by T. Sae-Low
“Right down the center.”
Raden stared at General Sako. The plan seemed too direct and simplistic even for a force of their size, but Sako’s eyes made even Raden shudder. She was the youngest of the three generals in the Renzai army, but quite possibly the most intimidating. She was tall, towering over most men. Her long white hair highlighted by a single dark strip across her bangs accentuated her hauntingly colored eyes. Her pupils appeared perpetually dilated, the black irises covering up most of the sclera. Staring into them was akin to staring into a void. Raden tried to refocus on the conversation at hand.
“That would be the most direct path, but extremely high risk. Our army vastly outnumbers the Vicedonians, but they still maintain the better position in this attack.”
“You possess the power of the One and yet you quibble about tactics? We will drive down the center of the Issus Valley, raze the Vicedonian colony of Alesiuss, and drive out the armies at Sargatum. General Yagar is returning to his army east of Lake Raphia. They’ve been in position there since the retreat. Ten thousand additional soldiers are being sent with him, but we need to preoccupy the forces at Sargatum so the enemy won’t notice any troop movement. Once Yagar arrives with his additional troops, he will take back Lake Raphia. By the end of this offensive, we will have control of both Lake Raphia and Sargatum, two of the three vital points in the Disputed Lands.”
Her logic made more sense than Raden cared to admit. Raden had no reason to fear these Vicedonian armies any longer. Word from headquarters was that Prince Xander had taken control of Lake Raphia. Yagar would undoubtedly break their lines and overtake them with his fresh troops. There was nothing to be afraid of now. He nodded his head in agreement. It was time to march.
The Renzai army made its way from the outermost edges of the Renzai Empire, marching from the border city of Tayo by the River Fate to the peaceful fishing village of Muye. The army marched by silently, but the ground shook beneath the weight of their might. Villagers gazed at them in awe, a young boy hid behind his father, peeking out to catch a glimpse of the Renzai army. Raden stared at them both, smiling and nodding gently. They gazed back intently.
“Father, isn’t that—”
“Shhh… stay quiet, son.” They watched as Raden disappeared into the front of the vanguard.
Another week’s time had passed and now they found themselves at the edges of the Issus Valley. Dusk had begun to settle in, and Raden could see off in the distance Vicedonian villagers tilling their lands, collecting crops, and going about their daily lives. A feeling of déjà vu struck him unexpectedly.
Sako could see the hesitation in Raden’s eyes. “We do not have time to save every person. They live in a time of war; that is how it is.”
“I will not have innocent blood spilled by my hands, General Sako. There’s always another way.”
Sako did not like waiting, but begrudgingly complied. Without Raden on board, this offensive was doomed for failure. The army descended into the Issus Valley, marching down the center, straight towards Sargatum off in the distance. The Vicedonian guards positioned in the defensive turrets could not believe their eyes. An endless stream of soldiers continued to flood the valley. The Vicedonian guards scampered to their battle positions. Arrows volleyed out from the turret towers. Catapults launched massive boulders doused in oil and set aflame. The bombardment of lethal objects filled up the evening sky.
Raden closed his eyes, slowed down his heart rate, and drew in slow and sustained breaths. He clasped his left hand over his right, moving them slowly in a counter-clockwise motion. A spark ignited between his hands; he could feel the heat emanating from it. The faster his hands moved, the larger the spark grew before it exploded, completely engulfing his forearms. He opened his eyes and unleashed a cloud of fire into the sky. Every arrow incinerated away. The flaming boulders shattered apart, scattering debris across the valley. Nothing but dust landed amongst the Renzai army.
Before the Vicedonians could decide whether to launch another attack, the turrets exploded to pieces. The Renzai army returned the Vicedonian greeting in-kind. Raden and General Sako watched as soldiers flailed wildly through any opening they could find. Within a matter of minutes, the first line of defense had been decimated. Raden continued the methodic charge down the valley. He blasted the second defensive line with a massive fireball, destroying it in an instant. General Sako motioned to continue the devastating march when Raden suddenly coughed up a bit of blood.
