The Time Before

Norral : Assault

Chapter 6: Assault


"Careful Sir, any more than a peek and you risk the sun catching you."

I was stretched out on my stomach, slowly edging closer to the elusive first view of the Bridge and it’s defences.

"If I'm any more careful I'll have wildlife nesting on me. We've been here for hours." I hissed back at my guide. He was equally prone next to me, eyes fixed ahead.

His name was Margn, one of the two who had scouted the bridge before and also the person who made the map. Tall and lithe, he was the closest we had to a scout amongst the Chosen and he’d already been useful. Having spent much of his youth in woodland he was excellent with tracking and moving unseen and it was only because of his skills that we’d made it here undetected this morning.

Crawling ever so slightly forwards I gestured towards a screen of leaves. A branch obediently moved sideways slowly. Through the tunnel of leaves the Bridge came into view and I just stared at it. Open ground stretched away for several hundred yards before hitting the cliff edge and plummeting to the river swirling below. A road wound it’s way from my right up to the south end. In the far distance I could just make out the road as it continued its way northward on the other side. I couldn’t see any indication of the shield in the bright sunlight.

Turning to my guide I quizzed him. “Where does the shield boundary lie?”

He crawled up next to me and looked through the gap. He frowned in thought for a second and then spoke.

“You see the dark line running along the front there… that looks like a trench, but it wasn’t there before. From what I remember that would be on, or very close to the boundary. The Captain’s been busy!”

“Indeed he has,” I replied more to myself than him as I considered the implications to my plan.

It was then I noticed what had been the ‘smudge’ from the map. It was less of a shock than the trench having asked Margn what the smudge was as soon as I’d left my tent, but it was still disconcerting to see them. Three large catapults stood next to an impressive pile of waiting boulders. If one of those hit a shield it would either kill us all or drain several of us in reinforcing it. The solution was to destroy the boulders in flight but hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

The trench though could be a problem.

“Any idea how wide it is?”

“I would guess at least 6 ft, but who knows what’s in it.”

“Pikes with soldiers attached,” I replied wryly.

Six feet was too wide to jump. However it was no problem to lay a horizontal wall over it and just walk across, but to cast the wall we had to be inside the shield. I let that problem rest for a moment whilst I surveyed the rest of the scene. Soldiers moved all over the bridge like ants; some carried equipment, whole units walked on patrol in formation, others stood on watch from behind low walls. On the other side of the bridge the Keep rose up. Even tinier soldiers could be seen doing much the same tasks on the roof and along the battlements. Ideas wandered through my head as I pondered what I would do to all the soldiers once I was inside. A lesson needed to be taught.

"I've seen enough," I declared as I let go of the spell holding the branch, allowing it to swing back into place. "Let's head back to camp."

Camp was a few miles away. We'd arrived the night before after a quick forced march across country as soon as I'd finished drawing up my plans. Emerging from my tent back at base I'd quickly found Margn and Jarvis (the other mage who had tested the bridge) and told them to gather their belongings for an assault on the bridge. Over the next hour I had sought out each of the other mages on my list and assigned them to my squad.

After a lot of thought I'd decided to take both the specialist mages, their skills not preventing them from performing other magics and possibly proving useful. The fire specialist, named Teron, was an intimidating man, with a temper to match his favoured magic. He'd accepted his place in the mission with a shrug of the shoulders. Karak the water specialist was a quiet brooding man who'd joined us after being blamed for poisoning the local water supply in his hometown. For the first time in his life he was being given the proper opportunity to experiment with his magic without fear of reprisals. He was only too happy to help defend that privilege. The rest were a motley collection of downtrodden, and outcast mages all who realised our right to rule over everyone like the gods we are.

By nightfall everyone had prepared to leave and I'd ordered an immediate departure. With Margn guiding and Jarvis scouting out a head we made fast progress, and managed to avoid contact with anything crossing our path. Once during the journey a lone traveller was discovered but by the time the main group had caught up to Jarvis he'd taken care of him; a small pile of dust was the only remaining trace.

