“I’m saddened that it’s come to this,” Kelvin said. “The city of Ruatha was destroyed in the final years of the Reishi war. I’ve read some of Mage Cedric’s journal entries about that battle. He struggled with the decision mightily but eventually came to the same conclusion that you have. The city is just buildings and they can be replaced. I only hope that Northport isn’t left to become a haunted ruin like Ruatha was.”
“It won’t be,” Alexander said. “We’ll rebuild it because we have to. Since we control the Gates, the enemy will need to build ships to wage their war. We can’t let them gain control of the seas, so we must begin construction of a navy capable of defending our shores against any fleet they send. Northport will be essential to those efforts—but for now, it must fall.”
He surveyed the room and saw resolve and determination in the colors of his commanders. Satisfied with their reaction to his strategy, he began laying out his plan. By an hour before dawn, the entire army was up and breaking camp in preparation to move into position for the assault against Northport.
As the stars faded into the deep blue of the coming dawn, Alexander stood on his little hillock overlooking the valley below and watched his army begin to move. Four legions went to the south across the Ruatha River to block the enemy’s retreat into the forest. Four legions moved north and west to cut off any escape along the coastline. The remaining six legions deployed to assault the city. The leading two legions made up the primary assault force with reserves in the rear to be deployed where needed.
Alexander had ordered an archery legion armed with longbows and three dozen flame arrows each to be paired with a heavy infantry legion all equipped with large round shields. Each archer was assigned an infantryman to cover them against enemy attack. The force of twenty thousand lumbered forward with scores of heavy ballistae in their midst to augment the firepower of the archers.
The light of day broke over the horizon on a clear sky. Not ten minutes later, a dark and angry cloud began to form over the city. Horns could be heard in the distance calling the enemy to stand ready.
Alexander felt a mixture of excitement and dread. He watched his army execute his battle plan and felt the anxiety of command. The next hours would decide so much and yet he knew they wouldn’t play out as he’d planned. No battle ever did.
“I feel like I should be down there with them,” Alexander muttered.
“No, you shouldn’t,” Duncan said. “Generals who lead from the front lines fall in the opening minutes of the battle and leave their soldiers leaderless and demoralized. You’re exactly where you should be. Let your plan unfold.”
Alexander nodded. He’d grown up hearing lectures on the finer points of military leadership but those had been just lessons, abstract and without emotion or desperate need. This was something else. Men would die today. Men he’d sent into battle. The responsibility of it was crushing.
The sky over Northport grew darker and the lightning began to flicker through the clouds. The spell was nearly ready to begin dealing death to his advancing army. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to the ruin that was about to befall so many lives.
The first ranging arrows rose from the battlements of Northport’s walls. Alexander’s soldiers were still several hundred feet out of range. They marched forward into the killing field. A horn sounded in the distance and dozens of ballistae and catapults fired from the walls. Clay pots streaming trails of smoke behind them rose into the air in a graceful arc and came crashing down into the ranks of marching soldiers, shattering and spraying their burning contents into their midst. Men scattered and screamed but the commanders regained control with shouted orders and iron discipline.
His assault force started running forward to reach attack range more quickly. A volley of thousands of arrows rose from the walls. Officers called for cover. As one, the infantry raised their shields and the archers ducked behind them. The arrows clattered against the heavy shields with only a small number finding flesh. The unit dashed forward again. Another volley rose from the walls and again the assault force defended against the attack. Some fell, but most survived. One last sprint brought the entire force within range before they stopped and made ready for their assault, pausing only to defend against another volley from Northport’s walls.
Loosely woven ropes of burlap drizzled in oil were strung out in front of each rank. Ballistae were loaded with clay pots filled with lamp oil. On command the burlap ropes were lit, as were the fuses on the clay pots. Archers used the flaming rope to ignite the tips of their arrows. A horn blew and the archers and ballistae fired at the city. They were ordered to overshoot the walls and reach the buildings behind. Once they’d loosed the first volley, they began to fire at will, sending a steady stream of fire into the city, stopping their attack only to take refuge under the upturned shields of their infantry protectors when the enemy arrows rained down on them.
It was only minutes before the fires could be seen over the walls of the city. The first bolt of lightning touched down with crashing thunder into the ranks of the assault force and scorched a patch of dirt three dozen feet wide. Men for fifty feet in every direction were sent sprawling while those closer to the point of impact were vaporized or burned so badly that they died where they fell.
Those farther away stopped for only a moment to recover their wits before they renewed their assault. The fires in Northport grew. Another bolt of lightning struck into the assault force and killed dozens more but the soldiers held their ground and continued the relentless barrage of flaming arrows and fire pots into the city. A plume of dark smoke rose from the flames toward the black clouds overhead.
Then the city gates opened and the scourgling came bounding out toward the assault force, followed by a column of cavalry. It was still a good distance off, but Alexander could see the darkness of its aura and knew in an instant what it was.
“Kelvin, we need a magic circle right there,” he said urgently, pointing to the patch of ground at the base of the little hillock where they stood.
