Sarah walked along the wall in shock at the shantytown beneath them. A fire ravaged it, sending up plumes of black, foul smelling smoke. One of Kurt’s guards had found them as they were leaving the library and brought them to him on top of the wall over the North Gate where he was being briefed on the situation.
Down below, the thousands of Ratri worshippers from the shantytown were now crowded around the city’s North Gate and along the nearby sections of wall, mostly armed with makeshift weapons such as sharpened sticks and knives. The air was filled with the sound of their chanting, which heralded the arrival of Ratri’s Chosen. Their dwellings had been set ablaze and more worryingly, plumes of smoke rose in the distance, coming from the nearby settlements. The City Guard watched the towns and villages burn from the top of the wall helplessly as the Bell of Darnin continued to peal mournfully from the top of the Citadel.
“They say the orcs at the South Gate killed a fair number of our guards with some sort of foul magic,” Kurt said, “Our wizards have that threat contained for now. Now, the question is do they have more of the same here?”
“I think they do,” Sarah said. A shudder went down her spine as she recalled the spidery limbed priests who had pursued them through the sewer.
“They rose up at the same time the orcs arrived at the South Gate,” the captain of the guard on the North Wall said. His name was Nathan, and he was a stern faced man in his forties who walked with a limp. “I don’t know how they’re coordinating with them, but it’s hard to believe their rising up was a coincidence.”
Kurt pursed his lips. “Can we hold them?”
“It’s their numbers that worry me,” Nathan said, as he eyed the mob below. “They don’t look like they can threaten us for now, but if a few ladders pop up, that could change quickly.”
“Perhaps we could be more proactive,” John suggested. “Sarah is here, and we have some of the Red Robes ready nearby.”
Nathan blanched. “As far as we can tell, most of them are normal people. Heretics for sure, but to begin killing them indiscriminately…”
Kurt looked at the burning towns worriedly. “Where is that army of ours?”
“Look at that,” Grimald cried as he pointed at a group of black shapes marching from one of the burning towns toward the city.
“They look like trouble,” Udoriol warned. He looked down at the crowd and frowned, “We may soon have to defend ourselves against them, no matter how distasteful we find it.”
The sides of Lucy’s mouth curled in distaste as she floated over the parapet. “You sense it, don’t you? The disgusting aura of their soul gems.”
Udoriol nodded wordlessly.
“Agni, Lord of Fire, hear my prayer,” Lucy chanted as she held one finger outstretched over her head, “Grant me Thy strength to burn my foes.”
A large ball of orange red fire appeared above Lucy’s finger. She lowered it and pointed it into the mass of people crowded at the North Gate.
“No, what are you doing?” Sarah cried, aghast.
“Fireball!”
The ball of fire whizzed flew towards the North Gate and exploded, spewing fire everywhere as it struck a magical barrier that shimmered with a black tint. Sarah could feel the foul energy grow now as the priests below tapped their soul gems.
“You’d do well to see them as the invading soldiers that they are,” Lucy warned, “or we could quickly lose the Upper City. Make no mistake, we are under siege.”
She then looked over her back at the Citadel that loomed over all of them like a dangerous beast. “And we can no longer trust our back to that.”
Kurt pursed his lips. They had stationed what men they could spare on both ends of the bridge. By their estimations, there weren’t many guards within, but not knowing where their allegiances lay obliged them to divert precious manpower away from the walls.
“Wizards, shields!” Udoriol cried.
Wizards wearing the green cloaks of the City Guard began chanting and raised their magical barriers just in time to intercept the malevolent black energies that were being sent up from the priests below.
Lucy frowned as she looked up at the shimmering barrier. “They can’t hold it. Where are the priests from the Temple of Vayu?”
“They’re on their way from the Cathedral,” Kurt said, “and there aren’t very many of them.”
“Watch out, here they come,” John warned. They turned to see pale, black robed priests climbing over the parapet.
Some of them chanted foul sounding words and hurled dark magic at the defending wizards who were maintaining the magical barrier.
“Fire bolt!” Sarah cried. A bolt of fire struck one of the pale priests, sending him tumbling off the parapet.
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The fighters among the Guards were caught off guard by the sudden onslaught and the spindly limbed priests focused their attacks on the wizards who were doing their best to maintain the barrier.
“City Guard, fight for your lives!” Kurt cried as he drew his sword and hurled himself at a nearby priest.
“They’ve caught us with our pants down,” Udoriol warned.
Grimald hacked a priest down with his axe and looked up in the air worriedly as more of the City Guard’s wizards fell. Soon, those who remained could no longer hold back the onslaught from below, and the air shimmered brilliantly as the barrier shattered. Then, dark magic began to target those on the wall, turning any it touched into dust.
“Fire wall!” Sarah cried.
A barrier of blue fire appeared around them, providing respite for those around her.
“Ladders!” John warned.
Soon, orcs appeared on top of the wall, armed with hatchets and axes as the City Guard attempted to rally around Sarah’s position. They were black skinned, and a purple fire burned in their eyes. The City Guard’s swords bounced off them like they were made of rubber, and the orcs manhandled the defenders, sending them flying off the wall with a swing of their arm and cutting them clean in half, armour and all, with their weapons. The librarians and the City Guard’s wizards attempted to use their magic to hold them back, but their spells glanced off the orcs’ magically protected hides.
