Siege of Stone

CHAPTER 66

Beyond the walls of Ildakar, the siege forces reeled from the devastation. Nicci could see that the Ixax warriors and the gray dragon had struck a ringing blow to the confident enemy army, and for the first time, General Utros tasted the bitter and very real possibility of defeat.

Returning to the ramparts near the towering main gate, Nicci looked out at the scorched enemy camp. She saw rivers of blackened soil where soldiers had been obliterated by Brom’s fire, the mounds of bodies slain by the Ixax warriors. She doubted Utros could recover from this.

“Now is the time to press our case and demand that the general end this siege,” she said.

Nathan stroked his chin. “I agree, although with such a defeat, he may not be in a mood for a gentlemanly discussion.”

High Captain Stuart, standing with them on the top of the wall, was glad to see the vast army in turmoil. “As captain of the city guard, I will ride out and deliver a message to General Utros. I will insist that he negotiate an end to these useless hostilities.”

Damon and Quentin were pleased with the suggestion, though Oron seemed skeptical. “I’d rather just kill the general once and for all. Will we be able to trust him, whatever he negotiates?”

“We have to try, at least,” Elsa said. Olgya agreed.

Stuart’s eyes were flintier after the surprise nighttime attack in which so many of his city guard had been killed, but now he had hope again. He took a horse, and the duma members wished him good luck as they opened one of the small gates. Sitting tall in the saddle, the high captain rode out to the enemy army, and Nicci watched as several of the half-stone soldiers met him and escorted him deeper into the damaged camp.

Quentin said, “While we wait, let us discuss what terms we might suggest. We have to be prepared when General Utros responds.”

Rather than convening inside the ruling tower, Nicci suggested that they gather at the pyramid, where they could watch the gates and see when Stuart returned. At the top of the plateau, the duma members worked their way up the damaged steps to the third tier. Nicci brushed dust off her black dress and stared across the burned grasslands. So many soldiers remained out there, Utros still posed an enormous threat, and he had already dispatched tens of thousands in separate exploratory armies across the Old World.

Damon sat on the stone blocks, looking pleased. He released his gift to shift some of the rubble back into place. “We will restore Ildakar to its glory, now that we have the chance.”

Quentin assisted, and soon the gifted duma members had cleared the rubble from where the sacrifices had been held.

Elsa slipped her arm through Nathan’s as they climbed higher to where they could look out over the city. “We are all exhausted,” she said. “We have used so much magic to defend ourselves, but it was worth the effort. Now General Utros has to discuss terms with us. He knows how powerful we are.”

Quentin clapped his hands as if expecting slaves to rush in at his summons. “We should have a feast! Call a day of remembrance here in Ildakar.”

Nicci looked at the duma member with sharp annoyance. “This is not the time for celebration. Look out there!”

Nathan sketched a rectangle in the air and created his magnifying window so they could have a better look at the row after row of powerful ancient warriors, still ready to fight, no matter how many had just been slain.

“Look at them,” Nicci said. “We unleashed the two Ixax, the most powerful fighters the wizards of Ildakar ever created. They killed tens of thousands of the enemy, but they are gone now. The dragon fought on our behalf, and his fire incinerated thousands more, but he is also gone.” She narrowed her blue eyes. “Yes, we should be proud of the damage we just caused, but we have used our greatest weapons, and Ildakar is still under siege. By my guess, two-thirds of the enemy army still remains.” She jabbed at Nathan’s expanded view, feeling her anger. “No, it is not a time for celebrations, until the general capitulates.” The duma members were cowed into silence as she continued, “We will maintain our defenses and stand against the siege, but Ildakar isn’t just one city holding firm against an army. The whole continent is at stake.”

“This is the greatest city in history,” Oron said with a snort. “No one is stronger than the wizards of Ildakar. If we can’t stop Utros, what chance does the rest of the world have?”

Nicci regarded him coolly. “My point exactly. Ildakar has greater defenses than any other city, yet General Utros has us at a stalemate. That army is still more powerful than we can defeat.” She felt hardness in her heart and determination in her mind. “Ildakar cannot do this alone.”

“I doubt even the D’Haran army could stand against a regimented force like the general’s,” Nathan muttered.

Quentin said with a sigh, “I had hope after seeing so much destruction, but now I realize we are in just as much danger as before.”

“High Captain Stuart will convince the general to talk,” Elsa said. “We need to make him see that there is no reason for his war anymore. There must be a way to bring peace, and then we can all thrive.”

Nathan shifted his magnifying window toward a commotion near the center of the camp. Stiff soldiers were leading the high captain’s horse back toward the city walls. Perched on the saddle like a shocking trophy, Stuart’s head stared forward with glassy, open eyes. His mouth was slack, as if he’d been decapitated in the middle of issuing his invitation to General Utros. The enemy soldiers led the horse and its gruesome reply toward the gates of Ildakar.

Elsa began to weep as Nathan dissolved the aperture of air.

Nicci stared with her hard, blue eyes. “Now I am even more determined that Ildakar must not stand alone. Utros will not give up.”

With a pack of possessions, clean traveling boots, black dress, and the wrapped pane of glass with the preserved image of the siege army, Nicci stood in front of the damp-smelling well. “Sliph, I summon you!” She had lit two glowing balls of light, which hovered in the air, creating sharp shadows inside the enclosure. After her voice died away, she called again. “Sliph, I wish to travel.”

The murder of High Captain Stuart had galvanized the duma members to find some other means to attack the wounded enemy army, and Elsa had raised the possibility of grand-scale transference magic that could impact the entire army. She had an idea that might cause as much destruction as the dragon.

Quentin and Damon fell into frenetic preparations, their eyes showing the ragged edge of panic. In an uncertain voice, Damon said, “Maybe we should consider releasing Thora again. She is a powerful sorceress.”

“She’s also not to be trusted,” Nathan said.

No one could argue with that, and yet the suggestion hung in the air like the rumbling echoes of thunder.

More than ever, Nicci knew she had to rally the rest of the Old World, and she decided she would swiftly travel to other cities with her warning. Simply rallying Tanimura wouldn’t be enough. She had to form an alliance with the other lands that would be threatened by General Utros. She had turned her back on the duma, no longer interested in their endless deliberations. “I have my own mission.”

She had gone to the isolated well hidden in the low building, and now she shouted again, impatient. “Sliph! I wish to travel.”

Finally, the sound of bubbling silver roiled upward until the mirrorlike surface filled the well. The feminine shape emerged. “You have another mission for the cause? I demand to know whether your other work succeeded. Are we winning the revolt?”

Nicci didn’t lie outright. “We continue to face many challenges.”

“Where is Emperor Sulachan? Why have I not seen Lothain? I do not know you.”

“You know me. I have traveled in you, and I must travel again. Take me to Serrimundi. I need to find our allies there and prepare them for war.”

She knew the sliph would hear what she wanted to hear, but the silvery woman still seemed doubtful. “And they will fight for Emperor Sulachan?”

“That is not your concern. Do you know Serrimundi? I need to travel there.”

“I know many places, but I exist only to serve our cause. Tell Emperor Sulachan that he should travel in me. I will take him where he needs to go. I will carry him to victory.”

“Emperor Sulachan does not take orders,” Nicci said.

The sour-faced sliph’s form shifted and reshaped, reflecting the magical light in the air.

“Take me to Serrimundi,” Nicci said again.

Clearly angry, the sliph lurched up to engulf her. “Breathe!” she commanded, then dragged Nicci under.