Daniel didn’t rise. He just stared at the ground without saying a word. Griffon looked around them. Several people were glancing in their direction. After a stern look from her they quickly turned their attention elsewhere.
Zachery was quiet again. He sounded distant, like he wasn’t really there anymore. “What happened to him?”
Clara wiped at her tears. “It was a valgret. There was nothing we could do, Zachery I’m so, so sorry. We almost died too. We had to get out of there as fast as we could.”
After a moment of looking at the ground, Zachery turned and walked away. None of them tried to stop him or go after him. They knew it would do no good and chances were he would only lash out again. Instead, Griffon walked the remaining few steps between her and her other two friends. She pulled Daniel to his feet and gripped them both in an embrace that she didn’t want to break. After a few moments which seemed to last an eternity, she let them go and the three of them sat with their backs against the tower, not saying a word.
Griffon wasn’t sure if she should cry. She knew Alan well enough, but in spite of that she didn’t feel the tears rising. She was saddened by his loss and she felt awful for Zachery. He’d lost his brother. Daniel and Clara had been there when it happened and just by looking at Daniel and hearing his words, she could tell he felt guilty. But in spite of all that, she didn’t cry for her friend even though she wanted to. They sat for several more minutes in silence until the gate opened again. They all watched as people filed in. It was open for only a minute before it closed again. There were so few still alive.
Thankfully, Griffon could see a familiar face among them: Aaron. His face glistened with sweat. The few areas where they could see the black beneath his armor were ripped. Several spots of skin were cut and bleeding. After a moment, he spotted them and jogged over, pulling them all into a hug as soon as they were together. “Thank Verhova you guys made it,” he said.
Griffon stepped back and held him at arm’s length. “What happened?” she said. “Why didn’t your retreat sound sooner?”
“After the dragon tore the gate away and flew off, North led everyone down over the rubble of the gatehouse. It took a long time to get the survivors out of there. Part of the gate blocked the main road, which slowed everything down. The Kridens . . . they just came pouring through so fast.”
“Where’s Jane? She was with you, wasn’t she?”
Aaron nodded. “She was with North just a second ago.” He looked away from Griffon to Daniel. Aaron clearly hadn’t noticed the state his friend was in until now. “Daniel?” he said. “What’s wrong?”
Daniel kept his eyes downcast. “Alan didn’t make it.”
Aaron’s tone suggested he didn’t want to ask his next question: “What happened?”
“We were in the city. We got cornered and we . . . ” Daniel sighed. “I let him die. I couldn’t save him.”
Aaron gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer forcing Daniel to look him in the eyes. “It’s not your fault.”
“You weren’t there.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Aaron said. “I didn’t have to be. I know you, and if there’s anything you could have done, you would have done it.”
Griffon was about to affirm Aaron’s statement when they heard Captain Coe atop the wall, shouting orders at those gathered below. “Soldiers, get on the walls, now!”
Aaron released Daniel and looked at him and Clara. “You guys better go get your gear.”
They nodded and without a word and headed for the barracks. Aaron and Griffon turned into the tower and made their way up to the top of the wall. They walked over to the captains and the commander who all stood above the gate with Kenneth, their instructors, and Jane. They were clearly arguing. Their expressions showed fury. Griffon felt the tension in the air thicken with each word. She was genuinely worried that they would break out in a fistfight.
North was gesturing toward the people below. “We can’t send those people into the tunnels when there are valgrets, Disciples, and who knows what else down there!”
Coe jabbed him in the chest with her a finger. “Then you can explain to them that the plan is to sit here and wait to die. The tunnels lead out of the city, which means they lead to their safety. This was our original plan and there’s no time to come up with another.”
“We have new information,” North said. “Now we know the Disciples are using the tunnels to get inside the city, which means they have control of them. Control of the very place you say will lead to their safety!”
“Then send a few squads in and clear a path,” Coe said. “I will not let these people simply wait for death!”
“Would you instead send them into its arms?”
“Enough!” Hall shouted so loudly that they both took a step back from him and each other. “Neither option is ideal, but Coe is right. Worst-case scenario is we all die here in the walls of the keep. Best case is we manage to get the civilians out. Obadiah, take two squads into the tunnel through the Quin home. Most of its side passages are sealed off, so it should be clear and a straight shot to the shoreline.”
“Yes, commander,” Obadiah said. He turned to make his way to the tower, giving Griffon and the others a reassuring nod as he passed.
“Kenneth, Claudia, start preparing the civilians for evacuation,” Hall said. “Get as many siege ladders as you can and get ready to set them over the walls so we can avoid taking people through the gate. The moment Obadiah returns with a confirmed clear, start sending the civilians over and down.”
“Right away, commander,” Kenneth said. He and Claudia both saluted before following Obadiah.
Griffon looked out over the city as Hall issued commands to the other officials on the wall. The outer edges of the city were now burning, along with the entirety of the south side. To the north, the Kridens were gathering not far from the keep. Griffon could see several valgrets moving among their ranks, along with the telltale white robes of the Disciples, which stood out against the dark-clad tribesmen. There were thousands of them, and they all wanted nothing more than to slaughter everyone in the city.
