Victus turned back to face inside the city. He looked to the top of the wall far to the left and far to the right. While the bulk of the soldiers were stationed facing the army outside the gates, groups were stationed periodically around wall throughout the whole city in order to alert the others if an attack came from a different direction.
“What should we do now sir?” Orvious asked.
“We’ll wait for either their terms or their attack,” replied Victus. He looked off into the distance blankly. Another half hour went by and hardly anyone spoke. The battle of the ages loomed before them and the anticipation was painful. Many had just wished they would attack already instead of the torture of the anxiety of waiting. The rain continued as did the drums. They all knew the percussion would not stop.
Finally, Victus held out his hand to feel how heavy the rain was falling. The Captain then turned and looked down to his army below. “I need an archer to step forward,” he yelled. Two men stepped forward but one fell back.
“Yes sir.”
Victus turned to his men on the wall. “Clear the area here,” he pointed to a spot on the wall and some confused soldiers parted a small clearing. “I want to be sure this rain will not affect the course of the arrows from below. We do not need arrows hitting our own men in the ass. Fire over the wall.”
Most of the men watched the archer while others couldn’t remove their eyes from the mass that formed in the distance. The archer fitted an arrow and pulled the bowstring back and aimed towards the sky. He shot the arrow in the direction of the gap that Victus had cleared in soldiers. The missile flew from the string high over the wall and descended into the wet ground on the other side, just as they had planned for. Men stared at the sole arrow sticking out of the mud outside of the city. They then looked back towards the Faletonian army...and the sound of the drums.
“Well done,” said The Captain. The archer bowed and fell back into the ranks. “It will rain more than just water on our foes today. Their losses will be great before they enter the city.” He seemed to fidget with nervous energy. The Captain looked down the wall again and spotted a man with one of the large bows meant to blast large arrows into the giants. He was a large man and Victus knew he was one of the few who did not need magical help to shoot the bow. Twenty yards away were two average sized men with large bows. Beside them was a priest of Tuemis wearing light leather armor. His first purpose was to cast spells of strength on the men near him, so that they could easily shoot there large bows. Melee combat would be secondary for that priest.
After walking to the men by the priest, Victus asked, “Are you ready to accept the magic of Tuemis and bury those arrows into the flesh of the giants?”
“Yes sir,” the men replied and they received a pat on their shoulders and an approving nod from their leader. These erratic actions by Victus caused some men to question their leaders composure, but none would articulate this concern.
More time went by and the rain began to subside. The men remained in the same positions that they were in hours ago. Victus realized he needed to do something. He himself was getting restless. He called for his head commanders to meet him. Orvious, Dougard, and Ron Bederough of Abellard as well as Ryon Ludlow, Bayloff and Andres walked with their leader to an area where they could speak out of hearing distance of the army. Many of the soldiers eyed their top commanders hold a conference some distance away, wondering what they would decide to do.
“What do you think of this?” Asked The Captain as he removed his helmet and ran his hand through his long wet brown hair.
“I don’t think it is a complete surprise that they did not attack immediately. The rain probably helps our cause more than theirs; however the rain is stopping.” Replied burly Orvious.
“They did not come here to wait around too long I don’t think. The extra time they gave us before arriving has allowed us to fortify as well as we could. I believe they will test our fortifications soon.” Remarked Ryon as he took off his helmet and ran a hand through his blonde hair.
Dougard looked up to the walls and said, “Their numbers are great, we must execute our defense perfectly.”
“Indeed” replied Victus. “Have any of you considered the thought that they could be laying siege to us. That they may stay outside those walls for as long as they desire. They can lay siege far longer than our supplies will last. Perhaps they intend to trap us here and starve us out?” Silence fell on the group and it could be felt that the idea of such a thing brought angst to all.
Ryon Ludlow spoke, “I do not think orcs understand that concept.”
“Let’s hope not, but I have said since the beginning we cannot afford to underestimate them, and more so the sinister giants.”
“We have supplies for days, even weeks.” Orvious said. The drums beat in the distance.
“Let us pray that we are not under siege. Go to your men, keep them calm and focused. We will soon find out what the enemy’s plan is. But if and when they attack…we must be ready.” Victus said in a low but confident voice.
“Unto our honor” they all said together then split and went to their men.
Chapter 21
The nervous feeling and anxiety in his stomach was a little different than the last time, but had the same intensity. He wondered if veteran warriors eventually lost the uneasiness or if they just dealt with it better. Elberon pulled up the soaked sleeves on his amber robe. His mace was resting on the wet ground with the handle leaning against his leg. Hours had gone by and the priest had remained in his position among the main force of the army. His eyed looked to the sky as the rain fell on his face. Beyond the clouds was the sun. He wished he could see it but he knew it was there. He repeatedly said prayers to Phelios as they waited for the oncoming attack. He pulled his sun shaped pendant from his neck and held it tight.
