The horn''s long, clear note cut through the chaos like a blade. Val''s head snapped toward the sound, his heart surging with hope even as his muscles screamed from exertion. He recognized that pattern - three short blasts followed by one long tone. It wasn''t a call for help; it was a signal to hold position.


    "They''re coming," he shouted to the nearest defenders. "Reinforcements! Hold just a little longer!"


    The ghouls seemed to sense the shift in momentum. They pressed harder against the makeshift barricades, their rotting fingers clawing at wood and flesh with equal fervor. Val drove his sword through the eye socket of one that had forced its upper body through a shattered window, then kicked it back into the mass of undead behind it.


    "Aric," he called to the young ranger who fought nearby, "get to the rooftops. I need eyes on the north road."


    The ranger nodded and disappeared into the building, emerging moments later on the sloped roof. He balanced carefully on the peak, shielding his eyes against the setting sun as he scanned northward.


    "It''s Rhea!" he shouted down, his voice cracking with excitement. "She''s leading at least thirty fighters! They''re cutting through the eastern quarter!"


    Val allowed himself a moment of pure relief. The undead had spread throughout the eastern section of the village, flowing around their defensive positions like water around stones. Val briefly debated the next course of action.


    "Lian," Val called to the ranger who commanded the nearest group. "Hold this position. I''m going to link up with Rhea''s force."


    Leaving the relative safety of their barricaded position required crossing an open courtyard now infested with wandering ghouls. Val drew a deep breath, centered himself, and once more called upon the aether within. The familiar warmth flooded his limbs, heightening his senses and reflexes. He wouldn''t maintain the enhancement long, just enough to cross the gauntlet.


    He burst from cover at a sprint, crossing half the distance before the nearest ghouls registered his presence. Two turned toward him, arms outstretched, mouths gaping. Val didn''t break stride. He ducked under the first''s grasp and removed its head with a backhand stroke, then leapt over the second, his enhanced strength carrying him clear over its reaching arms.


    More ghouls converged on his position, drawn by movement and the promise of fresh prey. Val weaved between them, his sword flashing in tight, economical arcs that severed limbs and split skulls. He didn''t slow, didn''t engage any longer than necessary to clear his path. Each ghoul he dispatched was one less obstacle, but dozens more remained, and even with aether enhancement, he couldn''t fight them all.


    A ghoul lunged at him from behind a rain barrel, its broken-toothed maw snapping inches from his face. Val twisted aside, the creature''s momentum carrying it past him. He didn''t wait to see it fall, already moving toward his goal. A two-story inn offered the clearest line toward the advancing reinforcements.


    He reached the inn''s entrance, finding the door hanging from a single hinge. Inside, the common room was a scene of recent violence. Broken furniture littered the floor, and dark stains marked the wooden planks. But no movement, no sounds. The ghouls had already passed through, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.


    Val took the stairs three at a time, his enhanced strength making the ascent effortless. The upper floor contained a row of small guest rooms, most with their doors smashed open. He moved quickly to the far end, where a window overlooked the village''s northern approach.


    Through it, he could see Rhea''s force advancing in a wedge formation, cutting through scattered groups of undead with disciplined efficiency. Village militia formed the bulk of the group, but he recognized several rangers at key positions, directing the advance and preventing flanking attacks. Rhea herself led from the front, spear a blur of motion as she dispatched ghoul after ghoul.


    Val released his aether enhancement, conserving his remaining reserves. His muscles were trembling with fatigue. He allowed himself three deep breaths before leaning out the window and waving to attract attention.


    "Rhea!" he called, pitching his voice to carry over the din of combat. "To the east! The wall is breached!"


    She caught sight of him, acknowledged with a raised spear, and immediately adjusted her force''s direction. They pivoted eastward, maintaining their formation as they pressed toward Val''s position.


    Val descended to the ground floor and emerged from the inn just as Rhea''s vanguard reached the courtyard. The sight of thirty fresh fighters cutting through the undead sent a surge of renewed hope through the beleaguered defenders still holding isolated positions throughout the eastern quarter.


    "Val!" Rhea called, driving her spear through a ghoul''s chest before kicking it off the shaft. "What happened?"


    "Two undead bears took down sections of the wall" Val replied.


    "Bears?" Rhea''s expression darkened. "We only saw a pack of wolves at the south gate."


    "We need to seal that breach," he said. "Otherwise, we''re just bailing water from a sinking boat."


    Rhea nodded sharply and Val continued. "Half to the breach, half to sweep the buildings. You take point on the breach, you''ve seen it."


    "Lian, Aric," Val called to his rangers, who had emerged from their defensive positions upon seeing the reinforcements. "With me. We''re sealing the breach."


    The two rangers joined him, along with fifteen militia fighters that Rhea assigned to his command. Val led them through the village streets, engaging ghouls where necessary but focusing on reaching the breached wall.


