Firebrand

Chapter 562: Weapons of War

Weapons of War

Given the simplicity of the fortifications, the tower in each corner was little more than a raised platform on the walls, allowing archers and sentinels a better vantage point. Martel and Eleanor hurried up the stairs until they could join Valerius, surrounded by legionaries, all of them staring towards the treeline.

"What is the situation?" Eleanor asked as soon as they reached him.

The mageknight pointed towards the forest. "Plenty of movement going on. They must have marched through the night to arrive at this hour. It is hard to estimate the numbers, but they are too many to be a patrol. If not the army itself, certainly the vanguard has arrived."

"Well, our fortifications more than make up for their advantage in numbers. They would be fools to attempt scaling them directly," Eleanor considered.

"My assessment as well. We will have to see how they intend to assault us, but regardless, there is little to do but wait for reinforcements. A sortie would be costly and accomplish little," Valerius declared.

"What's the distance?" Martel asked. "Between us and them. We all know they've got skilled marksmen." He was not necessarily concerned about being targeted specifically as a mage he probably looked like any legionary to the Khivans standing far away but he figured that this many soldiers bunched together atop the tower provided an obvious target for any sharpshooters.

"At least three hundred feet," Valerius assured him. "We have been busy extending the clearing for a while now. Even their best sharpshooters cannot hit at such a distance."

At least Martel did not have to worry about a bullet striking him randomly while standing on the ramparts. "So, there's nothing we can do for now? We just wait until the cohorts arrive, and we can take the fight to them."

"The Khivans would not have come this far without a plan," Eleanor pointed out. "The question is how they intend to take our outpost."

"Prefect!" a soldier called out. He stood on the wall below. "To the east, over there!" He pointed in the direction. "Cannons!"

That answered Eleanor's question. Martel looked at the mageknights.

"I had hoped the forest made it too difficult for them to carry such engines of war through," Valerius admitted, and he looked almost crestfallen. "In all my years in the Tenth, we have never faced this before. I must confess, I am not sure what to do."

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"First, we need to take a closer look," Eleanor suggested. "Come along." The three mages descended from the tower and moved along the eastern wall. Legionaries crowding together made it obvious where to go. "Disperse," she commanded as they approached.

All of them peered between the crenelations in the pale morning light. Plenty of activity could be discerned between the trees, though at first, Martel could not make out what exactly was taking place. He strained his eyes until at last he recognised it. One, two, three cannons being positioned. Their open maws were pointed straight at the wall. The Khivans fed their beasts with what looked like great metal bullets and followed up with other manoeuvres that Martel could not make sense of.

With a terrible roar, the cannons fired.

Martel felt it, just as when the Khivans fired bullets at him, three streaks of fire moving through the air, yet the size was many times greater. Made from metal, the projectiles belonged to the earthen element; even if Martel could react in time, his magic would have little power over it, let alone three of them.

One after the other, they struck the wall.

It held. Henry's enchantment proved their worth, and Martel blessed the stonemage for his work. But already, the Khivans could be seen reloading the cannons. A barrage followed.

***

Retreated some distance, the prefects held their own little council. "How long will the wall last?" Eleanor asked.

"Who can tell?" Valerius looked distraught. "We have no knowledge or experience with this. It might fall in an hour, it might hold days." He looked at Martel. "Your spells have long reach. Can you not silence these weapons?"

"Not from this far away." The irony was not lost on Martel; by extending the clearing and increasing the distance from the treeline to the walls, the Khivans could now remain beyond his range. "I'd have to leave the outpost and move closer."

"Which is suicide under present circumstances," Eleanor swiftly added. "Every Khivan musketman in that regiment will have his weapon trained on this clearing. There is no cover between us and the treeline."

She was right. The Khivans would know that the Asterians might try a sortie of some kind, hoping to silence the cannons. They would already be watching the outpost intently from all sides, but especially to the east, guarding their siege weapons.

Valerius kept his eyes on Martel. "But if you could get closer, under the cover of dark? Could you disable these cannons? Like you did that first night when the Khivans sniped at us."

Martel had done that many times by now, but muskets and cannons were not the same. He could not be certain his powers worked on something so much bigger and more solid. Furthermore, sneaking outside, trying to cross the clearing to get close enough to the trees it seemed madness, with both failure and death highly likely. Not only his, but also Eleanor's, who would be bound to follow him on such a venture.

Martel glanced around. The entire garrison at the outpost was liable to be massacred if the Khivans broke through. Some might be allowed to surrender, but he and Eleanor would not be. This might afford them the best chance of survival, however slim. He exhaled. "I am willing to try."

Eleanor gave him a look, hard to interpret. Martel assumed she had made the same mental calculations as he had; the danger of heading out against the risk of being attacked before reinforcements could reach them. But if she had come to a different conclusion, she did not let it show. When she spoke, her voice was neutral. "We will have to hope the walls can hold until nightfall."