing his face. Prince Xander didn’t look the least bit surprised, as Lord Vasquez undoubtedly informed him.
“Emperor Tel’an’duth…a welcome surprise,” Prince Xander said, unamused.
“Former emperor,” Thrandil corrected as he took a seat next to Marshal Cloudsun.
“Then, Former Emperor Tel’an’duth…what do you think we should do?” Prince Xander asked.
“I believe there are a few misconceptions going around. We are not at an advantage, not at all, really. Food and supplies are just one factor to deal with. In truth, we are battling many fronts that have yet to be overwhelmed right now. Disease, morale, and much more for one,” Thrandil pointed out.
“What do you all think will begin to happen? We can’t clear all the bodies of the undead in the city and the wall. Disease will surely start to spread, pushing our already limited healers' capabilities. Even with Miss Sylvia, who might I add is one of our strongest fighters, when the time comes… when the numbers of sick and wounded reach the tens of thousands per day, will we truly be okay? I say no.”
“Also, we will have a morale issue eventually. Right now, even on the walls, morale is starting to drop. Fighting the abominations that are the undead is just as much of a drain on the soul as it is on the body. Sure, things are fine with food and morale currently, but if we wait days or even weeks and we start to ration our soldiers’ food, will we be able to convince our tired, sick, and defeated men to attack headfirst into the enemy? A rebellion within these walls would be an instantaneous defeat as we will be crushed,” he continued.
“And most importantly, do not forget that we were lucky today. All of our pieces just happened to be in the right place. Perhaps we will continue to be lucky; maybe we will thwart the next five or even six sneak attacks or unsuspected tactics. But remember, it is we who have to continue to be lucky every single time. The undead only need to be lucky once,” he said, resting his arms on the table.
“Then, I take it you think we should attack?” Ren said.
Thrandil nodded and said, “I believe that with the power we have at our disposal, we should strike at the enemy. Casualties are inevitable in both scenarios. The only difference is whether or not we decide to take those casualties on our terms or theirs.”
However, before Ren could speak, Thrandil put a finger up. “Ah, but one thing. Perhaps our time frame shouldn’t be so soon. I agree with Lady Taurus, we are not that desperate. Not yet, anyway. I say we wait a week from today. We should focus our efforts on recognizance and information while allowing the undead to formulate their next move and hopefully crush it, only for us to counter it with our own. A surefire way to guarantee a decisive strike would be actually to predict what the undead will do next and act accordingly before they surprise us,” Thrandil added.
“And how do you propose we do that without sending our Gryphons and their riders to their deaths?” Guildmaster Elora jabbed back.
Bowen raised his hand. “Actually, I may be of assistance with that. If our aerial attempts are being deflected…perhaps I can try another approach?”