by Allan Joyal
"But," I tried to protest.
"None of that," Heather said smacking the back of my head. "You love us. We love you. And tomorrow we'll fight together."
"Cimbra will need to be on watch tonight," I pointed out.
"That's not that hard to do," Cimbra said. "The surface orcs fear darkness. They aren't going to attack at night."
"We still should be vigilant tonight," I said as the two ladies led me to a circle of stumps. Three still steaming bowls of stew sat on one of the stumps. A small pile of flatbread sat in the center of the same stump.
"Oh good, Kariy came through," Heather said. "Let's eat."
My wives charged forward to grab food. I followed them with a smile on my face. A final meal and night with them sounded like the best plan I might have
Chapter 35: Atop the Wall
Heather and Cimbra worked hard that night to make sure I slept well. It was comforting to hold them in my arms, even when we knew that there were hundreds of orcs just on the other side of the wall.
I woke the next morning before the sun rose over the horizon holding Heather in my arms. When I started to sit up she woke.
"Sorry," she said as she wiped sleep dust from her eyes. "Cimbra left a while ago to watch for orc activity. She said they probably won't even start moving until after dawn."
I looked up at the lightening sky. "Dawn is here."
"Not quite," Heather said. "At least not fully. But Kariy has stoked the fire and has more flatbread cooking. We should get some food and drink and get to the wall."
"I'm supposed to be in charge," I said as I stood up and looked around for my spear. It was not lying next to the bedroll where I had left it.
Heather giggled. "You are in charge," she pointed out. "Cimbra and I just wanted to make sure you were ready to go when the orcs arrived. And your spear is at the wall. Cimbra has it."
"I'll get it after I eat and take care of some necessary business," I said carefully. "then I'll meet you at the wall. Please check on Kariy for me."
"You could do that," Heather said. "She'd appreciate knowing you care."
"I'm worried about the orcs," I said with a shake of my head. "Krysbain might be pretty confident that they'll give up, but I think they have to try one more time to get over the wall, and this attempt might be more serious than yesterday's."
"You'll pull us through," Heather said confidently. "You got all of us here safely."
"All? Safely?" I replied putting a bit of bite into my words. "Steve is dead because of mistake I made. Jennifer also died in that fight. Since then we had to kill one young man who tried to take a hostage. Jeff and Gertrilla both were seriously wounded twice. I'm amazed that we've made it this far."
"You held us together," Heather said. She has a serene smile on her face. "And you'll do it again. We all know that."
"Fine, I'll meet you at the wall." I turned and marched off into the trees looking for a quiet place to deal with my full bladder. Heather's laughter chased me into the trees.
"Aren't you scared?" I overheard a timid voice ask. I had found a bush that provided me some privacy and was attending to my bladder, so I kept quiet.
"Who wouldn't be?" I heard Borlan reply. "I bet even Ron is nervous about today."
"Ron?" the other voice hissed. I recognized it as Ximenia's. "He's got ice water in his veins. The man cares about no one."
Borlan laughed bitterly for a moment. "That's what I thought. Especially when Ron ignored the fact that we needed shelter and put people into building the wall. But I've been watching him since we started fighting the orcs. The man cares more than you think."
"He never shows it," Ximenia said with a snort. "And now we're going to die in this valley. Or at least you will. I'll probably be dragged off and turned into some kind of broodmare for the orcs."
"Only after ever man here is dead," Borlan said firmly. "But that won't happen. We are going to win this fight. After it's over we can turn this valley into a farm that will feed us and our children."
"Are you sure?" Ximenia asked.
My bladder was empty, so I quietly went about putting my clothing in order and then crept off, leaving Borlan's response unheard. I had a suspicion that similar conversations were being conducted elsewhere this morning, as everyone prepared to defend the wall and our lives.
I choose my route to avoid Ximenia and Borlan. Instead I retraced my path back to my sleeping area and found Kariy and Heather carefully folding up the bedroll I had slept on. Kariy gasped as I walked up.
