Just then, the gates to the palisade open and the army issues forth with a roar.
Chapter Eleven
Miko mounts his horse and they hand the injured brother up to him. “Get back behind the line of staffs,” he tells them. Turning his horse toward Lythylla, he bolts into a gallop holding tightly onto the injured brother before him.
Brother Willim and the others begin running toward where Illan and the rest are preparing to meet the onslaught of the enemy. As the Hand reaches their lines, Illan says, “Good work there.” Brother Willim simply nods his head as he and the other brothers follow Miko on into Lythylla to see about their comrade.
Jiron, leading the horse bearing James, moves through the defenders as they part for him. He soon passes the Brothers and crosses over the bridge into the city. Off to one side of the gates, a soldier waves to him and indicates a nearby guardhouse beside which Miko’s horse stands tied to a post. Henri is there and takes his reins as he pulls up alongside Miko’s horse.
“Is he alive?” Henri asks, referring to the unconscious James.
“Yes,” replies Jiron. “He gets like this every time he does too much magic.”
Henri helps him remove James from the horse and together they bring him into the guardhouse. The injured brother is already laid out upon blankets on the floor, a pack has been placed under his head for comfort.
Madoc healers are there and have already begun examining the brother. They place James on a blanket next to him. Jiron takes Miko by the arm and says, “We have to get back to the others.”
“Yes, you’re right,” he says. Then to one of the healers he adds, “Take care of them.”
“They’ll be fine,” the grey haired healer says. “You go do what you have to.”
As Jiron and Miko leave the guardhouse, Brother Willim and the rest of the Hand arrive and pass them on their way into the guardhouse. “I think they are in good hands,” says Jiron.
“Me too,” agrees Miko.
They mount their horses and turn them toward the gate. Jiron pauses but a moment when Lord Pytherian catches his eye from where he’s keeping watch on the battle from atop the gate. Nodding to Jiron, he then turns back to the battlefield. The courtyard is filled with every available man, as are the streets leading deeper into the city. The whole Alliance army is waiting for the word to go. It was decided to keep the bulk of their forces within the walls in the hopes of fooling the enemy into launching an attack. If they but knew how many awaited them, they would never leave the relative safety of the palisade.
Returning through the gate at a gallop, they head back to their comrades who are about to face the brunt of the Empire army. Jiron sees the soldiers of the Empire are forming ranks this side of the palisade as more and more stream through the gate. Guess they’re not going to wait for us to attack.
Out in front of their force, the crossbowmen take position as they prepare to rain down a volley of death upon them. Jiron recognizes the army commander that was with the warrior priest when he and James had gone for the initial meeting before all the hostilities erupted. The man must think now would be his best chance at success seeing as how James has collapsed and one of the priests of Asran is down.
“Delia,” Illan says. “Are your people ready?”
“As ready as they’re ever going to be,” she says. To her slingers she says, “Wait for my signal before you remove anything from your pouch!”
“Yes ma’am,” Orrin’s voice answers from his position down the line.
Illan turns to Ceadric and says, “They’ll want to take out the catapults first. Be prepared.”
“Aye sir,” he says.
A hush falls over the battlefield as the final men make their way through the palisade and take position. They are outnumbered seven to one, Black Hawk’s Raiders number somewhere near a thousand while the Empire’s force appears to be at least seven or eight thousand strong. The initial numbers they had of the enemy may have been off.
None of the enemy cavalry has yet taken the field. Illan nods to Jiron as he retakes his position at the head of his men. “Cavalry not coming?” Jiron asks.
Illan nods to the two ends of the palisade far in the distance. “My guess would be for them to make an end run around the far side of the wall once the battle begins.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says.
Illan turns to the officer in charge of the catapults. “Give them a volley.”
“Yes, sir,” he replies. Turning to his men he hollers, “Let em go boys!”
As one, the five catapults are loosed and their deadly projectiles are thrown toward the massed men before them. The five boulders fly through the air and come to land in the midst of the soldiers. Most are able to dodge out of the way but two are struck by the rocks after they hit the ground and begin to roll.
“Not very effective against ground troops,” comments Ceadric. “Need grapeshot.”
Just then, they hear a command shouted by the enemy commander and horns begin to sound.
“True,” replies Illan. “Hadn’t planned on using them against troops, just the walls.”
The enemy crossbowmen move forward and raise their crossbows. At another command, hundreds of bolts are loosed and fly toward them. “Raise the shields,” cries Jiron as he and the others raise shields to protect themselves as well as Delia and her slingers from the barrage.
As the bolts reach the apex of their arc and begin descending down toward them, the three crystals atop the staves James had planted in the ground flare. A shimmering field springs to life between them and extends above the staves at least thirty feet. Most of the bolts are deflected away. Some soar high enough to go over the top of the field but are easily brushed aside with shields.
“Way to go James!” Devin’s voice rings out.
“Quiet back there!” Illan orders as the crossbowmen ready another volley. “Hedry, see if you can distract them.”
“Archers!” he hollers. “Ready bows!” The line of bowmen including Errin and Aleya put bow to string and draw them back to await his command. Hedry raises his arm and then lowers it as he cries “Fire!”
A hundred arrows fly toward the enemy, some taking out crossbowmen while others fly further and find their mark among the rank of soldiers. From the walls of Lythylla behind them, a cheer erupts from the onlookers.
“Fire at will,” Illan says to Hedry.
“Fire at will!” Hedry repeats to his men and as fast as bowmen can put arrow to string, they fire at the enemy.
Horns from the enemy blow and the soldiers behind the crossbowmen surge forward with a war cry. Swords gleaming in the morning sun, they rush Illan’s position. “Any time, Delia,” Illan tells her. Another round of bolts is loosed from the crossbowmen as they and Hedry’s archers exchange fire.
“Okay my lads,” Delia says as she turns to face her slingers. “Take out one from the pouch and set it into your sling. As soon as you do, launch it to the enemy. Wait five seconds then do it again.”
Removing one of the special missiles James had put together, she places it within her sling. Before she finishes twirling her sling up to speed, several of the others let fly with theirs.
As the approaching soldiers see the missiles flying toward them, they pause in their charge and raise their shields. The hardened clay missiles shatter on impact and the soldiers are surprised at the crystals contained within. Each has a glow to them and after nothing happens, they resume their charge.
“What went wrong?” Illan asks Delia after the first round fails to do anything.
“I don’t know,” she replies as she winds up her sling to launch her second volley.
Then all of a sudden, soldiers closest to the first volley of crystals begin falling to the ground as the crystals leech power from them. A second later, orbs begin filling the air and start emitting bursts of electricity.
The momentum of the charge falters as men are struck with the lightning from the orbs. Officers order their men forward and the charge resumes as more and more men fall victim as the second volley of crystals activates.
“They’re not going to get all of them,” says Ceadric.
“No, they aren’t,” agrees Jiron.
