Next to the colonel stood a squad leader. He noticed where the colonel was looking, and he offered his thoughts. “The mages were shot by archers from atop the cliffs,” stated the sergeant. “I guess the Alceans were afraid that the black-cloaks might spoil their little surprise for us.”
Colonel Mayne glanced at the squad leader and nodded an acknowledgment. His eyes then rose towards the top of the cliff. He saw Lanoirian archers lining the cliffs as far as he could see in each direction. He sighed with resignation as he realized the severity of the trap they had walked into.
“I need to inform General Ruppert of our situation,” the colonel said to the squad leader before turning and heading towards the vanguard.
“Watch your step,” warned the squad leader. “The bottom here is slippery enough to toss you back into the sea.”
* * * *
A half dozen captains crowded around General Ruppert waiting for his orders, but the general said nothing. He stood silently waist deep in water staring at the road and the cliffs above. Behind him he heard the shouts and commotion as members of the cavalry tried to save their horses. The horses did not want to be near the flames, and it was nearly impossible to get them up onto the slippery shelf that ran alongside the road. He pushed the sounds out of his mind as he tried to formulate a plan of defense. The general gazed back along the road and shook his head in wonder. He hoped that the colonel had managed to save a lot of men, but he knew that he had not had time to warn all of the men. The fire spread much too rapidly for him to have gotten to the end of the column.
General Ruppert turned his attention to the south. Through the flickering flames, he saw the distant rider who had dropped the torch. The man still sat astride his horse as if waiting for something to happen. The general’s face turned red with rage.
“Get the men ready to fight,” commanded General Ruppert. “We are marching around the fire. Pass the word back.”
The word spread quickly. While he waited for his armies to prepare for battle, General Ruppert tried to think of a way to use his men effectively. He knew that his forces would be bottlenecked on the shelf, but he also thought he had more than enough men to overwhelm the enemy. He just needed a way to use them effectively. Perhaps he could keep the enemy engaged at the vanguard while General Hanold’s Aertan army backed off the shelf to the north. The Aertans would then need to find a way to get atop the cliffs and come up behind whatever forces were ahead of Ruppert. The general was still mulling over the plans in his mind when Colonel Mayne arrived.
“You are going to fight your way out of this?” asked the colonel.
“We are soldiers,” frowned the general. “Fighting is what we do. How far back did you mange to get before the firestorm overran you?”
“Almost half way,” answered the colonel. “General, are you aware that the cliffs are lined with Lanoirian archers?”
The general gazed at the colonel and then looked up at the tops of the cliffs. He could see no archers, but when he turned to the north, he could see them in the distance. He sighed. He had no doubt that the archers were above him right now. He just couldn’t see them.
“We will need the battle mages then,” stated the general. “If the Alceans want to play with fire, we will show them that it can burn them just as easily. Send for them.”
“The black-cloaks are dead,” stated the colonel. “The Lanoirians shot them as the fire engulfed the column. As far as I can tell, those were the only arrows sent down from the cliffs. I think they anticipated your use of magic.”
“Curses,” snarled the general. “How could the Alceans have known we were coming this way?”
“If you are General Ruppert,” said a feminine voice, “you should walk forward and ask Bin-lu. He awaits you at the southern end of the fire.”
The general spun around, seeking the woman who had spoken to him, but he could not see her.
“Above you, General,” the colonel said, his voice heavy with disbelief.
The general glanced up and saw a tiny blue woman hovering in the air, her wings beating frantically. For several seconds, the general was speechless as he gawked at the fairy.
“No harm will come to you,” the woman continued, “and you will be allowed to return to your men if that is what you wish, but you must go alone.”
“Tell this Bin-lu to come out here,” retorted the general. “I will guarantee his safe return.”
“That is not the way this game will be played,” countered the fairy. “Your position is not safe, and Bin-lu is no fool. He has no need to endanger himself.”
“Then I guess Bin-lu will have to do without any conversation,” snapped the general.
“What do you mean when you say that our position is not safe?” asked Colonel Mayne with alarm. “Is some other calamity coming our way?”
