The High King: A Tale of Alus

by Wigboldy, Donald

  Turning to the stunned men of Brahe, who appeared unsure of whether to cheer or fight, Gerid proclaimed, "If you men want to fight for your freedom, follow me!"

  It was with nearly eighty men that Gerid now ran towards the south gate. They were a full company by Rhearden standards and a force to be reckoned with, especially with Gerid leading them, if he continued to survive his wounds. His men crossed paths with several large units of the enemy who, caught by surprise as they were, were quickly shattered by the passionately swung blades of Gerid and his men. No skirmish seemed to last more than a few minutes and he knew that soon they would have to run into a substantial force of Enswerians preparing to defend the outer walls of the city. They were nearing the last few bends of the street leading outside and Gerid kept watch for it.

  The unique set up of the streets of Brahe was also a hindrance to his men as they ran outward from the center. His ears could hear the sounds of battle in strange echoes from all around making it seem that the war was quite close, but still the bends kept the sight from them. He realized that the design would help the defenders immensely, in that they could set ambushes of hundreds of men with the enemy none the wiser. It was a good way to defend the city if there was time to prepare, but it could work the other way as well. When the enemy was within already, they could sneak up from behind.

  His command used that advantage in their favor as they set upon more than a hundred men that had tucked themselves in a bend just outside the battle near the gate. With a startling battle cry "For Rhearden!", Gerid and his men charged straight into them. The enemy was so surprised that his men left not a one standing after only seconds.

  With the ambushers dead, Gerid halted his men that they might all regain their breath. He set guards before and after so that they would not fall to the same tactic that had taken his enemies. As the half dozen moved off to their positions, Gerid called over the Enswerian sergeant, Finneas. "Do you know of other traps like this one set in the city?" he asked thinking ahead of the answer.

  "Yes, my lord, each gate has at least one hidden beyond it on the main thoroughfare leading into the city. There are most likely other smaller ones that will happen spontaneously since dozens of men were sent into the city to chase after you and your men. After they stop the fires, I'm sure that they'll move towards the outer walls to defend the city."

  "Can you lead me to the others in the quickest way?"

  "I know where they are approximately, of course, but it is hard to be sure if their commanders will have moved them again by the time we arrive. I'm also not sure of what streets will wind up dead ends, if we rush across the side streets." He looked apologetically at Gerid and summed up the reply with, "I haven't lived in this city that long."

  Gerid nodded and called over his shoulder, "Mateir! Do you know the city streets well enough to lead us across to the next gate and its ambush parties? I would want the quickest route, of course."

  "I know my city well enough, yes sir. Which one will you need to go to then?"

  After checking to see that the southern gate was still open and his men secure in their guard tower, Gerid led his men on a swift chase through the city. Having seen the chaos that awaited them near the gates, the men were more than willing to follow him through mostly deserted streets to the far off eastern gate. He had mistakenly worried that being trapped inside the city would dampen their spirits, but Gerid had also allowed them all to see the war raging in the yards near the open gate. None of the men seemed affected, in fact, the morale seemed even higher than before since they all knew how important their fights would be. With his original followers and the passionate Finneas to help bolster their confidences, the company moved enthusiastically after the next ambush.

  Over the next hour, they hit three small bands of the enemy and crushed the main ambush behind the east gate. Gerid allowed the men to rest once again. It had been a long, running march and several minutes of intense fighting. He looked at the men surrounding him. Though his troops were conditioned to hit and run fighting as were most of Rhearden's mercenary forces from this summer’s fighting, the men of Brahe and Enswere were beginning to show definite signs of fatigue. They found a deserted inn nearby with a cooler of food set in the kitchen floor and a pantry stuffed with even more stores. Starving from their exertion, the men ate quickly and well.

