by Tony Donadio
“We’re beaten, Danor,” she wept. “They’ve emptied the strongholds of the Dark. And still their demons come through the gate.”
She raised her eyes to his.
“There’s no way to win against a force like this. There’s nowhere to run, and no way to escape. The whole world will be taken. This is the beginning of the end for the Children of the Covenant.”
“What do we do, then?” General Banderman asked. His voice sounded shaky. “Do we surrender?”
“No,” Darren said firmly. “We fight to the end, until we are sent into the Light of the Divine.”
Danor kissed his wife’s hair. Then, slowly, he held her weeping form away from him.
“We’re not beaten until the last man has fallen,” he said. He was smiling. “And I will need your help now more than ever. Will you still stand with me?”
Elena nodded. Tears scattered across both their faces.
“No matter the battle. Again and again, you’ve held us together against impossible odds. I won’t give up now, no matter how hopeless it looks. And if we are truly to meet our end today, then I’m glad it will be with you at my side.”
Banderman nodded. “We fight, then. What are your orders, Your Highness?”
Hiding from Dragons
A flight of winged shapes emerged from the eastern clouds. Enormous reptilian forms with scales of glistening red sailed toward the city. Jets of flame shot from their nostrils as they flew, licking the air before them with darting tongues of fire.
Randia’s eyes widened. “Dragons!” she cried.
Stefan grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the ground. “Everyone, down!”
“Do as he says!” Kay rapped. “Under the gazebo, and away from the opening there at the end. Keep out of sight. We don’t want to be spotted.”
In seconds the entire company had followed her order. Randia and Stefan crawled toward them.
“We can’t make it to the Star by hiding here,” she whispered. “Shouldn’t we run for it?”
Stefan shook his head firmly.
“Those dragons are coming this way. If we break cover now, they’ll see us. All we can do is wait.”
“For how long?” she whispered.
“Until they pass us by,” Kay said. “The prince is right. We’d be in their line of sight, and there’s no cover in the streets ahead.”
“Will they pass us by?”
“They might,” Stefan said. “The only real fighting right now is happening by the Cathedral. That may be where they’re going.”
Randia took in a sharp breath. “That would mean they’re headed right for Mother and Father,” she said quietly.
“If they are, there’s nothing we can do about it. Except take advantage of the opportunity to make our escape.”
Randia closed her eyes. There was a long pause before she spoke again.
“Lieutenant, can your scouts keep an eye on the dragons?” she asked quietly. “Don’t ask them to risk themselves. Have them stay out of sight, but let us know what they see.”
“I’m already doing that, Your Highness,” another voice replied. She looked up to see one of the scouts — a tall, thin man named Gerrold — crouching next to the gazebo opening. He was peeking around its edge.
“What can you make out?” Stefan asked. “How many of them are there?”
“You saw only the first group,” Gerrold answered quickly. “They’re coming in waves, one after another. About five dragons in each flight. I see three flights so far, and they’re still coming. And it’s not just dragons. There are giants using them as mounts. Big, with flaming red skin. They’re like enormous Hellmen riding them into war.”
Randia’s voice fell. “Fire giants,” she whispered. The others turned to look at her.
“They’ve been nearly unheard of on the eastern continent for over a thousand years,” she explained quietly. “But they still have strongholds far to the north and west, mainly in the Walls of the World. The Dorians have had border skirmishes with them over the centuries.”
“If that’s where they’re from, then they’ve traveled clear across the world for this fight,” Kay said. “Why attack Carlissa, and not another land that’s closer? Dorian, or Thressa?”
“Zomoran,” Stefan said. “He’s the reason. He must have architected this invasion, and cast the magic that opened that hellgate.”
Kay nodded. “That would also explain why they came here.”
Randia sighed. “If all we can do is wait, then we’ll wait,” she said resignedly.
She slipped a hand into Stefan’s and looked into his eyes. He reached out with his other hand to gently touch a single tear that ran down her cheek.
Flight to the Lower City
The group ran down Tribute Street toward the eastern end of Lannamon. Orion had led them in a mad dash along the road in front of the Smiling Nymph, trying to keep them on the First Terrace North for as long as he could. Staying on the higher ground had given them the advantage of a good view of the Lower City, one that he’d wanted to maintain for as long as possible.
They were not alone. Hundreds were running along the road with them, a steady wail of screams flowing in their wake. They streamed in a crowded exodus away from the center of Lannamon, where the demons were beginning to fan out into the streets. The monsters broke into smaller and smaller groups as they went, the tendrils of their advance slowly saturating every alley of the Lower City.
Orion brought them out of the flow of refugees and came to a halt. They were approaching a sheer wall that towered ominously above them, blocking their way forward — a rocky spur descending from the dwindling cliffs above that hooked down into the valley. The towers of the Silver Star Adventurer’s Academy glinted on the shoulder of a twin spur to the south. The pair marked the eastern ends of the Upper City.
Orion turned to his right. He looked down at the docks, and the firth beyond.
