"So I shall," frowned the dragon. "It is far too tempting for me to remain here. It is a cruel king who bandies unobtainable treats before a dragon's eyes."
King Arik grinned as Wyka's powerful legs vaulted her into the air.
"Is it safe to have the dragon here?" asked General Gregor after Wyka had left.
"Perfectly safe," assured the king. "Tell me the situation in regards to Sarac's forces."
Prince Oscar led the way through the ring of Red Swords and into the Royal Palace as he briefed the king on the latest news.
"Sarac's army of creatures will be upon us in a matter of days," General Gregor reported. "Our people are working day and night on the defenses, but I fear that it will not be enough. The vast number of ogres, goblins, and yaki will surely overwhelm us."
"I have never heard you speak so negatively," frowned the king. "Our men are the best trained in the world. Do you really believe that they are not up to the task?"
"I would not trade our army for any other," replied the general, "but the sheer magnitude of the enemy has me shaken. Add to that the Black Devils that accompany the creatures, and I do not see how Tagaret can withstand the assault."
"What of our plan to bolster the defenses with the Sordoans?" questioned the king.
"Emperor Hanchi has already besieged Melbin," interjected Prince Oscar.
"I thought the search for food would slow the Lanoirians down," mused King Arik. "What happened?"
"We underestimate the Lanoirians," sighed the general. "Somehow they managed to deliver food by ship from the eastern Lanoirian provinces. They did not get enough food to enable a long siege, but enough to bolster their strength."
"We have ships interdicting the food deliveries now," added Prince Oscar. "Of course we are using the very ships that were meant to extricate our forces out of Melbin. The chances of the Sordoans coming to our aid are bleak."
"Not to mention that our mages are also in Melbin," continued the general. "The towers have been completed, but we do not have anyone to put in them. The Black Devils cannot be contained by archers alone."
"The Army of the West?" posed King Arik.
"Still in Lanoir trying to consolidate the country under your banner," replied Prince Oscar. "It a large task for the number of men that they have."
"There is not time to get reinforcements from anywhere," explained General Gregor.
"What of my party?" asked King Arik. "Prince Garong? Prince Darok? Tanya? Prince Midge?"
"They arrived here days ago," reported Prince Oscar as they entered the library. "Tanya has gone to Melbin. Prince Midge is with his own people in the city. Of the elves and dwarf, I am not sure. They are around here somewhere. Pioti died in the attack at Mount Kalas."
"I know," frowned King Arik. "I am glad that the rest of them were able to escape. Things did not go as planned there."
"It appears that your mission was successful, though," offered Prince Oscar.
"It was," nodded King Arik. "The Dragons' Onyx is one with the Sword of Heavens now. Only the Amethyst of the Gods remains to be found to make the Sword of Heavens complete. While the Ancient Prophecy is not entirely clear, I think the defeat of Tagaret would doom us to failure."
"You have not come this far to face failure now," brightened Prince Oscar. "Perhaps the dragons can help us?"
"Most of the dragons are like children," frowned King Arik. "I am sure that they would follow my command, but they are few. I think I killed their mightiest warrior."
"You think?" questioned Prince Oscar. "I thought that Gorga's death was required for you to retrieve the Dragons' Onyx?"
"It was," nodded the king. "Gorga is dead. I am not sure that he was the mightiest, though. While Wyka has little desire to be a warrior, I sensed that Gorga respected her fighting skills. Perhaps she is the mightiest, but there is only so much that she could do against an army the size of Sarac's."
"Any help is welcome," shrugged the general. "Without some outside help, Tagaret is surely doomed. She will see the threat for herself as she flies northward."
"What about evacuation of the city?" asked Prince Oscar. "The buildings mean nothing by themselves. Let Sarac's forces destroy the city. We will come back and rebuild it."
"Impractical," General Gregor shook his head. "There is not enough time to get everyone out of the city, even if we had the ships available. If we evacuate by land, Sarac will just pursue us, and we wouldn't have the defensive works around us."
