The Tower in the Shadows

Averance had won.

The adventurers in Shadow Vale celebrated well into the night.

Across the land in the territory of Nygar, the men and women guarding the riverbank opposite Folly's End knew nothing of this.

"By the gods, it's gone cold," Rod complained. He looked over to his companion, the older guard, Bud. He received no reply or acknowledgement, as the older man had wrapped himself in his blanket and was dozing with his head against the wooden parapet.

Rod shook his head and looked out across the land from the tower.

Most of the moons were away this night, and what few were out were barely half full. This cuts visibility to almost nothing. Usually, he would see the river even with a bit of moonlight reflecting off it. But this night, heavy clouds had rolled in, and a light mist had also arrived.

Rod looked out and could barely make out the other towers in the distance to the north and south. He disliked night shifts, especially on nights like these, when you could see nothing. They all knew the dangers from across the river, but every day, we are thankful that they had not crossed. It kept them awake during their shifts as they heard the monsters crying out in the night.

The wind was colder and was beginning to bite. He shivered slightly as it was coming from the other side of the river to the east.

Something was wrong. A sudden certainty of it came over him, and he began to think what had stirred his instincts. He lacked any skills or abilities in sensing danger and had to rely on his instincts, which he had come to respect and trust. He didn't wake his snoozing companion but continued to look around, trying to identify the source of his concern.

He was standing on the platform of a wooden tower that was barebones to say the least. It had a roof with a gap between it and the upper part of the wall, allowing them to see around the area. The platform was constructed on a sturdy wooden frame. A ladder was the means of climbing from the ground up to the platform. A trap door in the centre of the platform was the egress point.

It was an old design, but a reliable one that everyone trusted. This one had been further augmented with a magical flare system to signal danger to the fortified positions further back from the river.

The guards had been discussing the setup and all secretly hoped that no one would be on duty that day or night they had to activate those flares. That meant that the horrors on the other side of the river had crossed, and their nation would be in danger.

The wind blew again, and he shivered more. The cold was starting to bite.

He still couldn't see any dangers, but the night was growing dark as the clouds grew heavier and the mist turned into a fog.

He leaned on the parapet, gazing down at the ground before looking back out at the countryside and river around him.

His visibility had been severely reduced, and he could barely see beyond 20 or 30 meters now. He can no longer make out the other towers in the distance, which were not unknown. He had been on duty before, particularly during winter nights or days when visibility dropped to nothing. It just meant they had to be more vigilant.

Bud began snoring softly. Roger shook his head and didn't bother turning around. The older guard was notorious for falling asleep on duty. He remained a basic Guardsman, having been demoted multiple times after being called to court by his seniors and punished for his actions.

The fog was growing thicker and swirling around the few trees and the many rocks around the watchtower.

Rod didn't see anything, but they were still telling him that there was something wrong, something he was missing.

The cold was getting stronger, and he pulled up his own blanket and wrapped it around him. He was dressed in his armour, which was leather with under padding, but the cold was now starting to seep through it, along with his gloves.

He was beginning to think about waking up Bud and asking him to look around to see if he was missing something. The older man was easy to work with unless his sleep was disturbed.

He turned and began to reach for the other man. His breath clouding before him…

Ross suddenly stopped and exhaled deeply.

His breath turned to a cloud in front of him straightaway. In winter or late autumn and early spring, you will be bothered, but not in late summer? No, something was wrong.

"Bud, wake up, you lazy son of a whore!" Rod roared as he turned and looked out across the land once again.

"What!" Bud was walking straight up by Rod's, yelling.

Rod did not look straight out across the land and the tower; he saw something that terrified him. Frost was forming on the parapet, and the fog was so dense that he could barely see a few metres away from the tower. It was becoming difficult even to see the ground below him. Rod pulled his sword from its scabbard.

"Why did you wake me up, boy?" Bud asked as he got back to his feet, still sleepy but more alert now that he had seen his companion draw his sword.

Again, Rod didn't answer. He was looking out intently into the fog rolling around the watchtower. He wasn't sure at first, but now he was sure that there was movement out there. His companion moved up to see what he was looking at.

