“B-But what if there are monsters waiting on the opposite side?”
Ulyseon shook his head. “They have no reason to scatter their troops in so many places. And even if there are monsters, they’ll likely be scouts. The two of us should be able to handle them.”
“I’ll take the lead from here,” said Garrow, riding up the slope. “I’m more adept with this kind of terrain.”
Maxi’s whole body grew tense as she climbed up the dizzyingly steep incline. Sweat streamed down her body like prickling rain, and her breathing grew ragged as she clung to her mount.
It felt as though they had been ascending forever when they suddenly came to a stop. An unobstructed view of Eth Lene Castle stretched below them. Maxi straightened in her saddle as she listened to the faint sounds of the siege.
Garrow muttered under his breath. “Damn it…”
Maxi quickly saw what had made the squire curse. One of the double barriers in front of the ramparts was collapsing. The monsters roared savagely and charged at the remaining barrier like a herd of mammoths.
Maxi let out a wail of despair. The size of the monster army was much greater than what she had seen above the ramparts. What had seemed like an army of hundreds nowappeared to number in the thousands. There were not only trolls and red goblins in their ranks, but ogres as well.
Garrow gritted his teeth. “How in the devil did an army of that size spring out of nowhere?”
“Now is not the time for that. They probably have search teams all over the place. We have to get out of here before they catch our scent.”
Collecting himself first, Ulyseon tried to get them back on the road, but Maxi could not pry her eyes away from the besieged city. As she remained rooted to the spot, Ulyseon attempted to reassure her.
“Even if the city were to fall, I am sure our men will be able to hold them off long enough for the coalition army to get back.”
Though Maxi knew nothing about warfare, she knew the squire was lying. How could a mere three hundred men hold off thousands of ferocious monsters? The creatures would no doubt turn Eth Lene Castle into rubble in an instant.
She watched in terror as monsters flooded out of the ravine beneath them. Then, quite suddenly, an idea dawned on her.
“If…we collapse that…would it d-deal a big enough blow to the monsters?” She pointed toward the towering rock faces that rose on both sides of the road leading up to the southern gate.
For a moment, the squires stared at her blankly. Their eyes grew wide when they realized that she was pointing to the large boulder jutting out above the rock faces.
“My lady, are you saying…you could do that?” Garrow asked, his voice trembling.
“I think I could…i-if I used magic.” Although shewanted to sound as calm as possible, her voice cracked like a croaking frog.
Both squires looked doubtful.
“Do you think you have sufficient mana, my lady?”
“I have a way. If th-there’s a chance of success…no matter how small…don’t you think it’s worth trying?”
The squires exchanged glances.
Sensing their inner conflict, Maxi desperately pleaded, “P-Please let me try it. It shouldn’t t-take longer than twenty—no, fifteen minutes. If I fail, I-I’ll follow you without another word.”
After looking back and forth between the boulder and Maxi’s face, Ulyseon bit down on his lip. He wordlessly deliberated over the matter with Garrow before bobbing his head.
“Very well. We should give it a try, my lady. But if the plan fails, we must not delay any longer.”
Maxi gave a resolute nod. The squires regarded her ruefully for a moment before the three of them climbed up the rugged mountain path once more. As she followed them, the noise of the battle gradually grew closer, and the sky turned a hazy purple as the afternoon waned.
Maxi gasped for air, certain that her lungs would burst. Pain stabbed at her thighs from gripping the saddle, and her arms shook, but she did not dare ask to stop.
Time stretched into an indeterminate blur. They were riding along in weary silence when something suddenly leaped out of the trees.
Ulyseon quickly drew his sword. “Stay back, my lady!”
Calming her agitated horse, Maxi hastily retreated behind the squires. To her horror, there were monsters to the rear as well.
