peerless_thayet | (no subject)

(no subject)

Just before dawn, the raiders close in on the village and Pirate's Swoop, expecting to tighten their net and catch the Tortallans unaware. Instead they invade an empty village and face the castle's closed gates. On the wall, warriors and villagers alike stare down at them, fully armed.

Their surprise is a morale boost that is sorely needed when the sun's light spills over the horizon and the unnatural fog rolls in, the dampening spells contained within making Gifted individuals weak and unable to work the simplest magic.

Ignoring Buri's token protests, Thayet finishes a quick meal, pulls her hair into a tight bun and climbs the stairs to the observation deck with her bow and arrows. She takes two trainees along, Elnore and Padrach, and nods to George and his guards.

The fog is thick, almost gritty on her skin. Aside from various consultations with George, Onua and Numair, all she can do is wait.

[Scene and some dialogue taken from Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce.]

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Dimly, Thayet hears Numair say that their enemies don't need the fog anymore, that the spells will adhere to anything the fog has been touching. The dirty, almost itchy feeling the fog had left on her skin begins to fade as the wind picks up and clears the air, but what's revealed is far worse.

At first it's hard to see in the unexpectedly bright sunlight. Then she starts to think perhaps her eyes are playing tricks on her, as she alternately scans the sky for the Stormwing and studies the cove below. But it's no trick.

Galleys, barges and at least seven smaller vessels, each manned with warriors, fill the cove. The barges carry wooden catapults and the large, destructive stone balls they hurl.

The Stormwing Daine sensed is still out of sight, so Thayet grabs a spyglass and moves closer to the others for a better look.

Raph's bow begins to slowly drop.

"Oh you gotta be kiddin' me!"

Thayet slowly lowers the spyglass and looks back at Raph. The corner of her mouth lifts in a half smile, but nothing else about her expression suggests she's at all amused.

"I'm afraid not. Those are war barges -- the terror of the Carthaki Navy." She looks through the spyglass again. "The smaller ones must be from the Copper Isles."

"Can they launch from the barges? Or are they going to need to make land fall."

He's only ever had to defend a castle against the living dead, never catapult.

"They can," Thayet answers. "Each barge is counterbalanced with magic and ballast so the catapults can hurl stone balls or liquid fire. They can pound the walls of a place like this to rubble in the space of a day."

Harsh but true. Thayet looks down and offers the spyglass to Daine.

"How'd I know you were gonna say that..."

Were he younger, and had he no other responsibilities, he would be over this wall and half way across the village by now, making for the water and then the barges.

But he's no longer that headstrong brawler he used to be, which is clearly evidenced by the fact that he's responsible for not only Alanna and Adam's brood...but the crown Prince of Tortall as well.

Raph sighs in frustration. His hands grip at the masonry until his knuckles turn white.

Jamie's eyes are on Daine's face. Crouched, he watches her search the skies with the spyglass. He doesn't like her worried expression. Lifting his head enough to see over the wall, he looks where she looks and sees the cause of it: the Stormwing she'd warned them about spirals down to the deck of one of the ships, landing hard as the humans scurry away.

One of the guards gently presses on Jamie's head until he ducks back down.

"The Stormwing's on one of the ships," he whispers to his brother, then promptly tries to see over the wall again.

Thom grunts. It's part Okay and part Shut up so I can listen!

The adults are discussing whether or not this means they are at war with Carthak.

No flags or uniforms Thom starts to point out, but then Onua does it for him.

"So it's not official?" Jamie exclaims in Thom's ear. "But the queen said those're Carthaki barges! Seems a declaration of war to me if they use 'em!"

Sighing, Thom swats Jamie and uses both his hands to do a makeshift chin up on the wall.

"Definitely not official. Not until they all say it's war. I bet their ambassador is still at court."

Jamie makes a face.

"And Da said our navy was busy with those Scanran wolf-boats up north."

Thom nods. He keeps nodding until suddenly he drops back to a crouch and drags his brother with him.

"Stormwing in the air," he hisses.

The others on deck notice at the same time.

Raph is one of the aforementioned others, and he raises his bow and takes aim on the Stormwing, but holds for the signal to fire.

His eyes widen and then just as quickly narrow.

"It's got something. There's a white flag in one claw...but...can anyone see what else it's holding. I can't tell from here."

Thayet can't, and shakes her head. As it rises higher into the air, Numair takes the spyglass from his pupil and points out the mages on each ship, explaining the meaning of the red and yellow robes they wear: masters and adepts.

What it means, Thayet thinks privately, is that even Numair's black robe can't possibly offset the combined force of all that magic. Not alone.

