by Peter Last
“We were a team before, and it seemed to work then,” Devon said. “You need a guard, and seeing as though no one else was going to step up and take the job, we gave it to ourselves.”
“Once a team always a team,” Stephen said.
“Thank you,” Josiah said, nodding slightly. He glanced over his shoulder at the enemy army. “Get ready; it’s time to attack.”
Josiah turned and faced the enemy forces. His sword was already in his hand, but he heard the sound of steel on steel as his friends drew their weapons as well.
For a moment everything seemed to slow down. The sounds faded away, and the enemy rushed forward in slow motion. Out of the corner of his eye, Josiah could see Petra drawing his sword out of the last few inches of the sheath; the action seemed to take forever. Josiah thought that he spotted the wing of a dragon far above the armies, though it could have been his mind playing tricks on him.
With a snap, time returned to normal, and Josiah stabbed his sword into the air as a cry tore from his throat. An answering roar came from the army behind him as they raised their weapons. He slashed his blade downward to point at the enemy and broke into a run. The army surged forward behind him, almost overtaking him and his guards as it rushed forward. The distance to the enemy army disappeared rapidly and Josiah was able to see the soldiers clearly. The sun gleamed off their weapons and armor making them look quite impressive; however, there was a single weakness that Josiah was able to detect. Though the army of Magessa had managed to keep their ranks tight as they charged, the lines of Molkekk’s army had fallen apart; there was no pattern to the enemy soldiers.
Josiah barely had time to notice this before the armies smashed into each other. He found himself in the front line of his own army and, as he had hoped, the line held as the other army smashed against it like waves on rocks. The disjointed ranks of the enemy were no match for the orderly form of their opponent. No matter how many of their number rushed the wall of men, they could not open a hole in it, for whenever they overcame a soldier, another stepped into his place.
For several minutes the armies battled like this, Molkekk’s soldiers throwing themselves heedlessly against the impenetrable wall. Finally they fell back and began to regroup, and Josiah gave the order to follow them. He knew that there was no way his army could overcome theirs, but he also knew that if he gave them a chance to pick up momentum with another charge, they would have a chance of smashing his line to pieces.
The enemy saw the advance and turned to defend themselves. As the fighting began, Josiah gave up his position in the line to another soldier and fell back to evaluate his army. It was holding together well, but it could not hold forever. Already the enemy soldiers were spilling toward the edges of the line, seeking to fall in on the unprotected flanks.
“Fall back!” Josiah roared as loud as he could. All along the line, the call was taken up, and slowly the soldiers began to give way. The enemy soldiers saw the retreat and followed closely. Their toll on Josiah’s soldiers was increasing as they continued to beat against the soldiers who were falling back.
“Stand your ground!” Josiah commanded, and his men stood their ground again. For a moment they were forced to fight for their footing, but after a few more backwards steps were again able to form a solid wall. As before the enemy soldiers crashed ineffectively against their lines, but even as Josiah watched, their forces were swarming around the edges of his line. The flanks were bending inward to prevent such a catastrophe, but it was already apparent that the enemy planned to surround the army.
“Retreat running,” Josiah ordered. Immediately his troops began a new retreat pattern that he and Nathan had devised. The back half of the army fell back twenty feet and formed ranks with gaps between every man. At a signal, the soldiers who had stayed to hold off the enemy turned around and ran pell-mell toward their comrades. The enemy was so taken by surprise that they hardly had time to give chase before the soldiers had reached their line and slipped behind it. As they passed, a soldier stepped from behind every man on the front line and filled the gaps, making the line ready for another attack. The soldiers who were retreating did not stop but continued to run until they were twenty feet behind the soldiers who now held off the enemy. At a signal, the defending soldiers turned and ran for their own lines which again filled in behind them, bringing the enemy to a halt.