We rested during the day in an area of woodland. We cycled a guard to maintain a wall around the camp whilst we slept, but encountered nothing more dangerous than a passing elk. As dusk arrived we continued the march and just before dawn we made it to a good place for a camp.

It was now a little past noon. I arrived back in the camp to find most of my squad asleep. A quick gesture sent a small bolt of blue light through the trees and I felt the wall fade away. Margn and I entered the clearing. As I strode through I nodded to the mage on guard duty and felt the wall re-materialise behind us.

"Gather round, final briefing."

I watched with satisfaction as they all jumped to obey my quiet command. Those asleep were quickly wakened and within a few minutes all twelve of my squad stood in front of me.

"Ok I've seen the bridge and it's what we expected. The catapults are still in place so Harop make sure you are alert to them firing blindly through the sand, we don't want a boulder on our heads."

The mentioned mage nodded gravely.

"Shannon, Mulim be ready to put everything you have into the shields if he misses one. I don't care if you drain yourselves, it's preferable to one getting through."

They too nodded, although Shannon, the youngest of the group, was clearly disappointed not to be on offensive. He was very powerful but lacked the control necessary for complicated spells.

"We have an added complication. Hunt has prepared a trench along the boundary of the shield. We don't know what's in it, but rest assured it won't be no wench looking to give you a good time. Stay in formation until I give the signal to pass through."

I turned to Kewor. "You know what you have to do?"

The weathered face looked at me and nodded once. Kewor was the only member on the list that I knew. After working with him in Darak's Squad I knew that he kept a cool head under pressure and that I would surely need that for this mission. He was my second in command.

"Aye, we'll hold it together, don't you worry."

I turned back to the squad and concluded my speech.

"Once inside maintain your personal shield until Shannon and Mulim confirm the squad shield is in place. Then I will give the signal that you can attack at will. There's a lot of them so remember to focus on your targets and on large groups, don't waste time showing off. We'll, until the final few anyway."

My squad sniggered with me as we all turned to pack up. A few minutes later there was no trace we'd been there and we set off once again with Jarvis scouting out ahead and Margn leading. After only a mile we were led into some scrubs and used the cover to move closer. Once again as we approached the edge of the woodland I was reduced to crawling. As my squad crouched behind me I peered through the gap again. Everything was the same. They hadn't been alerted.

I motioned to Kewor and he slipped around a tree and peered through another bush close by. His two aides for this task followed him. They all closed their eyes and began the complex series of gestures. Kewor's eyes suddenly sprang open and his hand released the spell as his aides did the same. The all ended up with upturned palms nested together in the centre of them.

Immediately the wind picked up around us. One instant it was there and then it was gone as it moved down the slope towards the Bridge. About a hundred yards away it stopped and began to swirl. Dust and sand from the loose soil was swept into the air and coiled around in to a spiral.

More and more lifted up making the wind appear a solid teeming mass of dust, dirt and stones. Kewor's group stepped forward as one and thust their palms outwards and the wind grew exponentially. Within seconds the bridge was obscured from view and suddenly I realised it was time.

"Moving forward," I screamed into the wind. Everyone stood up behind me and the dome of the shield and wall shimmered into view for a second. Formation was formed and we moved out from the woods. I was in the centre, with Shannon and Mulim to my sides. Kewor and his two aides were huddled together on the far right of the shield protected by two others. Harop was directly in front of me, already scanning the skies for any kind of attack. The final Chosen along with Teron and Karak protected the left side.

The storm hit the shield and the infinitesimal parts of magic that propelled each particle peppered the shield with thousands of tiny red blurs as it was blocked. Almost immediately the storm was through the shield and swept out sideways covering the entire width of the fortifications. In answer a dark hail of arrows flew out of the dust and slipped through the shield. They landed a good way off yet.

