Over the Dunes a Rider Comes Page 7

  One thing that both impressed and annoyed him was that the women could show up without warning at the worst of times. Another thing about her that he had gotten used to. The guardsmen waited, uncertain of what to say.

  "You had best get to your posts." Ashes told the men. "And keep a sharp eye out. Libbor is planning something. I am not sure what it is, but we need to be ready when he makes his move."

  Grateful to be leaving, the guardsmen continued on their way to relieve their counterparts. Summer watched them leave making sure that they were out-of-hearing range before she turned her attention back to Ashes. "The riders that we sent looking for the Cocoans still have not reported back and with Libbor's army camped out on our doorstep they may not be able to."

  "We have to trust in them." Ashes told her. "They are good men."

  Summer nodded absently staring over the wall. "Are you alright?" Ashes asked with concern.

  Summer turned to him and gave him a long look before answering. "Your side of the bed was empty when I woke. That was hours before sunrise. I thought that you might be tending to your needs but you did not come back. It has been the same every night since you returned. It is not this war that is troubling you. I know you too well husband to believe that. There is something more. Are you unhappy with me?"

  Her question took Ashes by surprise. Reaching out for her, he gently pulled her against him. "Why would I be angry with you? A man could not ask for a better wife. A little moody " He put in laughing. "and not very sympathetic when it comes to your kings worn trousers but I have grown used to your moods. I would not change anything about you, so no, there is nothing that you have done that is troubling me."

  Summer wrapped her arms around Ashes. "Huh." she muttered, "I love you, as well, husband, but given the chance, there are many things I would change about you, starting with your god-awful sense of humor!"

  Even through the chain mail and the padding Summer felt Ashes stiffen. "Husband?" but Ashes was no longer looking at her staring hard over her shoulder at the hills, in the distance. "Your sense of humor, and your attention span..." Summer thought to herself, turning to follow his gaze.

  Several guardsmen were also running toward them. The reason for their haste could be seen working its way down the hillside. Libbor's catapults had arrived!

  The main attack came the next morning, with Libbor using the dark-of-night to move the catapults into position. It was just past midnight when the first fireball struck the walls of the city. The burning oil filled the early morning with smoke and flame. By the time that the sun rose the air was thick with black smoke.

  The Zlaoran’s aging catapults exchanged shots with Libbor’s scoring several hits forcing the remaining ones to pull back out of range of the heavy more damaging loads but the oil drums being lighter could still reach the city walls and its wooden gates, and Libbor's men's aim was getting better. The gates had been fire-proofed, but even that would not hold up forever under the burning oil's hot flames.

  The walls around the gates darkened with soot. As the fires burned and the flames lapped up and over the walls.That along with the arrows coming from the Enemies archers, made the job of trying to put out the flames all but impossible.

  It was snowflake and blueberry who came up with an answer to the problem. After many failed attempts to put out the flames and more than one man getting badly burned. Ashes was beginning to think that they would lose the gate altogether.

  Even the gate's fireproofing could only do so much under such heat. At the rate that it was burning they had three days at most. Ashes watched from the wall as the guards made another vain try at putting out the fire. Several men working together, dumped huge vats of water, over the wall, onto the burning gate.

  Their efforts were rewarded with billowing smoke and scalding clouds of steam but try as they might they could not get enough water on the fire at one time to be effective. By the time the vats were refilled, the fire had regained everything that it had lost. They were losing the fight with a foe they could not touch.

  Fredrex stood beside Ashes, watching as another burning barrel of oil struck the gate. The impact sent smoke and flames into the sky. The Zlaoran archers had managed to slow the catapults -- but not stop them.

  The bodies of the men who had carelessly let themselves be seen were scattered in the snow, around the catapults. Their main challenge was learning how to stay hidden, as they armed the catapults.

  "I know that it is not our best choice, Ashes.” Fredrex told him. "but we may have no other choice than a direct assault on their catapults." Ashes had to agree that they had to do something quickly.

