There was a contingency plan of having a small detachment of mounted riders ready to fall to the back should the convoy need protecting. The rumblings in the distance made sure the tension level stayed high.
The extra Prussians gave them twenty more horses and some local knowledge of the area. Their next destination was Luneville.
The major gathered his officers after an hour or two. The speed of their movement had left the enemy far behind them for now. The paced slowed down and this gave him time to talk to his commanders before entering France.
“Gentlemen, we have been told by Captain Hayward that the armies of Europe are amassing at Reims. This is our future destination.”
There was some small talk amongst the men. The Prussians and Austrians wondered whether their armies would be gathering there as their own countries fell into enemy hands. The answer was still the same: “This will be where we can face these priests and their armies of flesh-eaters.”
Crossing the border offered little insight to the allied situation. The road was empty and the buildings around the border deserted.
A pungent smell and a fine dust in the wind carried in the air from the East. There was a distant noise that occasionally wafted on the airwaves. It sounded like thunder, but there were no clouds to carry the menace of a storm.
One soldier thought it was drums. He was laughed at by his fellow soldiers, but Corporal Heinz, who was riding past, agreed. They knew that a vast army was coming their way; how many was another question.
Luneville was deserted. The convoy took time to rest and restock where they could. There was not a great share of extra food, but there was the odd farm animal roaming freely, which was rounded up and slaughtered. The cook set to work with some helpers preparing the food, and guards were posted around the village.
The major spoke to Colonel Kiesl about the French retreat and the refugees’ plight. Both agreed it would not be long before they caught up with the allied forces and civilian population.
Chapter 25
“Nazar, we have news of your cousin.”
The high priest looked up from the chair he was sitting on.
“Pray tell me, messenger.”
“He has been found dead in a forest on the border of France. They found a lance at the place of this death. It seems he attacked a small group of women and children to pleasure himself.”
Nazar looked to the soil beneath his boots. His anger was boiling over. He brushed his long black coat to one side and revealed a dagger and small pouch. He beckoned over one of his generals.
“Get me a thousand humans – now.”
The priest nodded and scuttled off.
“My darling, we will get through your pain. I’ve brought the wolves,” said the High Priestess.
“Zhanna, this is not the time to appease me.”
He brushed the high priestess aside, and then walked over to watch his armies passing. There were thousands upon thousands. The ground moved with marching feet. As far as the eye could see, various creatures and drones moved towards France.
“I told him not to not to leave the main group unless he had good reason. Pleasuring oneself is not one.”
He was interrupted by a drone soldier.
“Sire, the civilians are lined up.”
“Then bring out the Gatling guns.”
Nazar turned to his Queen and told her to come to his side.
“The only message I can send them is this.” He pointed to the drone commander and nodded.
The prisoners were malnourished and scared. Their eyes focused on the guns. They huddled together as the drone soldiers began to fire. The bullets were unforgiving and the devastation was quick. Their bodies were left slumped on the floor, some twitching and some groaning. Nazar then smirked and pointed to the long-limbs.
“Let them feed.”
He sent an order to all his commanders to gather and join him on the ridge overlooking his troops. It was time to plan the battle with the European forces.
“We will meet them head-on at Reims. It is time to destroy this European army. Make no bones. I want rivers of blood to flow through the heart of Europe.”
His commanders gathered in closer. One drone general was a little slow to move; before he could adjust his step he felt a blade to his throat. He looked up to see Nazar’s eyes locked on to his.
“It is all about speed and movement.” Nazar slowly drew the blade away, cutting a thin line across the man’s neck. The others looked on with wide eyes and cautious tongues.
“Do not fail me, my brethren. We have waited a lifetime to get here and must be ready to fight to the death.”
He summoned maps and went over every building, village and hill in the area. Forests and woods were marked and fortifications singled out.
He then turned and led the men to the marching horde of flesh-eaters. They were being kept in line by drone soldiers on horseback with whips.
“We have the numbers to crush any army that stands in our way. They are not ready for this.”
A young priest dared to speak.
“My lord, they still have Benedict?”
Nazar’s eyes rolled over to the young priest. His showed his razor-sharp teeth briefly and a tongue which was longer than a normal human’s.
“They may have Benedict, but using his information is another thing. We will deal with the Benedict problem in due time. I have despatched friends to bring me my prize.”
The generals around him smiled. Several female priests arrived on horseback. They were in charge of the Northern riders and were armed with bows and arrows. Each one dismounted and joined the group. Nazar spoke about what part they would play in the battle.
Giant cannons rolled past, then regiment upon regiment of drone soldiers dressed in black with carbine rifles, some long barrel and some short. This pleased Nazar; having rifles which could hold up to seven bullets was going to play a huge part in his war.
He mounted his horse and rode to the top of the mound. The drone soldiers cheered him as he reared up on his horse. “Now we ride with the Devil to victory!” shouted Nazar.
