Mordraud, Book One (87 page)

***

‘When we’re at the foot of the walls, if everything’s gone smoothly, Cambria won’t know what to do. They can’t hole themselves up in refuge. After two years of famine and plague, their supplies won’t be plentiful enough to hold out long. They’ll try to draw us into battle outside the city.’

Adraman
repeated off by heart the words of the speech he, Berg and Mordraud had prepared for the council. He needed to believe it was a perfect plan. Just the thought of assailing Cambria made his teeth chatter.

“
CHARGE!” he bellowed to the ranks behind him. He’d lost many men during the lengthy crossing of the region, but he’d nonetheless managed to arrive there, in the shadow of the Empire’s capital, after sweeping away the troops at the central front. They’d fought foot by foot, straining to halt the rebel forces. But they hadn’t succeeded.

‘
When the battalions swarm out the great gate, we’ll already be there. Their archers will strike us down unrelentingly, but we mustn’t pull back. They have to be afraid of us, messing themselves in fear.’

He
’d only seen Cambria once, a long time ago, and it had become a mere blur on Eldain’s maps. In the flesh it was a truly formidable city, compared to their little fiefdom. It was astounding they’d battled so long, at equal arms, with such a giant, Adraman mused, deep in admiration. The buildings’ rooftops shone in the warm early summer sunshine, and the multicolour windows seemed aflame with the hues of the rainbow. The city walls were vast, rippling with steeples and soldier-crammed turrets. Sumptuous mansions, adorned in polychrome stuccowork and white marble statues, looked out onto avenues paved in porphyry, in the generous shade of century-old trees.

It was the city of
the Gods.

And
they’d come to destroy it.

“
INFANTRY! STAY COMPACT! Berg...” Adraman embraced Berg, and they greeted each other with a fond gaze. “See you inside, friend!”

“
You can bet on that! Good riding, Adraman!”

“
Try and hold out as long as you can!”

All the infantry divisions began heading down towards
Cambria’s huge solid brass city doors, famous all over the continent for their mammoth size. No one alive could recall the last time the enemy had managed to breach them. Adraman felt another shudder rattle his teeth.

“
MEN! BE BRAVE!” he bawled with both lungs. “For Eldain!”

“
ELDAIN!”

“
Death to Cambria!”

“
DEATH TO CAMBRIA!”

Adraman
went to helm his horsemen and paused to observe. Mordraud was at his side, in silence. When Cambria’s doors opened, flooding the plain with the Empire’s troops, he felt his heart lurch. Mordraud’s hand sought out his friend’s, who squeezed in reply.

‘
Once the battle beneath the walls is underway, our men will be on their own. Cambria has thousands of soldiers, but none are ready for combat so close to home. They’ll be too scared. Ours can hold out a good while, even if the arrows go on hailing down on all, friends and foe alike. We just have to wait for them to unsheathe their most precious weapon: the Lances...’

The mêlée had grown f
erocious. The flow of Imperial forces seemed endless, but Adraman’s men were compact, determined and ready for all. Eld was showing Cambria what real madness was. The units moved in an orderly fashion, even under the hail of arrows, forcing the enemy to also endure the deadly metal clouds. Berg was doing an excellent job, down there. But they couldn’t withstand it all indefinitely. Mowed down by the cavalry, pierced by arrows, pounded by waves of foot-soldiers, Eldain’s army was gradually shifting west, instead of converging towards the city gate. An incomprehensible move for any strategist, but not for Adraman.

The doors, which had shut
behind the last infantry battalion, began opening again. Less than an hour had passed since the start of the battle, but it felt like a century for those still waiting to snap into action, hidden among the trees of the dense forest. The extremity of Chestnut Gorge, where the majestic Hann gushed powerfully between narrow and steep rock faces. The most mountainous point near the capital. The wind was to their favour. The air was mild and crystal clear.

