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THE EARLY PART OF THE afternoon was spent in a flurry of activity. Henge helped set up barricades made of carts, barrels and assorted building materials, and they formed a perimeter a few hundred feet back from the wall where they would make their stand. A token force of volunteers manned the walls to make it look like the Inquisition was preparing a normal defense. Meanwhile, Finn directed groups of soldiers to the various barricades. Most groups had to defend one of the roads leading away from the gate, but several others were kept in reserve to plug any holes in their line of defense, should they occur.
He was checking on a squad of soldiers near the wall when a boom like thunder, followed by a crash that shook the ground, announced the start of the Ochloroc offensive. The Ochloroc troops would have the sun at their backs when they made it through the walls, which would make Finn's job more difficult. Still, that also meant that the Ochloroc would have trouble seeing the Manhir at their back.
Finn hurried to the main road leading from the gates. Fighting would be thickest there. No one had wanted to stand in the way of the expected Ochloroc stampede, but holding this roadblock would be crucial to the success of the plan. If the Ochloroc could flow into the city when the Manhir attacked their rear, then they would have time to regroup and bring their superior numbers and technology to bear. So Finn had volunteered to lead the company assigned to hold the road. On hearing this, his old ranger company, the Green Shadows, had elected to join him.
Henge already stood behind the crescent-shaped barricade when Finn arrived, together with Tuomas, Finn's sergeant. Finn climbed over the barrier. Behind him, the gatehouse shook with the impact of the second round of shots. Stones crashed to the ground from the top of the wall.
Finn thumped his axe handle on a crate. "In a few moments, the Ochloroc will come pouring through the gate. There are more of them than there are of us, and they're better equipped. All Brimir has is you guys." A laugh went up from the ranger company.
Finn raised his hand, calming the soldiers. "In all honesty," he continued, "I'm glad you're here with me. All we need to do is hold this barrier. And while you might not be the best-looking squad out there," another laugh went up, "you are as stubborn as they get. When those little buggers come running through, hold your fire until they pass Mathilda's Bakery." Finn pointed at a building halfway to the gate. "After that, use them for rapid target practice. If they fall back, we don't move out. We hold the line. Help is on the way. All we need to do is stand here." Finn stepped down from the barricade. A cheer went up from the soldiers.
"Nice speech," Henge said.
"They aren't cheering for me. They're cheering for themselves. They need to believe they can protect their homes and families."
"You're wrong there," Tuomas said. "You're their commander still. They'll stick with you no matter what comes."
A third salvo shook the gatehouse. The main building collapsed, leaving a gaping hole where the gates had been. Finn moved back to a position where he could observe the barricade. He gripped his axe tight, waiting in silence for the Ochloroc to charge into the city. The plan would work. It had to, for the people of Brimir, and for the people of Gilgin.
A fourth blast widened the gap. Finn winced as a wall of sound washed over him. Then the Ochloroc charged through the gap. They were shorter than humans, maybe four feet tall, but they moved fast, considering their heavy armor. They were like a grey wave crashing down the street, interspersed with brown golems twice their height.
They covered the first stretch of road in a few heartbeats. The contorted grins of their iron masks became clear to see. In the next few heartbeats, they reached Mathilda's Bakery. The archers loosed their first volley. A few shots found their marks, but most glanced off Ochloroc armor. The Ochloroc charge was relentless.
The subsequent volleys from the archers had more impact. The closer distance made it easier to hit the intended targets, and the arrows could punch through Ochloroc armor more easily. A rank of Ochloroc stumbled and fell. This slowed down the charge a little. A few Ochloroc soldiers were tripped by their fallen comrades, and others had to jump over them.
The last volley was at point-blank range. This disrupted the Ochloroc line before it crashed into the barricade, which allowed the soldiers to hold against the initial charge. Finn stood ready to plug any gap that might occur. For now, they were holding.
A golem towered over the barricade, wielding a club the size of a tree. He brought it down hard, killing a soldier and scattering the others nearby. A second strike opened a gap in the barricade. Finn pointed. "Henge, stop that golem!"
Henge and a ten-man group ran forward. Henge punched the golem as it struck the barricade a third time, unbalancing it. The soldiers attacked it with war hammers. They focused their attacks on the golem's arm and knee joints. One elbow shattered under the strikes, disabling the arm. The golem swung its other arm, downing two of the men. Henge pulled it down and the soldiers pummeled it until it stopped moving.
Finn's attention was drawn to the center of the barricade. There, the Ochloroc had struck hardest. A handful of men lay dead behind the barricade. An Ochloroc soldier clambered over the barricade; as he came down on the other side, the men around him turned and fled.
Finn ran forward. "Follow me!" he shouted over his shoulder. Finn raised his axe and attacked the Ochloroc soldier. It blocked his attack and launched a counterattack. Finn drew back, pulling the Ochloroc with him. Finn feigned left; this let Tuomas run the Ochloroc through. Finn nodded in thanks and hurried on to the barricade. Together with a squad of soldiers, he closed the breach, pushing the Ochloroc troops back.
Finn stepped up to the barricade. The street was filled with a sea of Ochloroc in close ranks. They were holding for now, but their casualties were rising. The Manhir had better hurry; otherwise, there would be very little left to rescue.
