The Summoner

Chapter 8: Summons

The men shouted but Kaylen didn't slow.

She sprinted as if she were weaponless and had a kilawar on her tail. She was going so fast she almost couldn't stop when she reached the gatehouse. She rebounded off the wall but the slack in her momentum was enough that she only stumbled.

With the strength of panicked desperation she grabbed the handles of the iron crank and pulled. The ancient mechanism groaned, but age and rust kept it from turning.

Help me, Glafian! She begged the goddess. Please!

She nearly sobbed when the wheel rotated and locked into the first slot. She poured all her strength into the heave and practically lay on the mechanism. It groaned and moved another few slots. Using the momentum, Kaylen rocked back and slammed her body against the crank handle. The drawbridge inched up. The strain lessened and she glanced over to see a puffing Captain Brenden pushing on another handle. Allen joined seconds later and the three of them heaved for all they were worth until the drawbridge slammed into place with a boom that shook the fortress.

She slumped over the crank panting. She could hear the two men beside her breathing just as hard.

Boom!

She jerked away as the force of the blow shook the bridge and rattled its iron chains. When she caught her balance she turned and raced up the stairs a few dozen feet to the left climbing to the top of the wall. She slipped, going to all fours as another booming hit nearly threw her off, but scrambled to the top and looked over the stone walkway.

Giants.

Three of them.

The smallest was currently standing hip deep in the water of the moat. He drew back a truly massive mallet and slammed it into the drawbridge. She staggered crouching low and threw out her arms for balance. The beast smacked itself with the backswing and fell on its butt in the moat. The slash sent waves over the bank and onto the other two giants. They brandished their roughhewn longwords and roared curses in their guttural tongue. Kaylen winced, covering her ears, and hoped the giants would be angered enough to physically demonstrate their displeasure.

No such luck.

Apparently they knew the value of slave labor.

They jeered and gestured rudely for the third to resume its work. Kaylen searched the wall but from her vantage point she could see it was all too well built; the wall stood strong in every direction providing no scalable points. She cursed the builders who'd designed the wall devoid of handholds: great for deterring enemies and thieves not so good for people in need of escape.

Splashing signaled the giant rising to its feet. Kaylen hurried down the stairs before the hammering could throw her from the wall. Brenden caught her gaze as she made solid ground. She shook her head and he frowned worriedly.

"Three giants. Two longswords. Third with a mallet. He's the one hammering the drawbridge. The other two seem content to watch. He's smaller than them not that it does us much good. Wall is intact all around. Can't climb it. Did any of you pack a grappling hook?"

She cursed when the captain shook his head.

"Mine's back at my cabin; I didn't have it with me when I ran across you. Fuck!" She ran her hand through her hair and growled when her fingers got tangled in its knots. She ripped her hand free, taking several strands with it, and searched her pockets for a string. Finding one she tied her auburn mass of unruliness into a ponytail.

"So we have rope but no way to use it. Walls aren't scalable, and there are no obvious signs of escape tunnels or passages. I didn't come across anything that could be of use while I was searching for the sword."