Bit by bit the army leapfrogged back toward the city of Sulmon. The enemy seemed unable to cope with the new tactic and was having difficulty keeping up, much less mounting a serious attack. Then, just when it seemed that the army would make it to Sulmon, disaster struck. A large part of the enemy army detached itself from the whole and began to run toward the city as fast as it could go. They ran faster than Josiah had ever seen anyone run, and in no time they had reached and passed Josiah’s own lines. In a flash they wheeled and struck the left flank of the army, sending the soldiers reeling and forcing the leading edge of the army to bend inward to prevent another attack. The soldiers abandoned the left flank and quickly covered the distance to the right. Already the line was bending to prevent a catastrophe, but the damage was done.
From his position Josiah could see the army contort into a gigantic circle and come quickly to a halt. This was exactly what he and Nathan had hoped to prevent by retreating. Now that they had been surrounded, there was nowhere for them to run to, and they would either win the battle or be defeated to fight no more. Even as he looked, the loose circle was being forced inward, pushed by the crushing force of the enemy troops. In the confusion that ruled the center of the ring of soldiers, Josiah found himself face to face with Nathan.
“What happened?” Josiah asked. “How did they get past our lines?”
“I don’t know,” Nathan answered. “They ran so quickly it was almost as if they had whips at their backs. I’ve never seen anyone run that fast.”
“We have to make a run for the city,” Josiah said. “The wagons and such that we sent on ahead should be there already. All we have is soldiers now. I think that if we attack the army in one spot, we just might be able to create a hole for us to escape through. Sure it’s risky, and many of us may not make it to the city alive, but it’s the best chance we have.”
“I agree,” Nathan said. His ears picked up a different sound, and he turned to take a look. “There’s some sort of commotion on the north side of the army. Now’s our best chance to do this.”
“Well, then,” Josiah said and lifted his sword. “Charge!”
The two Generals and their body guards burst forward in a surge of energy, pushing through the soldiers to the front ranks. Cheers followed them as they continued forward until they found themselves face to face with the enemy. With another shout, Josiah slashed with his sword and pushed ahead into the enemy soldiers.
******
Senndra and Rita helped each other into their armor and strapped on their weapons. Since they were going to be riding on dragons, their armor was light, consisting of leather with very little metal. Their weapons were standard for dragon riders; each carried a one-handed sword and a bow along with a quiver of twenty-five arrows. The quivers strapped on over their leather vests were built to hold a strung bow. The swords were in leather scabbards slung across the girls’ backs opposite their quivers. This put the swords’ handles over the girls’ left shoulders, making it slightly awkward to draw the weapons; however, it was more important for them to have easy access to their arrows. Besides that fact, they had trained for years with swords over their left shoulders.
Feddir stood behind the girls and watched as they prepared for battle. Senndra had already buckled his saddle on, so he was ready to go as soon as they were. His tail twitched in anticipation and smacked into a nearby tree, shaking the leaves off of it. He was excited to be flying into battle again. He scraped his razor-sharp claws across a rock, leaving three deep furrows in it. Then he stamped his legs, shaking the ground with the impact.
“Are you ready to go, Feddir?” Senndra asked
over her shoulder, as she adjusted the quiver and scabbard on Rita’s back. Feddir gave a roar in answer, and Senndra smiled. She finished with Rita’s equipment and turned to her dragon. He had stopped his haphazard and dangerous movements, but even as he sat still, he quivered with anticipation. Using his knee for a step, Senndra vaulted up into his saddle and fastened her legs to it. Rita followed more cautiously and took a seat behind Senndra. She also fastened her legs to the saddle with a second set of thongs.
“We’re ready, Feddir,” Senndra said to her dragon. “Ready to go and put an end to this madness. We’re going to destroy Molkekk’s army and return the blessed peace to this country.”
Feddir’s muscles bunched as he waited for the word that would indicate he could take flight. Every part of his body was coiled like a spring, awaiting the command that would release it. One toe moved slightly as the dragon struggled to stay under control. Senndra sensed the dragon’s impatience and only waited for a few more seconds.
