by Inlo, Jeff
Chapter 15
Ryson rushed into Sy Fenden's office as the sun hung low in the eastern sky. He knew there was time, but not much, and they had to move fast.
"Sy, this is not good," Ryson called out to the captain, not caring who might overhear his warning. He realized that everyone would know soon enough and discretion was irrelevant. "There's an army of dark creatures in Dark Spruce and they're heading toward us. Okyiq is leading them."
The warning was unexpected. The early morning patrols had reported nothing unusual, but Sy could not dismiss the distress in Ryson's voice.
"How big of an army?" the captain of the guard demanded.
"They occupied more ground than I could cover safely," the delver revealed.
He went on to describe the number of dark creatures he did see and Sy found the description almost beyond belief, but he would not doubt the senses of the delver.
"What's their location?"
Ryson pointed to a spot on the map.
"There."
"They can be here by nightfall," Sy calculated. "That doesn't give us much time."
"I don't think they're going to reach us that quickly," Ryson interrupted, "not all of them."
"What's going on?"
"They're moving slow, very deliberate, but there's a bigger problem. I found bloat spider tracks and I followed them. They're moving fast and far ahead to the north. I wasn't sure what they were doing, but I could guess. I cut quick to the south and found another pack moving just as fast. They're going to get here first, probably before sunset."
"That may be why Okyiq is slowing his forces," Sy assumed. "If he thinks we don't know about him, it's safer to move slow. He may want to keep us occupied with the spiders, keep us from sending scouts out into the forest."
"The spiders won't come in head on," Ryson advised, and then he pointed to two additional spots on the map. "My guess is they'll come in from here and here and then come together on the opposite side of town, to our east. They'll cut off any escape. I think you're right about Okyiq slowing down the rest of his forces. I think he wants the spiders to have time to make webs. After that, we're trapped."
The new information allowed for Sy to consider additional strategies. Okyiq's forces weren't going to hit as quickly as he initially guessed. Only the spiders would reach them before sunset. That gave him some additional time. Still, based on Ryson's description, the defenses he could utilize had no chance in holding off an attack. He needed help.
He thought of the elves, but immediately discounted any aid from the forest. He'd have to send messengers into Dark Spruce and risk their capture by Okyiq's forces. It was too risky and potentially insufficient to ward off the attack. He then thought of the only power that he knew that could offset the great goblin horde.
"Can you get to Enin in time?" Sy asked. "I know how fast you can get to Connel, but do you think you can find him before Okyiq unleashes his full army. All you have to do is tell him what's going on, and he'll teleport back here. He's our best chance."
"I don't think we can count on that," Ryson revealed, having already considered the option and dismissed it.
Sy heard the words, but couldn't believe them. Ryson had given the captain a full report on what had happened in Dunop and Portsans. He was aware of the arrangement Enin made with the serps, but Okyiq's army marching on Burbon changed things. In Sy's mind, it had to.
"You really think Enin will stick to that deal he made with the serps once he hears what's coming at us? This was his home. He has friends here."
"I know, and I'd like to believe he wouldn't just let us die, but there are other problems. The serps made him give a piece of his magic to Neltus. If he acts, they're going to know it. They'll know what he's going to do and when. That could open other doors for Okyiq. If Enin comes to Burbon, he leaves Connel open to attack... or Pinesway."
Sy didn't see logistics as a potential pitfall, not the way Enin could teleport across space.
"Then he just goes out to Dark Spruce and meets the army wherever they are. He can just destroy them, or at least break them down to a size we can handle."
"You don't understand. It's not just the army of monsters he has to worry about. The serps have other ways to attack. They have spell casters that can destroy Connel with floods or earthquakes. The serps made it clear to Enin that if he moves against them, they'll unleash everything they have."
Sy didn't want to believe that Enin would sacrifice Burbon, but he began to realize that the serps had the wizard boxed in. Even if the wizard decided to lend his aid, the serps would know in advance and they could alter their plans. Okyiq could halt his army's movement, encamp in the forest, and just wait for another time to attack.
"You're right. This isn't good," the captain admitted.
"No, it's not," Ryson agreed, but the delver had formed his own plan when racing back from Dark Spruce. He believed they could use the situation to protect Burbon's citizens, if not the town itself. "We can't depend on Enin to save us here... in Burbon. He may want to, but he may not be able to. But if he stays where he is, Connel is guaranteed to be protected."
Sy understood immediately what Ryson was suggesting.
"Fine, then we bring our people to Connel. The serps won't attack there. That was the deal, wasn't it? Enin stays out of it, and Connel is safe. We get there before they attack and there's nothing they can do about it. If they attack us at Connel, Enin would be free to enter the battle. It's our only choice. That way we're all protected."
"I agree, but we can't all go. If the spiders show up when I think they will, they'll know the city's been abandoned. We can get the civilians out before they cut off the town, but we have to leave enough of a force here to make them think we're still here."
Sy looked at the map and considered the size of the army coming at them. He didn't want to leave anyone in Burbon. It would be a death sentence. His entire guard might be able to hold off the enemy for a brief time, but Okyiq would eventually break through the wall and kill everyone in sight. There was no point in trying to save the town. It was already lost.
