"Build those barricades! Cassandra, are the elven archers usable?" Mormir shouted from the wall.
"I'll tell them to shoot you down of the wall, and we'll see if they are!"
"Damn woman, she never answers the question as I need it," Mormir murmured.
"She's just trying to ease the tension of the situation," Merill said, standing beside him.
"What tension?" Mormir inquired.
"You won't teach Mormir feelings, that's what I've been trying to do all the time of his dull existence," Cassandra laughed, suddenly appearing on the wall.
"How did you get here..." Merill was horrified.
"Such are all dark elves, incredibly obtrusive creatures," Mormir smiled.
"Sorry, did you smile, or is your face falling apart?" Cassandra giggled.
Mormir left the wall with a stone face expression.
"Why are you so evil at him?" Merill asked.
"Evil? Mormir does not know what is good and evil, what is to be kind or cruel. We're just nudging each other, don't worry, Merill. Mormir won't get into depression," Cassandra smiled.
"And where is Caden after all?" Merill asked.
Meanwhile, a frightening whisper came from the hall with a map.
"Caden? Is that you?" Tom stepped into the room.
"Ah... hello, Tom, I haven't seen you for a long time."
"It took a lot of time to read the minds of all of them. What were you doing here?"
"I found a book about the secret practices of the mages. It's written that talking in the forbidden language can multiply magical abilities," Caden explained.
"And where did you learn that language?" Tom asked.
"It is also written here that every mage has always been able to speak the language, just forgot it over time. It shouldn't be hard for you. For others, meditation and staying in silence helps, and you will hear that language yourself," Caden explained.
"That's scary enough, do you think the wardens knew about it and tried to suppress it?" Tom asked.
"I'm sure they did, it was in their stuff."
"So whispering..." Tom thought.
"Have you seen Stephan?" Caden asked.
"Stephan said that he went somewhere for reinforcements. Mormir spoke to him last time."
"Oh, thank you." Caden went out.
Preparations for defence were culminating. Mormir had deepened the moat around the castle, built barricades inside, and traps of all sorts, including oil traps and pits.
"We need more wood! Reinforce the gate! Put another barricade there!" Mormir shouted.
"He's never satisfied, isn't he?" Merill laughed.
"Hah, Mormir and satisfied? That's not going to get together," Cassandra laughed, too.
"You two! Stop messing around there and train the elves!" Mormir called to them.
They both rolled their eyes and went on.
Soon one of the elven scouts, sent to watch over the roads, came into the castle. Mormir ran to him.
"They're coming, they're close... oh, they are so many, maybe the whole Imperial Army, and at least half of all the wardens!"
"What about the others?" Mormir asked.
"They were supposed to be here, they were just behind me, wardens probably got them."
"Go rest and prepare for battle. Everyone to your battle stations!" Mormir ordered.
Elven archers ran to the walls, most of the mages were on the towers and beyond the walls. Cassandra and Merill led archers and two groups of beginning shadow warriors, dark elves with two swords. Caden stood with Mormir at the gate.
On the horizon, they saw the first Imperial army's soldiers, backed by warden's regiments.
"By all the Saints, it is probably the whole Empire..." Caden said in dismay.
Mormir's horrified look spoke for everything as if he had refused to believe it until the last moment. Cassandra and Merill came to the gate unobtrusively.
"Caden? Do you know the story about the battle of the Imperial City?" Mormir asked.
"Do you mean the war with the Dark Ones?"
"Yes. The Dark mages made up some force fields around the siege towers," Mormir explained.
"Yes, it has cost them a lot of lives. And many also went voluntarily in front of them to pull fire on themselves," Cassandra stepped forward.
"I have to do it," Mormir said.
"What? Are you ignoring me again?!" Cassandra screamed.
"If not, we will all die before the troops approach the archer's range. Caden takes the command," Mormir ordered and ran devotedly to the highest tower of the castle.
"That arrogant bastard! Certainly, he did it only to hurt me!" Cassandra complained.
"Well... Caden, we're waiting for your orders," Merill said.
Caden recovered after a moment. "Prepare the archers, the mages will go to the walls when the enemies approach them, and the shadow fighters will be in the courtyard, supporting the gate. No one starts shooting without my permission."
Cassandra and Merill left.
Caden looked once more at the approaching army. At its centre, he saw the standard of the wardens with a crown above the sign. The high warden himself leads the army. The army had trebuchets with them, which started to cast huge stones on the castle as soon as they were in range. But Mormir had already begun a spell at that time, creating a defensive field around the castle.
