Richard shook his head in wonder. “I do not think the Medium will let us fail. There is a certain feeling . . . yes, I do not think we need worry about failure.”
She felt the shuddering of the cobblestones beneath their feet. The men milling around the gate yard felt it too, and everyone began to turn. Jon Tayt gave her a crooked smile and drew two of his throwing axes, one for each hand. He looked . . . frightening . . . in the armor, helm, buckler, and blades. Without another word to anyone, he marched back toward the gatehouse.
Maia looked up and saw the front ranks of Schuyler’s army of thousands as it began to march toward Ludgate.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Remorse
A rough hand suddenly gripped Maia’s arm, and she looked down to see the lord mayor’s eyes gazing up at her. “Back to the castle, Your Majesty. You are vulnerable here. We will face this rabble.”
Maia shook her head sternly. “They will fight harder if I am here. Patience, Justin. The battle begins.”
He shook his head worriedly. “It may take them several days to breach Ludgate.” The street was full of men who were hastily donning armor and weapons, as well as members of the city watch, who were already prepared for the coming battle. Archers lined the battlement walls, waiting for orders to fire down at the crowd. Beyond the gates, Schuyler’s army was assembling, filling the air with their chants and cheers. The air was fraught with anticipation.
“When it begins,” Justin said with emotion, “it cannot be controlled. There will be death and blood on both sides, my lady. Go back to the castle! Captain Carew, help me persuade her!”
Maia watched as the captain’s stallion nudged its way through the floodwaters of people. His eyes glinted with dark emotion as he stared at the army massing beyond the wall. “He is right, Lady Maia. The streets will be difficult to cross, especially if the men flee.”
Maia shook her head. “It is you who do not understand.” She wished Richard was still with her, but she had sent him to summon the other mastons. “A moment longer, please. You will see.”
“A moment longer,” Carew said, “and someone may throw a rock at you and knock you from your horse. You just unleashed all the prisoners in Ludgate. Many are violent men who may not have fancied your pretty speech.”
It was getting more difficult to hear his words above the shouting. The prisoners-turned-soldiers were up near the front of the gate, jeering and yelling at Schuyler’s troops on the other side. Jon Tayt was among them, trying to keep them in check, but the situation was growing more and more precarious. There was wisdom in the idea of retreating to safety, but she could not abandon her people. She had seen bloodshed before. While it sickened her, she did not think it would overwhelm her.
“Lady Maia, please!” Justin implored.
“No,” she stated firmly. “The gatehouse has more protections than you know. I am here to invoke them. How much of the army do you think has arrived?”
Someone jostled her horse accidentally and the animal snorted and stomped. She nearly slipped off the saddle before she managed to right herself and calm her horse.
“Only the first half,” Carew said, gazing from his perch over the heads of the men. “They will not need the full force to—”
“It is enough then,” Maia said, interrupting him. “I am going to invoke the Leerings on the gatehouse. They are waiting to help us. The Medium is on our side, gentlemen.”
She closed her eyes, trying to drown out the ruckus closing in on her and calm her thoughts and mind. She felt the Leerings embedded in the gatehouse thrum to life. It was as if a deep horn blew from the midst of a vast lake, sending ripples throughout the water. The horn was not a physical sound . . . it was something that echoed inside her heart and throbbed within her bones. She felt it to her core. With her will, she directed the force of that power outside the gates, thrusting the power at Schuyler and his army. When she finally looked at them, the eyes of the Leerings burned white-hot with heat and intensity.
The chanting and jeering subsided immediately, as if a clap of thunder had come from a clear sky. Maia could tell that even her own soldiers felt the power of the Leerings, although it was not directed at them. They stood at the gate in mute wonder, weapons held at the ready, as they watched the impact on their adversaries.
The Leerings blasted into the thoughts of the opposing army, filling their minds with dread, fear, and hopelessness. There was confusion on the other side. Then the army started to peel away, shrinking and shriveling before the mental blasts like children afraid of the dark. One by one, the soldiers who had been rushing against the gates began to fall back, their eyes white with terror.