Cold Magics (50 page)

“The enemy hit the street in front of us,” Henry said. “Hard. The buildings are fired and there are bodies in the streets, but there’s no sign of anyone moving.”

The knights nodded. Thomas could feel his stomach starting to quiver with nerves.

“Sir Rowland, go back to the barricades,” said Henry. “Tell them to start moving forward, searching the houses as they go. Tell my father I said we need to go through the quarter block by block.” He turned back to the captains. “The rest of us will make our presence known. We march out there and take control of these blocks, then spread out in a search pattern. Five groups. Four roving with one holding the centre. Archers with each group, in case we run across someone using magic. Thomas, your company stays in the middle. When we flush out a magician, you come running, understand?”

Heads nodded around the circle.

“Good. Go to your men.”

The men broke off to their various companies, relaying orders to their squads. Henry raised his hand once more and the knights advanced out into the middle of the intersection. The night was cloudy, and the flickering flames of the city reflected off the grey, low sky to fill the night with an unearthly, dull orange gleam. The city streets were filled with smoke and steam and the bodies of the dead.

Some were burnt and smouldering. Others lay in pools of blood made black by the dim light. They had to dodge around the bodies, and Thomas saw several of the students balk at what they were seeing. Eileen had her hand to her mouth and looked ready to throw up, but kept moving. One student stopped, frozen on the spot. Thomas went back and grabbed him. “Keep moving,” he ordered, shoving the student forward, and doing his best not to look closely at the body. “Don’t stop until you’re told.”

The student moved, looking pasty white and pale even in the orange glow of the flaming buildings. His partner grabbed his arm and hauled him forward. Thomas jogged past the group until he was back at the front of the company.

Two buildings burned on one side, sending sparks and flaming debris floating on the wind. Thomas watched in horror, realizing that all it would take was one spark landing on wood shingles for another of the buildings to go up.

Henry gestured the troops forward and Thomas and his students took up guard positions facing one of the streets. Guardsmen from Henry’s company took up the other three directions. No one spoke. In the distance Thomas could hear the sound of flames and cries for help, but no sounds of battle. Henry split his knights into four squads, with twenty of his footmen behind each, and sent them down in each direction.

“One block forward, then hold positions,” said Henry. “Search every building that’s still standing along the way. Anyone inside, take their weapons and send back to the barricades.”

As soon as Henry led his men away, Thomas grabbed Eileen and pulled her from the line. She was about to protest, but Thomas put a finger over her lips. “Take off your cloak. Now.”

Eileen did as she was told. As fast as he could, Thomas stripped off the layers of his clothes until he came to the chain-mail shirt. It was a struggle to pull it off over his head, but he managed it. In a quick move he shoved it over her head and forced her to put her arms in it. It was too long on her, but it was something, and it might help keep her alive. Eileen looked horrified, realizing he was giving up his protection for her. Thomas threw on the rest of his clothes again and shoved her back to the line. Eileen said nothing, which was just as well as far as Thomas was concerned. He took his own place in the line and waited for something to happen.

It didn’t.

Thomas shifted his weight from boot to boot to keep feeling in his feet. He could see company troopers and his students and guardsmen doing the same. Down the street, groups of men split off from the company to run into the houses and stores, kicking in doors and shouting into the buildings as they went. He could see the fear on the students around him as they watched the slow progress of Henry’s troops.

“All right,” he called to the students. “Keep your eyes out and listen to me, all of you.”

There were a few nods, but most of the students stayed motionless, swords in front of them, eyes on the buildings, their frosted breath came out in short puffs and small clouds.

“We don’t know much about the enemy,” said Thomas. “We don’t know where they come from, and we don’t know why they are attacking. What we do know is that they use bows, swords and magic to attack.”

Several of the students’ heads swivelled in his direction on the word magic. “Eyes on the street!” ordered Thomas. “Just listen. The enemy seems able to bring up a fog to conceal their movements, they can weaken walls enough to pull them down, and they can attack with stone rods that throw fire.” He took his own eyes off the street, then, looking at the students. “When magic is spotted, we are going to be called forward to fight it, because that is what Henry brought me here to do. Understand?”