“Let’s go,” she said in a voice barely over a whisper. All of Feddir’s muscles uncoiled instantaneously, flinging him and his riders into the air like a rocket. His wings snapped out to catch the air, and with mighty flaps, he rose higher and higher. He gave a roar and released a fireball as he continued to rise. Finally, he leveled out and began to circle the area from which he had just taken off. Some dragons were already in the air and more were leaving the ground and joining them. Soon the whole contingent would be airborne, and they would be able to move out.
From her perch on Feddir’s back, Senndra could see the infantry as they continued to march toward the enemy army. She could also see the enemy army only a few miles away, facing an army that was pathetically small by comparison. They didn’t stand a chance unless the reinforcements reached them in time.
It took mere minutes for the rest of the dragons to leave the ground. The order was given to move out, and Feddir fell into the middle of the flock of dragons flying to the aid of the beleaguered army of Magessa. It took two minutes to cover the distance to the army, and the dragons were already diving by the time they reached it. They might not be able to destroy the whole army, but they could at least give their allies time to retreat to the city behind them. Just as they were nearing the ground, a wall of fire balls rushed toward them. Instantly the dragons rolled onto their sides to absorb the fire on the scales of their bellies and then turned to face the foe that had just attacked. A sparkle of lights flashed in the air, signifying the death of a cloaking spell, and a flock of dragons and griffins, more than Senndra could count, appeared through the flashes. The dragons turned to face their enemies, and were able to form a line before they were attacked again. Even so, the force of the charging creatures brought them to a halt, and many fell toward the earth before regaining their wings.
In an instant the enemy was in among them, and the dragons were fighting for their very lives. Claw to claw and fire to fire, they challenged these attackers with a ferocity born of patriotism. These defilers were here to pillage and burn their homes and the homes of their riders, and they would not stand for it. Bodies of dragons and griffins rained out of the sky to smash into the ground below, and though the defenders fought tooth and nail, the sheer numbers of their enemy began to overpower them. They took down three or four dragons for every one they lost, yet there seemed to be no end to the enemy’s ranks.
Suddenly a swarm of dragons bearing elfin riders dropped out of the clouds and fell on the flank of the enemy dragons and griffins. For a moment they wreaked havoc, killing many of the unsuspecting beasts, but they too were faced with the fact that there appeared to be no end to the enemy, and slowly the armies of Magessa were pushed backward.
Senndra chanced a glance down at the ground to see how the troops below were faring. The elfin dragon riders finally reached the rest of the soldiers of Magessa, and together the combined armies were pushing their way through Molkekk’s forces, which had managed to surround them. They were only a quarter of a mile from the city now, and the soldiers on the walls were helping them in any way they could. Missiles of all types were being fired from the wall into the enemy army, though they could not touch the closest soldiers for fear of harming Magessa’s men.
A sharp bank from Feddir jerked Senndra back to the aerial battle. A griffin was on his tail, and he was doing his best to shake it. Though griffins were not a serious threat to dragons if they met head to head, they were considerably faster and more maneuverable than the larger, heavier dragons. Using this speed and agility, they were able to maim or kill dragons if given the opportunity.
The griffin behind Feddir had targeted the weaker membrane of his wings, and was closing on that target steadily. No matter how much Feddir banked and twisted, the griffin remained behind him as if he were attached by a line. Acting purely on instinct, Senndra pulled her bow and an arrow from her quiver. Feddir sensed what she was doing and ceased his twisting and banking in order to give her a clearer shot. The griffin took advantage of this by shooting forward and closing in on the dragon’s wings. With a gaping beak and outstretched claws, it reached for the wing, but before it could grasp it, Senndra released her arrow. The feathered shaft slammed into the griffin’s chest, penetrating the tough hide and killing the creature instantly.
