Maxi was barely listening as she frantically scanned the commotion. What of Hebaron and Garrow? And what about Idsilla and the other female clerics? Would they all be safe amid such pandemonium? She was desperately searching the camp for a familiar face when a loud explosion reverberated behind her.
Maxi whirled around. The magical devices had been activated, and double barriers shot up in front of the ramparts. Beyond them, an army of trolls clad in black armor marched toward the city. Ulyseon let out a suppressed groan, running a hand over his shocked face.
“How in the devil are they coming from the south…?”
He turned and swiftly picked up a long kopel propped in the corner of the watchtower. Sticking his head over the battlement, Ulyseon blew into it. The sonorous blare rang out over the camp—an alarm signaling an external invasion. Maxi felt every hair on her body stand on end.
“Don’t be scared, my lady,” Ulyseon said firmly. “I will protect you at all costs.”
Seized by panic and fear, Maxi was unable to comprehend his words. The young man’s determined voice was like smoke blowing through her ears. The sudden uproar was beyond her ability to cope. Maxi clutched her forehead as she tried in vain to regain her sense of reality.
Ghouls causing mayhem within the city. An army of trolls converging on the city walls.
She was trapped in a nightmare.
Didn’t the coalition army drive all the trolls north? And just how long have those ghouls been buried here?
She suddenly came to a bone-chilling realization. Ulyseon had said that it was the monsters that created the undead. That could only mean that they had buried the ghouls during their initial capture of Eth Lene Castle. Was their retreat from the city a ruse to draw the coalition army into Eth Lene? If that was the case, why now? Why did they not ambush the city while the knights were still here?
The monsters might have been waiting for the perfect opportunity. The city currently held enough food to sustain an army of fifteen thousand men for a month and a half. If the monsters were to take all of it, even the coalition army would not be able to last.
Maxi hugged her shoulders as a chill coursed through her entire body. At that moment, she heard Garrow’s voice calling from below the wall.
“Uly! We’ve lured the ghouls to one spot! Bring her ladyship down now!”
Peering over the edge, Maxi saw five or so soldiers gathered at the foot of the stairs. Ulyseon led her by the arm once more as they dashed down the stone steps. When Maxi finally managed to stagger back to ground level on trembling legs, Garrow and the soldiers promptly encircled her.
“The female clerics and patients have been evacuated to the north end of the camp,” Garrow informed her. “You should also take shelter until everything settles, my lady.”
Supporting her with a firm hand, Garrow briskly strode on. Maxi hastily tried to keep up. As they passed through the dizzying commotion, Maxi saw knights with spire-shaped lances and soldiers carrying spears ten kevettes tall.
Keeping their formation, the knights drove the ghouls to a single spot. Maxi found it reassuring to see their side fall into ranks with such cool precision despite the abruptness of the ambush. If they could defend the walls until the coalition army’s return, they could protect the provisions as well as the lives of everyone in the city.
“This way! Hurry, my lady!”
Maxi had been distracted by the skirmish when she heard Garrow’s urgent voice. Snapping to attention, she dashed across the bumpy ground. It was vital for her to get to safety to avoid becoming a hindrance to the fighting men.
Gathering her skirt in one hand, she sprinted across the chaotic city square. They ran north for a while, finally stopping at the large storage tent. Soldiers guarded the entrance.
Entrusting Maxi to the soldiers, Garrow said, “The clerics have cast a barrier around the tent. The ghouls won’t be able to get in.”
Inside, Maxi glanced around at the sacks of grain piled into a mountain. When she spotted the female clerics huddled on the floor at the innermost end of the makeshift shelter, she ran straight to them.
Idsilla bolted to her feet. “Lady Calypse! You’re safe!”
Maxi gasped with relief. “I-Idsilla…are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine, but…S-Selina isn’t here.”
Idsilla bit her lip, looking as though she might burst into tears. As she tried to reassure the girl, Maxi glanced at the ashen faces of the other women. Many were missing.
Idsilla sobbed as she clung to Maxi’s arm. “We were only able to evacuate…h-half of the injured men from the infirmary. Those who couldn’t move were…”
When Maxi tried to recall how many of the woundedmen had been immobile in their cots, a terrible ache began thumping in her temples. She clutched her forehead, reeling. Ulyseon hurried over to steady her.
“Don’t worry, my lady. The others will also be hiding somewhere safe. I will go look for them once things die down.”
Distraught, Idsilla latched on to Ulyseon and bombarded him with questions. “How did this happen? We heard the alarm signaling an invasion. Didn’t the coalition army drive all the trolls north? Our army hasn’t been defeated, has it?”