"Moving left," I called and as a squad we moved toward one side of the bridge, avoiding the middle. As we passed where the arrows landed a huge piece of rock crashed down and I felt a quick moment of pride at the first decision made well.

"Hold 'et," Kewor cried, and I quickly enforced the stop. Eyes closed once again as the storm group concluded the spell and sent the last gust of wind through the shield. Without being tied up with the spell Kewor immediately moved to the very front of our shield along with one of his aides as the forward attack. The other aide and the two mages stayed on the right.

"Moving forward," I commanded and we ran across the final hundred yards as more arrows flew from the storm in every direction. Only two make it near us, one disintegrating on the shield. A boulder appeared above us but before it had fully emerged from the dark cloud of the storm Harop's arm swung out and it exploded into dust. I watched the approaching trench. The storm was raging directly above it, the rippling of the shield showing clearly where the barrier was. We stopped just before our shield touched it.

I moved forward to talk with Kewor.

"Do it quick."

He quickly gestured the simple rune for a wall against his palm and then without hesitation thrust it through the shield. His palm turned down and he cast it over the trench. The arrow shot upwards from nowhere. His hand rushed backwards but it wasn't fast enough. The arrow passed through the wall and into Kewor's hand, flesh parting with a spray of blood.

"AHHHAHGHHGHHHH, my flaming hand. By the gods it hurts."

"Not now Kewor," I snapped as I pushed past him, vaguely enjoying the scream even from a squad member. I prepared my own spell and shoved my hand through. This time the arrow was faster but it turned to ash as my shield landed on top of the wall spell.

"EVERYONE THROUGH NOW. SHANNON, GET THAT SHIELD UP."

The young mage ran past me and through the shield, his own shield fizzling out and reappearing instantly the other side. That boy was really fast. Seconds later he turned anxiously to me and gestured that he was ready. A crowd of soldiers appear from the dust, visors down on helmets as they charge towards us.

"GET THROUGH NOW."

My squad stormed past me and into Shannon's protective dome. As soon as he was through Mulim threw out his arms and took half the pressure from Shannon. Everyone waited, covering his eyes from the storm until I passed through myself. The faintest sensation of cold tickled my skin and I was through. The dome shield sealed behind me and the dust around us immediately settled.

It was time.

I gathered the heat and flames together with a hooked gesture, feeling the power coursing through my body. I twisted my arm, shaping the force as I demanded and then thrust it out. A huge ball of flame erupted from my fingers. It screamed towards the charging soldiers and splintered into them, casting their lifeless bodies everywhere. At this signal all hell broke loose as my entire squad (save for Mulim and Shannon) released their power.

Kewor's aide on my right closed his eyes and thrust the storm forward over the bridge to obscure us from the soldiers on the other side, and to give us better vision. As the dust moved away men became visible everywhere, and arrows immediately began thudding into our shield.

Harop swung round to face the catapults on the far west of the bridge as they slowly began shifting around to aim at us. His arms chopped down before I could stop him and twin bolts of lightning shot from the sky only to bounce harmlessly off the shield.

"You fool, only use spells from inside the shield," I screamed at him.

As one, they fired and three boulders soared into the sky. One immediately disintegrated at a grunt from Harop, followed by a second as he thrust out a bolt of red force. The third bore down on us and I rose my hands to intercept it. As I released my spell I roared to Shannon and Mulim.

"BRACE THE SHIELD FOR IMPACT."

My hasty spell collided with the rock splitting it in half. Part landed in the trench causing a delightfully surprised death scream but the other half smashed into the shield. Mulim wobbled slightly but Shannon just laughed. Seconds later the huge pile of boulders waiting to be fired rose under Harop's control. His face a dark red from rage and effort he powered the entire pile into the catapults and any soldiers nearby. They were swiftly buried in the avalanche of rock.

