His shouts were useless. The ice began to fall right in the heart of the city. It smashed the spire from the temple of Ix. The temple of Yniss’ roof collapsed under a trio of direct hits. Tens, hundreds of the ice boulders crashed down among thousands of Katurans who had thought they were far enough from the walls to be safe. One even landed on the steps of the makeshift stores. Nerille gasped. The quartermaster would have been standing there. He must have seen it coming all the way. She prayed he had found shelter in time.
The barrage lessened. Shouts for stretchers and fire teams echoed about the empty streets. Elves broke from their hiding places. The orbs had done terrible damage. Fire now leapt from house to house, business to business, the magical flames travelling with the speed of a jao deer.
Jio stood and Nerille stood with him. They looked down. Steel plate hung from broken fastenings. Stone was scattered about the base of the walls. The gatehouse was empty and on fire inside. There was no sign of Pelyn or the elves who had stood with her.
‘Casting!’
They dropped from sight again. Jio was shivering, clutching at his pendant.
‘How long can they keep this up?’
‘Not long enough,’ said Nerille. ‘Have courage, Jio. The TaiGethen are with us. They fear nothing and each of them is worth a hundred humans. I have to get back to the stores and see what I can do.’
‘No,’ said Jio. ‘You saw the strike on the steps. You could be killed.’
‘I’m safer on the walls, am I?’ Nerille smiled and kissed Jio’s cheek. ‘Worry about yourself. Don’t take any chances.’
Nerille made for the nearest ladder and climbed down into the city. Overhead, the castings came in again. Fire and ice rained down on the city. She pressed herself against the walls, which suffered no fresh impacts. Mages clustered up in the sky, spotting fresh targets and directing the barrage. She cursed them and prayed to Gyal for rain and mist to give them some respite. But the day was hot and the clouds distant. Even Gyal was in hiding.
Nerille looked to her right. A body lay at the base of the gatehouse. It was moving, the cloak smouldering but not aflame. It was Pelyn, it had to be. Nerille hurried along the street, staying close to the wall. An orb seared the air overhead and plunged into a potter’s workshop, blowing timbers and splinters in all directions when it hit.
Nerille felt a splinter cut her cheek. She turned her head away and crouched, trying to protect herself while she moved. Pelyn pushed herself to her knees and used the gates to pull herself to her feet. Nerille reached her and offered a steadying hand. The elf’s face was black with ash and red with burns, but the fire in her eyes was brighter than any fire orb.
‘Good, you survived the first wave,’ said Pelyn.
‘You too. The centre of the city has been hit. They need help.’
Pelyn nodded. ‘Let’s go. Stay to the walls, use the cover. This bombardment isn’t going to stop any time soon.’
The gatehouse blazed above them. Fire teams were speeding from cover, trying to douse the magical flames and risking death as they did. More spells soared overhead, spreading their destruction across Katura. Nerille and Pelyn headed inwards, where the city meant as a sanctuary had been turned to ash and ice.
Hynd stood by Lockesh, relaying his orders. The initial volleys had produced good results. Spotter mages reported considerable damage and panic in the city and it was clear the armour on the walls was weak in a number of places. All they had to do was hit the right spots and they’d destroy it.
Killith strode up and down the rear of the lines, urging greater effort. Soldiers itched to fight, sensing the Sharps’ will already beginning to weaken. Fifteen hundred men and mages waited, ready to begin the assault across the western ground. Despite Jeral’s concerns before he was arrested, Killith considered it to be the best approach in concert with an attempt to take the gates.
But for now the focus was on softening up the city. Nothing drained defenders’ will more than seeing those they were tasked to protect being slaughtered while they stood helpless. And the TaiGethen on the walls were helpless. There were too few of them to mount a raid over the open ground and, for all their speed, they were still vulnerable to magic.
The late Loreb would, it seemed, get his swift victory.
Hynd sampled the mana flow once more while he watched the penultimate volley of spells cast by the first wave of mages arc over the walls and down into the city. It was as strong and sure as ever, but he knew that when he was asked to cast, his nerves would wreak havoc with his concentration.
‘First wave! Prepare to withdraw and rest,’ called Lockesh. Hynd relayed the order. ‘Second wave stand ready!’
Killith marched over.
‘We must push over the western ground now,’ Killith demanded. ‘Drive our advantage home and caution be damned. We are winning. I want my victory feast tonight and to sleep in an elven bed having taken my fill of elven whores.’
‘Scout the ground first. The TaiGethen remain dangerous,’ said Lockesh.
‘The TaiGethen are all occupied, cowering on the walls,’ said Killith, jabbing a finger towards the city. The first wave’s final spells hissed away. ‘I am the senior general here and I want victory before the su-’
‘You are the only general here,’ said Lockesh with a hiss to still his flapping tongue. Where is Pindock, exactly?’
‘The order will be given. Your mages will support me.’
Lockesh stared blankly at Killith. ‘As you wish, General.’
Killith stalked away, summoning his aides. Orders were barked out. The column began to move towards the west. Hynd watched them go.
‘Your orders, my lord?’ he asked.
‘The second wave is to concentrate on the gates and that western corner. See if they can’t land a few fire orbs on that wooden western wall too. The reserve is to clear the ground west. I don’t want anything surprising us in the grass and I don’t want a single tree left standing for the TaiGethen to hide behind.’
‘You think they will be lying in wait there?’ asked Hynd. He gestured to the walls. ‘Surely-’
‘There are rather a lot of them up there, don’t you think? said Lockesh. ‘I refuse to believe they are all the genuine article.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Two more things, Hynd’
Hynd paused in the very act of turning. ‘Yes, my lord?’
‘Jeral shoud be released and brought to me. The charges against him died with Loreb and he should be seen watching Killith prove him right about that western ground. And secondly-’ Lockesh pointed to the head of the cliffs overlooking the western ground ‘-I think we need a lookout or two up there. See to it. Four mages, two warriors.’
‘At once,’ said Hynd.
He stared up at the cliffs, which looked treacherous and uneven, then turned away to relay Lockesh’s orders and to find some unwitting suspects to fly up and see the world from on high.
Auum watched the enemy’s advance from the first of the trees that clustered before open farmland in the lee of the cliffs. He glanced up. There was a single TaiGethen up there along with forty Katurans, waiting for the signal to send down enough rock to sweep away half the city walls, should their momentum carry them that far.
A fresh wave of castings began to fall on the western corner of the city walls. The armour was thicker here and the stone cemented firmly into place. Ice boulders dashed themselves to pieces against the plating, making it ripple. Fire orbs deluged it with heat, the dramatic changes in temperature causing it to groan in protest. So far, it held.
All of the TaiGethen were with him along with twenty of the fifty hunters armed with poison arrows on the walls to his right, and thirty Al-Arynaar led by Tulan and Ephram. The warriors were hidden by the trees, and all knew what they had to achieve. Auum waited for the right moment, assessing the closing distance and speed.
‘They will drop castings here,’ he said. ‘Be ready to fall back on my word. Get close to their swords and keep falling back to bring them beneath the avalanche zone. You know your markers. Don’t lag because we cannot wait for anyone. Stand by.’
The enemy paused. Soldiers knelt while mages prepared.
‘Hold,’ said Auum. ‘Cover!’
