by Kyle West
At various hours of the day, we kept the Southern Pass clear of refugees to give our soldiers the chance to drill. I watched their progress, seeing how they switched regiments without forming a gap in the line. In this way, the line could be held indefinitely. At least, in theory.
Meanwhile, the artillery – ballistae only for now – was set up in the branches of Haventree. All told, there were one hundred and six useable pieces, and almost all of them old. Some had even been built during the previous Mindless Wars, a conflict that had ended over a hundred years ago. There were too few men skilled enough to see to their repair, and Haven’s forges worked nonstop in the Roots, day and night, preparing for the eventual onslaught, casting hundreds upon hundreds of bolts that, with luck, would bring down the Radaskim dragons.
As for the Novan army, it had completely vacated its former spot, leaving behind a large amount of food and supplies. This was emptied out within a day. It was more food than we knew what to do with at first. Wisely, Elder Arminius suggested half of it be sent north, toward the Sanctum, in case the worst happened, and the battle went ill. Knowing this to be a strong possibility, I gave the order. That food would save many lives if the worst happened, while the remaining half could be used to prolong the siege here.
A few days before the Radaskim were due to arrive, a hundred Seekers, many of them with dragons, arrived in Haven Palace, pledging themselves to the defense of the city. It was not a moment too soon, and I felt that the Elders waited too long to bring them here to help with the preparation. The Seekers and their charges who had come to join me in Kalear, including Deanna, Aela, and Amalia, reunited with their brethren and would be fighting on the front lines.
The days grew darker as all gathered to Haven for what appeared to be a battle to decide the fate of not just the Red Wild, but the world. It wasn’t just the approaching winter solstice. It was as if Odium’s evil presence were fighting the sun itself. The air began to smell of smoke and ruin. I made the executive decision to take my friends on a scouting expedition south of the canyon to get the lay of the land, despite the Elders’ protest. The smoke was thick, and at night, the horizon glowed with flames. Every day that passed, the smoke and dust only grew thicker, until one morning, we woke up to a sky that was a gray pall that not even the sun could break through.
The days grew quiet and somber. If anything, Odium’s army was proceeding at a slower rate than we had anticipated. Any slower, and we would run short of food during the battle itself. We were faced with a hard choice, a choice for which Fiona decided to take the fall, so that I wouldn’t lose support among the people. She ordered the refugees to be put on three-quarters rations, as a temporary measure. The people were livid, threatening to riot, but the soldiers would not allow them back into the canyon. Some left for greener pastures, but most remained behind.
But even that decision wasn’t to last long. Shen’s airships finally arrived, with their land army just a few days behind. While they didn’t have much food on board their ships, they promised that they had gathered as much as they could from Colonia, enough to last us several weeks more. The refugees, once again, were put on full rations.
The sight of the air flotilla hovering above the tree city inspired wonder and courage in all. None had ever seen such a sight. Morale was boosted, despite the darkness of the days, and the people worked faster toward the one purpose of preparing the canyon for the greatest battle it would ever see in its history. As the men drilled in the canyon below, the Shen ships performed their own drills above, their movements surprisingly swift and coordinated. The dragons, ones with riders and ones without, worked with the ships under Mian’s orders, learning to protect the precious vessels from potential attacks. For the first time in history, the Dragonguard of Colonia and the Dragonriders of the Annajen and Makai worked in tandem, for the mutual good of all.
And then the time came, two long weeks after the attempt on my life. Odium’s forces were only ten miles away now, their progress slowing as they drew closer to Haven. Radaskim scouting parties of dragons and crawlers openly showed themselves day and night. Already, they were taking control of the upper plain that would become the staging ground for the assault on the canyon itself.
At all times, troops were stationed at the entrance of the pass, while Shen’s airships, the dragons, and the riders were all on standby. The pre-arranged contingent of troops were sent to the Selvan Pass, which the Colonian troops were passing through just now, troops which were due to arrive in one more day at Haven’s Roots.