“There isn’t time to make one in gold,” Kelvin said. “I don’t know that lines in the dirt will hold it.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Alexander said. “If we don’t contain it, we’re lost. Deploy the cavalry to meet the charge coming toward us and send in two legions of infantry to reinforce the assault force,” he said to his father as he turned toward the path to the base of the hillock.
“Where are you going?” Duncan asked urgently.
“I’m the bait,” Alexander said. “The scourgling is coming for me. I have to be the one to lure it into place.”
“Alexander, no!” Bella cried. She had been silent during most of their deliberations but now that her son was stepping into harm’s way, she could hold her tongue no longer. “You have to run! We can’t destroy that thing, so you have to run. Take a dozen horses and head for Blackstone Keep.”
Alexander stopped and looked at his mother sadly, shaking his head slowly. “I can’t, Mother. I’ve asked all of these men to face death. If I run, their spirit will be broken. I have to stand with them no matter the cost.”
“But it will kill you,” she pleaded.
“Perhaps Lady Valentine is right, Lord Reishi,” Jataan said, glancing out across the distance to the monster charging across the field. “I do not believe I can protect you against such a thing.”
“Trust me, Jataan, you can’t,” Alexander said. “Even the Thinblade is useless against it. Our only hope is to contain it within a magic circle and the only way we can do that is to lure it into the right spot—using me as bait.”
“Listen to your protector, Alexander,” Bella said. “The Maker knows I hate him for taking Darius from me, but he’s right about this. You have to run!”
“No,” Alexander said with finality. “I will not leave these men to wonder if the leader they follow is a coward who will abandon them to face the horrors of this war alone.”
The scourgling crashed into the ranks of t
he archers and infantry, sending men sprawling or worse as it drove through their lines. Those who stood in its way were batted aside or trampled underfoot but it didn’t stop to finish them or to disrupt their sustained barrage of flaming arrows. Instead it charged through the soldiers in a straight path toward Alexander.
He pointed out into the battlefield. “Even if I run, it will catch me. It’s faster than any horse and stronger than any weapon we have. We have one chance and one chance only. I love you, Mom, but I have to do this.”
Chloe buzzed into material existence from the aether in a scintillating ball of white light and floated a few feet in front of Alexander.
“I can send it away, My Love,” she said.
“You’d die,” he said.
“Yes, but you would live.”
“Absolutely not! My decision is final,” he said with anger flashing in his eyes. “Chloe, you will not risk your life against that thing. Kelvin, set the trap. We don’t have much time.”
“My wizards are already preparing the circle,” he said. “I will stand with you against the scourgling. I may not be able to kill it but I suspect I can slow it down.”
Alexander nodded, then turned to survey the scene of battle unfolding in the distance. The enemy cavalry had nearly reached the assault force. The archers had shifted fire to thin the ranks of the charging horses while the infantry was forming up a rank of shields and pikes to try to break the enemy’s momentum. Alexander’s legion of cavalry was still several minutes away. It wouldn’t be long before his assault force was caught in a pitched battle well within arrow range of the walls of Northport.
The city was burning, but the dark clouds swirling over it had transformed into rain clouds and were starting to drizzle. His plan was failing. He knew from his fight on the ruins over Benesh Reishi’s crypt that the same spell that called forth lightning could also bring heavy rain, enough to extinguish any fire they could set.
“Withdraw the assault force out of arrow range,” he said to Duncan. “We’ve set all the fire we can for the moment.”
Alexander heard the horns blow from behind him, signaling retreat as he made his way to the base of the little hillock. The ground was prepared with a magical circle and several wizards had assembled to stand with him, including Sark, Jahoda, Mage Gamaliel, and Mage Landi. Each was busy casting a spell, except Mage Gamaliel who was checking the straps on his dragon-plate armor.
Wizard Jahoda finished his spell and a jumble of rocks assembled into a nine-foot-tall stone giant. Alexander smiled at the creation. The last time he’d seen one in action, he’d been impressed, although he feared it wouldn’t be a match for the scourgling.
Wizard Sark completed his spell and a whirlwind came into being, swirling a column of dust up into it. It didn’t look very powerful but Alexander knew better. It could gain strength very quickly when Sark wanted it to.
Mage Landi completed his spell and the air started to glow, softly at first but then with an intensity that made Alexander look away. When he looked back he saw a creature like nothing he’d ever seen before. It stood six feet tall and looked almost like a man except it was made entirely of pure white light. It had no hair or facial features, which made it look like it was not quite finished. Its skin was smooth and shined gently with the kind of light Alexander expected to see when he died. It was beautiful and terrible all at once.
It turned to mage Landi. “For what purpose have you summoned me?” Its voice was hauntingly distant, as though it was calling out through a tunnel from very far away.
“A scourgling approaches. Will you help us fight it?”
It stood motionless for many moments. “I will help you, but a scourgling is beyond me.”
“I know,” Mage Landi said sadly, “but you are the most powerful creature of light I know of and we are desperate.”
Everyone turned when they heard it coming. Soldiers who tried to engage it were smashed, trampled, or rent asunder as it thrashed through the crowd of men in its path. Others scrambled to avoid it as it charged through their midst.
