The Powterosian War (Book 5) (31 page)

“Sound the trumpets!” Grekenbach yelled. The blaring sound spread across the city. Troops began to arrive, rushing up behind the king who stood watching in shock without armor or protection. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past him. It slammed into a wooden door, jolting him out of his trance. A soldier rushed forward and threw his shield up in front of his king.

Grekenbach backed up, bumping into his aide, who’d come with his armor, sword, and shield. “Put this on, Majesty!”

Within minutes the area was swarming with one on one combat everywhere around them. The orcs made slow progress but were able to advance further into the city. They pushed back the defenders that fought from everywhere. Arrows flew down on the orcs from the roofs of houses and windows, but others climbed over their dead to fight on.

As commanders arrived with more troops, Grekenbach turned over the defense to them. He rushed to the west gate and then the north gate to find them all now embroiled in the battles.

“Can you hold the gate?” Grekenbach asked the west gate’s commander.

“I can repel the attackers, Majesty, but I can’t spare troops to help at the south gate.”

Grekenbach heard the same from the commander at the north gate. A sea of orcs swarmed down on the city everywhere. Ladders began slamming against the walls. The king rushed to the palace to send the guards to aid the defenders at the south gate. He could barely make progress in the streets. Throngs of panicked citizens also rushed toward the palace, apparently seeing the enemy pouring over city fortifications.

“Make way!” Grekenbach said, but terror had seized the people. Few acknowledged his order. He pushed through and got to the palace, where the guards struggled with the maddened people pressing to find protection behind the castilyernov’s walls.

I can’t send the guards to the south gate with this chaos here, he thought. Is the city lost? He then heard the sounds of combat near the palace walls.

“Grekenbach,” he heard behind him and turned to see Duchess Klekkenska approaching. “There’s absolute chaos in the palace too.”

“What are you doing out here? It’s too dangerous; these people could trample you.”

“It’s the same everywhere.”

Orcs suddenly broke through the marketplace, throwing over the tables and goods in the stalls, pushing for the palace. Terrified merchants ran every which way. Screams pierced the air. People fell to the slashing orc swords.

“Get back in the citadel,” Grekenbach told the duchess. She shook with terror at the sight of orcs within the city, so close to the bastion. She was stunned and couldn’t move or say anything. Grekenbach saw her frozen and pushed her gently but firmly toward the palace gate, handing her to a guard to escort inside.

An orc rushed past the combatants in the market, heading for Grekenbach. His spear just missed the king but pierced the guard through the chest as he was trying to shelter Klekkenska. The soldier fell dead beside the shocked duchess, snapping her out of it. She screamed.

The orc rushed the king and they fought sword to sword. Another orc rushed up. He aimed his spear at the king who could do nothing, still fighting the orc in front of him. As the second orc advanced, the thought of his imminent death flashed into Grekenbach’s head. Then he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.

Klekkenska jerked the spear out of the dead guard and thrust it by Grekenbach’s side hard into the advancing orc. Focused on the king, the assailant realized too late the old duchess’ intent. The look on the orc’s face betrayed his shock as the patrician duchess ground the spear into his entrails. The orc collapsed just in front of Grekenbach who thrust his sword up into his frontal assailant when the fall of his comrade broke his attention. The dying orc fell over the body of the orc impaled on the spear.

Grekenbach grabbed Klekkenska and rushed her through the gate into the palace grounds. He turned back to join the troops arriving to push back the orcs in the market place. Suddenly, Tolalo appeared with his staff and, mumbling some spell, thrust the rod at the orcs. Blue wizard-fire shot out in a fan, crossing the market, seeking the evil there. Orcs fell by the dozen. Again Tolalo shot his energy bolts at the orcs. They retreated as the army advanced behind the wizard who led them, destroying the orcs in great numbers. Having gained fortitude from the successes, citizens grabbed swords from fallen men and orcs and rushed to attack the routed orcs.

