Fairhaven rising, p.44
Fairhaven Rising, page 44
Taelya was waiting for what she knew would happen when one of the Gallosian mages intercepted the chaos bolt, strengthened it, and hurled it back toward the flank of Ferek’s company. Taelya used the trace of chaos to identify that mage, and, in turn, caught that firebolt and threw it back toward the company moving toward the causeway. The mage again caught the firebolt, and added more chaos to it and this time hurled it at Taelya. She added a touch of chaos, and buried a small chunk of order in it, then fired it directly at the mage who had been redirecting it.
Hsssstt! The mage, the weakest of the four, went up in a flare, largely of chaos, chaos that Taelya hoped concealed the order.
“Did you sense what I did?” she asked Kaeryla, mounted on her left, without looking at the other mage.
“I did.”
“Good. I might need a bit of order from you when we deal with the stronger mages.” “Might” was an understatement, Taelya knew, given the amount of chaos surrounding the strongest mage.
At that moment, the sound of a gong reverberated from the fort, and the Gallosians, less than fifty yards away already, charged, and at the same moment, archers from the walls loosed shafts. Not only did the archers loose shafts, but they kept loosing them as fast as they could, effectively keeping Valchar and Kaeryla totally involved in using their shields to prevent the Gallosians from cutting down the far smaller Montgren contingent.
Sheralt fired a chaos bolt at the section of the wall that appeared to hold the most of those archers, and one of the remaining mages flung it back toward the Montgren troopers.
Taelya immediately took the bolt and spread it across the center of the charging Gallosians, putting a squad-sized gap in the center of the charge.
Sheralt clearly saw that, because he again targeted the archers on the wall. This time, the strongest Gallosian white redirected the chaos bolt, adding more chaos force to it and firing it barely above the heads of his own troopers toward Taelya, who had been hoping for exactly that.
Although she felt almost ripped from her saddle by the small part of the chaos bolt that somehow escaped her containment and hit her shields, she managed to redirect most of the bolt a little lower than head-high right into the troopers behind the ones she’d taken out with the first bolt. Prepared as she’d been, she realized that she’d almost not been able to return that intensified chaos, so strong had it been.
At the same time, she could sense the pressure of the attacking Gallosians as they angled off Kaeryla’s shield and knew that Valchar was feeling the same impact.
She also realized that with the force and numbers of the attack, Valchar and Kaeryla hadn’t been able to shield more than their respective squads, and that a good half of the attackers had swept past the two squads and that hand-to-hand fighting was everywhere behind them. Almost disinterestedly, she noticed one good thing: While the area south of the front of the fort had seemed large, it was too small for the Gallosians to bring any more troopers into the attack.
But … even if we’re successful in killing these troopers, they’ll just bring more … and even more.
At that moment, another chaos bolt arched over the remaining troopers toward Kaeryla, and Taelya quickly dumped a small coating of order around it and a larger bit inside it and arrowed it at the one of the three remaining Gallosian mages who seemed to be the weakest.
She could feel his shields give, and she followed the first bolt with a narrow bolt of chaos. That resulted in another mist of black death, almost lost in all the death behind her and the two Fairhaven squads.
Immediately another firebolt flew, this time toward Valchar, and Taelya diverted it into the rear of the Gallosian company trying to dislodge Ferek’s company from the bridge causeway.
“Valchar won’t be able to hold shields over even the squad much longer,” Kaeryla said loudly enough for Taelya to hear. As the younger mage finished speaking, another two chaos bolts flew toward Second Squad, both strong bursts of power.
Taelya could only intercept one because of its speed and closeness to the other chaos bolt, and the best she could do was to once more divert it into the Gallosians trying to take the bridge causeway, rather than back at the stronger white mage of the two Gallosian mages remaining. The second flared across Valchar’s shields and incinerated several Gallosian troopers in the hand-to-hand fighting to the east of Second Squad.
Taelya looked at the troopers between Third Squad and the mage squad just in front of the fort, then to Kaeryla. “The two of us need to charge the last two mages! It’s our only chance. Can you shield me and use your shields like blades?”
