Return of Magic. Steve Reilly
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her feelings in public.
“I would have honour and fight by the rules,” Alieah responded meekly.
“But they see our rules only as a way to gain advantage. They expect us to act by them and they prepare knowing what we will do. Rules do not apply against an enemy who does not respect them. Worse, they give an enemy much more power than they have earned.”
“To ignore the rules would dishonour you. The Houses will not follow an Empress without honour,” Alieah begged.
“But if I follow the rules I will be dead. The Houses will not follow me then either. Think Alieah. We grew up together and I know you understand.”
Alieah knew the Empress well enough through recent events to accept that she would defy tradition if it meant saving herself and the Empire. The two girls sat on the floor in the quiet of the Empress’ rooms and Nakime gave her friend time to consider her reply.
“I would first wait to see if the warriors come out to meet me in the field as Aezar did in Anaan and as they wait now. When the warriors do not come I would be forced to attack the city. I would have no other choice. I could not turn and walk away having begun this war.”
Nakime smiled and nodded her agreement with Alieah’s answer.
“And how would you do that, knowing what we do of them.”
“I would approach each House in turn and use the little spears to shoot over the walls and kill those beyond.”
“But my warriors can wait inside the buildings until you run out of these spears. You would not know if you had succeeded and you dare not move on and risk leaving warriors behind you.”
“Ladders,” offered Alieah after some thought.
“What?”
“Ladders! I would bring ladders to stand against the walls. I would know you do not have weapons that kill from a distance or they would have been used at Anaan. My fighters can stand on the ladders and see beyond the wall. They will not be firing blindly and they will know when the House is defeated.”
Nakime now understood more of the activity she had witnessed in the enemy camp. They were building ladders.
She asked slowly, “So how do I defend myself?”
“You do not wait behind the walls.” Alieah seemed to grow in confidence as she spoke. “You send the warriors into the streets to face them. I am sure your warriors are their equal at close quarters.”
“But then I face the first problem again, the horses,” Nakime pointed out. “Our streets are too straight giving them easy access to attack and even the poles we add would work against us. I will call for their removal.”
“Then you have no other option I can see. You must put warriors on top of the walls to face them there. I doubt they could fire their weapons effectively while evading a sword.”
“That is good and we can defend for a time but I cannot win this way. If I cannot defeat them my Empire is lost. We will need help. I will send for warriors from the other houses and we will make our stand at the Dragon. I will also send for warriors from the northern cities but I suspect they will be facing their own problems. This army would not attack along the south if the north was left alone to circle them. I fear a second force is attacking along our other shore.” Nakime sat silent while she considered the possibilities. When she was ready, she turned to Alieah for help. “I want you to do two things for me.”
“Of course.”
“First, take a message to Tyjan. Tell him he is to build scaffold around the wall. Explain what it is for, and tell him to hurry. I think the enemy will be here before we are ready. While you do that, I will send word to every House in the city telling them they are each to send their best twelve warriors here to concentrate our forces.”
“And the second request?”
Nakime explained.
Chapter 2
King Hirith looked out across the expanse of the valley, the valley of swords as his people were now calling it.
Already fifty fire pits cast their eerie light over the land and more were being built. All that remained of the old city were a few posts along the lake edge. Black smoke drifted into the sky infecting it with the reflexion of the fires while the mountains had turned pink, flickering in the strange lights. The ground was a sea of undulating blue as auchs moved around the valley floor carrying rocks, rainbow wood and weapons. He took a moment to wonder how this would appear from the lowlands but discarded the thought as being unimportant. These fires were necessary and the sky was not something he could control.
“All good,” Kallu assured him. “Those pits make swords, those make clubs, these make axes.”
“How many you make?” the king enquired.
“One pit make ten swords every day,” she told him proudly.
“Only ten?”
“Wizard show how make. Kallu learn how make good weapons for Hirith. Put too many in. No work. Need plenty smoke make strong sword.”
“Need more fire pits then.”
“We make more. And have many auchs carve weapons, But need more rainbow wood.”
“All wood on ground taken for many days walk,” Hirith mused. “Camille say no, but maybe time cut trees.” Then more confidently, “I find way send more.”
They strolled across the ground. The valley that not long ago knew only cold winds and snow was beginning to become uncomfortably hot.
He spoke with the people doing the heavy lifting, and encouraged those working beside the pits, even as the sweat dripped down their massive hairless bodies. Finally, Kallu led him to the top of the valley where the carvers were all hard at work. He thanked them for their efforts though he told them he hoped their work would not need to be put to use because of the lives that would be lost. But he admitted he was afraid that war with the lowlanders was drawing close. He also told them he was returning to new Ulffinnr and would carry some of their work back to where their nation was gathering.
“No go yet,” encouraged Kallu. “People have gift for king. ”
A large auch rose and approached, a woman of strength and power. Almost reverently she held her arms outstretched before her.
“You king of auchs now,” she pointed out. “But king must have symbol. Show others his strength. We make symbol for King Hirith, stand beside Ngai.”
She passed him the gift, which he humbly accepted, not knowing how he should respond. He looked at the heavy war hammer with its unusual head. The shaft was long, over half his height, with a raised base and leather thong to strap it around his wrist. But the massive head was what made it unique. It had a double pointed head, like the open beak of a raven, that would bite into the lowlanders armour and the rounded back was embossed with many mounds, very nice for crushing attackers. He looked closer to see the face if each of these was decorated with the symbol of Ngai, the four pointed star.
This was a serious slapstick he told them as he swung it back and forth to find the balance was perfect. Though large, the hammer was ideal for his size and it glistened with the black of smoked rainbow wood.
“People find branch. Bring to carvers and we make for you,” Kallu told him proudly. “People want you know. Hirith have support of all here.”
Hirith held the hammer up before him and looked into the sea of expectant faces watching.
“No one deny I king now,” he told them. “No even me. This great symbol for king. Show king must build nation, but must fight for people sometimes.” He held it above his head with one massive arm. “This bring fear to many lowlanders. Make Hirith very proud.”
He spoke as long as he was able and was about to leave when Kallu stopped him again. As she spoke, two more auchs approached.
“King