Lilly stood at the wall looking across the lower plains, trying to see the Doan. Somewhere beyond her sight was an army waiting to crash on these walls and bring ruin to the empire. All around her were men and women of the empire gazing at her in awe. They all knew she was Lilly the ice dragon, first wife of Gersius, High priestess of Balisha, and empress of the dragon empire. They had a reverence for her presence there as it instilled some sense of hope. The hero emperor Gersius had come at last, and with him had come the dragons that were his wives.
Lilly paid them almost no attention as her mind was elsewhere. She had seen the bodies that littered the lands before the walls from small battles fought to test their defenses. This was but a taste of what was to come, and the real fight would drench the land in blood. She had listened to Gams explain the situation for hours and how he simply didn't have the manpower to defend everywhere at once. On the other hand, the Doan could shift their hoards and focus all their might in one place. By the time Gams got reinforcements to that location, the battle would likely already be lost.
Sarah had made the point very clear that everything came down to the missing army. If they could deal with that threat, then they could bring their third army group and the two massive cavalries to the front and, with it, go on the offensive. Gams explained how this was the only way to win the war. They needed to charge out in several massive attacks, hitting the Doan on all sides.
Sarah wanted to fly home immediately and begin a bloody and reckless hunt for the Doan. Thanks to Lilly's discovery of the scouts, they now believed they knew where to look. Lives would be wasted by flooding the north with small packs of men, but it would quickly reveal the enemy's location.
Lilly hated that her efforts to open a dialog had resulted in such a prospect. This wasn't what she wanted, and just thinking about it made her sick. Those women had been distant but respectful of her as a dragon, even going so far as to offer her tea. They weren't willing to divulge anything useful, but they did tell Lilly something important. There were a group of Doan known as the wise ones who had the power to negotiate with her. She needed to talk to them if she truly wanted to find a solution that didn't involve bloodshed.
Lilly wrapped her arms around her waist as her heavy eyes closed. She heard Gersius's words from the other day when he said she was not her own. He had been angry about the risk she took, and though he never raised his voice, she could feel it over the bind. He cautioned her that she belonged to them now, body and soul. She was not free to take such risks with herself and potentially deny them their right to her love.
It would all be so much easier if Sarah would go and try to talk to them. She was much more skilled in negotiating and diplomacy, words Lilly hadn't even known until meeting Gersius. Surely they would respect her as a powerful and ancient dragon.
Lilly knew that thought was a wasted effort as Sarah had made it clear she wasn't going to speak with the Doan. The best she could get out of her family was a promise to Gersius to try to capture some of them. That meant a terrible battle needed to be fought and thousands of lives lost just so she could try. The only solution was to go herself, but Gersius had made her promise never to take such a risk again.
Now she stood at the wall trying to think of a solution as Gams went over the logistics of a prolonged defense with Gersius and Sarah. Thayle was off inspecting the women of Ulustrah as tens of thousands of them helped to protect the wall. They had already suffered so much in this conflict and were poised to bleed like never before in the next few weeks.
“So many have died already,” Lilly said to herself. “And for what? What good will their sacrifice be if that missing army sweeps in from the north and burns it all anyway?”
She simmered on that thought for hours until a presence grew in the bind. Thayle was approaching, and she, too, felt unhappy, as if worried about something. Lilly closed her eyes and focused her thoughts, using the bind to speak silently to her approaching wife.
“My love, why are you so upset?” Lilly asked.
“I am just being selfish,” Thayle replied as she drew closer. “I visited some of my armies, and they are all on edge, wondering if they are about to die. This whole situation is worse than I ever imagined. I have been naive, living in our palace and starting to believe the war was something far away. What a fool I am, but the worst thing about it is that despite everything, all I care about is my egg.”
Lilly could feel her torment over the bind as she felt guilty for being worried about her egg. Of course, she was worried. Her egg was in the camp of an under-equipped army, waiting to be ambushed by their enemies. It was in very real danger, and they weren't there to protect it. What terrible pain would it cause them if the Doan attacked and captured it, carrying it off to be lost forever?
Thayle came up the steps to the wide landing that was the wall. Lilly could see she had been crying, her guilt so intense she could no longer contain the emotions. Lilly ran to her and swept the woman she considered her dragon treasure into her arms.
