by Tony Johnson
“I know you think your way is the best way, but you're abandoning Casanovia and its people. Please change your mind and stay,” Steve now took his turn to sway the mind of the light-brown skinned, middle-aged warrior who believed the exact opposite of what he did. “We have a better chance of winning if we stick together. Your city is in its greatest hour of need and you're abandoning it.
“I'm not staying!” Nereus made his decision clear. “And I'll do everything in my power to get as many people as I can to come with me. Do you know for the past fifteen minutes I've waited here, thinking about killing you?” He weighed his sword in his hand. “I'd be able to justify it too, because I'd be saving everyone in this city. They’d all follow me if it wasn’t for you.”
Finally sheathing his weapon, he finished, “But I won't kill you, because I'm the good guy in all this and I want to keep it that way. I'm the one trying to save everyone, while you’re the one who's going to get everyone killed. I know I'm doing the right thing.”
“And I know I'm doing the right thing,” Steve claimed.
Just as Grizz had stormed off minutes prior, the commander stormed off, his cloak flapping in the wind behind him. Entering the infirmary, Steve was disappointed to find Kari in the same condition he had as when he left her in the late afternoon. Sitting in his chair next to her bed, he said a prayer, took her hand, kissed it, and remained holding it as he dozed off, still in his armor.
In her subconscious slumber, Kari’s fingers twitched inside the hand encompassing them, her first sign of life in days, but Steve missed it because he was already asleep.
Chapter 95
“You need to wake up, Stephen,” a voice called desperately to the sleeping warrior. No longer lost in his daily nightmares of the attack on Celestial, Steve’s anxiety had caused his dreams to shift to ones of the monster army overrunning Casanovia.
“Wake up!” Rylan repeated, more loudly.
Grabbing for his sword in an alarmed state, Steve settled down once he recognized he was in the infirmary and that someone trustworthy was the one awaking him.
“Rylan?” Steve wiped the sleep from his eyes. “What is it?”
“Someone killed Krater last night. They knocked out the guard and tortured the orc to death by the looks of it. I’m guessing it was your friend, the Dwarf.”
Growling in anger, Steve was furious at Grizz’s continued streak of taking things into his own hands and handling them however he saw fit.
“That’s not our only problem,” Rylan added. “There are tons of people lining up at the city’s main exit to head to Misengard.”
“This early? The sun has barely risen for the day!” Steve looked out the window to judge the time.
“I’ve got a horse for each of us waiting outside. We should head to the gates as quickly as possible and make a last-ditch plea to get these people to stay.”
Galloping to the main gate, Steve and Rylan had only reached the northwestern watchtower and already, the single-file line of people could be seen. Mothers were busy soothing children worried about being displaced, while fathers rechecked all the belongings they’d packed onto the backs of horses, mules, and oxen, making sure they hadn’t forgotten anything in the rush to evacuate. Some of the animals were attached to carts or wagons they could pull, which people sat in, waiting for Commander Nereus to lead them out of the city.
There must be hundreds of them! Steve was bewildered. And it’s so early, their numbers are only going to keep growing.
Steve had every intention to follow Rylan’s plan and begin convincing people not to abandon Casanovia, but once he got to the front of the long caravan, he saw Grizz and all his issues with the Dwarf’s actions over the past several days came to a head.
“Steve!” Ty and Shana moved to greet their friend and inform him of their problematic night of persuading people, while Copper bounded up behind them. Ignoring his friends, with his eyes set only on the bald, bearded Dwarf, Steve pushed past the Elf, Human, and direfox, walked up to Grizz, and sucker-punched him in the jaw.
“I ordered you not to touch him!” Steve shouted.
“What are you talking about?” Grizz pushed Steve back instinctively, creating space between them so he could have a second to figure out why the warrior hit him.
“You killed Krater!”
“I did not,” Grizz scoffed at the accusation and turned his back on Steve to continue conversing with civilians.
