Stars' Light, page 36
He ran his hands through his black hair, which was getting longer. It had been some time since he’d had it cut. Civil war was not what he had wanted, but to take the throne, it was inevitable. So much had happened in a small amount of time.
Aiden glanced up to see a long figure up the pass, standing, looking down at him and his camp. Then the arms crossed. He frowned. It was his brother, daring him. Anger surged in him and he frowned. This would have gone so much better if they had just let him kill them like his uncle. There would have been no civil war, and he would be sitting on the throne enjoying the responsibility of rulership. Instead, he was mired in the mud, living out of a tent. The throne was gone, and even though people bowed to him and called him Emperor, he was not really ruling or leading anyone.
Micheil looked down upon the enemy. He could see his brother, standing on his rock above the camp, looking down upon them. He crossed his arms and shook his head. This is only going to end one way, and it did not matter, as the throne was safe and would pass to the Tatara’s. He no longer needed to concern himself with succession. It would make it easier to kill his brother.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Sarannya awoke in the morning. It was fully light outside, and she rolled over to see Zorian’s journal still on the nightstand. It was the only thing left in the room, other than her armored riding pants, top, and her swords. She had her kit from her saddle bags, but everything else had been taken out of the Silk Stocking. It was quiet. There were no sounds of the girls moving around, getting things cleaned up and ready for another night, before they slept the day away.
She pulled her robe on and walked to the bathing room through the deserted upstairs. Kiril was still in his room downstairs. But other than them, the entire building was empty. She did not like it.
The tub was filled with clean water, but it was cold. She smiled. Ivana probably filled it before she left yesterday. Sarannya took a deep breath, and asked the water to heat to a perfect temperature for her to bathe in. She released her intent to the Essences and waited.
Steam almost immediately began to rise from the tub. Sarannya laughed out loud. This was so much better than having to worry about whether the servants had heated the tub or not. She dropped her robe and slipped into the perfectly hot water. Her whole body relaxed, and she ducked under the surface of the water and soaked her hair. Sadness filled her at the thought that Ivana would not be here to help her with her clothes or her hair. Sarannya missed her already. They had only been friends for a little while, yet it seemed like they had always been friends.
Sarannya finished her bath, braided her hair with the use of the only mirror left in the building, and went downstairs to find something to eat. She smiled at Masamiria, who appeared to be waiting for her. He was behind the bar, and there was a plate of food beside him.
“Good morning, Colonel.” He pointed at the plate.
“Where is Kiril?” she asked, sitting down and quickly eating.
“He is already on the wall. Clean shaven and looking good, I might add.” He smiled. “I notice that your hair isn’t quite as elaborate as usual.”
“Thank you for noticing, General. I’m sure the enemy will, as well. Maybe it will distract them, so you and Kiril can defeat them, without me ever having to draw my weapon,” she shot back. She was smiling, but braiding her own hair had been difficult. She had opted for two simple braids that she had then pinned up.
He just looked at her with a small smile. “Eat. We need to get out to the walls. Today it begins.”
It was a wet morning, with a lot of dew hanging in the air. It obscured their vision with a slight haze, but it could not really be classified as fog. Sarannya stood next to Kiril with the archers. There was a tension along the walls as they waited. Even with the slight haze, nothing would be able to approach the walls unseen.
It was not long before she felt it. A slight push or pulse, and then two riders were in the open, approaching.
The dull light of the sun through the clouds glinted off plate armor, and the rustle of the horses carried across the distance. Murmurs went up and down the wall as the two scouts came forward. They moved easily, unafraid, though it was obvious they were aware and attentive. They rode right up to the bottom of the wall.
The wall was only about fifteen feet high and spanned the pass, which was only about three hundred feet long. It would be possible for the enemy to climb the rock formations on either end and then breach the pass, which was why Kiril had massed most of his archers on either end of the wall, along with a unit of spears to help them keep the enemy from climbing up.
Stacked rocks made parapets all along the wall. Loose rocks for throwing were in baskets beside rows of quivers filled with arrows, set out for quickness of use. They were ready. Kiril had drilled and drilled the units on a quick retreat to their next choke point, but it would be a running retreat. He was not planning on being able to keep the enemy from taking the city. He had been very worried about the library, but the General assured him that it would be safe.
Below, one horse moved forward ahead of the other. “We would speak with who is in charge, to deliver our General’s terms.”
Kiril glanced over at Masamiria. Masamiria just smiled at him, and gestured for him to take the lead. Kiril frowned, but moved forward.
“I am. What terms would your General set?” Kiril looked down upon them, seeing them as scars against the light.
There was a grimace upon the face of the Fallen as he took in Kiril. “If you say so. You are to surrender the Tracian Knights and open the wall, so that we can pass. If this is done, only the knights will suffer. The common humans may go home free of malice and violence. Fail to do this, and those who stand against us will summarily be put to death. We will hunt down and kill every single man, woman, and child.” His voice was amplified by the Essences as he spoke, so all could hear him.
