(Ivan)
The tolling of bells woke Ivan. He cracked an eyelid open and saw it was barely dawn. He kicked off the blanket and leaped off the cot. The Lord Commander had ordered all the regular bells in the city to be silenced. This was not the normal tolling of the hour, but the distinct clanging of the war bells.
He had fallen asleep in one of the few remaining bunks in tower seven, with some of his soldiers from the night patrol. His Wolf division was scattered between towers five and eleven. He had been fortunate to find a bunk last night. Some of the sentries had slept on sheepskin rugs on the floor.
Ivan surveyed the quarters while he donned his leather armor and then wiggled into the chainmail. Five days had passed since the wolves had raided the enemy’s northern encampment, and the Shadowcloaks were back on the offensive.
Soldiers were up and putting on their armor. Well, except for Puffer Gritts, one of the volunteers and a field healer under Ivan’s command. He continued to snore like a congested bear despite the racket.
"Get moving," Ivan shouted. "Garin, wake Puffer up. Grab your gear and get to your posts. Ravena, send a message to the rest of the Wolf division. They can meet us on the southern wall, between towers nine and ten.”
“Right away!” Ravena saluted and ran out of the room.
Ivan snatched his sword and dashed toward the inner staircase. He vaulted up the steps and hustled toward the top of the wall.
He peered through one of the embrasures and scanned the battlefield. In the distance, dozens of catapults were being pulled toward their position by bulwark bison. People who had been captured from nearby villages and farms wore shackles and carried portable bridges and ladders. Overseers snapped their whips and harried the bridge crews.
Ivan’s shoulders tensed and a muscle in his jaw twitched.
They treat us worse than animals. They don’t even whip their bison.
He suppressed his broiling emotions and continued to survey the advancing army. A sea of soldiers followed the line of bridges, but all of that paled in comparison to the seventy-foot siege towers that loomed above the marching throng.
Ivan had heard about the rapid construction of these portable fortresses from their daily scouting reports but seeing them advancing on the city was unnerving. He grabbed his spyglass and scrutinized one of the moving towers. The base looked as wide as a barn. It was reinforced with metal braces and charred for protection against fire. The structure was seven floors high. Each level was slightly smaller than the one below it. The wheels were twice as tall as the men marching next to them. The siege towers were pulled by four heavily armored rhinotuskers. He collapsed the spyglass and jumped into action.
“To your stations,” he bellowed.
“Load the catapults and bring fireoil casks!”
Soldiers raced back-and-forth. Children lugged buckets of arrows.
Ivan raced toward tower nine with some of his men. The rest of his Wolf division and Toby’s archery brigade were already gathering there.
“Snowstorm!” someone shouted, and sentries cheered.
Ivan kept jogging. Next to him, Puffer Gritts struggled to keep up. The portly man gasped for breath but kept pace with the group. Puffer lacked military training but was quite good at patching up injuries and preparing herbal remedies.
Ivan’s Wolf division had many other volunteers. People that had lived, or rather survived, under the Shadow Lands occupation were eager to join the rebellion.
In the last month, he had heard countless horror stories. One of the millers in Pike had been flogged to death for giving leftover bread to a street urchin, instead of feeding it to the pigs. The local Ravenhill innkeeper had lost a hand after he had accidentally spilled beer on a Shadowcloak. More tales of torture, missing people, and public executions had been shared by the flood of refugees. Ivan knew that living in isolation on their farm for years, had spared them from the gruesome reality that had befallen much of the kingdom.
He rounded the bend that led to tower nine.
“Ivan, over here.” Toby waved and beckoned him over.
Ivan darted between soldiers and skidded to a stop next to his friend. “Status?”
“I have two hundred archers on this wall and another hundred in reserve. We have about fifty volunteers to support our section. Some of your men are already in position behind the archers.” Toby looked around. “Where are the rest of them?”
“They’ll be here shortly. Some are coming from tower five. Once they get here, I’ll put another line of spearmen on standby. Craw assigned extra men for the catapults and ballistae.”
Toby nodded. “We have volunteers to keep us stocked with arrows, fireoil casks, and flame barrels. We might have issues with the resupply of the stone ammunition for the catapults, but command is looking into that. Are the Lord Commander, Clay, and Greg still leading the defense?”
