“I thought he had you” Bonds said as John stabbed the wounded barbarian in the chest.
“Let’s run” John said as he turned back towards the path they had cleared.
The two men raced back to the garrison, Bonds was running slower from the blood loss but John helped him along. It was just getting dark as the pair appeared in the clearing in front of the garrison, it was obvious men had heard the sounds of fighting as they were on the wall armed with bows and arrows. The door opened just enough for John and Corporal Bonds to sneak through before it shut again. Men grabbed at Corporal Bonds and ripped his uniform off and started tending to his wound.
“How far did you get?” Lieutenant Tenkay said as he approached John. “Where is the map you were supposed to draw for me”.
“Back with the enemy” John replied. “You are more than welcome to retrieve it”.
“Remember your manners soldier” Lieutenant Tenkay snapped. “You are speaking to your better, now answer my question, how far did you get?”
“I don’t know but we were moving for at least an hour” John replied as he was too shocked to argue. “How many have made it back?”
“How many of what has made it back?” Lieutenant Tenkay asked.
“How many of your men?” John said through clinched teeth.
“I don’t know it's not important” Lieutenant Tenkay replied. “What is important is that map, I am going to need you to sketch out whatever you remember immediately. With any luck we now can travel deeper into the barbarian lands”.
John shook his head at the noble, he was a real piece of work. This must be what it is like for simple commoners, it was no wonder some people had a horrible view of the upper class. John was not technically a noble but as the son of the Archmage he was far from a simple commoner. Tenkay shoved some paper and pencil in his hand to draw what he remembered, John felt sick as the man started patting him on the back and talking about his own leadership skills. They had gone three miles in and that was farther than anyone had, Lieutenant Tenkay took off with the map without a second thought for his men. John could be mad at the man but felt ashamed more than anything, he could have done so much more. He could have put a shield on some of their party or constructed a horse or something to move in deep then withdraw. He could have saved lives but instead he ran from the enemy while most of his squad except for him and Bonds died. It didn’t matter he had seriously wounded one man and helped kill two more, he should have done more. John was lost in his thoughts and wondered about the rest of the platoon.
The night was the roughest John had ever remembered, his thoughts kept him awake and now Lieutenant Tenkay had called a formation, at least he could find out how many people survived. John walked to formation and only saw one of the men he arrived with, the other three were dead or wounded John thought since Corporal Bonds was also missing. One squad had made it back entirely intact, John was the only one of his squad in formation and there was only two people belonging to the other one.
“First thing first” Lieutenant Tenkay spoke, his face had a small smile playing across his lips. “We completed what we set out to do thanks to private John Thunder. Commander Treesome was overjoyed and have given us the rest of the month off from going into the wilds, we will relieve Lieutenant Faver’s platoon on the wall and he can bring his men into the wilds. We did lose some people but they died bravely, Sergeant Jonas died in the melee as well everyone you do not see here other than Corporal Bonds. Bonds was stabbed through his sword wielding shoulder and was evacuated this morning. Corporal Price since you are the highest ranking here amongst the enlisted the Commander has seen fit to name you Platoon Sergeant. You need to pick three men to become corporal’s, I don’t care who you choose. On second thought pick two, I am naming John Thunder the leader of third squad whenever we get more men in. The rest of you should follow Corporal’s Thunder’s lead, if you make me look good I’ll make you look good. Thunder had three confirmed kills of the enemy according to Corporal Bonds and is being put in for an award. That is all, enjoy the rest of your day”.
The man was clueless John thought as Sergeant Price accepted his stripes then handed out Corporal rank to John and two others. John accepted the stripes but felt like he didn’t deserve them. The only reason he took them was because of the money and maybe to find out what it meant to be a leader, maybe he could prevent people from being killed. The rest of the day dragged on but the excitement had just started. An alarm went up from the gate, men started scrambling and John was certain he saw at least one arrow loosened. Lieutenant Tenkay was running around frantic trying to get his men in order, it was dark and John purposely hid from the man. A call went up for all cavalry, John only thought about it for a second before he conjured a mount and colored it black. His fake horse wouldn’t gallop but hopefully no one would notice in the dark. The only thing John was certain of was that the garrison was most likely under attack and he did not want Lieutenant Tenkay giving instructions to him. John floated his fake horse about an inch above the ground and blended in with the twenty other horses, hopefully no one noticed he made twenty one.
“Who are you Corporal?” a Lieutenant said looking at John.
“New soldier, got in today” John replied.
“Well you got a horse, that’s enough for me” the Lieutenant replied. “We are surrounded on three sides, our job is to escape out the main gate leading towards the rest of the kingdom then double back and attack the enemy’s rear. Follow my lead and let’s go, we need to move fast. A rider has already been sent asking for more troops, let’s hope he got free”.
The main gate opened and the group raced out, after riding for no more than three minutes, three shapes could be clearly seen in the moon light. It was three horses laying dead in the middle of the road, their riders had to be somewhere around also dead as shapes started crowding the road.