The Ochloroc soldiers pressed on his position again. Finn blocked and parried, thrust and swung. Each time he took one soldier down, a new one appeared. His arms became heavier with each swing.
The press of the Ochloroc increased even further. They pushed forward on all sides at once. First on one side, then on the other, Ochloroc soldiers made it across the barricade. "To me!" Finn shouted. "I want a fighting retreat. Hold the line!" What was taking Rockbreaker so long to get there? Tuomas appeared on one side, and a moment later Henge took up position on the other. Together with the remaining soldiers, they formed a battle line across the street. The Ochloroc pushed them back one step at a time. Finn's axe struck out again and again, his arms feeling like lead. He focused on the enemy in front of him; everything else was a blur.
And then, as suddenly as the Ochloroc charge had started, it ended. Finn raised his axe for another strike, and found that there were no more enemies left. He looked up and saw Rockbreaker striding towards him.
Finn smiled tiredly. He leaned on his axe, catching his breath. "You took your time."
Bodies of Ochloroc soldiers lay scattered in the street, together with human soldiers. Finn crouched down next to an Ochloroc and pulled off its mask. The Ochloroc's face had a grey-green hue, with a long, hooked nose and black eyes. "So that's what they look like," he muttered. "No wonder they wear masks."
"We ran into some issues along the way," Rockbreaker answered. "We came as fast as we could."
Finn put the mask down. "They're tough little buggers, that's for sure. What did your issues look like?"
Rockbreaker gave a chuckle. "They left a unit of golems to protect their machines. But once we were past them, we drove the Ochloroc army ahead of us. They scattered fast once we hit."
"Let's hope they believe an army attacked them," Finn said. "We can use a breather."
Around Finn, the human soldiers were ogling the Manhir. One man gave a cheer, which was picked up by his comrades. Rockbreaker colored a darker shade of grey.
One by one, the soldiers went quiet. They stared at something behind Finn. He turned. Ragnur came striding down the avenue. With each step, his priest's scepter clicked on the cobbled road. The sound echoed through the street. Ragnur stopped next to Finn and took a long look at Rockbreaker. The barricade went dead quiet.
Ragnur gave a deep, formal bow. "It seems, Master Manhir, that we were mistaken about you. We are in your debt."
"Ragnur," Finn said. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to congratulate you, captain," Ragnur said. "You have won a decisive victory here today."
"Where's Jorun?" Finn asked.
"He decided to take a leave of absence, leaving it up to the council to find more pragmatic ways to lead the Inquisition through this crisis." Ragnur gave a wide grin. "Nothing for you to worry about. Now is a time to celebrate."
Finn shook his head. "The men can celebrate. But first I need to see that the wounded are being cared for and pay tribute to our dead. We took heavy losses here."
"Always looking after your men," Ragnur said. "Have it your way. There is time enough to celebrate tomorrow."
Rockbreaker cleared his throat. "If I may, sir. That is probably not the case."
"What do you mean?" Ragnur asked.
"It is true that we defeated the Ochloroc today," Rockbreaker said. "But this was only a vanguard. They will be back. And they will not be taken off guard so easily next time."
Ragnur's smile disappeared. "How do you know?"
"It is how they operated last time," Rockbreaker said. "They were able to raise and move armies at avalanche speeds. It was one of the keys to their success. I have no reason to think they work differently now."
"Thank you for the information," Ragnur said. "I will let the men have their celebration today. Tomorrow we'll start rebuilding. How long do you guess we have?"
"Two weeks, maybe," Rockbreaker said.
Ragnur sucked in his breath. "We can't get the walls repaired in two weeks, or train the men to defend them."
Finn turned to Rockbreaker. "Can you help them with the walls?"
Rockbreaker turned around and looked down the street at the remains of the gatehouse. He rubbed his hand over his chin, making a rasping sound. "It would not be pretty. But we should be able to get them functioning again, assuming we can leave out the gate."
Ragnur shook his head. "It wouldn't do us any good. Half our army is gone. If they do show up in two weeks, then they'll overrun the city, no matter how well-built the walls are."
"There is only one alternative, then," Finn said. "You must abandon the city."
"I'm not going to walk our people out of the city just to die in the wilderness," Ragnur protested. "There has to be a way."
"Come to Gilgin," Finn said. "It's still your city. And we are stronger together."
"I'm not sure we have much of a claim left on Gilgin," Ragnur said. "We have half an army left. Uneltemus is pillaged and burned to the ground by the Ochloroc, and as for this one," Ragnur pointed at where the gatehouse used to be, "there isn't much left either. If we only have two weeks to rebuild, then we are done as a political power."
"The people of Gilgin are still yours," Finn said. "If you come to Gilgin, they will follow you."
"And risk a war with the Rebellion?" Ragnur asked. "No, laying claim to Gilgin would be a bad idea."
Finn rubbed a hand through his hair. "We risk that between the Rebellion and the people of Gilgin if you don't come back. We need you in the city as an authority."
"What if they come back without ruling the city?" Rockbreaker asked. "They take a seat on the city council and share in its rule."
Ragnur gave a slow nod. "Yes, that could work. We could call it a war council. That should get the other priests on board."