‘
Gripped by panic, Cambria will act in haste. Not spotting our men on horseback, they’ll let the Lances out in order to decide the battle as soon as possible. Their cavalry’s slow, heavy and compact. We’ve witnessed it in action a hundred times over on the Rampart. Lethal in attack. Ungainly in defence. They’ll stake everything on the Lances, and their choirs.’

The chanters were stretched out in long rows and were filling the air with complicated risky harmonies, vicious basses, and solos bravely riding the colossal resonances. Darts of light, balls of fire, bolts of lightning and immense black boulders rained down from the walls. They formed in a vortex in front of the chanters, who moved like a single body, directing with their arms where and when they wanted the resonance to take shape. Flames materialised from nothing and exploded above the soldiers’ unwitting heads. Arrows of deadly green light streaked by, zapping the ground hoofed up by terrified horses. The Arcane had kicked into action, striking everyone and everything, without distinction. Adraman squeezed Mordraud’s hand tighter. His men were dying in droves. As if he himself had condemned them to death.

‘
The doors will open, to bring out the Lances. But with them, Cambria will send other men to the scrum. That gate will stay open a while – we don’t know how long, but it won’t be brief. All our hopes for victory hinge on this point... on this moment when Cambria is vulnerable... And that’s when we’ll make our move. Small, light units with no hindrances. Anyone who falls is left behind. We can’t afford to slow up, not even for an instant. Galloping at full speed, we’ll ram the gate as one mass... And if we manage to get in...’

The brass door
s were open at last, and the first regiment of Lances reached the battlefield. Swarming around them were foot-soldiers, going to take the places of their fallen comrades. The chanters, who hadn’t stopped spewing harmonies at the foot of the walls, suddenly ceased their song. Colours returned to their natural tones. Billows of smoke rose all over the battleground. The craters left by the explosions revealed heaps of twisted mutilated corpses from both factions, impossibly intertwined. The Lances began moving towards Eldain’s infantry, striking up their fearful murderous chants in perfect voices. The gate remained open to let out as many troops as possible.

‘
...And if we manage in get in... We’ll thank Cambria for the invitation!’

The time had come

“Mordraud...”

“
What is it, Adraman?”

“
I’m glad he’s your son.”

“
Thank you...” Mordraud uttered through tears. “My friend.”

The horde of horsemen poured out of
the wood, stirring a storm of dust, leaves and black earth.

“
CHARGE! CHARGE!” bellowed Adraman, with Eldain’s sword high above his head. “DON’T SLOW DOWN! DON’T STOP!”

The heavens were vomiting clouds of arrows.
Cambria’s first riders reached them, endeavouring to intercept them, but Mordraud swerved from their path, driving the assault front in two. The rebels didn’t attempt to engage in battle. Their sole objective was to reach the gate, at any cost.

“
DON’T TURN BACK! DON’T SLOW DOWN!” Mordraud yelled. “ADRAMAN! TIGHTER ON THE LEFT! TIGHTER, DAMN IT!”

His
men were following him, head bowed and trunk close to the horse’s back. Those in the rear were stopped by the Imperial cavalry, and found themselves alone, fighting against hundreds of enemy troops. They were wiped out in a few moments. A tempest of arrows skewered two soldiers a few paces away. Behind him, another ten fell almost simultaneously, punctured in the chest.

“
DON’T SLOW DOWN! CHARGE! CHARGE!”

Adraman
was shifting to avoid head-on collision with Cambria’s cavalry, and Mordraud did the same too. They had to
pass through the middle
of an infantry battalion trying to position itself to block their route. The doors had begun to close.

“
FASTER! FASTER!”

Behind him, the momentum was crumbling. Many had fallen, struck by arrows. Others had had their path barred.

“HEAD’S DOWN, LADS! STRAIGHT FOR THE GATE!”

The
horses plunged into the foot-soldiers ranged before the entrance. Their lances glinted in the sun, ready to put an end to the rebels’ race. Mordraud unsheathed his sword and roared at the skies.

