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Soldiers started abandoning the cannons to fight as more and more of Oriel’s army made it onto the wall. Someone else with a ship to sacrifice rammed theirs right into the stonework, and the horned bull at the front impaled an idiot who had been too close.
In the next second, they were swarmed by a couple of dozen soldiers who rushed forward and tried to prevent more men from pouring onto Juniper’s wall. Someone’s lightning hit Oriel, and even with his protective armor trying to dull it, he still felt the jolt, although it wasn’t enough to stop him.
Next to him, Roth, Kalen, Rhys, and others he didn’t know cut, burned, and shocked their way through the army as more men from the ship with the bull prow came up their self-made bridge. Kalen was knocked flat by a hulking, armored fairy. He wasn’t so tough a second later when Kalen’s fire slipped through the slits in his visor. He reared back with a scream and ruined vision before Rhys drove his sword into a weak spot on his armor.
A flier dove into Roth from above, and they flipped on the walkway as both struggled to get the upper hand. The enemy stiffened a moment later as he was shocked, but he held on. Oriel grabbed him by the back of the neck and smashed his face into the crenellation. Metal clanged on stone as he screamed, and his visor bent inward. Enraged, Oriel smashed his face into the stone again and then another time for good measure before he dropped the body.
“Bastard.”
Some of their soldiers had started pouring into the city itself. The fish markets were half-destroyed, empty stalls burned, and a tavern had already gone up on one side. Soldiers from both sides clashed in the streets, and an enormous group of Meadow Knights were cutting their way through a group.
Things would be a lot easier if they had mounts, but it’s rather hard to keep horses from panicking on a ship during a battle, and forget getting them onto the wall. Oriel followed Rhys down a set of stairs as Kalen and Roth followed as they sent fire and lightning toward the group of Knights. A horse bucked as it was shocked even though its armor prevented serious injury. His owner landed with a clank and was trampled a second later by one of his comrades who couldn’t stop in time.
A warhorse who must have had nerves of steel ran for them, and it didn’t stop or panic when Roth shocked it. Oriel sidestepped and brought his shield up in time to block the Knight’s strike. In the second that he was open, Kalen yanked on his arm. The Knight tried to remain seated, and Kalen had to jump aside to avoid another Meadow Knight who rushed to help his comrade.
The distraction was still enough. Oriel rammed his sword into the side seam of armor on the first Knight and was rewarded with a pained cry. The Knight sent out an errant fireball, and his horse danced backward. Oriel yanked him down, blasted fire right into the slits of his visor, and yelled for Roth to take that horse.
Kalen and Rhys were fighting with the other, and Oriel ran to meet a different one. The new Knight reared his horse, and the dangerous hooves that were shod in steel flashed as Oriel leaped to one side and threw fire at the Knight who turned his head away just in time.
His sword crackled with lightning when it came around, and Oriel parried the strike. Lightning jolted the bastard as Roth charged it on his horse, and a second later, he had cut down the Knight.
Oriel took that horse, and it danced under him as if deciding whether or not to trust this new fairy or send him flying. Stealing a horse in a battle is often a gamble, but it paid off for him since the horse tossed its head and accepted him. Oriel whirled it around as more of his side started to converge on the remaining Knights.
Magic and steel clashed as horses neighed and men screamed. Oriel trampled a fallen Knight and didn’t flinch at the sounds of armor and bones breaking. He was already focused on killing someone else. The Meadow Knights started to break apart as they were overwhelmed.
The battle was nowhere over. The docks had turned into pandemonium as Meadow tried to push them back, but more and more came over the walls. Oriel kicked his horse into a gallop to enter deeper into the city
He ignored a woman who ran by with a baby. She should have already fled ages ago if she lived that close to the wall. An enemy who seemed more interested in fleeing than fighting didn’t last once Oriel’s sword met his back. A second later, he sent a fireball toward a flier and set a feathery wing ablaze. Wings were useful in battle, but they could be a hindrance too.
Down one street, he saw a group of what looked like slaves. As he came closer, they all had collars and some had ragged clothes. It was impossible to tell if any had once been his citizens or if they committed crimes. Some had managed to snatch something from a weapon, and a few were running to join a group of fighters. One bashed a Meadow soldier in the back of the head with her club, so Oriel figured they were on his side.
A few who didn’t look like they’d be much good at fighting ran off down a side street.
Bit by bit, Oriel’s side started eating through the city. The Meadow soldiers started retreating, and one group had formed a huge phalanx. It looked like it might hold until a flier went overhead with a container of flaming oil. When she dropped it, that caused a huge panic among several of the Meadow soldiers, and the flier remained above to throw more fire at them.
With Roth at his side, Oriel and other soldiers started to cut through it. A pike nearly took out his new mount, and he barely jerked it aside in time.
An East Forest Knight had found a golden unicorn somewhere and taken it for himself. Its shiny horn shined as it charged in and nearly cut the phalanx in half on its own with hardly any help from its new rider. Red gleamed on the horn a second later as it gored someone right through their armor. The phalanx started to break apart even more as the rare beast caused more panic than the flaming oil.
Roth attacked someone just before they managed to hit Oriel with an axe. He reared his mount, and the enemy, caught off guard by Roth’s lightning and sword, didn’t move in time. Hooves slammed into his plated chest and knocked him flat. Ahead, the unicorn kicked and brained some unfortunate who didn’t move fast enough. He’d lost his rider somewhere but was still fighting on his own. Blood streaked his golden coat and mane.
The phalanx was a memory, and Oriel’s side was cutting down the survivors. A bleeding, burned enemy who’d lost his helmet crawled along the ground with his right leg trailing. Both were useless once Oriel’s horse ran him over.
He charged down the street and cut down anyone in his way with Roth at his side. He’d lost Kalen and Rhys somewhere in the mess.
Juniper was slowly eaten by the army. Fires raged to one side and sent out thick plumes of smoke. King Taven’s Castle was about a mile ahead in the direction Oriel had gone, and it was protected by another wall.
That wall was choked with men ready to fight to the death, and they had cannons aimed out. Oriel told Roth they should head back because assaulting the Castle would take a concentrated effort. Two people running for it would be slaughtered pretty fast.
Fortunately, Kalen and Rhys were fine when they found them. Some soldiers had started gathering in a square since most of the city was overrun. Kalen said there was fighting on the west side, and one of his Commanders would bring those men over once they had finished off the people there.
They had lost men, but it had been a success so far. Bodies littered the street, and some soldiers were directing injured soldiers who could walk toward healers.
Oriel was grateful for the moment to rest, although he’d barely felt shit while fighting. The other, older men had been right when he’d trained in his youth. When it came down to it, instinct could take over. Some men broke, and others fought like that was their only purpose.
“Are you hurt?” asked Roth.
“Nothing more than bruises, and I’m sure I’ll have a few sore muscles later. You?”
