Chapter 31

Ancient Roar

It was the hour of midnight when the snowfall receded around Vindebona. Even in the absence of strong wind, the cold was chilling to the bone. In the area surrounding the wall, there was nothing but darkness. Or so it was seen, as the night masked the movement from several hundred Nicopolans who begrudgingly crawled out from their den.

Hundred by hundred, the Nicopolans began to amass in the snowy field. The mercenaries wanted more so they mercilessly dragged many more and coerced anyone who resisted by arms.

“The faster the city falls, the quicker you and your family can winter with roofs over your head,” one mercenary captain rallied. But others simply used their underlings to beat people into submission.

The top leaders wanted this night attack to succeed at all costs. And for this, they needed pawns to break the defenses. Slowly, in the dark of night, two-thousand men organized themselves into ten columns. Each column was broken into smaller groups that centered around their scaling ladders.

Without torch but small shrouded lanterns on their captains, the large body of men began their march. The starry sky above was kind enough to cast a faint light over the skyline.

As they had expected, the soft thick snow and the men's inexperience in nighttime actions meant that progress was excruciatingly slow. The columns marched for an hour just to reach halfway toward the wall. But the terrain was getting favorable and they were gaining speed.

Suddenly…

“Chief, movements,” a mercenary whispered as he saw the battlements on top of the wall came alive.

“Pay no heed, keep them going,” their leader ordered. He was confused about the timings, but the assault would continue even if they had been seen.

As the men continued their plight, a low rumbling sound came from the top of the wall. Everybody paused as they listened to this alien sound. The rumbling and thumping didn’t stop, they even grew louder. People were drowned in their thoughts. “What is this noise?”

But nobody could answer. More alerting was the rumbling was growing, now they came from at least two different places. The sound was so loud that it was impossible to dismiss it. Many were dazzled as the sound rattled their guts like a thunderclap.

Against things they never encountered before, in the death of night, the men's imaginations ran wild. They knew it wasn’t trumpets, bulges, or any known pipe instruments. Panicking, many refused to carry out commands. All the while, they could only peel their eyes at the brightly lit battlements where two pig pyres just roared against the night.

“We can’t continue like this!” one cried.

“W-with sound like that, everyone inside must be awake,” another found his courage to speak.

Many nodded their heads and clamored in agreement.

“We’re going to die if we continue,” one finally said, triggering an avalanche of emotion.

Covered by darkness and muted by the loud rumbling and thumping sound, the Nicopolans conspired to desert.

Meanwhile, on the top of the wall, the ancient beastmen's war drum roared seemingly without a care for the world. While the Nicopolans started to desert, the long-forgotten artifacts kept raging their battle cries. With each stroke against its thick sinewy leather, the House of Vindebona's heirloom, meticulously preserved by generations thundered mightily.

The mercenaries were quickly losing control. It wasn’t easy to lead untrained men during the best of days, and in the dead of night, it was nothing but a foolish endeavor.

As if sensing the enemy’s predicament, the defenders were ramping up. Now, the battlements were brimming with hundreds of torches moving in various directions as if a large body of troops were patrolling in force and getting ready for something. This unnerved the attacker further.

“Chief,” the lieutenant pleaded.

“No,” the Chief said adamantly. “There’s no way they can spot us. Get them in line-”

“Mages, they must’ve employed mages,” another interrupted.

Before the Chief could respond, someone came running and cried, “The Red Salamander is pulling out.”

“What?” the Chief barked. “They can’t do this to us!” his veins pulsating in his neck as he yelled out in frustration. But without visibility, it was impossible to see whether the report was true or not. He stood there flanked by his restless subordinate while their guts were rattled by the alien sound.

Then came men from nowhere who stumbled upon the Chief's column. They were deserters and the mercenaries easily caught them. But it wasn't just several, many more were coming as if a floodgate had been opened. Now, they knew that things had spiraled out of control. Nobody maintained formation anymore as people were losing their minds.

“Bah, can’t sneak when they’re awake. Pull back- pull back!" the Chief finally relented.

The last column gave up and turned away. With great difficulties, the two-thousand men withdrew in a confused and uncoordinated state. Some wandered and got lost, while others crashed or bumped into other columns with bloody results.

It was a sad day, they had been defeated twice in a day. So much so that many mercenaries got drunk and lashed out against their fellow Nicopolans. The night turned bloody and many lives were lost.