“Yeah, Rob and Greg are taking turns between the command center and the eastern flank. The latest scouting reports suggest that the east side will probably receive the brunt of the attack. If both are needed in the field, Clay will take over.”
More soldiers arrived. As they waited, Ivan adjusted the defensive formation of his spearmen. Toby reassigned archers and ordered armaments to be distributed. By the time the Shadow Lands army was in range, the defenders were ready.
The drums of war resounded across the battlefield. The bells of war rang throughout the city.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The sounds of the first catapult volley ripped through the air. Watermelon-sized stone projectiles were flung at the incoming forces. A direct hit demolished one of the advancing catapults. Its thick wooden arm snapped like a twig.
“Ready your bows,” Toby bellowed, and the command was carried down the line.
“Nock!” he roared, while doing the same.
“Mark!”
“Draw!” Toby pulled the string.
“Loose!”
The final order was answered with the whistling sound of arrows. Distant screams joined the deadly melody of war.
“Loose at will,” Toby commanded after the initial volley.
(Rob Stone)
Rob leaned over the model of Stoneridge and the map of the surrounding area. The battle map tracked the latest troop movements. Each unit was designated by a wooden marker. Over a hundred markers, each representing a thousand enemy soldiers, surrounded the city.
Lady Yana and Rose flew above Stoneridge and provided reconnaissance updates.
A runner dashed into the command center. She approached the map, moved several markers on the northern side, and raced out of the hall.
“What do you think, Clay?” Rob pointed to the latest development on the northern side.
“Hmm, this may be a feint,” Clay replied. “The bulk of their forces, including most of their siege towers, are all over our southern and eastern flanks. Even with their troop movements, we can hold the north without the reserves.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Rob drummed his fingers on the table and glanced out of the window. One of the flag messengers on the balcony caught his attention. She was relaying the latest order to the southern wall, using an old Scaran code.
“Clay, reassign four hundred soldiers from the north and move them to the east,” Rob directed. “After you relay the order to the flag messengers, prepare your reserve unit for deployment.”
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“By your command!” Clay saluted and headed toward the balcony.
Warfare from the backlines is not my style, but I must agree with Greg that this is the best use of my tactical expertise.
Lady Yana flew through one of the large windows in the hall and shifted midair.
“What news?” Rob asked.
“The eastern walls are getting hammered,” Yana reported. “They’ve loaded casters on the siege towers. Our defenses are getting blasted by Lightning Strikes.”
Rob turned to one of the messengers. “Send Drake and Bolt with two thousand of his archers from the reserves to the eastern flank immediately.”
“Right away!” The messenger saluted and raced out of the room.
Another runner sprinted into the command center and skidded to a stop next to the map. He moved twenty catapult markers closer to the southern wall. He did the same thing for a battering ram and then ran out of the hall.
“Yana, find Rose and send her to the southern wall,” Rob ordered. “They’re rushing the gate and we need her there. Next, pull Lin from the north and have her take over Rose’s scouting duties.”
“Yes, Lord Commander.” Yana bowed, shifted, and flew away.
Rob rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. His stomach growled. He had been issuing orders for hours and he was getting hungry. He walked out onto the side balcony and leaned against the railing.
Why do I get the feeling that I’m missing something?
Why did they commit so many resources to the opening offensive? He stroked his beard.
He considered every move and counter move that had been made. He had not expected the Shadow Lands to go on the offensive this hard at the start of the battle.
If I was leading their forces, I would’ve relied on an extended siege and probing skirmishes. Rushing the gates with catapults is a high-risk tactic. It’s poor strategy.
He sighed and stretched.
Siege towers are a solid approach, but their slow movement makes them vulnerable, and the moat will slow them even further.
He paced back-and-forth as he speculated.
Our soldiers are arranged in an optimal position. All I can do is wait for the next move.
This battle will likely decide the outcome of the war.
(William)
“I got the one on the left,” William yelled to his aunt. He Levitated a flying boulder away from the gate. It splashed into the moat, sending a geyser of water high into the air.