“I’m sorry,” Thayle whispered as Lilly cradled her tight.
“Shh,” Lilly whispered back. “I am worried about the egg too.”
“Sarah wants to fly back as soon as possible and start a massive hunt of the north,” Thayle said. “I can't believe it has come to this. We're going to send thousands out to scour the land so we can follow the dead bodies back to their hidden camp.”
Lilly winced at that image but took some solace in the fact that Thayle felt the same way she did. They all knew the Doan army had to be located, and this was their best chance of doing it. Once it was eliminated, Gersius would march the army here, and the real bloodshed would begin. They would go on the offensive, and dragons would again battle in the sky as men died by the thousand on the land.
The two women hugged as they shared their hearts silently, both wishing they lived a simple life in the valley where they could raise their children. It was becoming an all-consuming obsession to dream about life after the war and the empire when they could focus on themselves. Gersius was the only one who had his mind set on the war itself and had put all other thoughts away until it was won. Even mighty Sarah dreamed of the valley and running her household as she cared for her family.
“It's good to have dreams,” Thayle said as she read Lilly's thoughts. “But Gersius is right; it distracts us from what needs to be done. We have to focus on winning the war and then stabilizing our empire. I must ensure my order is reestablished, and you have to spread yours to every corner of our land.”
“I know,” Lilly said and stroked Thayle’s head. “But I wish we didn’t have to kill so many to make that happen.”
“So do I, but what choice do we have?” Thayle asked.
Lilly was about to answer her and suggest they could talk to the wise ones when horns blared out from down the wall. The two women turned, holding hands as more distant horns also blared, adding to the chorus.
Lilly turned to a nearby soldier and demanded to know what the horns meant. The soldier bowed his head in supplication and answered her question as her heart sank.
“It is a call to arms,” the man said. “The walls are under attack.”
The two ran along the wall as hundreds of soldiers began to climb steps and ramps from the camps behind the walls. In minutes they were just two more of the masses as they arrived at a section of wall where commanders were ordering catapults readied.
Lilly went to the edge to look out over the vast field, seeing a dark wave washing their way.
“What are those?” Thayle asked as she squinted.
Lilly didn't have the super sharp eyes of a dragon while in her human form, but her sight was still a little better. She could see the front lines of the dark mass and the wildly shrieking beasts it was made up of.
“Bandersooks,” Lilly said. “Thousands of them.”
“What?” Thayle said and stood on her toes. “But that’s suicide. They aren’t smart enough to know how to breach a wall. The best they can do is run around at the base while we pick them off.”
“Begging your pardon Lady Dragon Knight,” a nearby soldier said and bowed. “But the bandersooks are just to keep us from reaching the real threats.”
“What real threat?” Thayle asked and turned back as Lilly stepped away from the wall. “Lilly, what is it? What did you see?”
“We need Sarah,” Lilly stammered and shook her head.
“Lilly, what did you see?” Thayle demanded as a voice called out from a tower.
“Giants!” echoed down the line as Thayle turned back to the wall, leaning over to get a better view. Now she could see them, towering over the packs of savage beasts, as six of the hulking monsters advanced. They carried shields made of tree trunks lashed together, offering a crude but effective defense. In their other hands were massive hammers that she could only assume were meant to crack the walls. Behind them came two lines of wooden constructions, trebuchets on wheels pulled by the giants to get them in range.
“Send word; we need the cavalry!” a commander shouted and sent a man running for aid. “Priests of astikar to the for, Ulustrah in support, shields at the ready to repel!”
“Is this the real attack?” Lilly asked as she started to feel panic-stricken. The sight of so many giants was terrifying especially considering these were even bigger than the ones she had faced. They stood a good ten meters high and though still well below the wall, were an imposing threat.
“I don’t see an army following up,” Thayle said as she tried to see beyond the advancing line but struggled to get a clear view. The Doan had lite mounds of brush at the rear, creating thick clouds of black smoke to obscure sight.
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Lilly felt Thayle's worry as she considered the attack. This was likely another of the probing attacks meant to sit at range and slowly dismantle the walls. They would be forced to leave the protection and ride out, charging into the hoards of bandersooks. They would have to fight through all that, then the giants, and then they could reach the trebuchets. Likely the soldiers manning them would be long gone by the time that happened, and there was the threat that a dragon lurked above, waiting for their counterattack.