At this point, many of the refugees had fled. Over half of the tents in the northern camp had been abandoned, as news of the Radaskim’s forces on the southern plain had spread.
All that was left was to wait for the storm to break.
Chapter 26
The day before the battle was joined, the Colonian and Shen troops finally arrived at Haven, setting up their tents in the canyon to the east of the city. As promised by Guardian Mian, they came with large amounts of food, which would keep the city and army going a little longer. For hours, the carts rolled into the Roots of Haven, drawn by teams of oxen. The food was sorted and stored in Haven’s warehouses, built into the gnarly roots of the tree city.
The white-robed Shen bore equal parts long pikes and muskets, but I noticed something was missing from their ranks. Their famous mechs were nowhere in sight, having been left behind in Colonia to keep the peace after Guardian Mian realized that they couldn’t make their way through the thick Selvan.
But Odium’s main force was still not visible on the southern plain. They had paused for some reason. Catching their breath, maybe, if such monsters even needed that. It was the first time their advance had completely halted, and no one knew why. The crawlers were hiding somewhere. When I reached for the Xenofold to get a feel for the enemy, there was nothing but hazy images, curiously blocked. I had the feeling that Odium was keeping me from seeing his forces.
Like the ground forces, the Radaskim dragons were out of sight. The Colonian Dragonguard, who were serving as our scouts, had seen no sign of them. A golden haze rose out of the south, a haze that people were calling dust, but seemed to be something else entirely.
“What is it?” Shara asked, as we surveyed the southern plain from a wooden watchtower built along the southern rim of the canyon.
I peered into the distance. The entire horizon was obscured from view, lost to that haze.
“The swarm is coming, I think,” I said.
“The Dragonguard said otherwise,” Shara said. “Could be that they’re moving now, after the Riders departed.”
Isa watched with us. “It somehow feels . . . wrong.”
I looked back at Haven. The top of the tree was visible below the rim of the canyon. Above it, about a dozen dragons circled, all taken from Isaru’s former Mindless host. Several of Guardian Mian’s airships floated above the city, tethered to the tree’s upper branches.
It was tempting to order the army to begin assembling for battle when the Radaskim were so close. That haze, though, made it difficult to know when the battle would begin.
Perhaps that was Odium’s intention.
And so, we watched, and we waited. Afternoon dragged into evening, and the red sunset cast a bloody haze on the western horizon, aided by the dust. I felt a strange dread growing, something that had nothing to do with the battle coming up. Isa was right; something was off.
We stayed out there, keeping watch with the other forward towers. When night came, the stars themselves seemed dimmer than usual. Only the brightest of the stars and planets were visible.
“The haze has moved over us already,” I said. “It’ll start soon.”
“Time to deploy?” Shara asked.
I gazed toward the horizon, meanwhile reaching out for the Xenofold. The haze was not only in the physical world, but in my mind. I felt Odium’s malevolence approaching, a sense of doom that could not be averted.
“Yes,” I said. “Time to go.”
We left the tower behind, taking the dragons to Lord Harrow’s command post in the Roots. We found him there, conferring with Captain Dailyn, along with Fiona and Isaru.
Harrow looked up as we approached. “Captain Dailyn has returned from his expedition. The Radaskim are on the move. They’ll be here either tonight, or tomorrow morning.”
I closed my eyes, feeling a strange sense of relief, because at least I knew when the battle would begin. The waiting, in a way, felt worse than what was going to come. “Order the men to assemble and inform Guardian Mian to ready his ships.”
Lord Harrow nodded. “At once, Elekim.”
“And my men?” Captain Dailyn asked.
I looked over at him. “Don’t engage. Just keep an eye on things and report any developments to Lord Harrow or me.”
“Will do,” he said. He placed a fist over his heart and headed out from the tent.
“So, I guess it’s finally starting,” Shara said.