There was a slight breeze, and Sarannya could feel it on her face. She could feel the shift in the men and women that stood beside her. There was no give. There was no thought of surrender. Only resolve to kill the enemy, and to buy time for the ships that had already set sail to get farther away, before the soldiers’ eventual retreat to the last few ships that would be waiting for them. These people were refusing to bow down to tyranny and darkness.
Kiril straightened. He could feel the resolve take root around him. A little bit of light seeped out of him as he spoke. “You can tell General Penvel that I will see him on the battlefield, but something tells me, he will not be coming; he will let you fight for him. Either way, eventually, we shall meet.”
The Fallen scout turned, and spurred his horse towards the forest, his curved horns never turning back. He rode away, knowing that these humans could not harm him.
Kiril knelt down, and gave the signal that was passed up and down the wall. Spearmen, and those that had swords moved back behind the wall. The rest of the archers moved forward, and kept hidden behind the parapets. Then, they waited.
Markos listened silently as the walls were described to him. His frown was deepening. “Are you sure the boy you talked to was a knight?”
“Yes, General, I am.” The scout stood at attention, even when General Markos turned away from him towards General Bopha.
“So?” Markos posed the question to his number one general, Chenda.
Chenda Bopha turned towards the scout and nodded, dismissing him. She waited until she and Markos were alone. “I feel that we are being led into a trap. If indeed the General is here, then we must proceed with extreme caution. You and I both know what he can do. He could destroy us all by himself.”
“Jorian does not have enough light for that,” Markos snapped. “No one does.”
“How do you know? He could! Do you not remember the battle of Pilgo Bay?”
Markos scowled, but nodded. He did remember. “Very well. We shall send forth the humans. They are expendable. If things go wrong, we can afford to lose them.”
“No, General. We should send in our Demons and back them up with the Fallen. We do not want the enemy to gain a victory. We want to bloody them, and crush their hopes all in one moment. Even if they repel us, their casualties will be high. They will begin to despair,” Chenda whispered the last. Her horns were tall for one of the shaped, but their gold sheen accented her azure skin and yellow eyes.
“No.” Markos insisted. “We send in the humans and wear them down. Then tomorrow, when Asenath helps us to bring the walls down, we shall send in the Demons and the Fallen. It will be a slaughter,” Markos said, never taking his eyes off of the map in front of him. “General Bopha, it would please me if you would give the order and begin the assault.”
Chenda paused for a moment. He was ordering her into combat with inferior forces against known Tracian Knights. To refuse would be seen as weak, or a challenge to his command. She was not in a positon to challenge for leadership yet. If she could make this work, she might be able to position herself for ultimate command of Bosc City. She would never be given ultimate command over Markos, unless he was killed. To kill him would be a difficult prospect. She put it out of her mind almost as soon as the thought entered. “Of course, General.” She bowed low and left the tent.
Jorian stood on the bow in the early morning light. He could see the mountains of the longest island of Nipara. The Defiant skimmed across the surface of the ocean at a rapid pace. Kuki Hara had been true to his word. It would not take much more than a day for them to make landfall. Jorian could sense that time was running out for him. He knew that the battle would begin today. It would take him a day to reach the dragons, even with Titan. He would not be able to phase. They would have to ride the old fashioned way.
He felt Hara move behind him, coming to stand next to him. “So… you have come to wake the dragons?” he asked.
Jorian turned and looked him in the eye. “Why do you ask?”
“Old friend. My family has served in the Niparian military for generations. We have fought many wars with you. You are only coming back to get what you need for the coming war. As you know, Nipara is with you, my family is with you, and I am with you. You can only be coming for one thing.”
Jorian smiled and placed his hand on Hara’s shoulder. “I have come for the dragons, yes. We will need them to not only secure Marpesia, but to secure the heart of the Ten-thousand Nations. We will need them to quell this civil war, so we can fight the real war that is about to descend upon us.”
Hara turned back to look at the mountains that were materializing on the horizon. “I wish you luck, General. For all of us.”
Kiril could hear the enemy massing in the trees. Only vague shapes could be seen, but there were a lot of them. His heart began to beat a little faster, but he burned light to control himself and gave the signal.
A thousand archers knelt down on the wall, while another thousand stood behind them. It was tight quarters, but it would work. They would be able to send two thousand arrows into the enemy in quick succession. It was going to be a massacre as the enemy came.
Sarannya knelt down and bowed her head.
“What are you doing?” Kiril asked, standing not far from her.
“I’m praying to whomever will listen. God, the Gods, the Light, doesn’t much matter right now. I feel like any help we can get would be welcomed.” She took a deep breath and concentrated on sending her prayer out to the light.
Kiril nodded his head, but turned his attention back to the enemy, that was now moving out of the trees. Masamiria came to stand beside him. They stood in silence together as the first ranks of the enemy came into view. They were light infantry, set up to move fast; they were hoping to make it to the wall, so the archers would have a more difficult time aiming at them. It might even bring the archers out of cover, which would make them easier targets.