  "What if there was a better way?"

  Both men turned at to look at the newcomer who had spoken. Blueberry and Snowflake stood side by side behind them. looking nervously at each other. “well?" Ashes ask them " go on, do you have an idea what we can do?"

  Snowflake nodded at Blueberry shyly. "Blueberry thought of it,” she murmured.

  "Well, I had the idea, but Snowflake figured out how we could do it." Blueberry told them.

  "What idea?!" Fredrex spouted "Out with it, before the gate burns down if you don't mind!"

  Ashes put a hand on the big man's shoulder. "Let's hear your idea you two..."

  "The fountain!" Blueberry stuttered. "we could use the fountain to put out the fires!"

  Ashes and Fredrex gave each other a questioning look "The fountain?" Ashes asked Blueberry, "Blueberry the fountain is not running. The water is diverted in the winter so the culverts don't freeze."

  "Yes!" Blueberry went on excitedly. "The water is diverted to the drainpipes back to the underground river that supplies the city with water!" but the pipes and ducts that the water runs through, back to the river run just under the walls right by the gate!"

  Snowflake put in "don't you see? all we have to do is dig up the drain pipes and divert them to the wall gratings over the gate, that would put the fires out and they could throw as much burning oil as they want. It won't do them any good."

  "That would work, wouldn't it?" Blueberry asked.

  "Damn if it wouldn't." Ashes muttered. "How long would it take?" Ashes asked Fredrex.

  Fredrex was already on the run calling over his shoulder "With enough men, we can do it before the sun sets. Good job you two!" He added slapping Blueberry between the shoulder blades as he went by almost knocking the much smaller man off of his feet.

  The work took a little longer than expected. The frozen ground and the cold made getting the pipes out of the ground difficult. With more than one shattering raising concerns that they would not be able to reach the grates over the gate but fate was with them and by the time that the moon had fully risen the night sky was filled with clouds of billowing steam, as the fire went out under a steady wall of water.

  Libbor's catapults threw several more burning barrels at the gate trying to restart the flames, but the burning oil was quickly washed away by the manmade waterfall.

  The victory against the fire was brief and short-lived. After staying up most of the night to make sure that the threat to the gate was passed Ashes had just reached his bed chambers and was hoping to get a few hours of sleep. Summer lay asleep on the bed. The blankets gently rising and falling with her breathing. the warmth of the room made him sleepy as he watched the light from the fireplace dance on the walls and bed.

  The peacefulness of the scene made the war and Libbor's army just outside the walls seem very far away. Ashes threw a fresh log on the fire. Sparks drifted into the room as the flames greedily lapped at the new log. Ashes found a chair by the fire and started to pull off his wet boots when he heard the city's warning bells. Cursing, he grabbed a pair of dry boots by the fire and pulled them on.

  "What's going on?" Summer sat up in the bed and flung the blankets off of her. "Are we under attack?" Ashes was heading out of the door." Sounds like Libbor thinks that he has waited long enough." He told her. "Don't worry, we can handle it, You stay here." the last was said as he
run out the door

  Even halfway down the hallway, Ashes had no trouble hearing Summer's reply. "Stay here?! Like hell I will!!"

  China was standing in his paddock when Ashes ran in not bothering with a saddle he opened the gates, and swung up onto the stallion's back giving the stud a slap on the hindquarters. "Haaw! Go boy! Move! Get going!" China leaped forward forcing Ashes to grab a handful of mane leaning low against the horse's body he gripped hard with his legs. By the time that they reached the street, China was at a full gallop.

  Ashes could hear the sounds of boulders from Libbor's catapults scoring hits on the city walls as China raced down the city streets. "They must have moved them closer." He thought. "Damn I should have known!" He had not thought that Libbor would risk losing any more of his catapults.

  As Ashes rode up he saw the light of torches shined on the swords and armor of the men who lined the top of the wall. The Zlaoran catapults were flinging huge boulders onto the enemy's advancing army as fast as they could be loaded. Jumping off the stallion he ran for the nearest stairs and raced to the top of the wall.