All of us grew silent contemplating that very fact. Within hours, perhaps, we would be fighting the first waves of attackers. It didn’t feel real. But it was happening.
Now, we got to see what all our preparation was worth.
Chapter 27
When dawn came, we could hear our enemies but not see them. The haze enveloped all, turning the morning sun into a blood-red drop rising in the east. The plain south of the canyon had been completely abandoned and given over to Odium. The high shrieks of crawlers haunted the land above, and it was impossible to tell just how many there were.
There was nothing for the men on the ground to do but wait for the inevitable assault on Haven itself. The soldiers stood at the base of the Southern Pass, hundreds of pikes forming a wall intended to skewer every crawler that closed in.
Meanwhile, I flew with most of the converted Mindless dragons at my back. I could feel the Radaskim out there. I sensed the sheer enormity of what we were facing – several thousand dragons and tens of thousands of crawlers, just as the High Priests of Colonia had warned.
It was hard to imagine such a colossal force. There must have been hundreds of those giant billowing vessels we had seen outside Dragonspire to ferry those numbers here. They had slept for centuries. And now, they hungered. I could feel it.
Floating above the canyon were some one hundred ships of Shen’s air force, half obscured by the haze, with their silver casings glowing bloody red from the dawn. They remained in place, to provide the cover fire necessary to protect the ground forces.
Shara edged her dragon, Red Tail, closer to mine. “What are we going to do about this dust?”
I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it wasn’t dust. “I don’t know if we can do anything about it, Shara.”
“Must be something of an army to kick up this much.”
Whatever it was, it wasn’t lethal to breathe it. At least, not immediately.
I reached for Silence and connected my mind to everyone else around me. I can feel them out there, coming closer. Be ready.
We circled above the ground troops in the canyon below. The sun brightened a bit but did little to further illumine the haze.
But then, a resounding report sounded in the morning air, echoing off the canyon walls. The first shot of the war had been fired.
Around, Flame!
Flame banked sharply in the direction of the disturbance. Smoke rose out of one of the cannons of a leading airship. A misfire, perhaps, because I couldn’t see what it had been aiming at. But it was soon clear that the cannoneer had seen something that I hadn’t. For above the canyon rim, half-obscured by haze, came the flying forms of Radaskim dragons. There were only a few at first, but then, well over a hundred.
Line up! I ordered.
As our dragon forces rearranged themselves, preparing to meet the threat, Shen’s airships were turning broadside. More cannon reports sounded out, like a hundred whips cracking at once, echoing off the canyon walls in a near-deafening cacophony.
Several Radaskim dragons fell to the initial volley, but many more replaced the falling monsters. Some would surely break through the fire, as deadly as it was.
Come in from below! I called. Don’t let them reach the ships!
The din of cannon fire drowned out everything as we flew upward to intercept the advancing Radaskim. But I was quickly finding out that our assistance would not be needed. The cannons were tearing the dragons to shreds. They were eviscerated in midair, limbs and wings being dismembered in a flash, as if they were nothing more than insects. They screeched in agony as they circled and crashed toward the canyon floor below. Tens of dragons were falling, now, well over half of the attacking force.
I ordered our own dragons to halt the advance and continued to watch the carnage play out. The cannons were still firing by the time the attacking force swerved aside, retreating to the safety of the southern plain. Even so, they were torn by the coordinated fire of the airships, and dozens more fell before the last few were lost to the haze.
When the echoing din of the cannons ceased, I could hear the men below cheering. But it didn’t last for long. A new sound could be heard emanating from the plain above. It started as a low drone that grew in intensity as the seconds passed. It was like the approaching of a locust swarm. The sound swelled, until it was all I could hear, until my head was ringing with it.
