Caspian ran to the General.
"A giantess was just dropped from the sky," Caspian pointed, unsure if the General had seen. "Gargoyles! They attack females. Get all the women inside, immediately."
The General nodded. "Give the command. Protect the giantess; her relatives are our allies, and perhaps the gargoyles can be killed most efficiently if they swarm to the largest female in the area."
Caspian didn't waste time turning to his assembled men as another screech rent the air.
"HARPOONS TO THE SKY! WOMEN GET TO SHELTER! NO FEMALE CAN BE LEFT OUT!"
As there had never been reason to bring horses or other animals on fishing voyages, the limits of what females the gargoyles gravitated towards had not been fully tested, but Caspian's mental question was shortly answered when one swooped from the sky and carried off a mare.
There was no time to worry about that, and he continued to organize his men. They had never gone to war, but many or most had seen gargoyles.
With their swords and harpoons at the ready, they gathered into tight groups facing all around to guard each other.
A young man Caspian recognized came over as he was giving his final commands.
"I'm to report to you Sir. The General said I'm to help you with whatever you need."
"Peter, isn't it?" The Commodore's son looked over the young man who was so smitten with the matchmaker, Mayra. He didn't look wonderful.
"Yes, sir." Peter smiled briefly.
"Do you know what's happened?"
"We're being attacked from below by goblins, and from above by gargoyles." Peter's eyebrows drew together.
A loud roar of anger shook the ground. The giantess must have regained consciousness. They needed to get her calm so that she didn't break her bonds and destroy the city.
"And… whatever that is?" Peter blinked in alarm.
"We're off to the Garden Square. We have a giant to protect," Caspian took off running with his men, expecting the young man to follow.
Peter was frozen in place for a moment before he gathered his wits.
"A what??"
He ran to catch up, holding his side carefully. He must be injured.
"A giantess fell from the sky, I suspect to lure the gargoyles to our world." Caspian explained.
Peter gaped a moment, but collected himself quickly enough to earn a measure of the elder's respect.
When they arrived in the square, the scene was utter chaos.
The giantess, still bound, was flailing as best she could to shake off the gargoyles swarming her flesh.
Thrashing her head and mighty legs, she was decimating fountains and trees of the gardens, and coming too close to the buildings for anyone's taste.
The gargoyles were undeterred by her efforts at warding them off, though many found enticing targets across the city.
"Kill as many as you can! None can get away to harm the women of the city!" Caspian called, and the men spaced out around the giantess, each evaluating which targets to take down first without being endangered by the enormous limbs of the woman at the center of it all.
Caspian struggled to remember the briefings. Roland had mentioned the name of the only other living giant. What had it been?
Flora, or something similar. He hoped he could get close enough to her name to catch her attention. He walked closer to her head, walking around so that he might see her face and she see his. Fyora? No…
"Fjorna!" He called, and her eyes snapped to him. An enraged panic filled them, mixed with a primal fear.
"We will help you! We will kill the gargoyles! We have peace with Jarnsaxa! Please try not to thrash and crush us while we help!"
The giantess was gagged as well. Why, he didn't really know. She grunted as she nodded once, and the volume of it hurt his ears. It was a wonder the gargoyles didn't flinch away from her, but their feeding frenzy continued.
With the giantess's assent given, the soldiers charged in. Caspian found that he was particularly eager to rid the world of the beasts that had once stolen his wife.
The gargoyles' long claws and batlike wings made it difficult to fight one head-on, but their hunger was to the men's advantage. When one landed to feed, a stealthy man could get close before being noticed and use the element of surprise to his advantage.
Gargoyles began to fall to their swords, but it didn't last long.
Caspian swept his blade across the neck of a second one, and its eyes began to dim in death. The screeching of the gargoyles changed pitch slightly, and their attention turned from feeding to defending themselves from attack.
A clap of thunder marked the moment, along with a flash of lightning.
Caspian had been in many a storm, with rain so torrential that he could hardly see. However, he'd never been in a storm of snow.
The white flakes streaming from above impeded his view far more than rain, and the wind drove the falling things into curious and confusing swirls.
The gargoyles, too, seemed momentarily confused by the weather. The one beside him held out its hand and tried to grab the snow.
Peter's sword found its way to the creature's heart before it could fully grasp its hand. The sight pulled Caspian back into the battle.
The young man assigned to aid him was apparently well-versed in war. His fluid movements and battle style were almost hypnotic, though Caspian couldn't afford to hold still enough to be mesmerized.
The giantess was obviously doing her best to hold still, but still occasionally flinched when bitten or struck. It was enough to keep the men wary of being too close to her. The scent of blood permeated the frosty air, with that of the creatures joining the giant's lifeblood in marring the white snow.
Those who had no taste for fighting off the men flapped their mighty wings, determined to find easier targets within this vast, strange place in which they had suddenly found themselves.
The portal had finally closed, having let in countless numbers of the vicious gargoyles. Caspian wondered briefly if they would ever be able to kill them all, or if some stragglers would get away to establish colonies in this world.
That could not be allowed to happen.
"Archers, take down the strays!" He called. Some men fell back from the hand to hand combat and drew their bows, aiming for the necks of the flying creatures. Their hide almost everywhere else was too thick for arrows to pierce easily.
A few fell, many more got away. Plenty were still in the immediate area, being hunted down by his men. There were injuries, and men being taken to the infirmaries. This was not how Caspian imagined war to be.
A sound from above made him react on instinct. He whirled around and raised his blade in a fluid motion. The gargoyle that had been swooping down to attack him deflected the blade with a clawed foot, bringing an arm down in a killing stroke.
Caspian rolled with the first hit, landing in the snow and narrowly avoiding the razor sharp claws that had aimed for his face. He brought his sword up again and nicked the attacking hand, enraging the creature.
It roared, its putrid breath freezing in the air. Caspian took the moment to get to his feet and take a defensive stance, his back to the giantess's body. It was a risk; at any moment she could flinch or roll, crushing him.
The gargoyle flapped its grey wings twice, rising a few feet off the ground, and glared down at Caspian. He thought for a moment it might escape to find prey elsewhere in the city, but suddenly it dove towards him, fangs and claws ready.
His last defense had not been ideal, but he maintained his stance and kept his sword aimed for the gargoyle's throat. Again, it deflected Caspian's sword with one limb, ready to block his roll this time.
Instead, he feinted left and snatched a dagger from his belt, stabbing it in the chest as it lunged for him.
He missed its heart, assuming it had a heart, because it screamed and thrashed, catching him across the head with one clawed hand.
Caspian barely felt it, so determined was he to kill the creature before him. Still, the blow was hard enough to blur his vision and affect his balance. He twisted the dagger and shoved it deeper, and the creature's flailing slowed and ceased.
They fell to the ground together, Caspian exhausted by the fighting, or by the blow.
He tried to focus on the white snow, but oddly, it seemed quite red, even in the semi-darkness of the lamplit square.
Peter ran over, limping slightly, and knelt beside him.
"Caspian! Sir, are you alright?" He didn't wait for an answer before beginning to shout orders to the Cetoan men. That seemed presumptuous, even if he had spent time among them before.
"Get a stretcher! We need to get him to the infirmary!"
"I'm fine," Caspian slurred, then frowned. His vision still hadn't cleared in one eye. In fact… he brought his hand up to his face. It was warm and hot with blood. He realized just as he began to lose consciousness that he couldn't see at all on that side.