"Fire the flares," Rod said quietly, looking out into the fog around them.

"What? Are you mad? You will be punished for doing that!" Bud was awake now but still hadn't realised the danger they were in.

Rod said nothing but turned and reached up, grabbing the trigger mechanism. Without hesitation, he triggered it, which released a magical flare into the sky. The red flare exploded with light and slowly began drifting down to the ground, illuminating the area. It was powerful enough to cut through most of the fog and could be seen for miles in any weather condition.

The flickering light was caused by the fog around them, which danced and twisted in weird and strange ways. Bud was angry with his young companion, but looked out anyway into the fog, and he saw things out there moving.

"Xandus's tits!" He exclaimed, drawing his sword.

"How many?" Rod asked his companion.

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"Too many." Came the reply. It was calm from the certainty that he was looking at his death. "Fire all the flares."

Rod triggered them all, releasing another two into the sky. Looking to the north and south, he spotted others in the distance.

"They've crossed." He said, even though it was apparent what had happened. The cold was getting worse, and ice was forming on the wooden parapet.

"Yes, they have." Bud was considered a bit of a coward among the Guards, but right now, he was a rock of calmness. Rod, too, was terrified, but he had also understood what this meant and accepted his fate.

Before he could say anything, something hit the frame of the watchtower hard, and the whole structure shook. Both men were able to hold on and stay standing. Bud and Rod ran over and looked down at the spot where the impact had occurred.

A twisted abomination was climbing up the frame. Fear and horror swept through both men, but they both knew that there was nowhere to go.

"Here we stand, boy. Here we stand, then here we die." Bud announced.

"Do you think the alarms have been sighted?" He asked his companion as the structure around them groaned with the weight of the monster climbing up it.

"We can but pray."

## ## ## ## ##

Squad leader Vandar was on rotation as watch officer this night. The village they were based in was part of the second line of fortifications guarding the river. They were situated several miles behind the watchtowers. A wooden keep was established that housed six squads of cavalry and his unit of infantry.

The keep had a wooden outer wall surrounding the main wooden keep. The plan was to defend the outer wall while the villagers evacuated from their homes into the inner area. Then they would pull back and guard the keep until reinforcements arrived. Publicly, that was the plan, but many of the older guard and military personnel knew that it was only a temporary measure. If the monsters had crossed the river, things would have gone badly, and help would likely have arrived.

The night was dark, and fog had rolled in. The air was far colder than it should be, and he was thankful he was wearing his padded armour tonight. He had just done a patrol of the walls and was looking out westward towards the river.

He couldn't see anything due to the fog.

He sighed to himself and planned to do another circuit. Before he turned away, the sky in the West became illuminated by red glows that he could barely see through the fog.

Alarm flares!

Firing one off would be a punishable offence to any Guardsman or woman who did it. He was about to dispatch a patrol to investigate the situation. Suddenly, several more lit up to the north and south.

He was frozen in place for several seconds before he started yelling, "Alarm flares! Alarm Flares! Raise the alarm!"

His voice carried, and the few members of the guard on duty suddenly sprang into action after a few moments of standing in action. The alarm bells started to ring, awakening the whole crew to the danger.

"Night Patrol ride! Get the villagers awake. Man, the walls." Vandar was the officer on duty and had the authority to act accordingly. It had been made clear to all officers that they were required to do this if the alarm flares were fired. There have been a few false alarms, but overall, the system has worked well. Tonight, it faces its actual test.

A horseman was mounting in the courtyard between the walls. The night patrol was a rapid reaction unit that would be dispatched to investigate incidents. The other cavalry units would be assigned either to ride out to spread the alarm or to man the walls. The alarm was raised, and everyone was awake and scrambling around to man their positions.

The eight horses and their riders left as Captain Dyson ran up to the parapet.

"Report!" He demanded.

"Alarm flares, sir! Multiple sightings along the line." Vandor pointed to the glowing magical lights in the distance. The older man was a veteran and grey from decades of service. His face was angry, but as soon as he saw the lights, he went around adding additional orders, preparing them for combat and siege.

