“Cannon!”
At every tower, Veldrin gunners opened fire, flames gushing from the mouths of the cannon as they unleashed their iron balls with a roar. If the detonation of the runebombs had been loud, the synchronized volley was thunderous. Smoke rose from each cannon, only to be blown back at the defenders by the constant sea breeze. Defenders visibly choked on the bitter smoke as the gunners at the towers launched a second volley. Miro pushed forward to stand close to the wall, peering through the smoke.
The cannon had taken their toll, but the enemy came on.
“Archers! Ranged volleys!”
The Dunfolk and Alturan archers drew back and pointed their bows into the air. In unison they released, and a cloud of arrows filled the air. Miro knew most of the arrows would pierce only flesh, but a few well-placed projectiles would strike eyes and unprotected parts of the face, burying themselves into the brains of the undead.
The cannon fired at will now, filling the air with shuddering blasts. Miro glanced back at the white-faced defenders and then out at the roaring mass of revenants. The attackers triggered the traps as they ran, the earth falling away to reveal deep spike-lined holes. Pounding feet triggered prismatic orbs buried and rigged with sensors. At every moment detonations tore holes in the enemy and brilliant lights sparkled across Miro’s vision as explosions both chemical and magical ripped through the tide of warriors from across the sea.
Miro couldn’t believe such chaotic destruction was possible. He’d built this killing ground, but even so, the raw power unleashed shocked him.
Yet still they came on.
Miro reached over his shoulder and drew his zenblade as he turned back to sweep his gaze across his men. He spoke a quick sequence that sent a ripple of fire along the blade and then raised the fiery sword high.
“Make some noise!” Miro bellowed.
To a man the defenders raised their weapons and roared their defiance. The sound of it carried along the line from one defender to another until every man screamed as loud as he could. Even above the pounding cannon and detonations in the killing ground, the sound of the defenders carried louder still.
Then with a gust of fresh air from the sea, the smoke cleared, and the revenants were at the last of the white markers.
“Orbs!” Miro shouted. “Every second man!”
All around him defenders reached down and clicked firing mechanisms into place as they threw the spherical Louan devices into the enemy. A multitude of glowing prismatic orbs sailed through the air to fall into the midst of the dark throng of attacking warriors. The thunder of the explosions combined with the roar of the cannon so that Miro wondered if any of them would ever hear again.
Miro just wanted them to live.
Then the revenants broke against the wall like a surging sea. The blockade was too low for battlements, but it meant the long swords of the Alturan infantry and the pole-arms of the Halrana could thrust forward with a greater reach than most of the enemy warriors possessed.
Knowing the battle would now be led by his officers, Miro concentrated on his section of wall. Just as he had planned, the revenants were funneled into the nearby gap. As intended, the temptation was too great to resist.
In front of the gap, an area fifty paces square vanished in an instant. The ditch was deep, as deep as six men were tall. The revenants poured into the trap and Miro knew the same thing would be occurring at all the other spaces.
Miro saw Master Goss roll a runebomb into the hole, and as the mass of the enemy and the horde’s terrible momentum pushed more revenants tumbling forward, the device exploded.
Then a snarling face appeared in front of the wall, and Miro began to sing.
Ella helped another enchanter roll their runebomb into the rapidly filling hole. Around her the battle was a chaotic crash of metal on metal, roaring defenders, thunderous cannon, and flashes of bright light. There was no way to see which way the battle was going. She could see her section of wall holding, but good men were dying at every instant as the attackers threw themselves against the low wall, climbing over each other to reach up to the higher defenders.
Ella ran, putting her back behind one of the towers as the runebomb detonated behind her. Peering around again, she saw revenants continue to fill up the now widened hole, clawing and scrambling, filled with the energy of glowing runes.