Mindbender

by David A. Wells

  “Well done, Mage Dax,” Alexander said.

  “Send in the cavalry and prepare the infantry,” he said to General Brand.

  A column of heavy cavalry ten-wide thundered past and through the Gate. They charged through the breach in the wall and into the chaotic field of enemy soldiers. A few of their infantry tried to organize a resistance but the leading soldiers mounted on the rhone trampled over them on their way to the ring of archers two hundred feet from the Gate.

  The enemy archers were concentrating their fire on the dragon still perched atop the wall and roaring ferociously at the nearby infantry. By the time they saw the column of Ithilian cavalry coming for them, it was too late. The horsemen trampled into the ranks of archers, crushing them under hoof and striking them down with their heavy spears, then wheeling right and continuing their charge. The lightly armored archers were no match for the heavy armor and momentum of the cavalry crashing through their ranks and leaving a trail of carnage and broken bodies in their wake.

  As the cavalry moved around the band of archers, they left the area where the stone giant had caused the most damage and the heavy infantry on both sides began to offer some resistance.

  Squads of men rushed into the flanks of the charging column and drove spears into the sides of their steeds, then pulled the men down and stabbed them to death. But the cavalry didn’t stop—they had their orders and knew the risks. When one horse fell, the others closed ranks and filled in the gap to continue their charge through the archers.

  Alexander sent Chloe through the Gate to scout for him. She floated in the aether high above and scanned the scene, while Alexander surveyed the battlefield through her eyes. The enemy had abandoned the broken wall and the soldiers in the immediate area were in disarray. They didn’t know what to make of the dragon and seemed to be waiting for it to attack. His cavalry were halfway around the circle of archers, leaving nothing but wreckage in their path. It saddened him that they had lost nearly two hundred of their number, but the necessity of eliminating the archers outweighed the cost.

  On the outer perimeter of the Regency encampment, Alexander saw another battle unfolding as three legions of Ruathan soldiers attacked. They’d already breached the defensive ditch and berm in two places and were pouring into the encampment.

  “Stay high and remain in the aether, Little One,” Alexander said to Chloe through his link with her mind.

  “Be careful, My Love,” she said.

  “Send in the infantry and prepare the archers,” Alexander commanded.

  A thousand heavy infantry marched past twenty-wide and spread out as they entered the partially enclosed area in front of the Gate. Even though they all knew the dragon was nothing but an illusion, most couldn’t help but look up when it roared.

  The enemy soldiers that had taken the brunt of the stone giant’s attack were scrambling to reorganize and present a coordinated resistance. Alexander’s infantry weren’t interested in fighting them. Instead they moved to seize what was left of the wall. Once on the other side of the Gate, they wheeled left and drove straight for the ramp leading up to the top of the long straight wall behind it. As they neared the base of the ramp, they met heavy resistance from an infantry unit that had managed to regroup. The fighting was fierce. Alexander watched as his soldiers fought to a standstill against the crush of superior numbers. The enemy commanders had regained control and were driving their forces toward the Gate to choke off the flow of Ithilian soldiers.

  “It’s time,” Alexander said, drawing the Thinblade with his right hand and Mindbender with his left.

  Anatoly unslung his war axe, Jataan strapped on his shield and took up his spear, Boaberous hefted his giant war hammer over his shoulder, and the thirteen Rangers commanded by Lieutenant Wyatt drew long swords as one. Jack and Lucky looked torn. They were staying behind until the area could be secured and neither looked happy about it.

  “Wait for my signal, then send in the archers,” Alexander said to Conner. “Once they’re through, make sure the second wave is ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

  “Good luck, Lord Reishi,” Conner said with a salute.

  Alexander turned and stepped through the Gate and onto Ruathan soil for the first time in months. He and his men moved to the left of the Gate toward the infantry that had fought to a stalemate. His soldiers had planted their heavy shields in the dirt, forming an interlocking wall to defend against the throng pressing in toward them. Bodies were piling up in front of them as they stabbed past their shields with swords and spears, wounding or killing those in the first ranks of the enemy counterattack.

  Alexander scanned the scene and found the spot where he would make his thrust. He found a company commander coordinating the attack that had suddenly turned into a desperate defense.

  “Captain, we’re going to push through the line right there,” Alexander said, pointing to the spot with the Thinblade. “Spread the word to your men to fold in on my command and open a gap in the line for us. Have another hundred men ready to follow us through.”

  The captain looked like he thought the plan was madness but he didn’t argue the point. Instead, after only the briefest of hesitation, he grabbed a nearby sergeant and told him to spread the order.

  Alexander and Jataan formed the point of a wedge with Boaberous and Anatoly on their flanks. The Rangers filled out the rear ranks. They moved into position and Alexander shouted the order. In unison, two soldiers unlocked their shields and a section of ten men along the hastily formed shield-wall separated and folded inward like two gates swinging open.

  The enemy took advantage of the sudden opening and rushed in. Alexander could hear the thoughts of the nearby enemy soldiers through Mindbender. He released the illusion of the dragon and narrowed his focus. He was in a fight and he had a blade in his hand. Everything else faded away as he met the enemy.

