The three of them retreated inside, and Elmo quickly explained the situation to the rest of the group.
“We’re trapped,” Ahleage muttered, flicking his wrists and producing two daggers. “What do we do, now?”
“We pray that the gods give us strength to hold them back,” Elmo whispered. “Everyone, take a window. Keep the shutters closed except for a crack.”
The members of the Alliance moved to various windows, taking up defensive positions and watching.
“Shanhaevel, do you have some of those spells of magical light ready?” Elmo asked from his vantage point by the front door.
“Yes,” Shanhaevel replied. “Two of them.”
“Get ready to light up the night, then, because I think they’re about to charge.”
As if on cue, a shout arose from outside, and the army surged forward.
“Light, now!” Elmo said, swinging the door open, an arrow nocked.
All around the farmhouse there began a howling from the advancing force, a war cry to begin the charge. From all sides they came, jogging forward with weapons in hand. Hurriedly, Shanhaevel muttered the words of his spell, aiming the effect into the air some thirty paces directly over the heads of the men charging on this side.
Elmo’s bow sang as he sent arrows at the approaching hordes, dropping men as fast as he could. For every one he dropped, though, three more moved ahead, drawing closer.
As soon as his spell went off, Shanhaevel turned and darted across the room to a window on the other side. There, Draga and Ahleage were using their bows in much the same way Elmo was, though neither of them could see the oncoming enemy as well. Shanhaevel cast his second spell, illuminating the landscape for the bowmen.
“That’s more like it!” Draga said, working his bow as fast as he could with deadly accuracy. Ahleage joined in, and soon, they were mowing down the front ranks of the onrushing attackers.
Shirral had positioned herself in one of the bedrooms, in a window facing the barn, and was using her sling to attempt to hold back the oncoming forces. Govin paced in the center of the main room, ready to take up a position anywhere a breach was imminent.
After a couple of furious rounds of bowfire, the first wave fell back, retreating back into the trees. Shanhaevel moved back next to Elmo, for that appeared to be the weakest spot in the defenses and the place where the most enemy troops were amassed.
“That was just a feint,” Elmo said. “They just wanted to see how we’d react. They’re going to regroup and come at us again where they think we’re weakest.”
Shanhaevel looked around, trying to determine what he thought was their weakest point. His gaze settled.
“There,” he said, pointing toward Shirral, huddled by herself in the other room, her sling in hand.
Elmo looked and nodded. “Yes,” he said, “that’s where I would come, too. Of course, they haven’t shown their true strength yet, so when they do come…”
“What haven’t we seen?” the elf asked.
“Bowmen and magic,” Elmo replied.
Shanhaevel nodded. “We should move around to keep them guessing.”
“That’s a fine idea.” Elmo grinned and moved past Govin, motioning the knight to take his place.
As Govin approached, Shanhaevel explained, “We’re mixing it up, hoping to catch them off guard a bit.”
Govin nodded. “Hold back on the rest of your magic until they get really close.”
“You know that magical light isn’t going to stay too much longer. When it winks out, we’re in trouble.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about that for too much longer,” Govin said, pointing. The sky was just beginning to lighten in the east, although it was hard to see because of the snowfall, which was growing steadily heavier.
Shanhaevel realized he could barely make out the line of trees through the white curtain, which was falling in huge, thick clumps.
“It’s like goose down,” he said, wishing the circumstances were different so he could enjoy it.
A shout arose from the tree line, and again the horde advanced. This time, as Elmo had predicted, bowfire accompanied the onrush of troops, forcing the members of the Alliance to crouch low behind their defenses.
“What can you throw at them?” Govin asked, peering through the crack of the doorway at the oncoming men and beasts.
Shanhaevel risked a glance as an arrow whizzed close and a second one thunked into the wall a few inches to one side of the door frame. The elf ducked back in and said, “I have plenty, if I can get enough time to cast.”
“I’d buy you time, if I could, wizard, but they’re almost to the porch. Better do something quick.”
Shanhaevel began. He drew on the magic from other planes, focusing the energy, then poked his head out long enough to spot a large contingent of men clumped together. He aimed his spell, and a single glowing cinder shot forth from his fingertip directly at the foemen. When it landed, it detonated, and a ball of flame blossomed, engulfing the troops in searing heat. The men caught in the inferno screamed, briefly, before dropping onto the scorched earth.
“Perfect!” Govin said. “There’re more coming on the left.”
Shanhaevel started casting anew, forming other magical energies and bringing them together. He hurled his new spell and ducked back inside.
Govin watched, but when there was no bright burst of flame, he turned to the elf and shouted, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Shanhaevel replied. “I just conjured a cloud of foul vapors and positioned it in a line about ten paces out, directly along this side of the house. Nothing will want to come through it for a few moments, at the very least.”
“Hmph.” The knight frowned. “Fighting with smell. You wizards …”
Shanhaevel smiled. “I’m going to see if anyone else needs me.”
Govin nodded, and Shanhaevel shot across the room toward Shirral, who was standing with Draga while the bowman fired arrow after arrow. When she turned and saw him, she waved him away and pointed to Elmo and Ahleage. He turned to see the two of them trying to repel a substantial force that had managed to get to a window and were struggling to get inside. Elmo was using his axe to keep them at bay while Ahleage stayed clear of the wide arc of the wicked axe, his bow in hand.
Shanhaevel cast, and when the magic materialized, five of the figures slumped down, deeply asleep. That tipped the balance back in Elmo and Ahleage’s favor, and they repelled the last few remaining enemies.
A shout from behind made Shanhaevel turn again, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat. A giant was approaching the front door with a fist full of burning logs and was preparing to fling the firebrands at the house.
Damn! The elf fumed. I forgot they would be too tall for the cloud of vapors. Govin seemed on the verge of charging out to confront the giant, but the immensity of the creature gave the knight pause.
“Govin, hold!” the wizard shouted. “Open the door and give me room!”
The knight nodded, flung the door wide, and leaped away.
Shanhaevel wasted no time, aiming the lightning bolt at the huge creature, but he wasn’t as fast enough. The bolt that flashed across his field of vision was true, crackling all about the giant’s body, but when the massive humanoid cried out in agony and tumbled forward, its momentum carried it into the front of the house. The ground shook, and the air exploded in shards and splinters of wood as the giant collapsed across the front porch and destroyed the front wall of the house.
Both Shanhaevel and Govin leaped away from the destruction, scrambling to avoid the jagged beams that had been ripped free by the impact. Already, the fire from the creatures burning timbers was spreading, igniting the dry wood of the farmhouse. Smoke filled the rest of the ruined structure. Nothing else seemed to be attacking them for the moment, so Shanhaevel sank down to the floor, coughing and gasping from the smoke.