Porzivis fell, but pushed himself back up to his knees. He grabbed Dolnila by the shoulder.
“Get the others out of here! Go! I’ll finish the gate!”
More arrows whizzed by. The two Ridgerazers lurched and shifted.
“No!” Dolnila shouted. “You can’t!”
“I’m done anyway,” Porzivis said, pointing to his new arrow with a shaky hand. “Just try and cover me. Go!”
Porzivis reached to stroke Dolnila's hair before giving her head an affectionate tap. They both choked down the despair of a failing plan, dying friends, and the impending loss of even more. But the thought of a wasted war and a starving nation fought back.
“Fall back!” Dolnila screamed, still holding on to the fading Porzivis. “Fall back to Drelio! To the village!”
The surviving Ridgerazers tugged at those checking on the fallen, and sprinted off.
Porzivis shuffled on his hands and knees to a patch of empty ground. Weak and delirious, unsure if he would even survive long enough, he rocked back onto his heels and began summoning another sphere. He knew the attack would kill him, but decided to make the most of his already-dwindling time. In his dying moments, he struggled to stay conscious long enough to put all he had into the final sphere that would open the way for their armies.
Through a curtain of blood and sweat, Porzivis poured all of himself into the slowly-growing sphere. He held nothing back. This was a one-way spell he would not survive, with or without the multiple arrows piercing his body.
***
More returning archers began to line up along the wall just as the surviving Ridgerazers returned to the safety of Drelio. They could see the light from the queen’s spell still flickering out from her protective circle. One of Jularra’s Spire guards shouted at Dolnila.
“Is it down yet?”
Dolnila shouted back. “Not yet! Sixty seconds!”
But Dolnila realized the wall was filling up too quickly. They’re going to kill him before he can finish.
Dolnila fell to her knees, summoning her own strength to call upon the wind in the immediate area. Like pulling on a massive boulder, she strained each tendon and muscle fiber, arms outstretched, concentrating on controlling the airflow through the village and in front of the gate. Then she pulled her hands back in towards her, as if pulling all the wind to her chest. Once she felt the power of the wind too much to contain, she vaulted her hands up and forward, crashing a violent wall of air into the ranks of archers atop the wall. After releasing all that she could of herself and into her command of the wind, she fell onto her face, spent. Dead.
***
Out of the corner of Porzivis’ failing vision, he saw the fabric tops of nearby market stalls gyrate violently in the wind; watched blurrily as the archers were knocked back to topple from the wall, before focusing all he could on finishing the fourth fireball.
Get it done, and then you can die. Then you can rest.
His breathing shook, and he shivered as he flexed, momentarily distracted by the surreal realization he would soon know what death felt like.
He focused. Strained. Flexed. Pulled.
The sphere was ready.
With a final glance, he shifted his eyes to the gatehouse. The entryway was obscured by flames, but the size and shape of the fire told him the portcullis was still there. With a jolt to his mental focus, he shifted his concentration from containment to pushing, and shot the fourth ball at the gate.
It struck with an explosive punch as Porzivis slumped to the dirt. His vision turned black, but not before he saw the sky through the obliterated gate.
***
The gate and doors ruptured and roared to the ground in a fiery crumble of destruction. The Ridgerazers had done it. The gatehouse was open.
Cheers tore into the air from around Drelio as Korden shouted at Jularra.
“It’s down! It’s down!”
The orange glow left Jularra’s eyes as she vaulted to her feet. The energy of the miniature environment she had been controlling disappeared into a smoky cloud.
“Sound the attack!” she ordered immediately. “Go! Take the city!”
As her commanders and other subordinates rushed off to see to the taking of Brinnock, she grabbed Korden by the shoulder.
“As soon as it’s clear, take a detachment and see personally to the securing of the granaries and food stores. They must survive, unmolested, or everything we have done is for naught.”
Nine
Once the gatehouse fell and Acorilan’s armies poured in, Brinnock's forces were quick to surrender. Casualties on both sides were low, which was exactly what Jularra wanted. It was exactly what everyone wanted.
But despite the achievement, each loss nipped at Jularra’s conscience. As anticipated, the guilt began to brew immediately, and she knew it would follow her for some time. The loss of Porzivis and Dolnila were especially hard for Jularra to accept.
The battle was over by mid-morning, allowing the Acorilinians to get to work on administration matters which lasted well into the evening. Jularra, the Acorilinian lords, and their captains secured the city and detained the surrendered Torgurian armies as initial incorporation began.
The Acorilinians had achieved their decisive victory and secured substantial food stores. Jularra was beyond relieved—regardless of how quickly the Torgurians may or may not adapt to their new queen. To minimize unrest, Jularra gave orders for the transition to get underway as quickly as possible. In the following days, initial efforts focused on gathering information on the surrounding area, and perpetuating the message that their invasion was one of survival, necessity, and a gesture of protection on behalf of their Yubik allies. The Acorilinians were also extremely careful to communicate that they wished no harm to the citizens of Brinnock—or to their city.
Less than a week after