Below them, the village was awake. They had been drilled on what to expect if the alarm was active. Many were still standing around trying to figure out what was happening, but the smart ones were already moving towards the keep.

"Get a squat out and get those people moving!" Dyson yelled down to an officer below. Vandor had left the outer wall and made his way back into the keep. His position was defending the western side of that structure. His squad was on duty on the outer wall and would also be moving in with him as they swapped out with other members of the garrison.

Everything around them was controlled chaos as men and women rushed to and fro, getting into position or simply donning their armour as they moved. The first civilians were arriving and moving to their assigned positions inside the keep. It would be crowded, but they all knew what they were required to do. Many of the willing would be manning the walls, supporting the garrison.

Vandor was now on a parapet slightly higher than the outer one. He just reached there when another flare ignited in the fogbound dark. Much closer this time. He realised with dread that it was the patrol that had been sent out.

"Seal the gates!" He heard Dyson roar.

Those manning it did not hesitate and began closing them as people were rushing through. Many villagers were still trapped outside, but they had been too slow in rallying themselves and making their way to the keep.

"Sir!" Vandor turned and found one of his squad holding a sealed emergency message scroll out to him. He took it without a word, knowing that it was his duty to send the message if certain things happened.

The fog was now rolling over the walls. He could still see them, but they were now softened. It was then that they began to hear sounds out there beyond them. Sounds that were not natural or human.

A heavy thunk signalled that the main doors were closed and barred. It seemed most of the villagers had successfully made their way in before it was closed, but a few were trapped outside, demanding and crying to be let in. Those who were made didn't stop and entered the central keep. Another squad was stationed there, prepared to close the doors and seal them if the outer wall was breached or if they received orders to do so.

Tension was building all around them as they all knew what was happening. The sounds outside the walls were increasing. The horses in the stables, near the outer walls, were whinnying in terror.

Dyson had elected to lead the defence of the outer walls, which is his prerogative as the commanding officer. Vandor, as officer of the watch, now commanded the keep. Four-fifths of the garrison manned the wall; the rest, with the civilians, were in the keep.

Hopefully, this would weaken the numbers they were facing. That was the plan.

Men and women on the wall began calling out that they were seeing things out in the night. They all knew that they would be attacked very soon. By now, the bulk of them were in position and ready, with the last few stragglers arriving.

The sounds of howling and screeching around the walls increased, building towards something…. But then suddenly stopped.

The silence was deafening and total.

A single mighty roar was heard from near the gates, and the sounds of something heavy running towards them began to echo from the fog.

Cries of alarm from those manning the parapet above the gates were heard before something smashed through them with explosive force. The gates were logs reinforced with iron and could withstand a battering ram for at least an hour, but we never hit them; we went through them as if it wasn't even there.

The abomination led the way, and from the gates, dozens more followed.

"Seal the gates!" Vandor yelled down to the squad there. He didn't need to, as they were already sealing the gates.

He looks back at the outer wall and the men and women desperately fighting there. Skills and spells were triggered as they desperately fought for their lives. More abominations were coming over the walls as well as through the ruined gateway. The outer wall would not fall in hours as they had hoped, but within minutes.

Vandor calmly opened the scroll and laid it out in front of him on a flat piece of the parapet. He pulled out a charcoal pencil and began to write on its surface, knowing the spell would trigger and send his words straight away, further back to all the command posts in the other defensive lines.

Alarm flares triggered. Keep Dyson under attack. Outer wall falling. Keep will fall by dawn at best.

He kept his word simple. The command would want more information, but they would also understand that he had the time to send it.

Most of the defenders of the outer wall were now dead. Only one or two of the abominations that attack them lie on the ground, too. Many sported wounds, but he knew that would not slow what was out there. Captain Dyson had rallied the last of the defenders, and they were making their stand.

Vandor heard the other members of the guard around him calling out that the walls were being climbed. They were engaging where they could with arrows and bolts from crossbows. A few spells were also being set to slow the monsters assaulting them. Vandor drew his sword and looked over the edge. He counted the bodies as they climbed the walls.

He had been optimistic about holding until dawn.