“I need to change,” Lilly said as she looked around for someplace to undress. Thousands stood on the walls as crews labored to ready the large catapults. There was hardly enough room to move around, let alone space for her to take the dragon shape. There was only one option, and that required Thayle's help. She needed very little room to change, and her dragon knight armor had slots to accommodate her wings.
“What good will that do you?” Thayle asked as she read Lilly’s mind.
“You can fly me to the ground,” Lilly insisted. “I will change down there.”
“Down there by the bandersooks?” Thayle asked. “Are you out of your mind?”
“They haven't reached the walls yet. If we hurry, I can change and be in the air before they are close,” Lilly insisted.
“Lilly, we have no idea if my wings are strong enough to carry another person, let alone fly for long while in full armor. What if we fall?” Thayle asked.
“We have to try quickly,” Lilly urged. “We are running out of time.”
Thayle grumbled and ordered the soldiers nearest to her to stand back. They shouted and pointed as her skin crawled with white smoke before her entire body was engulfed in a swirling cloud. A flash of light later, Thayle stepped out, flaring her leathery wings. She stepped up to the edge of the wall and took Lilly around the waist before flapping as hard as she could. Much to her dismay, she found it incredibly hard to fly with Lilly's added weight, but she had the strength to slow their descent. They jumped from the side as she beat her wings furiously to keep them from falling, hitting the plains harder than intended. They rolled into the grass and came to a halt a moment later, struggling to stand.
“Lilly, are you alright?” Thayle asked as Lilly staggered to her feet. She began stripping buckles and straps, desperate to get out of her armor. She now saw the wisdom of a battle dress and the single pull of a cord that would undo the whole thing. As the dark mass of bandersooks swept at them, Thayle began to help pull the armor off.
“I forgot you had to take off your armor,” Thayle cried as she tore the arms away. “Lilly, we might not make it.”
“We have to,” Lilly cried as she got her long blue hair tangled in the straps. “I think this attack is another diversion. I bet a dragon is up in the sky waiting for our soldiers to come out.”
Thayle instinctively looked up, but the sky was cloudy; for all she knew, a dragon was hidden in those dark shadows. Lilly hopped about, kicking her leg plates off and then going for the boots. She was almost down the padding underneath when the howls of the bandersooks caught their ears.
Glowing hammers, arrows, and weaved spells streaked overhead as the army on the walls high above tried to offer some cover.
“Go!” Lilly shouted to Thayle as she fell to her rear to pry off the last boot. “Get back on the wall!”
“Lilly, I can't leave you here!” Thayle cried and dived for her foot, helping to tear the last boot away as bandersooks closed into the last hundred paces. Lilly immediately threw out her arms as white smoke poured from her skin, leaving Thayle only seconds to scamper out of range. She dived out of the swirling cloud that engulfed the woman and shielded her eyes from the flash.
The bandersooks rushed in, coming like a wave of death as blue eyes peered out of the mist in anger. A roar like a terrible beast filled the air just before everything went white with freezing death. Thayle stumbled back as Lilly breathed a wide arc of ice and snow, turning the leading line of Bandersooks into frozen statues.
Lilly whipped around, using her tail to scatter the monsters as she reached for Thayle. Her wings beat the air as her hand wrapped around the woman. Lilly snatched her from the ground even as Bandersooks jumped to claw at her legs. She was in the air shaking a few of them off a second later, carrying Thayle to the walls where she did her best to place her gently. She had to hover in place until the room was cleared for her to land, then she took her place on the wall, using her sight to into the enemy's ranks.
“There is nothing behind them,” Lilly said. “This is just another test of our defenses.”
“How did they get giants to aid them?” Thayle asked. “Aren’t they enemies of dragons?”
“That's what my mother told me,” Lilly said. “She said the giants were created to mock the strength of dragons.”
“Created by who?” Thayle said as the giants came to a stop and lifted their massive shields. They formed a wall before the towering wooden machines that began to crank back so they could launch their deadly projectiles.
“They are there to protect the machines,” Lilly said as she worried about what was about to happen. She had seen these in Calathen and knew how far they could throw a heavy stone. The speed and weight would cause a terrible impact that was effective at shattering stone. Any man hit by one of these weapons would be killed, and even she was likely to be badly wounded. She briefly thought about flying out to attack them, but that meant getting through the giants. One of them stood a chance of killing her, but six was suicide.
