Delver Magic Book III: Balance of Fate
Page 44
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“We have to surrender,” the mayor stated with a tone of desperation.
“Surrender? To Goblins?” Captain Tevor found this solution to be no solution at all.
“We have no choice,” Mayor Flisher responded while casting a frantic look out to the goblin horde that surrounded the city. “What can we do against this? We can’t run; they have us surrounded. We can’t hold them off; we have no walls, they would be on us in moments.”
“We can fight,” Tevor offered stubbornly.
The mayor pointed out to the throng of goblins. “Against that?”
“The cavalry is ready and my infantry is entrenched. We’ve been training the civilians in case of another attack by the dwarves, we might as well call them in now. It may be enough.”
“It’ll be enough to start a panic and make things a hundred times worse.”
“With all due respect, you’re wrong about the panic. Most of the people already know we’re surrounded. It’s not like the goblins are making themselves hard to notice. We sound out the alarm just as we planned to do under another dwarf attack. Some people will go to where they’re supposed to go and be ready to fight, some will hide. At least we’ll know what we’ve got. The sun is starting to rise, so even with the snow, it’s getting lighter. The snow is in our favor, too. It will slow them down.”
“And with all due respect to you,” the mayor responded, “how much do you think it’s going to matter if they have to march through ankle deep snow? They’re already on us. They’ve even moved shags, spiders and small goblin raiding parties almost up to our doorstep. They’ve got those strange hawks flying over our heads right now and those crows waiting right above the goblins. We didn’t train our people to fight against that. How many experienced soldiers do you really have left? The dwarves decimated our forces. Look at the number of goblins out there. Do you honestly think we have even the slightest chance of avoiding annihilation? Tell me with all honesty that you think the forces under your command can possibly find a victory and I’ll pick up a sword and join you, but it can’t be a suicide charge.”
“Surrendering may be the same as suicide,” Tevor offered with a dark expression. “They might not take prisoners, and even if they do, we have no idea how they might treat them. Godson, they might eat us, we just don’t know. Look, I appreciate what you’re thinking. You’ve already saved most of my men. I would have sent out the cavalry when they started raiding the farms. They would have all been slaughtered and I probably would have marched out there to die with them, but if it’s a choice between fighting and surrendering, I think all of them would rather fight.”
“Do you think there is any kind of chance we can stop them if they attacked?” the mayor asked flatly.
“There’s always a chance,” Tevor stated stubbornly.
“Yes, there’s always a chance for a miracle,” the mayor allowed, “but there also has to be time for realism. This time I’m not going to ask you if there’s a chance, I want you to be honest with me, as honest as you can be to your soldiers when their life is on the line. What do you believe will happen if the goblins move forward?”
Tevor bowed his head and looked at the snow covered ground. “I will order the cavalry to charge their weakest point which I believe is to the southwest. I believe if they concentrate their charge, they can break through the goblin line, though they will suffer a fair amount of casualties. I will also order them that once they break through to harass the enemy flank to the best of their ability, but if they come under heavy crossbow fire, which they will, I will tell them to retreat south then turn due east and head to the plains. Hopefully they can hook up with forces at Fort Nebran, and warn them of what went on here.”
“What about the rest of us here in the city?”
“I will order the infantry to remain entrenched and fight to the death, which I believe they will. That will hopefully cut deep into their numbers. At least they would if it were just goblins. So many shags out there have me worried. Those monsters can plow through our trenches with ease. That’s probably why they’re up front. I will have my best archers try to pick off the shags and that might help.”
“And if the hawks or the crows interfere with the archers?” Flisher asked.
“Let’s hope they don’t. In the end, even if we do cut into their numbers, there are still too many goblins to defeat. They will eventually overrun us and move into the city streets. If we get some luck with the shags and if the infantry can kill as many goblins as I hope they can, they might not want to venture further into the city where we can have the civilians armed and ready.”
“And what would happen if they didn’t stop?”
“They’ll wipe us all out,” Tevor answered solemnly.
The mayor heaved a heavy breath. “Even with all the hope in the world, you just admitted we can’t fight them off. In fact, you admitted we would be dooming our entire guard force.”
“As I said, we may be doomed anyway. At least, maybe we can get some of the cavalry out, and if we inflict enough losses, there may be some small hope that we can save the interior part of the city.”
“I’m sorry, Captain, but that’s not good enough.” Mayor Helen Flisher made a final decision quickly. “I want you to pull your infantry back, but you may leave the cavalry where they are. We will raise a white flag and send out four unarmed riders in each direction of the compass to stop just before they reach where the shags are positioned. Ask for volunteers, as they might not come back alive. If they are approached, they are to tell the invaders we surrender, but that we have women and children and we need to understand their terms. They are to ask for representatives to come to the city’s border. I will then meet with them so they can deliver their terms directly to me so I can have them followed out. If they will not let us surrender, we will know then. At that point, you can order your cavalry to make an attempt to escape to the southwest. The rest of us will all fall back to the city center and fight together, to the death if that’s what happens.”
Captain Tevor knew there was no point in debating. “I’ll see to it.”