The Siege of Ultopja 5 – Testing the Ice. [Helena]

“FIRE!” Helena shouts and the catapult slings a perfectly spherical stone at the city. The boulder describes a high curve through the air and then stops. it just hangs there, far above the ground, laughing at the laws of physics. Helena narrows her eyes, trying to figure out what is happening. A few seconds later she realizes what it is. The stone hasn’t simply stopped, a pillar of ice has formed around it just in front of the city wall.

“Another one.” Helena commands. Dirt is loaded into the catapult with shovels then a mage steps forwards and transmutes the dirt into another spherical stone. It is a relatively new technique to use mages for such a mundane task; able only because of the sheer number of them Estara has on hand.

“You know that Ulal fellow likely has more mages than you, right?” Anjar, who stands beside her, whispers. Helena gives the signal to fire before answering. Again the boulder is frozen a few metres in front of the city. “Why do you think that?” Helena asks as she ponders about her strategy.

“First we only have one hundred.” Anjar says, “Second they have gathered Cultists from all over the land. Third they recruit from men.” The spymistress shrugs, “If they do it correctly they could have up to three hundred mages at this point.” “That is worrying.” “Not all that much actually. Their mages are completely untrained in both magic and warfare. However every day we fail to storm that city….” “Diminishes our advantage.” Helena ends the analysis and Anjar nods.

In the distance the pillar of ice that has been holding the first boulder collapses. The projectile falls into the dirt. “Continue firing at random intervals and write down the results.” Helena commands one of her advisors, “Time between shots, hour, minute, everything. We need to know if this is a guided effort or an automatic one.” The advisor nods and spreads the order through the command chain.

Helena turns and walks away to inspect the rest of the camp, Anjar follows her on soft soles. “Impressive isn’t it?” She asks with view on the city. Even from where they stand the three eyes still stare over the high, grey walls that melt into the mountain seamlessly. “The architecture? I suppose.” “No, the enchantments.” Anjar says, “Stopping a boulder at high speed is an enormous feat. I wonder how they power that thing.”

Helena chuckles at her companion’s comments, “You sound awestruck.” “I partly am, to think that one of my countrymen created that thing.” Anjar admits, “My brother would turn green from jealousy.” “You never talked much about him.” Helena says. Anjar clicks with her tongue, “Uklag and I didn’t part on friendly terms. I don’t like to get reminded of it.”

The conversation comes to a halt. Helena continues to search for weak spots in the fortification of the city. “Think we could attack from above?” Anjar asks and points at the circular wall where the Wekgrond vanishes and the city begins. Helena shakes her head, “Maybe if we had those Atmorian Climber mercenaries we could, but our army isn’t trained for attacks of that kind. In addition, I doubt that the enemy doesn’t have precautions against such an obvious angle of attack.”

They continue their march. “The wall is high and thick, the gate looks sturdier than anything I have ever seen, even more so than the gate of Fort Arlheim.” Helena says, “It seems our only hope is to starve them out.” “That could take years, Helena.” Anjar reminds her, “We don’t have that kind of time, remember what the Queen said?”

Helena can remember the scene vividly.

“Get me General Helena von Dunklen!” Queen Lydia had said after listening to Arlene’s official report in front of the court. “I am right here, my queen.” Helena had stepped down from the side benches in the throne room where the nobles and military sat as they watched the daily happenings of their monarch. “What do you wish of me?” She had asked after kneeling down. She had worn a yellow dress that day, which harmonized well with the blonde of her hair. Whenever she was indoors the red tinge just seemed to vanish. “I order you to take the army and vanquish that preposterous foe!”

Helena had hesitated but felt the need to ask. “Has that army not been gathered to seek and destroy the ones attacking Arlheim, my majesty?” She had kept her head low, but she was still able to feel Lydia’s disapproving gaze. “Yes, where is the problem, General?” “If we attack that city we might be nailed down for months, majesty. If we could take care of the east first….” The Queen had clapped her hands together, interrupting her. “Nonsense. Helena I see that your doubts are meant to protect the realm but I assure you that they are thoroughly misplaced. Know your place and follow my orders! The Twins and the Silver Order have everything under control until you relief them.”

Helena disagreed with that. The Twins were nailed into the Fort Arlheim and the Silver Order not big enough to effectively destroy a rebellion. However publicly berating the Queen would have been a great affront. She swallowed her doubts and said, “If you say so, my Queen. I will follow your wish then and lead the army south, to the province of Brikstrat.”

“Exactly!” Anjar says and rips her right out of her memories. Somehow the Ushyen woman always passes the exact moment flashbacks like these end. “If we don’t solve this quickly Arlheim will have fallen before we get there.” Helena watches a projectile that flies towards the city. Just as the last two, it freezes and minutes later falls into the fields. Helena runs her plated hands through her hair and sighs, “But what other choice do we have?”

“I could get in there.” Anjar suggests. “A quick infiltration, a dagger into the Demon’s heart and the whole thing is over. We could sleep in an actual bed again within three weeks.” “That would be entirely without honour.” Helena dismisses the idea immediately. “Honour.” Anjar laughs, “Honour is something for people that have time and resources to fight wars in an ordered fashion.” “Exactly.” Helena agrees. “Are you implying we have neither?”

Anjar freezes unsure if to laugh or to berate her considerably younger lover. Before she can decide what the correct way of action here is her eyes fall on a convoy of carts that role down the road. While the city of Brikstrat may be little more than a burnt out ruin the streets are still well paved and patrolled better than ever with the arrival of the Estaran army. The carts stop and unload their wares. Food, clothes, blankets, lamp oil and timber. Everything needed for a long winter in the open.

“Okay, we have the resources.” Anjar admits. “What about the time though?” Helena raises her view towards the sun. The golden orb only just now crossed its highest point and is now making its slow travel to the horizon. “Last I checked the siege begun a few minutes ago. I think we have more than enough time. Even though the Silver Order will be unable to destroy the rebellion, they should at the very least slow them down considerably. We got a few weeks or months.”

Helena smiles as the kind rays of the sun caress her face and burn away the cold of winter. “And if everything turns south?” Helena closes her eyes and takes in a few more moments of sunlight. A deep breath and she opens them again. The sky blue of her eyes has turned into the white of tundra ice. She turns to Anjar. “Then I will have no choice but to crush the Demonmagus with every tool at my disposal. No matter how much it pains me.”