JACKAL AMONG SNAKES

Explosions, crackling lightning, and blades of wind collided above the sea in a grand display of power. The air around Mateth echoed with the songs of war. The sea itself seemed to have caught fire, most of Monticci’s war caravels sinking into the sea. Corpses and wreckage alike bashed against the docks and ships, carried by the churning sea. The snow elves’ longships bounced up and down on the tumultuous tide, each one filled to the brim with potent spellcasters and warriors.

Magic changed the face of siege warfare. Nikoletta’s father had taught her that, and it stuck with her. Perhaps her father’s emphasis on the power of magic was precisely why she had gone to the Order of the Gray Owl—that, and her mother had been a High Wizard of the Order. Nikoletta’s love of magic had its foundations in her own spirit, though.

In ages long since passed, before magic was as prominent and as powerful as it was today, sieges were often long and drawn out. The invaders, superhuman or no, could seldom break stone with their hands. They would build siege weapons and batter them against the walls, or more often, simply starve out the defenders. It was a cruel and tedious process, as befitted an age before chivalry and knighthood.

A throwing axe struck the stone near Nikoletta, its deafening ring drawing her back to attention. Mina slapped her shoulder and shouted, “Nicky! Don’t worry about the coast!”

Nikoletta nodded, looking back down to the invaders on the ground while crouching behind a parapet. Duke Enrico had taken command of the forces near the docks. He had asked for Nikoletta to remain here where she might be safer and helpful. That was despite her insistence that she should be alongside the spellcasters, being one herself.

Ryger commanded the troops managing the walls. Only a few mages remained on the wall’s walkways, the bulk dealing with the coastal invaders. The enemy on the ground did not have an exceptional number of mages. Many of their number had ways to counter magic: the strange material known as Ebonice that Argrave had mentioned. The elven invaders stayed far from the tall walls, not daring to try tunneling or climbing. Their javelins and axes were accurate. Many good men and women had died before Nikoletta’s eyes, head cleaved in twain by a thrown weapon.

“They’re gathering their mages together!” Ryger shouted, loud voice breaking through the din. “Mages, prepare for an assault! Focus on me,” the big man commanded, moving to a central point on the wall.

Nikoletta peeked above the parapet, being mindful of thrown projectiles. As Ryger said, the troops were bunching together, the lightly armored mages speaking amongst themselves in preparation for something. A good deal of warriors gathered together, shield and axe clenched tightly. The mages got behind them, and a great tempest began to swirl across the trampled crops.

Then, a group of Veidimen ascended into the air at a constant pace, a whirling gale beneath their feet. Nikoletta widened her eyes, taking an instinctive step away as they soared through the sky. One archer had the bearing to fire an arrow, and it struck one of the airborne snow elves, sending him spinning free of the magic lifting them. He slammed into the corner of the parapet, cracking it before tumbling down to the ground. Their magic wore off at a certain height and the remainder alighted loudly on the center of the wall. They were only five.

“These bastards are insane!” Mina shouted from beside Nikoletta, moving towards the encroaching snow elves with hands outstretched and magic matrixes forming in front of her palms.

“Wait…!” Nikoletta tried to stop Mina, but her hands grabbed air. Many defenders stepped away from the cover of the parapets, panicked by the sudden intrusion. The elven invaders outside coordinated their attack with this occurrence. Without cover, some of the defenders were snagged by thrown weapons. Nikoletta stood, recalling something Argrave had told her.

“Wind magic, for instance, utterly invalidates bows, crossbows, and other such ranged projectiles.”

She cast the D-rank [Wind Burst], and a gale surged from her fingers. The throwing weapons closest veered away wildly, all their accuracy gone. Nikoletta rushed forth, casting another spell, [Wind Wall], stopping another wave of axes and javelins tossed at their heads. With some reprieve from the relentless barrage of projectiles, Nikoletta diverted her attention back to those on the wall.

The snow elves on the walls were massive. Each was near or as tall as Argrave, yet unlike him their frames were full and robust and covered in plate armor. The fact that they tried such a ridiculous gambit was a testament to their resolve. When the defenders rushed to confront the intruders, they proved their strength.

The first of the knights approached the Veidimen cautiously, shield held out. The vanguard of the Veidimen stepped forward decisively, swinging his axe at a perfect distance. The knight received the attack with the top of his shield, but the axe’s beard hooked onto the shield. The snow elf pulled, unbalancing the knight and jamming his round shield into the man’s face. The knight fell onto his back, and then was quickly dispatched by an axe to the head.

Though the snow elves only numbered five and were quickly surrounded, each one was a ruthless force. They jumped from opponent to opponent with a military efficiency, never allowing the defenders to take advantage of their numbers. The mages had no opportunity to avoid friendly fire. Nikoletta prepared some magic, but she stopped herself. This force of five men could not hope to seize the walls alone. They were a distraction. She turned back to watch the mages.

They’re preparing to launch more!

“Mages!” Nikoletta shouted. “More of the elves are being launched over! Disengage, prepare wind magic to block them in the air!” 𝘧𝓇𝗲𝑒we𝙗noѵ𝑒l.𝐜o𝘮

There was some hesitancy as the command did not come from Ryger, but the knight-commander promptly shouted, “Do as she says!” He went forth to meet the Veidimen, his greatsword held out before him. She had thought Ryger was a large man, but he seemed short and stout compared to the giant elves.

The mages came behind Nikoletta and collaborated, preparing wind magic. When more of the elves came ascending towards the walls, a great tempest rocked forth, wind blades and fell gales working in tandem. The elves held their sheening black axes out, and though the magic was dispelled, their brief wind magic countered their momentum. The elves could not make it to the top of the walls, and they slammed against the side impotently. One managed to grab the ledge, pulling herself up.

