Ashes and Oaths

Chapter 59: Along the battlements

Luz’s amber gaze followed Amelia’s movement to his side, her presence beside him feeling both familiar and dangerously distracting. “Good job yourself,” he replied curtly, his attention shifting back to the tactical situation. His armoured form turned to face Supervivente, the old man’s offer of assistance registering with calculated consideration. “Opening the gate from inside requires either the captain’s key or several keys; or magical disenchantment. Which one are you capable of?” The massive western stone gate loomed ahead. The street ahead was empty, made from weathered cobblestones forming a wide thoroughfare between rows of tall timber-framed buildings.

These buildings lean slightly over the street, their upper stories supported by dark wooden beams. Canvas awnings hand above shopfronts, while wooden barrels, benches, and small planters line the edges of the road. Dark banners displaying a white lion emblem hang from several structures. At the far end of the avenue rises an imposing curtain all constructed from large, rough-cut stone blocks. Twp massive square towers stand on either side of the entrance, their battlements lined with archers armed with bows, firing at the army on the other side. The gate itself is exceptionally large and wide, designed to accommodate heavy tragic such as wagons, merchants, cavalry or military formations.

Thick wooden doors reinforced with iron bands stand shut, and at the ground level, two organized groups of guards stand watch on either side of the gateway. Clad in blue uniforms and carrying shields and spears, they form symmetrical formations flanking the entrance. Their disciplined posture reinforces the impression that Cidade dos escravos is secure and heavily defended. “Magical disenchantment,” Supervivente said. “I just need to get close.” Luz’s amber eyes studied Supervivente with a mic of scepticism and calculation. The old man’s tattered clothes and hoarse voice suggested a mage long past his prime, but desperation made people capable of surprising things.

“Magical disenchantment,” he repeated slowly, his armoured hand resting on his word hilt. “That is a risky approach. Once we approach the gate, every guard in the city will be after us and if you fail, we will be trapped in her with them without backup.” Luz’s gaze shifted to Amelia standing beside him. “Leo and Sol can create a diversion on the far side of the battlement.” “Very well.” Luz decided with finality. “What if Leo and Darm climb the walls on the right side and Lua and Sol on the left side, they can create a diversion,” Amelia suggested beside Luz. “And then you, me, Cassandra and Supervivente can approach the gate and fight off the guards until Supervivente gets the gate open.”

Luz’s amber gaze turned to Amelia, considering her plan with the strategic mind of a commander who had led armies through impossible odds. Her suggestion was risky but effective, utilizing their rogues’ strengths while keeping their most vulnerable members protected. “Good plan,” he conceded, his voice carrying the authority of someone accustomed to issuing commanders in battle. “Leo, Darm– climb the right wall. Lua, Sol– you are on the left. create a distraction that will draw every guard away from the gate.” His armoured hand moved to the hilt of his sword as he addressed the group. “Cassandra, you are with us. Protect Supervivente at all costs– if he falls, the entire operation fails.”

Luz’s amber eyes scanned the battlements above, calculating angles and weaknesses in their defences. “On my signal,” he said sharply. “Hey,” Amelia said quickly and put her hand on his arm. “Can I have a weapon?” his armoured arm tensed under her touch, the unexpected warmth of her hand against his gauntlet sending an unfamiliar sensation through him. His amber gaze flickered down to where her fingers rested on his sleeve, then back up to meet her green eyes. “A weapon?” he repeated, his voice carrying a note of surprise. “You are a civilian, not a fighter. I would not have allowed you the close to begin with.” His free hand moved to a dagger sheathed at his hip– the one he had carried since his days in the Santo’s order.

The hilt was worn smooth from years of use, its silver cross-guard catching the torchlight. “This is my backup blade,” he said quietly, offering it to her hilt-first. “It is balanced, should be a good grip. But Amelia– if you take this into combat, you will be fighting alongside us. Are you sure that is what you want?” “I can handle myself,” Amelia said with a determined expression, and a flicker of something unreadable passed through Luz’s amber eyes. “Very well,” he said finally, his voice carrying the weight of command. “But if you draw that blade, you fight as part of my unit.” His armoured fingers tightened around the dagger’s hilt before releasing it into her grasp. The weapon felt familiar in his hand for a moment before he let go.

“Alright, let us do this,” Luz said with determination. Lua and Sol scaled the wall on the left side. The battlement wall stretched along the edge; its stone walkway crowded with a dozen archers. The first sign of trouble came when a bolt from Lua’s crossbow struck and archer’s bow, splintering the weapon and sending it tumbling from his hands. Before anyone could react, she had already stepped behind a crenelation and began reloading. “Enemy!” one of the archers shouted. Sol moved at the same instant with a dagger in each hand, he sprinted along the wall. Rather than meeting the archers head-on, he used the battlements for cover weaving between stone merlons as arrows flew past.

One archer attempted to draw a bead on Sol, but the man closed the distance too quickly. A swift strike knocked the bow aside, and a shove sent the archer stumbling backward against the parapet. Another bold whistled overhead. Lua had found a new position farther down the wall, her crossbow snapped upward, and another archer’s shot was interrupted as the bolt struck his quiver, scattering arrows across the stones. The confusion forced several archers to break formation. Sol took advantage immediately, he darted through the disorder, his daggers flashing in quick defensive movements. One archer lost his bow to a precise disarming strike and then he was impaled by Sol’s blade.