The Wrath of the Great Guilds by Jack Campbell

Author:Jack Campbell [Campbell, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-625671-40-0
Publisher: Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
Published: 2016-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Dimly illuminated by the fiery projectiles overhead, dense masses of legionaries charged toward the wall, siege towers moving slowly in their wake. Alain crouched behind the battlement as a brutal cloud of crossbow bolts slammed into the stones.

Behind him, Confederation ballistae launched their own deadly projectiles, mostly bundles of fist-sized and larger rocks that fell on the advancing legions, but mixed in with them flaming balls of oil-soaked rags that burst among the enemy to hurl fire in all directions.

Dozens of fires had sprung up behind the defenders as the Imperial bombardment struck. A few of the blazing Imperial projectiles hit the battlements, shattering into sprays of burning fragments.

Alain sensed Mages nearby, preparing spells. The closest ones were among the charging legions, just in front of the main gate. “The gates!” he yelled. “Mages prepare to create openings in the gates!”

That word, too, was repeated rapidly along the wall and behind it. Alain heard a sudden roar of triumph from the Imperials near the gate, but a moment later felt two of the Mages die.

Mari leaned out despite the rain of crossbow bolts and fired her rifle twice.

Alain felt the death of the third Mage.

There was a slight sense of familiarity in that one. Sometime, somewhere, he had met the Mage who had just died. Alain felt other Mages dying farther down the wall as they also fell to crossbows before they could allow the Imperials entry. Fell because Alain had told these commons exactly what to do to kill them and prevent their spells from aiding the Imperials. He searched his feelings for the sort of remorse that Mari felt when Mechanics died at her orders, and felt little. There were times when it was a comfort to have belonged to the Mage Guild, where personal relationships were regarded as both wrong and meaningless. Aside from Mage Asha, the friendships he had developed with other Mages had all come after he and the others had left the Mage Guild.

Shouts could be heard below and a brief clash of steel, as the few legionaries unfortunate enough to have used the Mage-created openings to enter the main gate found themselves trapped on the inside, massively outnumbered and unable to retreat.

Mari was exposing herself only enough to aim and fire her weapon, but Alain, looking out at the attackers immediately before the main gate, saw no target worth his own powers.

He got up, leaning out slightly over the battlement to look both ways down the wall.

Visible in the light provided by the battle and the dawning day, Alain could see siege towers far to his left and right. Apparently the Imperials had figured out that sending siege towers against the wall where the daughter’s banner stood was a bad idea. What they had not realized was that Alain could place his spell on anything he could see.

He concentrated again, despite the crossbow bolts plucking at his robes, trying to draw power as much as possible from the area in front of

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