Griffon turned to look inside the keep. So few were left to defend it, not nearly enough against such a force. There were maybe two hundred civilians, the rest either dead or trapped in the fires, unable to make it to the keep. Vigil, the home of the Dragon Guard, had fallen in less than a night.
Without even realizing it, she voiced her thoughts: “How could this have happened?”
Hall heard her. He let his gaze follow hers as people ran about the wall preparing whatever defenses they had left.
He stepped up to stand by her. “We used to have ships patrolling the sea in case of a naval attack,” he said, “but we got arrogant with the cliff as a natural defense. We used to keep the tunnels open for storage and patrolled to evacuate the city at times like this, but we sealed those off and forgot about them due to a lack of manpower. We used to do a lot of things that could have prevented this. But we got complacent and comfortable behind our walls. Comfort breeds weakness.”
Chapter Thirty-one
30th of Sanya, 28th year of the Fourth Age.
Daniel strapped on his second vambrace and checked his wardrobe for the third time, ensuring he hadn’t missed anything. He wouldn’t be caught unprepared again. No one else would die because he couldn’t save them. He checked the gear he wore yet again; he would be ready for anything. His longbow was strapped to his back, unstrung, the string in a pouch at his belt. His dart launcher was now reloaded with six spare shots at his belt, along with a case of twelve throwing knives and his short sword at his lower back, just above his quiver. His spare knife rested against his collarbone, hidden beneath his scarf. He ran through the rest of his gear quickly and was satisfied he had it all.
He was about to turn and head out the door when he glanced at his cot. Sitting atop it was Hidden
Efforts, still open from his reading that very morning. He reached down and placed a hand on his logbook. Every ranger had one in a case that hung from his belt, opposite his weaponry. It was meant for keeping notes when out scouting or spying in the cities. He didn’t know why but he removed the logbook. He slid the history book into its place, thankful it fit, before running down the rows of cots to the door.
Daniel stepped out and paused to take in the surroundings. Just beyond the door, several scholars treated dozens of people lying atop blankets laid out across the ground. Most were horribly burned by the fire on the south side, while others suffered from broken limbs and unsightly gashes. He heard shouting from the gate and turned to head that way. At the southeastern tower, he began climbing. When he reached the top, he saw Hall shouting orders to the city watch as they ran this way and that.
“Get the ballistae in position! I want them ready when those dragons return!”
Daniel saw that Clara had already made her way here and now huddled with the few trainees that remained. A total of eight stood to one side and watched as several guards angled and loaded ballistae along the walls. Daniel knew they kept such things in storage so they must have just been brought up. It was clear they hadn’t been used in years as even now they were covered in a heavy layer of dust. After several minutes of silence and just as the last of the ballistae were readied, the horde beyond the walls began to chant again.
“Geieg! Geiod! Geiacht!”
Everyone froze in place. They all knew that this was what had brought on the dragons before. They knew it would again.
Hall turned to Captain Hawk. “What are they saying?”
Hawk closed his eyes and listened as the chant was repeated again. “Deity . . . or god, more closely. That’s the first part of each word, but the second I’m not quite sure.” He paused. He let the chant pass three more times before he continued: “Geiacht is god of war, I believe. Geieg is of death . . . the other one I have no idea. They are clearly names.”
North looked out over the army beyond. “They think the dragons are gods?”
As the chant finished again, the three dragons dropped from the sky above the north gate and landed with a thundering crash in the city, sending plumes of ash and dust into the air. Their appearance was sudden and greeted with roaring cheers from the amassed army. Slowly, the main road began to clear as the Kridens moved aside to make a path for the largest dragon, the one with scales that seemed nothing but a void of blue that was nearly black.
Hall shouted at those staring dumbstruck at the beast: “Load the spread shot!”
It took only a few moments for the Kriden to move off the main road. When the last Kriden stepped aside, the dragon began to run. Daniel knew enough of tactics after his time here that this was an action meant to intimidate, to show the power the dragon had, that an army would literally part before it. He knew that this was something to enforce the faith of the Kridens, and crack the faith of the Dragon Guard. He was certain that this was something orchestrated by the Disciples.
The Kridens chanted again as the beast ran: “Geiacht!”
The name echoed from the throats of the Kridens in a terrible unison with the rumbling steps of the dragon. It closed the distance rapidly, its neck already aglow with a readied wave of fire. It was halfway to them when it leapt off its feet, spread its wings to their full length, and glided toward them. Daniel couldn’t figure it out. Hall should have given the order to fire the ballistae by now. Instead, he simply stood and waited.
Geiacht was about to reach the gate when through the smoke and ash above came Argera. She had her forelegs out in front of her, claws spread wide, her mouth already spewing a stream of flames as she collided with the much larger beast. She ripped into Geiacht’s wings and they both crashed to the ground and rolled through buildings, sending up dust and causing debris to fly as they went. They barreled through the Kridens at the side of the roadway, crushing them beneath their scaled bodies. When at last they stopped rolling, they quickly separated from each other. Argera leapt away from Geiacht and perched atop a row of buildings, cracking the roofs beneath her weight.
