Chapter 73: What is it that you need? (1)
Nothing in the room moved, and yet everything in it had become heavier.
Encrid kept his hands flat on his knees and made himself breathe slowly, because the body always panics before the mind does, and he had learned that if he could keep his breathing steady, the rest of him usually followed.
The weight pressing down on him was not magic in any way he could name. It was simply what happened when a man who had spent thirty-eight years killing things stopped pretending to be an ordinary old officer behind a desk.
Encrid did not look away.
That was the only thing he could think to do. Ulrich Vance had asked him a question, and silence would have been the worst possible answer, because silence would have told the Lord Commander that the book on the table had been written by a frightened boy playing at strategy.
"Yes, Commander," he said. "I do."
Ulrich gave a short, dismissive scoff, as though the answer itself was almost amusing.
"You believe this Wall can fall?"
"Yes."
Ulrich leaned back slightly and looked at him with an expression that carried both irritation and disbelief.
"Do you even understand the strength of the Wall you are standing inside?"
Encrid remained silent.
The Lord Commander continued before he could answer.
"There are thousands of guards stationed across its length. Every major section is commanded by experienced commanders and Tower captains, and several of those men have reached the Grandmaster realm. Some have spent their entire lives fighting on these stones. They know every tower, every gate, every weakness in the terrain, and every method the Roamers have used against us for generations."
He paused for a moment before pointing toward himself.
"And then there is me."
His voice became quieter, but the pressure in the room increased.
"If everything else is breached, I will still be here."
There was no arrogance in the statement.
That was what made it more convincing. Encrid couldn’t see how strong Ulrich was, but to command the entirety of the Wall with several Grandmasters under him - his strength would indeed be greater than anything he could imagine.
In fact, Ulrich was not boasting about his strength. He was stating a fact that he had already accepted as part of his responsibility. If the Wall came under attack, he would stand on it. If the outer defenses failed, he would move to the next line. If the next line failed, he would move again.
He would remain until there was nowhere left to stand.
Encrid understood that.
He also understood that none of it answered his argument.
"I know the Wall is strong, Commander."
Ulrich raised an eyebrow.
Encrid continued.
"I also know that I am not experienced enough to declare that it is impossible for the Wall to fall."
Ulrich’s expression changed slightly.
Encrid looked toward the great map covering the wall behind the Lord Commander before speaking again.
"Every great fortress that has ever fallen believed it was safe the day before it fell. The people inside those fortresses probably had reasons for believing it too. Their walls were thick. Their soldiers were numerous. Their commanders were strong. Their defenses had survived attacks before."
He looked back at Ulrich.
"Still, I am not immature enough to believe that the Wall is impenetrable simply because it has stood for hundreds of years."
Vance did not immediately respond.
Encrid took a breath.
"Let me ask you one thing, Commander."
He waited until Vance gave the slightest indication that he was listening.
"What would happen if thousands of Roamers came charging toward the Wall?"
Ulrich’s eyes narrowed.
"Thousands?"
"Yes."
Encrid did not look away.
"Not a few hundred. Not one large pack. Thousands of them attacking at the same time. Do you believe we would still be safe?"
Ulrich considered the question.
"With the manpower I have already mentioned, it is certainly possible," he said. "The Wall has survived overwhelming attacks before."
Encrid nodded.
"Then what happens to ten thousand roamers and what if they keep coming?"
Ulrich remained silent.
"For one day, perhaps we hold them," Encrid continued. "Perhaps we hold them for several days. What happens if they continue for weeks? What if they continue for months?"
The Lord Commander did not interrupt.
"The men become exhausted. Even the strongest soldiers cannot fight continuously without rest. The Wall itself would need repairs. Every damaged gate, every broken section, every defensive mechanism would require manpower and materials. Medical supplies would begin running low, and the number of wounded would increase every day."
Encrid’s voice remained calm, but his words became sharper.
"And that is only the beginning."
He pointed toward the map.
"There would be men who could no longer fight. Others would have to be moved from one section to another. A tower under heavy pressure might need reinforcements while another section is relatively quiet. Supply routes would have to be changed. Food would have to be moved. Weapons would have to be replaced. Arrows and other ammunition would disappear faster than they could be produced."
He lowered his hand.
"People would begin fleeing."
Vance’s expression hardened.
"Some would panic. Some would abandon their positions. Some would try to escape with their families. Structures that were never designed to withstand prolonged pressure would eventually fail. Roads could become unusable. Storehouses could be damaged. Wells could be contaminated. A single weak point in the infrastructure could create another problem somewhere else."
Encrid paused.
"And every one of those problems would make the next problem worse."
The room became quiet.
"The Wall might not fall because someone suddenly destroys it," Encrid said. "It might fall because we spend too long trying to hold it. We could become exhausted, run out of supplies, lose too many men, fail to repair something in time, or simply reach a point where there are not enough people left to stand where they are needed."
He looked directly at Vance.
"That is what I am afraid of."
Vance stared at him for a long moment.
Encrid then allowed himself a small smile.
"You know, Commander, the entire reason I wrote that document was because I want to prevent any of that from happening."
He glanced toward the folder on the table.
"I would be grateful to God Vessa a hundred times over if all of this turns out to be nothing more than my imagination. I would be more than happy to discover that I wasted my time preparing for a disaster that was never going to happen."
His expression became serious again.
"But you are aware of it too, aren’t you, Commander?"
Vance did not answer.
Encrid continued.
"The silence."
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