  After nearly an hour of rest, they could hear the fighting moving much closer. The increasing loudness alone told them how close the battle must be due to the annoying echoes of the streets. Gerid looked to their faces. Looks of worry and determination could be found moving through all of them. He moved to stand before them confidently and stated, "We are the best fed and most rested troops in this city at the moment, gentlemen. Do you expect your liberators to fight all day and give their lives to just fall to another ambush? There are still two large divisions hidden beyond the other gates. Will you follow me now so that we can win this war that much sooner"

  All of the men stood as one to draw their swords and strap on their shields. Finneas spoke for them all as he said, "You should know that you have only to ask, m' lord. Besides, with you spearheading our attacks, we do little more than clean up what you leave behind. Lead on, m' lord," the man concluded with a gesture towards the doorway.

  "Lead on, m'lord!" the men cheered gleefully around him.

  Not one to waste time, Gerid and his men moved out once again into the side streets. The next gate in the circle held the north tower where Sergeant Ulius and his platoon should be if their mission had gone well. Sounds of battle were indeed getting closer to the edges of the town. On two occasions, they found two of the smaller ambush groups locked in battle with Rhearden’s soldiers. Gerid and his men swept in long enough to reinforce their comrades and dispatch the Enswerians before pushing on again. Even so, he could tell that they were running just ahead of the main battles now.

  Gerid had pushed them hard and gained several more Rhearden soldiers along the way. It was just enough to spring their attack on the main force of Enswere where they lay in wait. The enemy force was quite large here and luckily was taken totally by surprise. Prepared for the nearing battle from their front where the noise of war was quite loud, Gerid and his troops had torn through nearly half their number before a new clashing of arms could be heard by the front line of Enswerians. Even as his men were finishing off the enemy soldiers, a rushing wave of men flooded the street with both struggling armies.

  "Finneas," Gerid called and motioned for the rest of the men to join them also, "keep your men near my squad. If a Rhearden man sees you, he'll only think the worst. Paleas, join up with our new allies as peacefully as possible," he ordered his sergeant as the melee threatened to engulf his command.

  "Try and stay together, men! We are the rock and the rest will be the hard place for the enemy," Finneas added to the men around him.

  The war quickly raged all around them. After the initial surprise of having found their ambush slain, the enemy soldiers gritted their teeth and fought for their lives. Battling in and out of buildings, finding alleys and side streets to form up a defense, the Enswerians fought hard against the unforgiving blades of Rhearden. They soon knew that they could hardly hope to win against such odds and the matter became one of survival. They were simply outmatched. With Gerid and his men holding ground stubbornly on one side and their pursuers crushing blades cutting at their rear and flanks, the surviving soldiers soon found themselves in positions of surrender.

  Leaving a significant force from the second legion under a sergeant of the king's division to guard nearly a hundred defeated soldiers, Gerid gathered up his command. The soldiers of Brahe were showing great fatigue now. Numerically, they had suffered very few losses as of yet, but, if they tried to maintain the pace of the seasoned fighters, most would be dropping dead by day's end. There was only about a half dozen that Gerid felt could hold up to one last run. Singling the six men out, Gerid assigned the rest to stay with the sergeant to guard the prisoners. Gathering
those of the king's infantry that could follow and more than thirty of his own followers, he moved off to see if they could help at the final gate.

  Chapter 19- Breaking Down

  "Gerid, my boy, c'mon in. I see that you have survived another campaign again, eh?" Kolonus greeted him happily from within his field tent. Gerid noticed the man being bandaged by an orderly and his shirt was still lying at his side. Gauzy bands of sheiga, used for bandages in Rhearden, were already wrapped around the man's chest and still being wound around his left arm, which Gerid knew was also his shield arm. As he entered, Kolonus eyed him carefully looking for wounds. "Don't tell me that you came through this without a scratch again, lieutenant. You'll hurt my pride, if you came through that bloody battle so easily. Maybe you'll even make me think that I'm getting too old."

  "It was a heated battle all right, sir. A lot of men didn't survive it at all on either side. You are just too tough to go down, I think. Apparently, I am as well."

