"Get the water buckets!" Beadu screamed. A company of flaming arrows came toward the wall. The first missed, landing in the dirt. The next few lodged but missed the pitch and hissed out in a fit of steam. Finally one landed in the pitch. A quick thinking soldier dumped his water down the wall at just the right moment and doused the flame before it could catch.

Those on the wall relaxed for a moment. Then another set of flickering stars lit along the ground before arcing through the air. Had it not been fiery arrows meant to kill her, Mairwen thought the sight was almost beautiful. More of the arrows hit high enough on the wall this time; the archers had moved closer. The princess used the origin of the lights to take out as many of the archers as she could while the others fought off the flames.

One, two, three of the fiery arrows were extinguished, but the forth bit deep into the wall in the center of the pitch. For a moment it seemed that nothing would happen. Perhaps the arrow had gone too deep. But then a spectacular woof of flame lit the night and blinded those watching.

Another arrow lit a second patch of pitch, and the the quickly drying wood caught fire as well. General Beadu's heart sunk. He knew that there was no coming back from the damage being done. "Dump all the water! Get more!" More and more steam filled the air as the buckets emptied over the side, but the fire would not be quelled.

The flames licked up the wall as those on top began to sweat. Due to their weight and the growing instability of the wood, the wall began to creak and feel unsteady beneath them. "Get off the wall!" General Beadu yelled toward Brinn. She nodded and scooped up Mairwen before making a bold leap to the ground. The soldiers followed her lead. Renat looked at the General curiously. There was determination in Beadu's eyes. "You have any of those new balls that you have been working on?"

"Sir?" Renat was not sure if he had heard correctly.

"Those new balls that I banned you from making. Do you have any?"

"Yes, Sir," The boy answered sheepishly. He had disobeyed orders to continue his experiment.

To his surprise, Beadu smiled. "Good! Hand them over!"

"But, Sir!" Renat began to object.

"Hand them over, my boy, and quickly!" The urgency in the man's eyes forced Renat to comply. He carefully handed over a full sack of marble-like pebbles from his satchel. "I just throw them at the enemy and they will work, correct?" Now the General had a fierce grin.

"Yes sir, just be careful where you throw."

"Got it. Now, get the princess out before they surround us. I will hold them off." Beadu yelled to the ground, "Get out! All of you before you are burned alive!" Beadu ran along the walkway to the top of the gate. Already he could see the enemy cautiously approaching. "Come here, little chickies," he called softly. "I have a nasty surprise for you."

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Mairwen and Brinn ran to the stable with Eira hot on their heels. The ladies stared in horror as somehow the stable was also ablaze. It seemed one of the fire arrows had gone farther than the rest and lit the thatched roof above the horses. "Stay here!" Brinn dove into the flames, using her wind magic to protect her. The princess held her breath as not only the barn, but the nearby barracks also caught fire. At last a string of horses ran from the barn. Mairwen and Eira each caught hold of two as they searched for Brinn. As the building was about to collapse, the elf and a final horse ran from the conflagration. "Hurry!" she ordered.

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The horses had no saddles, but the ladies did not care. Thankfully they were bridled before the battle began. The princess spotted Renat and handed him reigns. "Come on!" She coaxed him. Reluctantly he climbed aboard the steed.

To her surprise, Mairwen found the troops all waiting for her at the gate. They would not abandon their princess. Lieutenant Mund rode up next to the ladies. "Ready when you are, Your Highness."

The girl gave a determined nod. "Let us go."

Mund called and the gates were pushed wide. The men on foot rushed forward to create a shield for those on horseback. Surrounded by officers, Brinn, Eira, and Renat, the princess could barely see as they fled from the garrison. She could only catch a glimpse of the enemy running in pursuit. The imperial foot soldiers made an organized retreat once the others were clear, fully prepared to give their lives as the need arose. They were well clear of the gate when the enemy reached it.

From the top of the wall, a battle cry arose. Beadu gave a mighty shout. "Up here, you idiots!" He began to throw the tiny marbles from his pouch at the opposing forces. As they struck the ground, a mighty blast erupted from each of them, killing or maiming those in the vicinity. Beadu kept the barrage of balls pelting the pirates and others. The enemy reeled back, giving the imperial troops time to gain ground. At last he threw the final pebble, and saluted his troops in the distance for the last time. "It has been an honor." The platform creaked and groaned under the growing flames and then collapsed completely.