"Sorry," she said as she looked at the ground and blushed.
I held a hand up. "There is nothing to be sorry about. We are all just praying that we come through today safely. Then we have to work hard so we can build a true home in this valley."
Kariy's blush deepened. "I like it here and…."
"Oh, just tell him that you and Joelia are lovers," Heather said with amused tolerance. "I think he already knows, and it hasn't changed how he thinks of you."
I started to laugh and then covered it up by pretending to cough. When I had regained control I looked over at Kariy. "You know, I love you. My goal has been to create a home where everyone can be happy and free. If you find happiness in Joelia's arms, then you should let her know before we fight. And believe in her. We will come through today."
Kariy gasped and then dashed out of the tiny clearing. Heather watched her go and then turned back to me. "You just had to say something like that. Now I guess you expect me to say something profound."
I looked at the blond woman who meant so much to me. "I love you Heather. Never forget that."
Once the words had been said I turned and started walking towards the wall. Heather stomped her foot and growled. "You don't get to say that and just walk away. You hear me Ron. You are to come home tonight! There is no dying for you. It's not an option! Do you hear me!"
Heather's rant rang out in the pre-dawn air. I emerged from the trees to see Hencktor gazing back into the grove. The young man had a huge smile on his face.
"She sounds ready to fight," the man observed.
"We need that kind of passion today," I said with a nod. "Are your wounds going to slow you down?"
"I'm fine. But we do have two others who Esme has said can't join in the fight today," Hencktor said. He pointed to my left.
I turned and found Jeff leaning on Mary as the young man hopped on one leg. "Shouldn't you be resting?" I asked.
"Yes," Mary said in a voice filled with fatigue. "He should be lying over by Gertrilla."
"How is Gertrilla?" I asked pretending that Jeff was not trying to get my attention.
Mary sighed. "She woke up in the middle of the night. Esme wouldn't let her go back to sleep. I know Esme was worried about something, but she's starting to relax."
"I was worried Gertrilla had more than just a concussion," Esme called out. "A concussion heals naturally, but if there was any bleeding there would be little I could do unless Natalie had another potion ready."
"We still haven't found all the ingredients," Natalie replied. "I think if we search this winter we can find the flower described in the recipe and collect the nectar, but for now all I can do is prepare to make it and collect some of the items required."
I nodded. Jeff took the moment of silence and immediately spoke. "Sorry, you're right I should be resting, but I felt I had to meet you before you got to the wall."
"Go on," I replied.
Jeff's injured leg touched the ground; he grimaced for a moment and then leaned toward Mary while hopping in place. "Damn. Sorry, but as you can see I can't stand. I want to be up there with you, but my clumsiness means I have to sit out this fight. Ron, I know I joined late and haven't been the most useful member of our group, but I have to say you can lead us to victory. Do that. I want to see this valley turned into a paradise. I want my children to grow up here."
"That's my goal," I said. "But to make that happen, I should get to the wall."
Jeff nodded as Mary turned
and started pushing him back to where Gertrilla was sitting on the ground. With the conversation over, I walked until I could see the wall.
The first thing I noticed was just how many people were already on the wall. Cimbra was standing on the platform I had used the previous day. Shaylin had joined her on the platform although the young woman was leaning against the tower to the right of the platform. Corwar and Piemal stood on the towers. Both young men had slings in their right hands and were staring into the darkness.
Aine and Lydia were on the platforms to the left and right. Aine was leaning on the wall as she held her loaded crossbow at her waist. Lydia was in a shooters stance with her right knee on the platform. Her quiver was attached to her left calf, making it possible for her to draw new bolts quickly. I shook my head as I reached the base of the main platform and looked up.
"Anything?" I called up to Cimbra. She glanced down at me, but quickly returned to looking out into the darkness.
"The number of fires dropped quite a bit," Cimbra said. "And there is some movement toward the wall. It's not coordinated though. I expect it's deserters or small tribes, not the main body."
