Soldiers of Legend

by Stephen L. Nowland

  “Steady,” Marshald bellowed, “hold your positions and do not engage until ordered!” Aiden was struck with a sudden sense of repeated history, having seen all of this happen before over and over in his dreams. This time, they didn’t have a golden dragon to save them, nor a legendary warrior armoured in black.

  “What’s the range on your catapults, sarge?” Robert asked the dwarven engineer, who stood on the parapet with one of his younger men assisting him.

  “I wouldna think they’d go much past three hunnerd yards with any degree o’ accuracy,” Gordon mused. “I’ll give the order to shoot when it feels right. The ballistae will hit out past five hunnerd yards, but they lose penetrative power long before that so I’d be inclined to keep ‘em in reserve ‘til we see the whites o’ their eyes… which I’m guessin’ they don’t have.”

  “They look a bit different than the others we’ve seen,” Aiden mused, squinting at them over the brightness of the snow. “There’s something odd about their shoulders.”

  “Looks like they’re carrying something… oh hell,” he cursed in realization. “Get those people out of here!” he bellowed down to the civilians and wounded in the courtyard below. “Move them to the north end of the fort — don’t think, just do it, now!” The giant golems stopped a few hundred yards out and dropped a pile of boulders at their feet, each one roughly three feet across. Then, one by one the war machines picked up a rock and with a mighty heave of their powerful metal arms, hurled them towards the wall.

  “Incoming!” Marshald yelled as the rocks sailed through the air and thundered into the walls. The defenders took cover behind whatever they could find as the constant rumble of stone impacting on stone echoed through the mountains. Up close, as Aiden was, the noise was deafening. He covered his ears and crouched behind a crenulation as broken stone flew through the air around him.

  One of the incoming rocks crashed into a ballista and its crew further along the battlements, obliterating it in one hit and killing all three of its dwarven engineers. More and more people were struck as the punishing assault continued unabated for several minutes.

  “Are the walls going to hold against this?” Marshald asked Sergeant MacTavish from the shelter of the gate tower.

  “My boys did what they could for the walls, but I wouldna expect them to last a day under this sort of assault!” the engineer shouted back. At that moment, Captain Marshald’s decision to take cover behind one of the two gate towers proved to be ill-fated when two giant rocks smashed into it simultaneously, levelling the small tower and tossing the broken bodies of the captain and three of his men into the courtyard. Aiden watched them fall, unable to look away as the captain was taken from them.

  “Sergeant, get those ballistae shooting, now!” Robert roared. Gordon nodded his understanding and frantically signalled the nearby ballista turrets to commence. They took careful aim and began sending bolts of iron through the air towards the distant enemy. Aiden didn’t dare risk peering over the protective stonework with the barrage of stone still crashing into the old wall, and he could only hope their counter-attack was having some effect.

  I could slow their assault for a time, if I was to fly out and attack, Spartan offered to Aiden from just below the wall where he sat waiting for orders.

  “If the Ironlord is out there, it might use that death magic on you,” Aiden called back, hoping he could be understood over the noise. “You’re too valuable a target to lose this early in the fight.” Spartan growled a low purr of frustration but continued to wait.

  A minute later, the barrage ceased, leaving only the cries of the wounded and the howl of the wind to break the silence. Aiden risked a peek over the wall and saw the fifteen legionnaires had finally run out of ammunition and were advancing on the fort, one lumbering stride at a time. Robert also took stock of the situation and rose to his feet, a figure of resolve amongst the chaos of the siege.

  “In the absence of proper leadership, I am taking command,” he roared across the battlements. “I’m not your king or your captain, and I’m sure as hell not your mother. What I am is a survivor, and if you follow my orders, we just might make it out of this in one piece. I’m also a hell-spawned son of a bitch, and if I see anyone deserting their post, I’ll personally chase you down and cut your bloody head off. We are making our stand right here, right now! Sergeant MacTavish, hit ‘em with what you’ve got. Everyone else, be ready for my order to engage.”