"We are not evacuating," declared King Arik. "Tagaret is the capital of Alcea. It must, and it will, stand the attack of Sarac."
"Bold words," sighed General Gregor, "but how do you plan to accomplish that task?"
"I don't know," sighed the king. "I only know that it must be done. Did Chaco return with the others?"
"Chaco returned," nodded Prince Oscar. "The elves even taught the unicorns some magic that will shield their flying spells."
"So the unicorns can fly over land again?" brightened the king. "That is a positive sign."
"Is Chaco even necessary any more?" asked the general. "Seeing you fly into the city on the back of Wyka excited the men. Surely, a dragon is a better steed than a unicorn?"
"Chaco is more than a mount," answered the king. "He is a partner and fellow warrior. Besides, I will be sending Wyka to gather the dragons. I will need Chaco for traveling."
"Traveling?" echoed Prince Oscar. "Where is it you plan to go?"
"I need to go to Melbin," declared the king.
"Melbin?" frowned the general. "That would be suicide. I thought that I mentioned that the city was besieged by Emperor Hanchi."
"You did," nodded King Arik. "That does not lessen the need for me to go there."
"You cannot help with the battle there," argued Prince Oscar. "And even if you could, there is not time enough to rally the Sordoans and get them here."
"Alex and Jenneva must be in Tagaret," insisted the king. "And Tanya."
"I understand the need for Jenneva," countered General Gregor, "but Alex and Tanya will not help us much, despite their great skills. I can send a fairy to have them return in any event."
King Arik started to mention Tanya's magic skills and stopped. It dawned on him that few people knew of her ability. He wondered who the general thought was going to occupy the second mage tower.
"Have we determined for sure that Emperor Hanchi is Dalgar?" asked King Arik.
"Without a doubt," nodded Prince Oscar. "He is planning on attacking Tagaret after you kill Sarac."
"It will not be me who kills the Dark One," corrected King Arik. "That task belongs to Fredrik, and he must be found soon."
There was a scraping at the door to the library, and General Gregor opened it. Chaco strode into the room with Prince Midge perched between his ears.
"The Bringer has returned safely," grinned the fairy prince. "Not that I had any doubt, but I am pleased to see you once again."
"Not as pleased as I am to see you, my little friend," smiled King Arik. "I feared the worst for you when we last parted."
"It takes more than a dragon to kill a fairy," beamed the little green man.
Of course the elves had to heal his damaged wing, Chaco snorted.
I am most pleased to see you again, my friend. We have a journey to make in the morning. I trust you have mastered your new magic spell?
Mastered and taught to the others. I am ready to fly whenever you need me, Deliverer.
King Arik smiled and nodded to the unicorn.
"I need to rest tonight," stated the king to Prince Oscar. "Tomorrow morning I wish to depart for Melbin early. Will you instruct Wyka to gather the dragons for me?"
"I will speak with the dragon," nodded Prince Oscar, "but why try to enter Melbin in the daytime. It would be much safer at night."
"Because I want to be seen," smiled King Arik. "Dalgar cannot afford to kill me just yet. Not if he wants Sarac dead. We cannot afford to fight two wars at the same time. The fighting at Melbin must end.
"
"And you think you can end it?" questioned General Gregor.
"I do," nodded King Arik. "And I will. I hope."
Chapter 2
Unending Siege
The sound jolted Alex awake. He grabbed his sword, bow, and quiver and leaped to his feet. The sky was dark and filled with brilliant stars as he slung his quiver and sheath over his head and attached his bow. He moved cautiously out of the narrow alley and into the street. His eyes closed involuntarily as a large flaming projectile soared towards him. He dashed across the narrow street and placed his back to a stone wall. Seconds later, a ball of flaming wood smashed through the roof of the wooden building that he had been sleeping next to. Screams filled the air as the building's inhabitants realized their danger.
The building was a small bakery run by a man and his two sons, who lived over the small shop. Alex moved swiftly to the front door and entered the building. The interior of the bakery was dark and silent. His eyes scanned the darkness until he saw a staircase near the rear wall. He raced through the dark shop to the foot of the stairs. He could hear shouting from above and saw a spreading fire at the top of the stairway.
