Chapter 26: Along the Wall

As Alcar looked on, five of the soldiers peeled off and ran after Etienne. The remainder advanced towards Maluhk’s tower. The archery target on the wall was still slowly burning in the aftermath of his magical attack.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Olynka sharply, tugging at Alcar’s sleeve. “I think I’ve figured out how we are going to use that rope!” She turned, and began to run towards the nearest steps that led onto the city wall, still holding Brutus by his lead.

“Wait – what about Etienne, and all our stuff?” cried Alcar, beginning to run after Olynka and then skidding to a halt near the foot of the set of steps that led up to the external city wall.

From there, Alcar looked around. The soldiers were closing on Etienne, but the halfling was showing himself to be surprisingly swift for a small person carrying two sacks of equipment. All the same, it appeared to Alcar that the soldiers would catch the little rogue before he reached the city wall.

“You’re going to have to shoot them,” he said to Olynka.

“I can’t do that!” she cried. “Why don’t you use your sorcery?”

“I’m still not...” he began. But in truth, what was the point of his lessons if he couldn’t bring sorcery to bear on a situation like this?

“Rac al manuhka,” he cried, and again succeeded in conjuring up the small ball of light on the first attempt. Remembering how he had felt when temporarily blinded by the sorcerous light, he intended to throw it at the soldiers.

But how had Maluhk split the light into pieces?

“Split!” he urged through gritted teeth, looking down at the magical light. But nothing happened. The soldiers were still running towards them, and their time was almost up.

In desperation, Alcar pulled the thin dagger from his hip, holding his staff in the crook of his arm, and chopped at the ball of light as it hovered above the palm of his hand, and again, and again. And to his surprise and delight, it worked. Soon he had eight tiny balls of light... and he flung them towards Etienne and the onrushing soldiers.

“Argh!” cried Etienne, slowing as two of the tiny points of light smacked into his face, finding their way to his eyes like birds swooping into their nest.

The soldiers had been affected too, however. The foremost of them stopped, yelping in pain and doubling over. The unaffected man behind him ran right into his comrade, knocking both of them to the ground, where they lay groaning and thrashing in a heap.

“We need to help Etienne!” said Alcar. “He’s hurt!”

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Releasing Brutus’s leash, Olynka raced over to the little halfling and began to lead him to the steps. Alcar glanced over towards the tower to see if any help might be forthcoming from their other friends, only to see that both Lox’aar and Warlik were now being marched off, their hands bound, and that General Tung had now sent a further three soldiers in their direction. Brutus, meanwhile, finding himself released, shot off in the direction of the tower, and then raced right past it, heading in the direction of the Royal Palace.

“No!” gasped Alcar, looking on in shock. “Brutus!”

Could it be that the dog had just been waiting for a chance to run after its former masters, he wondered?

Closer, two further soldiers had been affected by the glowing lights he had thrown, but the remaining one who had avoided any of the magical effects now dodged past her several stricken comrades and advanced on Alcar himself, who raised the dagger that he was still clutching. Then, on impulse, he sheathed it and gripped his staff in both hands as the soldier raced towards him. He ducked low, and thumped the staff out towards her feet, causing the young woman to trip and canon into him, her helmet falling loose as she fell. Soon both Alcar and the soldier were slumped against the wall, struggling to get up.

Alcar rose at the same time as the soldier, realizing that the game was now surely up. There was no way he could get past her, and the three reinforcements were also fast approaching.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Alcar caught sight of an object falling from above, and he stepped back to see a large shield thumping down onto the soldier’s head. She staggered forward, still on her feet but looking dazed.

Alcar looked up towards the wall. “Leppie?”

“Come on – run, Alcar!” said the healer.

He ran.

Ahead, Olynka was now at the top of the steps that led up onto the city wall, one arm around Etienne’s shoulders. The halfling was still carrying the two sacks, and his eyes were glowing blue – a very eerie sight, and one which made Alcar now understand the reaction he had evoked in Xian the storekeeper.

Alcar raced up the steps behind his friends with the soldiers hot on his heels. “This way!” he called out, taking the lead, and guiding the pair to move along towards where Leppie was still standing. Upon reaching her, they paused, looking around.

“Brutus ran off,” said Alcar softly.

“We need to get out of here, and fast, Alcar,” said Olynka, tugging at the sleeve of his new robes.

He frowned at her. “You let him go, Olynka!”

“I know. I’m sorry, but the soldiers were charging at us, and I needed to help Etienne.”

Alcar didn’t answer, but he was looking towards the tower and all around. There was still no sign of the dog. “There’s even a blanket for him on one of those sacks,” he murmured.

Leppie hadn’t moved either. “Look – the local soldiers won’t let the Imperials onto the wall!” she said.

And as they looked around, they saw that indeed, General Tung’s troops were now in a standoff near the foot of the steps, arguing fiercely with the local Katresburg troops who had blocked their progress.

“That’s amazing,” murmured Olynka with a grin. “Two foes, helping us by hindering each other.”

“The local people aren’t all foes exactly,” said Etienne, now passing one of the sacks back to Alcar as he spoke. “There are many good folk among the local guards. People that would rather see Duke Frage gone, if they only had a choice.”

“I guess,” agreed Alcar. He looked away from the steps and towards the ground in front of the tower, where General Tung was approaching with a further ten soldiers, and all bearing crossbows. “Look over there. Surely they wouldn’t fire at us on the wall,” Alcar added nervously. “Would they?”

“Let’s just get the hell out of here rather than waiting to find out,” said Olynka. Pulling her bow free again, she began to run northward along the top of the huge city wall.

Leppie gave Alcar a shove, and he, too, began to run.