  China watched as his rider ran off. Then moved to stand under a tree close to the wall watching. Being a veteran of many battles and wars he knew he was not needed just yet, when his rider needed him he would come for him and the stallion would be ready.

  Archers lined the wall loosing arrows from behind the ramparts at the line of men charging the walls. The archers shot as fast as they could draw their bows. Other men stood waiting ready to defend the wall from any of the enemy who got past the archers.

  Spotting Notie and Abby giving instructions to a group of men before they headed off down the wall he headed their way. Abby greeted him with a nod " Libbor did not waste any time once we put out the gate fires. He either thinks that they did more damage than they did, or he is testing our defenses."

  Notie was watching the advancing men "I am betting on the last part. He has to know that fires did not burn long enough to do any real damage to the gate."

  "Perhaps," Ashes agreed. "There is no knowing what is going through Libbor's head right now." He paused staring hard at the advancing line of men in the darkness. "I see ladders but no ram. They are not going for the gate. They're going to try to scale the walls."

  Shouts from down the wall told them that some of the enemy had made it past the archers and were scaling the walls already, drawing his sword Ashes headed down the wall to help repel the attackers. Ashes hurried, as fast as possible down the crowded walkway on the wall. By the time that he got there scattered fighting was breaking out where Libbor's men had succeeded in reaching the top.

  An arrow shattered on the bricks of the wall behind Ashes making him duck his head. Before he could recover he felt someone grabbed his arm and he found himself being pulled over the wall by two men who were still clinging to their ladders. Bracing himself against the wall Ashes lunged at the closest man with his sword making the man release his hold on Ashes' arm.

  Bracing himself against the wall again for leverage, Ashes pushed backward with his feet pulling the second man onto the wall with him. A sword came down on the man's neck, blinding Ashes with a spray of blood. The headless body toppled back over the wall and fell to the ground, outside of the city.

  "Here, use this." a familiar voice said. Someone handed Ashes a rag that was torn from the tunic of an unlucky man who tried to climb the wall. Ashes wiped the blood out of his eyes to see Summer, standing next to him her sword was bloody. "Stay here?!" she snorted, "and who would keep you alive if I had husband?" not waiting for an answer she ran back into the fray.

  By sunrise, the battle was over. Libbor's men had retreated. Leaving the snow at the bottom of the wall stained red and littered with bodies.

  The assaults, on the walls came both day and night. For days at a time the catapults would pound both the walls and the gates. A boulder or burning barrel would sometimes make it over the wall, but never far enough to reach any of outer buildings or homes.

  In the weeks that followed, the attacks came more and more often and each time it was becoming harder and harder to drive the attackers back. And as more and more of the enemy made it to the top of the wall, the fighting on the walls became more intense.

  By the third month of the siege, they had managed to cut Libbor's numbers by half, but a fourth of Zlaora's army had been lost in the fighting. Of those who remained, over two hundred were too badly wounded to continue the fight. The rest were pushed to their limits, sleeping in short sprints and eating in fast gulps.

  There had been no word from the men that Summer had sent to look for the Cocoans. Ashes knew that the men would not give up, He was sure they were either still looking or had died in the search. he would not believe otherwise.

  To make matters worse, even without the fires, the catapults had managed to weaken the gates, The damage that the fires had done turned out to be worse than thought. In part, by same waters that had saved them, even as it put out the fires the water weakened the great hinges that held then in place. The fires had heated them red-hot. When the freezing waters had cooled them it had also weakened them.

  With every hit, the gates were buckling, more and more. There was little that could be done. Ashes had as many men as could be spared reinforcing the gates, but even so, the gates would only last so long.

  Summer slept fitfully, tossing and turning in their bed. Ashes watched her from the chair he sat in on the far side of the bedchamber. It had been three days since he had slept, and he had only eaten twice in that time. Despite Summer's urging. Even if he wanted to he could not sleep.