“Forget the last orders men, one of us has to make it to get help” the Lieutenant screamed. “Let’s break the line!”
John willed his mount forward and soon passed up the other horses. John thought it was weird the only thing on his mind was how smooth the ride was as his conjured mount didn’t bounce up and down like a normal horse. Something caught John around the neck and threw him from his mount, it was some kind of rope that was invisible in the dark. John went to grab his weapon and grimaced as he remembered it was in his tent. He made one appear out of the same magic he made his shield with and stabbed at what he thought was a barbarian. It struck the man in the chest and drove him backward but did not do any big damage. His shields were strong but had no weight behind them, John willed his sword to narrow and taper off into a sharp point as he fended off attackers. John stabbed again and this time his blade pierced through the enemy, John pulled his blade out of the barbarian and thrust it into the face of another as a horse and rider had gone past him. John hoped whoever it was could make it, his hope was dashed when the man was pulled off his horse a short distance ahead. John felt a blow from the back, he stumbled but was in no real pain and he lashed out at his opponent who dodged out of the way. John willed another sword for his other hand and went after the sword wielding barbarian. His enemy was taller and faster, the man should have killed John twice now and was amazed his strikes did little to John. John though could feel his shield threatening to break under the strain of the four enemies he was now dealing with and wished he had another arm. John growled as he willed another two arms to manifest holding swords and promptly killed a barbarian who never saw the extra appendages. John carved out an area and could see that he was completely surrounded, what was worse was that his aura was at maybe 25% due to the flush hits he had taken. John spread his legs and willed another mount to grow under him. John barreled through his attackers, hacking and slashing at anything near him and broke free. John poured on the speed and could see a horse and rider was in front of him. Someone else had made it John thought as he soon caught up with rider and conjured an invisible shield around both of th
em. They rode hard throughout the night, John's aura had refilled itself from earlier and he matched pace easily with the real animal the other man was on. John thought he could have went on ahead but dismissed the idea almost immediately, he wouldn’t forgive himself if another man died. Just thinking about that left him conflicted, there were still people back at the garrison that were depending on him. The pair reached their destination, John was happy as he had not known where to go for help since he was not a cavalry man.
“We are under attack!” the other rider screamed into the morning sun as the pair descended on a much larger garrison. The gate guards looked over at them from on top of the walls and opened the gates. The other rider's mount was exhausted, John looked over at the poor animal as the other rider got off. John followed his lead and was soon surrounded by other soldiers who were trying to figure out what happened. John let his mount fizzle out as a man wearing the rank of Commander bulled his way to the front.
“Report Corporal” the Commander said looking at John.
“The barbarians have us surrounded” John replied. “All the cavalry was sent to gather reinforcements, we were the only ones who made it”.
“How many enemy?” the Commander said looking over John.
“Don’t know” John admitted. “I am not even cavalry, I just have my own mount”.
“Well stay put” the Commander said as he then turned around to face a nearby private. “Send word and get all of our guys ready, Senior Commander Bones is likely to send us all out”.
John watched the man retreat and wondered how long it would take that many men to reach the Lost Legion. A lieutenant could command up to 100 men in a platoon, a commander could control 5 platoons which made up a legion and a senior commander could control 5 legions which made a division. The Lost Legion was one of the legions under command of the place he was now at, John really didn’t know too much about the legion names or even who was in charge, he only hoped they hurried. John was lost in his thoughts when he was approached by an older man who wore senior sergeant stripes, senior sergeants normally helped a commander control the legion.
“You there” the senior sergeant replied. “Get your man and follow me, Senior Commander Bones wants to see you on the double”.
John looked over at the private who followed them both into a wooden building with a flag out front with senior commander rank on it. The Senior Sergeant entered the building first, John followed and was happy to see the place was in chaos, men were running around getting their gear on while barking orders to subordinates. John was led into a room which held four men with commander rank and the senior commander, a gray haired old man that looked every bit as gruff as Sergeant Conn ever did.
“You” the Senior Commander said eyeing John. “How long you been with the Lost Legion?”
“Since yesterday Sir” John replied. “I just graduated training a few days ago, I only got corporal because everyone else in my squad was dead and I survived”.
“Whose horse did you steal to get out of the fight?” the senior commander said eyeing John. “I know the names of all of my cavalry, whoever you are you are not one of them”.
“I ain’t stole nothing from no one” John said with a little anger at being called a thief. “I am a mage, I know how to get around”.
“I don’t have time for this” the Senior Commander replied then looked at one of the senior sergeants. “Throw him in the brig then lets plan our counterattack”.
John conjured a shield which looked like an amber colored brick wall and put it in front of him. “My name is John Thunder, son of Jonathan Thunder, Archmage of Kirby. I will not have you call me a liar. My father will hear of this and there is no way you can prevent me from getting the word out”.
“You are a mage!” the Senior Commander said standing up. “I have received no word that we were to get a mage. Why didn’t you report here first instead of running off and doing your thing? It is bad enough your kind thinks they are better than the rest of us real fighting men. Where are your robes and whose uniform do you have on?”