There were mutters of “Aye” from several of the students, and nodded heads from the others. No one asked the obvious question, which was just as well, because Thomas didn’t want to have to explain.

“So when the call comes, keep together, stay beside your partner, and follow me.” Thomas paused. There had to be a way to phrase what needed to be said. “And if… unusual things start happening when we are fighting, you need to stay with me and do as I say. No matter what. Understand?”

More nods.

“Good.” Thomas turned his attention back to the streets. “Now we wait.”

Time dragged by. There was little movement and no talking from either the students or the soldiers. Cold leather creaked, shifting weapons clanged gently, and snow squeaked as soldiers and students alike shifted their cold feet.

A horse raced around the corner, Sir Rowland on its back. The beast slid on the snow and nearly slid into a building before it gained its footing and charged towards them. Rowland pulled the animal to a skidding stop some ten feet away from Thomas. “There’s a fog bank three blocks over that isn’t moving,” he said. “Come on.”

“Me or the whole company?” Thomas asked.

“The company,” said Rowland, turning his horse. “Follow.”

“Come on,” said Thomas to the students, starting out at a fast walk, then breaking into a jog as Patrick’s horse trotted ahead of them. He grabbed Eileen’s arm to keep her with him. “Stay together,” Thomas called to the students. “Stay with your partner. If I or Sir Rowland gives an order, obey it.”

They trotted around the corner then up another pair of blocks, gasping in the cold air and slipping on the hard-packed snow. Sir Rowland’s horse weaved across the road in front of them, struggling for footing.

Ahead of them, Thomas could see a line of troops, archers in front, knights and foot soldiers behind, staring at a wall of fog that blocked the narrow street. Rowland brought his horse to a halt, and Thomas followed until he was behind them. “Where’s Henry?”

“Three blocks over,” said Rowland. “I’ve sent a runner.”

Thomas looked at the fog. “Any sign of anyone?”

“No.”

A lump of fear in Thomas’s throat made it hard to breathe. “Do we wait for Henry or go in?”

“Go in would be my suggestion,” said Rowland. “Better chance to get them.”

Thomas looked at the fog. “They’re waiting for us, aren’t they?”

“Probably.”

Thomas cursed, feeling his hands shaking. He gripped his blade tighter to hide it. “I’ve never led anyone in battle before, Sir Rowland,” he said, his voice low. “What do I do?”

Rowland looked over the students. “Best bet is to advance with footmen forward and you right behind. The knights will follow. When the footmen encounter the enemy, they’ll give a shout and everyone will move to the side to let the knights charge. If they encounter magic, they step aside and let your company charge. Archers stay here to cover the rear.”

“All right,” said Thomas. He looked over the street. “Narrow.”

“Aye. No more than three horses across, if everyone is out of the way.”

“Should I take the whole company?”

“No,” said Rowland. “Did you break them into squads?”

“Aye. Eight per squad. One of ten.”

“Take one squad, the others stay here until needed.”

“Right.”

“I’ll give the orders. You be ready.”

“Aye.”

“‘Yes, sir’ is the correct response.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go get your troops.”

Thomas did. Rowland lined up twenty-four footmen in three rows. Thomas lined his squad up, shoulder to shoulder with rapiers at the ready. He took his place in the front, Eileen beside him. Behind them Sir Rowland and two knights moved into position, and three others directly behind them. “Right,” said Sir Rowland. “Advance.”

The footmen moved forward into the fog. Thomas let them get three steps ahead, and then softly said, “Advance.”

The students moved forward. A couple hesitated, and for a moment there were gaps in their line until they jogged forward and caught up. Behind them, Thomas could hear the horses’ hooves. Then the fog swallowed them all.

It was thicker than any fog Thomas had seen; thicker than the pea-soup fogs that enveloped Hawksmouth regularly in the spring and fall. He wondered if he could dispel it; call wind the way he had called snow, and drive the fog away. But given how badly the snowstorm had exhausted him, Thomas doubted that calling wind would do any good. He needed to reserve his strength. Especially if the magician calling the fog was more powerful than Thomas.

