The frantic ringing of the alarm bell roused Stathis. It was pitch black, but she had slept in most of her armour, fumbling around until she found the rest, her entire body stiff and sore. With Parth, Vrintar and Semari gone, the cottage was empty; Hakara was in the mage’s chambers, and Janaxia was hopefully already up on the walls.

Shouts were coming from up on the walls, before there was a loud crash, the sound of stone shattering under impact. Lights, both flickering fire and the steady glow of magelights, shone above her, showing figures running to and fro. She tried to wake herself up, heading up onto the walls, as there was another loud crunching-crack of stone-on-stone.

Herith’s voice came from somewhere nearby. ‘Specialists, prepare focus fire, hold until it’s in position! Stay in cover and hold fire!’

A blast of magical energy shot out from a robed figure before they jumped back into cover as something screamed past where they had been, shooting off into the darkness. Up on the walls, she took a moment to peek over, trying not to expose herself.

The giant was advancing, having hurled a lump of rock forward, leaving great chunks smashed out of the wall. It had picked up one of the broken fragments of the battering ram, swinging it in the air like a club. Arrows shot towards it, sinking into the flesh without effect. She couldn’t take it on by herself. Shit. Bolts of visible darkness shot forth as Janaxia lent her aid. Stathis frowned. The bolts seemed a little redder than usual, easier to see in the night.

It strode towards the gate, one leg clearly dragging, patched awkwardly with leather straps. Herith stood over the gate herself, using her spear to point as she shouted orders at Janaxia.

‘If there’s anything in the darkness, deal with it!’

Janaxia’s hairlash was shining with its own light, illuminating the area around her and making her appear like a wrathful demon, golden swirls shining with reflected light on her armour, horns glossy black, bound with more gold. ‘Of course.’ More bolts shot forth, knocking chunks of armour off the thing.

Herith kept her hand raised as the thing raised the ram, slamming it against the gate. Stathis could hear the wood shake and splinter, but it must have held, as the creature moved to attack again. Herith’s hand chopped down, magical energy blazing into life as all the mages moved to attack. Lances of fire and ice, or simple raw energy, shot forth, all hammering into the same spot on its intact leg. It couldn’t take the damage, tumbling down, the wall shaking as it fell against it.

‘Second spell rapid! Target the other leg! Janaxia, you as well!’

Stathis felt something gathering in the darkness, dark power building and dove in front of one of the wizards as a stream of blood-red energy shot out, raising her shield. She could feel it trying to grasp for her own vital energy, red claws flickering over the edge of her shield before it faded and vanished.

The ground shook as the thing crashed and toppled to the ground. More spells came in from out of sight, Janaxia pausing for a moment, staring into the darkness before firing back, the other mages taking cover. Herith ran over and looked down. ‘Stathis! Keep me safe!’ Then she jumped over, spear in a two-handed grip, thrusting downwards. She landed on the creature’s back, her full weight behind the thrusting drop, stabbing at the base of the neck as it shifted beneath her, still trying to attack.

Herith threw down a glass vial and the pale flesh clinging to the creature’s body began to melt. ‘Janaxia, lift me up!’

Stathis shivered as fingers of razored ice stabbed into her soul, a disk of solid black appearing beneath Herith. She shattered another vial against the body, still flailing and smashing at the gate, wood splintering under the assault. Janaxia’s face was tight with concentration, leaning on the wall for support as Herith slowly rose up into the air, before flaming arrows shot down, burning rags replacing arrowheads. Flame surged over the giant body, something catching alight, the body starting to burn.

Just as her head rose back into view, Herith gave more orders. ‘All forces! Focus fire! Bring it down!’

Arrows, spells and even thrown rocks all hurtled downwards. The burning, melting flesh quickly succumbed, and the thing ground to a stop. Herith turned to face the darkness, spear raised high, still stood atop the platform. Some magical effect must have been used to boost her voice, the sound booming into the night. ‘This is Iristari land! Begone from here, before our blades taste your blood. We stand ready to protect the light from all that would destroy it!’

Stathis could feel darkness building up again, something intensifying and focusing, out of sight. Janaxia strode forward, horns reflecting her lash-light, gesturing imperiously. There was a cold rush of wind from somewhere in the night, red energy flaring out before vanishing into darkness. Herith turned around, stepping off the platform back onto the wall, something surging past them in the night.

Stathis raised a gauntlet, Herith knocking the back of her fist against it, metal clashing on metal. She whispered. ‘Can’t let you get all the dramatic moments!’ Then she raised her voice. ‘Archers front! Keep an eye on that thing. It’ll block the gate, but not if they raise it. Pour holy water on it if it looks like it might move again. Specialists, I want two of you on duty at all times, rotate as needed. Otherwise, rest, regain your spells. How is Hakara doing?’

One of the specialists saluted. ‘Still binding the orb. She believes she can hold for some time longer.’

‘Good. See that she has everything she needs. Janaxia, stay on the walls. Are they doing anything right now?’