Something red flashed by Nikoletta’ peripheries, and then a woman stepped forward, kicking the elf trying to climb up with a steel plate boot. The invader fell from the wall, flailing and yelling as she dropped. The new arrival bore a giant zweihander and had a plumed tellerbarret. She peered over the side of the parapet, sword on her shoulder.

“These elves have guts. Nothing like the forest-dwellers,” the woman snickered. She turned back to Nikoletta and adjusted her hat. A chain dangled from her left hand, most of it hidden beneath frilly clothing and plate armor. “I’m Melanie. You’ll keep the flying squirrels away, right?”

“Right,” Nikoletta nodded.

“Good.” Melanie smiled, the scars on her pretty face twisting. Her red hair swayed behind her as she ran to the five on the wall. She grabbed a knight’s head and used him to launch herself in the air, twisting gracefully before slamming down her blade on one of the Veidimen. He received it with his round shield but was forced back many steps.

Ryger was locked in combat with a female elf, trying his best to maneuver his sword past her shield. His blade snaked past the top, glancing against her helmet, but she bashed him with her shield. She swung, but Ryger blocked her axe with the greatsword’s guard. He kicked her shin and then grabbed the shield, trying to force an opening.

They were deadlocked for a moment, but then Mina materialized out of thin air from behind, breaking free of an illusion spell. She held her hand to the Veidimen’s knee and cast a spell, cutting past the armor and sending the elf staggering. The snow elf lunged at Ryger, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him to the edge of the wall. Ryger’s back arched as he struggled not to fall, but the snow elf locked her leg behind him, and they both fell off the wall into the city below.

“Knight-commander!” Nikoletta shouted vainly, looking over the edge. She could see movement, but neither stood. They were both probably wounded badly. She could not help but think of how long she’d known Ryger—since when she was young to now.

Nikoletta brushed aside her bubbling thoughts, looking back out to the elven mages. With their second wave stopped by her efforts, they did not dare to recklessly waste more lives.

On the battlements, the red-haired mercenary Melanie helped the knights regain their composure. A hook attached to a chain hung from her left hand. She whirled it about like a sling, and then sent it at one of the Veidimen. It was blocked, but the hook sunk into the wood.

The Veidimen tried to pull Melanie towards him with the hook in his shield, but she jumped, pulling herself with the chain. She flew through the air with tremendous speed. Her boots slammed into his breastplate, and he was launched into the other Veidimen. After a brief tumble, she landed atop him. She pulled the hook free of his shield and used it to slice open his throat. The mercenary did not wait to watch him die, rising to confront the three remaining.

The knights surrounded the Veidimen like a pack of wolves, lunging forward to nip at their heels with their swords. Once more, Mina’s illusion spell shattered, and she appeared in the middle of the three’s circle. Nikoletta’s heart soared with unabated worry, and she broke into the fastest run she ever had. Mina cast a wind spell, sending one of the elves staggering into the crowd of knights where he was promptly killed. She tried to duck away to safety, but one of the snow elves turned and swung his axe in the same movement.

Nikoletta pushed through the crowd and jumped between Mina and the axe, casting a D-rank ward. The black Ebonice axe broke through the barrier with ease. It struck her leather armor and the enchantments shone brightly, rebounding the axe. The snow elf recoiled, and Nikoletta caught Mina and slid away. Above, she heard the sound of a chain swinging and striking metal.

She stood, leading Mina away from the battle. “Stop doing dangerous things, Mina,” Nikoletta insisted into the girl’s ears.

“All around us is danger,” the young woman panted. “If I do nothing, Monticci will lose everything. You’ll lose everything.”

“You’re part of that everything. A big part of it,” Nikoletta said.

“Ugh…,” Mina grunted, face red. “Grave was right. After this is over, you and I have to have a talk. A long one.”

Nikoletta stared at Mina for a time, and then nodded intently, unable to discern what she meant. Behind her, the two Veidimen remaining finally fell to superior numbers. The mercenary Melanie finished the last of them, jamming her zweihander into his stomach and casting him to the ground.

Nikoletta gave a sigh of relief as the largest crisis they’d faced on the walls came to an end. She broke away from Mina, striding towards the mages and commanding, “Mages, keep an eye on the enemy! Ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

She heard words of confirmation and saw some nods and was content to go back to watching the enemy for further movements. However, she spotted a message carrier running across the walls towards their position and kept a wary eye on the man ahead.

“You did pretty good, little miss,” said the red-haired mercenary Melanie, coming to watch the invaders just behind her. “Lots more could have died without the right organization there.”

Nikoletta did not know how to respond, but she kept her eye on the messenger running towards them. Evidently, the man was seeking her out. She broke away from the wall, staying within cover but moving to meet the man.

“Young lady Monticci,” the man shouted, coming to a stop. “The Duke… has been injured,” he panted. “He designated you to take command of the forces at the dock should this occur.”

As Nikoletta processed the news, Mina stepped forward. “I’ll come with you.”

“But knight-commander Ryger isn’t…” Nikoletta looked over at where the man had fallen. She could not help but whip her head to Melanie. “Mercenary Melanie. You’re the best fighter here, but do you have any experience leading troops?”

The woman nodded, a smile on her face. Nikoletta returned the nod, and then said, “Make sure the garrison does not fall. Monticci rewards the worthy generously.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here,” Melanie said, hefting her giant sword over her shoulder.

“But how can we trust her?” Mina stopped Nikoletta.

“Do you believe the snow elves have human agents?” Nikoletta rebutted. “Lead me,” Nikoletta ordered the messenger, following close behind as he ran across the walls. Her father’s condition dominated her thoughts.