"What is this?" the high warden asked.
"They have a dark mage, sir. He probably created the barrier!" general Jedar replied.
"One dark mage cannot do that, there must be more of them. We'll launch an attack. And Jedar... stay in the back, no more fights with leaders, that's an order!" the high warden said.
"Yes, sir..."
The Imperial army's soldiers attacked the castle, some carrying the ladders.
"Fire!" Caden called.
Several archers shot the burning arrows and the space in front of the walls turned into a burning hell. Imperial soldiers were burned in front of the walls. The oil burned out, and the waves of soldiers ran out against the walls again.
"Archers!" Cassandra called after Caden's nod.
The volleys of arrows began to fall on the Imperial troops. The soldiers managed to get the battering ram in front of the gate.
"Fire mages! To the walls, light them up! Ice and nature mages, reinforce the gate!" Caden shouted.
As fighting from both sides escalated, the sky darkened, a massive dark cloud was spreading over the tower where Mormir was performing his spell.
"What is going on onto that tower?!" Caden called as the battering ram broke through the gate.
"They're inside!" Merill shouted and ran to the gate, followed by Cassandra.
Caden also ran down, and Tom appeared behind him. In front of them stood a man in heavy armour with an open helmet, and on both sides, he had similarly armoured soldiers.
"Who of you is that mighty dark mage?" the man laughed.
"Caden... I... he…" Tom tried to speak.
"Not now, Tom, at least now!" Caden cut him off.
"But, Caden..."
"Shut up! I can't even use my power because of you..."
"He's a dark mage, you idiot!" Tom shouted.
"What...?"
"Haha... surprise!" the man laughed, and Cassandra and Merill grabbed their necks and levitated above the ground.
"I am a high warden! So, you're the dark mage."
"You too?! Let them go!" Caden shouted.
"Hah... and how do you think we fight others like you? I'll let them go but under one condition," the high warden said.
"Surrender, I assume?"
"You'll all give up and return to the magic schools. Everything will be as before."
"I'll better... Die than living... bah... as a slave," Cassandra proclaimed.
"Fortunately, it's not you who makes the choice. So what do you say? Wait... what's that sound... like a whisper…" the high warden went nervous.
Caden looked around and smiled. Tom was gone. "Whisper? I can not hear anything."
"What the... what are you doing?!" the high warden shouted, as both of his guards raised their weapons against him. The high warden released Cassandra and Merill from his power and killed the two guards.
Caden rushed into battle with him at that moment. He pushed him outside the castle. The soldiers cleared the way for their duel.
Caden's fierce attacks did not allow the high warden to go into a counterattack.
"Help me, fools!" the high warden shouted.
Several soldiers rushed out of the line, but Merill and Cassandra attacked them.
The high warden fought from the last of his strength. "Jedar! Help me!" the high warden shouted.
"I'm sorry, sir. No duels with the leaders," Jedar said.
"You bastard!" the high warden swung his sword against Caden, who dodged it and pierced the high warden with his sword.
"Honor has always been above duty for me, incomprehensible for someone..." general Jedar smiled.
"The high warden is dead! Go and leave us alone!" Caden called.
The soldier's eyes were fixed on general Jedar. He faced a difficult choice.
"I'm a nobleman, mage. You spared me in a fight, so I can't kill you now. And it is clear to me that you will fight for your friends. However, I cannot just withdraw such a large military operation... I..." general Jedar said.
Lightning began to fall from the cloud above the tower.
"Now we really have to go to that tower!" Cassandra shouted and ran, Merill and Caden followed.
General Jedar has withdrawn the troops to pause the attack.
The three ran to the tower.
Mormir hovered in the centre of the tower. "Mormir!" Cassandra exclaimed.
"I... I can't... can't do it!" Mormir murmured.
"What are you doing?!" Cassandra shouted.
"Forgive me... that..." Mormir spoke out.
"Stop it!" Cassandra urged.
Mormir's voice went much deeper. "Muhahahahaa... foolish mortals! You thought you could just summon me and get out of it easily?!" Mormir began to change into some monster.
"What is this, by all the Saints?" Caden called.
"Your Saints will not help you against me, fools!" A massive dark violet creature with horns appeared on the tower, grabbing Caden in the claw and raising him.
At the last minute, Stephan ran up the tower with a strange staff and shouted something. The whole tower disappeared in a blinding explosion.549Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNCpaGpzea
