Page 73 of Path of the Dark
24
Take It Down
THE ROAR OF BATTLE assaulted Dain’s ears, vibrating in his bones. Raising his shield high, he pressed forward. Arrows rained down on them, peppering their shields. Yet, the men advanced, foot by foot, until they were before the great iron gates.
Dain had never seen a leaguefort before. This one was the largest of the fortifications that lined the Rithmar-Thûn border, for it arched over The Royal Highway. The great road led travelers south from Rithmar, through Thûn, and eventually to Anthor and Farras. Until recently this leaguefort was said to have been in ruins—until Reoul of Anthor ordered it rebuilt.
Take it down.
Like the other Rithmar soldiers, Dain was determined to see this leaguefort fall. It was a symbol of Anthor’s arrogance. Battle fury pumped through him, obliterating the nerves that had twisted his belly earlier that morning.
This was his first battle, one he’d been preparing for over the past year. He’d joined Orin’s Port Guard after returning to the isle and had known he’d likely soon be called to the king’s side. Dain wasn’t afraid of a scrap—but nothing prepared you for the chaos of battle: the noise that made it hard to think, the rank odor of sweat, fear, and blood.
Boom. A battering ram slammed against the gates.
Dain gritted his teeth and surged forward, protecting the men that wielded the ram. Another volley of arrows hammered down on them. Next to Dain, a soldier gasped and toppled forward, an arrow sticking from the back of his neck.
Sweat coursed down Dain’s face as he pressed forward once more. It was nearing noon; the sun beat down upon them. His shoulders and upper arms were starting to ache, his arms trembling from the weight of the shield. He gritted his teeth, exhaustion filtering through the fury that had propelled him forward till now.
He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to go on.
Hold out a little longer…they’ll break through soon.
Boom.
The battering ram slammed against the gates once more. The screech of metal followed, and the massive iron gates gave way.
The horn of Rithmar rang high into the air, cutting through the din.
A roar went up amongst the ranks of foot soldiers. Exultation surged through Dain, crushing the fatigue that had made his legs go weak under him. The tide of armored bodies carried him forward.
They surged through the gates and into the tunnel beyond, bringing their battering ram with them. However, they weren’t clear yet. There was a portcullis and another set of iron gates to breach before they’d break through.
Soon after, they did just that. The fort shuddered, a groan of metal sundering, as the second pair of gates gave way. They were through.
“Rithmar … Rithmar … Rithmar!”
Dain joined in the shouting, his throat raw. The wave of Rithmar foot soldiers swept through the tunnel into Thûn.
Out in the bright noon light, Dain made sure to keep his shield raised. He shifted away from the firing line, giving the rest of the army space to move through the tunnel.
Behind him, the battle grew more frenzied. Dain craned his neck up, cautiously peering up at the walls. As he looked on, an arrow pierced the chest of an Anthor soldier. The man toppled over the edge and fell to his death, his screams lost in the roar of battle.
A shriek echoed overhead, and Dain looked up at the hard blue sky to see a white hawk circling about the leaguefort. Grim, Asher’s familiar, was surveying the fight from above.
Men and women on horseback, clad in charcoal and smoke-grey robes, thundered out of the tunnel, following the foot soldiers.
Enchanters.
Asher led the way.Wisely, the High Enchanter hadn’t worn his white robes into battle. It made him far too easy a target. Instead, he was dressed as Dain remembered him from their first meeting over a year earlier, in smoke-grey like the other enchanters of the Light.
A moment later Dain spotted Ninia. Dressed in black, she rode a stocky cob with a bristly mane. Her face was creased in concentration, her gaze fierce.
“Fall back!” A Rithmar captain roared down the line. “Move away from the fort!”
Dain obeyed, lowering his shield as he did so. He was out of range of the arrows now, but he didn’t let the jubilation at breaking through the gates distract him. The battle wasn’t over yet.
Men of Anthor spilled out of the leaguefort, their black armor gleaming in the sunlight. Shouting, they barreled toward the Rithmar foot soldiers.
