The Thieves Guild
by Jake Care.
Episode 131:
The Battle of Trader's Bridge.
Even the smaller tributaries that flowed through Ness were mighty rivers.
While Trader's Bridge did not get the same admiration as the mile-long Great Bridge,
it was still a feat of engineering. With two foundational
supports, one on the upper quarter side and one on the lower quarter side,
the arched bridge spanned the North Fork, whose strong current was a challenge
to navigate both upstream and downstream.
The bridge was wide enough for large wagons to navigate in both directions,
and it was often used for that purpose.
With that in mind, Rogers had intended on sending a dozen or so
wagons to the other side, and then tipping them over and defending the wreckage as it
blocked the bridge.
He changed his mind after a short discussion with Ji.
Sometimes necessity creates something special, and Rogers felt that way about
his newfound partnership with Ji. Whenever he had an idea and directed it to
her, she made it better. That was the case as he looked at the stream of
wagons making their way across Trader's Bridge.
With the destruction in the lower quarter, the flow of wagons with goods for delivery
had backed up into a chaotic obstruction on the road along the river.
Most goods and supplies from the outer fields and the mines were delivered via the
rivers, but there were a significant amount that were directly delivered via
wagons to Craft Guild members that operated in workshops near the
warehouse district. Rogers' plan to block the bridge was simple,
and depended on the prompt reinforcement by masses of Harvest Guild members,
who would stream across the bridge to overwhelm the knights, craftsmen, and
merchants.
Rogers knew that the best hope for Orion and Sax was if they were to blow up Trader's
Bridge and focus their attack where they had an advantage, the wall and
via their armored ships.
With the Rangers siding with the Harvest Guild, there was no hope for the knights to
prevail, but they could extend the war for a long and bloody time if
they did one simple thing, destroy Trader's Bridge.
Rogers was going to prevent that by all means necessary.
Sir, if the goal is to protect the bridge, wouldn't it be better
to create a more challenging barrier than wood and rolls of cloth?
Indeed it would. What do you have in mind?
Ji pointed in the direction of Harvest House.
The coal and ore from the mines used by our guild flows to a storage warehouse near
Harvest House. That is done via wagons, not boats.
It will take more time, but I recommend we find a few wagons of coal, drive them over the
bridge, and set fire to them on the other side.
It will burn hot and long, and stop anyone from attacking via the bridge.
Rogers nodded as he looked at the bridge and then back up the road to where
it led to Harvest House. "We don't have much time."
I'll rally wagons that are already on the road. If we need more, then we can use the other wagons.
And thus it was that less than an hour later, Rogers watched as
a fortified force of Harvest Guild members led six large wagons of
coal over Trader's Bridge,
followed by over a half dozen other heavily laden wagons.
Trotting alongside the caravan was a draft horse with a large flagon of oil
and a rider with flint and torches at the ready.
An older guard with a long beard and a stout build watched nearby as he leaned on
a large broadsword. "You there, what's your name?"
Fram, sir.
"Well met, Fram. Do you know who is fleet of foot or has access to a horse?"
"I have a horse, but it is in the guard stable downriver."
"I need to know from Esmeralda or Polowyn when the guild forces will arrive.
I don't know how long we can hold the bridge, and timing is critical.
Can you rush to Harvest House with the message and let me know how much time we will need to hold?"
"Aye, sir."
The man rushed off, and Rogers suddenly had a bad feeling.
He had expected to see a small yet steady stream of guild members amassing
nearby. As word spread, he expected them to arrive as the families
did in the pit, with pitchforks, knives, clubs, and
brooms. He didn't know how well they would be armed, but he expected his
main challenge to be organizing the ever-increasing mass of guild members
looking to contribute to the war.
Instead, he saw very little activity at all.
He turned his attention to the bridge.
Ji was leading the wagons across, moving slowly at the fore with armored
guards, keeping an eye out for archers.