The troops kept moving forward. Thomas doubted the others could even see the backs of the men in front of them. For Thomas, the glowing light that emanated from each man was vague and ghostly. A dozen different colours surrounded him. He risked a glance back, seeing the much larger lights of the horses and the men riding them. No matter what colours made up each man’s light, all had a tinge of red. Even Eileen’s light had red in it, though fainter than the others. Thomas didn’t like to think about what that meant, and turned his attention forward.

Step by step they moved down the street, hearing nothing but the sounds of their own movement and breathing. Doors slipped by on either side. Thomas heard Rowland call to the men behind to advance and take control of the doors. Around him, Thomas could hear harsh, panicked breathing from several of the students. Eileen beside him was taking slow, steady breaths even though she was shaking. Thomas kept moving forward, trying to keep his own breath under control.

The narrow walls ended suddenly. Thomas guessed they were in a square. From behind, Rowland called, “Advance another dozen paces, then stop. We’ll bring the rest through and take the square.”

They did as they were told. The footmen took positions on three sides, with Thomas’s squad in the middle. Thomas, unsure of what to do, placed three students behind each line of troops, with Eileen standing beside him and facing the front. Thomas kept his eyes and head moving, peering out into the fog in all directions, looking for some sign of the enemy.

He heard Rowland call an order and the sounds of booted feet on the streets, moving towards them. He glanced back and discovered he could see the troops at the far end of the alley, their red-streaked inner lights moving like glowing wraiths through the fog. He turned his eyes forward again, watching and waiting.

A second squad of students were with the advancing footmen. Thomas let the footmen take position first, extending their line further into the square. Thomas had the students reinforce the lines like the others. Thomas heard another order and knew a third group of troops were moving down the alley.

Half a hundred red-glowing lights appeared in the fog, coming in fast on all sides.

“They’re coming!” shouted Thomas, just a howling battle cry filled the square. Men charged out of the fog, screaming and swinging swords as arrows whipped through the air to impale the footmen and stick into the knights’ armour.

“Charge!” screamed Rowland. “Knights to the right, Footmen to the left! Charge!”

“To the left!” Thomas shouted. “Everyone! Follow the footmen!”

The students did as they were told. Ahead of them was a press of bodies, barely visible in the fog. There were screams of pain and the sound of steel on steel. The footmen formed a solid wall before them and began moving forward. Thomas looked and on the other side of them could see the lights glowing from the horses and the knights as they wove in and out of the fog, and other lights of men dancing around them. He couldn’t see which side was winning.

“Stay behind the footmen!” Thomas yelled at the students. “If there’s a gap in the footmen, whoever is closest fill it! Anyone falls back wounded, you help! Go!”

He didn’t hear an answer over the din of the fight but didn’t ask again. He kept his lookout, swivelling his head to all sides, wishing he could see better through the fog. The inner lights of the men fighting flared red and occasionally turned black and faded from sight.

Another man dead
, Thomas realized.

A footman stumbled back, and for a moment there was a gap in the line.

“Get in there!” Thomas screamed, but even as the words were leaving his mouth three students dashed forward. Two stepped up to fill the gap in the line, rapiers flashing forward as they charged. The third grabbed the wounded man and hauled him to relative safety behind the student line.

Behind them, Thomas could hear the thunder of hooves, the shout of charging men and knew that the rest of the troops were coming to their aid. He looked around again, searching for some sign of magic.

He spotted it a moment later—a single point, glowing so bright it pierced the fog. Thomas cursed, waiting for the flames he was sure were coming. They never arrived.
It must be the one making the fog
. “Sir Rowland! Sir Rowland!”

The knight couldn’t hear him above the din of the battle. Thomas swore with feeling and inventiveness that would have done Eileen credit. He turned to his company. “We need to break through!” he shouted, pointing in the direction of the pinpoint of light, knowing as he did that the students could see nothing through the orange-tinged fog. “Form a wedge! We charge straight through until we get where we’re going, then we charge back. Understand?”