  "You sound as if you don't appreciate your accomplishment, Gerid. Saying that you survived is a definite understatement. I hear that your men not only took the gates and distracted the enemy with your fires, but you took the time to gather an extra eighty friendly soldiers from the Brahe garrisons and destroyed several key ambush sites. You saved hundreds of lives and captured hundreds more of the enemy to boot. I'll make sure that they give you a respectable share of the resulting slave sales for that, of course," he added referring to part of their deal with Carter Holtein. "I'll make sure that it gets credited to you like we promised, boy."

  "Thank you, commander. I only did my best in there."

  "Oh, don't get all formal with me now, boy. We've been through too much and drank more than enough to consider each other friends by now. You've earned at least one night to remain at ease." Noticing that the medic was finished with his attentions, Kolonus waved the man out of the tent. "You look like you have something else important on your mind, Gerid. Whatever it is, you can tell me if you want. Come have a seat and tell me."

  Gerid moved a canvas field chair closer, but quickly noticed Kolonus awkwardly trying to put on a clean shirt. With the wounds that he had sustained, the commander was wincing with gritted teeth as he attempted the simple task. Gerid stepped over and gently helped his elder officer slide the shirt on and sat down.

  "Thanks," the commander stated gruffly. Gerid knew how much being slowed down annoyed the man. His face took a more introverted cast as he said, "I guess that it is a good thing that our division is getting to return home once the city is fully reinforced. I know that I'll need a little time to rest after this battle, which brings us back to you. Come on, my friend, what seems to be troubling you today?"

  Gerid sat staring at the dirt of the floor seeming to contemplate its texture as he asked carefully, "Kolonus, do you recall our conversations following the strangeness of Paxthos?"

  The commander's eyes suddenly looked skittish as his lieutenant searched the older man's face. He answered stiffly, "I believe so."

  With a sigh, Gerid continued, "Well, one of the reasons that I was able to gather such a force together including some from their own men, is because Sergeant Finneas and his men think that I am a god. You see, I was caught all alone against more than twenty men. I slew several, but I was surrounded on all sides and finally was overwhelmed enough that a blade was stabbed deep into my chest. I think that it actually was driven completely through my lung. The deathblow only knocked me to my knees. I was actually able to withdraw the blade from my own chest. My blood was still dripping from the metal, but I slew the man who had done the deed and stood to fight again. When I stood, I figured to take a few more with me before I died, but I actually gained strength instead. They saw me stand and fell to their knees thinking me to be a god." He shook his head at his own words, "I don't think that I am, but for some reason I do find that I have been blessed with being unslayable."

  There was a long silence and Gerid could see the disbelief in Kolonus’ eyes. There was a trace of fear as well, he thought sadly. Knowing that proof would be needed with such a man as Kolonus, the young man stood and quickly removed his leather jerkin. The fresh wound was revealed though it had healed greatly already. It appeared as if more than a week of healing had been done. If not for the placement, the wound would have appeared far from unusual. Even now, the commander seemed not to believe his eyes. With a great sigh, Gerid drew his long knife from its sheath at his waist and handed the weapon handle first to Kolonus. "Go ahead. It'll hurt a bit, but I doubt that it can kill me."

  The soldier nearly dropped the knife in surprise. "What are you crazy?" Kolonus shouted and lay the weapon on the folding table nearby. "I can hear that even you aren't sure if this is real. You don't know if you can keep surviving these things! If you are right that you have been given this gift, then you shouldn't risk finding your limit. I won't be your murderer!"

  The lieutenant shook his head sadly. "I was afraid that you would say that, sir, though I can hardly blame you." Gerid kept his eyes locked on the man before him and suddenly whistled a shrill note. In answer to the call, Finneas burst through the opening where he had awaited his signal. With no fear of what may happen, the sergeant thrust with his sword even as Kolonus tried to draw his own weapon. The man's eyes were wide with fear for his friend and would have surely tried to kill the sergeant if Gerid had not kept his arms outspread to separate them. The young man felt great pain as he had warned before the blade thrust through his back aiming for his heart. The momentum of Finneas' charge drove the sharp weapon gratingly past his front ribs and clear through his chest. Looking down as if the deed had not been done to him, Gerid could see a good six inches of the sword's end. It was lodged so deep that the sergeant was forced to place a foot against his giant back that he might withdraw the blade again.