He didn't want to see his forces mowed down like he had done to the knights earlier.
She disappeared over the top of the arch at the midway point of the bridge.
A short time later, someone shouted and pointed at the bridge.
Rogers peered out and saw dust or smoke arising from the distance.
"You there," Rogers yelled toward a young boy.
"See what is happening and report back."
The boy ran off without even replying.
Rogers watched as the boy reached the top of the arch, paused, and
sprinted back even faster than he had left.
A wagon is aflame, sir, just past the midway point.
Something had gone horribly wrong. The wagons were to arrange
themselves on the other side, two or three across in rows, and then be set
on fire to prevent approach."You, you, and you, come with me," Rogers called
out to three of the guard veterans who were heavily armed and in armor.
They were effectively all Rogers had in the way of force to hold off whatever was
happening on the bridge. He rushed toward the bridge.
As he approached the midway point, the sound of clashing steel came from the
distance. He was about to reach the top of the bridge when Jhi came rushing
back with three other guards. All four of them were bleeding.
The flames won't hold them long, sir.
Jhi stopped near Rogers. "What's happening?"
Knights on horseback swarmed the bridge, sir.
We quickly turned two wagons and set them aflame, but it is not enough.
The horses are hesitant to pass the flames, but the wagons don't completely block the road.
They will be able to either coax the horses through soon, or extinguish the flames.
Couldn't you pull the other wagons closer?
Our own horses were frightened of the flames.
We can't fight back cavalry."
He looked back toward the upper quarter. "By the gods, Polo, where is the guild?
We should be swarming the bridge. Even horses can't withstand a wave of people."
"Sir,
I was able to see into the lower quarter as the horses stormed toward us.
The knights have a mighty force approaching, merchant guards and mounted knights behind those that took
the bridge."
"They have not taken the bridge." Rogers looked back into the quiet
upper quarter. "We can't let them cross the bridge.
If they do, they will set fire to the quarter and burn their way to victory." Jhi stood up
straight. "We will hold the bridge."
Rogers turned to the guards around him.
A few other guild members had wandered over to see what was happening.
In total, Rogers had a force of maybe 20 guild members against an
armed cavalry with an army behind them.
"This is worse than the Pit," Rogers thought as he unsheathed
his sword. "We face an enemy that has burned our homes and imprisoned our guild mates."
The grim faces around him nodded as Rogers spoke.
"We face a mighty force. Our only advantage is the flames on the bridge, and this."
Rogers pounded his heart with his fist.
"We must buy time for Guildmaster Polo to send our guild mates to help.
We must face down this enemy. We must protect our homes.
We must not waver."
Rogers raised his sword. "Who is with me?" Shouts and cheers
answered him, and Rogers turned and rushed toward an insurmountable enemy.
Before he even reached the burning wagons, Rogers could smell the burning
flesh of the horses that had been pulling them.
The flames burning from the coal in the wagon were intense, and it was clear
that the petrified horses had thrashed about, turning the wagon and spilling
coal onto the bridge. The conflagration filled almost the entire width
of the bridge. "You did well in desperate circumstances, Jhi." The blockade was
enough to stop the cavalry from approaching, but not men who didn't mind getting
burned. And there were men who had risked just that, as a group of guards
had broken through and were attempting to settle the horses of the other wagons.
Meanwhile, more knights continued to rush through the narrow gap of smaller flame
at the edge of the bridge one by one. The bucking horses made their effort
nigh impossible, and furthermore, distracted the knights of the approach of
Rogers and his force. "The arrogance of the knights," Rogers
thought. "They didn't even consider that the Harvest Guild members would
counterattack.
For Harvest House!"
Rogers ran forward, but was quickly outstripped by many of the other guild members.
Still, he arrived in time to stop a killing blow aimed at a young guild member
and counter with a vicious strike that knocked the knight to the ground.
The knights stood mere yards away, their view of the slaughter blurred by heat
and flames.