“Shields ready!” the local commander shouted as the machines fired in unison. Lilly watched as the stones hurtled through the sky while green shields from the women of Ulustrah tried to deflect them. One stone was intercepted, but the speed of the stones was hard to judge, and the others came crashing down around them. People screamed as men and women were mangled in the deadly hail, the walls cratering under the impact.
“We have to put an end to those machines,” Thayle said as horns began to blow again.
“What does that mean?” Lilly asked the local commander, who was just behind the nearby lines giving orders.
“A counterattack is ordered,” the man said. “The cavalry is going to charge out.”
Lilly watched in horror as massive gates opened and a thousand horses charged out, carrying men in heavy armor. They all wielded long spears that Gersius called a lance and headed in a line for the onrushing bandersooks.
“Those bandersooks will kill half of them before they even reach the giants,” Thayle said as she watched the terrible display.
“No, I can’t allow this to happen,” Lilly cried and spread her wings. She dived from the wall and sailed over the bandersooks before unleashing her deadly breath. Cheers rose from the walls as she turned a swath of the creatures to ice and scattered many others. She used her long tail to lash at them as she flew over, tossing a dozen aside in a single swipe. Still, she was having very little impact on the masses of savage creatures, and the cavalry was closing fast. She needed some way to do more damage, but a dark cloud passed overhead before she could think of it. She looked up in time to see a blue dragon diving; claws outstretched to rake her.
Lilly banked to the side and rolled, narrowly avoiding the rival who snarled and swept back around. It was another female, and she had battle scars to prove this hadn't been her first fight. She was almost twice Lilly's size and had a dark blue line that ran down her side.
The cavalry made contact as monsters howled in rage. Lilly could no longer focus on the ground, but she could keep this dragon at bay. Normally a battle like this would be one-sided as this dragon was twice her power, but Lilly was a priestess of Balisha and could call on divine power.
She flew directly at the challenger, calling on a dragon's claw to tear at a wing. She caused a roar of anger as the dragon was forced to veer to the side, allowing Lilly a chance to dash in. She clawed at the dragon's side but was swiped by her powerful tail. She nearly tumbled from the sky as the dragon swung around, determined to tear her to shreds. She summoned a spike of ice blessed with divine strength and launched it at the beast, cutting a hole in her shoulder.
“Traitor to your own kind. I am going to tear your blaspheming tongue from your mouth!” the dragon hissed as she closed in.
Lilly had another trick up her sleeve as she began to weave, quickly using the weave of summoning. A small sword appeared in her hand and rapidly grew until the fang blade of Balisha was properly sized for her grasp.
“What?” the beast cried as Lilly lunged at her, the blade leading the way. The dragon was so startled by the appearance of the weapon she failed to turn away. Lilly collided with her as she slashed and cut, the two dragons tangling in a duel of death. Though the sword had no trouble cutting the dragon's thick hide, she wasn't doing enough damage. A savage bite caught Lilly in the back, and she was thrown down forcefully.
The ground shook as Lilly crashed into it, her side bleeding from where sharp teeth had punctured her hide. She was almost instantly swarmed by bandersooks that poured over her, biting and tearing as she struggled to right herself. Lilly used her ice breath to sweep the monsters from her back, throwing them off as she spread her wings. She looked up to see the other blue was almost on her, mouth wide to deliver another terrible bite. Lilly realized the dragon intended to crush her to the ground where she and the bandersooks could tear her apart.
The blue was second from her prize when she was jerked to the side and carried away as a massive red beast raced overhead. Lilly nearly cried for joy to see Sarah and was even happier when the cavalry reached her position a moment later. In seconds they were around her, sweeping the bandersooks away and moving on, clearing a safe pocket as she beat her wings to get into the air.
She flew after Sarah, who discarded the wounded dragon, letting her fall to the ground. It was only now Lilly realized Sarah had her saddle on, and a man glowing with red light stood on her back.