The silence in the ranks was eerie. Nobody moved, they all just looked towards the newly built obstruction that would serve as a gate or up to watchmen on the top of the wall. The sound of the drums filled the air like a symphony of horror to come. Elberon turned his head to the side slowly and met eyes with the priestess Katriel. She smiled at him, a smile that made her seem calmer than the rest of the men in the army. The clerics were ready to do their part in the onset of the battle. They would start with enchanting soldiers. Then they themselves would fight with weapons and magic, all the while healing soldiers that got wounded around them until their divine magic was exhausted. The priests saved many lives in the first battle. Their magic also helped mitigate the advantages caused by the larger stronger ogres and giants. The problem was, their divine magic was limited.
Elberon had watched as the most senior leaders convened to discuss the army’s next moves. When Victus and the others ended their quick chat, each of the leaders went back to their men. The soldiers had already waited for hours and the Faletonian’s never attacked. Orvious of Abellard had went up to the top of wall and joined the men there who directly faced the oncoming threat. Dougard and Ronne Bederough made their way to the back of the ground formation where their soldiers awaited their next orders. Victus and Ryon were at the front of the main force with Bayloff in the middle.
“Men…the enemy is preparing to attack. We are not sure when they will do so, but we will be ready for them.” The Captain said as he hopped back onto his horse. “The day will soon end and night will be upon us. We must remain vigilant…but we must also be rested. We have men watching from the wall all around the city. Any movements of the enemy will be seen. There is no need for all of us to stay in position while they feebly attempt to devise an attack plan in disorganized fashion.” Victus then took a step to the side as Ryon Ludlow stepped forward in an assertive manner.
The young commander spoke loudly, “My men will remain in position now with first watch, the rest can go about your business but be ready when the time comes. Unto our honor!” Ryon screamed.
“Unto our honor!” They all replied.
At first no one moved, but th
en the soldiers who were not under Ryon’s command began to walk away. Ryon Ludlow commanded five hundred men and they would all wait at arms. Elberon was part of Victus’s contingent. The priest began to walk away with many men towards his tent. This all seemed strange to him. Why was the Faletonian army waiting outside the city and not attacking? What evil were they conjuring up? He did not have time to consider it. With the time he did have, Elberon wanted speak to his god and maybe rest.
In just over a week it would be the beginning of the holiest week for followers of Phelios. It would be Zentiog, The Day of Life; a celebration of the sun’s life giving abilities and one of the most sacred days of the year for those who worshipped the sun god. It was even an observed day to other religions that respected mighty Phelios. Normally by this time, Elberon would have been working with the high priest Bentinis to establish the agenda for the week and coordinating the festivities of the weeklong celebration of Zentiog. The sound of the drums, although lower in volume, could still be heard from in his tent. He tuned them out and prayed. Instead of getting ready for his service to Phelios, he was getting ready for war, something he was having trouble accepting.
Two of the other priests that stayed in his tent did not return. One was with Ryon Ludlow’s men and the other may have been in position on top of the wall. The other three priests who were present were servants of the sun god. The brothers in faith began to chat.
“Elberon, what would you do in Lunemire as Zentiog approaches?” Asked Carus, one of the priests, as he carefully took off his wet robe and then continued,. “I would normally be praying with the farmers and taking donations and sacrifices, which I dearly wish I was doing instead of my current precarious circumstances.”
“Ah, a necessary practice, Carus. I trust you give the farmers all tokens of our god?” asked Elberon, ignoring the negative final comment by Carus.
“Indeed, many of which I make myself so that they may place them in their fields to bathe in the sun. Last year I carved a three-foot high wooden sculpture with a large sun on top. Within the sun I carved holes that allowed the sun to come through so that the shadow of the sculpture would create a face on the ground.” Carus’s expression showed pride.
Elberon nodded. “I enjoy this time of year. The weather is just right and we seem to always be blessed with clear days. I spend time with our high priest planning the services. When Zentiog is only days away, I prepare the extravagant flower and plant presentations around our temple and fast free of food and water for one day.”
“I too fast,” another of the priests said. “But I cannot do that under these conditions and it will bother me greatly. This thought that has not left my mind. And of course, what to do on the day of Zentiog itself. I pray we are done with this campaign by then, however unlikely that may be.”
“There will no fighting for priests of Phelios on Zentiog,” Carus said firmly. All men whole-heartedly agreed. They would not violate this rule, under any circumstance. The priests would address this situation with their commanders when it was more certain where they would be and what they would be doing. They would not ask their commanders or Victus about it, they simply would insist that they would not engage in battle.
As a matter of practice and in an effort to keep their mind off the looming battle, they set up a prayer service. Night had fallen and each man figured to get some rest after they prayed. They may have to be ready to replace Ryon Ludlow’s men late in the night or, maybe worse, go to battle.
As they all lay in bed, the clerics continued to chat. The men had gotten to know each other well in the last several days. They spoke more about preparations for Zentiog and their daily lives serving Phelios. It was possible to avoid the topic on everyone’s mind for only a few moments, but eventually the subject of facing a long and trying siege came up. They chatted about what might happen if the army found themselves in that terrible scenario. How long could they last? Obviously none of them was ever under the weight of a siege, however the tales were brutal and dire. There were stories of people going mad and starving. There were tales of disease, treachery and even cannibalism.