In the aftermath of this fiasco, the head of the big three and the lesser mercenary companies fought till late morning just to agree on what to do tomorrow. Their decision was no longer unanimous. There were signs of fracture in their uneasy alliance.

***

Second Day, Observation Floor

The sun was barely seen on the horizon and the scent from the burning candle still lingered when Audrey arrived at the observation floor. She looked around and found Liam, but before she could ask, Liam gestured to her to keep silent.

“The Lord just fell asleep,” Liam informed her.

Audrey paused to listen and heard faint snoring. She immediately felt relieved. “Did anything happen last night?”

“No attack at all, My Lady,” the squire reported proudly.

Audrey nodded and left Liam for Rabanus who was sitting in the corner.

The knight stood up and bowed his head respectfully.

“You’re early,” Audrey said.

“Yes, My Lady. I’m a bit concerned about the situation,” Rabanus answered jovially, knowing full well that both of them were concerned about last night.

Audrey chuckled softly and admitted, “Can’t say I had a good sleep last night. But don’t let him know.”

Rabanus smiled and nodded courteously. The loud war drum had caused slight panic in the city despite announcements and warnings beforehand. Fortunately, the issue was resolved easily by patrolling night watch.

Piqued by the observation window next to Rabanus, Audrey walked closer and watched the snowy terrain bathed in golden sunrise.

If I'm more than just a country bumpkin perhaps I could quote something beautiful about this...

She clicked her tongue and decided to focus on her job. "Sir Rabanus, please take charge."

"Yes, My Lady," the old knight dutifully obliged.

Audrey left Rabanus and began to walk toward the opposite corner. What stopped her was the sound of footsteps from the stairs along with the familiar noise of plate armor.

Michael slowly appeared from downstairs. “My Lady,” he greeted her. His one good eye was darkened from pulling all-nighters.

“Back from scouting?” Audrey asked.

“Indeed, My Lady.”

“Well, have you found anything?”

“Fresh footmarks... countless of them,” Michael looked disturbed as he reported.

“I’ll be-” Audrey paused as a chill went up her spine. The night attack happened and they had prevented it. "That lame-looking big leather barrels actually work," she muttered in disbelief.

“Indeed, it's surprising, to say the least. For the cost of just firewood and borrowed old war drums, the Lord successfully fended off a night attack," Michael said with admiration.

Audrey smiled at the knight's kind words. “Tell your men to rest. Sir Rabanus and I will take over.”

“Gratitude, My Lady.” Michael bowed and left for Sir Rabanus to give his report.

Meanwhile, Audrey quietly walked past a canvas divider. Inside the cramped space, a man rested on a makeshift bed. Despite the spartan condition, he slept so soundly beneath three layers of blankets. A sheathed sword and cuirass were placed nearby.

Audrey unconsciously smiled, not wanting to disturb her spouse, she chose to sit on the woolen rug. Watching him sleep gave her comfort, however, she was uneasy.

Somehow his plan averted last night's attack… but how could he read the enemy's movement like that?

Fear welled within her. This was a dark time in the Imperium, what if the Imperium heard about Lansius’ talent and summoned him to lead their battles? That would be a treacherous path that likely ended in tragedy.

She decided not to think about anything, just resting her back on the cold stone wall, and silently cherished the moment that may be fleeting away.

…

Lansius coughed and his body jerked a little. He drew a deep breath while his eyes were blinking fast as if struggling to keep them open.

“Take it easy and sleep some more,” Audrey suggested softly.

“W-what time? Have the scouts returned?” Lansius asked with a hoarse voice.

“They have. Everything is alright,” she replied as she sat at the bedside.

Lansius slowly sat and cleared his throat. “So what’s the report, have they found anything?”

“They have. Fresh footprints, thousands of them,” she repeated the report.

Lansius’ eyes widened for a moment, but he didn’t say anything.

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

Lansius didn’t answer but grasped Audrey’s hand. She felt it shaking and immediately understood that it was a big gamble even for him.

She wrapped her arms around him and caressed him gently. "It's all right, your plan works."

Lansius only nodded but now looked slightly relieved.

Audrey knew, at times like this, he was so vulnerable. Genius in warfare as he was, he wasn’t particularly bold or confident in his ability. So she whispered gently, “I’m here, even if things go wrong, this time I’ll protect you."