Janaxia looked into the darkness. ‘They appear to be arguing amongst themselves. Oh, and one of them has just been shot. Non-fatally, I regret to say.’ She turned. ‘Ah yes, Parthenelle appears to be retreating. Still, that may give them sufficient pause to buy some time. Although it is rather brisk up here, perhaps some wine would help focus my concentration?’

‘No, I need you clear-headed in case anything happens. You can sleep when it’s the day.’

Making Janaxia behave even more like a vampire probably wasn’t a good idea, but she was the best lookout they had. She grumbled, looking at Stathis for support, who just shrugged. ‘It’s the army, no drinking on duty, especially not when on active duty. When we’re done, then you can drink. Although it won’t be very good wine, I’ll warn you now.’

Her lock dimmed slightly, casting her features into a decidedly fell countenance, horns gleaming. ‘I suppose I shall have to endure this hardship with all the stoicism I can muster, then. Perhaps once we destroy the foe, we can raid their stores? They may have some magical items as well. Perhaps something more comfortable than this thing?’ She plucked at the chain armour.

‘Anything magical is to be remanded to the state for inspection, although you will be paid according to its value.’ Herith answered, earning herself a scowl.

‘That seems disappointing. Such is life in duty, I suppose. Life as an independent contractor now seems even more appealing.’ She turned towards the night, looking into the impenetrable darkness, as Herith turned back towards the soldiers, voice commanding.

‘That should hold the gate a bit longer. 8th, first and second squads, start digging, shore it up from the inside. 22nd, go rest, we need to break this and fast, you get to do that. 15th, squads 3 and 4, you take watch. Everyone else, rest up while you can. Command squad, with me. That includes you, Knight Stathis.’

‘Yes, Major.’

They returned to the briefing room. There were noticeably fewer people than before, with the wizards all resting or helping Hakara, and several injured, everyone present drained and tired, sagging in their seats. The mood was greatly improved though, a faint touch of hope in the air.

Herith didn’t bother with formalities. ‘We’ve bought ourselves some time. That carcass is going to block the gate, and with reinforcement, we can probably keep the other creatures out. They’ve not shown any area effect spells other than that dust-thing, but they might break them out. Knight Stathis’ colleagues are hopefully keeping them distracted, which should limit their spell options. A tired mage is not a useful mage, after all. But we don’t have the numbers for an even fight, and we can’t hope to keep them off forever. We barely have the numbers to maintain a watch, and Janaxia will need to rest to regain her own powers.’

Stathis raised a hand. ‘She doesn’t need a full night’s sleep, although she will pretend to. She can’t cast many spells, but she regains her powers rapidly if she has to. Cycle her in and out four times a watch, that should be enough.’

‘Are you sure? She appears quite insistent on requiring sleep.’

‘Yeah, she likes sleeping. But she doesn’t need to rest or study like normal wizards - I’d be more worried about her dropping from exhaustion than her running out of spells. As long as you keep her out of direct combat, she’ll probably be fine.’

‘Noted. We need to finish this, and fast. Mage-Specialist Hakara has managed to bear the strain of the sphere for almost a day now, she may be nearing her limit. We need to get at the casters, but Semari, Parth and Vrintar will be visible and vulnerable during the day. Knight Stathis, am I correct in thinking that you are skilled in techniques that are potent against the undead?’

‘Uh, yes. I can destroy them individually, but there’s too many to fight.’

‘Good. You will lead the charge. Unfortunately, your own steed isn’t here, but the one summoned by Janaxia should suffice. A full troop of heavy cavalry would be preferable, but I only have you.’

‘Uh, you want me to charge alone?’

‘No. You’ll lead the heavy infantry. A spearhead, charging forward. While you do that, then Semari, Parth and Vrintar will also attack. Anyone else able to walk will be part of a secondary column, led by myself. We will set out and launch a secondary attack, coming at them from as wide an angle as we can manage, and attempt to launch a ranged attack on their camp.’

There was silence.

‘It’s risky, but if we stayed camped in here, we’re going to die. We don’t have the numbers for a sustained breakout engagement against their numbers, so we need to target their weak point. Bring down the casters, and we win. Anything else, we lose. Knight Stathis, you get to be both the spearpoint and the distraction. I need you to be loud and obvious, make everyone look at you. Mages go down fast in direct assault, so we need to force the assault. Any questions?’

Everyone looked at Stathis. ‘Have we got enough heavy shields and axes? It’s going to be a running defence, those things won’t stop unless utterly destroyed. And we can’t stop, or we’ll never start again.’

‘I’ve had them made, we should have enough. Focus on punching through, hard and fast, make enough momentum to let the infantry in.’

‘Fine. Anything explosive, I want for this group. Breaking through that line is going to be a lot of hard work.’

‘Agreed. You’ll have everything we have. Just make it happen.’

‘Yes, Major. I think, with enough speed, we might be able to punch through. It won’t be easy, but you’re right, we can’t stay cooped up here. When are we doing this?’

‘I’ll begin moving out the secondary force immediately – this needs to be fast, before they think to try anything else. Stathis, while I’m gone, you have the command. In your absence, Jamara will lead, as she’s bossy enough she’ll be in charge anyway, most of those left are wounded and under her charge.’