“It is not my place to discuss such things,” answered the fairy before refocusing on the general. “I will report your refusal to parley to Bin-lu. Farewell.”
“Wait!” called the general. “I did not refuse to meet with Bin-lu. We were merely haggling over the location. Tell him that I will think about it.”
“As you wish, General Ruppert,” replied the fairy just before she darted up into the sky.
“What was that creature?” asked one of the nearby captains.
Neither the general nor the colonel responded. The two high officers stared at one another for a moment before the colonel spoke softly.
“I do not think it will hurt to talk to them. If you will allow it, I will go in your stead. You can gauge their intent by how they treat me.”
“They think they are in a strong enough position to demand our surrender,” scowled the general. “There is no other reason for their desire to talk to us, and you are not in a position to fulfill their desires.”
“And you are not inclined to?” asked the colonel.
“Why should I? I have twenty-thousand men at my back. At worst, we can just sit tight and wait for the flames to die down. Then we will crush whatever men Bin-lu has assembled behind him.”
“We do not know the size of his army,” mused the colonel. “That alone might be worth the parley. If he only has the men atop the cliffs, our victory would be assured.”
“That is a valid point,” the general agreed. “Come, we will both go talk to Bin-lu.”
“But she specifically said for you to come alone,” objected the colonel.
“No tiny woman is going to dictate my actions, nor is any Lanoirian. You will accompany me. Send word to General Hanold to remove his men to safety and await my instructions.”
The colonel nodded and grabbed a man to serve as a runner. He gave the soldier the message and directed him to deliver it to General Hanold personally. When that was done, the colonel joined General Ruppert and walked along the shelf to meet with Bin-lu. When they arrived at the end of the fire, Bin-lu stood at the edge of the road. A short ladder had been placed down on the shelf to facilitate the general’s return to the road. The general climbed the ladder, followed by Colonel Mayne.
“I see that you have chosen to bring Colonel Mayne with you,” Bin-lu said in greeting. “That is acceptable. I am Bin-lu.”
“How do you know my name?” the colonel asked with a puzzled expression.
“You were here last fall,” answered Bin-lu. “Did you really think we would not be paying attention when an enemy scout was sent to reconnoiter his attack route? Come, I have a tent set up just around the bend in the road. We can talk there.”
General Ruppert halted and turned away from Bin-lu. He gazed back along the road to see what the Lanoirian could see from his vantage point and shook his head in despair. Bin-lu had a fairly good view of the Federation vanguard, and he would undoubtedly be able to anticipate any attack before it was launched. The general saw a large pipe climbing the face of the cliff and he gazed upward to see where it led. He could see nothing. He turned and followed the Lanoirian, Colonel Mayne falling in by his side. As they rounded the b
end, the scope of the Lanoirian force was revealed. Thousands of Lanoirian soldiers stood ready for battle. The general’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he said nothing. Bin-lu led the Zarans into the tent and ordered refreshments for the Federation officers. The lone guard left the tent, and Colonel Mayne’s hand moved towards the hilt of his sword.
“I have brought you here to save your lives, Colonel,” Bin-lu said without turning around to face the Zaran. “It would be a shame to kill you for dishonoring my hospitality. Please leave your sword sheathed.”
Bin-lu walked around the small table set in the middle of the tent and sat down. He waved towards the chairs opposite him as an invitation for the Zarans to sit.
“Are you a mage?” asked the colonel.
“I am not,” Bin-lu smiled thinly as he pointed to a shield propped up against the tent wall. “I saw your reflection in the shield.” Turning his gaze to the general, the Knight of Alcea continued, “General, I have managed to put your armies in a position of great danger. I have not destroyed your armies because King Arik would prefer not to kill your men. I am authorized by the king to accept your surrender. In return for your men giving up their weapons peacefully, I promise to have your men cared for until such a time that they can be returned to Zara. Will you accept these terms?”
