by Pedro Urvi
The mercenaries launched their attack on the western wall like a horde of savages, without order or leadership. The different groups began the attack on their own, as if they were fighting alone. They raced to the wall instead of keeping to a disciplined march, shouting as they ran: shrill, prolonged cries quite different from the short, deep roars of the Norghanians of the Thunder and Snow armies. The defenders saw them coming towards them so fast that they had no time to release more than three volleys of arrows before the mercenaries reached the foot of the wall. They put their ladders and ropes in place to start climbing, but the defenders exchanged their bows for weapons that were more effective at short range. The horde was welcomed with spears and javelins hurled from above.
The nobles by the eastern wall were the last to start into action, as if they were assessing the success or failure of the other forces before deciding whether or not to launch their own attack. Sven had to go to them with the Royal Guard to make the nobles attack the wall, and they were not too eager. Taking walls was not worthy of the nobility, and so they had informed Sven, but he (with the King’s approval) had ordered them to fight just like the others. The dukes, counts and lesser nobles of the East had not been happy about this. For them a duel with swords or a battle in the open on horseback was worthy of their lineage, whereas taking a wall and enduring a rain of arrows in the attempt was considered neither worthy nor honorable. That was for commoners.
Sven ordered them to take the wall, and finally, amid curses and oaths, the nobles obeyed. They sent their men into attack, but as they were militia and personal guards they were not even half as organized or disciplined as Thoran’s army soldiers – although they were considerably better than the mercenaries. The troops of the nobles opted for a quick advance, not quite at a run but very nearly, and with the same idea in their heads: to avoid the fusillade of arrows. What none of them had realized – though the army soldiers did – was that it was easier to protect yourself with your shield while marching than while running. The militia did not do it at all badly, and reached the foot of the wall without too many casualties as the Western soldiers released arrows and javelins at them.
The fighting at all four walls turned to carnage in the blink of an eye. The mercenaries and the noblemen’s troops were trying to climb while the defenders riddled them from the battlements. A few managed to reach the top, but were unable to secure their position. The archers and spear-carrying soldiers of the defenders pushed them back fiercely. They were defending their lands and their homes. They were not going to let the enemy take their walls without putting up a fierce defense.
As the soldiers of the Thunder and Snow armies tried to climb the walls, they received a barrage of arrows and rocks, together with something else which was feared by all soldiers: from above the two gates, boiling oil was poured on them. The soldiers screamed in horror as they were burnt. The battering rams were also being attacked with fire arrows, and the whole area where the boiling oil had fallen had caught fire, destroying the first rams and killing many of the soldiers who were defending them.
Little by little, the attacking forces began to reach the top of the wall and were able to secure areas where their comrades could climb. The fighting was becoming fiercer, more brutal and more desperate all the time. By now the soldiers on both sides were fighting not only for their leaders but to save their own lives in the midst of total chaos. The rams were battering both gates, and the defenders, who were far fewer, were beginning to lose ground.
“They’ve begun to take all four walls,” Ingrid commented.
“I thought it would be a lot harder for them,” Gerd said, sounding rather surprised.
“Our army’s the best in Tremia,” Leenbiren said proudly, and Ingrid and Lasgol exchanged a puzzled look.
“The Westerners are Norghanian too,” Nilsa pointed out. “They’re good fighters.”
“Not that good, judging by how little they’ve put up with,” Leenbiren countered.
All of a sudden, a massive crash sounded over the shouts of battle. The two gates, unable to withstand the attack any longer, had been shattered by the rams. The defenders poured oil over them and set them on fire to prevent the soldiers from coming in. Both rams and gates burnt with intense flames. The eastern soldiers had to retreat to avoid being swallowed up by the fire, which was licking the stone walls around the gates.
“The gates have fallen!” Leenbiren exclaimed. “We’ll soon be able to go in!”
“There’s something that’s puzzling me,” Lasgol commented. He was watching the defenders, using his Hawk’s Sight skill.
“What’s that?” Ingrid asked.
“The defenders… they’re all archers or javelin throwers.”
Nilsa indicated her own bow. “Well, it’s the usual way to defend battlements, right?”
“Yeah, in principle…”
Ingrid realized, suddenly. “But there’s no infantry to support the archers.”
“And that’s why they can’t hold when the Eastern infantry gets to the top,” Gerd said thoughtfully.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Lasgol said, “and it puzzles me. First you defend the walls with archers and javelin throwers, but when the enemy infantry climbs up, you call your own infantry to push them back. Archers can’t fight hand to hand against infantry. They’d be wiped out, especially by the Thunder and Snow armies. They’re all warriors who are tremendous at close combat.”
“So, where’s Arnold’s infantry?” Nilsa wondered. “Why aren’t they backing up the archers?”
Leenbiren shrugged. “That’s a very good question. It might be a tactical error.”
Lasgol and Ingrid shook their heads. “Arnold doesn’t make tactical mistakes,” Lasgol said, although what he really meant was that Egil did not make tactical mistakes, least of all one as big as that.
