Tides of Blood and Steel (33 page)

“The Giants will not harm us. Joden won’t let them,” Anienam told them all.

Dorl scoffed. “Getting thrown off of a mountain sounds rather painful to me, wizard.”

“Falling is the easy part. The landing will hurt the most,” Nothol chuckled and sliced another sliver off of a green apple.

“Funny.” Dorl shot him a foul glare.

Anienam sighed. “We have other matters to discuss than how fast master Theed will fall to the ground.”

“Such as?” Boen asked.

“Such as how are we supposed to find Trennaron? How long will it take? Who is Rekka’s master if the Order is no more? Where are we going to get the supplies we will need and what do we do with the hammer once we obtain it? For starters.”

Boen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Fair enough. It certainly gives us something to do while we sit and wait.”

“Hopefully the Giants will let us resupply,” Bahr finally said. Small guilt at being the one who instigated this mess gnawed at him. “But what are we supposed to do with another mouth to feed? The Giant can’t ride and will only slow us down.”

Anienam half smiled. “The strength of Giants is legendary. I believe we might be surprised. Groge is the least of our concerns.”

Bahr snapped his mouth shut.

A Giant smith entered and bowed slightly to Anienam. “Joden says for you to take what supplies you need from his personal stores. He is honored to help the son of Dakeb in this quest.”

“Please tell Joden that we graciously accept and appreciate the offer. Where might we find him?”

The Giant hesitated, unsure what to say. “He is in the cathedral praying.”

“Would it be too much to ask Blekling if I might join him? I would very much like to see the inside of the house of the gods.”

“I…I will go and ask,” the Giant replied. “Wait here.”

Bahr waited until they were alone again before asking, “What is it about that cathedral that steals your thoughts?”

Anienam smiled. “I believe it might hold some of the answers we need.”

Bahr fell silent, already deep in thought.

The Goblins Attack

Company after company of Goblin infantry poured into what remained of the city of Rogscroft. Bodies, Men and Goblin, littered the burnt ruins. The fighting had been intense. Every foot of progress was paid in blood. Casualties on both sides were much higher than anyone anticipated. The Goblins suffered worst of all. Thousands were lost, dead or wounded, under the proud glare of Grugnak. He snarled and spit fresh orders. Overseers lashed their cruel leather whips, forcing the infantry ever forward.

Three quarters of the city was destroyed. Aurec’s defenders sold their ground at a high price. Streets ran red with blood once the flames melted the snow. Arrows littered the sides of what few buildings remained. Wolfsreik artillery thrummed overhead. The scope of destruction was so vast King Stelskor could not bring himself to gaze out into his once proud city. Each time the artillery barrage ended signaled a new attack. Clouds of dust flushed upwards to mingle with the foul black smoke. He had never seen war this personal. Goblins rushed in, hungry for the taste of fresh blood. Animalistic war cries growled across the savage wind. Wicked-looking blades glimmered harshly in the flames. All that mattered to the Goblin horde was the chance to kill their most hated foe: Man.

Aurec crouched behind a pile of rubble and stared into the growing darkness. What used to be a popular fountain square now lay in broken ruin. The enemy’s thick stench almost overpowered his senses. Marching sounds of their hobnailed boots striking cobblestones echoed around his position. Aurec hoped his flanks were adequately prepared for the assault, though he wanted the Goblins to come at him head-on. All of his main efforts were focused to the front.

“I don’t like this,” he whispered.

Mahn shifted his gaze across their immediate front. “Perhaps they know something we do not.”

The prince looked appraisingly at his favorite scout. Mahn was so much more than a mere scout. He’d become a friend and mentor to the young prince.

“Order the sergeants on the flanks to prepare for attack. Either side should expect to get hit,” Mahn cautioned softly.

Aurec didn’t hesitate. The faster they moved, the better chance all of the defenders had at surviving. Aurec needed every available man to last the night if his plans to stop the enemy momentum were going to succeed. He quickly issued the orders.

After he said, “Mahn, you know I am going to whatever part of the line gets hit, right?”

“I know.”

The old scout fell silent. Disappointment burned him. He wanted Aurec as far away from the front lines as possible, not only for the boy’s safety, but to allow him to do his job better. Instead of worrying about the battle, he had to worry about the prince as well. Worse, Aurec had gone against his father’s wishes by coming into the city. There was no point in casually risking the heir to the throne.

“I have to do this,” Aurec said, trying to defend himself. This is all my fault, he wanted to say. In his heart he truly believed it. His reckless adventure to whisk Maleela from her father resulted in countless dead and his vision of a perfect dream shattered. And it was all for love. A war of complete annihilation sparked by love. Aurec wanted to laugh and cry at the irony of it.

Mahn leaned closer so that no one might overhear. “I understand you. I do, but you need to think beyond yourself now. Rogscroft will have need of a strong ruler to rebuild. Your father does not have many years left on him. This will be your kingdom soon. It is time for you to start thinking like a leader, not just a soldier.”

Aurec didn’t get the chance to answer.

A shout cried out. “Here they come!”

Goblins broke from cover en masse. Aurec cringed upon seeing the sheer hatred in their soulless eyes as the front ranks clambered over the ruins of a row of merchant shops. The Goblins could crush his men just from sheer weight of numbers. Aurec knew there was little hope in fighting them head-to-head. Fortunately he had known this and had appropriate traps emplaced.

“Archers draw!” barked the command.

Bows creaked as tension was placed on them. Aurec drew his sword in anticipation.

“Aim!”

The Goblins were either oblivious or they simply did not care. Rank after rank pushed forward towards the makeshift barricades blocking the road. One of the largest Goblins raised his cudgel and bellowed. They attacked.

“Fire!”