“The archers will follow the light infantry, and then the heavy infantry will begin their march towards us,” Masamiria said, without taking his eyes off of the enemy. “I’ll be on your right. When they make the wall, I’ll close the gap between us. You make sure to close the gap between you and Sarannya. Don’t fear using your Mara. Just remember not to use all of it.” He then looked at Kiril.
Kiril smiled and nodded his head. “Of course, General.”
Masamiria moved past him towards Sarannya. She was brushing her knees off from where she had knelt in prayer. She looked over to see him coming towards her. She smiled and waited.
“Remember to use your Mara, but don’t use it all. You don’t want to face burnout. It is very difficult to regain Mara after you burn yourself out. It causes Mara sickness, which is not easy to overcome. And right now, we can’t afford to have you unable to use your Well.” Masamiria put his hands on her shoulders. He adjusted her top, smiling at the fit. It was, of course, perfect.
“Of course, General.” Sarannya was excited about the coming battle, but also terrified.
“Also, trust yourself, trust in your training, trust your blades, and most of all, trust in the light.”
Sarannya took a deep breath. Her heart was beating out of control, so she took another slow breath to control herself. “I will, General.”
“One last thing. Please stay close to Kiril, and no charging in. Yes?”
Sarannya let out a nervous laugh. “Yes, General. I will not charge in, and I will stay close to Kiril to the best of my abilities.” My meager abilities, she thought to herself.
“I heard that.” He tilted his head down at her, but never spoke it. “Start the link,” he sent to her.
A horn sounded, and the enemy rushed out of the tree line and began running towards the walls. Thousands of voices cried out as they charged. It was an intimidating sight, and Masamiria rushed back to side of the wall where his archers were waiting for the command to fire.
Kiril waited until the enemy was moving past the middle of the field, their running feet slapping the softened ground that covered up the old cobblestone road. He could feel Wrath connect with the other war blades. He could sense their thoughts and emotions. He sent out a wave of calm to Sarannya. “Fire!” His voice reverberated around those standing on the wall.
Arrows arced through the air, looking like an angry swarm of bees heading towards the enemy. Grunts, screams, and the metallic clinks and thuds of arrowheads punching through studded leather, metal plates, and human flesh resounded through the small pass.
“Second group, fire,” Kiril said again. He did not need to raise his voice, because he was projecting it all around him. There was a slight glow to him, but his eyes had not taken on the silver luminescence that marked usage of the light.
Arrows flashed out, again finding their targets. Whole waves of light infantry went down, tangling up those who were running behind them. The charge faltered.
“First group, fire.”
The enemy light infantry charge had faltered. They were having difficulty moving over the bodies of their comrades. Men were screaming on the ground and writhing around. Some had just fallen, dead before they hit the ground. Others were bleeding out, and calling for stretcher bearers and healers — until the third and fourth wave of arrows hit. The entirety of the light infantry were destroyed. Nothing moved as the fifth and sixth waves of arrows were landing on men already down.
Sarannya stood in mute silence throughout, watching as men ran at the wall, hellbent on taking it and killing her and those who stood beside her. She was elated when they did not even make three quarters of the field, wiped out to the last man.
“Remember that I do not bring war needlessly,” War Bringer spoke in Sarannya’s mind. “I only bring war to those who have chosen it. I only bring war to those who have chosen to stand against the light and the One.”
Sarannya was confused. “But you are War Bringer! Surely your job is to bring war and Retribution brings justice to those who deserve it.” Sarannya felt sadness enter her as soon as she answered back. A deep sadness.
“There are many who think that retribution is about punishing those who have committed crimes. I am not punishing them, but giving them what their choices have led them to. This is never about anger, hatred, or power. You must never draw and use us in anger or hate. You must never use us for your own power.” Retribution pulsed, filling her with sadness as she watched four thousand men die right in front of her.
Chenda turned to the man leading the heavy infantry. “Make a shield wall and slow advance. We shall place the archers behind you to harry their archers. You understand?” He saluted and moved back to his men. She turned to another officer. “Bring me my unit.”
“Of course, General,” the young major said, immediately moving off to fulfill the order.
Chenda had known this would happen, and now the enemy was going to feel the hope of a victory. This was exactly why she had argued against moving in first with the human troops. Their adversary would be much harder to throw off that damned wall, now. Well, this next sortie would be much different. We shall see how good those knights are, she thought to herself.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Kiril could feel that something was changing, and sent that thought to Sarannya and Masamiria. The heavy infantry broke the tree line with their shields at the ready. Rock pulled out of the ground behind them to form screens for the archers, who were lined up behind them for cover. The rock screens floated off the ground and moved perfectly with the archers. Behind the archers, were several small units of Fallen, whose curved horns stood out among the predominantly human faces around them.
“Archers, you know what to do. You may fire at will,” Kiril gave the order, seeing the Fallen behind the archers. He frowned to himself. What were they thinking? Were they trying to hide the Fallen, or using the human forces as a diversion to make the wall?