    As they neared the damaged section, Val got his first clear view of the situation since the initial attack. The breach was even worse than he''d feared. The undead bears had demolished a thirty-foot section, reducing the palisade to splinters. Beyond the gap, more ghouls lurched toward the village, drawn by the sounds of combat and the scent of blood.


    "We need to create a choke point," Val said, surveying the area. "We can''t rebuild the wall, but we can funnel them into a killing zone."


    He pointed to a pair of sturdy buildings that flanked the breach. "Aric, take five men and secure that building. Lian, the same for the other side. Once the buildings are clear, we''ll create a barricade between them."


    The rangers acknowledged the orders and split off with their assigned militia, approaching the buildings cautiously. Val watched as they cleared the structures, emerging minutes later with raised hands to signal all clear.


    "Now for the hard part," Val muttered, surveying the open ground between the buildings. They needed to create a barrier substantial enough to force the ghouls into a narrow passage, where their numbers would become a hindrance rather than an advantage.


    His eyes fell on a nearby wagon, abandoned when the wall first fell. "There," he pointed. "We''ll use that as the base of our barricade. Anything else you can find – furniture, debris, broken wall sections, drag it here and pile it on and around."


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The militia set to work with grim determination, dragging the wagon into position between the buildings. Others began gathering materials – broken timbers from the wall, tables and chairs from nearby houses, anything solid enough to impede the undead. Val directed their efforts, creating a staggered barricade that would force the ghouls to navigate a zigzag path, exposing them to attacks from defenders positioned on either side.


    As they worked, Rhea''s other group moved systematically through the eastern quarter, clearing buildings and rescuing isolated pockets of defenders. The tide was turning, slowly but surely. The chaotic free-for-all was resolving into a more controlled conflict, with the defenders regaining initiative.


    "Val," Aric called from his position in the building to the right of their improvised barricade. "More coming!"


    Val looked up to see a fresh wave of ghouls shambling through the breach, dozens strong. The barricade was only half-complete, still too porous to funnel them effectively.


    "Archers, to the upper floors," he ordered. "Spears and swords, form a line here." He indicated a position twenty yards back from the barricade, giving the archers clear lines of fire over their heads. "Let them reach the barricade, then pick them off as they try to climb through."


    The fighters took their positions just as the first ghouls reached the outer edge of the barricade. The undead creatures pressed forward with mindless persistence, trying to force their way through or over the obstacle. As they clambered over the wagon and other debris, they presented perfect targets for the archers positioned above.


    Arrows rained down, dropping ghoul after ghoul. Those that made it past the initial barrage found themselves funneled into a narrow passage, where spearmen waited to impale them from a safe distance.


    "It''s working," Lian called from his position in the left-hand building. "They''re bottlenecking!"


    Val nodded grimly. The barricade was serving its purpose, transforming the wide breach into a manageable choke point. But the ghouls kept coming, an apparently endless stream of rotting bodies pressing forward with single-minded hunger. For every one they cut down, two more took its place.


    "We need more fighters here," Val said to Aric. "Find Rhea. Tell her we need at least ten more to hold this position."


    The young ranger nodded and disappeared into the building, presumably to find a back exit that would allow him to circle around the fighting. Val returned his attention to the barricade, where the situation was growing critical. The sheer weight of undead bodies was beginning to push sections of their makeshift barrier inward, threatening to collapse the entire structure.


    "Brace it!" Val shouted, rushing forward to help reinforce a section that was visibly buckling. He put his shoulder against a support beam, straining to hold it upright as ghouls clawed at the barrier from the other side.


    A militiaman joined him, adding his strength to Val''s. Together they managed to stabilize the section, but it was clear the barricade wouldn''t hold indefinitely. They needed a more permanent solution.


    Mara appeared at his side, having apparently received Aric''s message. "How bad?"


    "We''re containing them, but this won''t hold," Val replied, gesturing to the straining barricade. "We need to clear enough space to rebuild a proper wall section."


    "We have oil stockpiled in a nearby warehouse, if we use it…" Mara started.


    Val understood immediately. "If we can push them back far enough to create a fire line..."


    "Exactly." She turned and issued rapid commands to her fighters. Some peeled off to retrieve the oil barrels, while others moved to reinforce the barricade.


    "We''ll need to time it carefully," Val said. "Get the oil in place, then synchronize a push to drive them back beyond the fire line."


    Mara nodded. "My people know what to do. They''ve drilled for this, not against ghouls, but the principle''s the same."


    Minutes later, several fighters returned rolling barrels of lamp oil. Under Mara''s direction, they positioned the barrels just behind the defensive line, ready to be deployed once the push began.


    "On my signal," Mara called, raising her spear. "First rank, prepare to advance! Second rank, ready oil! Archers, cover the flanks!"