“No, it’s too obvious a mistake,” Ingrid said. “Even we’ve noticed, and we don’t know much about military tactics.”
Nilsa and Gerd exchanged looks that said ‘This is Egil’s doing’, but said nothing.
“Look!” Leenbiren called. “The Archers are drawing back!”
It was true, the Western archers were withdrawing in a very organized manner: too organized. It had been planned in advance. A quarter of them faced up to the eastern infantry on the wall in order to stop them reaching the others, who were retreating quickly but in an orderly manner. Outside, at the foot of the wall, the forces of the East saw that they had taken the walls and began to climb more energetically. More than half the forces outside were still unable to climb because of the build-up of soldiers, and the broken gates too were jammed with soldiers trying to get in while groups of defenders blocked their way.
Suddenly they saw a rider appear on top of the hill. Lasgol and his friends saw that he was a soldier from the West. A moment later, behind the rider there appeared a dozen more.
“What’s going on here?” Leenbiren asked. He had seen them too.
“Riders from the West,” Ingrid said.
All of a sudden a long line of riders appeared along the entire horizon.
“Who on earth are they?” Leenbiren asked.
Lasgol was beginning to understand what was going on. “They’re… Arnold and his forces.”
The riders launched the attack, and behind them appeared the infantry. Thousands of soldiers were now racing down.
“It can’t be!” Leenbiren muttered. “Arnold and his men are inside the city, defending it!”
Lasgol shook his head. “That’s what they’ve led us to believe.”
“It’s a trap! We have to warn our people!” Leenbiren shouted. He ran off to give the alarm.
“Egil…” said Ingrid.
“Egil,” Lasgol agreed with a smile.
Chapter 41
The Western forces came down on the forces of the East, who were besieging the city like an unexpected winter storm. Arnold Olafstone galloped at their head, leading the charge. Beside him rode the nobles
of the Western League: Svensen, Erikson, Malason, Bjorn, Axel, Harald and the other lesser lords of the West. They came from the north and attacked the troops of the Snow Army, who were attacking the northern wall, from behind. Half the soldiers were on top of the wall they had just conquered, the other half at its foot. Leenbiren arrived at a gallop to warn them. General Rangulself, seeing the enemy forces charging, gave the order to form a defensive barrier in front of the wall.
Nilsa had covered her eyes with her hands. “They’re going to destroy them…”
“They won’t be able to stop the charge,” Lasgol said. “They’re very badly positioned, and half their forces are either on top of the wall or inside chasing the archers.”
“I’d bet my pay that the archers are going back inside the castle to hold out behind the walls,” said Gerd.
“You can bet the castle is empty too,” Ingrid said, indicating the thousands of soldiers who were following Arnold.
“And you’d win both bets,” Lasgol agreed.
“Egil’s set a masterly trap,” Ingrid said admiringly.
“I wasn’t expecting any less of him,” Lasgol said with a smile.
Arnold and his forces hurled themselves like a cyclone against the barrier of the Snow Army soldiers. They were hurled aside by the impact, and the riders broke the defensive barrier. The soldiers on top of the wall had no bows and hence were forced to come down to help their comrades, but they could not do much. By the time they reached the foot of the wall, the Western riders had finished off almost all the forces which were trying to resist them. When they arrived to fight alongside their comrades, they suffered the same fate. There were fewer of them, and they were divided in two by the wall. They had been caught in the worst possible position.
Duke Erikson took a third of the Western forces and went to attack the forces on the eastern wall. These were in the same situation as the soldiers of the Snow, with half their men on top of the wall and the other half at its foot. Duke Svensen took another third and went to attack the mercenaries on the western wall. From a distance, the surprise attack looked like a black-and-blue tide which crashed against the northern wall, then divided into two rivers which surrounded it and advanced to flood the whole length of the eastern and western walls.
Inside, the Western archers ran to take cover in the Olafstone castle. Here they would fight their pursuers, who were still unaware of what was going on outside. Meanwhile the horns of the Eastern armies began to sound. The officers, who had already realized the trap, were making a desperate attempt to regroup their men.
“What do we do?” Nilsa asked very nervously. Her bow was ready, and she was hopping right and left as she watched the battle, unable to stay still.
“We ought to fight…” Gerd said uncertainly.
“On which side?” Lasgol asked sharply.
Ingrid nodded. “That’s a good question.”
“Well, I don’t know… with the East?” Nilsa suggested.
“Or the West?” Gerd said. His eyes were wide with uncertainty.
“If it’s a matter of fighting,” Lasgol said, “I’d say the West.”
Ingrid narrowed her eyes. “Actually, right now the battle’s tilting more toward the West…”
“Then we go with the West?” Nilsa asked, sounding more puzzled still.
“Mm, no,” Ingrid said. “The battle could still take plenty of turns. Thoran has bigger forces than Arnold, and he also has the Invincibles of the Ice. That’s a massive advantage.”