“Do not fear these foul creatures of the dark!” Udoriol roared as he held his blazing sword high in the air, “Treto watches over us!”
The elf swung his sword at a charging orc. The creature howled in pain as the weapon bit into his flesh. He grabbed the elf’s sword and glowered at him.
“Burning hands!”
Blue flames immolated the creature, but now black magic began to rain down on the defenders, bouncing off a shield of shimmering white energy. Udoriol grunted under the strain as the priests below focused their foul magics on his shield. Invigorated by the paladin’s spell, the City Guard began to push back against the purple eyed orcs.
Sarah muttered a brief prayer to Agni and darted out of the shield before hopping onto the parapet.
“Fireball!”
The ball of fire crashed against the black shield. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a purple eyed orc charging toward her. Grimald stepped forward and swung with all his might, driving his blade an inch into the creature’s leg with his axe that had been infused with Udoriol’s magic.
The orc stumbled, and John took the opportunity to slither behind him and drive his daggers into his back. The creature winced and swung wildly at John, who dodged nimbly. With a great cry, Grimald yanked his axe out of the orc’s leg and buried it in his chest and kicked it off the wall.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Sarah returned her attention to the mob beneath them. “Fireball!” she cried again and again.
The black shield shattered when the sixth fireball crashed against it, and Sarah felt utterly spent. She tried to climb back down, but her strength gave out and she would have fallen off the wall had John not been there to catch her.
“Well done, girl!” Lucy cried as she floated into the air.
“Agni, grant me your strength!” the old halfling cried.
Another dark blue robed librarian floated up beside her and began chanting at the same time, “Vayu show these fools the consequence of their heresy!”
“Purge these lands of your foes!” Lucy cried, “Firestorm!”
Fire shot from Lucy’s hands and whipped up by the wind, raged through the ranks of the gathered mob, burning many. However, the black barriers returned before the flames could do too much damage.
The old halfling frowned. “Agni’s power has waned. The loss of the orcs’ worship must have weakened Him.”
She then bit her lip and looked at the groups that were approaching the city fast from the towns. A barrier of air shimmered into life before her just as a black bolt struck. The halfling muttered a curse before returning to the relative safety of the wall where cultists of all races were streaming up the ladders and hurling themselves at the defenders. These did not have the strange purple fire behind their eyes. In its place was maniacal zeal, and they attacked with fanatical fervour, ignoring their wounds as they hurled themselves fearlessly at the defenders.
Soon, twelve worshippers of Vayu wearing light green robes arrived, escorted by the White Cloaks. They spread themselves out along the wall and summoned a barrier of air which stopped the black bolts. Reinforcements from within the city also arrived, helping to drive the fanatics from the wall and cast down their ladders.
“We made it,” Kurt panted as the last of the ladders was cast down, broken and in ruins.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Udoriol gasped as he sank to the ground and leaned against a parapet for support.
For the time being, both sides were content to hold their respective positions and lick their wounds. Grimald watched them with concern. “I’d wager their real fighters are among the bunch who were burning those towns.”
“Where are our bloody reinforcements?” Kurt grunted as he peered into the distance.
“The morning pigeon said they had just passed Farn’s Hill,” Nathan replied. Blood dripped down from his left arm that dangled uselessly by his side.
“Then they should be here tomorrow,” Kurt mused.
“If they hurry,” Nathan said.
“Any word from the South Wall?” Kurt ventured.
“I’ve just sent a messenger,” Nathan replied. He then looked up at the Citadel. “All’s quiet there too.”
Kurt grunted.
“What do you think’s going on up there?” Sarah asked as she rested against the parapet next to Udoriol.
John looked at the Citadel and shrugged as he sat next to her. “We can’t do anything about it now.”
“My, don’t you all look a sorry sight,” Hicham said as he climbed the stairs up to the wall.
“How are things on the South Gate?” Kurt asked sharply.
“Better than here,” the dark skinned youth replied, “They didn’t really make a go of it there. I passed by the Citadel on the way over here and it’s all quiet there as well.”
Hicham surveyed the state of the defenders and then watched the approaching orcs with concern. “I suppose they’re waiting for them before making their big push.”
“Why haven’t you healed anyone?” Hicham asked, looking down at Udoriol.
“I was about to,” Udoriol replied, “I just need a minute.”
“Old man,” Hicham tutted and shook his head.
He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. Moments later, wings sprouted from his back and his sword shone brilliantly, bathing that section of the wall in a warm glow. Sarah felt energy course through her and watched in amazement as her minor wounds healed almost instantly.
“Praise Treto!” cried one of the City Guards, while many others fell to their knees and clasped their hands together in prayer.
“Does anyone still need healing?” Hicham called out down the wall.
“You had best conserve your strength,” Udoriol warned as he gingerly got to his feet, “the real battle is yet to come.”
Hicham looked over his shoulder at the Citadel. “Yes, I know.”
“I was talking about them out there,” Udoriol remarked, “But you’re right. I don’t think they’re going to continue waiting in there for long.”
“Help here, please!” someone called down the wall.
“It seems my work here isn’t done,” Hicham said, before running off to help.
Sarah looked up at the Citadel and shivered. The one who had spoken to her and possessed the Cardinal was in there. She could feel it.