The Return of the Dragonhawk

Chapter 34 -- Magister Alyx

How can he sleep so soundly with death hanging over him? Rhoz stewed.

The second night of sharing her bed with Alyx had been less idyllic than the first. She was sore from the night before, and preoccupied with the war. Not wishing to wound him, she had done her best not to let him know that his amorous advances were not welcome. The result had been less than satisfactory. He had fallen asleep instantly afterwards, seemingly oblivious of her need to be comforted.

She left her bed, pulled back the window curtain, and stood naked in the fresh breeze from the grated window. The waning moon shone down on the battlefield littered with the slain. She could see movement among the bodies -- looters, or mages seeking to revive the dead? There had been no evidence of magic use, but she was not in the least reassured that Halgrim was truly dead. Even if he was, there might be others who had inherited his malevolent powers.

Abbelard had cleared the way to the Condor Way highroad and kept it open for a few hours, but he had been driven back despite the magnificent support of his Armelian and Heloxian allies. Four of the seemingly invincible oliphants lay dead, gutted from beneath with massive sharpened stakes. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Northlanders had perished, but their warriors continued to batter the fortress. The contingent of able-bodied fighters defending the walls had shrunk alarmingly and the supply of attackers seemed endless.

Late in the afternoon, the wall had been breached near the north-west corner. Utor, Ilythia, and Acontis had combined their fading strength to incinerate the attackers with a fireball before they could charge through the opening, allowing the defenders to block the gap with wagons, rocks, branches, and whatever else came to hand. The show of magic had impressed the Northlanders sufficiently to break off the battle for the day, but the next dawn was only a few hours away.

How could she face the new day, knowing that it would bring nothing but more death? The rush of elation from defying the Vacina Calchis and her Great Council had long ago evaporated, leaving Rhoz weighed down with responsibility she was ill equipped to face. She had leaned on the wisdom of Utor, Ilythia, and the others; but when all the talking was done, she alone determined the fate of those who had chosen to follow her. For too many of them already, that fate was death.

The magnitude of the Northlander army was beyond anything she could have imagined, stretching on and on further than she could see. The enemy warriors hurled themselves relentlessly against the walls on every side, heedless of the growing heaps of corpses. Even if Praxenkyr managed to hold firm, it would be cut off from all aid or supplies. A few weeks of siege would be sufficient to starve the defenders out.

It was all too clear to her now that she had acted rashly in forcing a division of Helion's armed forces. If a second wave of the Kasivir arrived by sea, as the Vacina Calchis feared, both Peregret and Helion would fall in short order.

What could I have done otherwise? Waited until Calchis was good and ready, while Peregret drowned in blood?

If I had shown her greater respect, she might have been more amenable. Or would she? She might have interpreted my deference as a sign of weakness, proving once again that I am no more than a child to be governed.

Rhoz looked back at the bed where Alyx was sleeping, free of the worries that tormented her. Perhaps his was the more reasonable course. She could not change the past, and the future seemed firmly set. Barring a miracle, the Northlanders would overrun Praxenkyr on the morrow. She had no intention of letting herself be taken alive.

She examined the grate on the window. The lower section was designed to be opened. She eased back the bolt. When it squealed in protest, she looked uneasily in Alyx' direction, but he did not stir. She quelled the urge to tiptoe to his side for a final kiss. If he woke, he would not easily allow her to leave his side.