The Pinnacle Of Empire (Book 6), page 33
part #6 of Neuyokkasinian Arc Of Empire Seroes Series
The admiral rose from his desk and went to the balcony overlooking the harbor. He moved around to the northeast, searching the horizon.
“The Neuyokkasinian war fleet you say?” the admiral asked. “Are you sure of that? What makes you think it’s the Neuyokkasinian war fleet.” He turned to his aide. “More like it’s the Velstorbokkin fleet bringing an invasion force. Send for the captains of warships still in the harbor. Alert the castilyernov’s commander to an approaching fleet. He must prepare to defend the harbor and prevent a landing here.” The aide saluted and dashed off.
“Fisherman, what was your name?
“Bacon, sir.”
“What makes you think it’s the Neuyokkasinian fleet. Admiral Agros wouldn’t sail to Malledar without first notifying me of his coming and only then at the emperor’s order. Speak up man, uh, your name again?”
“Bacon, sir, they calls me Bacon,” the fisherman said. He fidgeted with his cap and bobbed up and down, bowing to the admiral. “The great flagship, sir, what a beauty she is too, she has the Neuyokkasinian crest on her mainsail and she bares the emperor’s Calimon crest on her flags. It’s got to be the Neuyokkasinian fleet, sir, under full sail too.”
“Aide!” the admiral shouted. Another junior officer appeared. “Dispatch the first ship you come to below with all haste and under full sail to the horizon and see what you can make of this report.”
*
It was nearly noon when the Neuyokkasinian fleet anchored, filling the harbor to capacity. The admiral greeted Viceroy Vicksnak as he disembarked.
“What news?” the admiral asked. “What would bring the Neuyokkasinian fleet this far west?”
“The emperor ordered me to sail here at once with a Neuyokkasinian legion to reinforce and perhaps relieve Castilyernov Shinnadda.
“Shinnadda?”
“Emperor Nindax may attack from the northeast. It’s a precaution not meant to alarm you, but I was ordered to bring what forces I could. I had no lead time to give you warning.”
“Aide! See that the Neuyokkasinians have access to all available resources they need.”
Bodrin only took time to re-provision his army and ships, and then he left for Shinnadda. He left Admiral Agros and the Neuyokkasinian fleet at Malledar to reinforce the sea defense in case the Velstorbokkin fleet should attack.
* * *
“Any chance we can burn those crystal’s frames again?” Shinnadda’s commanding general asked Pinion, the former sortie’s leader.
“We can’t make another attack on those crystals. The enemy has found the trapdoor in the forest and now guards it with a full cohort. We’d be killed one by one exiting the tunnel single file.”
The general stood on the highest tower’s battlements, glaring down at the newly reframed crystals. Cohorts of enemy soldiers were refocusing them on the gates.
“Have we anything that can reach those things?”
“Even our best archers can’t shoot that far. Our bows don’t have that range. What about the catapult that was refitted to shoot a great arrow, a giant crossbow?”
“We’ve not tested it; I’ll see to that now,” Pinion said and, shaking his head, he disappeared down the stairs.
“I don’t suppose it’ll have that range either,” the general mumbled. “Send men to soak the gates. Give the order to the commanders. Those crystals will likely burn the main gates just after midday. Position the troops and prepare them to repel a full scale attack through the portal then.”
The officer rushed off and the general slumped. An aide offered him a drink, but he pushed it away, shaking his head.
“Catch up with Pinion; tell him to be sure the commanders have their men fed and provisioned with full water bags. This is going to be a long day of fighting in the sun. There’ll not be another chance to eat or rest once the gates burn.”
Another officer moved up beside the general.
“Move the catapults on the walls closer to the main gate. They’ll need to fire their scatter ordinance on the enemy as they congregate near the gate for their attack. Warn the men those crystals could refocus on the catapults too.”
That officer rushed off. The general mopped his brow as the rising sun broke over the trees and shone down on the tower. He looked over the frantic activities all across the castilyernov. Then he stepped back inside the tower to his command post. A brawny, leather-aproned soldier brought a tray with food and drink.
