“How are you doing, Embla?” I asked.
“Much better, milord. Lady Elin finished healing me up a few hours ago. Thank you very much for saving me, both of you.”
“I was just doing my job, Embla,” Elin protested.
“Maybe, but I’m still very grateful. I’d do anything to thank you,” she purred suggestively.
Elin blushed. “I, um, that’s quite alright, Embla.”
The wolfen girl grinned. “I can’t believe you’re still so shy, milady. If I was as pretty as you I’d be taking advantage. Well, I suppose we should let Gronir know that we’re back.”
“I suppose,” Daria said sourly. “Come on, then. Unless you need us for something else, Daniel?”
“No, you go ahead. I’m sure I’m going to be busy talking to people for the rest of the day.”
Tina watched her go with a puzzled frown. “What’s got her all upset?”
I sighed. “She spent half the trip trying to seduce me, and I kept putting her off.”
“I still say you should hit that,” Cerise put in. “Those wolfen girls are wild in the sack.”
“But she’s with Gronir,” Tina protested.
“If she doesn’t care, why should we?” Cerise replied.
“Because he cares,” I said firmly.
“Exactly,” Avilla agreed. “Why don’t we all go back upstairs? We have a staff meeting in an hour, so you can all bathe and rest for a bit before you have to deal with anything else.”
“A hot bath sounds great,” Cerise agreed. “You definitely need to fit in some kind of bathing room on the next airship, Daniel.”
“How about we let the dark elves run the airships?” I suggested. “They seem to be good at it, and that way we can just stay home.”
“Aw, but I like flying.”
“Then we’ll just have to put our heads together and figure out how to get your wings to work properly, won’t we?”
“Sold!” She announced eagerly.
After a week on the airship a hot shower was heavenly. Cerise and Elin both rushed through it so they could go soak in the tub, but I spent quite a while in the spray just letting the hot water run down my body. Despite my magic I was exhausted. Maybe I could find time for a quick nap before this meeting?
No, an hour wasn’t long enough. No rest for the weary.
I emerged from the shower to find Cerise missing, and Tina soaking in the tub with Elin. Her artless smile warmed my heart, and I noticed she was still going out of her way to make the shy girl feel welcome. If we were a sentai team, her power would definitely be Heart.
“Come join us, Daniel.”
I hesitated. “I need to get ready for this meeting soon.”
“You’ve got time,” Tina insisted. “Avilla laid out fresh clothes for you in the changing room, before she dragged Cerise off to welcome her home.”
“So that’s where she went. I’m surprised they bothered to leave the room.”
“I’m sure she didn’t want to make Elin uncomfortable,” Tina explained.
“Ah.” I sank into the deep water with a groan. They had the water jets on, so it was just like a hot tub.
Tina giggled. “See? You made the magic tub, you get to enjoy it too. Hecate wants you to make her one.”
Now there was an image. Probably not wise to dwell on it, though. “Does she, now?”
“Mmm hmm. She looked just like that.”
“You watched her bathe?” Elin said incredulously.
“I just came in to ask if she needed anything,” Tina said defensively. “She was in here for hours after you left. Poor Avilla was a wreck, worrying about if she was going to stay for dinner. Besides, she likes me. She said I’m a cute kitten.”
“She got that right.”
Tina was in as close to a pure human shape as she could get at the moment, with just the cat ears and tail revealing that she was no longer human. But my gaze was drawn to her mountainous breasts floating in the water, bobbing up and down with the currents. Damn, had they gotten even bigger somehow?
“See something you like?” Tina shifted, sitting up and leaning forward a little. The movement brought the upper slopes of her breasts out of the water, and her pink nipples bobbed just below the surface. My reaction was inevitable.
“Um,” I said intelligently.
Elin chuckled. “I’d say so. Hey, Tina, want to see a neat trick?”
“Sure?”
Elin slipped under the water. A moment later I felt her hands on my thighs, and warm lips wrapped around my erection.
“Wow. She, ah, she’s getting over that shyness thing,” I said.
“Good.” Tina scooted around to sit next to me, and kissed me.
When we came up for air Elin was still at it. Tina looked down in surprise. “How long can she hold her breath?”
“She can breathe water,” I groaned. Damn, but she was starting to get good at that too.
“Really? Neat! Then I know just how to help.” Tina stood up, and buried my face between her breasts.
Needless to say, I was feeling a lot more relaxed when I walked into the dining room for this staff meeting. Elin took her place with a smug little grin, and accepted a cup of tea from the maid who materialized at her elbow.
Cerise and Avilla were already there, holding hands and looking adorably mussed. The fact that Avilla was letting the maids serve the meal instead of running around supervising everything told me a lot about how much they’d missed each other.
“Have a good time?” Elin asked Cerise.
“I so needed that,” she replied.
Gronir arrived just then, which cut the byplay short. Pelagia was next, followed by Demetrios, and then Markus and Oskar came trailing in.
“I see you’ve been delegating,” I said to Avilla.
She looked away. “I needed help. People and supplies I can manage, but I had no idea what to do about a siege.”
“You did the right thing, sweetie,” I reassured her. “So, what did I miss?”