“I am in the army sir” John replied calming himself down. “I stink as a mage and needed a change of pace. I am just a regular troop here”.
“I see” the Senior Commander replied. “You are the one then that must have mapped out a little further than the rest in the barbarian lands, I got the missive of three promotions hours ago. I have been angling for the crown to enroll mages in the army for some time, it is nice that we finally have at least one who knows rank structure. What are their tactics concerning cavalry Corporal Thunder? There were over twenty horses there. How did they managed to get the rest off of their mounts? The barbarians do not ride animals”.
“Ropes across the road” John replied. “Practically invisible to see at night, then they swarm. The enemy probably outnumbers us at least 3 to 1”.
“Not for long” the Senior Commander replied. “Come look at my map, where about did you last see these barbarians?”
“From the gate up until this point” John said pointing at a spot.
“You have a little more than half an hour to prepare to ride again Corporal” the Senior Commander said. We have 400 cavalry that were recalled as soon as I got word of the attack. The other garrisons should have them here within that time frame and I need every man to harass the barbarians until our ground troops can catch up. Your private can stay here, as part of the leadership you need to be there. It should take us about a day of hard marching to get there, hopefully you and the rest can harass them until then”.
John nodded and left the building, the private who rode with him cleared his throat and tugged on John’s sleeve.
“Corporal Thunder?” the private said biting his lip. In the daylight John could tell he was around 22 or so and had not shaved in at least three days judging from the blond stubble that surrounded his chin.
“What is it?” John asked.
“I knew something was wrong last night” the private replied. “My Da was the stable master for a small inn up in Kenmore, I have been around horses all my life, it was the reason I got to go cavalry. Your mount never moved while we were traveling, it was like you were on a floating statue”.
“In a way I was” John replied. “You look older than me and it seems like they just give rank away out here, why are you still a private?”
“Because I am not stupid enough to leave the cavalry” the private said shaking his head.
“I don’t think I ever got your name” John said looking the private over.
“Sach” the private replied. “And as long as you are one of the ground troops you will find out they promote real quickly in the Lost Legion. No one wants to come out here and those that are stuck here don’t want any responsibility. A few coppers just ain’t worth living with the fact you are expected to come up with a plan to fight off the enemy”.
“Well we should be getting some cavalry in to replace what we lost if we still control the garrison” John said grimly. “I don’t think anyone other than us made it”.
“Good luck with that” Private Sach laughed. “We were supposed to be a hundred man force, our own platoon. No one willingly comes to the Lost Legion, our last lieutenant was only sent there as a punishment. Horses are useless for battle out there, the only thing they are good for is running back this way. Only reason we have a cavalry platoon at all is because every legion on the border is supposed to have one. I can't wait to leave this place myself and maybe join an entire legion of nothing but cavalry”.
“Well I better try to relax” John said turning away. “It was a decent thing I got some sleep”.
CHAPTER 5
John rode his mount in the group of hard faced men as they neared the garrison of the Lost Legion. It had rained hard for the last hour which turned the road to muck, the biting wind which accompanied the rain had everyone in a dour mood. John felt a little bad for them, he was safe in his shield and the wind or the rain really didn’t faze him. John was
still dry and somewhat warm, his mount had no problem navigating the terrain as the conjured beast never touched the ground. Maybe he should try other shapes John thought, like a flying bed or maybe a carriage. This would have to wait though, the only thing important was that the fight was about to start soon. The garrison was in poor shape, smoke was rising from it, the gate looked to have been ripped off but was replaced by a barricade of junk. The enemy lie dead everywhere, along with the remains of the Lost Legion’s cavalry. The barbarians had practically torn the place apart and had taken heavy losses from arrow fire, but there were only a few defenders manning the walls so John thought they must have also killed their fair share. John made his mount take to the sky and swooped down on a couple of the enemy, the conjured sword he had brought into existence took off a head before he swooped back up in the air. John flew back down and killed another man before returning to the air. The barbarians had no weapon that could reach him so he decided a different tactic. From the sky he could see a lot of things, including where the Legion needed the most help. John continued his hit and run tactics to the most vulnerable areas, the barbarians could have taken the garrison eventually but someone amongst them decided it was not worth it and a loud horn was sounded. The barbarians began withdrawing, John landed his horse inside and let it fizzle out. His aura had been taxed, it took a lot to maintain the horse, fly the horse, make a sword and keep his own personal shield going. He estimate was about 50% aura remaining but he could feel it returning. In an hour he would be refilled.
Men cheered when they saw him land, they had taken heavy losses. Men were laid out everywhere inside, some were moaning but most were dead. John could see a fair number of barbarians had gotten inside but were cut down. Lieutenant Tenkay was hiding in the center of the garrison behind an overturned wagon next two the bodies of two dead lieutenants and that of a commander. He looked petrified and John thought it served him right. He had put men in that position before and needed to see what it was like to face death.
The Knight Mage Page 4
