The Siege Begins

The first wave was small. Tens of magical beasts attacked the walls as the defenders cast spells from above. Flying magical beasts were shot down while those on the walls were shoved off. The barrier defending the city glowed as the spells of enemy wizards clashed against it.

The next few waves were a bit bigger and came one after the other, giving no time for the defenders to rest. The enemy finished several barrier protected camps surrounding the city. The next few days seemed oddly peaceful inside the city. Residents huddled indoors while explosions rang out next to the walls.

Aayla stared out the window of the penthouse. Lights flashed off into the distance. Even the Nafriton raid paled in comparison to the battle unfolding just outside the walls. She could hear explosions rumbling in the clouds above from the battle of the high-ranking wizards of both sides.

Fortunately, the True Order didn't seem intent on destroying the city. The magical beasts formed the bulk of the army. Numbering in hundreds of thousands, they could easily break through the defenses if they were willing to sacrifice themselves.

The True Order slowly wore away at the defenders. They had time on their side. Aayla bit her finger as she saw someone fall from the sky. The body crashed into the barrier and slid down into the hungry jaws of the magical beasts below.

Was that an ally? Or an enemy? Most wizards wore cloaks and Aayla was too far away to see any details. She hoped that it was an enemy. So many had already died that the body could have belonged to a defender.

What was she supposed to do? Before she had always managed to find a way out of dangerous situations. But this? This was war on a scale too large to run away or hide from. She felt so small looking at the battles taking place outside the city. A plate was gently put down next to her.

"Today's dinner has arrived. Soup and salad with bread and chocolate cake for dessert."

"Thank you, Daren, but I want to watch a bit more first."

Happy cheers broke out from behind her as the other guests enjoyed their food. The city started rationing immediately after the battle began. Food was still tasty for now, but who knows how long this siege would last.

She had joined the Halcyon students crashing in the penthouse with Daren and Chris for the last few days. Aayla had to admit that the rich of this world truly knew how to enjoy luxury. If a war hadn't raged outside then she might have been able to enjoy it herself.

"It's going to get cold."

"Salad's supposed to be cold."

"Just shut up and eat. You've been staring outside all day."

Chris butted into their conversation as he eyed Aayla's chocolate cake. She snorted and took large bites out of her cake while glaring at him.

"Tsk. So untrusting. I wasn't going to do anything to your cake."

Daren pushed the soup closer to Aayla and pulled her cake away. He stared at Chris as he placed the cake far away from his friend.

"Eat your dinner first. Then dessert. Chris won't steal it."

Her eyes kept scanning the sky as she ate her food. Daren sat by her side as he did the few days before. The clouds swirling above darkened by the minute. They sunk lower and lower towards the ground. Strong winds began to buffet the barrier from the east. Aayla watched as the forest bent beneath them.

"A storm's coming in from the east."

Everyone's eyes hardened as the laughter died down. A few of the other students came over to stare out the window.

"We're not in storm season yet, but sometimes they come in early if the Ural Bay is particularly stormy. The storms from the bay are fierce. The magic from the battle is making the conditions worse."

"Remember last season? Forest fires burned ten villages to the ground. Then tornadoes blew apart five more. It was brutal."

"You forgot the beasts! Magical beasts often accompany the storms. Hopefully, we just get storm eagles. They'll ignore the city and go straight for the battlefield."

Early the next morning, a loud rumbling breaking through the pitter patter of rain woke Aayla up from her sleep. The rumbling sounded like a freight train and grew louder each second. Something enormous slammed into the city. The city barrier flickered in the darkness as the magical beasts screamed in terror.

Her eyes could barely make out a column of pure darkness in the distance. She could hear things smashing into the barrier even from miles away. These were smaller, like bodies, boulders or trees. Then more enormous columns slammed into the barrier.

Sirens blared to warn the citizens. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The glow of fire peaked out of the darkness. It spread throughout the forest surrounding the city. Aayla quickly put on some clothes then locked herself in the bathroom.

Hours later, only the gentle taps of rain hitting the barrier remained. Aayla carefully unlocked the bathroom door and peaked outside. Her room was still fine. She heaved a sigh of relief. After splashing water on her face, Aayla was ready for the day.

Someone would deliver the latest news to Daren. A few of the Halcyon Guards were always protecting the penthouse. If the military didn't deliver any news, the Guard would. Servants and staff were cleaning the penthouse when she arrived.

"Excuse me? What happened to the occupants of this room? I'm supposed to meet with them."

"The previous guests have decided to change rooms. You might find them in the lobby. Please step aside. We have much work to do."

Several guests rudely pushed by Aayla on her way down to the lounge. She spotted Chris and Daren as soon as she arrived. The Halcyon Guards stood around them in the lounge as they talked with the staff at the front desk.

The staff guided them to some seats in the lobby and served tea while the manager hurriedly addressed the crowd forming in front of him. The guards kept their eyes on Aayla as she approached, but ultimately let her pass.

"Is everything all right with your room? The staff was cleaning like crazy when I tried to go inside."

Daren grimaced. "The guards are just being overprotective. After the storm last night, they decided that being in a room with floor to ceiling windows on top of the hotel was a bad idea. The manger is trying to help us find another room to switch with."

"Ah! So, is that why several people were in a huge hurry to go down?"

Aayla sat and chatted with them until the staff returned with keys to a new room. A large group of overdressed guests won the right to the penthouse suite and happily went up the stairs. The manager called up a few of the people camping out in the lobby and gave them the keys of the rooms that Daren didn't need.

The rest of the crowd grumbled as they dispersed. Aayla helped carry Daren's bags up the stairs. The room had been completely trashed. Several mystery fluids stained the carpet and room smelled like vomit. Chris pinched his nose and sneered.

"Ugh. Those nouveau riche pigs! This was the room in the best condition?"

Daren just waved his hand and a refreshing scent filled the room. The mystery stains were gone and the furniture was fixed.

"Thank you, sir wizard."

"Just change the linens and whatever else that you can that the previous occupants might have touched."

"Right away, sir!"

Relieved, the servants quickly finished replacing what they could and left. Aayla put the suitcase in her hands down on the bed before looking outside the window. Lighting flashed constantly above. She pointed out the lightshow to Daren and Chris.

"Is that caused by magic too?"

"No. The storm eagles are here."

"Please step away from the windows, young master."

Chris pulled Daren back and cast a spell on the windows before shutting the curtains. Two guards remained inside while the others stood outside the room.

"Storm eagles? Like what we saw on the day that we first met in Forest Waypoint months ago?"

"Exactly. They love the stormy Ural Bay. If bad weather blows in from the bay, then storm eagles aren't far behind. Staying on the top floor of a building with them around is extremely dangerous. They should focus on the corpses remaining on the battlefield, though."

Aayla felt like she discovered the real reason why the Halcyon Guards wanted their young master to change rooms. They lost the view, but it wasn't worth dealing with storm eagles and bad weather if the barrier didn't hold.

Jacki and the Halcyon students quickly joined them. The room was very crowded but no one minded. They were safe for now, and that was the important part.