Unity by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Azure Flame Media, LLC
Published: 2018-04-28T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12: The Lord of Carrion

Ridmark stood on the battlements atop the northern gate and watched the muridachs.

The sun was rising over the jungle to the east, and in the morning light, he saw the muridachs working with the industriousness of an anthill. The vast horde encircled Cathair Caedyn, and he saw the muridachs assembling catapults and siege towers and other machines that Ridmark could not identify. The muridachs had fortified their camps as well, digging ditches and raising low earthwork walls.

Not that it mattered. On foot, the gray elves could not launch a sortie into the enemy lines. Had the gray elves possessed horses, they could have launched lightning raids into the muridach camps and returned to the safety of Cathair Caedyn’s walls. If the gray elves had bound trisalians as war beasts the way that Calliande had taught the Arcanius Knights, they could have smashed the muridach lines. If they had a hundred Takai warriors riding struthians, they could have rained arrows down on the muridachs and then retreated to the city.

But the gray elves had no war beasts of any kind, and so they could do nothing but watch and wait as the muridachs prepared.

Ridmark did not like what he saw. There were at least three hundred thousand muridach soldiers gathered below the city’s hill, and they had numbers enough to attack from all four points of the compass at once. Yet based on their positions, Ridmark thought they would focus on the northern wall, throwing wave after wave of soldiers at the ramparts.

The casualties would be horrendous. Ridmark suspected nearly one hundred thousand muridach soldiers would die before the battle was over. But the muridachs placed little value on life, and Ridmark doubted the muridach lords or Great King Nerzamdrathus cared about the fates of their soldiers.

By the time the slaughter was over, a third of the muridach army would be dead, and Cathair Caedyn would be ashes.

Ridmark could not think of a way to prevent that outcome.

He heard a rasp of a boot against stone and turned to see Calliande climb up to the ramparts. She smiled at him, but he saw the weariness in her eyes. She had cast numerous spells yesterday and then devoted her strength to healing the wounded gray elves that she could save. Ridmark was glad that Kalussa had a link to the Well of Tarlion and had learned the healing spell since that meant she could bear part of the load.

“How are you?” said Ridmark.

“Tired,” admitted Calliande, “but I’m not dead yet, so I shouldn’t complain.” She crossed to his side and gazed over the ramparts.

“How are the boys?” said Ridmark.

“They’re well, as far as I can tell,” said Calliande. Likely she had used the Sight to check on them as soon as she had awakened. “You know, I think this is the farthest I have ever been from them.”

“Yes,” said Ridmark. “But we’re a long way from anywhere. I doubt many humans have ever come to the Illicaeryn Jungle.

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