Would they be too far apart for the colossus's great stride?
Another rain of orbs from a dirigible took out two more boats, and Miro knew the situation was becoming desperate.
The colossus stepped out into the river, onto the first block they had mapped out. The gigantic form wobbled, and then the second leg came forward and the body swung, until the foot came down somewhere under the water and held.
Miro realised he wasn't breathing and tried to control the racing of his heart and get some air into his lungs.
The colossus took one more step, and then Miro saw a figure in green climbing up the construct, moving quickly from hand to hand as it reached the huge shoulder.
"That's a bladesinger," Beorn said.
The warrior's armoursilk suddenly blazed and the shining zenblade made Miro squint even from his position. The bladesinger leapt up and forward, the zenblade arcing through the air, and his fiery sword smashed into the side of a dirigible, cutting a wide gouge through the airship, before the bladesinger fell down and into the water.
The dirigible spun out of control and turned into another airship close by, before both spiralled down to come crashing into the water. A moment later Miro saw a Halrana soldier help the bladesinger into one of the boats.
The great bulk of the colossus again moved forward, and then the animator struck.
A massive hand swung through the air, swatting down a dirigible like it was a tiresome bug. Another swing and one more dirigible went down. The gigantic construct's footing was precarious, and Miro saw it wobble more than once, but Luca Angelo held, and in a moment the sky was cleared of the enemy.
"It worked!" Beorn turned, grinning at Miro.
The first of the landing craft reached the opposite bank. The soldiers jumped out and lifted their boat out of the water, turning it on its side. Orbs rained down on them, deflected by the bottom of the boat, but they waited. Soon a dozen more craft had emptied their loads of soldiers; in moments more than twenty side-on boats formed a protective barrier at the water's edge.
The allied swordsmen and pikemen disembarked from the remaining boats, joining their fellows rather than turning the boats up, leaving their landing craft to return to the Alturan side and fetch the second wave.
The bridgehead had been formed.
The second stage of the plan now went into effect. Miro's sub-commanders deployed the archers.
They filled the gaps between each boat that made up the defensive formation. As orbs rained down on the bridgehead, arrows shot out, targeted shots to take out the mortar teams and any of the enemy foolish enough to show themselves. The frequency of the explosions began to diminish.
Another landing discharged some of the Dunfolk, who added the volleys of their fire to the targeted shots of the rail-bows.
"Raise the blue lantern," Miro said. "It's time."
The order was passed, a signalling flag unfurled, and Miro's sole dirigible shone a fiery blue light. With the bridgehead becoming crowded as more and more boats were emptied, the colossus again lumbered forward.
"Please," Miro prayed. "Don't slip now."
The colossus reached the bank, Miro and Beorn both breathing a sigh of relief when it finally stood tall and unharmed on the solid earth to the side of the bridgehead.
The enemy now knew where to concentrate their fire.
"What's that?" Beorn said, squinting. "It's like a blur of motion."
Miro smiled. "I think I know."
As the colossus climbed the bank, heading for the black wall, the Black Army's fire targeted it to the exclusion of all else. But each orb hit a whirling storm of green and silver, with electric flashes of shining blue and ruby red.
Miro didn't know how many of the bladesingers were riding along with the colossus, but he knew this indomitable construct would strike terror into his enemy's hearts. As an orb flew at the colossus, it hit the flash of a zenblade, and was sliced into two pieces before the device could fulfil its purpose and destruct.
This was it. The moment they had planned and hoped for, but the one thing they could never be certain about. If the Primate or one of his commanders had sent the builders of Torakon to reinforce this wall with lore, they were doomed.
Miro watched as four men in green leapt down from the colossus, leaping and dodging the explosions.
He could almost hear Luca Angelo chanting as he activated the runes, see his deft fingers touching the controller tablet at his knees. The colossus's great fists swung down, both of them with the full strength of the animators' arts behind them.
The top half of the wall smashed into pieces as the construct's huge hands collided with the stone. The arms came up, and then fell down again, as Luca kept on, oblivious to the explosions around him. The colossus kicked with one of its legs, and the wall was breached.