Rogers looked out and saw dozens of horses and knights in full armor,
held back solely by raging fire.
It was then that he realized that the Harvest Guild had run out of time.
He didn't need to protect the bridge. He needed to tear it down.
Otherwise, the knights and merchants would swarm in and set the upper quarter in
flames. "Jhi!" She appeared instantly at his side.
"Sir?" "They don't have archers yet, but they will, uh, I need you to rush to the Black
neighborhood. Grab as many miners as you can. Have them bring pickaxes and mallets.
They are to destroy the bridge foundation and bring the bridge down into the river."
"You want us to destroy Trader's Bridge?"
"We have no other option."
"But we won't be able to attack them in the lower quarter, sir."
"It is too late for that. We need to stop them from attacking the upper quarter."
Rogers turned to three guards. "You three, free these poor horses and turn these other
wagons to the center of the road. We need to set them on fire as the flames from the front wagons start to
die."
Jhi hadn't moved, and Rogers stormed over to her. "We will hold the bridge.
You are to destroy it. Go now." She nodded and rushed off.
Rogers looked through the flames, which were already starting to decrease, and
smiled grimly at the knights who were waiting patiently with unsheathed
swords and armored horses behind. He knew that they were calm because
they knew it was only a matter of time before they could wreak their revenge.
He turned to the remainder of his forces. "We need to hold steady.
The knights will come through soon. We can block them with fire, but the fire will die.
When it does, they will try to overwhelm us. I cannot lie to you all.
We will stop them with our lives, or the bridge will come down and we will join them with the rocks in the
river. You may leave and join your guild mates, or join me as we hold the bridge."
Not a single person left Rogers' side.It was an
eerie scene. As the front wagons' flames died down, the three
wagons behind them were set aflame and burned bright.
The knights advanced mere yards.
The third set of wagons were full of cloth and fabric.
It would burn hot and bright, but would die fast.
Through it all, Rogers held steady, making sure that any knight that
braved the flames to get through paid for their bravery with their life.
It led to an hours-long stand of a huge force waiting patiently to
overwhelm the small one.
Knight archers had arrived, but Rogers and his force took shelter behind a
wagon full of fabric. As the flames of the third wagon of fabric started to
waver, a horse galloped up to Rogers.
It was Fram.
An update from Assistant Guildmaster Esma, sir!
Fram dismounted and saluted Rogers.
"Thank the gods," Rogers thought. The miners had
updated him earlier. They were not long from destroying the final keystone of the
bridge's upper quarter foundation.
Once gone, the bridge would fall nearly across the whole river,
up to the sister foundation on the lower quarter side.
If Esma's forces were close, Rogers could tell the miners to halt their work,
retreat, and the counterattack over the bridge from the Harvest Guild forces would
overwhelm the knights, even with their cavalry.
He is awaiting for the rangers to lead the attack.
They are organizing near the inner fields.
"The inner fields?"
Rogers couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The knights would have half the upper quarter in flames before such a force could make a
difference.
"Yes, sir."
Rogers shook his head and put his hand on Fram's shoulder.
"It is dire news.
Please return to Esma and tell him that he will either find me dead behind the cinders of our homes, or
dead under the waves of the north fork.
Tell him I will do my best to die under the waves."
Fram looked confused. "Go! Send him the message.
Whether he understands it or not is not a concern of mine right now."
Fram nodded, mounted, and galloped off into the upper quarter.
As the clip-clop of the hooves were lost in the crackle of flames, a wooden
plank gave way in the wagon behind Rogers, and the burning fabric
tumbled down and into the north fork.
The flames lessened to the point that they weren't a barrier anymore.
Rogers raised his sword. "Let the river run red."
As he swung his sword at the first knight that had rushed past the dying flames,
Rogers wondered if it would be better to die underwater or in a pool of
blood.
(dramatic music)
A Podcast Alchemy
production.