Roo thought on it a moment; he had dispatched building materials for the Prince to odd destinations throughout the mountains, as well as provisions for men. He considered the fact that the best soldiers the Prince had were up in the hills, then asked, ‘Nightmare Ridge?’
Erik nodded. ‘Don’t say anything, but in about a month you want your family east of Darkmoor.’
‘Understood,’ said Roo as they came in sight of the gate. A wagon had lost a wheel just outside the gate and the driver was arguing with the guards there, who wanted to cut loose the horse and drag the wagon out of the way, while the driver was insisting on waiting to fix the broken wheel.
Erik rode up and said, ‘Sergeant!’
The man turned and, seeing an officer in the black of the Prince’s Special Command, said, ‘Sir!’
‘Quit arguing and get that wagon out of the way.’ People on foot could get out of the gate around it, but a string of wagons and carts was building up quickly behind the broken-down wagon.
The driver was frantic. ‘Sir! Everything I own is in there!’
‘Sorry,’ said Erik, and he waved for a squad of men to move the man away, then drag the wagon off to the side of the road. ‘If you can fix it over there, good luck to you. But you’re keeping people here who don’t wish to linger.’
Erik rode past and said to Roo, ‘Get away, Roo, now.’
Roo said, ‘Why?’
Erik pointed to the north and Roo could see dust. The hair on his neck rose up. ‘Only one thing can raise that much dust in a hurry.’
Erik said, ‘Either the biggest cavalry detachment this side of Kesh, or it’s the Saaur!’
Roo turned his horse down the eastern road and with a shout had the horse cantering away from the city.
Erik turned to one of the soldiers at his side and said, ‘Pass word back into the city we’ve got visitors coming from the north.’ He glanced at the dust rising in the hills and said, ‘They’ll be here in an hour.’
Erik turned to the command at the gate and said, ‘Be ready to close up with no more than one minute’s notice.’
‘Yes, sir!’ came the response.
Erik rode a quarter-mile to the north, where a company of heavy lancers waited, with two squads of bowmen to provide support. ‘Lieutenant!’
‘Sir,’ said the leader of the Royal Krondorian Lancers.
‘In the next hour some damned big lizards on giant horses are going to be coming down that north road. Can your men handle them?’
The lieutenant smiled. ‘Big makes ‘em easier to hit, don’t it, sir?’
Erik smiled. The young officer was probably a few years older than he, but Erik felt like an old man looking at his enthusiasm. ‘That’s the spirit,’ he said.
He then turned his small patrol around and rode to the south, where another detachment of lancers waited. He dispatched those to support the group on the north. Whatever was coming from the south would be far less a threat than a full-blown Saaur attack, and those inside the city could deal with any human threat.
Then the sky seemed to open and a howl went up that had Erik and every man nearby covering his ears in pain. It went on while riders attempted to calm frantic horses that screamed and bolted at the sound. Several of the lancers were thrown from their saddles.
After a minute the sound ceased, and Erik could hear a lingering ring in his ears. ‘What was that?’ he heard a soldier nearby ask.
‘I have no idea,’ said Erik.
William and James stood on the palace balcony, overlooking the harbor as the last echoes of the strange howling sound ended. A huge column of dust and steam rose at the mouth of the harbor. A blinding flash had accompanied the noise, and even though they had been inside, both men found themselves blinking away tears. Men below on the walls were wandering blind, crying out for someone to lead them away.
Soldiers raced through the palace shouting orders, for a tremendous sound had accompanied the explosion, and even the most veteran of them were stunned by it. ‘What was that?’ asked William.
‘Look!’ said James, pointing to the harbor mouth.
The churning waters of the outer harbor seemed to be calming, and a great wave of foam and debris rolled in toward the docks. Upon its crest rode great ships, and they all carried invaders.
‘They’re in the harbor!’ shouted William. ‘Damn! I thought we could hold them outside for a week.’
James said, ‘Whatever they used, the two seawalls are gone.’
William swore. ‘I had a thousand men on those walls.’
‘So much for those clever traps you rigged in the channel.’
William nodded. ‘They must have been swept away when the enemy destroyed the defenses. What was it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said James. ‘I saw Guy du Bas-Tyra fire Armengar during the Great Uprising, and when those twenty-five thousand barrels of naphtha went up, the explosion could be seen for miles. This was something different.’
‘A magic of some sort?’ asked William.