  His speech had a powerful effect upon the defenders, who steeled their resolve in the wake of the brutal opening assault from their enemy. The dwarven engineer conferred with one of his assistants and within moments, shouted out co-ordinates to the catapult crews.

  The mighty siege engines were loaded with metal balls the same size as the rocks that had been thrown against the walls, and within moments, were sent hurtling through the air with a snap of the reinforced wooden arm. One by one all of the catapults unleashed their deadly payload and Aiden watched from the wall, transfixed by the sight as they rained down upon the legionnaires.

  Only two of them struck true, but the impact was loud enough to be heard throughout the area. One of the war golems had its head caved in completely, and the other took the blow on its oversized chest. Both of them staggered under the force of the impact, but quickly recovered. Neither of them stopped their advance, leading Aiden to the obvious conclusion that their heads were purely ornamental in nature. They closed in on the gaping hole in the ground that served as the fort’s moat, and Robert decided they were now close enough for a proper response.

  “Archers and wizards, engage the enemy!” he bellowed, pointing his sword at the enemy. The defenders of Highmarch responded to his call — the archers of Acadia and the Royal Rangers shot their armour-piercing arrows, showering the golems in sharp metal, and the elven wizards invoked bolts of lightning and bursts of acid which slowed and scorched their armoured skin.

  “I think now be a good time to try our secret weapon,” Gordon suggested to his bearded assistants. One of them raised a red flag and waved it back and forth, a pre-arranged signal to the catapult crews. The tarpaulins were drawn back from the barrels underneath, which were quickly loaded onto the siege engines. Adjustments were made and within moments, the barrels were hurled through the air towards their unsuspecting targets.

  Again, less than half of the barrels actually struck their targets, but each and every one of them exploded with terrific force, blanketing the area in fire and thick black smoke, and stunning the defenders with the force of the detonation. Aiden’s ears were ringing from the blast, but he heard the riotous cheers from the dwarven crews well enough.

  “Sarge, what the hell was in those barrels?” Aiden asked, shouting over the noise in his ears. The stoic engineer simply winked at him, a faint smile visible on his bearded face. Eager to see the results, Aiden leaned over the wall and waited for the thick black smoke to dissipate.

  There was movement in amongst the cloud, and several legionnaires strode forth, smoke and fire billowing from their armoured hides. But as the air cleared, two of the war machines appeared to be little more than twisted hulks of metal, standing rigidly amongst the melted snow.

  “Nice work, Sarge,” Robert said.

  “Sayana should be up here,” Aiden lamented, silently cursing the inquisitors for taking her away. Glancing towards the courtyard, he saw them standing patiently near the main gate along with three hundred Akoran women, waiting for when they were needed. They’d never notice him.

  “Robert, I’m going to break Sayana out of jail,” Aiden informed the mercenary, who gave him a wolfish grin before turning his attention back to the battlefield before him.

  Aiden rushed down the stairs to the courtyard behind the gate, and then weaved through the throng, making his way toward the keep. The catapults hurled another barrage of explosive barrels as he headed past, and this time he covered his ears as the deafening report echoed across the frozen courtyard.

  He went through the
huge, thick doors into the keep, and made his way to the stairs leading down. The walls were grimy and thick with mould, giving the impression this area hadn’t been used a great deal in recent times. The air was moist and cold, and the only light was from sputtering torches set into the walls in metal sconces.

  Aiden hadn’t seen the keep’s jail on his previous visit, so he wasn’t entirely sure where he had to go. There were several passageways leading off from the central hall, any of which could lead to the dungeons. On an impulse, he checked the flagstones below and noticed fresh scuffmarks on the unclean surface, surely the result of the inquisitors dragging magically bound people through the hall.

  Trusting his instincts, he followed the trail along the left passageway which continued on for fifty yards or so, before arriving at a heavy metal door. It was locked, of course, but that wasn’t going to stop Aiden. Tracing the glyphs on his gauntlet, he felt the surge of power wash through his body and simply ripped the door from its hinges.