Gersius looked like an angry god as his dragon knight armor glowed with red energy. His eyes were red with fire, and his hair flailed in the breeze of their flight. He held the sword of Astikar in his hand as the heavens rumbled and dark clouds began to spiral. Sarah flew well above the giants' reach but not far enough to avoid their weavers. Red streaks of light flew up to meet her as what appeared to be packs of women filled the sky with bolts of Daghost. Sarah endured the hits until she was close enough for Gersius to call to the heavens and bring down the wrathful fire of Astikar.
The sword in his hand blazed with a light that streaked the dark sky as Gersius used it to channel his power and rage. Lines of flowing fire rose from Sarah’s wings to feed into the blade as Gersius drew on her to boost the already terrible blessing. He raised the weapon skyward, and a red beam shot up, vanishing into the clouds.
A second later, a pillar of spiraling flame fell from the dark clouds striking the ground in the center of the siege engines. In seconds the blast flared out, expanding in all directions as it engulfed all the weapons, soldiers, and even a few giants. The power was beyond anything Lilly had seen before, as a god's blessing was boosted by a dragon and magnified by the sword. The whole of the plains was illuminated by the terrible light that drove the darkness away.
Lilly felt the heat even from her safe distance away and wondered what it must be like on the ground. A moment later, she got her answer as the blast rolled out and left behind a scene that made her gasp. Everything was on fire, with only a few of the giants stumbling away. The siege engines were towers of flames, their structure already blackened and charred. The men and women who had once manned these devices were little more than dark mounds burning like everything else. The ground was seared so that not a single plant remained, and a ring of fire spread out over a significant distance.
The cavalry turned away and focused on running down the remaining bandersooks instead. No man was willing to approach that scene of death, and even Lilly was afraid to go too near. Sarah banked round and headed for the bandersooks, using her breath to burn them by the hundreds.
“Get your little blue tail back over that wall this instant!” Sarah shouted over the bind as Lilly turned to fly back.
She raced over the wall as Thayle hurried down the steps to meet her in the assembly yard below. Lilly hadn't even realized how badly she was injured until Thayle arrived to begin attempting to heal her.
“Oh, thank the divines, you are alright,” Thayle said over the bid as her winds started to close.
“Thank goodness Sarah arrived,” Lilly replied and looked to the distant battle as Sarah and Gersius circled the battlefield.
“I felt them approaching just after you flew off,” Thayle said.
“I think Sarah is mad at me,” Lilly said as she worried about what the angry red dragon might say.
“I think she wants to paddle that little butt of yours,” Thayle laughed. “I would love to see her do it.”
“Thayle!” Lilly cried and instinctively tried to protect her rear with her tail.
“Oh, don't be so upset,” Thayle urged. “Honestly, sweetheart, you did a very brave thing and handled yourself well. The soldiers on the walls were cheering for you the whole time, and your battle with that dragon will boost morale throughout the army.”
“Sarah was the one who killed her,” Lilly sighed.
“Maybe, but you looked impressive when you used blessings and drew the sword,” Thayle pointed out. “People went silent when you dived into her, swinging it like a practiced swordswoman.”
Lilly felt better that Thayle was impressed, but she still worried about what Sarah would say. It was nearly twenty minutes before she and Gersius flew over the wall and landed nearby to stalk their way in.
“I’m sorry!” Lilly cried defensively as Sarah reached down and plucked her up to embrace her in a hug.
“You, stubborn, reckless, beautiful little creature,” Sarah said. “That was both foolish and very brave. I wish you would stop taking such terrible risks.”
Lilly was stunned by her reaction, but from the hug, her head was high enough to look directly into her husband's eyes.
“Are you mad at me?” Lilly asked as his eyes still glowed with red fire.
“No,” he replied and looked deep into her soul. “I can't keep trying to protect you from your heart. You have followed your heart this far and been instrumental in our lives. If I were to try and shelter you now, all I would do was lose the beautiful blessing that is you.”
“But you feel so upset,” Lilly insisted.
“I am upset,” Gersius replied. “Because I am afraid. I am afraid because so many people who follow their hearts die to save others. I do not want that for you because I cannot go on without you. I need your love to remind me what it is I am fighting for.”
“We all do,” Sarah said as she hugged Lilly tightly. “None of us can bear the idea of losing you.”
Thayle flew to Sarah’s back and joined Gerisus as they walked close enough to embrace Lilly’s head.
“We all love you, Lilly Dra’Udwan,” Thayle said. “Please be careful.”