“You have burned a road,” scowled General Ruppert. “Nothing more. While I give you credit for delaying my march on Ongchi, you have hardly won this battle. Allow me to offer you the same terms. Surrender your forces to me, and I will see that you are well treated.”
“I had heard that you were stubborn,” retorted Bin-lu, “but I also heard that you could be a reasonable man. You are in no position to haggle. The 13th Corps and 26th Corps will surrender or die. That choice will be made here and now. Let me explain your situation more fully to you.”
“Please do,” scoffed the general.
“I have seven thousand men massed at each end of your column,” declared Bin-lu, “and I have another thousand atop the cliffs. All of them have an ample supple of arrows, and I am sure you will admit, a decidedly superior position on the battlefield. We could cut down thousands of your men before a single one of them got off that shelf in the ocean. Why suffer your men to die when it is all for nothing?”
“That is your point of view,” shrugged the general. “The fact is, my men are not in danger at the moment. While they may be standing in a decidedly inferior position, you cannot approach them without giving up your superior position. Your men, Bin-lu, will have to enter the sea to attack me. Are you prepared to do that?”
The general had not expected an answer, and certainly not a frank one, but that is exactly how Bin-lu replied.
“My men will not get their feet wet, General. The men at the ends will not even make a move to attack you directly. I suspect that you think you can just wait the fire out, but you had best think again. There is enough oil in the vats up on the cliff to keep the fire burning for days, but it will not burn that long. While our engineers have taken every precaution to keep the bamboo pipes from burning in the flames, they could not shield them completely. Within hours the bamboo pipes will fail and thousands of gallons of oil will flood onto the road. So many gallons will dump so quickly that the oil will breach the small berm we built to contain it. I do not think I have to tell you what will happen to your men when the burning oil starts spreading over the surface of the sea.”
Colonel Mayne gasped. Suddenly the words spoken by the tiny flying woman made sense. “How much time do we have?” he asked.
“I cannot say accurately,” answered Bin-lu as he rose to his feet, “but we are wasting precious moments here. I will let the military minds of the Federation discuss this among themselves. Let me know when you have made a decision.”
Bin-lu exited the tent leaving the two Federation officers alone. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“We have no choice,” Colonel Mayne eventually said. “Everything he said was true. The Alceans have bested us.”
“The choice is not yours to make,” snapped General Ruppert. “It is mine, and I will not stand in disgrace when General Franz takes control of Ongchi.”
“That will never happen,” came a voice from the tent flap. “General Franz is dead.”
General Ruppert leaped to his feet and whirled around to face the speaker. “Somma?” he scowled. “What are you doing in the enemy’s camp?”
“They bested us too, Ruppert,” answered the Spinoan general. “They built a dam and flooded their own lands just so they could destroy it at the appropriate time and crush our armies. Most of my men would have perished if the Alceans had not saved them. Our people have woefully underestimated these Alceans, Ruppert. They have known for a very long time that this invasion was coming, and they have prepared very carefully.”
General Ruppert sighed and nodded, but his face grew dark as he once again gazed at the Spinoan general. “They must have had someone rather high in the Federation army to have had such advance knowledge. Why is it that you walk around freely among the enemy with your weapon still intact?”
“Think before you accuse me,” scowled General Somma. “I am a Spinoan, not a Baroukan. Do you think Emperor Jaar or Grand General Kyrga would share information with a Spinoan any more than he would an Ertakan? You and I learned about the invasion at the same time, during the festival in Despair. The Alceans knew about it long before then. In fact, Bin-lu actually traveled with the colonels of the 4th Corps and the 18th Corps when they arrived here last fall. They were already well informed at that time.”
“Then explain your freedom,” retorted General Ruppert.
“I am not truly free,” replied General Somma. “I was brought here because I offered to talk to you about surrendering, and before you seize upon that confession and make something out of it that is not true, let me explain. The Alceans believe that evil forces are manipulating Emperor Jaar into attacking Alcea. Those evil forces seek to benefit from the tears of millions. To fight that insidious evil, King Arik has decided to avoid as much bloodshed as he can and still claim victory over the Federation. Wherever it is possible, the Alceans seek surrender rather than battle. They truly do not want to kill all of your men, Ruppert. That is why they built the berm in the first place. Think about it. If they wanted your men dead, why contain the oil to just the roadway?”
