Peter's eyes flickered from Roland and Judah's retreating backs to Riley's face.
His commanding officer's jaw was already turning a sour shade of purple. Riley had barely reacted after being punched in the face. He'd expected a flare of temper or something, but the man had calmly directed that Roland be handed a sword and lamp.
Then he'd scooped up a handful of snow to hold against his chin while they waited for something to happen. The moment had dragged on until a man emerged from the darkness of the tunnels.
He'd been a peacekeeper, holding a box. What an odd thing.
"F-Finn. B-box important," The man had stuttered, gripping it tightly. "G-g-g-goblins."
The mood of the soldiers guarding the tunnel immediately tensed, and the drawn swords and spears were raised higher as they pointed to the opening into the ground.
"How many goblins? Where does the box need to go?" Riley had demanded.
"S-s-safe. Keep it s-s-safe." The man had been overtaken with shaking, and Riley had ordered that he be taken to the nearest military clinic for warming and treatment. Roland had come out with Finn a short time later.
Riley still held the box in his hands as the Rhone Prince rounded the corner away.
"Peter." Riley's firm voice snapped the younger soldier out of his reverie.
"Yes, sir?" Peter saluted.
"Take this box to Central Command at the City Hall. Take one of the horses. Report to the General. Keep it safe." His tone, along with his rank, brooked no argument.
"Yes, Sir!" Peter saluted again, with strongly mixed emotions.
The box was important, but he was being reduced to a courier. He should stay here, fighting side by side with the men.
Did Riley trust him with an extremely important task, or want him out of danger now that he was officially engaged to Riley's sister?
It was hard to tell, but that didn't matter now. Orders were orders. He took the box and mounted one of the horses, keeping it in front of him on the saddle.
"Yah!" He pressed his heels into the mare's flanks and rode swiftly towards the city center where the General would be coordinating the defense of Klain. It wasn't too far a distance, but he pushed the horse into a full gallop anyway.
Some form of earthquake shook the ground, and the mare whinnied and shied. Peter urged it to calm down, barely managing to get her under control and urge her to run again. Had the goblins broken through somewhere?
This was a type of battle no one had thought to train for; attack from below was not something land-dwellers were particularly adept at.
The Cetoans had brought an interesting dynamic to the strategic table, being used to threats from underneath.
Of course, a whale was quite a different thing than a horde of goblins.
A rumble of thunder caught his attention, and he blinked for a moment up at the sky. The snow had resumed falling, and at a heavy pace. A lightning snowstorm was quite a rare thing. He couldn't remember ever experiencing one, in fact.
How odd that it should happen now, when they were under attack. Or ominous. With trepidation, he stared at the sky.
The lamps of the city had been lit, and soldiers stood at intervals watching the ground, from where the threat was going to burst.
No one else was looking up.
A dark figure swooped past his view, and he instinctively ducked. What was that??
Another swoop, and a strange sound. Bats? Were there giant bats?
He came within view of the command center, where fevered activity was driving soldiers everywhere.
He slowed his horse, and saw Caspian's wild-eyed gaze searching the skies while yelling instructions.
"HARPOONS TO THE SKY! WOMEN GET TO SHELTER! NO FEMALE CAN BE LEFT OUT!"
Peter's eyes widened as understanding slammed into him. These couldn't be–
His thought cut off as he was hit with the force of a battering ram. He crashed into the ground, and blinding pain flashed through his mind. He heard the stomach-churning sound of a horse's death cries, and as his vision cleared, he saw a horrifying spectacle.
A gargoyle, for that is what it must have been, ripping out his mare's throat with its teeth before gleefully carrying its prize off to the sky.
Peter was frozen in place as he watched the chaos. With the absence of the mare, the gargoyles seemed to lose interest in the immediate area.
A bellowing roar broke through his dim thoughts.
"No! Where is Prince Roland?" The General was yelling. "He must tell the giants not to come into the city, no matter what!"
Peter stumbled to his feet, his side protesting. He must have broken a rib or two in the fall from the horse. The box, thankfully, was intact, and he snatched it up.
"Sir!" He saluted his far-superior officer.
"What is it?" The General demanded.
"Report. Prince Roland has rescued Finn from the goblins in the tunnels. I believe he was taking her home. She was barely alive. She said this box is important."
That last part was actually relayed from the Peacekeeping soldier, but the General likely wouldn't have patience for details like that.
The General looked at him, and then down at the box in his hands. He took it seriously, and handed it to his aide. "Have the Treasurer put this in the metal vault. It must be kept safe, no matter what."
Peter blinked. What could be so important? He'd expected questions on the topic, but obviously this box was a need-to-know type of object. And the General obviously knew more than he did.
"You say Roland went home?" He asked.
"I believe so, Sir." Peter nodded.
The General's mouth thinned. "You're… aren't you the same soldier who fought off the pack of wolves single handedly?"
"Um, mostly, Sir." He hated taking too much credit for that incident.
"That was quite a fall just now, are you fit to fight?" The General asked.
Peter stood up straighter, trying to hide the wince that flashed across his face as pain stabbed his ribs.
"Yes, Sir!"
The General looked skeptical but nodded.
"Accompany Caspian, and help him with what he needs." The General said, then pulled another soldier aside. "You! Go to Roland's home and find out the status of Finn. Portokali! Go to Lysander, the former Provider, and have him coordinate with the giants in Roland's absence. Caspian will deal with the one in the middle of the Garden Square..."
_______________
Caspian was out of breath. Roland had jumped onto that alarming creature's back and taken off into the semi-lit streets.
All the Cetoan man could do was sprint after him. It was difficult; he'd never endured such bitter cold in the air! The currents in the sea by his home kept the settlements fairly temperate year round. Though the winters were colder, they were never like this.
His breath heaved out in clouds of fog. He knew the horn indicated the city was in danger, and the troops should report immediately to their stations. He was to report to the center of the city. He knew which direction it was, but the tracks of Roland's beast veered away from that destination.
Oh well. He would do his duty and leave Roland to whatever tasks the man thought necessary.
He passed by an open space, the second-largest one in Klain, after the one in front of the City Hall. The square was full of gardens and fountains, around an open paved area meant for large celebrations and meetings.
A sudden unease gripped him. It was a cloudy night, but suddenly it seemed even darker.
Looking up, he saw what looked like a massive hole high in the sky, directly over the square. A hole full of darkness that seemed to creep outward.
No, fall?
Something was falling.
He ran towards his post, away from the square, glancing over his shoulder.
An absolutely enormous woman was falling from high in the sky.
He was clear of where she would hit the earth, which was thankfully over the square, not over houses. A minor miracle, except that it was near the center of the city.
When she landed, the ground quaked. Without his practice dealing with the waves of the sea during storms, he would likely have lost his footing.
He stared a moment at the woman. She could be nothing except a giant. But where had she come from?
Her skin was covered in little bleeding gashes which seemed to predate her unfortunate plunge from the heavens. Despite all of that, she was still breathing, though apparently unconscious. Her hands and feet were bound with thick ropes.
He looked upward, at the gaping hole that still hung in the sky like a fissure. It seemed suddenly to roil, and clouds burst forth with a roll of thunder.
His eyes widened in alarm, immediately recognizing what was coming.
He drew his sword and sprinted towards his destination, desperate to rally his men, and those of Klain, against the gargoyles.
The sounds were familiar to him. The screeches and cries. He hoped to himself silently that Naomi would stay inside. He had told her to, before he left.
Reaching the command post, he saw the General and directly approached him. The older man nodded curtly, his eyes stoic.
War was underway.