“Raden? What is it?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me. We keep moving.” He wiped the blood on his cloak, staining the Renzai sunburst with streaks of red.
The third and fourth defensive borders suffered the same fate as the first. It was utter annihilation. Every Vicedonian soldier killed. Those who thought they managed to escape were brought down immediately.
The army marched to the border of Alesiuss. Villagers dropped their hoes and pitchforks, screaming as they fled for safety. Renzai archers readied their bows before Raden raised his hand into the air, waving them off. Raden watched intently as the villagers escaped; old and young, parents and children, these were innocent people. He watched a little boy trying to keep up with his mother. The boy suddenly tripped, screaming out for his mother to wait for him. She turned around to see her child reaching out for her. She raced back, picked him up, and carried him off with all the strength she could muster. Raden’s eyes widened, his breathing labored, his heart pounding in his chest.
“We need to continue the attack.” General Sako urged as she stared at Raden; his eyes appeared to be welling up.
Raden’s arm was still raised in the air, the Renzai army waiting for his cue to advance, but instead, Raden ordered them to lower their weapons.
“No… not yet. We’ll give them enough time to evacuate the city before we raze it.”
“How much time do you intend to give them, Raden?” Sako massaged the shaft of her pole-arm, itching to use it in battle seemingly.
“Until they are gone, General Sako.” He looked straight into her eerie eyes. “Your desire for battle will be quenched soon enough.”
“The sooner the better, Raden.”
Sako let go of her pole-arm, a brutal weapon christened Reaver; it was composed of a long iron handle with an oversized butcher’s blade affixed to the tip. She complied despite her stoic appearance. When it appeared that a quarter of the colony had been emptied, Raden began the attack. Fields after fields of fresh crops were set afire. Homes burnt to the ground. Nothing escaped Raden’s power. The markings of the Ancients canvassed the destruction. Thick black smoke billowed into the night sky, charring the stars high above till they dimmed out of sight. Moonlight that cascaded across Alesiuss in a serene radiance was replaced by an angry blaze of crimson fire.
Thoughts of Kara fueled him again. He thought of Gama and Oli recovering in the hospital. After the incident at Kih Bayar, the trip back home had nearly killed the two of them as they carried Raden. After his training with the Warrior, he visited the two of them in the hospital. Gama’s right arm had been severely damaged. Broken in two different places, screws and metal braces kept it tenuously together. Oli recovered alongside Gama. Animals were to be treated at a different hospital, but Gama’s insistence at not being separated from her had convinced the staff to decide otherwise.
“We brought back the hero of this war! The true Candidate, Raden Nite!” was what he screamed incessantly until they decided to allow Oli to stay. Gama got a kick out of the fact that his tantrum actually worked. He kept Oli close by; her jaw had been broken by the beast’s uppercut and needed to be wired shut. Oli’s body language revealed her pain, but she was comforted to remain close by Gama’s side.
Thoughts of Kimi pushed Raden to pick up the pace. An entire city burned to ashes around him. The city had been destroyed, and a major food supply to the Vicedonian army had been severed. The army stood amongst the ruin caused by Raden’s powers. Sargatum loomed ominously ahead. One
of the few remaining artifacts of the Ancients, it had been hewn out of the mountain itself. Rows of windows stretched across the rock face. With a one hundred and eighty degree view of the Issus Valley, the Vicedonians watched every movement below.
General Sako rode up next to Raden. “They must’ve caught on to our attack by now. They can watch us from inside the mountain fortress.”
“Then we’re just going to have to make things harder for them to see.”
Raden lifted his arms into the air. Sweat dripped off his brow. His muscles tensing as he harnessed his powers. Instead of fire this time, smoke began to flow from his hands. The smoke clouds grew larger and larger until Sargatum was completely obscured. The army marched behind Raden as the smoke thickened.
After catching his breath, he turned to Sako. “By the time this smoke disappears, the Vicedonians will see an army of twenty thousand Renzai soldiers standing at their doorstep. You might want to have Reaver ready.”
Chapter 47
