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The BloodVaine EpicChapter 66: Siege!
Early in the morning the next day, Randolph awoke. T he events of yesterday still seemed surreal to him. In only one day, one of the largest battles in history had taken place, and to think that he was a part of it, still boggled his mind. He got up from his cot, stiff and bruised from the previous days events. He looked over his shoulder looking at the bandage on his arm in disgust. That would start feeling uncomfortable under his amour – perhaps he shouldn’t wear his arm pieces today.
He quickly got dressed, and exited his tent. Before him stood countless rows of the white cotton coverings, with hundreds of men strolling about. He grabbed his sword and butted it inside its sheath. Turning to the left, he walked some distance to a large pasture where the horses were tied up on long poles driven into the ground. Each man knew where his was, as they were lined up corresponding to each person’s position in line.
Randolph walked over to his and patted him on the nose. He stood there, gazing beyond the endless tents to the city of Rathoan that stood perhaps eight miles away.
Madness – that’s what this is he thought to himself, So many killed – so many that will be killed, and all for what?
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw two men approaching. He immediately recognized them as Adolfus, the chief commander of the Black Falcon army, and his valet.
“Randolph my good friend! I thought I’d find you here.”
“Yes, here I am. How many casualties did we suffer yesterday?”
The general’s face turned to a scowl.
“Some 120,000 at least, no thanks to that awful dragon. We could of destroyed the entire Black Knight army if he hadn’t interfered.”
“What of Eroth Gamus? Wasn't he along with BloodVaine were supposed to be here?”
“Some unexpected delay I suppose, he will be here soon enough I would imagine. Meanwhile, I want you to come with me. We have more important things to attend to. Whether he comes or not, I believe we can take Rathoan and destroy the Black Knight’s army. From there it will be a cakewalk.”
The two military leaders walked to a tent larger than all the others and trimmed with blue cloth. The interior was divided into three sections. The first was in the front and was stark and plain, having only a wooden table and some weapons stacked neatly in a corner along with a suit of amour mounted on a pole. On the table were several papers, and picking one of these up, Adolfus motioned for Randolph to follow him, leaving his valet behind. The second room in the back was lavishly decorated, with expensive furs on the floor, a poster bed, and other articles of bedroom furniture. In the middle was another table, covered with white linen and two silver candlesticks. The two men sat down at opposite ends. Adolfus put the paper on the table, positioned so that both could easily read it.
“First off, I am promoting you to the rank of Brigadier General – your bravery and skill are noted. You are now in command of both the 1st heavy cavalry as well as our siege corps. I entrust you to my staff. I have already briefed the other generals, but you will overlook the most important t of the upcoming battle – that is, commanding the siege equipment that are at this moment being set up.”
“I thank you sir. What are your plans then?”
The commander grinned in excitement.
“I’m glad you asked. Here is a map of both the city and its fortress. As you can see, the castle is built on an outcrop of rock, and its outer curtain walls connect to the city walls. A deep river runs along the south side, opposite to us, and this is diverted into a moat running around the actual castle. The towers are strong, and it is well defended. From what I’ve read, this is the second largest fortress in the Black Knight realm. It is certainly nothing to sneeze at, however large our army is.”
“So what do propose to do? From what you told me, the situation looks nearly hopeless.”
“Ahh, it only seems to be that way. If you look here”, he said pointing to the fortress, “the walls are thin in this one spot. With a heavy bombardment, it is bound to fall in a week or even less. Our troops can pour in, and taking the inner curtain with ladders and siege towers, our task shouldn’t be hard at all. Meanwhile, we can tunnel strategic points on the city. Once that is taken the first force can open the outer curtain gates and with a good battering ram, the inner gate can be knocked down as well.”
“What of the moat?”
“That is the trickiest part and perhaps the one point in my plan that might go wrong. I was thinking of constructing a large portable shed, and wheeling it into place, fill the moat in bit by bit.”
“Your plan is brilliant Adolfus. How long will it take do you think?”