“Tell me when!”
“Now!”
“Forward! On the undercaptains!” ordered Varais.
Taelya urged Bounder forward, letting Kaeryla move half a length ahead.
The first line of troopers that Kaeryla cut through didn’t even know what struck them. Some of those farther back looked stunned. In what seemed like a quint but was more like moments, Third Squad, led by the two undercaptains, was through the few remaining ranks of Gallosian troopers, and was less than twenty yards from the Gallosian mage squad.
Taelya didn’t hesitate. The moment she had a clear line on the slightly weaker strong white mage of the two remaining, she aimed a low, direct, narrow chaos bolt at him, followed by a second, and then a third.
The first bolt flared across his shields, incinerating the nearest troopers. The second bolt surrounded the mage, then faded. The third bolt collapsed his shields, and he went up in a flare of fire. With chaos fire flowing around his shields and then flaring across most of the supporting Gallosian troopers, the remaining white mage threw a massive firebolt at both Taelya and Kaeryla.
Kaeryla somehow managed to turn it back toward the mage, and at that moment, Taelya followed it with another tightly focused chaos bolt, hoping that the combination of two chaos bolts would hamper the other mage—a mage, Taelya realized, who was by far the strongest she’d ever faced.
“Can you give me a little order?” Taelya asked.
“Here…”
Taelya added a touch of that order to the next narrow-focused chaos bolt, more to the one that followed, and what remained to the third, each fired off in rapid succession.
As the third bolt hit, she could feel the other mage’s shields go, and for an instant she saw his face, just as she strengthened her shields to reinforce Kaeryla’s, a face she recognized although she’d only seen it upon one occasion.
Searing white flashed over them.
Taelya couldn’t see, but she felt the pressure on their joined shields … which held … although the force of the chaos explosion against the shields slowed them to little more than a walk. Even before Taelya could see, she ordered, “Third Squad! On me! Back to the bridge!”
She turned Bounder, using her senses to guide her and hoping that she didn’t have to use more order or chaos. Her eyes burned, and she was light-headed, but she also knew that the Montgren and Fairhaven forces had to cross the bridge before the Gallosians recovered. She thought most of Third Squad was behind her and Kaeryla as they headed for the rear of the Gallosian companies.
From what Taelya could see and sense, both Montgren companies, or what was left of them, had joined up and were slowly withdrawing up the causeway, while fending off the attacking Gallosians. Light-headed as she was, Taelya doubted that she could do much more than hold personal shields … and she wasn’t certain how much longer she could do that.
She let her senses touch Kaeryla. Since the younger mage seemed to have slightly more order/chaos, Taelya asked, “Can you cut through to the bottom of the causeway?”
“If I keep my shields narrow.”
“Take the lead and do it. I’ll be right behind you.” Taelya also sensed that Sheralt and Valchar, and what was left of Second Squad, were following Third Squad, and both still had some shields.
Maybe … just maybe … we can cut through.
“Mages … coming! The mages are coming!”
Taelya had no idea who was shouting that, but she threw out a small firebolt in front of Kaeryla, and for a moment slivery blackness fluttered across her eyes. You can’t do that again.
The Gallosians there scattered away, trying to escape what likely only would have burned them, but the momentary Gallosian caution or panic gave them access to the causeway.
“To the side, Kaeryla! Let the squad rejoin the others.”
Somehow, how Taelya wasn’t sure, the four mage-undercaptains formed up as the rear guard of the withdrawing Montgren/Fairhaven force. Sheralt, who had some chaos remaining, used narrow chaos bolts once or twice, holding the Gallosians at bay while the other three linked what shields they had.
Withdrawing just before them and staying close was Varais. Absently, Taelya noted that streaks of blood were splattered across her uniform.
Then … just about the time when the four actually reached the beginning of the western span, the gong from the fort sounded, and the Gallosians fell back.