    Val took position at the center of the first rank, sword ready. Around him, militia and rangers braced themselves for the coordinated attack.


    "Now!" Mara brought her spear down sharply.


    The first rank surged forward as one, pushing through their own barricade. They struck the mass of ghouls like a battering ram, their weapons flashing in arcs. Val felt himself carried forward by the momentum of the charge, his sword finding targets almost without thought.


    The ghouls, pressed from the front and still taking arrow fire from above, began to give ground. Step by step, the defenders reclaimed territory beyond their barricade, creating the space they needed.


    "Oil!" Mara called when they had pushed the undead back thirty feet from the barricade.


    The second rank rushed forward with the barrels, quickly forming a line and pouring the viscous fluid in a semicircle that extended from one side of the breach to the other. The villagers were working frantically, sending nervous glances to the battle just behind them.


    "Fall back!" Mara ordered as soon as the oil was in place. "Behind the barricade!"


    The first rank began a fighting retreat, maintaining formation as they backed toward their defensive line. The ghouls pressed forward aggressively with every step.


    "Ready!" Mara called as the last defender crossed back through the barricade. "Archers!"


    Flaming arrows arced through the air, striking the oil-soaked ground. The fluid ignited with a whoosh, sending a wall of flame roaring upward. The fire spread rapidly along the oil line, creating a blazing semicircle that blocked the breach.


    The effect on the ghouls was immediate and dramatic. The undead creatures recoiled from the flames, their rotting bodies particularly vulnerable to fire. Those caught in the initial ignition became torches themselves, staggering blindly as they burned. The others backed away, their mindless advance finally checked by primitive fear.


    "It worked," Lian breathed, watching as the fire established a clear boundary between the village and the encroaching undead.


    "For now," Val cautioned. "Fire won''t burn forever. We need to use this time to strengthen the barricade or start rebuilding the wall."


    Rhea was already organizing recovery teams, sending fighters to gather more substantial materials to reinforce their defenses. Others she dispatched to check on the wounded and assess the overall situation in the eastern quarter.


    Val took the opportunity to catch his breath, the fatigue of sustained combat settling into his bones. He found a relatively clean patch of wall and leaned against it, taking stock of his own condition. His right arm ached from countless sword strikes, and various cuts and bruises made themselves known now that the immediate danger had receded. But he was alive, and they had contained the breach, for the moment, at least.


    A young militiaman approached, offering a water skin. "Ranger Val? Thought you might need this."


    Val accepted gratefully, taking a long drink before handing it back. "What''s your name?"


    "Tam, sir. I''m a carpenter''s apprentice. Or was, before..." He gestured vaguely toward the burning breach.


    "You fought well, Tam," Val said, noticing the blood spattered across the young man''s leather jerkin. "First time?"


    Tam nodded, his expression a complex mixture of pride, exhaustion, and lingering shock. "Never thought I''d have to... you know. Kill something. Even if it was already dead."


    Val understood. The first battle changed a person, sometimes in ways that only became apparent later. "It gets easier," he said, then grimaced at his own words. "That''s not necessarily a good thing."


    The young man nodded solemnly. "My master always said the first cut is the most important. Make it clean, make it count." He looked down at the makeshift spear in his hands, still stained with dark ichor. "Guess that applies to more than just wood."


    Before Val could respond, a runner appeared, making straight for Rhea. The ranger captain listened intently to whatever news the messenger delivered, her expression growing more concerned.


    "Val," she called, gesturing him over. "We''ve got trouble at the south gate. Jorin''s forces are under heavy attack."


    Val pushed himself away from the wall, fatigue forgotten. "How bad?"


    "Bad enough that they''re calling for reinforcements," Rhea replied grimly. "They''re facing something bigger than ghouls."


    A chill ran down Val''s spine that had nothing to do with exhaustion. Val considered their options. The breach in the east wall was contained for now, but not secured. If they diverted too many fighters to the south gate, they risked losing what they''d gained here.


    "The fire will hold them for a while," he decided. "And the barricade is nearly complete. We leave half to finish the work and guard the breach. The rest come with us to the south gate."


    Rhea nodded in agreement. "Lian can command here. He''s steady, and the militia respect him."


    Val moved quickly to brief Lian on the situation, providing clear instructions on completing and defending the barricade. The young ranger accepted the responsibility with characteristic calm, already organizing the remaining fighters into work groups and guard rotations.


    "Don''t hesitate to sound the horn if things go bad," Val told him. "We''ll come running."


    "We''ll hold," Lian promised. "Go help the captain."


    Val joined Rhea in assembling their relief force. Together they had about twenty fighters with a mix of rangers and militia, all battle-tested from the defense of the eastern quarter. Not a large force, but hopefully enough to turn the tide at the south gate.