“My best estimates show about one and a half to two weeks. Maybe sooner if all goes well. Your task now is to position our siege weapons, coordinate the tunneling, and build the towers, shed, and ram. All the materials except for the shed are precut – as I said, we have some being constructed right now. Here is a list showing our materials. We can build 40 onagers, 20 trebuchets, and a variety of smaller armaments, such as bastillas and the like.”
“I shall see that it is done.”
“Good. I knew I could count on you.” Adolfus said, smiling again.
The situation was far from ideal for both sides. The previous day had been bad for the Falcons. First, two of the tunnelers had been shot when they came too close to the walls, forcing Randolph to draw them back farther. Then, some of the pre-cut pieces for the siege equipment had not been formed properly and as a result, only half of the expected equipment had been set up. Furthermore, a group of Black Knights had made a sortie, and killed a few dozen Falcons burning some of the siege equipment as they drew off. The previous night, a group of Black Falcons had gone to the moat in attempts to fill it up, but before they had filled a few feet, one of them had fallen in the water, alerting the Black Knights who drove them off with arrows, rocks, and a few well-aimed javelins.
Today seemed to be going much better though. Eight of the trebuchets had been set up, and they were directing a continuous bombardment on the walls. One well placed hit had even plowed though a section of the battlements, killing some 12 Black Knights who had at that moment been there. The tunneling was making progress, and four large siege towers were being constructed as planned. Frederick looked over the situation. The Black Falcons had to take the city - and he would make sure of that.
“Report your situation Randolph,” Adolfus said.
“We experienced some unexpected delays yesterday, but we are nearly back on schedule. Just over half of the siege equipment is up and running, but the rest will not be ready until two days from now, due to the unexpected raid last night.”
“What do you have to say for yourself then?”
“The attack was completely my fault. I did not expect the Black Knights to attack. I assumed that they would be tending their wounded like we are now.”
“Listen to me.” Adolfus said in a terse voice, “Never assume anything in wartime. On your watch, nearly eight thousand Black Knights slipped into the city. The sentries that were placed on the opposite side were not nearly enough. Don’t let something like that happen again.”
“Yes sir.”
“Now I want you to continue with the plan. However, effect a complete siege. I want the city surrounded. Also, put an advance guard of about 10,000 men ten miles to the east. That is our weakest flank, and besides, too many men in one area is not a good policy to continue. How is the tunneling going?”
“Excellent, sir. It is ahead of schedule. They will be under the city walls by three days from now.”
“And a formal report on our siege weaponry?”
“We have 17 trebuchets up and running along with 21 onagers. The wall is well pitted, but due to their thickness, a breach cannot be made until a week from now at best. The bombardment has also neutralized a good portion of that area. I am sending a large body of diggers to fill in the moat tonight and tomorrow.”
“You have a good head on your shoulders, Randolph. But remember what I said to you. Now go and carry out your orders.”
Randolph looked over the situation from the mount he was on. Things were now going according to plan. All but four of the trebuchets were set up, and all of the other siege weaponry were set up and running around the clock. Strong as they were, the citadel walls were already showing signs of wear. Cracks were appearing is some places and the targeted section was riddled with craters, some of which still had stones lodged in them. The moat was half filled as well - there were only 40 more feet to go there. The tunneling was going well too. Another three days and hundreds of Black Falcons would be swarming the city. Give it another week, and the Black Knight army would be all but destroyed. Again the reoccurring thought went through Randolph's mind though.
And all for what? Our homeland is all we need, and even if we destroy their army, the Black Knight people will never submit to our rule. Mindless. Completely mindless.
Turning his horse away, Randolph rode back to the camp. The sheer number of tents gave the ground below him the appearance of a snow covered field. There was something to worry about there as well. Although contained now, several hundred Black Falcons had fallen to disease. Also, the provisions brought with them were only enough for another week. The city had to be taken by then or else a good portion of the army would have to disperse. As he rode back, he saw a small black speck on the horizon approaching with rapid speed.
“Megablocks - it’s that dragon again!”
Randolph spurred his horse on to a group of archers practicing a mile away. This time, he hoped, they would be ready.
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