“This is as far as we can go,” he said. “There’s no way to make it all the way out of the city along the terraces. We have to descend to the Lower City here.”
The others fell in slowly around him. Several of them fell to the grass beside the road, panting with exhaustion.
“Finally, a rest,” Davin said. There was a grateful note to his voice as he gasped out the words.
Cooper slapped him on the shoulder as he settled next to him. “A little hard exercise will do you good, scholar-boy,” he said.
Diana came to Orion’s side. With her hand she shielded her eyes against the sun as she followed his gaze. The only road around the cliff spur wound into a long curve that ended in a wide, flat area along the northern shore of the firth. Unlike the relatively pastoral manors of the Upper City it was dense with buildings, and an extensive network of streets that ran among them.
“There’s no avoiding it any longer,” she agreed. “But we’re in a good position. The flying demons are thick over the battle in the High City now. There aren’t many in the sky out here.”
Jameson came to stand next to them. He pointed.
“Never mind the flying demons,” he said. “Do you see that?”
The other two looked, and then nodded.
“We don’t have much time,” Diana said.
Orion turned to the others.
“I’m afraid we can’t rest yet,” he said loudly. “We need to keep moving. Right away.”
“Oh, come on,” Davin said, still breathing heavily. “We can’t run all the way to the east gate in one go!”
“The demons are marching into the streets in earnest,” Orion said. “They’re striking east, and they’re moving fast. Our window of opportunity to escape is going to close, and soon.”
“How long do we have?” Cooper asked.
Orion paused briefly before answering. “I’d say that if we don’t get most of the way to the eastern barracks in the next half hour, it’ll probably be too late.”
Jameson nodded. “Let’s go, then. Lead the way.”
&nbs
p; Orion turned and started jogging down the road to the Lower City, and Diana fell in at his side. The others stumbled along in their wake.
Despite the many homes and buildings of the Lower City, its broad avenues provided more room for the thronging refugees to spread out than the narrow streets of the terraces. The crowd thinned around them as they descended into the land around the firth.
“There!” Orion said, pointing.
In the distance they saw a large, low complex of buildings and fortifications. They were built in a line reaching from the water on their right, to the remnants of the cliff-wall on their left. They were still a good two miles away and it was hard to make out details, but none of them could mistake the sight.
A sea of soldiers was mobilizing for battle. Their weapons and armor glittered brilliantly in the midday sun. Two thousand strong were already marching toward them in waves of disciplined ranks, and several warships had set into the firth to sail alongside them. More were mustering behind, falling into formation to follow.
Jameson let out a loud whistle, and the others cheered.
“At last!” Davin said. There were tears in his eyes.
“Took them long enough!” Cooper said, grinning.
“That was to be expected, though,” Jameson said. “The city had no warning of the attack.”
“Only a small part of the brigade would have been ready for immediate deployment,” Orion agreed. “Sending it out alone and unprepared would have been suicide.”
Jameson nodded. “Marshal Gray’s been doing what everyone else has, even the enemy itself. Organizing a force large and well prepared enough to be effective.”
“He’s got that now, though,” Orion said. “How long do you think before we meet up with them?”
Diana squinted. “The leading edge looks to be about a mile and a half away. Fifteen or twenty minutes with luck, if we keep our pace.”
They set off along one of the roads that eventually led out of the city. The sun was beginning its afternoon descent toward the slopes of Mount Cascade, and its bright rays were becoming veiled as it fell behind the storm clouds the Queen had summoned over the palace. The light began to dim ominously around them as they ran.
~
They had covered only a short distance when Diana lifted her head to look at the sky to the east. She frowned. Another bank of clouds had formed around the outskirts of the city, well behind the fortifications of the army and navy bases. Red light flickered amid the pall like flashes of scarlet lightning.
She turned. Clouds had settled menacingly around the rest of the valley as well. They hung low over the bluffs, even hugging the shoulders of Mount Cascade. She could still see patches of blue sky directly overhead, but the city seemed otherwise surrounded by an ominous wall of dark gray.
And then the dragons came.
Five of them emerged suddenly from the cloud ahead, arrayed in a wide line. One flew over the firth, and one each over the north and south arms of the Lower and Upper Cities. Huge, red-skinned giants rode them as mounts, waving enormous, flaming swords and spears.
Another wave of dragons emerged from the cloud behind them, and then another. With a chorus of deafening roars they swept into the City of Rainbows from the east.
“Lord of Light!” Jameson swore.
The group came to a skidding halt. The dragons were headed right toward them.
“Trapped!” Davin cried. His voice was panicked. “What do we do now?”
Orion turned to look over his shoulder. The leading edge of the force from the amphitheater was closing quickly as it fanned out into the city. It wasn’t more than ten minutes behind them now.
“We can’t stop,” he said. “Or we’ll be overtaken. We have to keep going!”
“Into a dragon’s jaws?” Davin yelled in disbelief. “Are you mad?"
“They’ll fire the city,” Jameson said grimly. “We’ll be running into an inferno.”