Pushing the Dwarf in the back, Steve wouldn’t let it go. “You’re lying!”
Annoyed at Steve as if he were a pestering fly, Grizz punched Steve in the stomach with his metal gauntlet. Even though he was in his plate of armor, Steve doubled over from the blow. Unrelenting, Grizz pushed Steve down the second he got up to his feet.
His face burning from embarrassment and anger, especially knowing everyone in the evacuation line was nudging each other, pointing out the fight between the two heroes, Steve drew Brightflame from its sheath.
Sighing, knowing Steve needed to be taught to let things go and stop meddling in his business, Grizz drew Skullcleaver and used the impeccable craftsmanship of his axe’s staff to block the warrior’s attempt to chop the iron pole in two. Designed not to succumb to even the sharpest blade, it caused Brightflame to recoil, allowing Grizz to jab the butt end of his weapon into Steve’s chest.
Even thought he was attacked without an element, Steve crumpled to the ground on all fours from the blow, gasping for air.
“You’re a joke!” Grizz bent down and yelled in Steve’s ear as the warrior tried to catch his breath. “When I first met you, you were barely alive. From what I’ve heard, Silas nearly killed you. Jarek would’ve killed you if it wasn’t for the kraken, and now you can barely even strike me, and I'm not even a trained warrior!” Grizz had already proven his point, but he once again struck Steve, hitting him across the back, making him fall to his stomach.
“I’m not even using my element against you! What do you think Silas is going to do to you?” Grizz asked in all seriousness. “You're just a nineteen-year-old kid, trying to make a legend of yourself like Oliver Zoran did. Get this straight,” the Halfman tried his best to break through to the warrior he believed was acting irrationally, considering what they were up against, “You’re not going to make a stand here, save this city, and have stories told about you.”
“I’m not doing this for fame! That’s not why I’m staying here!” Steve tried arguing against Grizz’s assumption, but the Dwarf wasn't having any of it.
“Every person you convince not to follow Nereus you're sending to the slaughter. Their blood will be on your hands!”
“Guys, stop!” Ty and Shana yelled breathlessly, running up to the fight to put an end to it. Even Copper added in his growls, letting the two know he was displeased with their actions.
“Why did you kill Krater?” Steve glared at Grizz after Ty grabbed under his arm to help him to his feet.
“I didn’t. I told you that already.”
“He didn’t,” Ty corroborated.
“You know?” Steve asked his brother. “Who was it?”
Grizz answered for the Elf. “If that person wants to tell you, then they can tell you themselves. Ty and I aren’t going to rat them out.”
“It was me!” Shana confessed. “I killed the orc. I needed to know what the monster knew. This is my city. I can't let it fall. If what he could tell us could save even one life then its okay with me if I hurt him a little.”
“Hurt him? You killed him!” Steve was livid.
“I didn’t mean for him to die. Honestly. It was an accident.” Then, explaining to Steve, what she had already told Grizz and Ty that morning, Shana revealed what Krater told her. “Silas’s half of the army is splitting into two. One half will attack Casanovia, and the other is heading straight past here to go directly to Misengard. The half heading to Misengard is led by the Python.”
“What’s going on here?” Commander Ne
reus rode up to the four of them, having seen the commotion as well.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Steve responded bitterly, still upset about Nereus ambushing him in the alley the previous night.
“Are you almost ready, Grizz? We’re going to be leaving soon.”
“You're leaving?” Steve was surprised.
“Of course I am. My only mission is to kill the Python and the goblins that attacked Serendale and killed my family.” Grizz motioned to the long line of people. “We’ll all make it there before the monsters do and that's where we can make our stand and I’ll get my revenge. You should come with us.”
“Come on, Steve,” Nereus encouraged him from atop his horse. “This is your last chance. We’re estimating that we’ll have one-third of the city leaving with us two hours from now when we’re ready to set out. The rest either wholeheartedly believe like you and think Casanovia can win, or they don’t want to leave their homes and travel such a great distance. You can help convince them to join us. Neither city stands a chance with Casanovia’s people divided, but together, in Misengard, we can put up a fight.”