  The metal squealed in protest as he tossed it aside and stepped into the jail. Rows of barred cells were arrayed across the far side of the room, their depths obscured by long shadows cast by the sole torch on the wall. There were no guards — everyone who could hold a sword was out on the battlements, leaving any occupants unattended. Aiden summoned his arcane light and moved in, peering into each cell in the hope of locating his friends.

  “Oh Sy,” he whispered mournfully when he saw the sorceress in the central cell. She had been chained to the wall several feet from the floor, her limbs restrained by an assortment of restraints crossing her body. A look of hollow despondency was on her face as she looked up to see Aiden outside.

  Without hesitation, Aiden pulled on the door until the lock ripped away, and hurried in to take stock of her situation. Her expression was heartbreaking, but he focused his efforts on the chains themselves.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here,” Aiden assured her, though he found her silence troubling.

  Upon closer inspection, he could see an assortment of runes and sigils upon the shining manacles. They appeared to be fashioned from vythir, and were far stronger than mere iron. He recognized some of the glyphs as suppressive in nature, preventing the wearer from manipulating energy by any means.

  “You can’t speak because of the manacles,” Aiden explained as he examined them closely. “I guess they can’t abide rogue wizards being able to use their tongue. I don’t see any way to get these off you — did they take the keys with them?” Sayana nodded with some difficulty, so tight were the chains around her head. He tried to use his augmented strength on the manacles, but they resisted his efforts and Sayana’s eyes went wide with pain. They were simply too tight.

  “I need something to get these open,” Aiden explained softly, trying to reassure her that he wasn’t about to give up. A dull explosion could be heard echoing from the courtyard above, reminding him of what was going on above.

  Sayana’s eyes glanced to her left, as if she was trying to indicate something. There was nothing helpful on the wall she was gesturing to, so Aiden peered around the corner into the next cell and saw a lump of darkness upon the floor. Looking closer, he saw a crop of blond hair and realized who it was.

  “Pace,” Aiden muttered, his feelings for his old friend mixed since he’d learned that Pacian was a murderer.

  “I would have thought you’d be too busy to come and gloat, what with that battle going on,” he murmured from the floor.

  “I’ve come here for Sayana, but they’ve got her properly chained up. I need you to break her out, and I don’t have time for speeches, drama or trying to wheedle your way out of this mess. If our friendship still means anything, please, help me out.” Pacian rolled over and looked directly at Aiden. He could see bruises, cuts and welts where he’d been beaten. The inquisition was not known for its subtlety.

  Aiden tore the door open and then dispelled the gauntlet’s power before it became too hot — he’d need it for later. Pacian was slowly beginning to rise from the floor, his sluggish movements suggesting his face wasn’t the only wounded part of his body.

  “See if you can find my gear,” he suggested to Aiden as he hobbled out of the cell. Aiden looked around and saw his equipment hanging from a hook on the opposite wall. The inquisitors had clearly been in a hurry. He handed it over to Pacian, who quickly sifted through one of the pouches and produced a set of lock picks.

  Aiden assisted him into Sayana’s cell, and watched as he went to work on the myriad locks that held her against the wall. The near-silence seemed awkward, because there was an unanswered question hanging between them.

  “Did you really kill an inquisitor?” Aiden asked quietly, unable to stop himself. He had to know.

  “Yeah, though I had my reasons,” Pacian replied soberly as he continued his work to free Sayana. “This right here? Sayana being locked up? This is one of them. The bastard must have followed us to Stonegaard and kept an eye on her or something.”

  “No regrets then?” Aiden pressed, sensing something else going on.

  “…I didn’t say that,” Pacian hedged, then fell silent as he opened all of the locks imprisoning Sayana. She dropped to the ground and rubbed feeling back into her tortured limbs.

  “I’ve freed you because we need your power fighting these things,” Aiden informed her. “But those inquisitors are in the courtyard, so you’re both going to have to keep out of sight or they’ll just haul you back down here again.”