The assault on the southern gate was intense. Their defenses had already knocked out a bunch of enemy catapults. They had been bombarded by boulders for hours. The road leading to the gate was littered with chunks of rubble, broken bridges, and a shattered battering ram.
William smirked. He had singlehandedly busted that battering ram. He had used Levitation to redirect an enemy catapult shot, which had crashed into the front axle and snapped it in half.
Rose had joined them a few hours earlier and with her help they had already torched two of the massive siege towers. They had launched a bunch of sticky tar balls toward the towers and William had used Light-bolts to ignite them. Even the fire-resistant wood had been set ablaze.
They took frequent booster bar breaks, so they could keep casting.
(Ivan)
Toby’s division rained arrows down on the advancing enemy soldiers with impunity until the siege towers came into range. A flap door on the top level of the closest siege tower slowly retracted.
“What in Tor’Sal’s name is happening?” Toby muttered.
“I don’t know.” Ivan shook his head.
Once the flap door had fully retracted, it revealed a set of metal gadgets and coils of rope next to them.
Toby blanched. “Rot and ruin! Those are enchanted harpoons. They’re used to catch winter whales.”
In seconds, dozens of grappling hooks shot from the siege towers and sailed above the walkway, over the backwall of the parapet.
Swoosh!
They struck the stone.
Clank!
The braided cords that trailed the hooks were yanked backwards until they firmly embedded into the backwall.
Click! Clack!
With the ropes in place, Shadowcloaks hooked themselves onto the extended lines and zipped toward the wall.
“Cut the ropes,” Ivan bellowed.
“Cut the ropes!” The command was carried down the line.
Soldiers grabbed double-bladed axes, swords, and whatever they could find and frantically hacked at the ropes. Others grabbed hammers and bashed at the metal hooks. The cords and hooks proved extremely resilient and not even one had been severed or broken.
“Archers move back, spearmen move forward,” Ivan ordered. “Raise your spears and keep them out.”
“Drop them in the moat,” someone shouted.
“Smash them in the face.”
(William)
Wide-eyed, William watched as enemy soldiers zipped down the ropes. Hundreds of them whooshed toward the city. His aunt had already transformed into a bear and tackled one of the Shadowcloaks who had dropped onto the walkway. She smashed and slashed. Sapple appeared amidst the melee. The dendrite attacked with brutal efficiency, always protecting William’s aunt. The small tree intercepted a charging Shadowcloak and jammed one of its roots into the ocularium of the helmet. The soldier died before hitting the ground.
Scraps, Sapple is scary.
William shot a Lightning Strike at another soldier, dropping him into the moat.
Reinforcements rushed up the stairs. Arrows whizzed overhead, targeting the zipping Shadowcloaks. Enemies poured onto the walkway. William moved behind the line of spearmen and continued to cast Lightning Strikes.
“William!” Rose rushed toward him and roughly yanked him down. Suddenly, it got really quiet.
Cone of Silence?
Rose leaned in and whispered, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity!” Her face lit up and she winked at him.
(Rock Stump)
Rock Stump, the Mad General of the Shadow Lands, observed as the battle for the southern gate unfolded. For the most part, things were progressing as planned. The loss of two siege towers and a battering ram had been unfortunate, but it was a minor setback. He watched as the different pieces moved into position.
“Siege towers are in range,” Helkia, his second in command announced.
“Signal the Dark Swarm,” Rock bellowed. “Instruct the remaining bridge and ladder units to advance. Send in another battering ram.”
“Right away, General.” Helkia saluted.
“You, runner,” Rock barked. “Send word to the Desert Dragoons to prepare for battle. I’ll personally lead them once we break through the gate.”
“By your command, General!” The runner raced to deliver the message.
Rock leaned down to examine his battle map. They had sixteen siege towers in range of the southern wall. He grabbed the spyglass and focused on the nearest siege tower. It was time for the Dark Swarm to emerge.
The signal horn blared. Dozens of grappling hooks shot from the siege towers and sailed over the wall.
The Dark Swarm was comprised of elite warriors, equipped with excellent gear. They were clad in rare shield-spider-carapace armor, which was much lighter, and stronger than traditional metal plated armor.