“Even though the odds here are slightly better since the army is splitting, you're still vastly outnumbered,” Grizz reasoned. “You can't win here.”
“Plus,” Nereus added, “we received letters back from Bogmire and Misengard in the night. Neither city will be able to provide enough manpower with such short notice. There’s no help to be had.”
“Steve,” Ty pulled him aside, “you know that whatever you choose, I’m behind you one-hundred percent. But I want to make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons. Do you remember back in the sewers you ran forward to fight the two skeletons and the orc even when I told you not too?” When Steve nodded, Ty continued, “We knew you were injured, but you wanted to kill those monsters because you were angry about Thatcher dying and Celestial’s destruction. Your emotions made you take an action that was less than wise. I understand that happens to everyone from time to time, but I want to make sure your decision to stay in Casanovia isn’t an emotional one because your choice here affects a whole lot more people than just you.”
Appreciating that Ty didn’t shy away from initiating tough conversations and that he often made him reanalyze situations through a different perspective, Steve was able to answer his brother, Nereus, and Grizz with utmost certainty in his final decision.
“I’m staying to fight. If we lose Casanovia, we’ll lose it all. We can’t wait until Misengard to fight back.”
Nereus shook his head, “I can see neither of us will change our minds. It's pointless to discuss this any further. We’ll be leaving soon. Good luck, Stephen Brightflame. I hope with all my heart you can save the city.”
Turning to Grizz, Steve said, “The others and I need to begin making battle plans. If you’re heading out with the caravan, I guess this is the end of our time together.”
“It’s probably for the best,” Grizz said, not meaning it to come across as rude, but as a sincere recognition that there was too much of a difference between Steve’s leadership and Grizz’s beliefs.
“I hope you can find the peace you’re looking for.”
“I will,” Grizz was certain of it. Then, with sense of guilt, he told Steve, “When Kari wakes up, please tell her I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help her. And tell her goodbye from me.”
“See you Grizz,” Ty came up and shook the Halfman’s hand. “Make sure those goblins know some of your axe strikes are from Tyrus Canard.
“Will do, Ty,” Grizz laughed, knowing he’d miss the friendly Elf.
After Shana said goodbye to Grizz, Grizz bent down and scratched behind Copper’s ears. “I guess you’re staying here with them, boy,” he whispered. “Keep them safe.”
Heading to the city square, with Ty, Shana, and the direfox, Steve saw that the plaza was already beginning to fill as people waited for him to give them instructions about Casanovia’s defense.
Among the crowd were warriors, blacksmiths, farmers, and all sorts of civilians from different walks of life. Steve was encouraged to see that there were more people gathered than there had been at Nereus’s announcement the previous night.
Walking up onto the stage and without a preplanned speech of what he was going to say, he spoke genuinely to all those surrounding him.
“Good morning. My name is Stephen Brightflame. I'm sure by now you have all heard about the attack on Celestial and the army led by Silas Zoran that is coming to attack Casanovia. I know a lot of people have evacuated the city, but you have stayed. I can't thank you enough for your bravery. It’s inspiring to me, and my friends here,” Steve pointed to Ty, Shana, Rylan, and Copper. “We are here for the same reason you are. We do not want what happened here three days ago to reoccur in this city or others. Casanovia is too vital to this kingdom to let it fall into the hands of monsters. I know some people are nervous about our odds against this army, but I believe we can win. They don't know we know they're coming. That is an advantage we can capitalize on.
“We need every able man. And if any women want to fight, you’re more than welcome. We will not tell you you can’t take up arms with us. My goal for this meeting is to discuss strategies for how we can defend this city. Let me first propose my ideas and then we can discuss them and hear yours. Anyone is free to suggest their thoughts, no matter how inconsequential. This is your city, so your voice matters.”
