"Are you well?" Kharendaen asked, concerned.
He nodded slowly. "I just need to rest. Can you go into the eity and find the mayor? Tell him to keep his people together in one group when they leave the city. I can protect them better with my magic if they're close together."
Kharendaen looked dubious. "If they remain together, we're going to have a difficult time protecting them from the gemstone dragons."
"Actually, it should be easier," Thelvyn said. "There aren't enough of us to confront the gemstone dragons if we have to divide up to protect the people of Braastar."
The dragons waited patiently, remaining hidden by lying flat in the deep grass while they awaited the approach of the invading army. Kharendaen returned a few minutes later, reporting that the evacuation of the city was proceeding quickly, although it was not particularly well organized. Most of the people seemed to have decided on their own to flee the
city once they heard that the invading army was only a few miles away. Consequently there was a great deal of chaos, which hampered the Mayor's efforts to organize an orderly evacuation. Many of the refugees were already on their way south on horseback, in carriages, or even in farm wagons. Since they seemed to be moving along fairly quickly, they probably weren't in much danger from the Masters, and so they would have to be on their own. The rest were heading to the river a few miles to the west, where boats and barges would transport them directly to Braejr.
The problem for the dragons would be to hold the city long enough for everyone to get away, then guard the disorderly fleet of boats and barges as it drifted along the river. It would be a tall order for only ten dragons, and their success would depend greatly upon whether or not the gemstone dragons moved against them in numbers they could not fight.
By late that morning, the army of the invaders was only about two miles from the city. For the first time, they could be seen; fairly clearly as they followed the road through the scattered woods just beyond the open fields. Thelvyn guessed that there were at least twenty or twenty-five thousand troops in all, and he was privately amazed that the Masters had been able to summon such a large force through the gate in such a short time. Beyond an occasional draconic form riding the winds in the distance, there was little to be seen of the Masters, a tactic that made it hard to guess their numbers or their intentions.
Thelvyn considered his options quickly and then had his dragons withdraw back inside the city. If the invaders attacked, ten dragons were more than enough to keep an army of soldiers from scaling the wall. If the Masters themselves attacked in superior numbers, the dragons might be able to hold their own briefly by using the protection of the wall. Next he sent Kharendaen back through the city a final time to check the progress of the evacuation.
Kharendaen returned a short time later with her report. "The last of the barges and boats have just set out. More people are on the road to the south. There are only a few stragglers still leaving the city."
"After we are forced to leave, I will still have to do what I can to shield those who are fleeing south from the summons of the Masters. I only hope that Alessa can find some way to use the Radiance to help me."
"Do you think we will have to fight?" she asked.
Thelvyn considered that. "The invaders are still two miles or so away. They won't be near enough to challenge us for another hour, and there is no reason for us to be concerned until the Masters come. We must fight them for as long as we can, to keep their attention on us rather than the people fleeing south."
The invading army began to move out into the fields just to the east of Braastar shortly after noon. They gave every indication of preparing for an immediate attack. Thelvyn left the wall of the city briefly to make final preparations. He found that the ragged collection of boats and barges had already drifted several miles down the river. He began to hope that they might actually escape. He stayed just long enough to renew his spell of protection over the citizens of Braastar, although he had to rest a few minutes before he could fly back to the city to rejoin the dragons waiting to defend the east gate.
Thelvyn was surprised and rather alarmed to see that the invading army had already organized itself for attack. Rank upon rank of soldiers waited in a strange silence in the fields, the closest lines barely a hundred yards out from the wall. Hither they did not yet know that a force of dragons was waiting for them or else they had lost all fear of the dragons. The Masters were still only distant forms flying over the treetops in the distance. As he watched, they broke into four groups that slowly circled around to attack from different directions. Thelvyn could see that there were at least a score of gemstone dragons in each of the four groups.
"Pass the order quietly," Thelvyn said. "Have the dragons spread out about a couple of wingspans or so apart, so that we can try to hold as much of the wall as possible. Remind them to listen for my orders. If the Masters come in force, we might have to get away from here quickly."
Because he had not been watching over the wall, he was surprised when grappling hooks and ladders suddenly appeared at the top of the gate, scraping and rattling as they were set into place and the ropes pulled tight. He took a deep breath to prepare his flame, then stood up on his hind legs to lift his head over the wall. The moment his head appeared, dozens of arrows began snapping and bouncing off the armor of his face so that he had to close his eyes and drop back down behind the protection of the wall. The invaders had been waiting for the dragons, with companies of archers standing ready to drive them back.
Unfortunately Thelvyn already had his flame ready, and all he could do now was to turn his head and let the blast of dragonfire wash over the paving stones of the street behind him. He couldn't risk lifting his head over the wall to use his dragon-fire on the attackers. While he had survived the first volley of arrows unscathed, he was fearful of an arrow or crossbow bolt penetrating the light armor of his face. At least the invaders would be vulnerable to the dragons the moment they tried to come over the wall. He moved back from the wall and waited, ready to attack anyone coming over the parapet with his flaming breath. His companions on either side of him did likewise.
Thelvyn paused, waiting and listening. The assault on the wall had grown curiously silent, and no one had climbed the scaling ropes that were already hooked over the wall. Moving closer to the massive timbers of the gate, he could hear only faint sounds from the vast army that was gathered outside the wall. Then he heard the sound of some large beast running, and a moment later, he leapt back in alarm as the gate was struck with tremendous force, nearly bursting the crossbars.
The other dragons hurried to help him hold the gate, but Thelvyn knew that the battle to defend the wall was already lost. He was certain the gemstone dragons were attacking the gate, and he was just as certain that they must have come in overwhelming numbers. When Kharendaen rushed up to him, he sat up on his haunches and turned her to face the middle of the city.
"Trying to hold this gate is pointless," he told the dragons. "We have to save ourselves to protect the people fleeing."
He leapt forward, leading the way. He turned sharply as soon as he came to the first side street in order to get his dragons quickly out of sight from the main street in case the gem-stone dragons broke through the gate in the next few moments. ' the last of the dragons had only just darted down the narrow side street when they heard a tremendous crash as the Masters hit the ruined gate a second time. Timbers splintered, and huge shards of wood were sent hurtling into the walls of the surrounding buildings.