The bridge and ladder units raced toward the moat.
Rock growled with irritation. The backup battering ram was lagging.
Heads are going to roll.
“General!” A scout waved urgently and pointed in the distance. “There is a large reptile moving along the back wall. It has a rider and it’s surrounded by a Light Shield.”
“What?” Rock adjusted his spyglass and focused on the reptile.
Even in daylight, the shimmering Light Shield was easy to spot. He growled and let out a harsh breath.
He did not need to see the rider to know who it was.
That cursed boy, William Snow.
He squinted through the magnifying apparatus. A large acidspitter drake scuttled along the distant backwall. The boy’s arms and legs were wrapped around the body of the reptile.
His face reddened and he exploded with rage. He pounded his fist on the table and cursed.
He knew exactly what was going on. He had seen acidspitters in the Graf Desert as a kid. They were notorious for their corrosive venom. He had seen what that venom was capable of firsthand.
He zoomed in further with his spyglass and his suspicions were confirmed. The drake was targeting the enchanted ropes with its acid spit.
“All casters and archers are to target that drake,” he shouted. “Take it down!”
“Right away, General.”
“Use enchanted arrows,” Rock roared.
He knew that any weapons that could penetrate a magic shield were extremely rare. The creation and sale of such enchanted gear was illegal in the Evergreen Realm. Anyone caught smuggling them was executed on site.
“General, all of the enchanted arrows were given to the archers aboard the ships,” Scoutmaster Erala replied.
“Then go get them!” he yelled.
“We won’t be able to get them here in time.”
Rock struck her across the face with the back of his hand. “Get me those arrows, now,” he spat out. “Summon the Hawkeye Archers.”
“Yes, General.” She wiped the blood from her mouth, saluted, and raced off to relay his orders.
(William)
William’s hands and legs wrapped tightly around the drake’s body as Rose raced along the back wall. He pushed the boundary of his Light Shield, trying to expand it.
It’s not covering her entire body. He winced. Her hind legs and tail are completely exposed. Scraps, I wish she’d chosen a smaller shift.
He focused even harder.
Sweat dripped down his back. William pushed the limits of his magical abilities.
You can do this, he urged himself.
An arrow slammed against his Light Shield, and he flinched. A Shadowcloak dropped from a zipline and leaped to intercept them, but she was too slow.
Rose was wicked fast in her drake shift. She kept a dizzying pace, spitting acid with perfect precision at the enchanted ropes.
She needs to join Pike’s Lob-a-Loogie Tournament…
“Aaargh,” a girl carrying a bucket of arrows shrieked as they passed by.
“Kill the drake!” a Shadowcloak bellowed.
“Go, William,” someone yelled.
“For the Nature Kingdom.”
A Lightning Strike twisted through the air and fizzled out after it collided with his Light Shield. More arrows zipped by, but all of them missed. Rose was a difficult target to hit. She darted without slowing down.
“Go, Rose,” William yelled. “Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!” William quoted the five D’s from the Marriage Survival Almanac for Hopeful Husbands. He had heard Mary quote it on a few occasions and it seemed fitting for their current situation.
An eruption of cheers caused William to glance behind.
“The ropes are snapping,” someone bellowed.
William pumped his fist in the air as he watched the enchanted ropes snap one after another behind them. Shadowcloaks plummeted into the moat. He grinned. He knew that the water was bitter cold.
“They’re retreating!”
Snap! Snap!
More ropes broke apart.
Wow, this acid spit works fast.
He recalled what Rose had told him about the acidspitter drake and enchanted nets when they had traveled to Scar.
I thought she was exaggerating when she told me that the drake’s venom could eat through enchanted threads in seconds.
After the mad dash across the southern rampart, Rose toppled off the side wall and collapsed onto the walkway. William rolled off and plopped down next to her. She shifted back into her human form.
“Waaaaater,” she croaked.
“Fooooood,” William groaned.
A helper ran to the nearby tower and returned with a carafe full of water and a plate piled high with jerky.
Rose snatched the pitcher and guzzled the entire thing.
She turned and looked at William. “Water is fitting after so much spitting.”
“I know what you mean. Eating jerky makes me perky.”
They laughed.