Alex retreated towards the rear door and, after a few moments, located several lengths of rope. He grabbed the rope and raced up the stairs. The top of the stairs and the wall beyond were now engulfed in a roaring fire as the flames sought out the dry wood of the small building. Alex halted half-way up the stairs, the heat of the fire threatening to sear his skin. He jumped towards the second story railing. He grabbed the railing with one hand and tossed the ropes over it. Swiftly, he grabbed onto the railing with both hands and pulled himself upward. The Knight of Alcea propelled his body over the railing and scooped up the ropes. He ran down a hallway towards the shouts at the front end of the building, the blaze of the inferno lighting his way. As he burst through the door to a small bedroom, he saw an old man arguing with his son.
"I told you to get out," the old man shouted. "Go with your brother. Go now."
"I will not leave you," sobbed the boy as he shook his head.
Both heads turned towards the doorway as Alex raced through it.
"Where is your other son?" Alex asked.
"He jumped from the window," the old baker replied. "His brother refuses to leave. How did you get up here?"
"We do not have much time," Alex declared as he tied the lengths of rope together. "Can you jump safely, lad?"
"I am not leaving without my father," the boy replied stubbornly.
"I would not expect anything less from an Alcean," Alex smiled. "I will get your father to safety, but it will be easier if he knows that you are already free of the building. Get yourself out the window and get ready to help me lower your father to the ground. Once you are on the street, I will lower him with this rope."
The boy's eyes brightened, as he understood what was happening. He grinned and nodded as he backed out of the window. Alex wrapped the long rope around the old man's chest and under his arms. He felt the heat of the approaching fire as the flames raced along the dry wooden floor.
"I am sorry," the old man said softly as he raised his arms. "My wooden leg would never have survived a jump from here. It takes me a long time just to get down the stairs each morning."
"You have nothing to apologize for," smiled Alex as he snugged the sling to the baker. "You are not responsible for the fire. Be glad that your sons love you enough to complain when you tell them to leave. They are fine lads."
"You know them?" asked the baker as Alex picked the man up and carried him to the open window.
"I have been in your shop before," Alex replied as he balanced the man on the sill and wrapped the free end of the rope around his own body.
Alex eased the man out of the window while pressing his own body tightly against the wall to prevent the rope from slipping. When the baker was safely dangling from the rope, Alex released him and grasped the rope with both hands. The heat of the fire upon his back was becoming unbearable, but he shut out the discomfort and started to slowly lower the old man to his waiting sons below. As soon as the boys had the baker safely in their hands and away from the building, Alex released the rope.
Alex did not need to turn around to know that the small bedroom was ablaze. The heat was unbearable and the normally dark room was bright with dancing flames. He swiftly shoved his legs out the window and dropped to the ground.
"I wondered where you had gotten to," greeted Tanya as Alex landed on the street. "The Lanoirians are using the siege engines now. They do not appear to be halting the attack for the night. I fear we will not have a chance to disable them."
"Then we are needed upon the wall," Alex nodded glumly. "Did you manage to get any sleep?"
"Not much," Tanya replied as they started running towards the wall. "The western wall had it much worse than we did during the day. The wounded were far more than Jenneva could handle. I helped her with the healing."
"I could have used Bantam back there," stated Alex. "Is she all right?"
Tanya opened her breast pocket and peered in. "She is sleeping like a fairy," she answered. "Why do the fairies sleep so much?"
"I am not sure," Alex replied as they raced up the stairs to the wall. "I have seen Prince Midge go for two days without sleep, but when he does sleep, not much wakens him. It must be a fairy thing."
As they reached the top of the stairs, several huge flaming balls passed over the wall. Other catapults hurled loads of stones into the wall itself. Alex raced for a crenel and Tanya followed him. They gazed out across the dark field beyond the wall. Campfires covered the open expanse, and the catapults were illuminated by the firelight.