Taelya scanned the paved area, but there were so many bodies that there was no way to count them all, and her eyes were burned.
A voice was talking … talking to her, but the words made no sense.
“TAELYA! DRINK SOME ALE!”
Ale … ale … And it was Kaeryla’s voice, she realized.
Finally, as if it took every morsel of strength she had, she fumbled the water bottle from its holder with both hands, finally managing to swallow some of the warm ale, ale that didn’t even taste bitter at that moment.
After several swallows, she began to feel slightly less light-headed, and she saw that she and Kaeryla were nearing the iron gates. Gustaan and Zekkarat were waiting there, mounted on the south side.
Taelya’s first thought wasn’t about the two officers, but about why the Certans hadn’t locked or chained the gates, but then she nodded. They would have had to have gotten onto the bridge, and if one of the mages had detected someone fiddling with the gates, that would have alerted Zekkarat much earlier. At least, that was the way it seemed to Taelya, but she wasn’t sure she was thinking all that clearly.
“Why aren’t they attacking, Undercaptains?” asked Zekkarat.
“Because Undercaptain Taelya and Undercaptain Kaeryla killed all four of their mages, Majer.”
It took Taelya a moment to realize that Varais was the one who had spoken.
“… and that’s why all the rest of us survived and got to the bridge, ser.” Varais’s voice was polite, but barely. “And all four of them demon-near died. They also destroyed at least two companies.”
“Thank you, Squad Leader.” Zekkarat’s tone was weary, more than anything.
“Undercaptains…” said Gustaan, “is there any way any of you could make the gates difficult to get through?”
“Taelya can’t,” said Sheralt. “Neither can Valchar. Maybe, together, Kaeryla and I might be able to do something.”
While Valchar and Taelya rode ahead and reined up, Sheralt and Kaeryla dismounted and studied the gates, neither side of which seemed to be damaged. Then Kaeryla lugged a length of chain, one of those whose links had been chiseled apart, back to the center while Sheralt swung the gates closed. In some fashion, using Sheralt’s chaos and Kaeryla’s order, they wound the chain around the gates and order/chaos-sealed the chain to the gates.
While they did that, Taelya drank more ale and ate most of the stale bread in her saddlebags. By the time Sheralt and Kaeryla had finished, Taelya was less light-headed, but she wasn’t likely to be doing much magery for a while.
“I put what order I could in the gates to keep them closed,” said Kaeryla to Zekkarat. “It will take a lot to force them open if they don’t have a mage.”
“They don’t,” said Taelya wearily.
Sheralt turned to Zekkarat. “For the next few days, they’ll have to rip out the gates. After that…” He shrugged.
Zekkarat turned his attention to Taelya. “Why do you think the Gallosians aren’t following us?”
“Because there’s no point in doing so. We’ve cost them four mages they couldn’t afford to lose. What would they get besides losing more troopers? Besides, the Certans are on the other side of the border. We’re not about to attack the Gallosians again, and we can’t stay here long. The Prefect is likely furious at the Certans, because I suspect the Viscount promised to deliver four junior mages for his mages to destroy in order to allow Duke Maastyn to conquer or weaken Fairhaven. The Prefect’s commanders can blame the defeat here—”
“Defeat? We lost almost an entire company,” said Zekkarat.
“The Prefect lost four mages and close to three companies today,” replied Taelya evenly. “With the two companies in the eastern fort, that’s a battalion. So far the only winner is the Viscount.” And not if I can help it. “We might as well go back to the eastern fort to regroup and rest.”
“You think the Certans will let us?” asked Zekkarat.
“They don’t have any mages. After a day’s rest, we could hold off a siege long enough to destroy a battalion or two, if not more. Even if either Gallos or Certis has more mages to spare, it would take eightdays to get them here.”
“Then we should continue to the fort,” said Zekkarat, gesturing to the east span of the bridge.
Even order-and-chaos-depleted as she was, Taelya could tell that Zekkarat wasn’t exactly pleased. In fact, the seething of his chaos suggested he was furious. At that moment, she couldn’t have cared less.
