Once he'd caught his breath, the barrel-sized General began to provide her with an answer. "Our spies tell us that King Nestros has over twenty-five thousand troops within the City walls, mostly infantry. He left most of the Rathoni cavalry to harass our supply lines and attack our foragers, which as you know hasn't been successful."
Rylla nodded. Using decoys, Captain-General Hestophes, who was commanding the Army of Observation, had managed to capture one of three main cavalry divisions in an envelopment, killing hundreds and capturing ten times that number. This had caused the other commanders to back off from directly attacking the Hostigi. Since then, the Army of the Trygath had moved through the Kingdom of Rathon virtually unopposed.
"Inside the City, morale is bad. Many of the infantry remember fighting with the Hostigi against the Zarthani Knights, and were very favorably impressed with both our army and the quality of our commanders. They also have fond memories of King Kalvan. The city folk blame this invasion on Nestros' ambition and his alliance with the Styphoni and Hos-Ktemnos. We have fanned these embers with stories of the Investigation and the excesses of the Northern Kingdom highpriests of Styphon.
"The rabble inside the City are terrified. They view all the guns aimed at their Great Gates as Galzar's revenge for their King's treachery. They hate the arrogant highpriests their King has invited into their City and it will not take much of a breeze to turn their hot embers of anger into open rebellion!"
"Good," Rylla replied. "We don't have a lot of time to waste. How were my envoys received, Klestreus?"
"My spies have made sure that all inside know of your terms. They all fear your promise to tear the Great Gates from their walls. The Rathoni have never faced more than two or three cannon at one time."
"Good. They know that only surrendering the City will save them."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Word of your exploits in Phaxos have traveled far, even to the ends of the Trygath. No one in the City doubts your word."
Rylla prayed to herself: Allfather Dralm, I beseech you, let the Rathoni see reason and surrender the City. She did not want to be responsible for the massacre that would follow once the Gates were destroyed. Until Demia was born, she'd viewed war as a sport, a terrible sport but one she greatly enjoyed. Now, she saw every soldier as a mother's son, and it had robbed her of that joy. Rathon City, which had housed eighty thousand when her husband had visited, had swelled to three times that number, filled to the bursting with refugees fleeing from Hostigi swords. The killing here would set up cries that would be heard in the Sky-Palaces of the Gods!
Furthermore, she had plans for this great City. Kalvan had asked her to besiege and take Rathon City. With a new king and a good stiffening of Hostigi soldiers, the City could make a roadblock that the Styphoni could neither afford to take, nor leave behind. She meant to do her best to see that his wishes were carried out.
Chartiphon, his back ramrod straight, rode up beside her. "Your Majesty, the gunners are preparing the linstocks."
Rylla turned and saw the gunners, each standing next to a gun or bombard, holding their linstocks with a slow match in the fork. "You have my permission to fire."
"Light your matches!" Alkides cried.
She heard the drums begin to beat. The tension in the air was almost palpable. When all the matches had been lit, the fireseed smoke from the linstocks tickled her nose.
"Fire!" Alkides cried, mimicking her husband's orders.
The gunners applied the linstocks to the touch holes.
The resulting boom shook the earth, as if the God Endrath had shrugged his shoulders.
Some of the shots missed the Great Gates, gouging great scoops of stone out of the walls, spraying stone fragments as the huge stone balls shattered on impact! The Great Gates shuddered and one gate slowly slumped down at one end as an iron hinge collapsed. When the gray-streaked smoke cleared, she could see some of the gate timbers were crushed and broken. Another volley, maybe two, and the Great Gates would fall.
Rylla prayed to Allfather Dralm that the city dwellers inside had enough sense to surrender.
As Kalvan had reminded her, these Great Gates had held firm against the assaults of nomad hordes and barbarian armies, but they'd never experienced mass cannonading. "It will shatter their morale as well as the gates," he'd predicted. She prayed to the True Gods that he was right.
Chartiphon leaned out of his saddle, saying, "My ears are still screeching! What a sight. They must surrender, Your Majesty."
Rylla waved away the fireseed smoke so she could see. She could imagine them not surrendering quite easily. Mobs were fools, and at the moment, it was the mob who held the City in thrall; not Great King Nestros.
Once her hearing returned, she turned to Chartiphon and began to describe the rebuilding of the Great Gates and city walls. "Once we hold the City, I want to have the gates extended in stone. Then, we'll put a metal portcullis, thick enough that it will resist anything the Grand Host can hurl at it, at the first entry gate.
She got off her horse and began to make a drawing in the dirt. First, she drew an oblong circle, saying, "This is the outer wall."Then she drew a five-pointed star over it. "I want to extend the city walls to these points with a battery at the ends."
"Like the starfort that the Great King designed at Tarr-Locra?"
"Yes, Chartiphon. With guns set at the ends of the star, the Styphoni artillery will not be able to enfilade the Great Gate or any other section of the city walls with their artillery. Plus, our guns will be in a position to shoot at any of their siege towers or catapults. Then I want you to build great earthworks almost up to the top of the walls. However, leave a small area at the top where you can put a metal facing with murder holes for the rifles. That way the riflemen will be free to shoot at the attackers while protected from return fire."
Chartiphon nodded. "There is great wisdom in this. You have learned your husband's ways of war. I am proud of you."
Rylla felt tears well up, but forced them down. With her father and Harmakros dead and Xentos estranged from his people, Chartiphon was the only one of her original family she had left. "Thank you, Duke."
"No, it is I that should ask for your forgiveness. For my pride's sake, I opposed your husband in things both small and large. I was afraid of the change he dragged in his wake. Instead, I should have welcomed it. It broke Styphon's House's shackles and he saved our people… for a time. I know now he will do it again, in this gods-forsaken land."
"If any man can, he will do it," she said. "What is that noise?"
There was a great creaking and groaning, as if one of the Great Gates was about to fall from its moorings. Then the gates slowly opened and a mob of men stormed out. For a moment, she was about to order the guns to fire again, fearing a sortie. Then she saw their helmets-and other things: heads-raised on sword points. Her Beefeaters, headed by Grand-Captain Xykos, formed a wedge around her and Captain-General Chartiphon.
"Xykos! Raise me upon your shoulders and give me your farseer. I want to see what's going on over there!"
Two huge hands lifted her up onto Xykos' shoulders, as easily as she would have hoisted Princess Demia. Through the farseer she could see the men from the City again. They were bowing and the leaders were making themselves prostrate on the ground, crying out: "Down Styphon! Down Nestros! Down Styphon!"