A Call for Aid

Just past noon, the sturdy castle named after Saladin had been completely cleared of Crusader remnants.

Green, red, and yellow banners of sacred fire were cut down by Crusader soldiers who had climbed the walls and cast onto the battlements. In their place rose crosses and the Double-Headed Eagle.

Saladin's Castle had originally stood on high ground. Once the flags atop it changed, half of Cairo could see it clearly. No matter how numerous the city's defenders were, their morale now wavered, and fear gripped their hearts.

Sieges had always been drawn-out affairs, lasting months or even years. When had anyone ever captured a fortified stronghold in just half a day?

With the dragon overhead, Cairo's defenders had no means of counterattack. Those anti-dragon gold great crossbows might have posed some threat before Ladon evolved, but even if they could still pierce Ladon's scales now, they had no way of hitting him.

If the army besieging the city had been led by a more moderate Crusader monarch, Cairo would likely have been preparing to open its gates and surrender already.

But Lothar would not yield. A small ship was easy to turn around. If he did not use the founding of his kingdom to purge some of the old entrenched beneficiaries, then after enough time passed, who could say whether he had conquered Egypt or Egypt had conquered him?

He did not like raising the butcher's blade against his own people and cutting away rotten flesh, so he simply set the threshold for becoming one of his own exceedingly high.

As he pondered this, Kools, the royal grand treasurer wrapped in shadows, came before him and quietly reminded him, "My lord, the Holy Radiance Seeds of the Knightly Orders have requested permission to fight. They wish to join the siege."