The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) (33 page)

“Go do what you need to do,” Miranda told the young priests. “I need to get to the gate.”

With the help of her guards, Miranda was able to work around the edge of the crushing mob and get near the fortifications protecting the gate. People near her thought she was trying to push ahead and became hostile, but a few threatening glares and prods from her guards’ swords kept them at bay. Miranda shouted and waved to the soldiers at the gate. Someone finally saw her and was able to open a channel to her by beating back the mob with spear hafts and the flats of their blades.

“Lady Miranda, this is not a safe place to be right now!” a guard officer shouted above the din.

“I know. That’s why I’m here.”

Miranda stood upon the wooden battlement and looked across the sea of people for the Chosen. Whatever they were going to do they needed to do it now. People shoved through the gate despite the soldiers’ efforts to hold them back, adding to the pandemonium on the other side. People were pushing through faster than the soldiers in Brelland could clear them from the streets. Miranda began shouting for calm, imploring the people to move through in an orderly fashion, but her words were lost amongst the bedlam. Just as it all seemed pointless, another sound became audible over the chaotic din, a sound not heard with the ears but with the mind and felt in the heart. The tumult began to ebb as the people stopped shoving and shouting and began humming the subliminal hymn. With a sense of calm restored, the guards were able to move them through the gates once again.

***

Raijaun intently watched the Scion ships draw near. Within minutes, their forward forces should be able to strike at them with some of their destructive spells. A few stones and huge spears arced out from the seawall and fell harmlessly into the water as impetuous soldiers manning the big siege weapons loosed their payloads prematurely. It was difficult for him to stay near the castle and not race to the waterfront, but it was important for him to stay upon the higher ground so he could observe the battle and lend his might when and where it was most crucial.

He could feel the air tingle as the mages began pulling in the Source in preparation for a first strike. Just before the wizards were ready to release their arcane fury upon the ships, hell rained down from the skies. At least a dozen dragons swooped in using the blinding orb of the sun and perhaps some simple illusions to mask their presence. Fiery breath and conjured lightning scoured defenders from the walls and destroyed weapon emplacements from towers and parapets.

Raijaun had been wondering why the Scions made no attempt to conceal the approach of their ships, and now he knew. With the entire human army fixated on what they could see, none had thought to search for hidden enemies elsewhere. They had been so focused upon the ravagers, all had forgotten about the dragons, and it was costing them dearly.

Despite the surprise assault, the battle-trained wizards were as prepared to deal with this threat as anyone in the world. The mages quickly twisted their offensive magic into wards to shield themselves and their allies from the terrifying attack and mercilessly returned it with blasts of arcane power as the dragons swooped past. The initial assault had been devastating for the human defenders, but they had withstood and quickly regrouped.

Unfortunately, the dragons were successful in defending the ships, and now the transports were over the bay. Balls of fire and bolts of lightning arced from the ships’ weapons, adding to the carnage inflicted by the sudden arrival of the dragons. Huge doors built into the vessels’ hulls fell open and ravagers poured out and plunged into the harbor. Within minutes, the creatures were leaping from the sea onto the docks and wharfs like a plague of grunion. Wizards divided their strength between defending against the dragons and laying waste to the ravagers swarming up the seawall and into the lower portions of the city.

Raijaun was about to fly to the embattled seawall when a massive shadow fell over him and eclipsed the sun. He dived forward just as a massive form crashed onto the wall where he was standing. The impact shattered stone and the dragon fell off the far side in hail of bricks and mortar. Raijaun ran to the edge and peered over. The dragon was already on its feet and drew its head back to unleash its fiery breath at him and the humans above. Raijaun summoned his formidable power and made a cupping motion with his right hand. The ground beneath the dragon indented and flattened the great wyrm as if it had been stamped by the heel of a giant as Raijaun increased the gravity directly under its body a hundred fold. He curled the fingers of his other hand into an upturned claw and thrust it upward. Stone spikes erupted from beneath the pinned dragon and pierced its body, ending its feeble struggles.

Raijaun turned to issue orders to the men on the wall when something the size of small house struck him in the side and he found himself falling. Pain lanced through his body as the dragon sank its teeth into his shoulder and chest. The two creatures struck the ground below the wall not far from the corpse of the dragon Raijaun had just slain. The young Guardian punched the dragon in the eye repeatedly until it finally released its grip. He rolled away as the dragon reared back and slammed its forepaws against the ground, shattering cobblestones. Raijaun lurched to his feet and struck out with a hastily crafted arcane bolt. The dragon hissed and the bolt dissipated against the creature’s ward. The dragon growled unintelligibly again and an invisible force sent Raijaun crashing through several walls of a nearby building.

Timbers and stones entombed him in a crushing pile of debris and choking dust. He could see nothing but the wreckage around him, but the crashing and snapping of wood as the dragon sought to dig him out was clearly audible. Light found his eyes once again as the enormous creature flung away hundreds of pounds of debris with each flick of its clawed hands. Raijaun tried to move, but a massive timber buried beneath the rubble lay across his chest and pinned him to the ground. He wheezed and grunted in pain when the dragon stepped on the beam to ensure he would not escape and raised its massive paw to swipe his head from his body.

The dragon roared in pain as a ballista bolt found its mark just below its upraised arm. The creature turned and glared hatefully at the human crew racing to reload the siege weapon. It reared its huge head back to scorch the pitiful creatures from the battlements, and another spear lodged in its scaly neck from the ballista mounted at the other end of the wall. The dragon flailed around on the ground as it tried to pluck the barbed shaft from its throat, howling and slinging droplets of dark red blood.

With the dragon no longer bearing down on him, Raijaun shoved the timber aside and scrambled to his feet. No longer under pressure, he pulled and shaped the Source in a skilled and disciplined manner. He unleashed a barrage of arcane power against the dragon, forcing it against the high stone wall. The dragon screamed its pain and defiance and tried to shield itself from the magical attack, but Raijaun was not about to let up and give it a chance to defend itself. He channeled his power into a continuous bolt of lightning, not letting up until the dragon lay motionless in a scorched, smoking heap. Raijaun took a few deep breaths but did not pause for long. The sounds of desperate battle rang out all over the city, and he knew others needed his help. Flicking a quick salute to the ballista crews, Raijaun set out to find those most in need.

***

Alex commanded the forces guarding the southern and eastern curtain wall while General Brague took charge of the westerly seaward side of the city. He could hear the furious battle being waged several districts away and saw the smoke from dozens of fires curling lazily into the air like black stains against the fractured sky. He wanted to send his forces to the General to aid his desperate defense, wanted to go himself, but he had his orders, and he and his command had plenty to keep themselves busy.

Most of his troops were performing fire suppression duties as dragons swooped low and unleashed their flaming breaths in long, incinerating blasts like a farmer plowing furrows in a field. Only the mages and his siege weapon crews were truly engaged with the enemy. Ballistae crews worked with practiced expertise, hurling stout shafts with barbed, steel heads at any dragon within range. Wizards did their best to create wards to protect the soldiers from the wyrms’ lethal breath and destructive magic and countered with powerful spells of their own.

It was a game of cat and mouse, only the mice were highly trained and wielded weapons capable of killing a cat. Despite the dragons’ great size, they were incredibly swift flyers and darted in and out of the range of the ballistae and wizards. A young, eager dragon swept in low and met a barrage of arcane bolts and lightning. It shielded itself from the detestable wizards’ magic and unleashed a torrent of immolating fire upon the largest group. The humans vanished beneath the inferno, and Alex’s heart lurched in his chest. When the flames cleared a moment later, the mages stood largely unscathed as the remnants of their powerful ward shimmered for a few more seconds before fading away. Alex’s ballista crew took advantage of the dragon’s distraction as it roared its fury at the wizards. The barbed bolt pierced the thin membrane of the dragon’s right wing, and the spring-loaded tines hooked its ulna near the shoulder.