“With the East, then?” Gerd asked.
“No, neither of them.”
Nilsa and Gerd looked at her in surprise. “We’ll have to go with one of them,” they said, almost simultaneously.
“Not exactly,” said Lasgol.
“No?”
“Lasgol is right,” Ingrid said. “We’ve been ordered to keep watch, and that’s what we’re doing. Until we get fresh orders, we’re going to stay doing that without taking an active part on either side. And that way we’ll avoid divisions and getting ourselves into trouble.”
Her three friends considered this. “I think that’s fair,” Lasgol agreed at last.
“Do all four of us agree?” Ingrid asked.
“Agreed,” they all said.
Erikson’s forces charged against those of the Nobles of the East. Unluckily for them, they were at the foot of the wall giving orders and hence received the full charge of the cavalry, followed by the Western infantry. The Eastern dukes and counts shouted orders to their men in an attempt to contain the enemy assault. The problem was that half of them were either on top of the wall or else inside it. Erikson led his men with masterly skill, not giving the enemy nobles time to prepare an adequate defense.
On the other side of the city, by the eastern wall, Duke Svensen charged against the mercenaries, who found themselves completely taken by surprise. The nobles had understood the warning horns, but the mercenaries, who were unfamiliar with them, did not realize what was coming, and the forces of the West charged against them. The Noceans, powerful and skilled with the sword, fought with all their might. When the mercenaries of Irinel saw the charging infantry, they hurled their dreaded javelins and caused serious losses among the attackers. Those who had climbed the wall climbed halfway down their ropes and ladders and hurled themselves on to the attacking soldiers. The fight between mercenaries and Western soldiers became complete chaos.
Arnold went into the city through the north gate with a third of his forces and began to expel the invading soldiers of the Thunder Army who were already in the city. The battle was a hard one, because although there were fewer of them – as half of them had not yet entered the city – those soldiers were formidable adversaries. The Westerners were not as strong, nor were they so well prepared for combat. But they were defending their lands and their homes, and fought with the courage and determination of those who know they are defending their own people and what the Ice Gods have given them on earth.
Arnold spurred his men on and led them with great valor, delivering blows with the Olafstone sword of his father, and felling every soldier who crossed his path. They fought with courage and strength, but it soon became obvious that Arnold’s forces were helpless against the soldiers of the Thunder. The lesser nobles who were with him saw that they were in serious difficulties and advised him to withdraw. Realizing that they were going to lose this battle, Arnold heeded their advice and changed tactics. He gave orders to his people and went to the castle where his archers had taken refuge. His soldiers followed him at once. The Thunder soldiers regrouped and waited for the reinforcements which were managing to find their way in through the wall and the southern gate. When their numbers were strong enough they went after Arnold, knowing that if they killed him they would have won the war. They had him close at hand, and all they had left to do was to kill him.
Outside the city it was a different story. The forces of Erikson and Svensen were finishing off the troops of the Eastern nobles and the foreign mercenaries. They were suffering a great many casualties, particularly at the hands of the mercenaries, who were aware that there was no escape for them and that they would get no help from the eastern Norghanians. The fighting was fierce on both sides, but the Western forces were winning and had the enemy in retreat.
Thoran, leaving the mercenaries to their fate (as they had expected) sent the Invincibles of the Ice to help the nobles. The King needed his nobles, but not the mercenaries, since if at the end of the day their side won and the mercenaries did not survive to collect their pay, the result would be a perfect deal. Erikson had the Eastern nobles defeated by the time the Invincibles arrived to help. The fight between the Invincibles and Erikson’s forces was unbalanced. The Western soldiers fought with axe and shield, full of courage and ardor, but the Invincibles wielded sword and shield with uncanny skill, and the balance tilted at once toward the Invincibles. Not even Erikson and the nobles of the West with him were able to make a breach. The Invincibles had no equal when it
came to fighting in close formation, and they proved it by ruthlessly killing Erikson’s men. Seeing the level of casualties he was suffering, Erikson called the retreat.
“Look, Erikson and his men are retreating,” Nilsa pointed out.
“Nobody can defeat the Invincibles of the Ice,” Ingrid said.
“They’re not called the best infantry of the continent for nothing,” Gerd agreed.
“But Svensen and his men are destroying the mercenaries,” Lasgol pointed out.
Ingrid was watching with half-closed eyes. “Yeah, it looks as if they’ve taken control of the whole eastern wall.”
“Can you see if it’s Svensen?” Gerd asked Lasgol in surprise. “I can’t see him from here.”
“It’s because of my skills, you know what I mean…”
Gerd nodded. “Ah, I see…”
Nilsa pointed. “Those troops of Erikson’s are withdrawing to that northern hill they came down from, and the Invincibles aren’t going after them.”
“Thoran will send them after Svensen,” said Ingrid, sure of what was going to happen.
They watched the Invincibles turning to face Svensen’s forces, who were dealing with the last of the mercenaries on the eastern wall.