***

Lansius

It had been four days of constant attacks during the daytime. Every time we repelled them, the guardsmen grew more confident and now more militia joined up our ranks. On the contrary, the enemy seemed to falter. They had become less aggressive and unfocused in their attacks.

Despite some surprising schemes like a general assault on many places at once, they were unexpectedly easy to rebuff. This provided more time to train new militia and for the wounded to recover.

At night, we continued what we dubbed the night theatrics with the massive ancient war drums and big pyres. Despite the scout reports of finding no enemy footsteps, we decided to continue randomly two to three times each night rather than risking an attack. The majestic sound and fire also kept the militia awake during the cold night.

The door squeaked and caught my attention. Rabanus entered alone after leaving his squire in the battlement. “My Lord, My Lady,” he greeted.

“No changes?” I asked.

“There’s no change, My Lord.”

I nodded and gestured to him to take a seat. Liam readily offered him some warmed water. Even though it was midday, in winter like this, nobody wanted a freezing drink.

Afterward, I glanced at Audrey who sat beside me.

Without looking, she pouted her lips and said, “Well, if they don’t want to attack then it’s good enough for me. I say we shouldn’t provoke them.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I commented. Today was the fifth day, the Nicopolans had marched out and assumed formation as usual, but they were yet to launch an attack.

“Probably they’ve seen enough blood,” she added.

“I hope so,” I replied and then to Liam. “Can you get Sir Michael for me?”

The squire bowed and exited the chamber. Anci and Michael were posted on each corner of the wall.

“Why do you call him?” Audrey looked curious.

“I need to discuss our plans. Our opponent’s numbers are vast and so does their food storage,” I explained in earnest.

Despite the victory streak, we were quickly running out of options. Our food storage won’t last as we need to feed six-thousand and five-hundred people, not including newborns. Furthermore, our munitions won’t last. We had employed the city folks to make bolts, but at this rate, our storage would soon be depleted. If that happened then the crossbowmen would be forced to fight with hatchets or swords.

A good ten minutes or so passed before there was knocking on the door. Liam entered first followed by Michael.

“My Lord, My Lady,” Michael greeted us.

I rose from my seat while gesturing to him to take a seat.

“Are there any changes outside?” Rabanus asked the newcomer.

Michael sat and replied, “No movement. I’ve doubled the lookouts but they found nothing.”

That settled; I waved my hand to gather their attention. “Let’s not worry about the enemy right now. Whatever they’re doing now, it’s not our problem.”

Never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake…

They voiced no objection, so I pressed on. “I wanted to tackle the big problem.”

The men’s faces turned stern. They probably realized that I’m going to talk about the food shortage.

Carefully I explained, “I’m yet to finish all the calculations, but it’s clear to say that it’s unworkable."

Audrey exhaled deeply but did not comment. The other two also didn’t voice anything.

“I’m afraid we’ll need to evacuate,” I added with some regret.

“May I ask, how My Lord plans to do so?” Rabanus asked.

“I don’t know. That part I still don’t know,” I confessed. The city was under siege and the road was covered in snow.

Afterward, nobody said anything for a while until Michael cleared his throat. That excited me with anticipation. How could I not? This one-eyed knight was full of practical know-how in warfare. Unlike me, a fake nobility, Michael was a bonafide trained marshal.

“My Lord, I believe we could arrange talks,” Michael suggested.

“Talks?” I was surprised by his suggestion. “Can it be done?”

“Of course, My Lord. You’ve held and repelled them so soundly for days. I doubt they’ll reject the chance to negotiate. I even found it rather strange that neither they nor we try to parley from the start.”

“I see… Well, I’m under the impression that the mercenaries can’t be talked into,” I reasoned and felt stupid for my false preconception.

“I’m sure it can be done, My Lord. After all, mercenaries should be reasonable, they may act like glorified bandits but they’re also tradesmen,” Michael explained.

“Half plunderers bastards, half honest merchants,” Audrey openly mocked.

An idea grew on me. “Michael, can I trouble you to set up talks?”

He readily nodded. “Certainly, but what do you have in mind, My Lord?”

“Something to guarantee survival… and perhaps even victory,” I almost whispered the last part as I felt it to be too wishful.

***