Grekenbach hurried to the western gate to help there. He saw the blue haze of wizard-fire rise over the city roofs as he reached the observation tower. Soldiers were able to restrain the orc advance on the walls and gates since Vylvex had sent his best troops to the south gate attack. Combatants were engaged in combat everywhere the king looked, but the north and west of the city were still free of orcs who couldn’t break through.

Screams rose from the walls as the defenders flung cauldrons of flaming oil and boiling water over them onto the orcs climbing the ladders. Increasingly, the men were able to shove the ladders back onto the attackers.

“The battle turns in our favor,” the commanding general of the west gate said. He shot an arrow into an orc on the wall below who aimed his spear at a defending soldier.

“Send a messenger to the north gate. I must know the status there,” Grekenbach said.

The general dispatched the runner and turned again to shoot orcs from the observation tower. Grekenbach noted an orc creeping up the tower steps behind them. His sword’s flashing arc decapitated the assailant
whose body tumbled back down the stairs.

An arrow smashed into the king’s breastplate, ricocheting off the shoulder edge, ripping his sleeve. It crashed into the column behind him and tumbled to the floor, impotent, clacking on the stone.

Where is that messenger? Grekenbach wondered. I must know the status of the north gate. King and general fought on until the sound of footsteps on the stairs caused Grekenbach to turn with sword raised. The messenger dashed through the portal. Seeing the king poised to strike, he jumped to the left. The king lowered his sword. “What news?”

“The north gate will hold, Majesty.”

“Stay here with the general and hold this gate and tower.” Grekenbach hurried down the stairs, heading back toward the palace on his way to the south gate. The palace was secure. The guards there stood firm against any passerby. No mob pressed the gate, so the king moved south on through the rubble and bodies. Another arc of blue wizard-fire flashed ahead of him at the end of the street just in front of the south tower rubble. The defenders pressed on over fallen orcs, pushing the retreating enemy out of the city. Grekenbach joined the fray and soon Graushdem was again in total possession of the city. The king came up behind Tolalo who now stood on the collapsed gate. The wizard thrust out his staff yet again. An arc of blue fire shot into a concentration of orcs. Three dozen fell dead with smoke rising from their carcasses.

“Looks like you’ve saved the city again,” Grekenbach said. Tolalo didn’t take his eyes off the retreating orcs. The sight of the wizard’s eyes ran chills through the king.

“I don’t know about that, but we drove them back.” The wizard pulled back his staff. Its crystal blazed a rich sapphire blue like his eyes. As he turned to the king, the brilliant blue in his eyes diminished and the crystal paled in sympathy to an aquamarine translucence.

“Clear away that rubble,” Grekenbach shouted to the troops below the tower. “Rebuild that wall immediately before darkness emboldens the orcs.” The soldiers sheathed their swords and began to work together to repair the defenses. The king turned to the wizard. “I see your experiments worked just in time.”

Tolalo bowed. “It would seem so, Majesty.” The king nodded to the wizard, respectfully acknowledging his contribution to saving the city. “I think our saviors may be approaching.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look there,” Tolalo said, pointing his staff to the horizon. “The Neuyokkasinian army is fighting their way through the orcs on the horizon, driving them back north.”

Grekenbach was at the south gate to welcome reinforcements who not only added to the defenses but brought needed supplies as well.

“Where did you come from?” the king asked the Neuyokkasinian commander.

“King Saxthor ordered us vacate Tossledorn and come to relieve the siege.”

“I hate that Tossledorn is undefended, but you came just in time.”

“Indeed, Majesty.”

Grekenbach arranged for the disposition of the Neuyokkasinians in Graushdemheimer’s homes. He returned to the palace that evening to find Klekkenska with a sword she could barely lift in her hands. She was trembling but didn’t reproach her nephew.

“I see the city is safe with you on guard,” the king said. He hugged his aunt, who let the sword drop to the floor.

“Is the city saved?” she asked. “Did you drive the orcs out?”