Markus took the lead.
“The army of ape men arrived two days after you left, milord. They showed up ready to deal with the wizards this time, but we broke their initial attack with the mortars. That made us a target for their fliers, and since then they’ve made a habit of bombing the island whenever we poke our noses outdoors. They drop these giant seeds that explode into clouds of poison gas, and the stuff is devilishly effective. It corrodes metal on contact, and it can linger for hours. We lost six good men to their first attack, and it would have been worse if not for Mistress Pelagia’s healing.”
“We still have three wounded who need attention from you or Lady Elin,” Pelagia said. “We can heal the milder cases of exposure, but there’s only so much we can do about scarred lungs.”
Elin grimaced. “That will have to be Daniel, then. My healing won’t touch that sort of injury either.”
“Noted,” I said. “I understand they tried an airborne attack as well?”
Markus nodded. “Yes, in concert with their second attempt to storm Kozalin. It didn’t work out well for them. They only have a few lizards big enough to carry passengers, so the assault force was only a dozen of them. Tough bastards, but nothing we couldn’t handle. They weren’t proof against bullets, and Demetrios and Corinna made short work of the ones that got inside. After that they focused their efforts on the city, and left us alone.”
“I’m still trying to understand their strategy there,” Demetrios put in. “They’ve been getting five or six thousand reinforcements every day, but they’ve thrown away a lot of that manpower making repeated attacks on the city instead of building up for a coordinated push. I’d think they were in a desperate hurry, except that they’ve been keeping a large force in reserve instead of throwing everything they have into the assaults.”
“Whatever their motives, they’re making headway,” Markus pointed out. “The garrison is taking heavy casualties. Morale is shaky already, and it will only get worse if they can
keep up the pressure. I’d give them good odds of breaking through into the city on the next assault, although I expect the wizards will route them back out again if that happens.”
“I take it you’ve still got a man posted in the war room?” I asked.
“Yes. Oh, and everyone has been asking after you. There’s a council of war every morning at dawn, and they’ll want you there tomorrow.”
I sighed. “So much for catching up on sleep. Alright, send a messenger to let them know I’ll be there. On the topic of enemy tactics, the dark elves have actually had some contact with the andregi before. I’ll have to see if they can offer us any insight.”
“So you’ve negotiated an agreement with Clan Nethwillin?” Demetrios asked. “I’ve had dealings with them before, and they’re a sneaky bunch. How reliable do you think they are?”
“As reliable as we are,” Pelagia answered him. “They’ve offered their fealty, and adopted Hecate as their patron deity.”
“Nethwillin is going to honor a god? They must have been desperate indeed,” Demetrios said.
“They were. My lord, would it be impertinent of me to suggest that they could be quite useful? Perhaps even deserving of a high office or two?”
“Yeah, I’d noticed,” I said. “It’s about time for a reorg anyway. We’ve been going flat out just trying to hold things together, but we’re finally starting to get enough people to handle the things that need doing. Demetrios, I take it you have experience with military affairs?”
“I’ve led more units than I care to remember,” he agreed. “Everything from scouts and raiders to heavy infantry. My boys are pretty decent officers as well, if we ever have enough troops to need them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. What about you, Pelagia?”
“I can’t contest Demetrios’ credentials as a military leader, but I have my own talents. I’ve been a queen twice, and an advisor to countless kings and princes. I’d count myself adept at any task of leadership or intrigue. Although I must admit that my kind have no head for numbers, and I’ve never managed to overcome that failing.”
Damn. I’d been hoping to have her take over for Avilla as castellan, but if she was basically innumerate that wouldn’t work. Managing accounts and supplies was a critical part of that job.
“I see. Well, as I said, I’m planning to shuffle some appointments around and add a new post or two over the next couple of days. So I’d like each of you to let me know in private if you think there’s a job you’re more suited to than the one you’re doing now.”
There were nods all around, and a couple of speculative looks.
“Now, about this siege,” I went on. “We don’t have the manpower to put troops on Kozalin’s walls, but I think we can find a way to contribute. I’ll need to come up with something for air defense first, to put a stop to the bombing. Marcus, how are we fixed for mortar ammunition?”
“Not bad,” he replied. “We used up everything we had on hand in the first attack, but your ladies were able to work that artifact that makes it. I’ve had it running around the clock for a couple of days now, filling some of those storerooms beneath the mortar positions. I’d guess we have about ten thousand rounds on hand now.”
“Good. Those wards over the enemy encampments will stop mortar rounds from working, but once we have air cover we can start bombarding their troops during assaults. That should put a dent in their numbers.”
“That it will,” he agreed. “But it will force them to turn their attention back to us, as well.”
“That’s why we won’t start firing on them again until we’re ready for them. What else could they try to silence the guns? Commando raids? I think we can prepare for that.”
“Strategic magic,” Cerise suggested. “We need to finish our wards against that kind of thing. As many mages as this army has, they’ve probably got something nasty they could throw at us.”
“Assassins,” Demetrios said. “Gaea has no respect for the rules of war. The andregi don’t seem to have much talent for subtlety, but let’s not forget that the goblins are out there. Goblin heroes excel at stealthy infiltration, poisoning and assassination.”