General Ruppert frowned and nodded. For all his gruff talk of fighting on, he had to admit that the Alceans had trapped him quite well.
“How did they treat your men?” General Ruppert asked.
“Cordially,” answered General Somma. “They loaded them into wagons and took them away to camps. They did split up squads to lessen the threat of escape, but my men were treated well. They have healers at the camps and they promised that my men would be well fed and returned to Zara when the war was over.”
“Do you believe them?” asked General Ruppert.
“I do,” answered General Somma. “The Alceans that I have met so far have been amazingly honest with me. They have a sense of trust and honesty that does not exist in our lands.”
“That is all well and good,” interjected Colonel Mayne, “but that supposes that the Alceans will win this war. I cannot believe that such a feat is possible.”
“Then you have much to learn, Colonel,” replied General Somma. “Our forces in Cordonia are out of the war already. In Sordoa, Gattas and Montero were completely destroyed. Counting the 13th Corps and 26th Corps, half of our armies are already removed from the playing field, and there are still four days to go before our attack is supposed to start.”
“What about Kolling and Gertz?” asked General Ruppert.
“The Alceans have not spoken about them much,” replied the Spinoan general. “They have said that Team Barouk has no horses, food, or battle mages, but they have not revealed any traps set for them. I am sure that Bin-lu will discuss what he can with you, General, but time is wasting for your men. Until you surrender, the Alceans will not halt
the flow of oil, and that berm needs only a small break in it to destroy your entire army. I urge you to act quickly to save your men.”
“Are you positive that I cannot keep my army together if we just stay on the shelf until the fire dies?” asked General Ruppert.
General Somma shook his head and sighed. “Step outside the tent, Colonel and cast your gaze offshore. Come back in and tell the general what you see.”
Colonel Mayne rose and moved quickly to the tent flap. He stepped outside and returned immediately. “Hundreds of ships are converging on us. Maybe thousands. It is hard to tell. The horizon is thick with masts.”
“Ships?” questioned General Ruppert.
“The ships are to take your men to the camps,” explained General Somma, “but they could also be used to attack your men on the shelf, and you would have little defense against them. Your men would be caught between their catapults and the burning road. You really have no choice, Ruppert. This battle will be over today no matter what you choose. I explained the reason for your haste, but not the reason for Bin-lu’s haste. The armies he has massed against you are needed to fight Kolling and Gertz, and they are days away from Ongchi. The Alceans cannot afford to offer you more time to dwell upon your position. While they want to take your men alive, they do intend to win this war. They will destroy your armies if they must. Surrender now, and let your men live to return home to their families.”
General Ruppert nodded in agreement and rose to his feet. “Take me to Bin-lu so I can get my men onto dry land.”
Chapter 30
Royal Death
The mood in the library of the Royal Palace in Tagaret was somber. King Arik and Alexander Tork checked their weapons while Jenneva, Tanya, Theos, and Balamor spoke softly in the corner. Prince Oscar and General Gregor stood by the fireplace. Prince Midge was perched upon the mantle above the fireplace watching everyone in the room when another male fairy flew in from the balcony and landed next to the fairy prince. Nixy spoke so softly that Prince Oscar could not hear his report even though he stood only a pace away. Suddenly, Prince Midge started stomping his feet, his face turning bright green. Nixy tried to shy away from his prince, but Prince Midge advanced one step for each step backwards Nixy took. Everyone turned to watch the commotion just in time to see Nixy fall off the mantle. The tiny green man frantically flapped his wings as he hurtled towards the floor. Just before he struck the floor, Nixy managed to get his bearings. He shot upward, but he did not try to land on the mantle again. He hovered before it as Prince Midge stood with a stern expression on his face. The fairy prince had his hands firmly on his hips and he glowered at the other fairy. Prince Midge suddenly straightened one arm towards the balcony doors.
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