Teron, the fire specialist, on my left started the attack laughing manically as he turned behind us and swept his hand along the trench. Huge flames roared up from the entire length instantly followed by a cacophony of screams. One arm briefly appeared over the top, but quickly fell back in to be consumed by the inferno.

With no more threat from behind he turned back to the front where Karak quickly manifested a huge patch of ice beneath the hooves of a small unit of cavalry that was charging forwards with lances lowered. With a gargantuan effort one managed to throw a lance forward, using his momentum before his horse crashed to the floor. It soared through the air, but the mage next to the water mage flicked it away with disdain before it hit the shield, and, gritting his teeth with effort, managed to manipulate its path through the chest of its former owner. The soldier died just before Karak impaled the tangled mess of horses and riders by thrusting the ice beneath them upwards into a field of spikes. The ice ran red.

In front of me Kewor had quickly destroyed the arrow through his hand, and sealed the wound as best he could. Kewor's anger made Harop seem calm, and Teron sane. His good hand moved as a blur, dealing death everywhere. Huge waves of arrows swung backwards and hit the firers followed by scores of dark red bolts that erupted from his hand homing in on soldiers hiding behind sandbag walls.

The storm had worked well. Many of the soldiers still weren't aware that we were attacking. Whole groups crawled on the ground clutching their eyes, or suffered from coughing fits. I made sure they didn't join the fight, squashing them together with spell walls, delighting in their confused screams. I really loved the screams.

"Move forward," I ordered as I noticed a flight of arrows emerge from the other side of the bridge. News of our arrival had made it to the keep. We needed to finish this quickly.

As a whole we moved forward, my squad extinguishing any life that appeared, the stench of burning flesh everywhere.

"It's not a barbecue Teron, leave some for the rest of us," I joked. The fire mage just continued laughing as he quickly scorched a huddle of three soldiers that came into view behind a pile of dead bodies.

We started across the bridge, and quickly saw an entire squad of 50 soldiers proceeding towards us.

"Allow me," Karak yelled, as he pushed himself to the front of our shield.

Amused, but also intrigued, I replied. "Ok Karak, they’re all yours."

Karak crouched down, and I could feel him drawing power. A low rumbling echoed somewhere far down below us. The rest of my squad around me stopped and stared at the water mage. What was he doing? He came to his feet quickly, his hand tracing gestures I didn't recognise on his palm. Just as he went to cast it, he voiced a rare vocal rune and the rumble became a roar. He flung out his hand toward the advancing men and two huge columns of water shot upwards from either side of the bridge, striking the soldiers from both sides. Most were immediately flung off the bridge to plummet to their deaths, whilst a few were smashed with the full force of the water into the sidewalls. Their skulls cracked instantly. The water drained away leaving nothing alive.

A smiling Karak turned back to me.

"Nice Karak, very nice," I applauded. "OK Squad let's keep moving, a whole keep full of men left to kill."

Yet another hail of arrows flew through the air towards us.

"They don't give up with the arrows..." The words died on my lips as I felt the air ripping under the magical onslaught. From the distant keep it stormed towards our shield, quickly overtaking the arcing arrows.

"REINFORCE THE SHIE.."

It was too late. Time slowed as the elemental force slammed into the shield. Twin screams of anguish from Shannon and Mulim announced faster than I could that our shield was penetrated. I raised my hands and released my intended fireball not towards the keep, but the mass of arrows instead. They plummeted down as my spell sped towards them. It had to get them.

I could see Shannon and Mulim had begun the gestures to recast the shield, but they weren't going fast enough. I watched as my fireball continued into the sky and saw, with some relief, it consume most of the arrows. The remaining ones kept falling.

Shannon was fastest and cast the wall as the first arrow sailed through. Mulim was just a second behind and the glowing shield caught the rest of the arrows. With horror I stared at that lone black-feathered arrow as it plunged through the back of Karak's head, his smile at my recent compliment still on his face. As he crumpled to the floor time caught up with me and I screamed to my squad.

"THEY HAVE A MAGE...."