Diana’s head snapped to their right. “Cut across toward the firth,” she said quickly.
Jameson shook his head. “The docks will burn, too.”
“Better to be closer to the water than not,” she countered.
“I can’t swim!” Davin cried.
“But you can burn, scholar-boy,” Cooper snapped.
Orion looked around. The streets were emptying. A few people were turning to flee back toward the approaching demons, but most were running into the buildings nearby, searching frantically for cover.
“There may be dragons ahead, but at least so are our soldiers,” Diana said. Her voice was frantic. “There’s nothing behind us but demons!”
Orion pointed to a street that angled away to the southeast.
“Darby Lane cuts across toward the firth,” he said. “Let’s go!”
More flights of dragons sailed into view as they ran. The first wave kept a straight course without slowing or stopping, the monsters’ great wings beating furiously as they sped toward Mount Cascade. The ones that followed descended toward the ground to attack.
Diana sobbed in helpless frustration as she stole glances at the unfolding battle. The soldiers weren’t expecting an attack from the east, and had focused all of their attention and efforts on the city side of the walls. They barely had time to realize they were in danger before the first wave of dragons was sailing over their heads.
Horns and alarms began a frantic braying as the second flight fell upon the barracks. Great gouts of fire burst from the dragons’ jaws as they strafed the defenders. A few panicked volleys of arrows flew up to meet them, but did little to stop the monsters. A company of marshaling soldiers died horribly, enveloped in the inferno, and parts of the fortification around them erupted into flame.
The first flight of dragons passed over the group’s heads. It was still riding high and swiftly above the valley.
“They’re heading for the palace,” Orion said. “And to join the battle in the High City.”
“The King and the priests must have hit them pretty hard,” Jameson noted. “They’re trying to bring some of them in as reinforcements to put them down.”
“And the dragons keep coming,” Diana said. Her face was stained with tears. “I can see at least four flights coming in behind them. No, wait — there’s a fifth one, now.”
Orion looked up and nodded. The following ranks were descending to attack the city as they came. But they weren’t turning to re-engage. They just kept coming, flying lower and more slowly, destroying whatever they found in their path.
“Their formations are staggered to fill in the spaces between them,” he said. “They’ll rake through the city like strokes from a flaming comb. Nowhere will be safe.”
“That first group will be here any minute,” Diana said. “We need to find somewhere to hide!”
The Order is Given
“Archers, loose!” General Banderman cried.
A hail of arrows flew into the air. They arced gracefully toward the regiment of battle demons that was surging toward them. The King and his forces still held the high ground along the palace road, forcing the enemy to lumber uphill to meet them.
The first group of demons had paused to wait for reinforcements to join them. That had given the Carlissans a chance to better prepare their line — but it had also given the first flight of dragons time to catch up with them as well. Now both were closing in to attack. The dragons dropped into a long, flat descent, jaws brimming with fire, ready to strike.
“Priests, ready!” Darren cried. “And … now!”
Once again the great wall of white magic shimmered into form before the defenders. Five blasts of fire blossomed out from the strafing monsters, striking into it. The flames dissipated in a red glow as they tried to penetrate the barrier, and failed.
“Riposte!” Darren cried.
The wall of white shot upward, enveloping the attackers in its incandescent glow. A prismatic volley of spells erupting from the line of mages followed it. The dragons howled in pain and rage at the ba
rrier’s touch, and veered away as the bursts of magic struck them. The wall faded as the creatures broke off.
“That was encouraging,” Banderman offered. He was grinning.
Elena shook her head. “There are a dozen flights just like it right behind,” she said.
Danor nodded.
“That was a feint to test our strength. And to give us false confidence.”
Elena pointed down the road. “That demon infantry is almost on us. The dragons will hit us again when it engages our front line.”
Darren grimaced.
“The Wall of Light is not easy to conjure. We can’t keep using it to drive them back. They will break through eventually.”
“Then we’ll be ready with swords,” the general said.
Darren ignored him. He was looking directly at the King.
“We’ll need to fall back.” Banderman started to object, but the Captain-General raised a hand to cut him off. “We can bloody their first strikes, but we can’t withstand repeated attacks. Not from a force like this, and not out in the open. And not with those dragons coming. We will need to retreat to the palace, or to the Cathedral. You will have to choose which.”
The King returned his gaze steadily.
“We can’t split up again. And if we fall back to one, the other will be taken and likely destroyed.” He looked steadily into the Captain-General’s eyes. “Are you prepared to let that be the Cathedral?”
Darren nodded. “If that is your order. And you must decide quickly. We have little time to prepare.”
Danor sighed. “Let it be the Palace, then. It was designed to serve as a fortress. Despite the damage from the earlier attack, it is more defensible than the Cathedral.”
Banderman nodded. “I’m forced to agree, Your Highness.”
Elena turned suddenly to face Darren. Her voice took on a hard, almost ruthless tone.
“We will fight on, as our King commands. But we must now take thought for the likelihood of defeat as well.”
“What do you propose, Your Highness?” Darren asked.