"Lydia, how prepared are you and Aine," I asked.
"Why not ask me?" Aine responded with a giggle. "She's concentrating on finding targets. I think she's hoping killing the leader will get the others to run away."
"Don't!" Krysbain shouted. "Leadership of a band of orcs is determined largely by which one can win their fights. If you kill their leader they might decide that killing you is required to become the next leader."
"I thought killing the leader would get them to run away," Hencktor said.
"Only if you impress the others with your skill and power," Krysbain called out. I realized that the man was standing on the other side of the left tower.
"You're up here, Krysbain?" I asked.
"We need every hand we've got, and I do have a sword," Krysbain said. "It's not the best for this kind of work, but I didn't want to take a spear from someone who can use both arms."
"Quiet!" Cimbra shouted. "There is movement in the trees."
I looked out over the wall. The sun was just starting to rise. I had to raise a hand to provide some shade from the glare as I tried to watch the trees. A moment later I could just make out figures making their way towards us.
The figures moved slowly, often stopping and disappearing behind a tree, but moving again when another approached from behind. Their slow pace meant that even when the sun was above the horizon not one orc had entered the clearing.
A hand came down on my left shoulder. I turned and found Heather standing next to me on the platform. "Shouldn't you take the spear from Cimbra?" Heather asked me.
"I thought I'd let you two ladies protect me," I said flippantly. "I need a break."
Cimbra slapped my shoulder and then pushed the shaft of the spear into my chest. "I have my own weapons," she hissed.
Heather burst out laughing. "Wow, I didn't know he could get to you?"
"What?" Cimbra shouted. The figures in the trees froze, but then resumed their steady march towards the clearing.
"Ron was teasing you," Heather said. "He doesn't really think that way."
I felt another hand on my shoulder. "Is this true?" Cimbra asked.
"Cimbra," I replied softly. "This fight is the one thing I wanted to avoid. We need time to build houses, gardens, a school, and our farms. We aren't doing any of that while we stand on this wall and stare at a bunch of ugly orcs."
"No fun staring at them. They are so ugly their look could curdle milk," Victoria said with a giggle. "Ron, they are entering the clearing."
Victoria's last words were said as orcs streamed into the clearing. The first group began gathering so they were directly across from the tower to my left. They formed a loose block of orcs that kept growing slowly. Other groups spread out to the south.
The orcs kept coming. I noticed that Corwar and Piemal both moved away from the wall, although they stayed on the tower platforms. "Ron?" Heather whispered.
"Everyone!" I shouted. "Stand firm."
"Stand your ground men," Al said in a voice full of mock panic.
"You're not helping!" Heather shouted in response.
I shook my head for a moment and then looked out over the clearing at the orcs. "Everyone, today is going to be pivotal for us. Today we determine if our little valley becomes the paradise we know it can be. I know it's been a long march. For some of us this adventure started before the snow flew when an insane wizard pulled us from Earth and abandoned us on this planet."
"He died while casting the spell," Victoria muttered from behind me.
"We could have laid down and died, but we fought our way across the continent, making friends along the way. We invited many of them to join us on this journey," I continued.
"Yes, we dreamed the impossible dream," Victoria added.
"You're not helping," Heather sang out.
"I'm not trying," Victoria sang back. Everyone laughed at this. I coughed to try to hide my own laughter as the flood of orcs finally ran out. There were now several hundred orcs standing in the clearing. A few had hungry looks on their faces, but the majority looked bored or scared.
"Just win," Lydia shouted. "Ron, we get it. And I agree. Today we will win. These orcs are the final obstacle. We fought slavers, we fought snow, heck we fought minotaurs."
"We ran from them," Victoria said.
"I remember a few blows being exchanged," Lydia said. "And one thing doesn't change. We survived all of that. We'll survive this too."
