Other ships emerged from the fog behind us. Huge broadheads of the ballistae appeared and opened fire. Their thick, corded arms snapped and hurled the massive projectiles at our attackers. A bolt struck a battlement, and a rock twice the size of my head fell free of the wall before it crashed down on the docks beside Kegohr in a shower of shards. The Qihin’s other siege machines emerged, and more bolts joined the barrage as I advanced with my friends at my back.
The siege machines forced our attackers to hesitate and keep their heads down, but the damage to our scouts had been done. Half a dozen warriors lay dead or badly injured across the docks. Others floated nervelessly in the water.
An Ice Spear melted as it struck my shield of magic and showered me in shards of ice and gouts of steam. “We need more cover!” I called to my companions. “Radiant Dragon, with me.”
I sheathed my sword and turned to face the ocean.
“Summon as much fire as you can,” I said. “Don’t worry about form or technique; just focus on heat and fury. We need a few more seconds of cover to get our forces onto the docks.”
I thrust my hands out, pointed at the water in the docks, and let the fire flow. The others joined in, and the five of us poured fire Vigor down on the waters. Our power combined to create a wall of flames. The ocean bubbled and steamed as the heat brought it to a ferocious boil.
Steam billowed around us and joined with the forward tendrils of Beqai’s slowly dissipating mist. A bank of cloud formed and rushed across the docks, carried by the stream of heated air we had created. A fresh sea of mist obscured the enemy’s view of our advance in mere seconds.
A thud boomed around the island as a ramp dropped from the front of a craft carrying a giant battering ram. The creaking of ropes and the bellowing of orders followed as the crew hauled the ram out of its berth and up the ramp onto the docks.
The fire from the siege machines intensified to match the enemy attacks from above. Ice Spears buried themselves in shields, the hulls of boats, and those warriors not lucky enough to have found proper protection.
We finished our work at the water’s edge and joined the forward attack on the guild house gate. I called on the power of water to robe me in Frozen Armor as the rest of the Radiant Dragon disciples raised their Flame Shields again.
The first battering ram reached the main gates while the other headed around the walls to seek another entry point for our assault. Soldiers with shields advanced to protect the crews of the ram as they swung it back and forth and built up momentum. Then it slammed into the brass gates with an almighty boom.
The gates were sturdily built and held in place as the ram pounded at them. By the tenth blow, dents showed, and one of the gates buckled. But the great sheets of embossed brass held firm.
Vesma raised her hands and channeled a stream of Untamed Torch on the metal of the gate. I grabbed her shoulder and added Flame Empowerment to her attack. Steam hissed as a cherry-red sheen climbed over the guild house’s main defence.
“Almost there!” the ram commander shouted. “Keep at it!”
The commander fell a moment later and clutched at a jagged Ice Spear that protruded from her thigh. Kumi bent over her, used her power to melt and reform the Ice Spear, and turned it into a bandage of healing water to wrap the wound.
I gritted my teeth and redoubled my efforts to boost Vesma’s Untamed Torch. I poured Vigor into her stream of fire as it bathed the gate in flames.
The ram swung back with a ponderous momentum.
Then it hit and plowed through the weakened metal in an explosion of splinters and shattered ice.
I rushed through the gap with Kegohr, Vesma, and Kumi close behind.
A row of Resplendent Tears guards stood at the gates and formed a wall of interlocking shields. As one, Kegohr, Vesma, and I raised our hands and launched blasts of Untamed Torch at their blockade. The shield wall shattered as men fell or staggered back from the searing heat.
“Bet you didn’t expect fire Augmenters, you bastards!” Veltai roared behind us.
We charged into the gap and went to work with our weapons. Kegohr’s mace bowled guards over and crushed their bones. Vesma danced in and out among them and found stabbing gaps in their defenses with her spear. I slashed with the Sundered Heart Sword and carved off limbs as readily as chunks of enemy shields.
More of Beqai’s forces streamed in behind us as we pushed through the first wave of defending guild soldiers. Every door in the courtyard flung open, and a mass of initiates, disciples, and guards alike appeared.
The masses collided in the courtyard with an explosion of steel sparks, ice, and fire. There was no time or space to form neat ranks. The fight was a maelstrom of crashing weapons, flashing magic, and colliding bodies.
I led my band in a push across the yard. I broiled two guards with an Acidic Cloud and heard Nydarth hum in pleasure as I took their heads from their shoulders. We needed to break through their ranks, but for every guild member I cut down, there was always another to take his place.
It seemed that King Beqai’s plan had totally gone to shit, and every member of the guild was under Horix’s sway. I didn’t want to totally annihilate a guild, but it seemed there would be no choice now that every member had chosen to stand with their Guildmaster.
A soldier charged at me and held his trident low to run