  He pushed forward with measured speed, using Mindbender to block enemy weapons and to see their intentions as they attacked. When they stepped into range, he cut them down with the Thinblade. The ground soaked up the blood. Alexander stepped over the severed body parts of those enemy soldiers who had been unfortunate enough to face off against him.

  Jataan fought with speed and precision, using his shield to defend against attack and his spear to stab into the enemy, usually driving through their breastplates and into their hearts or simply slipping the point into their throats. Men fell away with each carefully placed thrust.

  Anatoly fought with his usual deliberate style, waiting for the enemy to step just close enough before feinting to draw them into his kill zone or striking at their weapon to move it out of position before delivering a deadly blow with his war axe.

  Boaberous was a study in bottled rage. He maintained formation but it was obvious that he wanted to wade into the enemy. He kept his hammer high and struck with deceptive speed and terrible force at any soldier close enough. Each smashing blow broke bones, rent armor, and crushed the life out of the man facing him.

  The Rangers covered the rear and flanks as they steadily drove through the crush of enemy soldiers along the wall toward the ramp. A column of infantry flowed into the trail of carnage, then turned to attack the Regency soldiers in the twenty feet between the swath Alexander had cut and the wall that ran along the back of the Gate. When Alexander’s assault reached the base of the ramp, he pushed out just a dozen feet and held position while soldiers poured past him up the ramp and onto the wall.

  Alexander sent Chloe with the order for the archers to come through as the Ithilian infantry extended its shield-wall to enclose the area from the point opposite the Gate where the stone giant had first attacked the wall out to the base of the ramp leading to the top of the wall.

  The slaughter of so many soldiers by Alexander and his friends had sent a wave of hesitation through the enemy that the Ithilian infantry used to their advantage to widen the foothold they had on the battlefield.

  Within a minute of sending the order, the first of t
he Ithilian archers started to file behind the fierce fighting taking place in front of the infantry’s shield-wall and up onto the wall. A contingent of infantry had killed any enemy soldiers that remained on top of the wall and cast their bodies down into the midst of their comrades. Once the wall was secure, they took a position at the top of the opposite ramp, forming a shield-wall with a row of pike men behind them to present a bristling defensive position that could defend against a push to retake the wall from that side.

  Alexander pulled back as infantry with heavy shields took their place, creating an unbroken line of soldiers joining half of the semicircular wall around in front of the ramp and a dozen feet to the other side. Archers took positions along the top of the wall and immediately began firing into the crowd of soldiers below, thinning their ranks and putting them on the defensive.

  Alexander raced up onto the wall and scanned the battlefield. Ithilian infantry were creating a space within the remains of the wall surrounding the Gate where his soldiers could be staged for the next push. A steady stream of arrow-laden archers was moving through the Gate and lining the top of the wall. They immediately began firing as soon as they reached their position, adding to the growing barrage of arrows falling on the enemy infantry.

  The cavalry had completely routed the band of enemy archers surrounding the Gate and were making a charge into the infantry toward the Gate. It looked like about six hundred remained of the thousand he’d sent into the fray. He swallowed hard at the human toll his orders had exacted before he turned his attention to the battle raging a mile away between the Regency forces and the Ruathan Army.

  Smoke rose from many of the Regency’s fortifications, and their defenses had completely failed in four places. Pitched battles were taking place between their forces and the Ruathan soldiers pushing into their encampment.

  Alexander nodded his satisfaction at their progress and returned to the battle raging all around him.

  “Captain,” he called down from the top of the wall. When the man turned and looked up at him, he pointed out across the battle toward the column of cavalry charging through the enemy soldiers. “Prepare to open a gap for our cavalry.”

  The captain saluted and turned to issue orders to his men.

  Alexander spoke to Chloe through his mental link with her, “Tell Conner that our cavalry is returning, Little One.”

  “I will, My Love,” she said in his mind.

  Archers lining the top of the wall were busy sending a steady rain of arrows into the enemy surrounding them on all sides. Alexander saw a column of enemy cavalry charging through their own infantry toward the opposite ramp leading to the top of the wall. Some of the soldiers were too slow to avoid being trampled by the heavy horses.

  Alexander brought the image of the dragon back into his mind and released it into Mindbender, calling it into being high overhead. He directed it down in a dive toward the onrushing cavalry, flaring its wings and roaring with deafening fury as it descended on them. The cavalry panicked at the threat the illusion presented and the column scattered, trying desperately to avoid the terrifying creature.

  The Ithilian cavalry reached the shield line, which opened a gap for them to pour through, then closed it again once the last horseman had passed. They rode back through the Gate into Ithilian.

  “Send the next regiment of infantry and more arrows,” Alexander told Chloe in his mind.

  “Yes, My Love,”

  Not a minute later, another thousand infantry started to move through the Gate to relieve some of the soldiers still holding the line against the Regency soldiers and to help wounded soldiers retreat through the Gate. The crush of enemy soldiers was much less with the steady rain of arrows falling into their midst.

  Alexander surveyed the battlefield again. He saw that the Ruathan soldiers were making headway against the Regency soldiers, having pushed through their defensive barriers and formed up into company-sized units to face the soldiers in pitched battles.