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Earth went flying as spectacular explosions went off behind the garrison's troops. "What is going on?" Mairwen shouted.

Renat gave a demure shrug. "I call them rupture balls."

"You made them?!" The princess stared at him wide eyed. Even though they were in mortal peril, she could not help but feel some admiration.

"It's nothing really," Renat assured her. "They are not even really finished." Just then the fire folded on itself and part of the garrison wall collapsed. "General Beadu!" Renat cried as he looked over his shoulder. "He was on that part of the wall!"

"Keep moving," Mund urged him. "He did his duty. Do not let his work be in vain."

There was a victorious cry from the enemy as the garrison went down. Now that the explosions had stopped, they were able to pursue the imperial troops at full speed. Some of the enemy grabbed a few of the escaped horses and jumped on their backs. Galloping around to flank the foot soldiers, the horsemen cut down the imperial troops at an alarming speed.

"Lieutenant!" One of the officers called. "Look!"

"We have to help them," Mairwen pulled her horse around before anyone could stop her. She drew her bow and aimed at the closest of the three. He was just within her longest range, and the coming twilight gave her enough light to make out his torso clearly. She shot, and to her surprise, two arrows landed in the man as he fell.

Brinn grunted. "Next time we need to aim at different targets. It's a waste of arrows." The elf let off two more shots and thanks to her skill, the infantry were saved from further harm. "Get moving, Your Highness. The rest of them will catch us on this flat ground. We have nowhere to hide."

"I might be able to help," Renat pulled out four vials from his satchel and mixed a solution that began to smoke. He corked it and tossed it across to the ladies on their steeds. "Tie that to your arrows and try to spread them wide. The smoke will not hurt the men, but it will stop the enemy from seeing us."

Brinn and Mairwen shot the arrows into four distinct locations and before long, the air behind them was filled with thick mist. Already the imperial soldiers were coming through the fog unharmed. "Let us go!" Mairwen agreed at last, and the horses all thundered onward as the predawn made itself more prominent.

"It's almost sunrise!" Renat said.

"We cannot catch a break," Brinn lamented. "The light that would have helped us at the fort is going to give our location out here in the open." She closed her eyes, and her face, which was already solemn became deadly serious. "We have company!" She shouted to Mund.

"I know," Mund responded tersely.

"No, I mean in front of us. I can hear them coming. We are trapped." Brinn, who was normally calm, began to panic.

"I wish I knew where to go," Mairwen mumbled quietly. She felt movement at her neck as the small pixie lifted and pointed toward the new threat. No one else seemed to notice. "Go that way? Or go any way but that way?" The necklace stilled as Renat looked her way thinking that she was speaking to him. Before she could share her experience, the spymaster came to a decision.

"Veer south and maybe we can go around them!" The soldiers immediately complied and Mairwen was caught up in their midst. They rode as fast as they could. Then realizing her error, the elf began to curse loudly.

"What is it?" Maiwen asked, knowing the news was not good.

"There are more of people marching towards us from this way. I could not hear them for all the others. We are truly surrounded. I am sorry, I have failed you." Brinn's eyes filled with tears.

Mund was unwilling to give up. "We will go back towards the infantry. With their help, we can punch a hole through the enemy defenses." Because of their sideways maneuver, the soldiers on foot were only a short distance behind. Unfortunately, this was also true for the pursuing enemy. Quickly, the small band of imperial soldiers surrounded the princess and her horse, ready to take on whatever came.

"Give up now!" One of the pirates called as they came within earshot. He was holding a shield from a fallen soldier to protect himself. "You cannot win."

The princess almost believed him. Almost. But as the first rays of the sun broke over the horizon, so did the sound of thousands of marching feet and hooves. Mairwen turned, and her heart filled with joy at what she saw. Against the morning sun, she could clearly see the blue and white banner of Valiant flapping in the breeze, carried by the first rider.

The princess smiled. "You were right the first time, Brinn. We just had to make until morning. Look!" Indeed, salvation had come.