After giving people a minute to think about what strategies they would implement, Steve explained his plans. “What I think we need to do is barricade every side entrance to the city. It’ll cause chaos and confusion if monsters are breaking in from every side and running through the streets. If we can force them to attack the main gates and only the main gates, we can keep them contained.
“I want to use the hill leading up to Highland Woods north of the city. If we can hide archers there, we can fire arrow after arrow into their troops as they try to break through the heavily fortified main gate.”
“Won’t they charge up the hill and slaughter the archers?” a woman from the crowd shouted out.
“They will, but knowing they’ll do that, we’ll use it to our advantage. I’ll need volunteers to dig a giant trench at the bottom of the ridge. Think of it as a waterless moat. It’ll be so deep and wide that monsters won’t easily be able to gain access to the archers’ location. That’ll give time for some of the archers to release a variety of attacks down the hill. We’ll use flaming barrels of blackpowder, tripwire mines, and whatever other means necessary to ensure they don’t reach the top.”
“The hill you’re talking about is the steepest ridge in this province,” a man suggested. “We could chop down trees in the woods and roll the logs down at them.”
“And we could collect boulders from the area and do the same,” a teenager called out. “We’ll use the environment to our advantage.”
“We can also have a contingency plan,” Ty shared, “where if monsters get too close to the archers on the hill, they can douse the hill with as much pitch as possible and light it on fire. In the fire and smoke that’s created, the archers will be able to relocate to safer grounds.”
With the initial plans in place, everyone spent another hour discussing additional ideas. At the end of the time, Shana encapsulated the day’s agenda: “Our primary goal is to continue recruiting people willing to fight. Other than that, we need the trench dug. We need to collect all the pitch and blackpowder in the city and put it in one place. And I want all weapons and armor in Casanovia gathered in the Applewood Inn. All the city’s horses can be put in the arena. We have to know what we’re working with and the resources available to us and that’s best done by compiling them.”
Beginning to form teams and split into groups with the volunteering civilians, Shana gathered people to help carry out plans for the ridge, Rylan decided to start training anyone inexperienced with basic archery and swordfighting tips, and Steve took charge of
securing the city.
“I need anyone who is willing to collect chairs, tables, bookcases, and whatever else you can find and start barricading the six secondary city entrances. We need to shore up this city.”
“And if there’s anyone with demolitions experience, I’d like you to come speak with me,” Ty announced. “I have a special project I’m going to need your help on.”
“We’ll focus on these plans today,” Steve announced to everyone, “and meet back here tonight to see what we accomplished and make more plans for tomorrow. Be thinking about how we can combat the aerial monsters. With most of Casanovia’s killed in the first attack, they are our biggest threat.”
With enough ideas in place, and each person assigned a job to do, Steve called the meeting to end.
“Steve!” Ty gained his brother’s attention. “I know you’re working to collect items to block all exits to the city. Do you think you and your team could put some of those same types of furniture and block every door and alley along the main road at the entrance of the city?”
“Yeah, I’ll make sure that gets done.” With an inquisitive smile, Steve asked, “What are you planning?” knowing Ty had a knack for elaborate, out-of-the-box creative ideas.
But instead of answering, the Elf just said, “Oh, you’ll see,” and walked away.
“Hey, Ty,” Shana approached him, “if you have some free time today, do you think you could help me find a weapon I could use for the battle? I have no idea where to begin.”
“Sure, how about the hour before dinner, you and I meet up?” he offered, a little stressed it was one more thing to add to his plate, but then thought, It’ll be nice to have this to look forward to after a busy day of working. I’ve been wanting to spend more time with her.
“Sounds great. I’ll meet you in the land warriors’ barracks around that time. That’s where Steve is having all the extra weapons of the city collected so civilians can go there to get one if they don’t own one. It’ll be fun to pick one out that works for me.”