“Better takes your own advice, General,” the soldier said. “Better eat something now while you can.”
“This may well be our last day, Beakman. I don’t know if we can hold off two legions with the gate destroyed and the castilyernov compromised.”
“Well then, sir, you eats this bird leg here and take some drink. We don’t want to go out with stomachs growling. You needs your strength to keep these boys in line.” The kitchen’s rough veteran put a plate in front of the general with the delicacy of a hummingbird.”
“We’ve seen a lot of campaigns together, Beakman. I’m sorry this may be our last.”
The soldier nodded but said nothing, setting a mug by the old man. As the general finished eating, a shout came from outside. The general jumped up, knocking over the small table, rushing out onto the balcony.
“General! The sun has reached the crystals and the enemy is testing them. The beams were striking just out from the wall. The enemy has adjusted one crystal. They’ve just set fire to the bridge over the moat. They’ve set themselves back a bit, burning the connection.”
The enemy troops began to cluster around the bridge head, ready to charge the gate when it burned. When enough had concentrated, the general ordered the catapults to fire. Great damage was heaped on the concentrated enemy. But all too soon the crystals’ brilliant light beams struck the main gate. Steam billowed from the soaked wood. Smoke soon rose from it. As both sides watched, the gates smoldered and then burst into flames that soon enveloped the stonework at the base of the tower above. As defenders fled the tower, the stonework cracked under the heat. All too soon, the tower collapsed into the newly formed breach of the charred gates.
“Fire at will,” the commanders yelled to troops on the nearby battlements. The enemy scrambled down through the dry moat and over the charred, cracked stones mounded where there had just been a gate and tower. Stones from the catapults rained down. The invaders fell in great numbers, but more rushed over and past them. The Senoshesvasians began to stream into the castilyernov’s outer bailey.
From his post atop the keeps tower, the general saw showers of arrows rain down on the enemy still beyond the walls as swords began to flash in the mayhem spreading into the courtyard below.
“Sound retreat!” the general said. “Have the men pull back inside the inner bailey. We must try to hold out here. They’re rolling a battering ram over the rubble. Try to collapse the bridge leading to the inner bailey when the last of our men cross over.”
Another officer leaned over. “Sir, we can’t accommodate all the civilians inside the inner bailey for long.”
Just then an aide poked the general, who turned to see a soldier looking to the east. There was a cloud of dust rising behind a great mass of men running toward Shinnadda.
“Has Nindax sent back another legion to finish us off?” the old commander asked.
“General, that’s the emperor’s insignia on the legion’s standards. Those are Neuyokkasinians,” the aide said.
The general’s eyes squinted, staring at the sword-wielding troops rushing down the slopes. Then he noticed the enemy, too, sighted the oncoming army. The Senoshesvasians, still out on the plain, stopped fighting. One by one, they abandoned the field. Many began to run for their lives back west up the mountain slopes, racing past their irate officers toward their homeland. Word spread to those inside the castilyernov’s walls. The enemy soldiers must fear being trapped between the two armies, the general thought. Many are surrendering; others are dropping their arms and following the other to the west.
The Shinnadda’s general watched as Bodrin led his troops, first chasing down the fleeing enemy, then to burn the crystal’s caissons. One crystal shattered from the heat. The other one fell, crashing down the hillside. Shinnadda’s troops joined Bodrin’s in routing the remaining enemy troops. They returned and brought the captured enemy supplies and weapons into the fortress. Work began on rebuilding the gate once they hauled the remaining crystal inside. Before the week was out, Shinnadda again stood as the indomitable guardian of the Powterosian Empire’s western border.
“I must march on to Engwaniria to help in the relief of that beleaguered city,” Bodrin told the grateful general. The Neuyokkasinians left, heading southeast.
* * *
At the imperial palace in Graushdemheimer, Emperor Grekenbach received two couriers at the day’s formal audience. The first bowed and handed the chamberlain his sealed message from Sengenwhapolis. The chamberlain handed the message to the emperor as the courier backed down from the dais, awaiting a reply should the emperor wish to send one. Grekenbach opened the message and jumped up, elated.
