Disciple of War Disciple of War (Art of the Adept #4) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,107

his officers cope with his absence? Nerrow, Nicht, and a few select others knew where he would be, but it didn’t mean they would be able to communicate with him. He might as well have vanished.

Will carefully threaded his way unseen through groups hastily donning armor and through other groups who were already prepared and holding their places. No one noticed him as he moved like a ghost in, out, and then beyond, until he was alone, marching across the dead, empty ground that separated his army from the walls of Klendon.

This was the moment of truth, and despite his armor he felt strangely naked as he moved quietly across the open area. Surely someone would spot him despite his protections.

But no one did.

At last he reached his place, beside the gates of Klendon, and began his vigil, which he hoped would be short. Being at ground level, he couldn’t see what was happening at the bridges; he was limited to watching the backs of Second Division. From what he could tell everyone was up and armed now. Staring across the empty ground to his left, he tried to spot Barrentine’s company, where Tiny would be waiting to pull his ass out of the fire, but there were too many people for him to spot even his massive friend.

More shouts of alarm and dismay rose up from behind, in the direction of the Terabinian forces on the other side of Klendon. Something was happening there, but Will had no way of knowing what it was. It has to be a distraction, he told himself. That’s the only reasonable explanation. They wanted to divide our attention while taking the bridges back.

He told himself that several times, but as the minutes stretched out into eternity, his worry turned into a gut-gnawing anxiety. The men of Second Division were beginning to take steps backward—moving them closer to Klendon, to Will—as they were forced to make room for First Division as it was slowly pushed back into them.

The air was cold, but Will was sweating profusely. What are they waiting for? If things dragged out for too long, the fight would turn into a brutal night of mutual annihilation. The Terabinians couldn’t easily run, being hemmed in by the city on one side and the Darrowan relief forces on the other. One thing Will had learned during his first taste of war was to avoid fighting an opponent that was cornered and couldn’t surrender. You might win, but the cost in blood would be higher than you wanted to pay.

Will was tempted to return and call the whole thing off. They still had options. It might not give them the victory he wanted, but he could save the siege and stop the Darrowan advance. He was debating the idea with himself when he heard the peal of horns from within the city of Klendon, and a few seconds later the gates began to swing inward.

A shout rose from the defenders of Klendon as they sallied through the gates to take Second Division from behind. The captain commander of the garrison had finally sprung the trap. Will might have felt relief, but at the moment his heart was pounding like a drum as hundreds of men charged past him.

He wanted to shout, to urge the sub-marshals to take action, but he kept his mouth shut. Not yet, idiot! Do your part first. Nicht and Sundy will act at the right time.

As the last of the Darrowan soldiers ran past, Will heard the inevitable creak as those within the city started to shut the gates again. It was time. Turning the corner, he ran a short distance into Klendon, so that he stood just within the gates and between the gatehouse’s two massive portcullises.

The portcullises were a failsafe of sorts, or a last resort, should an attacker breach the gates. The two massive iron grills stood ten yards apart, so that they could be used to trap attackers between them, but either one alone was enough to stop an invader’s army from entering. Will’s job was simple. Stop the gates from being closed, while simultaneously preventing either of the two portcullises from being dropped down.

Will had prepared one simple spell to accomplish all three things at once. He erected a force-wall, lining it up along the length of the wide corridor under the gatehouse. Its position protected him on one side, while simultaneously preventing the right-hand portion of the gate from closing. Once the defenders realized