Senndra didn’t have to time to gloat over the kill; Feddir banked hard right to avoid a head-on collision and dove twenty feet before leveling back out. Senndra already had another arrow on her string by the time his flight evened, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Rita had done the same thing. Both bows sang, and another griffin dropped out of the sky with two arrows protruding from its chest. A blast of heat brought Senndra’s head around to see a dragon rushing straight at them. She fumbled for an arrow and got off one shot at the beast’s head, but it bounced harmlessly off the scales of its closed mouth. In triumph it opened its maw to douse its opponents in flames. But Feddir was quicker. He fired a stream of fire into the dragon’s mouth and rolled sideways. The dragon shot past with a roar of pain, and Feddir started to climb through the sky. He slammed into the belly of an enemy and sent it spinning away before dropping back into a dive, another enemy on his tail.
******
The army had finally reached the gates of the city, and found them thrown wide to receive them. Quickly they began to file into the city, always making sure to keep constant pressure on the enemy in front of them. As they continued to enter the city, the archers on the walls were able to get better shots at the enemy soldiers, and in no time they had them retreating from the walls. The soldiers began to file into the city in an orderly fashion, always keeping a contingent to guard the gate against attacks. Even with the orderly retreat, the movement of the army was painfully slow.
As the retreat was underway, the enemy army pulled back out of range of the archers on the wall and quickly reformed into a more organized formation. Seeing that the larger part of their adversary was still outside of the city, they realized they had plenty of time. They began their advance immediately and marched at an even pace until they came within range of the city’s archers again. This time, instead of turning and running, they simply raised their shields and continued their march though at a faster pace.
Suddenly they came to a stop, their shields lowering for a heartbeat to reveal a crossbowman behind each one. In a moment, thousands of bolts were flying at the wall, and the archers threw themselves behind any cover they could find. Many of the bolts found their marks, dropping archers all along the wall, but an instant later the archers who had not been hit rose up again and fired a return barrage. Mixed in with these arrows were javelins from ballistae, and their combined impact devastated the enemy troops. Scores fell at a time, but still they pressed toward the wall, desperate to kill the defenders before they could enter the city.
The sheer impact of the attack from the wall weakened the enemy army to such an extent that when they reached the soldiers congregated outside the gate of the city, they were unable to break t
hrough the line. Nevertheless, the fighting was bitter, and many men fell from both sides. The attackers knew that this was their best chance at destroying the army of Magessa once and for all, so they continued to press forward, heedless of the soldiers that had fallen before them. The defenders held on with grim determination and refused to give the attackers any ground whatsoever; they knew they were fighting for more than their lives.
From the battlements of the city, Josiah watched the furious battle raging below him. He had been one of the first people through the gates at the urging of his body guard and had directed the passage of his men into the city for some time, though he eventually left this task in the hands of others and ascended the wall to gain a better view of the battle. The black forms of Molkekk’s soldiers spread across the plain like a blight on the face of the earth. There were hundreds of thousands of them, probably close to a million, all pressing against his men, trying to force them to break. The archers from the wall poured arrows into the enemy ranks, and wall-mounted ballistae and mangonels rained their projectiles down with devastating effect. But no matter how many of the soldiers were killed, more advanced to take their places.
Just when it seemed that the black army would surely overcome the city defenders, a glimpse of hope appeared. At first Josiah was not sure whether he had seen it or not, but off to the north he thought he detected some commotion. He stared at the spot, but nothing more happened. Then, just as he was about to turn away, he saw a rip form in the enemy ranks as another army tore through them and headed for the gates of the city. Thousands upon thousands of men appeared as the army continued its all-out break for the city, and Josiah’s hope began to rise. Such numbers would definitely be welcome in the battles ahead.
As the army drew closer to the city and Josiah was able to make out more details, he saw that the soldiers were not what he had expected. Some of them were properly equipped with armor and decent weapons, but many of them were not. They had obviously been recruited from their farms and shops to fight against the national threat and were armed with machetes, pitchforks, clubs, and whatever they had been able to lay their hands on. The effect of their attack on the enemy, however, was overwhelmingly successful. They had hit Molkekk’s forces on their flank and were able to tear through the unsuspecting soldiers. Even now after they had battled their way to within several hundred yards of the city, they had few casualties of their own.