The other two dragons were about to start forward when Geiacht shouted to them in what Daniel assumed was Kridic. Geiacht’s voice was unnervingly deep and gravely. Whatever it said caused the other two to take a step back and wait. Argera and Geiacht began circling one another, with Argera having to step over the gaps between buildings to continue her path while Geiacht simply crushed the structures beneath his feet when he encountered resistance.
Hall took advantage of their momentary stalemate to issue another set of commands: “Ballistae, angles between ten and forty-five, pivot between zero and fifty! Get me a war horn, now!”
It took those standing at the cranks a moment to realize what Hall was telling them to do before they started to turn and angle the devices to varied points between the specified degrees. Daniel had no idea where it came from, but the next thing he knew Hall had a horn in his hand and raised it to his lips. He blew three rapid short tones, followed by another three drawn-out calls. He had no idea what they meant, but Argera clearly did. She started to run toward the keep diagonally. Geiacht reacted and tried to cut her off.
According to what Daniel knew of dragons, males were usually larger and stockier than females. Geiacht dwarfed Argera in size. But she wasn’t deterred as she leapt toward him and gripped his neck with her teeth. He tried to pry her off, but they fell to the ground and started to roll and tumble together. Daniel couldn’t tell what was happening. All he was able to see were flashes of silver scales against blue, along with teeth and claws as they bit and slashed at one another.
Hall paced the wall and yelled, “Ballistae, wait for my mark, then release at will!”
The call came sooner than Daniel expected as Argera pushed off the back of Geiacht and took to the air with two hard flaps of her wings. The moment she was clear, Geiacht started to spread his wings.
“Release! All release now!” Hall shouted.
Every ballista on the wall chorused with a heavy thud as the strained arms were released, launching the projectiles forward. But they weren’t the usual heavy, iron-tipped bolts. These were bundles of six smaller bolts linked together by a net of thick ropes. The ropes were dotted with jagged shards of metal. When they reached Geiacht, the nets caught on him as the bolts flew past and tore through the thin membrane of his wings until the net stopped them. They fell on the other side of the dragon and tangled together. The beast fell to his side, trapped in a mass of rope and metal that ripped his wings apart with every movement.
The dragon arched his neck as best he could to angle a stream of fire at his own side in an attempt to burn the ropes away, but when the flames dissipated, the ropes remained unscarred. Daniel smiled in spite of himself. They were made from scorch weed. Now, with Geiacht immobilized, Argera attacked again. She dove straight toward him. At the last moment, she spread her wings to ease her fall as she slammed into him with a resounding crash, sending a cloud of ash into the air.
The larger dragon’s neck flared. He attempted to send another plume of fire toward Argera, but her smaller size let her easily duck and dash out of the way as the ropes hindered his movement. As the stream subsided and before he could manage to find her again, she reached out with her forelegs and gripped his upper and lower jaw. They wrestled for a moment as she strained to keep his head still and pry his mouth open wider. As they struggled, Argera’s neck began to glow. She held back the flame until his mouth was steady and opened wide in her grip. Even from where he stood, Daniel could see Geiacht’s eyes widen as he realized what was about to happen.
With a thundering roar, Argera filled Geiacht’s throat with fire that traveled through him and incinerated everything within. Geiacht thrashed in the mass of ropes for only a moment before falling still. Argera released his head, letting it fall limply to the ground, and leaped onto hi
s side. She paused as she inhaled again and sent another stream of flames into the air with a triumphant roar that caused those upon the keep walls to cheer and shout. Even the city watch could tell the dragon was fighting for them, and while they couldn’t understand the reasons, they welcomed the results.
Their celebration was quickly cut short by the challenging cries of the other two dragons at the edge of the city. Argera turned to them and bared her fangs as the two of them did the same. They locked gazes. Seconds later, the two Kriden gods began to run through the city. They leapt over buildings and climbed across rooftops as their necks lit up with the familiar glow. Argera answered with another roar as she jumped from the corpse of Geiacht and charged toward them. It took only moments for the three to meet.
Argera let loose her fire before they met, making the two skid to a stop as their view was obscured. She leapt forward and through the flames to collide with the red dragon who, based on the chanting from the Kridens when the gates were destroyed, was called Geiod. They tumbled for a moment before Argera ran a claw over its eye, making it roar in fury. They came to a stop with Argera on top, but before she could strike again, the other dragon, Geieg, barreled into her side and sent her flying through neighboring buildings. She slid to a stop. Just as the other two were about to tackle her, she spread her wings to their full span and with a single flap began to fly out of their way.
But Argera hadn’t been fast enough to gain any distance. As she rose, Geieg lifted his head and gripped her tail with his mouth. Her momentum lifted them briefly off the ground, but she didn’t have the strength to lift them both. While she was frozen in the air, Geiod unfurled his wings and leapt onto her back. Argera crashed to the ground under the extra weight and Geieg quickly joined his red brother atop her, pinning her down. Geiod bit down on Argera’s neck, piercing the softer scales and causing a steady flow of blood. She cried out and struggled to get out from under the two, her legs digging into the ground in an attempt to find purchase.
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