“I have a son!” Grekenbach shouted across the audience hall. “The empress has given birth to a healthy son at Sengenwhapolis. Ring the bells throughout the city and send messengers throughout the empire.”
Grekenbach sat back down, reading the rest of the message. His son was born prematurely due to Dagmar’s shock and resulting stress at learning Grekenbach had invaded Talok. The court feared for the empress who worried about Saxthor’s eventual revenge for Grekenbach’s betrayal. The news was sobering.
“Send this man back straightaway with my congratulations to the empress. I want daily reports on her health and that of my son.” Grekenbach turned to the other messenger and waved his hand. The man stepped forward and the chamberlain took his message, handing it to the emperor, who read it.
“This is good news. Tossledorn’s general has taken Talok Tower and marched on Hoya. Now if he can convince General Sekkarian to surrender that castilyernov before the Neuyokkasinians send reinforcements, we’ll secure the province at little cost in men or supplies. It will be a rich, new source of revenue and the Hoyahof a grand residence for the new crown prince. What say you to that, Court Wizard Tolalo?”
“I warned Your Majesty against this action.”
“Don’t be so gloomy, court wizard.”
“I foretell only what I sense.”
“And the future, what do you see in our future for this new province?”
“I’m not a primal wizard, Majesty; I can’t see the future, but I warn you again to withdraw your forces before you regret this action. I request permission to join the empress at Sengenwhapolis.”
“Later.”
Tolalo bowed and withdrew.
“Will Sekkarian surrender Hoya without a fight?” the chatra asked.
“Not likely.” Grekenbach frowned. “He was tenacious in the Great Dreaddrac War, as I remember. We can still hope the aged general is tired. We hope he’ll see the futility of holding out.
Dismiss the court; I’ll see no more petitioners today. This is to be a day of celebration for the birth of my son and the new province that shall be his gift as crown prince.”
* * *
Tossledorn’s general marched his victorious legions along the Talok Mountains just past the hidden Talok Tak elf kingdom and up to within sight of Hoya’s massive towers. General Sekkarian watched from the Hoyahof’s highest post as the Graushdem’s legions appeared on the horizon.
“That frantic messenger was right after all,” Sekkarian said to an aide. “Unimaginable that Grekenbach would try to take advantage of his former brother-in-law while Saxthor is engaged in a war in the west. Well, his numbers overwhelmed Talok Tower, but that general won’t find Hoya so easy to subdue.”
“He’ll need to secure Talok quickly before Saxthor can react,” the aide said.
“That won’t happen,” Sekkarian said. “Send for Wizard Tournak. He arrived just yesterday from Konnotan. We’ll see what his take on this is. He was Saxthor’s mentor in his youth. He’ll know what the emperor’s response will be.”
Tournak climbed the tower stairs with a slight limp. He was getting older and arthritis in his left hip and knee pained him on the stairs. When he joined Sekkarian on the tower’s balcony, he surveyed the approaching army.
“What say you to that?” Sekkarian asked.
“Their army is wasted,” Tournak said. “Saxthor’s vengeance will be great. You must not surrender this city under any circumstances. Chatra Lemnos summoned all the veterans he could muster from the countryside. They were to march here, starting two days after I left. The reinforcements should reach here by dawn tomorrow.”
“Looks like our forces will be evenly matched,” Sekkarian said. “Ships docked yesterday with fresh supplies from Konnotan. I’ll send them back to meet the coming veterans and bring them to Hoya so they don’t have to fight their way through the siege. See what you can come up with to aid in this confrontation.”
“I’ll be in the wizard’s tower should you need me,” Tournak said, going back down the stairs. Sekkarian turned back to the approaching army.
“Bring the catapults around and distribute them along the southeastern walls. I’ll allow the invaders to establish their siege camps around the city’s southeastern perimeter. A few volleys of rubble should halt the enemy advance on the walls. Then I’ll send out a small party to burn the field stubble around their camp. That should unnerve them and perhaps destroy some of their supplies.”