Alexander stood at the edge of the magic circle and waited.
Chloe buzzed around his head, flaring into a ball of light every few moments.
“Are you mad at me, My Love,” she asked.
“No, Little One. I love you and I don’t want you to be hurt.”
She buzzed into a ball of light momentarily, then flitted up to kiss him on the cheek before she disappeared into the aether.
The scourgling broke free of the soldiers and entered the clearing. It didn’t even seem to notice the summoned creatures or wizards arrayed before it as it bore straight down on Alexander.
The creature summoned by Mage Landi reached it first, landing a powerful blow in the middle of the beast’s chest. The scourgling staggered to a stop and shifted its attention to the being of light. It swatted with one hand and raked a series of gashes across the creature’s chest. Scintillating white light poured out of the gashes, bright enough to make the scourgling back off a step or two before the creature of light disappeared, leaving everyone slightly dazzled.
The stone giant reached it next and attempted to grapple with the nine-foot-tall demon. They tumbled to the ground and rolled before the scourgling grabbed a single stone from its body and tore it free, tossing it aside. One at a time, the demon tore stones away until the stones that remained fell to the ground.
Mage Gamaliel stepped to within twenty feet of the scourgling and brought his magical hammer down on the ground with a battle cry. It struck with such force that Alexander staggered to keep his feet. A chasm opened up, splitting the earth from the point of impact for about thirty feet. The scourgling slipped into the crack and fell out of view.
Alexander held his breath, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the creature surfaced.
Sark’s whirlwind intensified and landed in the chasm, pulling dirt in on top of the scourgling until it was completely buried.
“Think that’ll hold it?” Anatoly asked.
“No,” Alexander said, never taking his eyes off the spot where the demon was entombed.
He didn’t have to wait long. Not a minute later, its clawed hand burst from the dirt and pulled it up out of the hole. Alexander held his ground and waited.
The scourgling started toward him again, gaining speed as it charged. When it entered the circle, Jahoda cast the spell that turned the magic circle into a device of confinement rather than a place of protection. The scourgling crashed into the invisible magical barrier as Alexander rolled aside.
It tried to push through but couldn’t.
Alexander breathed a sigh of relief.
Then the scourgling started digging next to the edge of the circle. It wasn’t a moment before the circle broke and the magic failed. The beast lunged at Alexander.
Anatoly shoved him aside and faced the beast. It swatted him in the chest, sending him sprawling. Jataan darted in and thrust so hard that his sword shattered against the creature. It brushed him aside and turned toward Alexander.
He didn’t remember drawing the Thinblade but it was in his hand. The whole world narrowed down to that moment. He was in a fight for his life and he had a blade in his hand. Everything else faded away.
The scourgling lashed out at him with one clawed hand. He danced aside and slashed at its wrist. The Thinblade bounced off it the way a steel sword would bounce off stone. The scourgling turned and backhanded him hard in the chest. The Thinblade slipped out of his hand as he tumbled to the ground. The scourgling leaped into the air in an arc that would bring its giant taloned feet into the middle of him.
Everything seemed to slow down. He saw the deadly, otherworldly monster float through the air. He heard Chloe cry out in his mind and saw her buzz into existence, apparently trying to reach the demon before it reached him. He saw Jataan stumble to his feet, trying to shake off the haze from the blow he’d taken. He heard Anatoly groan in pain and watched Lucky pour a healing draught into his mouth.
He thought of Isabel as he watched his death descend on him.
Then a shadow passed overhead. The scourgling was knocked backward through the air just a few feet before it would have landed right in the middle of him. When he looked up, he saw a sky full of wyverns. More than a hundred of the creatures were making attack runs into the enemy cavalry in the distance, but a dozen or more were circling directly overhead. He looked closer and felt his heart nearly stop when he saw a hawk flying in formation with the one that had just hit the scourgling with its tail. The next in line flew low enough to whip-strike the scourgling again, sending it sprawling across the ground. The flash of sunlight off the rider’s silvery blond hair filled Alexander with hope.
The first rider wheeled quickly for another pass. He saw Isabel riding on the great beast. She reached out with her hand and sent a bolt of bright white light into the scourgling as it regained its feet. The light ran up its back but had no effect. Another wyvern floated overhead and a javelin bounced off the nine-foot-tall demon.
It started coming for Alexander again.
Kelvin used his hammer to open another rift in the earth and slow the beast’s charge. It stumbled and went to ground before bouncing back to its feet. Two more wyverns wheeled overhead and sent light stabbing into the creature.
When it reached Alexander, he dove to the side and out of reach of its clawed hand. It turned and bounded toward him, landing over him with one foot on either side. He struggled to get out of the path of the demon’s attack but he was trapped. Its hand came up poised for a kill strike and started to come down just as Isabel floated over again. This time the quality of the light that streaked from her hand was altogether different. Its color was that of pure love and life.
The argent-white light struck the scourgling square in the back. It stopped, frozen in place for just a moment before its skin burned off in a flash, leaving only a thick black smoke that seemed to flee the world of time and substance as if it knew it had no place there.
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