  From behind and to his right, Alexander heard a whoosh followed by terrible screaming. He turned to see the squad of soldiers holding the far ramp leading to the top of the wall engulfed in bright, angry fire. He scanned the sea of enemy soldiers and found his target. A single man stood atop a wagon, well out of bow range. The wizard. His colors glowed brightly as he cast another spell.

  Alexander snatched a bow from the nearest archer and handed it to Jataan, pointing at his target. The battle mage nodded as Alexander moved to reinforce the far ramp with Anatoly and Boaberous right behind him. As he moved along the wall, he watched a stream of a dozen arrows sail in a high arc from Jataan’s bow toward the wizard.

  When the first of the arrows neared the wizard, he abandoned his liquid-fire spell and threw up a flame screen to defend against the sudden attack. The first arrow charred as it passed through the plane of heat and flew off course. The second ignited in midair but still hit him in the shoulder, breaking his concentration and diminishing the heat of his frantically erected shield. The arrows that followed struck him in the chest one after the other until he toppled off the back of the wagon.

  Enemy soldiers were advancing up the ramp toward the burning pool of liquid fire and charred bodies. Archers posted along the semicircular section of wall shifted fire to thin their ranks. Alexander stopped short of the flames and waited. The first soldier through caught on fire and turned to see the flames racing up his cloak. He spun to try to put it out, chasing around after his own cloak. Alexander kicked him back into the pool of fire. He fell screaming as the searing heat of the magical fire engulfed him.

  Another squad of infantry raced up behind Alexander and took up the position in front of the flames. Alexander stepped back and assessed the situation yet again. Things were moving quickly and the circumstances dictated his strategy more than anything else.

  There was a lull in the battle as the enemy fell back to regroup. Soldiers behind and to the right of the Gate formed up into units several hundred feet away and prepared to advance under the cover of shields. Bodies were scattered everywhere and the groans of dying soldiers suddenly filled the air as the din of battle faded.

  The Regency soldiers in front of the Gate had largely turned to meet the advance of the Ruathan Army that had broken through their lines and were now pushing toward the Gate. To the left of the Gate, the enemy army was still pressing in on the shield line but not with nearly the pressure they brought to bear when the battle had begun.

  Reinforcements from farther out in the sprawling encampment were moving toward the Gate. Alexander knew he needed to seize the moment and fill the void left on the battlefield with his forces before the enemy was able to find their footing and strike back.

  “Little One, send in five thousand infantry, as quick as you can,” he said to Chloe in his mind.

  “Right away, My Love” she said in his mind. “Stay safe.”

  Soldiers started pouring into the space behind his shield-wall. The captain coordinating the defensive effort saw the new soldiers and looked up to Alexander for orders.

  “Push out,” Alexander called to him, motioning for him to expand the shield-wall. “Surround the Gate.”

  The captain saluted and started calling out orders to his sergeants. The men manning the oversized, interlocking shields lifted as one, pulling the grounding spikes out of the blood-soaked dirt, and shoved forward. At the same time, a line of spearmen just behind them lashed out at the soldiers trying to break the line, driving them back. The shield-wall expanded one step at a time. The enemy troops still trying to break through were caught between defending against the arrows steadily raining down on them and the spears and swords of the soldiers manning the shield-wall. They broke and retreated in favor of regrouping with other soldiers farther back.

  “Advance!” Alexander shouted. The soldiers manning the shield-wall disconnected their shields and lumbered forward as many more men poured into the field behind them and raced in to fill the gaps in the shield line as their foothold e
xpanded. Once they’d gained a hundred feet of ground, one well-seasoned sergeant called for them to stop, planting his shield in the dirt and signaling for the men around him to form a line. They locked their shields together and drove the grounding stakes into the dirt, lending stability and strength to their shield-wall.

  Men poured through from Ithilian and filled the newly captured ground with soldiers eager for their taste of the glory of battle.

  The stench of the blood and burned bodies made Alexander’s stomach turn, but he kept his focus on the ebb and flow of the fight. Every turn of events presented opportunities and dangers that had to be seized or avoided.

  When he saw the regiment of Rangers flanking the enemy to the north, he saw an opportunity.

  “Stop the infantry, send all the cavalry in one column, Little One,” he said in his mind. “Tell them to drive through to the north and punch a hole through the enemy forces until they join with the Ruathan cavalry. Have the infantry ready to follow on their heels.”

  “Yes, My Love,” Chloe said.

  He called out to get the captain’s attention.

  “Captain, clear a path wide enough for a cavalry charge,” he yelled over the heads of a throng of soldiers. “Prepare the men at the shield-wall to fold in and let them through.”

  The small ocean of soldiers parted and a path opened just wide enough for ten horses, running abreast. Minutes later, cavalry started coming through the Gate. The commander saw his path and charged into the battle through the opening in the shield-wall.

  The river of horses flowed out of the Gate and thundered across the battlefield stretching for a hundred feet, then a thousand and more. They crashed into the Regency infantry unit and trampled hundreds of soldiers under hoof.