| |
Horrified, Aein and Finn stood on the rampart as the army drew closer. A wall of white followed them. It glowed from the torches the soldiers carried, rolling and boiling.
"They mean to defeat us without lifting a sword," breathed Finn. He turned to one of the soldiers beside him. "Get Queen Gisla. I do not care what shape she is in. Get her now."
The soldier took off and Finn turned back to the army. With a pounding drum, the entire battalion drew to a halt.
"They are setting up camp," observed Finn. "Just outside the range of our weapons. All they have to do is wait while the fog does the rest." He stared out at the army, as they began pitching their tents and lighting their fires. The fog rolled over them, creating a protective canopy and blocking them from view. "How is he able to control the fog..." mused Finn aloud, running his thumb along his lower lip.
He was interrupted by Queen Gisla's arrival. The wolf came charging down the battlements with her remaining pack of wolves in tow. If Aein had not known they were on her side, they would have been a terrifying sight.
The queen stopped beside Finn and placed her paws upon the stone wall.
Finn pointed. "It's the fog, your highness. We can fight the army. We can hold out during a siege. But it is the fog. It will cause people to relive their worst nightmares, it will bring to life the most terrible thoughts that their minds can hold. We cannot fight that."
"Wait," said Aein. Both Finn and Queen Gisla seemed surprised she would interrupt. "There is a way."
Queen Gisla glanced at Finn, as if challenging him to either inquire more or send Aein away so the grownups could strategize. Aein bristled with frustration. After all she had seen, after all she had been through, to be seen only for her rank and not her experience...
"With all due respect, your highness," Aein stated through gritted teeth, "I've fought the fog longer than any single person in your entire regimen... other than Lars."
"Where is Lars?' asked Finn, turning around, forgetting the castle was not privy to the fact that he no longer shifted and Queen Gisla had asked them to keep it quiet.
"I shall talk to him in the morning," said Aein pointedly. "But for the time being, we need every soldier who has been on a tour of the swamp to team up with every soldier who has not. We cannot allow anyone to face the fog for the first time alone."
Finn nodded to his second in command to make it happen, who strode off and began barking orders, demanding that all who had served in the swamp gather in the courtyard.
"Next," said Aein, "we need to get help out to the people of the city. They won't know what is about to hit them. They are completely unprepared. We need to make sure they don't defect or throw up the gates in terror."
"What do you propose?" Finn asked.
"We need to make them feel like they are protected," said Aein. "We should send soldiers paired with our wolves out into the streets. We need to explain to our citizens what is going on. We need to make sure if they look out their window, someone is there to help."
"That will take soldiers away from the walls if they attack," pointed out Finn.
"The soldiers will have nothing to protect if the town surrenders."
Finn rubbed his two hands across his face. He turned to another soldier. "Send riders through the town warning all the villagers to seek shelter inside their homes. The fog is coming. It will drive anyone who comes in contact with it mad. Go into every tavern. Stop and pound at the doors of every house. Warn them of the fog."
The soldier's face paled, and Aein guessed the man had endured a tour of the swamp from his reaction.
Aein put two fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. The wolves gathered around her like a magnet. She knelt as they teamed about her like flowing water. "I need you to go out into city," she said. "Protect the people. Guide them indoors. And be on the alert for any magical attack. Because it is coming. Believe me, it is coming."