Tim Marquitz - Dawn of War

The commander nodded and brought everyone in tight. Barold leading the way once more with Falen just behind, the group sprinted as best they could across the slick cobblestones, dodging bodies until they reached a narrow alley. The sergeant pushed on, the sounds of fighting dimmed somewhat by the nearby homes, and ran until he reached the great wall. As they clustered about, Zalee drew up from behind and came to stand beside the wall.

“As we cannot flee through the streets, the Grol army far too numerous to avoid, there is only one other path for us.” She pointed to the top of the wall. “We must travel above the streets.”

The commander looked at her with narrow, disbelieving eyes. “There is no way above them save for upon the walls, but even that leads us only from one side of the city to the other, with no way across to the next wall.”

“No way for you,” Zalee said. She pulled her boots and gloves off and handed them to Cael as the party stared at her, uncertainty thick in the air. “When it is time, send the children first,” she said, without explaining. She latched onto the wall and crawled up its side, disappearing at the top.

A moment later, the looped end of the silvery rope they’d used to sneak into Lathah dropped beside them. No one moved. Cael growled and motioned to the princess’ youngest child. He was reluctant to leave his mother’s side.

“Put your foot in the loop and grab ahold of the knot. Zalee will pull you up.” Malya stood by her son, protectiveness burning in her green eyes. Cael raised his hands, but persisted. “I have seen the miraculous take shape before my eyes, and have even witnessed the Sha’ree speaking with the Goddess Ree. If you would see your sons borne safe from here, you must have faith in Zalee.”

Malya stood a moment, saying nothing as she stared into Cael’s eyes. Finally her reluctance broke and she ruffled her son’s hair. “Go to the rope, Kylle. We will be right behind.”

The boy nodded and Malya watched as her youngest slid his foot into the loop and grasped the knot. Zalee wasted no time and pulled him up, the princess’ stare locked upon her son the entire time. He waved from above before moving away from the edge. The rope dropped down an instant after he was gone from sight. Malya sent her second son up, and followed behind, the limp king being hauled up next. Cael followed behind him.

On the roof, as Zalee pulled the rest of the party up, Cael looked out over the city. Fires burned wild, filling the air with swirls of thick black smoke. The Grol army still spilled through the shattered front wall, scattering without discipline once inside Lathah. Horrible sounds drifted to his ears: the clang of swords colliding, the sound of the butcher’s block as meat met steel, and the cries of men dying filled his head with horror.

The streets ran thick with furred bodies, a maelstrom of claw and tooth that tore its way through the paltry resistance that still stood. The twang of bows sounded in dim echoes, raining death upon the Grol, but with the walls down, the trade of lives was far from even. Cael could see a number of beasts dead on the ground, feathered with shafts, but alongside them lay a far greater number of Lathahns, their bodies torn apart. He turned away, his stomach churning at the cruelty so blatantly on display. He felt sorry for the people down below. He could see no chance of victory.

The last of the party on the wall, Zalee inched to the far edge and glanced over. Cael followed her gaze, steeling it against what he knew he’d see. Down below, the streets were strangely calm, the masses of Grol spilling in through the center of the city where the walls had been taken down. Here where they still stood, the labyrinth of the levels keeping the battle from reaching the far corners. Stragglers scrambled about and soldiers hunkered down in preparation for the coming onslaught, but Cael could see no Grol among them.

Zalee cleared some space around her and began to whisper, her words little more than breaths amidst the chaos of the war around them. She stood rigid, her pink eyes staring off into the distance.

The princess, chiding her sons for standing too close to the edge of the wall, glanced to Cael. Unsure of what Zalee intended, he forced a smile that spoke of patience. He hoped it hid his uncertainty. Malya would know when they all did. One of the Pathra gasped and Cael spun to see why, his own breath catching in his lungs when he spied what the warrior had.

The dark smoke that rose up from the city around them had begun to drift toward them, gathering into what looked like roiling storm clouds. It no longer floated toward the sky, but seemed to hover thick at the apex of the wall. More and more of it came together, the murky darkness blotting out the ground below.

As Cael watched the clouds coalesce, he thought of the river at Pathrale and realized what Zalee intended. He glanced down again and was grateful the churning smoke blocked his view. Waeri and his people stared wide-eyed at the building clouds that stretched between the walls, seeming delighted. The princess seemed quite the opposite. Her expression was as dark as the smoke. The boys stared with broad grins stretching their faces, marveling at the whirling darkness. Malya’s husband stood near his sons as he too watched the smoke gather. There was the slightest glimmer of a smile upon his lips.

As the clouds compressed, their shifting softness beginning to take on the appearance of solidness, Cael thought he saw the shifting eyes of the goddess amidst the smoke, a reddened glint shimmering in the darkness. Cael smiled, hoping she could see him.

“We must hurry,” Zalee called out, a subtle rawness to her words. “Cael, go first and lead the princess and her children across.”

Called out on his words of trust, Cael knew he couldn’t hesitate. His experience at the river gave him a measure of confidence, but he couldn’t stop the trembles that rattled his body as he stepped out onto the clouds. His breath was frozen in his lungs until his foot settled, the smoke bearing his weight. Glad once more he couldn’t see through to the ground far below, he reached out his hand to the princess, his smile genuine.

With the fearless face only a mother could maintain, the princess stepped out onto the makeshift bridge before she allowed her children. Once she was sure it would hold them, she waved the boys forward. Smiles lighted their faces as they walked on the clouds. Malya, allowing no time for curiosity, walked as quickly as she dared. Her husband followed close behind, urging his sons on. At Falen’s back, the worried-eyed soldiers bore the king across, their steps exaggerated and cautious.

Cael stifled a laugh and hurried to the far wall as the rest of the party followed, Zalee coming last. As soon as she stepped onto the wall, the bridge at her back broke apart as though caught in a swift wind. The smoke churned and whirled, no longer bound to its unnatural form, and rose up once more into the sky.

Cael looked to Zalee to see her brow glistening with tiny drops of sweat. Her eyes seemed dim, their normal radiance subdued. She glanced at him, but looked away as their eyes met, stepping once more to the edge of the wall. He turned away to hide his concern amidst the awed faces of the party.

As before, Zalee whispered to the goddess and the smoke came at her call, forming the dark bridge across the open spaces between the walls. Cael watched at each crossing as Zalee grew more and more weary, frustrated that he could do nothing to help her. For her part, she weathered the effort in silence, but there was no hiding the suffering in her eyes, their pink having faded nearly to white by the time they reached the last wall.

Below them, the movement of Grol and Lathahn grew steadier the closer they came to the final level, a smattering of conflicts playing out in the crowded streets. Despite that, the walkways at the top of the walls set so far above the bedlam of the streets, they had not been noticed, despite the oddity of their travel. Cael gave thanks to Ree for that, hoping to one day learn the Sha’ree secrets so that he might tell her directly.