Chapter 172 Wings of War
The nest.
The servants of the nest spent the night filling cloth pouches with nails, stones, and broken fragments of iron and steel. Early in the morning, they began saddling the five Pegasi. The riders wore leather vests and trousers and donned cloth masks covering their mouths and noses. Finally, the servants secured large cloths with ropes over the noses and mouths of the Pegasi. They knew that the air would become increasingly filled with ash as the day progressed. They were lined up in a row, preparing to take off. The Master Rider had not seen so many Pegasi ready for takeoff since he was a young assistant. His voice was a mixture of pride, fear, and nostalgia.
Néstor: Riders! Never fly lower than Grey Wing! They will shoot at you, but their arrows cannot reach us at this altitude! Look for the lines of crossbowmen, fly over them, and drop a handful of those things from your pouches! When your bags are empty, look for messengers on horseback riding alone toward strange places, or groups of soldiers far from combat!
Danilo: If we find Aurelio, we can win! Floriano, wings to the wind!
Floriano: Death from above!
In less than half an hour, the five Pegasi were in the air, searching for the enemy. Queen Olivia insisted on taking the sword of her great-grandfather into battle.
When the soldiers on the defensive walls saw her, they shouted: Queen Olivia the Fearless!
North of the defensive walls and gates.
The soldiers of Aurelio marched toward the three gates and toward numerous points along the walls, pushing wheeled siege towers constructed from armor, shields, and timber sourced from the farms situated north of the city. Along the three paths leading to the great gates, siege engines as large as houses advanced. Inside, they contained enormous battering rams and weapons designed to fire through small hatches that could be opened and closed. The soldiers called them armored turtles. They offered excellent protection against any weapon that might strike them. Inside, the soldiers remained safe and could attack the gates to force them open. Behind each formation stood companies of mounted soldiers, ready to charge through any breach.
On the walls.
Marco and Frieder reloaded crossbows and handed them to the soldiers stationed on the walls. Whenever a port opened, the soldiers fired bolts at the men inside. The two young men used their strong, youthful muscles to keep the crossbowmen supplied and ready. Antonio and Gunther stood beside large cauldrons of boiling oil. Carefully, they filled clay grenades with the liquid, sealed them and carried them to a ballista to be launched against the towers. Yegor, with determination, hoisted heavy stones up to the engineers to be fired from a large ballista.
Each one was ready to fight if the soldiers entered the city. Each one thought of the people for whom they would die to protect. Mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers, boyfriends, the girls they loved, and the queen. They understood, from the faces of the soldiers, that they would probably lose. But they had discovered something important in their hearts: the honor of a noble struggle. They saw it in the eyes of the abused women they had saved. They saw it in the death of their comrade, Paco. They would fight to the death if necessary.
Behind them stood the knights, ready to defend the first gate to be breached. Like the young men, these soldiers harbored within their hearts noble reasons for which to die, should it prove necessary. They heard the attacks at the gate of the king and realized that the gates would soon give way. They adjusted their bandages and armor and prepared to mount. Death awaited them.
In the air, towards the east.
The humans and their Pegasi flew toward the nest to land. They were too exhausted to help. Their bodies needed rest and purer air. But they were not the only Pegasi in the air.
They were the males who had been banished from their nests. They had committed acts against the family. Many of them flew alongside the new All-Mother and her rider.
One of them was seventy-six years old. He was the eldest of the Bad Feathers. For forty years, he had lived alone in the mountains. He had fought for every piece of food. Sometimes, his heart was filled with hatred. At other times, he was so sad that he would not eat for days and did not care if he died. His coat was black and matted. His mane, tail, and wings were dark gray and unkempt. He bore scars from battles against wolves, pumas, and even the great grizzly bears of the mountains. He was the same size as an adult female Pegasus.
He and the others have heard a voice in their minds over the last few weeks. It was the voice of the All-Mother, who had remained silent for decades. Her voice and the images were like a dream from their youth.
The new All-Mother pushed the same thoughts to them: You can have a family again. A different family. Use your strength, your anger, and your capacity to fight.
They did not want to believe it. But they had seen a well known Bad Feather or One-Eye, as they called him. His feathers were neatly arranged, and his fur looked clean. He was carrying a biped on his back and seemed happy. They would help the bipeds. They would fight.
They dove from the air toward the enormous things of leather and steel moving across the land. The old one was the first to arrive. He tucked in his legs, head, and wings, pressing them tight against his body, and let the full force of his weight and speed slam into the armored turtle in the center.
The structure was knocked over onto its side. The massive battering ram crashed to the ground, trapping several men beneath it. The remaining men were left exposed to the arrows of the soldiers stationed on the walls. The Pegasus regained his balance and launched into the air, using his wings to lift himself slightly as he charged at the men. His spurs were almost the size of a sword. He kicked every man who approached and chased groups of them as they fled. He bit the arm of a soldier and hurled him against the wall. The man screamed as he flew through the air, but his screams ceased upon impact with the stone.
In the space between the gates at each end, and at many points along the walls, Pegasi attacked the towers and armored turtles. Soldiers fell dead beneath hooves, spurs, arrows, spears, and boiling oil. The infantry of Aurelio retreated in disorganized groups.