“Yes, dear aunt, you may sleep safely tonight once again.”

“Oh Grekenbach, when will this end?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll hold out as long as we can and hope for relief.”

I hope the enemy doesn’t occupy Tossledorn, he thought. That would only be another nest of vipers to contend with. Does Vylvex realize the relief forces came from Tossledorn and that it’s now open to his forces?

* * *

“Where did them men come from?” Vylvex asked his commander of the south gate forces. “That army that come up behind you.”

“They must have come from Tossledorn. There’s no other army near here that we know about.”

“Take a battalion and occupy Tossledorn if it be abandoned.”

“As you order, general.”

That’ll be a serious mistake, leaving us that castilyernov, Vylvex thought. Now there’s no place they can run to. That was their last hope. They’ll all die in Graushdemheimer now. His sinister grin reflected a momentary relief from his awareness he’d once again failed to overrun Graushdemheimer. His vision of his master’s rage gave him chills, and he shuddered. He looked around to be sure no one saw the mark of his fear.

* * *

Memlatec feverishly scanned through the musty old book in the Helshian Court Palace library. It was a history of the Occintoc Empire. He stopped near the end to read about the decline and fall of that ancient civilization. There was a war with an ancient indigenous people who occupied the mountainous area that now encompassed the border between Neuyokkasin and the Powterosian Empire. After crushing the rebellious people, the victorious emperor had built the massive Castilyernov Helgenstat at the mountain pass to ensure there would be no future rebellion there. But the indigenous people had called on their sorcerer to summon from the earth, at that spot, a confluence of planetary energy gradients, nature’s own personified vengeance, the Chowzenschwang.

That reference is clear, but there’s no detailed description of this thing they called the Chowzenshwang, Memlatec thought, fingering his beard. The reference only says it came up from beneath the castilyernov to destroy all living things within its walls. There’s no further mention of the Chowzenschwang other than the emperor forbade anyone to mention it or the Helgenstat again. By that imperial edict, no one spoke of either so long as the Occintoc Empire stood. This is the only known reference to it. Is it a being or a living energy form that is different from life as we know it?

“That spot is at a junction of energy gradients, I’m sure of it. The Chowzenschwang is some elemental form of nature’s vengeful guardian,” Memlatec mumbled as he rubbed his hand over the page, then closed the book very carefully. The crinkling, dry pages crumbled slightly at the edges even with his care. He returned the book to its dusty bin, thanked the caretaker, and started to leave when he noticed Rakmar in the shadows.

*

“Did you find out anything?” Aleman asked, taking the wizard’s cape and pointed hat when he returned to his tower above Konnotan.

“I fear Saxthor is about to disturb something that should not be awakened. Feed my horse, but keep him saddled. I’ll be leaving again shortly.”

Memlatec rushed up to the tower workroom and selected two spell books from among a dozen he’d left on the table. He hurriedly packed a few things; and with cape, hat, and satchel, he rode at full gallop to catch up with the king at the head of his army heading south to the border.

* * *

Smoke billowed out over the Munattahensenhov, mixing ash and cinders with the clouds around it. A fresh snow tumbled down, cloaking the mountain in a sooty grey mantle. A dark figure flew toward the brooding mountain, circled it, and flew into the jagged entrance below the dragon stables. The messenger dismounted and ran through the dingy, smoky corridors to the audience hall, hesitating before the sinister guards. He sucked in a deep breath and nodded to the guards, who then opened the doors to admit the dispatch rider to the Dark Lord’s presence. Hoping to hide his shaking, the courier strode up to the dais past silent courtiers whose eyes were fixed on him, following his progress. The messenger bowed deeply to the king, avoiding his reptilian eyes.

“Majesty,” the messenger said.

“What have you to report?”

“Sengenwha is no more, Majesty.”

“Excellent!” The Dark Lord rose and raised both palms-up hands, the long claws curling to summon the courtiers closer to hear. “Did you hear that? Sengenwha is no more.”