“Weather,” Pelagia added. “A light snow to obscure our vision, or high winds to throw off our aim. Feints and illusions to lure us into wasting ammunition. Mobile wards, once they realize why we aren’t attacking their camps. Night attacks, both real and feigned. Covered trenches to protect the troops as they approach the walls. Tunnels under the walls. Blinding spells aimed at our positions.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not good at military leadership, Pelagia? That was a long list for ten seconds of thought.”
“Yes, well, that’s my problem. I think of all the clever things the enemy could do to counter any plan I consider, and become paralyzed with indecision. I’ve learned through painful experience that it’s better to leave such decisions to a bolder heart than my own.”
“I see. Well, at least you know your own weaknesses. Not many leaders do.”
She smiled at me. “Thank you, my lord.”
“You’re welcome. Now we’d better get our wards in order, and put some thought into tightening up security before we start making the enemy desperate to kill us. If they figure out a defense I can always come up with something else to use on them, but I don’t want us getting caught off guard by a counter attack. We can’t afford to take a lot of casualties.”
“Speaking of casualties, I’d like to visit the wounded in the city tomorrow and do what I can for them,” Elin said.
I considered that. It was the right thing to do, and it might bolster our reputation with the locals as well. But I wasn’t going to take any chances with Elin.
“Alright, but I want you to take a strong escort. Marcus, what do you have the skimmers doing?”
“Nothing critical, milord. I could send one into town with her, and send a couple of extra men with it.”
I shook my head. “That’s not a big enough party for good security. Four men, two wolfen and one of Corinna’s dryads.”
“Daniel, I’m not helpless,” Elin protested.
“I know that, Elin. But the city isn’t secure, and I don’t want you getting knifed in the back while you’re concentrating on healing someone. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I remember the way those dwarven weapons went through our shields.”
She sighed. “Alright, Daniel. If it will make you feel better. I do want to be safe.”
“Good.” I paused to think for a moment. “Alright, commandos and assassins. What can we do to keep them out?”
I could already tell this was going to be a long night. But a little lost sleep was a small price to pay, if it kept my people safe.
Especially my girls. Having Elin fall into my arms covered in blood was bad enough. I was not going to see the same thing happen to Tina.
Chapter 16
“Where have you been?”
As usual these days the prince looked like he’d rather punch me than talk to me.
“I got an urgent call for help from some allies,” I said mildly. “Considering the forces assembled here, I figured the defenses could spare one wizard for a few days.”
“We need those mortars of yours back in operation immediately,” he growled.
I shrugged. “I’ll need a day to make repairs, and put up some air defense so they can’t just bomb them again. But all that’s going to do is buy us a few days until they figure out how to conduct an assault under fire. Tavrin, tell the prince what you told me about the andregi preparations for Fimbulwinter.”
Tavrin’s presence had drawn a lot of surprised looks from the nobles and officers gathered for the planning meeting, and even High Adept Steelbinder seemed shocked. Brand didn’t, which I found interesting. Apparently Asgard had good intelligence about what was going on in the mortal world, and more importantly an effective way of getting information to their operatives in the field.
“The andregi have been systematically preparing t
o rise up and destroy humanity for fifteen hundred years,” Tavrin related calmly. “Every four years they hold a series of contests to select twenty thousand of their most capable shamans and warriors, who are then entombed in the Halls of Slumber until the time of the Cleansing is at hand. I’d estimate that the complex currently has eight million troops in stasis, along with everything they need to carry out several weeks of active campaigning. Mounts, pack animals, shelters, food and water, even sacrificial victims for the shamans.”
“Impossible!” One of the nobles muttered.
“No, just expensive,” I said. “But theocracies can do things like that when their gods command it. So we should probably be figuring out how to keep them from getting here, because they aren’t going to run out of bodies to throw at us anytime soon.”
“No,” Brand said firmly.
Everyone else looked at him with various degrees of surprise. He stood, and slowly looked around at the assembled leaders. The whole group of nobles and wizards fell silent, and once again I marveled at how easily the demigod’s sheer presence could dominate a room.
“Men, this is not a normal war. This is Ragnarok. We aren’t just fighting for our homes and families this time. If the enemy wins he will cast down the Golden City itself, burn the halls of Valhalla and kill the Valkyrie, and devour even the souls of the heroic dead. Then there will be no one left to stop him when he sends his monsters to hunt down every surviving human in Midgard, and murder them all. This is a war, not of conquest, but of extermination.
“But Gaea has made a critical mistake in attacking humanity now. Eight million ape men all assembled in one place would be a formidable force, perhaps even enough to tip the balance against us when the gods do battle on the Golden Fields. If Gaea had simply awakened all of her forces and sent them to follow the giants into battle there would be little the armies of men could do about it, and the outcome would be out of your hands.
“Instead she is sending them here, to Midgard, to attack your homes and fortresses in a dozen places at once. Instead of eight million apes you face only forty thousand, and they throw themselves against your walls instead of meeting you in the open field. What does it matter, if every day a fresh batch marches to the slaughter?
Extermination (Daniel Black Book 3) Page 24