The Shadow

Chapter 15

"What do we do about those towers?" Kai drew and loosed another arrow, watching with grim satisfaction as it found its way through a man's heart.

"Fire could bring them down, but those leathers covering the front are wet—they'll shield the towers from arrows," Harper said, setting her bow down and wiping her brow. "Still, fire is our best hope from the wall. If we find a single vulnerable spot and light it up, the whole tower will go down."

Kai nodded, fetching two quivers of flaming arrows before returning to his post and handing one to Harper. He marked the tower nearest to him, studying the animal hides that covered its front and sides. Hundreds of men could fit in a tower that large; if they reached the wall... he tried not to think of it, instead looking for uncovered spots of wood among a sea of leather. They moved slowly, but were still hundreds of meters away—a near impossible shot.

There—a bit of exposed wood peeked from between two animal skins. Inhaling, Kai nocked an arrow, lighting it aflame with a torch. He drew, arching the bow high into the sky. Fortunately, there was hardly a breeze this morning—it seemed that even the wind feared war. With a whiz, Kai freed the arrow from his bowstring, watching as it arced toward the tower.

He let out his breath as the projectile hit home, kindling a flame. Within moments, smoke filled the air above the tower, the screams of men echoing against Aria's thick walls. The men who escaped the tower—and the flames within—were met by a barrage of arrows.

Harper was staring at him, obviously baffled by what he had done. "Even I couldn't make a shot like that," she said.

"Well there wouldn't be much point in training all my life if I couldn't shoot one measly tower, would there?"

She sighed, turning towards the other nine towers that marched forward. Drawing her own fire tipped arrow, she marked the wooden giant, frowning. "There's nowhere to shoot. Not all of the towers were built as sloppily as the one you brought down...What do we do?" She turned to Kai yet again, pointing her arrow to the ground.

He shook his head. "I don't know. In the meantime, find and shoot any towers that we can bring down."

She nodded, turning away from him as she sprinted off to another part of the wall.

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Kai and Harper—along with the rest of Aria's bowmen—managed to take down three more towers before they reached the city walls. The rest now closed in on Aria, mere feet away.

"You should go. I know you wanted to be here, to help, and you've done that," Kai told Harper, watching the towers roll forward. "You won't be of any use to your city if you're dead."

She shook her head stubbornly. "I am staying, and we're winning."

He saw the fierceness in her eyes; the determination and strength, and nodded. "Stay close to me—we'll get through this."

A few seconds later the first tower made contact with Aria's massive walls. The tower's large wooden door swung upon the Aria's stone battlements, serving as a bridge for the men that had stood inside.

The screaming of men and the sharp impact of steel on steel reverberated through the stone. Kai watched as an Arian soldier shouted a battle cry, diving into a mass of enemies with his sword and shield raised, a whirlwind of death. He brought down two opponents before falling as an axe made its way into his chest. Kai cursed, sprinting toward the battle before turning back to Harper.