“
FOR ELDAIN! DEATH TO CAMBRIA!” he bellowed, furiously swiping the tips off the lances near him. He tugged on his reins and the horse leapt into the air. It came to land beyond the front lines, trampling a cluster of soldiers. Mordraud spurred it on, as he randomly slashed at as many heads as he could in passing. He saw Adraman a short distance away as he converged towards the doors, which were now near. Huge blazing spheres began falling from the walls, with a cascade of dazzling darts. These skimmed the ground and shot towards them, slipping across the grass like poisonous snakes. Mordraud put his head down and shut his eyes. The blast almost ripped his ears off. The horse whinnied, riddled with terror. Mordraud forced it on. The infantry broke up, crushed by the monstrous hail of resonances that was beating down on them too, mercilessly. A bolt struck his back, and Mordraud lost his breath. It wasn’t the first time. He already knew how much it would hurt.

“
WE’RE THERE!” Adraman shouted to him. They were side by side again. All that remained of their forces was a few dozen horsemen, their eyes wide in amazement at having survived so far.

The
doors were still open. Just a little, very little. But they were open. Cambria had carried on with orders to let more troops out. They’d messed it up on their own.

“
EVERYONE INSIDE!” Adraman ordered. Mordraud overtook him in his gallop. He aimed for the crack between the two huge brass panels, and shot inside the city of the Gods. Adraman was close behind.

They
’d made it.

“
FREE THE ENTRANCE!” Mordraud yelled, springing down from his animal. Foot-soldiers, Lances and cavalrymen were all congregated opposite the gate, mouths gaping. Seeing a rebel within the walls was something that went beyond their powers of comprehension. It had all happened too quickly. They didn’t have precise orders. They weren’t ready to defend themselves home by home.

Adraman
’s cavalry streamed in for as long as they could, and the last jumped off his horse, leaving the poor beast jammed between the two wings of the gate. It was used as a braying wedge. Outside, Berg’s infantry formed into a shield to protect the troops intent on racing into the city on the horsemen’s heels. Mordraud and Adraman gathered their men and set in motion the bold defence of the opening. The foe was everywhere, but the arrows no longer showered down, and not even the chanting could be used against them. Eldain’s sword vibrated in Adraman’s hands, as sharp and lethal as a razor. Mordraud staked everything on brutal might. No one could withstand the power of his attacks for long. Shields toppled away, swords were truncated. Mordraud felt something give way in his left shoulder. Perhaps a bone, or muscles tearing. He didn’t slacken off, not even for an instant.

“
Mordraud! Listen!” Adraman shouted, as he finished off a Lance, to the chest.

“
What is it?”

He was covering the man
’s back, and in the meantime signalled to the foot-soldiers who’d managed to get in through the gap, left open by the jammed horse. They were looking for the machinery room, while Mordraud and his men endeavoured to free the entrance.

“
This sword must never fall
. You hear me?! The enemy must not have it!”

“
I’m with you, Adraman. Now just concentrate on keeping it firmly in your grasp!”

“
You can count on that! They’re waiting for me, at home!” answered Adraman, smiling, while engaged in a duel with another Lance. Mordraud turned before he could say what he was about to say.

That wasn
’t the time.

Not before, not then
.

Never
.

“
Chief! We’ve found the cogs!” a soldier called from a slit window by the doors. It was Hammer.

Dear old
Hammer.

“
OPEN THEM UP THEN! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!”

Hammer
nodded and ran inside. The brass wings began widening again, just as other infantry units joined the road stretching far into the heart of Cambria. The first torches flew to the roofs of the homes. Hammer and the others must have found the fire, concluded a jubilant Mordraud. The liquid mass of their men poured in. The city gate was in their hands.

“
SPREAD OUT! HOUSE BY HOUSE! FIGHT ON SIGHT!” Adraman ordered. “MORDRAUD! WITH ME!”