Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

Chapter 22: Shades of Grey

"From their hidden pits in the Gyren, the Empire sends forth its soldiers.

The Tjor'riin, whipcord thin and fast as striking vipers, and just as cold.

The Wendigo, brutish and powerful, reanimated battering rams of flesh.

And Nahkiwin, shock troops with the ability to resist all schools of magic.

Already close to impossible to stop, how much more powerful could these

creatures be?"

- from a treatise delivered to the Council of Sages prior to the Wizards

War and the formation of the Cadremoor Alliance 

It was nearly fifteen turns of the small glass by the time the walls were fully manned with heavily-armed defenders, each staring into the blackness looming outside the circles of light cast by lanterns and torches set in lines along the wall tops.

<<A frostbitten night assault!>> Ciradaan hissed as he climbed the last flight of stairs to the top of the western wall. <<And after a long day spent in preparation that has left our warriors tired to their bones.>>

<<Sounds like somebody is thinking on their side, old friend,>> Fenoran noted, stepping up the stairs just behind his Aquilan comrade. Both were in the new reactive plate armor Shawn had given the Dagger's garrison, swords and hand axes close at hand.

<<That's what I'm afraid of,>> Ciradaan grimly retorted, casting a worried look in the Lusinoran's direction. Then they were atop the wall where Najthin awaited them, along with the other war council members: Ephram and Caedin Tod, General Thundersong and the venerable wizard Charon Everstrider. The two Tods had their massive claighmores at hand, sashes in the colors of the Tod clan slung over armored shoulders. All, except Charon, who wore his characteristic robes and dusty cloak, his wizard's bag bulging with spell ingredients, were dressed in reactive plate. The humans, having worn plate before, seemed considerably more comfortable in the head to toe armor, versus the elves, who had only worn chain mail and boiled leather for a good part of their lives.

"A night assault," Ephram growled in a grim echo of Ciradaan's earlier remark on the stairs. "That'll make things a bit more challenging."

"That it will," Fenoran agreed, switching to Taren for the benefit of their human comrades. "So let's not give them targets to shoot at, yes?" He turned to a nearby human officer, the sash he wore over his reactive plate in the colors of the Mamran marines. "Captain, sound the order to douse all torches and lanterns on the walls and towers if you please."

"At once, your Majesty." The captain saluted and ran off, staying silent even in plate boots as he sprinted along the wall top, to pass the word to the individual squad commanders and thus avoid shouting along the wall top.

"Good thinking, old friend," Ciradaan noted, also switching to Taren. He nodded in approval as an elven warrior close to them doused a nearby torch with a wet rag.

"Wouldn't want to give them any silhouettes to aim at."

Torches were also doused in the courtyards and lanterns were shuttered. In a wave of disillumination, the Dagger went dark, forcing the defenders to wait until their eyes adjusted. Possessing better night vision than humans, it was the elves that looked first into the jungle to see if anything had changed. Thankfully nothing had in their brief moment of blindness and again quiet orders were passed along to make sure archers, elven and human, were ready for the expected assault. To take advantage of their superior night vision, the commanders had the elven archers move to the forefront.

Patrik announced himself as a softly glowing, armored form in black tinged red that moved up the staircase and along the wall towards the gathered lords and commanders.

"Lords, ladies, and friends," he murmured in greeting, casting frequent looks out into the darkness. "The enemy approaches. Who sounded the alarm?"

"I did," Shiana announced in a voice as quiet as her brother's, her Wielder armor glowing a soft gold as she moved along the wall top towards them, accompanied by a tight knot of Covenant wives.

The Wielder of the Earth found an eyebrow lifting in curiosity to find them all wearing Wielder armor, each glowing a muted shade of color. Perhaps that was something Jaeda could benefit from, though he suspected the princess of thieves would rather favor flexibility and speed in battle versus being better protected. A brief scan with the Earth placed Jaeda near the north gate, in company with the rest of the Scattered Kingdom rogues. Then he was pushing aside his musing to nod in satisfaction at finding the Covenant wives each well-armed and ready to fight whatever the Shadow had in store for them. Fighting they will get if their brief encounter with the Tjor'riin a day or so ago was any indication.

Turning then to catch his sister's eye, he nodded in greeting before turning to the assembled commanders.

"My friends, the Shadow seeks to come upon us at our weakest, undermanned and unprepared. But I tell you now, they've hooked a spine back." He drew a rune onto the stone walkway, the symbol flaring with reddish light as it activated. And almost immediately Ephram swore a soft Mamran oath.

"MaKalech's eyes, I can see!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide in wonderment when he looked back at the other commanders.

"As can I," Caedin confirmed with a grin, Thundersong also nodding. "As if by the light of a noon sun." A ripple of amazed murmurs traveling the length of the wall told of the other human defenders, Mamran and Chain Islander both, making the same discovery.

A second rune gave the elves the same ability and Ciradaan had to blink to readjust to the near brilliance that suddenly flooded the night, bringing each tree in the jungle opposite into stark relief.

"Truly a powerful spell, my lord Wielder," he said in a low voice, nodding in Patrik's direction. "You've given us a potent weapon this night."

The Wielder of the Earth himself nodded in acknowledgment even as he began sketching yet other runes on the wall top, sending magic darting through the stone to touch any defender in contact with it.

"Rest easy, your Majesty and save your thanks; I've only begun to weave my magic this night."

"But Patrik, I thought you and your brother had sworn against using Wielder magic in the Dagger's defense to prevent attracting too much attention," Charon pointed out.

Patrik paused just long enough to look up and over at the old wizard in his dusty robes.

"That is true, master wizard," he conceded before turning back to his task, fingers moving quickly over the stone to leave glowing runes behind.

"However, there are levels of magic that can be easily cast and remain beneath the notice of our erstwhile hunters that weren't included in our condition." He finished the third rune, a delicate, complicated affair that flared with greenish light before fading. And the assembled commanders watched in astonishment as the world briefly blurred then cleared once again as the distinct feeling of a magical shield tingled into being all around them.

A fourth rune sent a rush of strength pouring through their bodies and a fifth made them twitch with the sensation of increased speed.

"Ancient magic of the sa'anish Conclave that should compensate our human defenders for Tjor'riin speed and strength," he explained even as Banik, Aideku, and Tenne joined the knot of commanders on the wall top, the newcomers nodding in greeting as they arrived. Patrik gave them a quick look before turning to the rest.

"Now, I suggest all you commanders scatter so if one is struck down, the others aren't nearby to experience a similar fate." He turned to begin moving southward along the wall, intent on following his own suggestion. "I will activate the Dagger's defenses when you give me the signal. Luck in battle." And then he was gone, leaving the assembled leaders shaking their heads in amazement.

'Perhaps we're not as lost as I thought,' Ciradaan thought before turning to his fellow commanders, wishing each good fortune and victory in the Light. He then began to ease his way along the walkway to the north. He had just passed Shiana and a handful of the Covenant wives in their glowing Wielder armor when he overheard the Ironstorm princess quietly mutter:

<<Here they come!>>