"Why worry about keeping Okyiq focused on Burbon?" Sy asked.
"We can't have him going after the civilians on the road to Connel," the delver explained.
Sy felt the concern was justified, but he believed the risk was minimal.
"Based on what you're telling me, he's moving the main body of his forces too slow. We can get to Connel before they engage. The only creatures that can reach us if he bypasses Burbon are the spiders. I understand you don't want us to get caught in the open, but the guard can fight off the spiders, even on open ground."
"It's not just the spiders. The serps are behind this, all of it. They're connected to the monsters. If the spiders don't see anyone at the walls, the serps will relay the message to Okyiq, and then..."
Sy immediately understood Ryson's concern and finished the thought for him.
"He'll put his army in a frenzied march and they'll rush after us."
"We might make it to Connel before they can catch up, but I don't think so," Ryson added, "not with so many civilians. The hook hawks will fly in almost immediately. Add their attacks to what the spiders can do, and they'll slow us up enough for the whole of Okyiq's army to catch us on an open road. We'd still be too far from Connel to count on their protection."
"Worst case," Sy admitted.
The captain reconsidered his options and focused on one thought, getting the civilians to safety without risking them to attack. He contemplated his available forces and what would be necessary to delay Okyiq enough so that the evacuees would be guaranteed to reach Connel. He knew what it would mean. It was a sobering fact, but it seemed his options were dwindling to desperate measures. He swallowed all emotion, looked at the map with cold indifference, and focused entirely on strategy.
"Alright, so the guard stays behind and fights. We use the wall to our advantage. We can hold off goblins for a while, even the bloat spiders, but the hook ha
wks are going to be a problem. The way they cut through the air..." he shook his head, emphasizing the difficulty of the task. "It's going to be hard to hit them with arrows, especially if we're trying to hold the wall. They'll decimate us, unless we take cover, but if we do, the goblins will flood the town in an instant. We have to be able to stand at the wall and fire."
"I can handle the hook hawks," Ryson offered. "If they come in low, I can hit them with my sword. They'll take off and won't come back."
Sy considered the proposal, but quickly explained what he believed it meant. He would have welcomed the aid of the delver under almost any circumstance, but they were going to fight a battle the captain knew he couldn't win.
"That would probably work, but do you realize what we're talking about? This is suicide. I mean I'm still hoping Enin might figure out a way to help us, but it's sounding doubtful. Okyiq will surround us and we can't hold them off forever. If you stay here to fight, there's no guarantee you'll be able to escape, even with your speed."
Ryson finally had the chance to reveal his full plan.
"No, it's not suicide and we don't need Enin. We can escape... all of us. There's a chance. We just have to time everything right."
"I'm listening."
"We start the civilian evacuations immediately. The guard stays behind and remains stationed in view along the wall. The spiders will see us the moment they break out of the woods. Okyiq will realize we spotted his army and think we ordered everyone indoors. He won't be in a hurry to take the town. If he was, he'd just storm us right now, catch us off guard."
"That saves the civilians, but what about the guard?"
"We hold off the goblins as long as possible, Eventually, they'll break through the wall. We fall back to the center of town, set up a few bulwarks on the streets to slow them down. They might not even come after us right away. They'll figure we're surrounded and cut off. They'll probably just start taking food and supplies. While they're looting the town, the guard escapes through the tunnels."
"Tunnels?"
"I know you remember when the dwarves attacked us, back when Yave led the separatists of Dunop. They dug tunnels right under us. They're still there. We use them to escape to the dwarf city. Okyiq will never know where we went."
Sy remembered the tunnels. He also recalled how he ordered them sealed.
"They may still be there, but they're not accessible. We sealed the tunnel openings all around town, and the dwarves did the same at their end."
"I know but they don't have to stay that way. All we need is two. You put a contingent of men to dig out the entrances at the center of town in areas we can defend to the last moment. We start digging now and keep digging even if the spiders show up and start their webs. Hopefully, Okyiq moves slow enough for us to get them open before he breaks through."
"Okay, then what? We can get into the tunnels, but then we're trapped. We won't be able to dig through at the other end. You know how dwarves can collapse a tunnel. It would be impossible to break through."
"Impossible for us, but not for them."
Sy was lost.
"They're going to help us? How are they even going to know what's going on?"
"Enin tells them."
"Ryson, you're not making any sense. Enin isn't supposed to get involved, and if he's going to do something, just let him destroy the goblins."
"No, he's not getting involved, he's just relaying a message. We send out a messenger on horseback right now. It should be fast enough. I'll write down what we need in a note with instructions he's not to read it, just deliver it to the dwarves. He won't even know what it says. That way the serps won't know, either. They'll have no idea what the message is or what we're doing, and Enin's not getting involved."
Sy began to see the logic of the solution. He knew the tunnels were under Burbon and a few led directly to Dunop. They were all sealed, but given enough time, they could be opened and used.
"Start writing," Sy commanded. "I'll call for a messenger."
