The young wizard was reaching for Offendorl with his left hand, straining to reach the elder wizard’s throat. Then suddenly he twisted in midair and swung a looping punch with his right hand. The magical barriers slowed the blow, but it hit the older man behind his ear. The blow was hard enough to interrupt Offendorl’s concentration, and his magical defenses were knocked away by Zollin’s power. The Master of the Torr dropped. They were perhaps twenty feet off the ground, and Offendorl slowed his descent on reflexes alone, but his brittle bones were still rocked by the rough landing. Both ankles rolled and ligaments snapped, causing the wizard to fall to the ground.
Zollin immediately began trying to bury the old man. Dirt and rocks flew from all sides, falling on Offendorl as Zollin slowly descended to the ground several feet away. Then fire erupted from the mound of dirt, like an angry volcano, shooting up toward the sky. Zollin sent a massive, magical shove at the mound, and the dirt flew in all directions while Offendorl rolled along the ground like a tumble weed.
The elder wizard knew that once again he had underestimated the boy. Whether King Felix was in on the deception or not, the Master of the Torr had been duped into thinking the boy was being turned over to him, drugged so that he would not resist. Zollin had taken him by surprise, and now Offendorl was close to defeat. He did the only thing he could think of that might save him. With the last of his considerable strength he reached out to the main gate of the city and ripped it apart.
Zollin heard the rending of stone, iron, and wood as the gate was pulled down. Commander Hausey had just ridden through and the soldiers were trying to close the gate when Offendorl’s attack came. Had the gate been closed it would have been more difficult to destroy, but now the city was vulnerable and the invading legions were rushing forward. Zollin threw up a dust cloud to screen him from the elder wizard’s sight and sent himself hurtling back toward Orrock.
Hausey was just leading a group of soldiers into the gap in the wall when the enemy army arrived. Hausey was outnumbered, but he had formed his soldiers into a solid shield wall. The invaders crashed into the shield wall but were held in check. Zollin smashed into the invaders with a magical dive that sent the enemy soldiers flying backward. He came to stand on his feet in the midst of the destroyed gate. He looked back toward Offendorl, expecting the Master of the Torr to be in the middle of his own counterattack, but the wizard was nowhere to be seen.
“Get up to the tower!” Hausey shouted at him.
Zollin looked up and realized that from the lookout tower the could see where Felix’s army was having difficulty and help turn the tide. He didn’t need to be in the midst of the battle physically; he could work his magic from a distance.
“I’ll send reinforcements,” Zollin shouted as he sprinted through the soldiers who opened the shield wall for him to pass by. As he ran he heard Hausey shouting for his troops to form up and prepare for the next attack.
Zollin jumped up and levitated himself up over the city and came to land once more on the watchtower of the castle. He turned and looked back at the main gate, but Hausey was holding his own against the invaders.
“Send reinforcements to the main gate!” Zollin shouted at the runners who were waiting down the stairs from the tower’s trap door. “At least half a legion. We need to hold the gap in the wall.”
He turned and surveyed the battle. It was now taking place on all sides of the city. Archers were raining down arrows, and soldiers were using long poles to push off scaling ladders that were being thrown against the walls. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the fire raging inside of him. He knew the siege would last a long time, and he was already at his magical breaking point. The Master of the Torr had been incredibly strong, and Zollin knew that he had gotten lucky in the fight. The next time he would need to be more prepared.
“He’s my son, now let me through!” Zollin heard from down below.
Quinn and Mansel came charging up through the trap door, both looking shocked.
“What happened?” Mansel asked.
“The King tried to drug me,” Zollin explained, “and turn me over to the Torr, but the old wizard double-crossed him. I saved the King and his generals, but not before the old wizard tore the gates down. We’ll be lucky not to be overrun.”
“I say let them come,” Mansel said.
“You won’t see much action up here,” Zollin said.
“We’re staying with you, son,” Quinn said. “Look, they need help there on the south wall already.”
Quinn was pointing to an area where enemy soldiers had gained the ramparts in several places using ladders.
“Where are the defenders?” Mansel said.
“Caught off guard, I suppose,” Quinn answered.
Zollin was already delving into his magic. It was like walking through an inferno. His containment field was holding, but just barely.
“I need wine and food, Mansel,” Zollin said.
“How can you think of eating at a time like this?”
“Just get it. Hurry!” Zollin shouted.
Mansel rushed down the stairs as Zollin sent a shock wave of magical power hurtling toward the invaders who had taken up a position on the southern wall of the city. The power was invisible, but the results were undeniable. The enemy soldiers went flying off the wall, knocking their climbing comrades off the ladders as they fell. Yelsian soldiers came running from both directions to secure the wall.
“We need more men on the south wall,” Zollin shouted down the trap door.
“Here comes the King,” said Quinn, who was leaning over the wall and looking down into the castle courtyard.
“He won’t be happy,” Zollin said.
“I should kill him for betraying you,” Quinn said.
“No, that isn’t our place. We’re going to help the city survive and then we’ll figure out the next thing to do.”
“What if the King turns on you again?”
“We’ll deal with that if it happens.”
He began using his magical power to push the scaling ladders off the wall wherever he saw them. The ladders weren’t heavy, but leaning against the wall, especially when a man was climbing up the ladder, made them especially difficult to cast back down.
King Felix arrived on the tower before Mansel returned with food for Zollin.
“What the devil are you doing?” King Felix said.
“I’m saving your city,” Zollin said angrily. He felt his magic on the verge of overcoming his control, and he sagged against the wall, hunger and fatigue finally taking their toll despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
“You had no right,” said King Felix.
“No right to do what, not eat the food you drugged? Or maybe save your life when the Torr wizard betrayed you? Or maybe you mean I have no right to risk my life for this city. Which is it?”
“How do I know you didn’t destroy the gate?” King Felix said. “This could all be part of some elaborate plan.”
“Don’t be a fool,” Zollin said. “I’ve done nothing but help, but I’ll be glad to leave the city and let you fight this battle on your own.”
“No, no, no!” King Felix shouted. “Stay, help us. We’ll deal with all of this madness later.”
“You’re right, we will,” Zollin said.
The attack began to falter after an hour or so. Mansel finally arrived with a large bottle of wine. He also had bread, cheese, and some roasted chicken.
“Sorry it took me so long, but I couldn’t find anyone in the kitchens,” Mansel said.
Zollin tore into the food like a starving man. He started with the meat, ripping off huge chunks with his teeth, hardly chewing at all, and then swallowing it down. He gulped the wine and felt his strength returning.
Reports began coming in to the King that the enemy was pulling back. They weren’t retreating but rather halting their attack. They began moving toward the main gate, which didn’t surprise Zollin.