L
Much of the rest of threeday was a blur for Taelya. She did remember Kaeryla insisting she lie down and rest. The next thing she knew it was early fourday morning, dark and well before sunrise. She sat up with a jolt, wondering if the Gallosians had broken through the bridge gates and were laying siege to the small and inadequate eastern fort. Immediately, she tried to sense what was around the fort, but her ability barely reached to the middle of the bridge, far less than a kay away. But she could sense that no one was on the bridge and that the intertwined order and chaos wrought by Sheralt and Kaeryla were still in place. Nor were there any troopers on the streets around the fort.
Kaeryla lay in the other pallet bed, still sleeping.
Taelya was still thinking about whether she should get up when she dropped off to sleep again. When she woke again, to the sound of the door creaking as Kaeryla returned to the room from somewhere, it was light, although Taelya felt it wasn’t that late.
“Do you feel better this morning?” asked Kaeryla cheerfully, turning toward the older undercaptain. “Or less tired, at least?”
“Where have you been?”
“I went to look at the wounded. I can do a little healing. I was careful.”
“Are you sure?” Taelya sat up. She felt stiff and her back and shoulders ached. She leaned forward gingerly, trying to stretch her back muscles.
“I only did what I could. How about you?”
“How could I not feel less tired? Did you really put me to bed yesterday afternoon?”
“Late afternoon, after I got you to eat some more. Your order/chaos levels were as low as I’ve ever sensed for someone not dying. You’re definitely better this morning. Don’t even think about doing any magery. You need to get dressed. We both need to eat, and you especially need more ale.”
“What about Third Squad? How many did we lose?”
“Four, according to Varais.”
“What about Second Squad?”
“Nine.”
“And the Montgren companies?”
“Konstyn was killed, and he lost thirty-five men. Ferek took a slash, but not deep. He lost twenty-three men.”
“Half a company, roughly,” concluded Taelya. “What about the wounded?”
“Seventeen at last count. Some won’t make it. They wouldn’t, even if I could do more.” Kaeryla took a deep breath.
“If we don’t get out of here fairly soon, we won’t make it, either,” said Taelya wryly. “I can’t even sense what the Gallosians are doing, except that there’s no one on the bridge.”
“I can’t sense that much farther, but I can make out the fort, and there doesn’t seem to be the sort of swirl of order and chaos that would suggest they’re going to do anything today.” Kaeryla sighed. “I’m also a little mad at myself.”
“Why?”
“Because we really didn’t need to have the Certans cut the chains on the bridge gates.”
“We didn’t?”
“It was a pretty simple lock. Father’s been able to manipulate locks for years using order, and he taught both of us. I just didn’t think of it in terms of the bridge locks.”
“You still would have had to do something on the return,” Taelya pointed out, “because the Certans must have had the keys to the locks. And we didn’t really lose any time, because the Gallosians were going to wait to attack until we cleared the bridge.”
“That’s true. I still should have thought about it.” Kaeryla paused. “Do you really think the Gallosians won’t attack today?”
“They might not want another encounter very soon,” said Taelya. “I think we took out close to three companies yesterday.” She paused. “There’s something else we need to talk about…”
“Sydon, you mean?”
“You saw?”
Kaeryla nodded. “When I sensed how strong he was, I thought it might be him.”
“You don’t think your father…?”
“I don’t care what Father thinks,” replied Kaeryla sharply. “Sydon either betrayed him or abandoned him … and he was a sleazy, greasy lecher. He even leered at me when Father wasn’t looking.”
“He was almost that bad with me,” Taelya admitted. “He was stronger than I am, too. If you hadn’t gathered all that order for me, in another chaos bolt or two, he would have broken my shields. In raw power, he’s … he was … almost as strong as Beltur.”
Kaeryla smiled. “You had better technique. Father’s always said that matters more than strength. Using those narrow-targeted chaos bolts allows you to throw more chaos than most whites. And putting order in the middle of them … thinking to do that in the middle of a battle…”