Chapter 26
The rain fell hard as the convoy moved towards Nancy. Major Richmond had taken advice not to enter the city but to go around it. They were well supplied and moving at a good speed. The weather was not dampening spirits too much, either.
The grey clouds made everything look lifeless. The drums could still be heard, like distant thunder. They never stopped, just a constant humming.
The approach to Nancy was difficult. There were piles of clothes and possessions lining the route. A teddy bear caught the eye of Captain Hayward. It was crumbled into a heap, and tucked half under a small case. He dismounted and knelt beside it. Without thinking, he placed the teddy in his pouch and mounted his horse.
Hours passed before they came up against something they had not seen for a long time. Refugees were walking everywhere in front of them. The camp that now confronted the convoy stretched on for a mile or so. They stopped moving forward. Captain Hayward rode up to the major with Captain Müller and Colonel Kiesl.
“How should we pass them?” Captain Hayward asked.
The men sat on their horses looking at this sprawling mass. The major took out his binoculars.
“There must be governmental forces in charge here. The French authorities would not leave this camp unmanned.”
The others agreed. Captain Müller offered to take ten men and ride into the camp.
The major agreed to let him go, but warned him to be careful and be ready to escape should the situation get out of control. Captain Müller thanked the officers around him and rode set off with the ten men.
The French authorities were few and far between and the crowd rose to their feet and gathered around the soldiers entering the camp. Captain Müller spoke good French and tried to calm the civilians around him. He had picked several other soldiers who understood French. The crowd wanted food and medicine; many looking malnourished. At
first there were just ten to twenty people but soon it became hundreds then maybe a thousand. They pulled at the horses, trying to find food. The men felt the situation was getting out of control and began to turn around. A gunshot rang out and the crowd settled down. Captain Müller had withdrawn a revolver and now had it in the air. The civilians around them parted a little as they rode out.
They returned and told the others of the problem that lay ahead. No official had come forward and none of them could see how they could make their way through this large camp. The decision was taken to go around it.
As they started to turn back a small group of riders left the camp to the east of them. They were heading their way, twenty men or more carrying French flags. The order was given to stand ready.
Approaching at speed, the riders showed a white flag to indicate that they meant no harm. They were met with a wall of mounted riders stopping them from getting to the main group. Captain Hayward rode out in front of them as he spoke reasonable French. The delegation was made up of police and former government clerks. They had old rifles and looked a little shabby.
“Where have you come from?” said a government clerk.
The captain explained their plight whilst studying the men and women in front of him. He had grown more cautious of everything around him since the Austrian Alpine soldiers had raided them over a month ago.
They agreed to help them pass through the camp and would put them under the category of “victims of flesh-eaters”. Stories had broken about being bitten and how victims would turn into one of them. This had brought panic at first with all those suspected of being bitten being abandoned or segregated from the main group.
“We have few soldiers or police here. There are tens of thousands of people and our daily task is to find food and water for them. We have different diseases breaking out daily. Sanitary problems and hygiene are worrying issues,” the clerk said this with a solemn face.
The captain listened sympathetically.
“Your camp needs to move. The humming sound that carries on the wind is drums. They beat to the sound of death. There is an army coming that will consume everything in its path. This is why we are going to join the armies of Europe in Reims. It could be our last chance.”
The shock and disappointment of hearing about the enemy movement seemed to deflate the French contingent more.
“There is no way we can leave quickly. We have women and children, old people who cannot walk fast. There are several nationalities here. How will we do it?”
The captain looked around the site.
“We have limited supplies and little firepower. If we did stay and fight, two hundred or more soldiers would not stop what is coming! Two hundred thousand would not stop what is coming.”
Again the greeting party looked despondent.
“We are mainly Engineers. We can perhaps destroy the local bridges and delay their advance where we can,” Captain Hayward explained in a sympathetic way.
Their eyes lit up for the first time.
“There have been rumours of refugees making their way to Great Britain. Maybe we can start the evacuation and head for the coast,” the clerk had hope again in his eyes.
They spoke amongst themselves briefly.
“I cannot promise there will be a straight passage to Great Britain, but you will stand more of a chance than staying here.” The captain was as honest as he could be.
The discussions did not take much longer as it was agreed they would start the evacuation. Captain Hayward explained he would ask permission from Major Richmond to help them. He rode back to the main group and explained what was on the cards. Major Richmond was not sure about the plan. Captain Hayward had pitched it straight and simple. The main group was to continue to Reims and a handful of soldiers would help destroy local bridges and make things difficult for the enemy advance.
They would set up a base on the other side of the camp as this would allow them to move out more rapidly should they need to.
As this was being discussed the French group returned to the camp and came back with an escort carrying blue flags, which must have meant some rite of passage, thus stopping the hungry refugees surrounding the convoy en masse when they passed through.