When the Stormwing is a hundred feet away, she quietly orders, "Bows." The few on deck who had not already done so raise their weapons. Like Raph, Thayet sights on the creature as he swoops in to hover just beyond the wall.

"Now, is that nice?" smirks the Stormwing.

Edited 2009-06-16 21:42 (UTC)

"I'd say so. It ain't like we fired or anythin'."

The YET hangs heavy in the air.
It...might be wise to have someone else handle the diplomacy from here...

It's a scroll, Thayet can see now. The Stormwing shrieks laughter at Raph, flinging spittle, and tosses the scroll onto the stone between Thayet and George.

She stays perfectly still. Ready.

Thom and Jamie both lean forward when their uncle picks it up and begins to read:

"To Queen Thayet of Tortall and Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop, from the Lord of Free Corsairs, Mahil Eddace, greetings. By virtue of superior numbers and armaments, I claim the castle, village, points, and waters of Pirate's Swoop for the League of Free Corsairs-"

"For Carthak, more like," grumbles Jamie.

Thom claps a hand over his mouth. "Shhhhh!"

"Should you prove obdurate I shall have no choice but to reduce the castle, enslave the survivors, kill all beasts, and sow its fields with salt. You have one chance only to avoid death, capture, or enslavement: surrender to me the person and effects of Thayet of Tortall and her children, Prince Roald and Princess Kalasin. You have what remains of this day and tonight to reflect. If the three persons named are not given over to us by such time as the dawn sun will clear the horizon, we will commence bombardment by catapult. If you wish to signify acceptance of these terms, you may do so by runnin' up three white pennants."

"That's awful," Thom whispers.

Jamie looks at Roald, who had gone white when his name was read. "Aye."

He nearly misses the way George calmly rips up the scroll.

"Is that all?" murmurs Thayet when the terms are read.

She could worry and feel responsible for every life within these walls, for the horrible things that might happen to them when they refuse to surrender, but that would be self-defeating. If it wasn't this it would be something else. Ozorne would find some other advantage to use against Jonathan, now that he's chosen his course.

Thayet makes a mental note to say as much to her children later. No one here should blame themselves for Ozorne's folly.

"Well? Your answer?" the beast is saying.

George, the true and loyal friend of the crown that he is, spits on the ground and orders the Stormwing to leave so she doesn't have to.

"Oh, good. We hoped you'd say that," it giggles madly before flying away.

Raph can feel the anger burn in the back of his mind. How DARE they? Who do they think they are? We will not stand for this! I will not stand for this! And just as he tightens his grip preparing fire the high pitched shriek of an osprey cry cuts the tense silence in place of the arrow.

The bird of prey takes off after the stormwing, and once reached begins pecking at the foul creatures eyes. The stormwing lets out a similar shriek and flails about trying to knock the smaller bird loose.

"Daine, call him off," Raph hears Numair say, his voice tight. Daine's response is lost to the swirl of emotion and thoughts that cloud Raph's mind. He can only assume that she doesn't comply immediately because Numair is forced to yell a second time.

"DO it! Call it off!"

She relents, and Raph can feel it. So strong is her will that it convinces him to lower his own weapon and take a step back from the wall.

Thayet's eyes are drawn away from the bird attacking the Stormwing to the galleys below. Arms raised, the red robed mages unleash ribbons of golden fire, one by one, until it forms a square between the ships.

It is beautiful, and also terrible.

The square rises, higher and higher, until it explodes upward with a reverberation that slams into everyone guarding the castle and knocks most of them down.

Sprawled on the stone, Thayet has just enough breath left to wheeze, "Horse Lords." Her fingers hunt for her bow.

Thom and Jamie land hard on their backs. After a lifetime of coexisting with his siblings, Thom is good at picking himself back up and scrambles over to the wall. What he sees makes his chin tremble, even as his hand closes over the practice sword he'd strapped to his waist before dawn.

Out of the churning displaced air between the ships comes a horde of Stormwings and something much larger, like a giant red hand shoving them through. Instantly the stench of death and decay filled his nostrils, making him want to retch.

Stunned, Jamie stays where he landed and watches fear cross his brother's face.

Thom's afraid? He's usually so level-headed and, well, soldiery. Why-

Oh.

Jamie feels the blood drain from his face. "Roald!" he yells, looking for the prince. Roald is soon there, with Onua, and the K'mir is ordering them below. She doesn't have to yell it twice. Jamie grabs Roald's hand, then Thom's, and drags them to the stairs.

He wants to find Grace and Kally.