Crews worked the winch, snapping the attached cable taut, and worked furiously to reel the creature in. The dragon shrieked and fought, the winch creaked and groaned, and the bolts securing it to the parapet threatened to tear loose from their moorings. With the cable throwing the dragon off balance and inhibiting its flight, it plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily atop an empty barracks, crushing it to splinters. Soldiers scrambled and lobbed grapnels attached to chains and tried to pin the dragon to ground. The creature was not about to give in and spewed fire at an advancing group, immolating them and several nearby buildings.

“Attack it from the rear!” Alex shouted down from the wall.

More soldiers raced out of alleys and slung grapnels as men wielding pikes charged it from the rear. The pikemen stabbed their spears beneath the near-impervious scales. The dragon struggled against the numerous chains and ropes but could not break free as the wizards arrived and began unleashing a punishing barrage of magic. The dragon did not give up its life easily and fought to the last breath, taking over a dozen more soldiers and two mages with it before it finally succumbed to the brutal attack.

Alex looked across the rooftops knowing nearly identical scenes were unfolding throughout the city where men and woman battled for their lives, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. He could only pray the victories vastly outnumbered the defeats. Turning his eyes to the southeast, the young commander’s blood ran cold. Less than a mile beyond the southern wall, a vast horde of ravagers bore down on the city. Alex surmised some of the ships carrying the dreaded creatures had sailed farther south to deliver a flanking army, and they had nearly succeeded in their surprise attack.

“Shift south!” Alex shouted even as alarm cries and bells rang across the wall.

In the few short moments it took the defenders to converge on the new front, the ravagers were already at the wall, piling up at the base, and using their bodies to create a ramp to the top. The humans fought to repel the creatures with arrows, spears, and boiling oil, but the ravagers were without fear, and the dead served as stepping stones to the top.

***

Miranda knew from the smoke and the sounds of battle that her people were being pushed farther into the city as they lost ground with every passing minute. The noncombatants were nearly through the gates, and it was near time for the rest of them to begin withdrawing as well. For the most part, it appeared as though things were going mostly as planned. That all changed when a dragon came crashing down atop a nearby building and flattened it beneath its great bulk. Miranda sprinted behind a defensive fortification as the air around her became a fiery conflagration.

The dragon pulled itself from the wreckage, swatting away the humans attacking it like insects. Miranda looked up and stared into the dragon’s eyes, eyes fixated on the stone columns of the gate. The Scions knew what it was and now set out to destroy it before any more of the humans escaped to safety, no matter how temporary that refuge might be.

Soldiers and mages sought to stop the beast as it tore at the stout ropes and chains strung across rooftops to prevent just such an attack. Spells and arrows sliced through the air, hammering against the dragon’s defenses. The dragon tore down entire buildings as it bulled its way toward the gate, hurling fire and huge chunks of wreckage at the tiny defenders.

A second massive crash shook the battlement and knocked Miranda from her feet. When she stood back up, the Lady of North Haven faced another dragon bent on destroying the gate and anyone in its path. Some of the few soldiers still guarding the gate charged the creature in a show of futile bravery. Others fled through the portal along with the mass of refugees, their courage having met its limit. Miranda ducked behind the low wall once again as fire filled the plaza. The scent of charred flesh and the screams of those unfortunate enough not to die immediately made her vomit into her throat. With no sign of reinforcements in sight, Miranda choked down her bile, hefted her shield and sword, and charged the colossal creature.

The dragon craned its neck back to unleash another blast of incinerating fire, and Miranda knew her part in this war was nearly over. She raised her shield to cover her face and aimed her blade at the creature’s softer underbelly in hopes of inflicting at least a minor wound before she met her end.

Miranda closed her eyes as she heard the deep inhalation heralding her death. Had she kept her eyes open, she would have seen the third dragon drop from the sky and sink its talons and fangs into the back and neck of the creature about to kill her. Although smaller than the dragon she attacked, Sandy was equipped with some of the most powerful jaws and sharpest claws in the dragon kingdom, and they had no trouble piercing the armor-like scales and sinking deeply into the flesh beneath.