‘How are you going to get any forces out of here without being noticed?’

‘Bloody carefully! Small groups, hiding, and really hoping no-one sees them. If we’re discovered, we’re screwed. The undead might be able to see in the dark, but it’s not going to let them see far. So small groups, over the walls, hide where they can. It’s rough terrain, so it should be possible, and I’ve not seen them bother with any patrols. When we rise up and attack, that’s going to be the most dangerous, as we won’t have any formation, but if we can weather that, then a rain of arrows into their camp will dissuade them from anything fancy.’

‘Just try not to shoot us!’

Herith smiled. ‘That armour of yours is pretty tough, I’m sure a few arrows will bounce off. Just go for anyone that looks like a powerful wizard. Does anyone see any problems with this plan?’

Stathis really hoped she was joking. ‘If you’ve come up with it, then it’s going to be the best possible. It’s risky but playing it safe won’t work.’

‘Very well. Everyone, go get your troops ready. It’s time to do what we do. Stathis, we need to talk, you stay.’

Everyone else filed out, leaving her alone with Herith. She waited until she was sure they were out of hearing distance before speaking, sounding almost pleading.

‘You really can’t see any problems with it? It’s a crazy plan, and we’re all going to die!’

‘It’s your plan. It’s going to be the best there is – you always were a better tactician than me. If you say it’s right, then it’s right. This is a shit position to be in, there’s no good options. So yeah, a surprise charge towards their base may be about the best we can do. If we can start attacking the necromancers directly, then we might make it through.’

‘Oh? No sudden bullshit you have to unleash, win this thing and come out a hero?’

Stathis sighed. ‘Fine. There’s one thing. But I’d rather it not leave this room.’

‘You’re swearing me to secrecy?’

‘Not as such, just asking you not to tell anyone else. So, you know back at the Academy, how I managed to attack you directly? I didn’t climb up, I flew. I can’t keep them up for long, but I can summon up, um, wings, and fly.’

There was a long silence, disbelief filtering over her face before acceptance came. ‘Fuck, so that angel at Redcastle?’

‘Yup, that was me. Please don’t let Janaxia know.’

‘Wait, you’ve not told your companions!?’

‘I don’t really like making a thing of it. I think most of them have figured out something out, but they’re polite enough not to ask. Janaxia… well, I’ve no idea what she thinks, and it would be awkward to ask, I’m mostly hoping she forgets about it.’

‘OK, so if everything goes to shit, then you can get out of here and go for help?’

‘I’d rather not, but if I have to, then yes. Unfortunately, that’s about it.’

‘Wait, so, you’re, what, an angel!?’

‘I’ve never really gotten into the theology of it. I’m still mortal, if that’s what you mean, but have some odd abilities.’

‘So what about Carissia? Is she an angel as well? Is this why she serves all of the gods?’

‘No, that’s because she likes having lots of different powers and gets bored really easily, I think she wants to work her way through the entire pantheon. She’s entirely human. Well, unless she’s talked a god into giving her something else or gotten cursed again or something.’

Herith was still looking at her strangely. Stathis cut off her next question. ‘She’s only my half-sister. I’d appreciate not being asked about that. Anyway, is there anything else?’

‘Did you really just come here by accident?’

‘It wasn’t exactly an “accident”, but I didn’t know it would be here. If I had, I would have bought more support!’ That vampire could have made herself useful. ‘So this isn’t some test or plot or anything. I don’t want to be in command, and I don’t know how you do it.’

‘Do what?’

‘Be in charge of everyone. A handful of people, that have signed up for it, that’s fine. But you’ve got about two hundred people, most of which just signed up because they needed the money, or wanted a payout when they muster out, or to get away from home. Shit like this is why I left – I don’t want that level of responsibility, having that many people that might die if I make the wrong choice, or even if I make the right choice? How you manage I don’t know.’

‘It’s commanding. I wouldn’t want anyone bossing me around, and I seem to be pretty good at it. But you don’t want to be in charge? Haven’t you been groomed for it since you were born?’

‘Yeah, pretty much. I wasn’t the best of students though! And I don’t want to rule. Far too much stress and danger of ruining everything. This is what you’re the best at – you give the orders and I’ll follow them.’

Herith seemed to be considering this, rubbing her chin. ‘I wasn’t expecting you to be quite so… compliant. I thought for sure you were here to replace me.’

‘Gods, no! Just random fluke. I sure as hell wasn’t expecting to end up here, and I don’t want your position. Once this is done, we can write up the report and then I’ll be out of your hair.’

Herith gave her a tight smile. ‘That would be appreciated.’ She stretched, suddenly looking tired. ‘This is not what I was expecting for my first command!’

‘Hey, if we knew what was going to happen and could plan for it, things would be easy, that’s what Mother says. Given we’re holding off a vastly larger army, then we could be doing a damn sight worse. We’re still alive, that’s what matters. I’ll go get ready, and check the soldiers are ready as well.’