  “I’m not going to be much use in this fight anyway,” Pacian muttered.

  “Thank you for freeing me,” Sayana finally said, “but I don’t think there is much I can do against those golems, either. They seem resistant to most of my attacks, like the one down under the desert.”

  “I’ve got some good news for you, then,” Aiden said as he escorted his friends to the door. “They seem to be vulnerable to heavy impacts.” Sayana seemed to consider this for a long moment as they headed towards the stairs.

  “I can work with that,” she responded, leaving Aiden to wonder what she had in mind. When they reached the exit to the fort, she stopped them and began weaving her hands together as he’d seen her do many times before.

  “I think I can copy Criosa’s incantation,” she mumbled absently, and then promptly vanished. “Okay, just head back onto the wall and I’ll follow in your wake,” she added with a disembodied voice.

  “I’ll blend into the crowd well enough,” Pacian said, “don’t worry about me.”

  Aiden once more weaved his way through the busy courtyard and the restless defenders, taking extra care to avoid the inquisitors near the gate, until he was finally back atop the wall. Looking over the battlefield, Aiden saw the wrecks of three more golems, with the rest of the legion withdrawing back towards the horizon chased by a flurry of arrows.

  “You turned them back?” Aiden asked Robert, who watched the scene with grim satisfaction.

  “I don’t think it was anything we did,” he responded. “They just couldn’t figure out how to get over the moat. A thirty-foot drop, half-filled with light snow is practically impossible to walk through, especially for something that weighs three tons. Just the fact that the Ironlord needs these things to soften the defences tells me it’s not invulnerable. And that gives me hope. Was your mission successful?”

  “Our friends are with us, even now,” Aiden replied somewhat cryptically, hoping Robert would understand. He nodded slowly, glancing around in a vain attempt to spot his invisible girlfriend. His search was interrupted when the sharp-eyed elves warned of more incoming boulders.

  “Here it comes again,” the mercenary winced as everyone took cover. Again, the wall took a beating from a shower of boulders. For long minutes they endured the assault, and Aiden was alarmed to notice great cracks appearing in the wall. The barrage stopped abruptly however, and when he peeked over the parapet, he almost didn’t believe what he saw coming their way.

  Towering over the battlefield
came the Lassitus, a towering construct of vaguely humanoid shape, but hunched over, with massive shoulders and arms ten feet thick. Great scars rent its metal hide, and its right leg and arm didn’t seem to move as freely as the other side, a legacy of the battle against the Ironlord it had lost ages ago.

  Each of the Lassitus’ plodding footsteps shook the earth, and a cry of dismay went up from the defenders at the sight of the colossus bearing down upon them.

  “You will hold this wall,” Robert roared over the tumult. “We are not done here yet, ladies and gentlemen.”

  “But it’s huge!” Colt shouted back from his position further down the wall.

  “Then you shouldn’t have any trouble hitting it!” Robert bellowed.

  “As if the Ironlord wasn’t enough by itself, we have to deal with this thing too,” Aiden muttered, briefly considering unleashing Salinder’s last energy upon it.

  “Sergeant, send a volley at that behemoth, if you please,” Robert interrupted. “If you hit it with every shot, I’ll buy your lads a beer when this is all over.”

  “Right you are, Commander,” Gordon answered, and signalled his catapult teams to ready another barrage. The engineers worked quickly and when ready, the catapults sent their payload high into the air, sailing through the sky and smashing into the front of the Lassitus.

  The barrels exploded upon impact, covering its gargantuan torso in fire and smoke, but it kept on walking towards the fort, heedless of the fires wreathing it.

  “You didn’t mention I had to fight that thing,” Sayana hissed next to Aiden’s ear. He didn’t answer, transfixed by the sheer scale of the construct as it balled up its fists and took its first steps into the moat.

  “Sarge, give it another volley of the solid rounds!” Robert roared over the top of the deafening sounds of the battle. The catapults, already loaded, sent their payloads high into the air once more, and this time not a single shot missed the giant target, pummelling it with boulders.