Citadel of Light – 2nd Installment

Go To The Citadel of Light 1st Instalment

The 22nd Day of the Month of the Chrysalis of the 208th year of Stone

Karrato’s catapults have begun firing, and at the same time they have hoisted the captured banner of General Shan’s army beside their own! Their insults are more damaging than their weapons; their catapult rocks fall short of our walls by quite a distance and I doubt they have the bravery to come any closer. As the wisest minds predicted, we are safe.

Despite our safety there is still disagreement at court. Lord Bahn, furious at their raising his son’s banner, is growing ever more insistent that we should send night sorties out to harry their lines.  The rest of the Court maintain their position against it and King Sharlo even suggested that maybe the banner signified that Lord Bahn’s son had turned traitor and joined Karrato. Lord Bahn raged against the accusation so powerfully that his words could have been deemed an insult to the King. King Sharlo withdrew the accusation with good grace, though. I suspect that he only made such a baseless claim to distract Lord Bahn from insisting on his dangerous, aggressive ideas.

My own duties have not changed; I oversee the distribution of food, the organisation of the garrison and relay orders and announcements from the Court. I have settled into a routine for what must be the first time since Karrato treacherously declared himself Emperor. Is it perverse that I am, in some way, enjoying this siege?

The 23rd Day of the Month of the Chrysalis of the 208th year of Stone

Karrato’s army moved during the night! Their catapults are now capable of reaching the Citadel’s walls and are firing volley after volley at them. Most of the rocks bounce off the hard, round surface and those that do not embed themselves in the stone. The Citadel’s impregnability remains unchallenged but it was a bold and unexpected move.

The Court was, once again, split over the best course of action. Lord Bahn was crowing about how his night sorties would have come across the catapult crews in the dark and murdered them and still puts such an assault forward as the Citadel’s next move. Lady Salla and Lord Krinn are cold towards him since his outburst yesterday, though, and his idea has gained no more capital with the King.

Lady Salla proposed using beams from unnecessary buildings to construct our own catapults, as she had previously suggested, and return their aggression that way. Lord Krinn, however, thought it unnecessary when our arrows would kill the catapult crews just as dead (his words, not mine). King Sharlo concurred with Lord Krinn and we are to test a volley at first full light tomorrow. If our arrows reach them we will slaughter the catapult crews and leave the catapults as still monuments to Karrato’s impotence.

The 24th Day of the Month of the Chrysalis of the 208th year of Stone

Our arrows do not reach Karrato’s army! They fall short by about the same distance their catapult rocks were falling short two days ago. They seem to have exhausted their supply of rocks, though. This morning they responded to our arrow fire by packing the catapults with small stones which, of course, fell short most often and did no damage when they did reach the wall.

So we are arrayed against each other and, alas, equally impotent. As a result King Sharlo was inclined towards Lady Salla’s plan to construct our own catapults but Lord Krinn pointed out that we have no more freely available stone than our enemy. Lord Bahn would undoubtedly have put forward his plan for night sorties again but he was not present at Court today. No reason for his absence has been given to me, I assume the King is aware of his reasons and does not disapprove as I have not had to pass on any orders regarding his chastisement. King Sharlo decided to wait for Karrato’s next move rather than make any rash decision which could weaken our position of strength.

The peasants have learnt that General Shan’s banner is being displayed by Karrato’s army; clearly one of the knights in the Citadel’s garrison is loose-tongued when alcohol passes his lips. As a result rumour is once again rife among the peasantry – as it always is when they lack news of any substance – and everything from General Shan’s defection to his head being displayed alongside his banner is whispered among them. If the knight who spread that information is caught he will be severely punished, possibly even executed as an example.