The dark gray clouds that had covered the West were now hovering over Lucitania. Thunder reverberated around the countryside, and lightning rolled across the sky in some sort of mystical dance. Cole looked away from the dark sky to look at the even darker earth. Only ten miles away, the Hades Army marched towards the city. Over two miles wide and who knew how long, the evil wave came ever closer to the pensive Dragonmaster and his army. "So what's our plan?" asked Mirage. He and the rest of the Knights, fully armored, stood behind Cole.
Cole shook his head. "I don't know. That army is just too large for any conventional or magical traps we could set. And even if we could set them, we wouldn't have enough time. They'll be here within the next hour or so."
The thunder boomed right over head. Lightning flashed above the advancing black patch, and suddenly two massive dragons could be seen. Each of the five heroes went stiff at the sight of the two Demon Dragons. "Great," muttered Connery. "Two of the Demon Dragons."
"Three," added Ruby as she came up beside the five men. Her three children were perched on her shoulders. Her red eyes thinned at the sight of the enemy. "There is a third one out there. He has on another shape, but he's still there." She sighed and removed the Dragon Kids from her shoulders. "Keep and eye on these three," she told the Dragonmaster and the Knights. "I have to prepare to deal with those two abominations," she finished and added a gesture to the two massive forms in the sky.
As she turned to leave, Vaul jumped into the air and flew to his mother. "Mom! Wait!" She stopped and looked at him. "Let me help. I can use my aura and transform into my full size."
Ruby took him in her hands and gently stroked his head. "I know you want to help me, dear, but you can't just now. You must keep your powers a secret until the time is right." She smiled and kissed his forehead. "I'll be fine. You, your brother, and sister just try and stay away from the fighting when it starts." She placed him back down next to Narin and Alleia and vanished in a swirl of magic.
The three Kids just put their heads together and remained quite as Cole and the Knights continued to talk about strategy. "We're just going to have to stay inside the city," said Mirage. "The landscape is just too flat to fight them toe to toe. They outnumber us at least three to one, maybe more."
Cole nodded. "And the mountains are too far away to use to our advantage. Our best hope is to hold up inside the city and try and figure out a way to decrease their numbers."
Argile looked worried. "Are you sure we can hold out for long? I mean, this city was not constructed to fend off attackers. The walls aren't very thick, and I doubt that magic will hold long against a foe such as this."
"He's right," said Connery. "I've looked at the walls. The enginiering is good, but these walls were made for show not war."
Cole's face darkened. "Then can we assume that's they'll be inside the city before too long?" Each of his friends nodded grimly. The Dragonmaster cursed under his breath. "Then we have to plan for a battle inside the city itself."
"I'll have archers man the roofs of all the buildings in the city," said Fox.
"I'll have our converted siege engines placed in all the open spaces we can find," said Connery.
Mirage was looking down from the tower they stood a top of. "Cavalry units will be pretty much useless in the city streets. We'll have to switch them to defensive units around the palace."
Cole turned his head and looked down at the city. "Most of the civilians have left for safer cities. That leaves the streets clear." He looked back at Mirage and Argile. "I want you two to hurry up and set up those defensive units around the castle. Then I want those infantry units to set up throughout every street in this place." Both Knights nodded. "Good. Then let's get to it. We don't have much time."
The four Knights ran off to take care of their assigned duties. Cole knew he would have to tell the generals what he planned to do, but that could wait. He watched the Hades Army continue its advance for the next half an hour. The only thing he could think was, It's all my fault.
Hours passed. The Hades Army halted its advance just two miles outside of the city limits. Leeta stared out from a window a top a tower from the palace. "There's so many of them," she whispered to herself. Even though she had been moved this far away from where the fighting would be, the Princess still wore combat attire. In place of her normal regal clothing, Leeta wore simple brown leather armor with a long sword strapped to her side. She fingered her pendant as she gazed out the window.
Finally, she sighed and turned away. The room she was in was nothing but four stone walls with a table and chairs. Before she could speak to him, Cole had had her whisked away up to the tower for her supposed safety. Leeta knew that was a lie. She could handle herself fine in a battle. Cole was just avoiding her. And in this sort of military situation, he had enough say in matters to over rule her. Leeta cursed under her breath and walked over to the door.
She eased it open and peaked out. The five guards that made up her escort were still there. She quietly closed the door and continued to pace the room. "I have to get out of here," she muttered. Brute force was out of the question. Her authority had been undermined by Cole, so that wasn't an option. Magic would draw too much attention. Suddenly, an idea came to her.
"Guards! Guards!" she started to scream. "Help!"
The Princess flattened herself against the wall next to the door as the five guards burst into the room. While they searched for the problem, Leeta slipped out of the room and slammed the door shut. She threw up a small barrier around the door and ran for the stair. "That ought to hold them for a few minutes." And those few minutes would give her enough time to find Cole.
The Demon Dragonmaster sat upon his horse and smiled. "It seems that they've elected to stay inside the city."
Standing next to the dark warrior's steed, Arlax nodded in agreement. "They probably think they can achieve some sort of advantage by doing so." His black orbs thinned for a moment. "There are several shields surrounding the city, but they will pose no problems."
"I should think not," replied Kole. Kasra began to hum at his side. He gently patted the sword's pommel. "Do not worry, my friend. You will soon have plenty of souls to feast on." He looked from the city to Arlax. "Send word that the attack is to begin."
Arlax bowed. "You will have the city in a matter of hours." The Demon Dragon began to walk away.
"And Arlax," added Kole. "If you see the Dragonmaster or his Knights, deal with them as you see fit." The Chaos Dragon merely smiled and continued walking.
Cole stood in the middle of several thousand soldiers who had gathered throughout the promenades of the city. A general was babbling on about this and that until Cole finally stopped him. "That's fine, General Veran. Do whatever you think is necessary. I just want those razor wing squads to be ready when I need them."
The gruff looking old general nodded stiffly. "They will be, Dragonmaster. I'll go and take care of it myself." His armor creaked as he left the green eyed warrior's side.
Cole closed his eyes and stretched out with his senses. It was coming soon. He could feel the evil of his double out there. Yes, the battle was going to happen soon, and there was nothing he could do about it. If only I had stuck my sword in him , thought Cole. Suddenly a voice brought him back from the depths of his thoughts.
"Cole!"
The Dragonmaster opened his eyes and saw Leeta running towards him. She stopped in front of him to catch her breath. Without thinking, he started to yell at her. "What are you doing here!? I had you secured in the tower for your own safety!"
Cole was unprepared when Leeta started to shout back. "Forget my safety! We have to talk!"
Cole wiped his hand over his face and groaned. "Well if you hadn't noticed, we are in the middle of a war here, and I don't quite have the time to talk." He huffed and started to walk away. "Besides, we don't have anything to talk about."
But Leeta wouldn't let him leave. She made a quick dash and stood in his path. "That's just it," she said. "It's that attitude that we have to talk about."
Cole tried to get around her, but the Princess would let him pass. "I don't have time..." A mass of inhuman roars cut off his sentence. The Dragonmaster and the Princess looked around and saw the shield around the city shimmer and disappear. Both lovers only had time to draw their weapons before the wave of monsters washed over Lucitania.