That was when the crawlers appeared. They poured down the Southern Pass in a teeming mass. They scuttled forward by the hundreds on their multiple legs, their glowing white eyes, three on each creature, glowing balefully in the gloom. There were hundreds of them, and by the time they reached the pikemen below, there would be thousands. It was an unending stream, a river of monsters seemingly without end. They were moving with frightening speed, and it wouldn’t take long for them to reach the bottom.
That was when the Radaskim dragons returned from the haze, jaws agape and shrieking.
“Forward!” I cried, but my voice was lost to the din. But my friends, and the dragons behind me, seemed to get the message.
Again, the Radaskim gunned for the airships, and this time, they would not retreat. But we would reach them first.
Our two forces clashed, a storm of wings, claws, and teeth.
* * *
I was barely conscious of my own actions as Flame and I became one, him weaving in and out of the Radaskim, landing bites and body slams, while I slashed with my blade wherever possible. It didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t being effective; I needed a lance more than a blade, like the Colonian Dragonguard.
As it stood, I was endangering myself, along with my friends.
Pull back, I said to my friends. We’ll be more useful somewhere else.
We were still on the outside of the dragon cloud, fighting together, so getting out wasn’t too difficult. But Isaru was fighting two separate Radaskim, so Shara and I urged our dragons toward his rescue. His dragon sank a deep bite into one of the dragons’ necks, but this left Isaru vulnerable to the other dragon, which was now forcing him groundward from above. Flame attacked this dragon, while Shara and Red Tail guarded Isaru from further attacks.
Hold fast, Elekim, Flame said.
That was all the warning I got before Flame slammed into the Radaskim above, dislodging its hold on Isaru’s dragon, which had a series of deep bitemarks, out of which leaked dark violet blood. Shara guided Red Tail away from the confrontation. Isaru and I followed her away from the fight.
Isaru’s dragon cried out in pain. Fiona’s dragon and Isa flew on its either side, helping it along.
Let’s get you to the tree, I said to the dragon. Be strong.
We escorted Isaru and his wounded dragon back toward Haven while some other Elekai dragons guarded our retreat. Several of Shen’s airships were also making their way toward us. I noticed that most of the airships seemed to be engaged with another force of Radaskim toward the north.
A surprise attack, then.
And all the while, the crawlers continued to surge downward f
rom the canyon’s rim. They still hadn’t reached the troops waiting below, such was the distance of the pass.
But for now, we had other concerns. Isaru’s dragon was weakening. Its eyes were lidded as the beating of its wings slowed.
Forgive me, Elekim . . .
He wasn’t going to make it. And if the dragon didn’t make it, Isaru wouldn’t, either. We needed to get him grounded, but even thinking that, I knew the ground was too far away.
Flame came closer, recognizing the danger. Isaru’s dragon was now all but falling. Isaru held on, his eyes terrified.
Dive, Flame!
Flame dove. The ground rose to meet us startlingly fast. Flame and I were catching up, but not fast enough it seemed.
Then, when there was less than a few hundred feet between us and the ground, Flame managed to get under Isaru’s dragon.
Now, Isaru!
Isaru leapt for all he was worth. Isaru crashed right into me, nearly knocking me off Flame. I held on tightly while Isaru’s legs wrapped around me in viselike grip. I ignored the pain.
Up, Flame!
Isaru’s dragon crashed into the ground, but we didn’t even have time to mourn. My heart was heavy, even though we were temporarily safe. My decision to engage had led to his death, and he had given his life to save Isaru.
In the end, there was nothing else I could do.
* * *
We landed on Haven’s upper veranda, allowing our dragons to rest while we took stock of the situation. Above us, the airships were still unleashing new volleys toward the north, beating back the incursion. I was pleased that Guardian Mian’s estimation of his airships’ abilities had not been exaggerated.
But we still had to figure out what to do, since Isaru no longer had a dragon. He stared hollowly at the battlefield.
“You okay?” I asked.
His gray eyes refocused. “I was just beginning to know him,” he said. “I was sensing the beginning of a lifelong friendship.”