“Will you lead the garrison in an attack on the invaders?” the aide asked.
“Not yet, I want to see what the wizard comes up with. We can afford to take our time; Grekenbach cannot.”
*
In the wizard’s tower, Tournak settled in and began studying the contents of the wizard’s workroom. A cat was sleeping on the unused bed and didn’t get up when the wizard entered. Tournak mumbled to himself and the oblivious cat.
“King Mendentak had his elves take all available provincial resources they could find after the Talokians fled south to Lemnos and Konnotan at Chatra Lemnos’ warning. That approaching army has marched all the way from Tossledorn. Their supply lines will be stretched thin and Mendentak will have used his powers to disrupt them. The supplies captured at Talok Tower would have been limited relative to the much larger army’s needs. They must be running low on food. The river can provide water, but food will be scarce.”
Tournak researched a book of spells and incantations.
“This one could bring a horde of insects down on the enemy, but insects are hard to control and could attack Hoya as well,” Tournak said to the sleeping cat. “Here’s a spell to draw water up, and another to shake the land, bringing down a landslide, but a footnote says it’s unreliable and the consequences difficult to predict. This one can animate an object; that might be useful. I’ll remember that one.”
He looked at the cat, which rose, stretched as if it had no bones, then curled up again, apparently bored with Tournak’s chatter. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see a young man standing there.
“Excuse me, sir, they told me I might find you here; my name is Meklin. I’m Wizard Hendrel’s son. You might remember my father from your adventures he’s told me so much about.”
Tournak rose slowly from the worktable, looking at the boy all the while. He walked over to the door and reached out, shaking his hand, nearly jerking him into the room.
“Yes, of course… I remember your father well. We were, indeed, on the adventure with Saxthor in his youth. Your father gave me quite a surprise when he joined our company here at Hoya. He was most helpful to us. How is he these days?”
“He’s fine, still in Hador. The duke won’t allow him to leave, even to get away fishing in the mountains. They’re inseparable; it drives Mother mad. She’s so possessive, you know. She got all in a tizzy when she found out I was coming south to find you. But Father insisted I get out on my own and start learning a trade. I think he wanted to get me out from under Mother’s control. She means well, but she’s so over protective.”
“A trade… You’re here to learn a trade? Why not follow in your father’s footsteps at Hador?”
“Father taught me a lot, but Mother kept insisting I learn to be a shopkeeper. Father’s known since we were kids that I wanted to be a wizard like you and him. He told me I’d never get the chance with Mother hounding me to give up magic and settle down as an honest shopkeeper. She’s got Hendrel junior under her thumb, but Father convinced her to let me go. So I came to find you to study wizardry.”
“So you’re here to understudy me, be my assistant?”
“Yes, sir, if you’ll have me.”
“Hendrel’s son, indeed… I’ll be happy to accept you as my assistant, young man. It pleases me greatly to see how you’ve grown and that you’ve kept your passion for wizardry through your youth. Well, you’re still young, of course…”
“Yes sir, I know what you mean.”
“Then you shall learn wizardry with me. Young people these days don’t seem to have much belief or confidence in wizards anymore. I’m happy to have an apprentice to whom I can pass along my knowledge. Of course, we don’t have the abilities of the primal wizards of old like Memlatec, but we can still do some remarkable things, let me tell you.”
“Of course you can, sir,” Meklin said, laughing. “Father told me about your saving Favriana Fortress in the Great Dreaddrac War. He told me other stories too, but I’m not so sure they’re true. One story was about your elfin boat that changed shape according to need, a boat that watched out ahead for its passengers.”
“Yes, well, try believing rather than doubting. It opens up a lot more possibilities, son.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll try to do that. That’s why I wanted to come study with you, sir.”
“Then together we’ll evaluate this current problem. You’ve come at a good time. We’ve been challenged to help repel that approaching army. We’ll start there. And you must call me uncle… Uncle Tournak.”