One band of about ten orcs dashed forward. They were opposite the right tower where Piemal stood, but headed almost directly towards me. When they were about forty feet away each one threw a single rock. Most of the rocks did not reach the wall, but one struck the bottom. Immediately the orcs turned to the north and began racing away.
"Corwar, take a shot!" I shouted.
"What was that?" Heather asked as the orcs ran away. Corwar clipped one with a poorly aimed shot from his sling, but the orcs kept running into they had vanished into the trees.
"Did they just?" Al said.
"What?" Heather called out. She moved away from me slightly and steadied the spear she was holding.
"I've heard that a naval ship that was surrendering without fighting would fire a single cannon so they could claim they weren't cowards. That attack seems to be based on the same thing," Al said.
"They do appear to reward the strong and the brave," Krysbain said. "That's part of why the guard hates them. They prefer to fight rather than run."
"And why we have been able to keep them away," I said as I watched another small band of orcs make a pretend attack on the wall. "We aren't being aggressive, and they don't know how to get past the wall. They probably haven't seen a wall in ages."
"Wouldn't that mean they keep trying until they tear it down?" Victoria asked.
"This isn't their territory. It was patrolled by that lion thing we killed. They might want this territory, but they lose nothing if they retreat. I doubt they want to press us too hard," Krysbain called back.
"Why not?" Verval asked. He sounded nervous, but I could not spare the time to move to his platform. Another band of orcs ran forward, but this one was holding clubs and it was clear they had no intention of stopping.
"Incoming! Archers, Slingers let fly!" I shouted as I leaned forward and thrust the point of my spear over the wall.
The orcs that did not join the charge roared as the one band lowered their heads. Several fell as the children began launching stones from their slings. Another staggered and then dropped. He had a crossbow bolt through his forehead. To my surprise the creature stood back up and continued to follow the others.
Lydia yelped in surprise. I guessed she was reloading. The wounded orc changed direction and charged toward the spot on the wall she was defending.
Several orcs reached the wall. One ducked under my spear. Heather used her own spear to stab
the orc in the shoulder. It reached up trying to claw the spear from her hands, but she pulled the spear away and then shifted to the left to line up an attack on another orc.
I wanted to assist my wife, but one of the orcs grabbed at my spear. He caught the blade and immediately howled as the sharp metal cut into his flesh. I pulled the spear towards the wall while swinging it at his free arm. The blade struck hard and cut through the monster's forearm. It collapsed to the ground with a high pitched whine.
Any thoughts I might have of moving to help Heather were dashed at this point. Three large orcs pushed the injured one out of the way and started swinging large clubs. The clubs looked like tree trunks with rocked embedded in them to give them a bit more durability. Small flakes of stone flew out from the clubs as they struck the top of the wall. I had to dance around a bit to dodge the trio of attackers while I sought an opening.
One of the orcs jumped up and grabbed the top of the wall. He used that arm to raise his body higher and then made a wild swing with his club. I ducked the swing, but it caught my spear and nearly ripped it from my hands. As I tried to regain control, the orc dropped the club onto the platform and put both hands on the top of the wall.
It was clear the orc as going to climb the wall, and I was too off balance to counterattack. I was trying to think of how I could force him back over the wall when Cimbra jumped over me and spoke something I could not understand. A bright flash of light went off in the orcs face. He instinctively moved to cover his eyes with his hands and fell from the wall.
Cimbra had to dodge another blindly swung club. I waited for the swing to pass me and then jumped in thrusting my spear at the arm pit of the orc. The monster screamed in fury and pain and fell backwards as I pulled the spear back and looked for another target.
The pressure against the walls started to abate. I looked down and realized that the orcs had started to retreat. I wanted to sag against the top of the wall and rest, but I checked to my left and right. To my right, Hencktor and Lenoir were pushing away the last of the orcs that had attacked. To my left, it appeared that Al and Verval had everything under control, but one orc jumped up to grab the top of the wall and swung a club in a high overhead arc as if he was hitting a smash in tennis.