They could only hope that such a thing was not the fate that Phelios had for them and also that they could rely on Captain Victus Antonel would have a sound plan. Phelios had given the army the highest blessing with the Song of Calaris. The mighty and holy song made their army extremely powerful in the first battle and showed that Phelios clearly supported them. Surely the powerful god would not have done so only for them to perish in a siege.
Silence finally settled in the room. Not complete silence for the low sound of the beating drums continued and would go on into the night like the heartbeat of the Faletonian army itself. One last candle burned in the room offering a faint light. Elberon lay with his hands behind his head staring towards the top of the tent. There was so much running though his mind that he found it hard to sleep. He thought of Esrella and Ostinus. He even wondered what was happening at the Singrin Peaks with his friend Tidor Stonesmasher and the dwarven clans.
Twenty minutes went by and his thoughts were still wandering about. He was thinking of what the Faletonian army would look like from the wall in the morning under the light of the sun. The priest wondered if the attackers would send an envoy to offer terms or if they would remain camped out for weeks setting a heavy siege. What if they had a separate force that would attack Abellard or Rogsnelk, who had many of their men cooped up in Southland. Could the cities defend themselves? Would the reluctant Lunemire help? As his eyes began to flicker and shut, he finally drifted to sleep, but shortly after something happened that would eventually lead to the answer to many of the questions that had kept him awake earlier.
A loud horn blew urgently. The sound woke every cleric in the tent immediately and they looked at one another in shock and confusion. Elberon was the first to hop out of his bed. He put his robe on. It was still wet and therefore cold and heavy. Next he grabbed his mace. The others got up and collected their belongings as well. The horn sounded again and the noise of men rushing about and screaming orders could be heard outside.
One of the priests headed to the exit of the tent and turned back to his fellow priests before exiting. He began the first words of a short prayer, a very common prayer in their faith. Each priest of the sun god joined him loudly.
“Oh mighty god, your wisdom and might fill the world. We are servants to carry out your wishes. Give us strength and we will give others hope. Help us be humble and we will do your will. The sun is life and all dominion is yours. Be with us, guide us and we will follow you like the plant reaches for the sun. You drive out darkness and bring light to the world. Pray for us.” Each man kissed the sun pendant around his neck.
They all rushed out and men were hurrying about and people were yelling. It was a completely dark night; the moon was covered by the clouds. The rain had stopped but the air was thick and moist.
“To your positions!” Yelled a man Elberon recognized as an officer under Victus. The priest knew exactly where he had to go; it was not too far from his tent. Above the sound of bustling army was the persistent sound of drums. They seem to beat faster, like the hearts of the preparing and scared men around him. The Faletonian army was going to attack.
Elberon got into position quickly behind many other soldiers. The cavalry was amassed in front of him, tightly packed in formation. The whole ground force was set as far back into the city as they could be in an effort to give the cavalry a chance to gain speed with their charge. Since he could not see the army on the other side of the wall, he looked to the top of the ramparts. It was dark and the forms of soldiers could barely be made out. The archers on the wall would be the first to take action. From what he could see, they hadn’t yet pulled back their bowstrings so there was still some distance between the army and the wall. The priest could not tell if it was anxiety or adrenaline that he felt, but he tried to embrace it either way.
Captain Victus Antonel ran up the stairs to the top of the wa
ll and peered into the distance. His white cape seemed strangely illuminated in the darkness. The drums beat on, increasing in speed. Victus turned back to his soldiers on the ground and yelled “Men, prepare for victory!” With that he drew his sword and raised it in the air. The army roared in support of their leader. He would not remain on the wall though; he would lead the attack from the ground when the enemy finally got through the gate and into the city. The Captain ran back down and got on his horse.
The enemy moved up from their camp and formed their ranks in the valley of the hills. They did not charge forward but instead stopped just over a hundred yards from the city. In the darkness of the night, the soldiers on the wall could only see shadowy forms surrounding the few torches that were in the Faletonian ranks. They made no surprise of their attack, although the sudden halt of the soldiers was unexpected. The men on the wall had to fight back their emotions; the sheer number of attackers assembled outside the city was horrifying. The lights of torches were speckled in the landscape like stars in the sky on a cloudy night. There appeared to be a sea of orcs outside the city and it extended endlessly to the horizon.
The Faletonians had a battering ram lined up to the entrance of the city. Between their army and the newly constructed gate was the large barricade of wood, earth, and stone that the humans assembled. It was an unavoidable obstruction. While it was not very sturdy, it was ten feet high with jagged points and would prevent, or at least delay, the battering ram from reaching the gate. The humans hoped to rain arrows onto the orcs while they worked to remove the barricade.
Kingdom Come (Price of Power Book 1) Page 27