"The scaling towers have not been brought forward yet," said Tanya. "It looks like they are content for now to merely pound us with projectiles."
"That will not last forever," frowned Alex. "Emperor Hanchi does not intend to lay a long siege upon Melbin. The fact that he is attacking at night shows his eagerness to conquer the city. They must have run out of the food that was being shipped in from Lanoir."
"If they attack day and night," worried Tanya, "our people will never get any rest."
"Exactly," agreed Alex. "We shall grow weary while the Lanoirians have sufficient men to allow two-thirds of them to sleep at any time. Our situation is grave."
"Surrender is not an option," retorted Tanya.
"Neither is fleeing," Alex said as he pointed towards the harbor. "It appears that Emperor Hanchi has learned from his previous mistakes. Catapults are in position to fire upon the harbor. We will not be evacuating by ship."
A stirring in Tanya's pocket caused her to open it. Bantam stuck her head out and looked around frantically.
"What is it, Bantam?" asked Tanya.
The fairy climbed out of Tanya's pocket and leaped into the air. Tanya tried to follow the fairy's progress, but the small woman was soon lost in the night.
"What was that about?" questioned Tanya.
"I don't know," Alex said distractedly as his eyes scanned the battlefield, "but the Lanoirians are getting ready for an assault. Grab a runner and send him to Duke Alfred. Tell him that an attack is coming from the south. Every available man must get to the walls."
Tanya nodded and dashed off. Alex studied the battlefield and then scanned the wall in each direction. Dark thoughts had invaded his mind by the time Tanya had returned.
"You should get Jenneva," Alex said softly. "The time to hide our mages is over. We will need your magic and hers to survive this battle."
"I will find another runner," offered Tanya. "I do not wish to be away from the wall right now."
Alex nodded and turned to look back upon the city of Melbin. Fires were evident in the western section of the city as well as the southern section. He could not see the northern section, but he had little doubt that the attack was well coordinated. Flaming orbs of wood continued to rain down on the city while large stones hammered away at the walls. Men ran around with water buckets in a hope
less race to put out the fires. The buildings of Melbin were old and mostly wooden. Little space had been left between the structures. Alex did not envy the fire crews this night. He knew their task would be enormous and exhausting.
"I suspect that Jenneva will be here shortly," Tanya said as she approached. "Are we to work only on this wall, or should we alternate with the other walls?"
"We will start here and see what damage you and Jenneva can accomplish before Dalgar and his Black Devils respond," answered Alex.
Suddenly, two fairies soared out of the night sky. Bantam landed on Tanya's shoulder, while Prince Midge landed on Alex's.
"I should have known," giggled Tanya. "What else would make you rush off without an explanation?"
"I thought you were just exercising your wings," Prince Midge said accusingly to Bantam.
"I was," Bantam replied as she blushed a dark blue.
"What brings you to Melbin, Prince Midge?" asked Alex. "Is Arik all right?"
"The Bringer is in excellent health," assured the fairy prince. "In fact, it is he who sends me on this mission tonight. He does not want you to use any magic against the Lanoirians."
"What?" Alex said with surprise. "Whatever would make him issue such an order? We are just about to test the limits of what we can get away with. Magic will be essential to defeat the Lanoirians."
"Whatever the case," Prince Midge insisted, "the Bringer has forbid it. He said that it is essential that Dalgar does not know that we have mages."
"Why?" questioned Tanya. "Surely, he must have given you a reason?"
"I did not question his orders," admitted the fairy prince. "It would never occur to me to question his authority. He is the Bringer."
"Then why did he send Jenneva and me here?" scowled Tanya. "Surely, it was not to heal the wounded."
Alex pulled out his scope and scanned the battlefield while Tanya interrogated Prince Midge. His eyes moved past the catapults and the campfires of the Lanoirian infantry until he located the large farmhouse in the center of the enemy's encampment. He focused the scope and stared at Emperor Hanchi and his eight bodyguards. The false emperor was watching the attack without emotion.
Amethyst of the Gods Page 2