Arrows sped over the head of the crouching defenders. Aurec felt the brief sting of a shaft buzz a little too close to his right ear. Grunts and screams told him the archers’ aims were true. He snorted. Of course, it was near impossible to miss like this. Aurec grinned. Each Goblin killed increased his chances of success. Goblins leapt and crawled over the bodies of their comrades. They wanted blood and nothing was going to sate them until they ripped into the Men.

Aurec dared to inch his head a little higher so he could get a clear view of the killing grounds. Enemy numbers were high, but a silent alarm chimed in his mind.
There should be more
. Arrows continued to pour into the exposed Goblins. Aurec racked his mind, trying to figure out what was wrong. A new sound erupted from both of the flanks. Blood drained from his face. They were being attacked from all three sides. His darkest fears were coming true. None of his traps and tricks mattered much now. Aurec had to move before all was lost.

A runner collapsed at his feet. His breath came in ragged gasps. Blood smeared across his face. “My lord, we are beset. The enemy attacks from all sides.”

“Calm yourself,” Aurec cautioned with a confidence he did not feel. “Now slowly, explain what is happening.”

“We heard the battle start here, but Sergeant Harg had us keep to our posts. The Goblins hit us hard at the moment we were distracted. They broke through and are pushing us back. We cannot hold much longer.”

Damnation
. Aurec pushed away his building rage. He needed a clear head for this. “Go back and tell Harg to pull back to the river. He…”

“Sergeant Harg is dead,” the runner admitted ashamedly.

Aurec reached out to steady the boy by his shoulder and calmly said, “Give my instructions to whoever is in command. It is important not to break contact. We all die if you do. Run!”

The boy sprinted off, dodging a handful of poorly aimed spears. Aurec didn’t bother watching him go. “Mahn! Send the signal now.”

The scout drew his bow and lit an arrow from the small fire at his feet. He aimed high into the sky and loosed. Aurec watched the shaft pierce the night and began counting heartbeats until he saw the reply. He reached seven before scores of fire arrows sped from the remaining two-story buildings. Burning pitch dripped down along their flight path. Goblins in the back ranks paused to look up at the streaks of flame and smoke.

Most of the arrows hit their marks. Enormous canisters filled with pitch and sulfur exploded within the Goblin mass as arrows hit. Dozens fell dead, shredded from razor sharp shards of pottery filling the bombs and burned to death. The noise was deafening. Roasted flesh choked the air with putrid smell. More arrows fell. More bombs exploded. The front ranks didn’t stop to notice; they continued to press into the defenders. The back ranks scattered in a frenzy to escape the growing flames.

Aurec rose up and waved his sword in challenge. “Pikes!”

His infantry shot to their feet and leveled the long weapons. They didn’t wait long before the first Goblin ranks impaled themselves.

“Manzo,” Aurec shouted over the din of battle. “Start pulling the reserves back. We have to retreat or we are all dead.”

Manzo, a robust man with a thick beard and round belly, saluted and started barking orders. The wounded went first, helped along by those with lesser wounds. Aurec watched his men struggle to keep from all-out panic. Panic meant death. His thoughts turned to the flanks. They couldn’t hold much longer. The battle raged around him. Goblins died on the sword and spear. Men fell to poisoned blades. Aurec turned to the sounds of one of his men falling dead. Then another, and another. Horror etched deeply in his face as he noticed the short black shafts piercing each corpse.

“Mahn!” he cried.

Any hope of victory crumbled. Fighting on the barricade had devolved into hand-to-hand. Several Goblins were already among his ranks. The defense was failing.

Mahn raced over and grabbed the prince roughly by his armor. “We need to leave. Now!”

“No. I’m not about to leave my men like this.”

“Don’t be a fool. We are lost and I am not going to be the one to tell your father I got his son killed in some damned fool operation that was doomed from the start.”

He shoved Aurec back. Men died all around them. More Goblins broke through.

Manzo slashed his sword across a Goblin’s throat. Ropes of blood danced through the air. “He’s right, sire. I can handle this. Get out while you still can.”

Aurec finally conceded. “All right. Withdraw the archers and fall back. I will see you in the castle.”

They fought their way through the chaos in the vain hopes of surviving this long night. Aurec wanted to vomit. So much destruction. Bodies fell entwined in death struggles. Goblin and Men, Lord Death did not discriminate.

“Do you have any idea what you did?” Stelskor scolded.

His voice bordered on rage. Aurec and Mahn stood humbly in front of their king. Their heads hung low, embarrassed.

“Father, it was all my fault,” Aurec said.

“Aurec, you are the heir to the throne. What right do you have to throw away your life so recklessly? Again we have the same conversation. You are the son of kings, not some base soldier from common blood.”

“I understand that.”

Stelskor slammed an old fist on the arm of the throne. “Then start acting like it!”

Admonished, the prince held his tongue. He couldn’t keep his thoughts from drifting back to the men who fought and died desperately trying to hold the line.

“How many casualties?” Stelskor quietly asked.

“Forty-three dead and close to one hundred wounded. Twelve are missing,” Mahn reported.

“They are as good as dead. Goblins do not take prisoners.”

Mahn reluctantly agreed. “Matters are worse than just numbers.”

Stelskor couldn’t see how that was possible. “How so?”

“The enemy is using poisoned weapons and appear to have a coordinated plan. The Wolfsreik hasn’t attacked yet. The Goblins knew what they were doing.”

“We are in more trouble than I thought if this is true. How did Badron come into an alliance with these creatures?” He paced to the huge window overlooking the ruins of his city. The enemy was already at the river. That thin sliver of water and a wall was all that remained between life and death.

“The engineers are almost finished digging the escape tunnels. We should be able to evacuate those who are still breathing when the castle falls,” he told them.

Aurec summoned the courage to speak. “How long can we expect to withstand a siege?”