Ryson immediately began to write a note that he intended to be read by Queen Therese only. He believed in his heart she would help them. When he was done, he gave it to a messenger with a list of simple instructions. Enin was to deliver the note immediately to the dwarf queen but not to read it himself.
With the message on its way, Sy turned toward the task of evacuating the town and preparing its defenses.
"I'll assemble the guard and give them their orders," the captain revealed. "I'll give anyone that doesn't want to stay the chance to aid the civilians with the evacuation. I doubt many will take it. I'll order the cavalry on escort duty. They won't like leaving, but they'll understand when I tell them I don't want any horses here. We won't be able to evacuate them through the tunnels."
"I can help with organizing the evacuation."
"I'd rather you go back to scouting the edges of the forest. I'd like to be updated on the progress of the spiders. Don't do anything foolish, but the more we know about their position, the better we can react."
"Done, but I'm going to have to talk to Linda before I go. I want to make sure she leaves with everyone else and knows what my plans are."
"Understood. Just try not to take too long. And before you head out for your next scout, alert the towers and set up a system for any emergency signals."
"Good idea, but when the spiders break through the forest, I'm coming back to town. I have to get ready for the hook hawks, and once we see the spiders, Okyiq we'll have no reason to keep them in the forest. He might send them ahead for a quick strike."
"Fair enough." Sy was ready to address his soldiers, but one quick thought brought out his own curiosity. "Before you go, I have a quick question. You didn't just happen upon Okyiq and his goblins in the woods. You went looking for them. How did you know?"
"There was something the serp said that bothered me. When he told Enin Connel could be destroyed, he talked about earthquakes, floods, and a swarm of monsters. The earthquake could be done by Neltus, the flood by Rivira, but the talk of monsters got me worried. I didn't think the serp would make the threat unless he could pull it off."
Sy understood the rest. He knew Ryson's delver spirit. It would guide him to an answer, demand he go looking for it.
"So you headed off on a fast scout deep into Dark Spruce figuring that's where they might be."
"It wasn't too hard to find them, but they didn't make it easy, either. They have over a dozen hook hawks circling overhead, but they're staying low. They don't want us to see them until they're on top of us, but I was looking for them, and I couldn't miss their scent."
"Well, those senses of yours saved lives again."
"Let's hope so."
#
"There is little we can do," Shantree Wispon confessed to the captain of the elf guard. "Such an army would decimate our own forces. You are certain of their heading?"
Birk Grund had several elf scouts tracking the dark army as well as magic casters utilizing sight spells to watch different sections of the forest.
"They are moving slowly but their intentions seem clear. If they switch directions and begin to pose a threat to our camp, I will know in sufficient time to act."
Shantree reflected upon the information she received. It all seemed so far beyond belief, and yet, she recognized that her forest home had become a haven for dark creatures. They had amassed together to form an astonishing legion, but such actions were not beyond their practice. Elfore was filled with incidents involving goblin hordes. Another formation was hardly unexpected. Still, she was inspired by the captain's stoic acceptance, and pressed him for his reaction to the massive host of goblins marching towards Burbon.
"Does any of this surprise you?"
"Actually, many things," Birk revealed. "My scouts inform me that a large goblin appears to be leading the horde, a horde that consists of bloat spiders, shags, and hook hawks."
"A goblin?" Shantree responded, clearly surprised by the revelation.
"An enormous one, but still a goblin," Birk confirmed. "Shags and hook hawks following the lead of a goblin is unprecedented to my knowledge. I have attempted to determine if the goblin is not only blessed with unnatural size but also skilled in the use of magic. I have requested several elves to monitor the army. They sense a magical influence, but it is not coming from the goblin."
"So it is possible the large goblin is simply a lieutenant for some magic caster," Shantree supposed.
"It is possible and might explain some of the inconsistencies. I must admit, I am amazed at the discipline of the enemy as a whole. The methodical movement of the legion is extremely unexpected. A goblin horde of that size should be difficult to constrain. They should be racing toward their victims, but the large goblin has them marching with restraint. If a spell caster has found a way to control their inherent violence, that might allow for order within their ranks."
"Any other concerns?"
"Two packs of bloat spiders broke off from the main force, but such a tactic is not truly surprising. I believe the spiders were sent to block any path of retreat and will probably be used to cause terror among the humans. This goblin leader shows surprising talent in utilizing his forces to gain the greatest impact."
Realizing exactly how desperate the situation was becoming for the humans at Burbon, Shantree voiced her desire to offer at least some form of assistance.
"We should warn the town."
"Not necessary," Birk advised. "The Delver Acumen was spotted scouting the positions of the spider packs. He then headed back toward Burbon. He will alert the town before the spiders arrive."
It seemed as if everything that could be done, had been done. The dark creatures were bypassing the elf camp, and Birk was utilizing scouts and sight spells to ensure the horde remained a safe distance away. The humans were most likely aware of their approach. Still, the size of the enemy legion left little reassurances, and Shantree was open to suggestions for further action.
"Based on the enemy's location and apparent intentions, what do you recommend we do?" she asked of the captain.