by Jeff Inlo
Chapter 16
Fires from torches lit up the darkness all around Connel. Even as the snow continued to fall, fear of what now surrounded the city replaced any worries about a simple dormant season storm. The goblins also set several of the farmhouses ablaze, and the flames licked the darkness of the waning night. To the east, only a dull, faint glow could be noticed on the far horizon, but the sight of what stood between that horizon and the city limits destroyed any ray of hope from the coming dawn.
Sazar himself was on the march toward the northern entrance of the city. With his small contingent of goblins at his side, he appeared as nothing more than another dark creature joining the ranks of the monsters that now encircled the city. His horde made no further attempt to hide their presence, to remain quiet in the darkness, or to avoid the approach of enemy scouts. Just the opposite, Sazar had ordered his minions to make their numbers quite clear to the human inhabitants of Connel. He ordered all torches lit, several farmhouses set ablaze, and every goblin to shriek with murderous delight.
The main body of Sazar’s goblin army closed ranks, blocked all roads surrounding Connel, and formed one continuous circle around the doomed city. No longer did they skulk in the shadows or crouch low against the dirt. Not a single clear path existed through their dark ranks. As the torches and surrounding fires danced with hell-like glee, the snow that reached the flames sizzled into steam. Newly wet wood gave off a white smoke as it burned, and the host of goblins appeared as if blessed by some unholy dragon’s breath.
“Chal,” Sazar called out to the goblin behind him. “Does this meet with your approval?”
“I like that we are not hiding, but why don’t we attack?” the goblin asked almost innocently, if that were possible.
“Because I do not believe we will have to,” the serp answered firmly.
Sazar then channeled his commands to the razor crows and hook hawks that remained near the trees to the west. In mere moments, the dark, thin, almost knife-like crows circled the goblins overhead. Their V-shaped bodies floated in the glow of the fires beneath them and their black wings accented the white snow falling out of the shadows from above. The hook hawks took to flight at a much higher altitude and soared in swooping patterns over the center of the besieged city. Shrieking upon the serp’s orders, their calls penetrated every dark alley and every basement shelter. No one in Connel could ignore the horror they now faced.
“I am ordering the shags and bloat spiders to move as close to the city as possible without coming in range of any foolish archers. I am also calling for several goblin raiding packs to advance forward ahead of our main line. We will do the same and appear as just another pack of goblins. I want to be ready to enter the city when the time is right.”