  With a growl, Kolonus dodged around the swaying giant sighting Finneas with an angry glare. The sergeant backed warily away from the commander. Gerid raised his hand to hold up the men. He struggled back up from his knees and suddenly his strength began to return as it had before. It took nearly a minute while the men kept a wary vigil before he could again draw his breath, but with a ragged gasp Gerid was finally able to inflate his punctured lung.

  He nodded to Kolonus that he was all right. Hoarsely, the man croaked, "You see, commander? Finneas is one of the men who swore his loyalty to me, because he believes that I am a god. I would ask for a boon of you as well."

  "Anything," Kolonus said quietly as he found a bottle of his brandy and poured one for himself.

  "I would ask that you allow Finneas and his men to stay with me as mercenaries and not be sold as slaves. They are loyal and I trust them. Besides they are excellent swordsmen and will fit in well here. Is that all right, sir?"

  Kolonus virtually collapsed onto his chair and simply nodded numbly to the request. His face was pale and fear could be seen vividly in his eyes. The sword and glass fell from shocked fingers as he witnessed the fatal wound bind itself and close in a clotted scar of red. "How could I think to resist your request? If you are not a god, Gerid, then what are you and who am I to stop you?"

  Gerid took his seat again even as Finneas moved to guard the doorway. The giant sat a moment considering his friend's words. It was not the first time that he had wondered as much himself. Finally he began, "I really don't know anymore. Perhaps I am a god, stripped of all but my immortality. The gods have been recorded as often having arguments and even fighting amongst themselves. Perhaps I was a god that lost such a battle and I have had my memory wiped away to believe what I do? Perhaps Turas, the war god has given me these powers of strength and undying for a purpose as yet unknown to me? I really wish that I knew, Kolonus."

  The commander did not answer as he sat thinking seriously about the matter. The veteran soldier mulled over the sights and the words and several times the older man mumbled something incomprehensible to Gerid before finally saying. "Well, I suppose that it is a good thing that you will be
returning to Carter's home." The man explained himself as Gerid wondered at the thought, "You should have a little more time to search within yourself there. Maybe with a little time, or a lot, you may finally receive some insights. My biggest problem with all this is that I am not sure how I should treat you now. If you are a god, then it is silly to think of you serving under me. I should be the one to follow you instead."

  Gerid shook his head and answered with renewed confidence, "I think that we should continue as we have, sir. We're friends and soldiers. We already respect each other and I can follow you until it is my time to leave. We still have the contract to honor after all. Even gods should honor their pledges, don't you think?"

  Kolonus seemed edgy, but he nodded agreement. "Perhaps that is for the best. It'll take a little time to get used to the idea, but as you said we have a contract, though perhaps it could be declared null and void under such circumstances. In the meanwhile, your command has two days of patrols before you are to leave. I'll send word to Carter about your acquisition of Finneas and his men. He'll follow my suggestion of keeping them attached to your command.

  "Speaking of which, I still need a report of your casualties," the man said changing the subject back to one that both of them found much more normal. "How did your company fare in this battle? I do know that our side came through this day extremely well due to you and your men, but did your platoons take many casualties while holding the towers?"

  With a new smile returned to his face, Gerid said proudly, "Considering the potential danger that they faced here, of the hundred and ten men that entered the city with me, only twenty-five were killed. Many have minor wounds, of course, but apparently once the initial entrance was gained, the towers proved to be excellent defensive positions for the men. Enswere could only regain access to one tower, which had the main losses, and that only for a short time. The twisting stairs and halls were so narrow and easily defended that our superior swordsmen repulsed them and closed the tower again by the time the main army was through the gateway.