“Charles you must not take any unnecessary risks. Europe will need your expertise at Reims. But I fully understand your desire to help these civilians. You’re a bloody good soldier and an honourable man,” said Major Richmond encouragingly.
Charles looked at his friend and felt the concern in his voice. The distant drumming was growing louder by the hour. How long they had, nobody knew, but a scouting party would be on the prowl for sure.
The convoy fell in behind the escort and followed them through the camp. The wagons’ covers were kept shut. This was to help give the illusion of sick or wounded men. Many of the crowd came out to see this group pass. Some wanted to come forward and investigate, but the blue flags made them wary. The soldiers in the convoy were told to be ready, but not give off an aggressive stance. The sheer number of refugees meant that once inside, things could turn nasty in a blink of an eye.
It took nearly half an hour to go through camp. They looked on at many weary, worried faces. The children looked unfed and lifeless in many ways. This was a sorry sight and one that made Captain Hayward sure of his decision to stay and help. The group set up a HQ a mile outside of the main camp. This was going to be the Engineers’ base after the rest had gone. Major Richmond would move the rest out at first light the next day.
No one slept very well that night. The drumming noise was playing on everyone’s mind and the thought of scavengers coming into the camp whilst they slept was more than a little unnerving.
The morning came around with a burst of sunlight. It was a pleasant feeling. No one had come over from the main camp, indicating the blue flags were doing the trick. The men who chose to stay behind to help Captain Hayward were volunteers. He could have handpicked his men but felt it fairer to ask for help.
A hearty breakfast was cooked and polished off by the soldiers and nurses. The moment of realisation came when the rest were getting ready to leave. The men who had chosen to stay started shaking hands with their fellow comrades. Captain Hayward shook hands with Major Richmond.
“Don’t do anything silly now, Charles.”
He smiled back at him.
“We’re meeting you in Reims, Harry. Don’t you worry.”
Captain Hayward then wished ‘God’s speed’ to the other officers and men. It was a longer farewell than normal, maybe because the situation was grave and there was a chance they might not come back.
Corporal Heinz had asked to stay with the captain along with Sergeant Butcher. He felt that the detachment needed a scout and Corporal Heinz had proved himself to be amongst the best out there.
Soon the wheels were rolling and the carts were drifting out of sight. The base camp would still be in the same place for the twenty men left. It was on the right side of the main camp should they need to escape at speed.
The refugees stayed put at first, but after a day they began to move out. They started leaving in dribs and drabs, but soon became thousands.
Their sheer numbers meant the soldiers had to move around them. The base camp was far enough away from the exodus and meant it was not under immediate threat of looting. This did not stop the captain from posting two guards there whenever the main group was away.
The first thing they did was to meet with some French officials and plan out the nearest bridges to the camp. Dynamite was needed and this was in short supply. The refugees were not ex-soldiers and had few weapons apart from tools and wooden clubs. The gunpowder was brought to the Engineers on the second day. The drumming was distinctive now and bore a greater purpose. There had been reports of long-limbs and drone soldiers in the nearby woods scouting out the area for enemy strongholds. This meant the captain pressed his small force into action.
That afternoon they went to work on several bridges. The exp
losives were a little crude, but they did the trick on the wooden supports. The problem arose when they discovered that the main bridge into Luneville was made of stone. This was going to take a little more time to deal with.
They began blasting the wooden middle planks, then worked on digging a ditch on the far side, leading onto the bridge. The same was done on their side. It was time consuming and the noise of the drums became ever closer. The camp was starting to empty at a good pace, leaving vast areas with empty tents and belongings that were no longer deemed worthwhile.
The bridge was nearly ready, but it would take a little more time. Captain Hayward decided to stay the night by the bridge. It was an edgy evening with the now familiar sounds of long-limbs lurking around in the nearby woods. The river was deep enough to stop them closing in, but this did not mean they would not try to cross the bridge.
At sunrise the men awoke and began working effortlessly on making it hard for the bridge to become operational. Later in the afternoon they saw the arrival of enemy scouts. At first it was three to four priests. They did not open fire, just gathered together and watched them.
Captain Hayward told the men to concentrate on doing their jobs and only worry should they come under fire. That moment came when several Northern riders arrived. They started opening firing on the Engineers straight away.
Captain Hayward did not want to get into a fire-fight and got the soldiers to remount and leave the area as fast as possible. The bridge was damaged enough to possibly give them a half day’s head start. The ride back to the refugee camp was at a fast pace. Once inside, they found the main headquarters and Captain Hayward reported the enemy was within touching distance. The evacuation had gone very well; nearly everyone had taken on board the gravity of the situation and had packed up, leaving for the coast. There was a group of elderly people who had decided they were ready to meet their maker. They had been warned the enemy would spare no one.
Europe Has Fallen Page 27