  As quietly as possible, not to disturb Summer, Ashes went to the chest next to their bed and unlocked it taking out his saddle bags and sat them next to the chair by the fire. Opening them he took out the jewel that he had found in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

  "Why?" he thought. "Why are you doing this? What have I done wrong? Please help me stop this war. " The light from the fire lit up the gem like a small sun but nothing else. suddenly angry Ashes crossed the room and opened the patio doors a freezing wind blew the curtains back into the room as he made his way through the snow to the patio ledge.

  "Damn you! Damn the day that I first laid eyes on you!" Drawing back his arm, Ashes threw the jewel high over the snow covered trees below. He watched as it fell into the small fast-moving river that ran through the garden and into the sinkhole to the underground river far below.

  Suddenly, very tired, he walked back to the bed chambers, and to the warmth of the fire. He looked first to make sure he had not disturbed Summer then went back to the chair next to the fire slumping into the chair, he watched the flames. "How could I have been such a fool?"

  A hand gently touched his shoulder. "Ashes?" Ashes looked up, Summer stood next to him with both love and worry in her eyes. "You need to sleep husband, it has been over three days. You cannot go on like this Please sleep, to make me feel better, if for nothing else.”

  Ashes' throat tightened, " Forgive me Summer, Please forgive me, I thought I was doing the right thing I tried to stop the wars. I thought that I could keep everyone safe. that I was doing the right thing." Ashes looked back into the fire." I was such a fool!"

  Putting her hands under her husband's arms Summer lifted, trying to get him to his feet. "The only thing that you are being a fool about is not getting any sleep. You are no good to me -- or anyone else like this" she tugged on her much-heavier husband trying to get him up, "Come on. You need sleep, now! you are not thinking right."

  "Summer, please, please, listen! I know I sound crazy I know I do, but hear me out please!"

  Summer crossed her arms, "What is it that you want to tell me? Out with it! Then you are going to get some sleep if I have to hit you over the head with your own shield!"

  "Summer," Ashes muttered, "If I were not a king if I could not give you all this, if I was nothing but a poor wanderer, a mercenary, would you have still have been happy? Would you still have married me?
Loved me? Like you do now?"

  Anger flashed in Summer's eyes "What kind of foolish question is that?! Do you think that I only love you for your wealth? Do you really think that I married you for your crown?" Stepping around in front of him Summer put a hand under his chin tilting his head Ashes looked up into her eyes. Summer's heart stopped at the look in his eyes. "Oh husband" she thought "what has happened, what is hurting you so?"

  Summer's anger faded, the look in his eyes filled her with a deep dread. In all their years together she had never seen him like this, with such a look of fear and self-loathing in his eyes.

  "You deserved so much more." Ashes muttered. "I could not give it to you. These people this kingdom, do not deserve what I have brought on them! I thought that I was doing the right thing! I thought that I could bring peace! An end to the deaths!" Summer had to step back quickly as Ashes suddenly rose out of his chair and crossed the room to point out the patio window. "Look!, Look!, at what I have done to this city! To our people! To you! I am no king! No leader! I am nothing but a fool!"

  Reaching out quickly Summer grabbed Ashes' arm and pulled him around to face her. "This war is not your doing Ashes and the people know that! you did everything you could to prevent it and when that failed you did what any good man would do, you fought for the people and for the land that you love. That is what makes you a great king and a great leader!"

  "Do you really think that these people love you because of your crown? That your men follow you into battle because of your crown? If you do, then you insult them Ashes. And if you think that I love you because of your crown, then you insult me."

  Summer walked over to the bed, next to it two finely woven crowns sat in their holders on a large stand. Reaching down Summer picked up the larger of the two and held it out as she turned back to face the man that she loved.

  "Look husband. Tell me what do you see?" Ashes glanced down at the crown but did not answer. “You know what I see?" Summer went on, "I see an empty ring of gold, and jewels -- nothing more." crossing over to him, she placed it on his head "You know what I see now? I see a great man, a great king, and a great leader."