The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,158
asked Zaniolo.
“As soon as I can see them clearly, sir,” said Sebastian.
“Perhaps they merely underestimate him,” suggested Bonucci.
“Possibly,” conceded Zaniolo. “But it’s never a good idea to base one’s strategy on the hope that the enemy is ill-informed.”
“Quite right, General,” said Vittorio as he climbed up onto the platform.
“Commander, sir!” The generals and Sebastian saluted.
“As you were, gentlemen,” said Vittorio. “Now, what is the status?”
“The Uaine have used some sort of… explosive signal, sir,” said Marchisio.
“Explosive signal?”
“A clustered ball of white and yellow lights that quickly dispersed,” said Zaniolo.
Vittorio’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Fireworks?”
“You know of these things, sir?” asked Sebastian.
“A Raízian invention, primarily used during celebratory festivals. I’ve never heard of them used in warfare.”
“Sir,” said Zaniolo. “There have been several secondary source reports of a young Raízian man seen accompanying the Ranger.”
“I see,” said Vittorio.
The Ranger was how they all referred to Sebastian’s sister. He preferred it that way. If he only thought of her as the Ranger, perhaps it would give him the emotional distance required to fulfill his duty. At least, he hoped so.
“Permission to ring the call to arms, sir?” asked Marchisio.
“Granted,” said Vittorio.
Marchisio rang the large copper bell bolted to the observation platform, and the garrison sprang to life. Soldiers spilled out of the barracks, mess, and armory. At first it looked to Sebastian like a disorderly mob, but the many hours of drills paid off. Without any additional commands from the generals, the soldiers quickly coalesced into orderly lines, a row of shield bearers, followed by a row of spear bearers, then two staggered rows of archers, all standing at attention. To either side of the infantry were the cavalry units, all except Sebastian’s 404th, which Vittorio had decided to hold back in reserve, with Rykov commanding in Sebastian’s stead.
“Lovely,” murmured Vittorio. “Order out of chaos. They look splendid, gentlemen.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Bonucci.
“Returning to your earlier concern, Zaniolo,” said Vittorio. “Is it possible the signal is meant to mislead us into thinking they will attack from upriver, when in fact they plan to attack from another direction?”
Zaniolo shook his head. “Unlikely, sir. Our scouts reported visual confirmation of the entire Uaine army, including their undead, camped on the western banks of the Sestra last night. The undead move quite slowly, so there is no way they could have circled back to assault the west gate in time. And even if they were to somehow accomplish that feat, the west gate is sufficiently manned that once they sent word to us, they would be able to hold out until we sent reinforcements.”
Vittorio nodded gravely. “Then either they are foolish, as General Bonucci suggests, or they have some other scheme afoot. Let us focus on the battle before us, but also remain alert for possible subterfuge.”
Sebastian was relieved to see the commander in such an equanimous mood after the temperamental outbursts he’d witnessed during the past few weeks. He only hoped that Vittorio kept his composure during the coming battle.
They waited in silence for some time, taking turns watching the river with the telescoping spyglass. Below, the soldiers remained unspeaking, but exchanged anxious looks. Sebastian imagined they felt the same conflict of emotions that he did. Everything that had happened to him throughout this winter led to this day. All his hard work, his struggle, his sacrifice, and his suffering had been in preparation for defending Gogoleth from the army of undead that would soon be upon them. Often it had seemed like the day would never arrive. Now that it had come, he wondered if he was truly ready.
At last Zaniolo grunted quietly. “There they are.”
He handed the glass to Vittorio, who looked through it and nodded.
Sebastian couldn’t make out many details yet, but he could at least see the shape of what appeared to be a fleet of rafts moving swiftly toward them, every one of them crowded with enemies.
“I’m surprised they’d bother putting their undead on the rafts,” said Zaniolo. “If they don’t need to breathe, it would have made more sense to have them walk along the river bottom in an attempt to take us by surprise.”
“Had they done so,” said Vittorio, “Captain Portinari would have simply frozen their monsters in place within the river, and they would have lost their most formidable force.” The commander glanced at Sebastian, and for a moment there was that flash of rage in his eyes. Then he looked back toward the enemy. “But unfortunately, they knew to avoid such a tactic.”